Like a Thick Blanket...

-Dalen Capital, Slave Pens, Night, 2 DSTR-

Lafayette and Kalena wandered through the silent, subterranean halls until they stumbled upon a room with a light coming from under its door.

"Do we try that door?" Lafayette asked.

Kalena shrugged. "Sure, why not? It does look somewhat promising."

Lafayette attempted to turn the knob, but it refused to budge. "I will watch your back while you pick the lock."

"Sounds like a plan," Kalena said gamely. She quickly took out a few lock picks from a pouch on her swordbelt. It was a fine set of picks, one that no self-respecting former assassin would ever leave home without.

She inserted one of the slender instruments into the keyhole and started teasing the pins with the long tapered-tip comb on the end. The lock was old and kind of dirty inside with accumulated grime, but in about half a minute she was able to manipulate the pins until they were all lined up in place. When they were, she turned the picking tool like it were the lock's rightful key and there was a firm audible *click* sound.

With a slight smile, she put her tools away and carefully cracked the door open—and just as she did a great cold, damp, swath of foul smelling air hit her and Lafayette like a thick blanket!

"Oh, mon Dieu," Lafayette cried, almost gagging. "What is that?"

"I shouldn't like to think," Kalena said, drawing back fast and grimacing with revulsion at the rancid smell of human filth and neglect; it wasn't the smell of death, but it may as well have been. "Beyond the foul stink do you notice how cold the air is? It's as frigid as if it were the dead of winter, and not late summer. How peculiar..."

Putting the sleeve of her cloak over her nose, she peered into the room and saw a young woman with white hair lying on the floor. Who the hell was that, Jack Frost's sister? A crude blindfold covered the woman's eyes and a rough rope was serving as a gag and the woman's arms and legs were artfully tied behind her back tight together with the same rough rope. Though the woman seemed calm, and unmoving, or maybe recently dead, and not seeming to be in need of such elaborate and evil bonds. As well the whole room was very cold, as if chilled with magic. Kalena noticed the woman's pale skin was bruised, especially around the neck.

All Kalena cared about though was recovering the Royal Hounds of Thalia and Van's stolen soul. She had no interest in rescuing nameless slaves or any other unfortunate prisoners they might inadvertently stumble across, if this prisoner was even alive to rescue. Kalena was not at all sure what was going on here. It was all a bit strange, wasn't it? Perhaps a magical spell had been cast to preserve the woman's dead body? But why go to such measures? It was plainly obvious there was something special about her down here in secluded captivity and bound the way she was; if still alive and breathing perhaps the woman might possess valuable information on their enemy? If not, Kalena supposed it was possible they could use the woman as barter with the Emerald Scarves, who would presumably wish her safely returned to them.

"Cut her loose and get her out of there," Kalena said to Lafayette, coming to a decision. "But be quick about it; it's so damn cold in that room you're liable to get frostbite if you dally too long. I'll stand watch out here."

Before he might suggest that instead she go into that freezing, stinking cell and he stand watch out in the hall, she quickly drew her sabre and took up a position to guard the cell door, leaving him with the decidedly more unpleasant of the two tasks. At his momentary hesitation, Kalena gave him a smile and encouraging nod.

<Tag Lafayette and ??>