Sly as a Siren

Forward

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"So, what do we do now Boss?" Pip was grinning behind her, leaning causally against the doorframe, unconcerned with the bodies and blood strewn about. In one hand he held half a corn bread that he proceeded to take a large bite from.

"Just give me a second to gloat, then we will figure out what to do" she said with a smirk.

"Oh, its we now is it?" he teased. She grinned.

"A smart woman always lets the men think it's a we or him that is making the decisions," she shot back.

"Smart move."

"You going to eat all that yourself?" she asked, pointing to the bread in his hands. He grinned at her.

"There's more in the Kitchens" was all he would allow, taking another large bite of said cornbread, casting her another grin around his mouthful. She rolled her eyes at him.

Rayvn entered the room, looking less stern than she had ever seen him.

"They didn't get a warning spell off that I can tell." This meant that the city below still had no clue that their back was now completely undefended.

"How nice...." She muttered, mind suddenly sparking at the thought of the city below. Pip saw the look on her face and paused in his eating.

"Got a plan there beautiful?" the halfling probed, curious.

"Yes-"she allowed, "though perhaps its too reckless." She muttered the last part, but Pip still managed to catch it. He coughed a laugh.

"And the last one wasn't?" was his rhetoric reply. She didn't respond, it was the truth. But did they have the vigor left for this.....she didn't think so. All of them would need to find a flat surface and sleep for a few hours soon. Maybe they should though, no need to alert the rest of their battalion to the fact that they had taken the tower just yet.

Involving officers would complicate matters. She had a strong feeling that the officers would see fit to punish at least her as the instigator of this mad scheme, even if it had worked. Nobles were strange that way.

The alternative was sleeping here for a few hours, waiting for the evening to bring their presence here to the attention of those in the valley below. Then reinforcements would be on their way but the four of them could advance ahead of stupid politics and she would be free to employ whatever strategy she saw fit in taking the city below.

Really it wasn't a choice.

"Pip and Rock can you set some subtle alerting spells, make sure no one sneaks up on us from either side?" Both of them nodded slowly, confused as to why she would want such a thing. It was Rayvvn who burst out in his typical anger.

"What! No, we need to alert base camp immediately!"

"If we do that then we forfeit our right to take down the city." She responded with equal heat, her exhaustion making control of her emotions a slippery slope.

"We have earned our glory, we will be hailed as heroes!"

"You sure about that?" her tone was snide now "cause they wouldn't at all be mad about us breaking ranks, defying orders, they probably think we deserted right about now. That's going to endear them to us, let us lead the charge of glory down to the city below." Sarcasm was thick and he had no response for it. It took a moment but she could see the dawning of comprehension on his face. Their heroism wasn't assured, not yet.