Ian walked around the village, looking at this stall and that in the market square. He was waiting for an informant, and though you could not tell, he was starting to get concerned. This fellow was never late. Turning towards the castle, about to give up- he saw a smile flash at him in the crowd and disappeared. Ian made his way down an alley, to an inn, and grabbed a table far in a corner. Before long, the informant sat down. He was a small young man, with ruddy cheeks and redder hair than Ian. Slipping reports to him under the table, he took a healthy swig of the ale Ian pushed towards him.
"They know where ye be. They have not moved into the village yet, but they are watching, biding their time no doubt. Since they are the talk of the year, snatching lords and ladies is demanding work when all eyes are on them." Ian nodded. He had counted on that, knowing that Ben's subjects adored him and there was constant activity since Kora had worked the fields over and Ben was reviewing the lands with the King. More soldiers had arrived from the capital on Royce's orders. They had shown up in small groups, casually dressed, and were stationed about the village. It was obvious to the locals that there were numerous newcomers, but they assumed it was the presence of the king who drew their attention - and that they were subjects from rural areas of the region. Ian asked if there was anything else, and the lad shook his head, now shoveling his mouth full of the food Ian had ordered. He patted the young man on the back and made his way to the castle.
Malik and Ben sat in Ben's study, bent over a desk littered with maps and parchment. They were discussing the overall look of the land, and they were both pleased with what they saw. Kora identified substantial amounts of mineral veins running in the mountains to the east-gold or other valuable stones. They had started the mining project with all haste. A knock at the door in a peculiar pattern announced Ian. He sauntered in, looking over the men's shoulder at the mining plans, and whistled.
"That girl is a prize, make no mistake." Ian remarked, and the King agreed. Kora was going to make their kingdom the richest it had been since the fall of the old empire. She seemed determined to make it so.
"I take it you got some news, or you wouldn't be twiddling your thumbs." Ben admonished, crossing his arms across his chest. Ian coughed as Malik stood up, turning to look at him as well.
"Yes, the remaining solders have moved into position, and the enemy has been located outside the village walls. I have set up a watch, and if they move - the trap is ready. Royce is in place now - he is just waiting for them to move. It will be soon, though-they only have 15 members, and they are growing anxious. One of my lads was even close enough to hear them arguing." Malik and Ben nodded, and Ben pulled a map out from under all the other pieces of parchment.
"Ludis has treated the dungeons with special magic to hold any of them we capture, but Kora is going to want to kill them all. Have you talked to her, Ben?" He looked at his best friend, whose cheeks tinged pink just a tad.
"I have not. She … she has finally calmed down. Gained weight. I thought we could tell her if any survive to be held prisoner. She would know how to force answers the best." Malik, remembering how she had made vines grow and push thorny tendrils under fingernails and toenails as the men were slowly strangled, shuddered. The vine going through the man's head to pop out one of his eyeballs had been enough for the others to gladly scream anything she wanted to know- if she had wanted any information. They were going to get the drop on the enemy before the enemy got the drop on them. And when they did, Kora was going to make them pay.