And we should've expected that it was really easy to hear what was happening down in the cell if it was really quiet above the hatch. I had previously thought that there might have been a silencing spell on the room we were in, but apparently not. Prin had simply been silent the first time we had come here, which meant we didn't hear her. But the guard had probably heard everything which we'd talked about in the last few hours.

It's not like we said something incredibly incriminating, other than showing our desires to kill the king. We mainly discussed our travels and wishes to escape, everything connected to leaving this place was discussed through writing. We all took turns to take Prins' notebook and write our own opinions and thoughts down, which ranged from blowing up the hatch to digging our way out.

Prin had previously declared that there wasn't anything down here which was immensely dangerous, other than our black daggers. I argued that magic could be dangerous. I fully intended for Aknon to be the subject and caster of such magic. But apparently that wouldn't work down here. I was unsure if Prin had tried our kind of magic before, but I wouldn't put it past the king to place some sort of magic ward on the prison, in case anyone wanted to get Prin out.

"Alright, do your specialty." Aknon told me in a very serious voice as he put his hand on my shoulder. "Annoy the life out of them."

"With pleasure," I replied and began strimming my guitar. I then cleared my throat and began singing at the top of my lungs.

"Oh, but in a town the road once led

Was a group of men who had one head

Who ran those roads and walked those streets

Stomping and striking down those who they meets."

I had figured that the improper grammar would irritate them as much as it irritated me. It was something I couldn't really stand, when songs twisted grammar so that words fit into a rhyming scheme. I always wished they would change the words, or put actual thought into the song. They may also be irritated by the fact that I said that they only had one head between them.

"The road was a path near nobody took

In fear their tongues will be taken with a hook

The grass grew tall and a pale yellow hue

Because even it knew karma was due"

I didn't mean for it to sound that threatening, but I suppose I had a knack for making things seem intimidating or dark.

"For when the shadows come to play

And the music devours its prey

The time of revenge will come

When the darkness swallows the sun."

That was when the hatch opened, and a loud voice called down, "shut up!" There was a new guard above us. His face was red, and he was a rather large man, I wasn't sure how much of it was muscle, but I couldn't judge very well from my perspective. I was a rather slender person, and I didn't think I had much muscle, so I wasn't really sure how well I'd do in a fight against him.

"I think I'd rather not shut up," I remarked, turning my head with a devious grin, letting my sharp fangs grow. "I think I'd rather keep singing. After all, I am awaiting my sentencing. There is very little for me to do down here."

"You can shut up," the man said through gritted teeth as he rested one hand on the far edge of the hatch and leaned in. "That's what you can do, you can serve your sentencing like the child you are."

"Haven't been sentenced yet," I pointed out, raising a hand. "Can't serve if I haven't been sentenced."

The guard grunted in annoyance and leaned forward, as though to tell me off once again. But he didn't expect a little ragdoll to be waiting on the ceiling, ready to bite his hand. The guard gave a big yelp before falling into the hallway.

Prin let out a laugh as she moved forward, using fabric from her old clothes to tie him up as Aknon helped bring him further into the room.

"Are we doing step two or three first?" Sarphi asked, looking him over. The man was struggling rather badly, but he didn't have anything against a girl who'd been trapped inside of a room for fifteen years with nothing to do.

"I think that we should go in order," I replied with a slightly exaggerated voice as I took the keys from the guard's belt. I didn't know what keys would be useful in our situation, but I was a collector of keys anyway, so I took them just in case. I didn't have that many to be fair, but I kept them all on a necklace I wore under my clothes, after Aknon worked his shrinking magic on them once again.

"I'll go up," Senka declared from her position on the ceiling. She was out of sight for a little while, but I could hear her mumbling to herself rather clearly. She was mumbling about the structure of the building on top of us and how it could very easily collapse and have us all trapped down here forever.

"I don't appreciate that talk," Aknon called to her as he moved the man to a chair, using more fabric to tie him to the chair. "Just look to see if there are more guards."

Sarphi moved in front of the guard with a grin, using her tail to hit his face and bring his mind back round to the present moment instead of his panic. "Come on, give us the information we ask for, you'll suffer less that way." Her voice was far too enthusiastic for the situation.

"What?" the guard asked in a rather stupid tone. "Who in the name of Abner are you?"

"A guard who doesn't know his prisoners? This isn't a very good sign." Sarphi sighed and shook her head mockingly. "Anyway, you're going to tell us what we want to know, or you're never getting out of here."

"Mhm, I highly doubt that they'll think the guard willingly went down into the cell he was meant to watch." I moved backwards and looked up at the hatch, watching for any signs of life or Senka.

"I'm not going to tell you anything," the guard growled and continued to struggle.

"Okay," Aknon said with a shrug. "Then you can stay here and rot. Prin, get whatever you need. We're heading out as soon as the coast is clear."

Prin let out a light squeak and jumped up and down. She clapped happily and ran around, gathering a bag full of her belongings. By that, I meant that she pulled out a hidden bag from just under her bed and rushed over to me, waiting by the door.

"Wait, she can't leave!" The guard began to panic even more, his feet stomping against the floor, making no noise. "Get her back here, she can't leave. She's my responsibility. She can't leave."

I gently put an arm around Prin's shoulders, making sure not to touch any part of her skin or tug on her hair too much. She hadn't been with people for fifteen years, I supposed that this was my way of making sure I didn't overwhelm her, which rather went against my personality. I was a very loud person in all ways. "It's time to get out of here." I grinned.

Sarphi and Aknon soon reached us, making sure we had everything we came with, alongside some more food.

"All clear?" Sarphi asked, looking up.

Senka's head popped over the opening and nodded. "All clear."