Even though she had a hunch it was a trap, Hani could not resist reaching for the book. Her gasp of shock turned into a frightened scream. Whether someone could hear it was unknown to the red headed thief. All she knew in that moment was sheer terror! She thought she would be totally consumed by the blue flames! It was only a small relief when the flames merely froze her in an awkward position instead of killing her. Hani struggled as hard as she could, but could not free herself. The sound of the cane approaching did nothing but cause her heart to hammer even more fiercely in her chest.<em>A fine mess you have gotten yourself into, Hani! You should have listened to the Mage!</em><br/><br/>The fetid breath and ugly face staring at her was not a welcome sight. To top it off, she could not reply to him. But her eyes blazed a mixture of fear and loathing and anger. Hopefully the Baron would not get too obnoxious. Then there was the ugly Gregor, a more loathsome man she could not imagine! In spite of the bad situation she was in, there was a ray of hope. As long as he kept her alive she had a chance of rescue. She whispered a little prayer to the Goddess. "Please let me be rescued soon."<br/><br/>Over in the Duke's massive courtyard, the Mage's Tower seemed to be entirely dark. But inside, a different story. Quillian cursed softly at the warning chiming in his study. "What have you done now, Hani?" He studied the magical aura coming from his crystal ball, willing it to show him his agents location. Whispered incantations echoed in the study. His pet raven cawed sharply as the scene suddenly cleared in the scrying crystal. Quillian shook his head as he noted not one but two of his agents chained to a wall in the Baron's dungeon. "You have gone too far, this time, Baron. Now you will pay a dear price for your folly. I shall have to bring the Duke in on this. I am sure he will be interested in the latest noble to cause more trouble than he is worth."<br/><br/>Quillian picked up a tiny scrap of parchment and scribbled a message on it. "Come to my study, there is something you need to see." He then rolled the parchment up and attached it to the leg band of the raven. "Take this to the Duke. Yes even if he is asleep! You know how to get in."<br/><br/>The raven made a series of caws and it seemed almost as if he was cackling. He flew out the open window and circled the Duke's huge mansion until he found the one window he knew the Duke kept open for just such an emergency. Flying directly into the hallway and making his way past startled servants and a guardsman who gave chase. In a chaotic dance of black wings, a few feathers and a mad dash through hallways to the Duke's chambers followed. Landing on the doorstep, the raven called out several times. "Message!! Message!" as he strutted and flapped just out of reach of the flustered guard. The commotion alerted the servant inside to open the door to investigate. That was all the raven needed to flutter his way into the chamber and fly directly to the Duke's desk. Strutting proudly around and fluffing his feathers as the Duke stared at him incredulously. "A message for me?"<br/><br/>The raven would not let the Duke touch him until he was offered a treat, in the form of a scrap of meat on the Dukes snack plate. Finally the Duke managed to get the tiny scroll off the bird and read it. "Damned mages...always something...Alister, get out my clothing and boots. I have to pay a visit to Quillian. It damn well better be something important!" He set about getting dressed and the raven flew to the window and tapped on it until the Duke shouted at his guard. "Let the raven out, will you! Before he breaks the glass."<br/><br/>The flustered guard went to the window and threw open the shutters. The raven flew straight home again, landing on Quillian's windowsill a few moments later. The mage was still studying the image in his crystal and did not do much more than acknowledge the raven with a tossed treat. "Good boy..." Absently he rang his servant's bell. When the butler arrived, Quillian turned to him.<br/><br/>"Prepare to show the Duke into my study as soon as he arrives, refreshments will not be needed, we may be leaving again as soon as I know where this scene is showing me." He had a rough idea, but wanted the Duke to witness this before taking him to the Baron's manor to make sure Hani and Alyssa were rescued. He cursed silently to himself as he saw the rough way Hani was treated. "Maybe you will listen to me next time, little thief." he murmured.