<em>K'risti pulled her cowl down further onto her face, desperately trying to use its blackness to better conceal herself in the shadows of the aging tower.  She willed the three men to continue toward the dancing kobold, "they killed them all, they have gold and gems, wondrous items, fantastic weapons", she silently projected the thoughts outward into the dark overgrown courtyard, praying the ruse would lure the three arrivals into whatever trap the men had planned for the unwelcomed guests. <br/><br/>The crossbow held steady on its singing target, K'risti would shoot to kill if the deceptive creature tried one of its expected tricks, so she tried to convey that fact to their captive with steely focused determination, his odds of surviving the night were better if he did not try and betray the cat. She thought of the colored powder in her spell bag, but resisted the urge to dip her fingers in and ready a spell. Perhaps the men could succeed without her aid, they deserved the opportunity to at least try the ambush they had prepared, but if things went wrong she would kill the kobold first before reaching for the bag and her magic. <br/></em>