"No," Anaisa glared at Barnabas. "I'm not going with you."
"I'm afraid I didn't ask. And thanks to this very conveniently strong servant you've provided to me, I don't even have to order all of you to go. You can walk willingly, or I can order him to make you. Your choice." The count grinned at the battered woman.
"I don't want to–" The soldier said, but Barnabas interrupted.
"Once again, you weren't asked for your opinion. Now everyone, let's proceed onward. I don't imagine there's any way you would have baited me with real magic stones, so I suppose those must be decoys… how is my guessing?"
No one responded and the count smiled.
"You had me fooled for a moment with the performance of the man above… and this soldier, who inexplicably has magic as well. Did you actually develop the ability to remove the magic stones without breaking them, or did they run all the way down into the cavern and back? How exhausting!"
