The Queen and Bishop call Checkmate

[Roland Savatier]

He had promised Carys that he would stay put, that he wouldn’t get involved more than he already had--and no matter how long it took her, he needed to remain quiet and uninvolved. He promised her, despite how much he felt it should have been him to take on the responsibility of helping Ines out of Tresteria. It would have been too risky, though, with his position with the Rogue court, and Xilas often calling upon him. Not to mention, he had an army to uphold. Carys had insisted and he hated putting her in the position he had. If Xilas found out either one was involved, they'd lose their heads. Roland supposed he could at least try to cover for Carys as much as he discreetly could. He needed to help her somehow.

With each passing day, his worry grew heavier and the suspicion of the court grew stronger. Two months had gone by and Xilas had sent men out to look for her. He wanted to send word out to Carys, but he honestly had no idea of her whereabouts and how to reach her--she had planned it that way, probably to ensure he would be cut off from getting involved.

Roland had an advantage, however, with living a double-life. Xilas and Carys were the only two who knew who he was on both sides. He was a General of an army, by the name of Roland Savatier. To the court, he was simply known as Bishop. He was a master spy, being the eyes and ears for the Guild, being somewhat of an expert to blend in and hide. There were some within the court that he and Carys trusted, and others he knew to steer clear of and not rely on. He had given instructions to those he did trust, that as soon as they heard anything regarding Carys, they were to inform him. She would be in danger, and they were willing to help keep her safe however possible. Within the Court, Xilas had several who were not as faithful to him as he believed. Roland was one, and with being his Bishop, he had somewhat of an upper hand.

After nearly two months had gone by, he finally got word that Carys had made an appearance, but had been captured by some of Xilas’ loyal followers. It was then that he decided it was time to get involved despite Cary’s instructions not to. He couldn’t stand by and let the Court punish her, or for her to risk her life because of him and what he had asked her to help him in. He would never be able to live with that guilt.

Upon Roland’s arrival to the Guild’s main location, Xilas had informed him of Cary’s return and that action would be taken in response to her going against the court and aiding the wrong side. He played along with the man, feigning offense, surprise, and the betrayal he felt, assuring Xilas that he would do whatever was needed and could be called upon. The king believed him, seemingly, but the man still worked in secret whenever he has his own interest and intentions at hand. Roland had hoped that he would send him to take care of her for him, but that hadn’t been the case. It was that very fact that eased some of Roland’s worries. Xilias wasn’t planning on killing Carys. At least not right away. He had time to find her and get her out of whatever situation she was in.

After watching, listening, paying attention to whatever he could, and digging around--Roland finally learned of where they had taken Carys and were holding her. It would be too risky for him to try and get anyone involved, so he had decided to go on his own to assess the situation and see if he would be able to find a way in and figure out how to get her out.

When the evening had settled, Roland made his way to the abandoned building that he had learned of. He quietly began to scope out the area, learning that no one seemed to be patrolling or guarding the outside, most likely to avoid making it obvious that anyone could possibly be inside the building. The guards would be roaming inside, ensuring no one entered or came close to where Carys would be, and he needed to figure out how he was going to get in and get by them. He could very easily go in as the Bishop, on orders of Xilas, but it might be a risk, especially if they knew the king had no intention of sending him.

Roland quietly roamed the perimeter of the building, thinking as he surveyed the land and the foundation. He was dressed in all black, of course, and made sure to keep his guard on full alert.

[Darragh Kirkby]

Darragh had known something was up when Carys hadn’t returned two months ago. She’d always been a...calming? Maybe safe? Or was the word reliable? Presence within the Rogue Court. The Kirkby brothers had noticed almost immediately what her absence had caused, and neither one liked it. But how to go about finding the right answer’s when you didn’t know where to start? Poking around in the Rogue Court’s affairs was tricky business when Xilas was involved.

Imagine his surprise when he’d been sent to bend a little fork back into shape that their Queen was in fact alive, but had instead been captured. It was either a stroke of luck, or misfortune that Katherine Montjoy had been right along there with him. The two Rooks had parted, agreeing they’d share whatever information they could gather, and Darragh had met with the Fork down by the docks to politely interrogate poor Freddy further and get the money back he owed Silas. He’d gotten his answers, knowing that it was all Xilas’s doing as to why his Queen hadn’t returned. The problem know? The location.

He had to give her credit when credit was do, and Katherine Montjoy was a beautifully irritating woman when it came to sharing information. But a location they finally had. Of course, Darragh was insistent that she not get involved further. That he and Angus Kirkby would take care of it, and that she should “save herself.” He even had a reflex reaction thinking she’d slug him for saying such things, but why let her stick her neck out much further? The situation could sour at any moment, and if Angus and Darragh didn’t return, then someone had to become back up plan B, right?

He was being overly cautious and prepared. When he’d told Angus of his findings the two had gone over the plan a million times. Their main objective was to sneak in, break Carys out, and leave without getting spotted. Two rogues’s at their finest, and if they had to kill anyone…. Darragh was hoping it wouldn’t come to that. Once Carys was free they could work out what to do next. The difficult part was they had no idea what the inside of the building looked like, or where she’d be inside, though the boys had ideas. Someplace dark, out of immediate sight, probably a little damp because Xilas wanted to be an ass, the usual villainous torture spots.

Brass knuckes: Check
Knives: Check
Poison viles: Check
Golves: Check
Rope: Check
Grappling hook: Check

Darragh was not only groping his pockets checking for each item but going over the list in his head. A nervous tactic he did constantly, but the man was overly cautious to begin with. Everything had to have a plan, everything had to have a backup plan, and should he have to, he’d have to improvise. Angus was of course first and foremost his top priority on keeping alive even if they were rescuing the Queen. He glanced sidelong at his brother as they made their way quietly down the street. Could they have brought in others? Sure, but it was a risk Darragh didn’t want to take. The Kirkby brothers worked as a well-oiled machine a good majority of the time and could handle just about anything. Any unnecessary people could get Carys killed, and Darragh refused to have her blood on his hands. They were taking their Queen back one way or another tonight.

As they came upon the abandoned building, Darragh crouched down in an alleyway, examining the building and points of interest. He didn’t see anyone moving around yet, but that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be people there guarding her. Xilas would have to be really dumb to leave Carys Valdare unguarded.

His blue eyes surveyed for a moment more before he reached up and pointed towards an upper window that’s glass was already broken. Allowing enough space for both brothers to squeeze through. “We can go in there,” He whispered quietly. “Might give us the advantage to be on the upper floor, to begin with. See what else Xilas is hiding.”

[Angus Kirkby]

Angus followed his brother, rolling his eyes as Darragh checked his pockets for the millionth time--as if forgetting a knife was going to be the worst thing that could happen tonight. Angus, in contrast, knew with absolute certainty that he had four separate knives, all of different sizes, stashed in different places on his person. He'd tied an extra length of rope around his waist as a belt, in case it would come in handy, and he'd brought matches in case they wanted to set the place ablaze as either a distraction or a parting gift. They were prepared, and checking one's pockets for the fiftieth time wasn't going to have a different outcome.

The thing that Angus was worrying over on repeat, however, was the people inside. How many would they face that they had called friends, over the years? He hoped, rather desperately, that they'd be able to avoid a fight to rescue their queen, but chances were they'd have to put his many knives to use, one way or another. He didn't like it.

“We can go in there,” He whispered quietly. “Might give us the advantage to be on the upper floor, to begin with. See what else Xilas is hiding.”

Angus frowned. He'd have preferred to start lower--fewer floors to go through meant fewer guards to sneak past. He was fairly certain that Carys was going to be found in some moldy dungeon, and upper floors didn't suit that purpose. Still, the window was already broken, so that saved them from having to make noise to do it themselves.

With a sigh, he nodded. "Yeah, alright."

[Katherine Montjoy]

It had been a stroke of luck that Kate had been there to crash Darragh Kirkby ’s little interrogation. Just as it had been a stroke of luck that one of her little birds had heard of the other Rook’s plan that evening. She had almost believed him when he promised to keep her in the loop, almost... so Kate had set some of her less-conspicuous pawns to tail him. Only, they had come back with nothing, Darragh was smart- they hadn’t managed to tail him for long. However his little meeting with Freddy down by the docks hadn’t gone unnoticed, and mere moments after the two had parted ways- Kate’s little bird had come flying back to the nest with the news.

From there, Kate had devised a plan of her own.  Sent more of her pawns out into the city- combing for information, a whisper here, a rumour there, it didn't take long for news to reach her that Xilias had been seen coming and going (albeit rarely) from an almost abandoned building.  As a courtesy, the woman had let Darragh know- she had promised afterall- but when the returned message told her that the Kirkby brothers would handle it from here... Kate didn't pause to even contemplate that option.  Carys Valdare was the queen, and the best odds were siding with her- Kate knew better than to wait on the sidelines.  Just as she knew the Kirkby boys wouldn’t dawdle, they may be infuriating but they were loyal- the woman had to grant them that. Which meant they would strike as soon as they were able, which in turn meant Kate had to be quicker. She didn’t wait for the older Kirkby brother to contact her, to rope her into whatever plan the two brothers were hatching. Something in her gut told her that the moment would never arrive, that he would be silenced by his misplaced desire to keep her out of harm’s way.

The woman had scouted out the area the previous day, noticing the outer perimeter was hardly guarded- nothing more than the flash of some features in a window here and there, spotted only if one knew what to look for. By all appearances the building appeared deserted. That day, Kate had arrived with time to spare: she was dressed in layers of muted browns, designed to blend into the shadows, her hair was pinned, dirt smeared over her features, and her breasts bound. From a passing glance she would pass as any other struggling apprentice, a young man trying to make his way in the capital.

Scaling the building was simple enough. Afterall, how many times had she crept in and out of her own quarters during her time in the rogue court? And that was a noble dwelling with servants and guards both inside and out. Breaking the window had been a challenge though, and the woman had timed it carefully so the local church bells covered the noise- a rag protecting her knuckles from the blow and resulting broken glass.

From there, all she had to do was reach inside and open the window, slipping in, and closing it behind her. Kate knew the broken glass would be brighter than any beacon to Darragh Kirkby  and Angus Kirkby . Once inside, the woman waited. Her entire body tense, ears straining for the slightest of sounds. Occasionally, footsteps would pass, but no-one crept into the room in which she had hidden. It seemed as though the upper floor was mostly unused- which was a relief.

She just hoped that her plan came to fruition, and that when the Kirkby boys came in it would be through that window- where they would find a waiting Katherine Montjoy .