Things in the castle of gemstones that was supposedly a manor were strange, but not in the way Niko had expected. The delicious food had only been the start. Each of them were given comfortable beds to sleep in, rooms with doors that opened from the inside, and they could even go outside the mansion if they wanted.

  The outside was even more ridiculous the more Niko saw it. Surrounding the mansion was a forest full of trees that simply didn't make any sense. This included an orchard of some kind of magical fruit he didn't recognize, trees that looked to be made from crystals, and even what looked to be a tree with acorns made of gold.

  Mr. Mischief himself was certainly imposing, but not really scary. It was hard to be intimidated by a man whose main purpose seemed to be stuffing them full of cupcakes and showing off various magic tricks. Still, Niko couldn't let his guard down. There was no way that someone in his position would have taken them in for no reason. They had to brace themselves for the price sooner or later.

  Should he approach Mr. Mischief in advance? If he leveraged his secret, he might at least be able to save the others. Besides, he got the feeling that Mr. Mischief already knew. Some of the others had begun to relax, thinking they had been saved and brought to a bizarre paradise. Niko just had to negotiate to make that paradise a reality.

  "Calm down," Mr. Mischief told him before he could even say a word, "Your fate isn't up to me. My beloved is coming soon, and your fate will be in her hands. If you want to negotiate do it then."

  "How did you-?" Niko began but was silenced when Mr. Mischief held a white gloved finger to his lips.

  "I thought it was already common knowledge that I can hear thoughts, but I suppose none of you get out much," he replied, "Now, why don't you relax and eat something. You never know what the future holds."

  ==========

  Ruena had no intention of going back on her promise to take Marx to visit the hostages, but it seemed that Marx had no faith in her words. At least that is what she had to think when she found both Marx and Sabre camped outside her room the next morning as if to block her escape. Rather than being intimidated by Sabre's presence, a different concern came to mind. It would probably be bad to let a warlord meet the king of the kingdom of assassins.

  "Good morning," she greeted, "May I ask why I have two guests when I was only expecting one?"

  "I will be coming with you," Sabre announced, "I cannot trust that you will safely return Marx after you take him away."

  "So long as you understand that I don't trust you either," Ruena warned, "I won't be letting you take any of the hostages back with you. Only Marx."

  "Fine," Sabre agreed.

  From the way Marx flinched it might have been his plan to try to take some with him, but did he really think the Warlord Territories would be a good place to live with his family? Ruena still couldn't understand why he was so determined to go with Sabre when he no longer needed to. There was likely something she was missing, but she had no intention of digging into it. If it was truly important Soral would be sure to tell her.

  "Since you are both here, we might as well go now," Ruena said, "We can eat breakfast there." She was tempted to bring Storm and Blade along to keep them out of trouble, but Soral could probably handle things since he couldn't come with her this time.

  "Where are we going?" Marx asked.

  "Qilin," Ruena replied, immediately recieving the horrified reaction she was expecting, "I know Mr. Mischief and he has kept them safe for me as a personal favor."

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  "How can you trust-?" Before Marx could even get the rest of his question out, Mr. Mischief appeared.

  "I have come to pick you up, my beloved," he said, tilting his top hat back slightly as he bent to kiss Ruena's hand. The nose of the sparkling mask scratched her knuckles as she shook him off. As usual, her attitude did nothing to discourage him. "It has been so long since I have seen you in person."

  "How is that favor going?" Ruena demanded instead.

  "They have all been well fed, clothed, and rested," Mr. Mischief reported, trying to wrap his arm around her shoulders. Ruena was convinced this man was made of sheer impulse. If he wasn't technically part of Soral she probably would have hit him by now.

  Sabre looked between the two. "Is there a reason your fiance has dressed up to pretend to be someone else?"

  Mr. Mischief flinched. "Dressed up? Soral? Nonsense," he dismissed, "I am Soral's dear cousin. I can see how you might get us confused."

  The argument might have sounded slightly convincing if Mr. Mischief wasn't acting like the most suspicious person who was definitely hiding something. Ruena couldn't refute the idea either since Mr. Mischief technically was Soral, even if he also wasn't.

  "We can worry about that later," Ruena pointed out, "Or did you not want to check on the hostages?"

  “Yes!” Marx broke in, eager to steer away from the off topic conversations, “I need to make sure Niko is alright!”

  Mr. Mischief smirked. “Niko? He’s doing just fine,” he said, “but I am sure you won’t believe a word I say until you see for yourself.”

  The next moment they were standing before the looming castle made of gemstones known as Mr. Mischief’s Manor. The guests who were seeing it for the first time were always shocked, and neither Marx or Sabre were an exception. Sabre almost seemed disgusted by the opulent display, but Ruena couldn’t really blame him. Mr. Mischief was often a bit too much to handle. There were a few Cats here and there surrounding the manor, but most of them quickly ducked out of sight when they saw visitors. Mr. Mischief confidently led them inside.

  “Niko is waiting in the parlor. He is determined to meet you,” he announced as he guided them in, “He has been insistent ever since I told him the fate of the Cats here lies in your hands.”

  “That stubborn idiot,” Marx growled with a grimace, “Lady Alodan, please let me speak to him first. I will negotiate whatever you need for the hostages in his stead.”

  Ruena sighed and opened the door to the parlor. “I don’t know why all of you are treating me like some greedy monster,” she scolded, “I had no intention of harming the hostages in the first place. One look at my eyes and you should know that both Cats and Protectors are in my blood. Why would I hurt my own family?”

  Mr. Mischief erupted in giggles as her speech shocked the boy inside the room as well as the nervous protector outside. Sabre gave a nod as if this was all within his expectations, but he never would have tried to work with her in the first place if he had thought she would betray them. Warlords were notorious for being overly cautious, after all.

  The appearance of the boy inside was also a bit of a shock when Ruena got a good look at him. She had expected him to resemble Marx, who gave the impression of a black and gray tabby, but instead he looked like a mini version of Bastion. His jet black hair and sharp golden eyes would fit right in with the Alodan house without question. Ruena was even starting to wonder if she had a secret younger brother she didn’t know about.

  “Isn’t he so cute?!” Mr. Mischief gushed suddenly, “I’ve been holding myself back, but he looks just like a mini Ruena! It makes me want to raise him and pamper him like a prince.”

  “That is entirely up to him,” Ruena shot down immediately, “They may have been hostages, but Cats are just as much people as anyone else. They have the right to decide their own fates, and I intend to support that right.”

  “Really?” the boy who must be Niko asked, his gaze both tentative and hopeful, “Will you really let us decide our own fates?”

  “Yes,” Ruena confirmed, “Regardless of what secrets you may be hiding, or what dreams you may have. The least I can do is give you a safe place to pursue them, whether that be Alodan, Qilin, Vista, or even Belleas.”

  Niko looked at his brother, at the warlord standing close behind him, then at Mr. Mischief. “I will stay here,” he decided, “This man already knows all my secrets, but he has never once used them against me.”

  Marx looked troubled, but after taking a glance at Sabre himself he gave in. “I have no right to stop you from following a dangerous man after the choice I made,” he said, “Lady Alodan, please take good care of them and bring freedom to the rest of the Protectors as well.”

  “I will,” Ruena promised.