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Order of the Black Foot Chapter 10: Inquisitor Interrogation For DrakeHavok and Lynxy By Draconicon

If it wasn't for the magic, we wouldn't be able to strike this deep. Hanna kept telling herself that as the teleportation tingle faded from her, leaving her shuddering a little as she found her footing in the empty supply closet. If we had this magic back home, it would make our work a lot easier.

It didn't change the fact that it was still magic, and powerful magic at that. If it wasn't for the fact that Draconicon was so dedicated to destroying a mutual enemy...and the fact that he felt so good in bed...

The lynx shook her head a few times, clearing it of such thoughts. She had a job to do, and very limited time in which to do it.

Havok should be teleporting in via the barracks shortly. He'll cause a ruckus, draw in some of the paladins, which will let me get to him, she reminded herself. I come in when he's drawn the attention, and deal with the soldiers before they can overwhelm him.

It was a risk, admittedly. Havok was already treading lightly with the Order, considering his previous 'flirtations' with the rogue spirit, but there was no denying his skill as a fighter and assassin. He was almost as good as her, and definitely not someone that they could afford to dismiss, even with the risk of opening up another host for Joan. At the same time, they couldn't leave him alone for long...

Hanna waited for the shouting to start, and then darted from the closet. Her bare feet carried her across the cobblestone floor of the fortress quickly, darting underneath the torches and past suits of armor as she followed the sound of death. Those that stood in her way - a servant and a guard pulling on his armor - barely needed a tap from her knife pommel to put them out, and she continued to her task.

By the time she arrived at the door to the barracks, the fight was in full swing. Havok leaped from bed to bed, kicking bodies out of the way as he fought with sword and armored gauntlet. The dragon caught the blows coming his way before darting in, stabbing at those that were in reach until he was forced back, leaping from one bed to another. He was surprisingly skilled in using the room for cover, keeping them from surrounding him.

At the same time, she could see his mistakes. Sloppy footwork that could tie his legs up in the bed blankets, not to mention leaping forward rather than keeping a wall behind him. It was only a matter of time until the sheer numbers of the soldiers and paladins overwhelmed him.

The lynx took in the information in less than a second, and set herself to work.

She grabbed a torch from the wall and ran, drawing fire from one bed to another, setting up a wall of fire that blocked off the doorway. No more intruders, no more reinforcements for a while. The clanging of metal and constant shouting from the other end of the room hid the initial crackle of sparks and flames, and she spread the fire as far as she could.

Once it took on a life of its own, she unsheathed her other knife and darted into the fray. The soldiers weren't ready for a second attack, and her blades danced among their number. A cut in the back of the knee, followed by a slice to the throat toppled three in a row before anyone managed to make a sound loud enough to be heard. The soldier that turned to face her took a knife to the eye, and she ran at him, using his body as a springboard. She grabbed the blade between her toes and carried it with her as she lunged into another, burying her blade in his throat.

They finally noticed her, but their numbers were down to six. Six paladins against two assassins.

The fight didn't last long, particularly with them pinned between her and Havok. The lynx shook her head as the dragon took down the last of them, reaching down and pulling her dagger free from a wolf's throat, lifting it with her foot to her hand, and then wiping it clean with a shake of her head.

"They don't do well with surprise, do they?"

"We really want them to?"

"Not really. But they are sloppy."

"..."

She looked over her shoulder. Havok was staring at her again. He almost always did that, and it didn't seem to be for the reasons that everyone else in the camps did. Her nudity didn't bother him, but nor did it entice him. It was strange, considering that she was used to everyone that she passed trying to take a feel of her, at least.

It was something for another time, though. Her ear twitched as she heard footsteps past the inferno at the door, and she shook her head.

"Time to go."

"Go where? Blocked our way out."

"Window, of course."

She walked over to it, using a piece of a broken bed to shatter the glass out and open it up. A glance down told her that nobody else would be on a ledge out there; hundreds of feet of open air lay between them and the ground below, at the bottom of the cliff the fortress sat on. The lynx pulled herself through the window, standing on her tiptoes on the outside.

"Hmm...pretty stable. Kinda cold, though."

"Naked. Always cold."

"Only when I'm not doing my job, Havok. Come on."

"Serious?"

"Very."

"Ugh."

She stepped to the side, her claws sinking into the spaces between the stone for better grips as the white dragon joined her. He wiggled back and forth a little on the ledge, trying to get his balance, and unlike her, had to grab a knife and stab it into the rock to hold tight enough. She chuckled.

"Not used to scaling the walls?"

"Ambush fighter. Wait outside."

"Heh, well, if you're going to be a proper assassin, this is how you do it."

Though if Draconicon sends him with me on another assassination mission, we're having words. Havok wasn't quiet enough to be a good assassin, and that was part of the reason they'd been split. Distractions were key tonight. They left a bloodbath to draw the soldiers, and it should leave the head officer - or better yet, an Inquisitor - unguarded, ready for extraction.

She dragged herself up the wall without a sound, her toes and fingers finding every little gap as they worked their way up. The sound of the crackling fire faded behind them, and she smiled. They'd be busy trying to get through and find any source of the intruders for a while, leaving them time to get where they needed.

Her thoughts shifted off to the future as she climbed, since it was such a mechanical task. It was something she'd been avoiding for a while, all things considered, but...well, it did have to be considered.

When the war was over, what would happen? The footprint on her chest was a constant reminder of what had happened, how she'd signed over her life to Draconicon despite her original allegiances. He was the only one that knew, of course; she'd hidden her origin from everyone else, mostly to ensure that there was no conflict between her and the other mages. The Great Glaciers were not the most kind to them - though better than the Theocracy was being - and further conflict within the Order she'd helped made would slow the war effort.

But it came with the cost of knowing that she'd signed away her own life. She'd never be able to go back to the expansive home that she'd earned as an agent, never return to the few slaves that she'd gathered for herself. For that matter, she could easily get a hit put out on her, something that her own superiors would easily sign off on considering that she would be a risk under a mage's control.

There was the possibility of turning things around when the war was sure to be won, admittedly. She had Draconicon's ear, she was his top advisor and best supporter. She could, technically, do something that would lead to her reinstatement in the lands of the north. Bring him in as a trophy, and she would have everything back again.

The question was...could she do it?

Not physically - she was pretty sure she could handle that - but mentally. She had fallen so deep into the creation of the order and its cause that she doubted that it would be so simple. Not to mention that Draconicon's control over her body was absolute, when he wished it so. He'd demonstrated it several times when they were still forming the Order, stopping her from taking several actions and forcing her to take others. She learned quickly to obey, and still did.

At the same time...

I need to make a decision, and fast, she thought as they reached the top level of the fortress. If I have to decide when the time comes, I'll make the wrong decision...then again, if I decide too soon, Drac might take a look and find out. I'll need to time it right, and act quickly.

She stopped on the ledge that was just below the parapet, and looked down. Havok was right behind her, his eyes focused entirely on the wall rather than staring up under her tail. Not a bad thing, considering it was what most males liked to look at, and she chuckled to herself as he grunted, trying to keep his hold.

"A little stuck?"

"Keep. Going."

"Sure."

She flipped herself onto the walkway, and ducked down. There were no soldiers up here, yet, but she doubted that the fire would contain them for much longer. As soon as they were sure that the intruders weren't around the bottom floor, they'd start searching the fortress. Gradually, at first, and then with increasing speed as they eliminated the bottom floor and started working their way up.

They'd have time, she was sure, but it would be close.

Helping the dragon up with her, she pointed towards one of the towers two turrets down the wall. Havok nodded, and they ducked down, sneaking along towards it.

They only met one bit of resistance, a bull bodyguard that turned out to be too confident in the security of the fortress and less attentive to his job than he should have been. Havok's blade was out, but she slammed a fist into the back of the bull's head before it could be bloodied.

The dragon hissed as the bull hit the ground.

"Why?"

"No need to kill this one."

"Works with them."

"So? Doesn't mean that he's officially one of them."

"Doesn't matter."

"You do what I say, Havok. That's part of the deal, remember?"

"...Babysitter."

"Brat."

She shook his shoulder, and then looked through the bull's pockets. It didn't take long to find the key-ring for the door, and she quickly undid the lock and stepped inside. The winding stairs led upwards, and she doubted that the officer in residence would have left just yet. A basic invasion was the work of the soldiers to deal with, not the man in command.

Hanna turned to Havok, gesturing at him and at the door. He shook his head, and she narrowed her eyes.

This is why I don't like taking him along...

According to Teryx, Havok was always somewhat difficult to work with, considering the rage that he was dealing with, but she'd never had to deal with so much of it, so directly. She'd thought that he might be an annoying, surly soldier, but this fire in his eyes, this need to kill the paladins and the Church soldiers - no matter how indirectly related they might be - was going to be a problem.

She debated calling Draconicon to reinforce her order, but she knew that would only weaken what little authority she had. Instead, Hanna looked out the doorway, and then down towards the bottom levels, towards the courtyard.

The soldiers were gathering, and she could hear orders being called out. Search patterns, some of which were harmless, some of which could be a problem.

She made a snap decision.

"Hide the body, and then come up and join me."

It was a risk; he'd probably end up killing the bull and then hiding him, rather than just hiding, but at least it would keep him busy. Havok glared at her for a moment, then slowly nodded.

At least he understands practicality, she thought as she watched him drag the bull out of the doorway and out of sight. She turned around, hurrying up the stairs.

It didn't take long to find the commander's room, and as soon as she opened the door, Hanna grinned.

"Inquisitor."

A rather regal-looking rat turned around, brown fur coiffed back and looking like it had been oiled and groomed. He had the same white cape as everyone else in his order, and had the usual enchanted gear around his neck and arms. The rat looked down his nose at her, and snorted.

"Since when does the Church send whores to the offices of their Inquisitors?"

"Mmm, much as I'm flattered by the comment, Inquisitor, you might want to look a little...closer."

Hanna smirked as she dragged her hand over her chest, her bare breasts bouncing slightly as she groped one...and as she stepped more fully into the light, she saw his eyes flicker with realization as he saw the black mark between them.

"Assassin!"

"Correct."

He lunged for his sword, but she was faster, throwing a knife hard enough to knock his arm off target. She lunged forward before he could recover, tackling him over the table and knocking them both to the ground. Before she could pin him down with her other knife, however, he rolled, kicking her in the back of the head and sending her flying towards the wall.

Rebounding off of it with practiced ease, Hanna landed on her feet with dagger in hand, but the Inquisitor had already gotten his footing back, and had pulled his sword from the table. It gleamed in the light, and she shook her head as he started circling around her. She pressed back a little bit, keeping near the wall.

"Fine...it's more fair this way, anyway."

"Fair? You don't know what an Inquisitor can do, can you?"

"On the contrary. I know exactly what you can do. Heh. I've studied you...and I think we might have killed one of you already."

"We? You mean that blasted Order?"

"No."

He darted forward, a blur, but she was ready, blocking his first thrust and lashing out with a sliding kick. The rat slipped, falling onto his back, but he rolled away before she could take advantage. She followed him, stabbing down at his rolling body until he was out of reach, and only stopping to grab her other dagger from the table, holding it in her tail as he got to his feet.

They stared each other down for a moment, Hanna measuring her options. He was quick enough that she couldn't land a direct hit, not unless he held still. She knew his patterns, but if he started varying them up, there could be a problem. Could be. Depended on how inventive he was...

She set herself, and waited.

As she expected, he darted in again, this time going low rather than high. She jumped, slamming one foot down on his shoulders and kicking off of him, and using her tail to block his counterstrike. She landed on her feet, and was immediately set on again, his blows raining down in quick, precise patterns that followed the same order she expected.

Trained well, but not trained smart, she thought. They all fight the same...

Hanna let him drive her back towards the wall, feeling it coming as she counted the steps backwards. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven -

She jumped just as her back was about to touch it, leaping out of the way of his next blow. The shriek of metal on stone told her that she'd counted it just right.

Unfortunately, her counterattack was only mildly successful, cutting at his leg but not deep enough to slow him down. She leaped to her feet again, taking his offense as he drove her back again, following the same pattern, the same strokes, just from above rather than below.

The lynx was vaguely aware of the Havok standing in the doorway, feeling the white dragon's eyes on her as she was driven back and forth across the room. She could feel something more, though, something more than observation.

Hate.

It wasn't directed at the Inquisitor, but at her. There was something there, some heat that told her that he could easily try and kill her, as well. Why? She didn't know.

Nor could she think on that, not with the rat striking so fast. Even with the pattern locked down, she couldn't take her eyes off of him. What was the count? Six, seven -

She threw herself forward that time, sliding under the rat's over-the-head slash, and her dagger in her tail struck. She felt the resistance before the fleshy tail came off, popping free of the rat's body. He stumbled, slamming into the wall, and Hanna finally was able to take advantage of the situation.

Grabbing him before he could turn around, she pressed herself tightly to the rat's back, one dagger at his neck, and her other hand grabbing at his gear.

"Make one move, and I can kill you before you finish it."

"...What...are you?"

"Something you don't want to think about."

She quickly stripped him of his gear, and Havok walked over to help her tie him up. She shook her head a few times as they bound him up tightly, and was about to press her hand to her chest when the white dragon grabbed her by the wrist.

"Talk first."

"...I guess we can. Like why you want me dead."

"Felt it?"

"Hard to miss it, Havok. What was that about?"

"Don't trust Glacier people."

"..."

"Yes. I know."

That changed things, and changed them substantially, for that matter. Hanna hadn't thought that anyone in the Order knew her actual origins except for Draconicon, which was why she had even considered the other option. But if Havok knew...

"How do you know?"

"Trades. Magimum and others. Some business."

Damn, she thought. If that was the case, then he could be tracked, might even be valuable to some agent or other up north. Even if the dragon himself didn't have any particular like of them, that didn't mean that he hadn't been used in the past or wasn't being watched as a potential asset. She couldn't do something to simply bring him down without some sort of back-up from Draconicon, either. Damn, damn, damn.

"So...you know what I am. Is that a problem?"

"Worried. You're dangerous."

"So are you."

"Different way. I'm dangerous to the Church. You're dangerous to us."

"You think I'm a double agent?"

"Could be."

"I'm not. I'm the one that helped Draconicon even come up with the idea of an Order in the first place. I'm the one that made sure that it actually could even come together. I have no reason to go back."

"Could. If you brought a prize."

And here I thought he was just a blood-crazed brute, she thought to herself. Teaches me to underestimate someone like that. Okay...New plans. Come up with new plans for this information...

Joan panted softly as she watched the mark flow over the wolf's chest. White light, flowing out of a blue sole, sealed itself on the former paladin's pecs. He was unconscious, but when he woke...well, he would be a good source of energy.

Her body's head, a dragon's, looked up towards the fortress on the cliff. She could feel the energy of others there, something swelling and then falling, and knew that Draconicon's soldiers were doing work.

"Hmmph. Looks like you should be thanking me..."

She turned around, her blue dragon body standing in the midst of fifty or more soldiers, all stripped, all marked with the white footprint on their chest. They'd been on the way back to the fortress, and she'd brought them all down. The armor was a problem, but all that magic from Draconicon's network was still hers to use. He couldn't stop her, not completely, and it was sufficient to get past the armor.

With these fifty, that could be taken further...and further...

For now, though, she needed to find someplace to take them, and someplace to sleep so that the whimpering Teryx in the back of her head would stop bothering her.

Earth, she thought, and started kicking the ground. Magic flowed, creating a cavern beneath her, and she started carrying the bodies down. They'd wake, eventually, but they'd never think again. They were hers. They were her power source...

The End