Tick Tock

SLAM.

A metal fist drove the steampunk man into a wall, waves of agony wracking his old brain. Another nearly hit the silver-haired woman, but she was too fast to catch. The man behind it all let out a mighty roar, thrusting out his palm to catch the speedy woman and slam her as he did with the steampunk man.

She cried out, "Your Majesty, do you not recognize us?! It is I, Arawen, one of your faithful knights! And Horus, too, is one of us! Do you not recognize us?!"

As she gasped for air, the mammoth of metal glared down at her. A giant staring down an ant. She could see the madness in his eyes, the one that took him every few months. The madness that drove him to become a monster in everyone's eyes. The madness that blinds him to all that he held dear, that swallowed up the kind man beneath...

 "I suspect it is of no use now, as it was before," Horus grumbled as he got to his feet and dusted himself off. "He has never listened to us, no matter how hard we try, Arawen."

"But-"

She was forced to dodge yet another mighty blow, which left a hole in the ground where she once stood. Horus cursed under his breath as he rose his hands, black tendrils reaching out from his fingertips and binding the mammoth's arms. With a tug, the bindings held tight, preventing the rampaging king from using either of them as a punching bag. Didn't stop him from trashing about, knocking dressers and mirrors and pots all about, some of which clanged against Arawen's and Horus's armor.

 The Monarch roared again like a rabid lion as more tendrils tied up his legs. Horus took this chance to grab Arawen and run, closing the door to give him another obstacle to slow his Majesty down.

"Seems like that wench is much angier that we lasted as long," said the steampunk man, his mask's eye slits shining in the light. "We are a much hardier sort than she took us for."

 "But now she's throwing us off by doing this," Arawen added with a displeased grunt. "Two more months, and we could have requested help. Now, she might be forcing us to act earlier-"

 " 'Forcing us?' You say that as if she has a gun to our head!" Horus snorted. "We're sticking to the plan, Arawen. Thats how our Majesty wanted us. We even have instructions for when things went awry! Did you ever doubt that he ever made plans in case something like this happened?"

 "N-no," Arawen said meekly. "I was just worried. I see that my worry is misplaced, though."

 "Can't blame you, since you were nearly splattered against a wall. Now, I believe he told us that we must keep Lady Kingston and Sir Rivendale alive at all costs, yes?"

 "Indeed... but where can we take them? Would they even believe us? It is a touch bit too soon to dump them into Vegas..." Arawen added with a  touch of disdain, "Much as I fear Janet would enjoy it."

  Horus couldn't help but chuckle. "Aaaah, the joys of youth! Spending money like water from a fountain... I remember when I was a wee chick, gambling off my money and winning it back, twicefold... "

 "Horus."

 There was a certain glint in Horus's eyes as he spoke. Perhaps he had a grin underneath the creepy, plague doctor-esque mask.

 "Hohoho, so sorry... But yes, let us send them as 'spies' to Belinda. They will most certainly join up with them and prepare for the inevitible war our Majesty will bring. Or, rather, that wench will bring. We will then trust Her Highness to handle everything else. After all, she does have her own personal Anubis and Bastet, does she not?"

 "I suppose. And what shall we do?"

 She could see the man hesitate in his step, his hand trembling as he clenched it into a fist.

 "We must keep the other nobles in the dark. If they found out that our king was beserk..."

 The silver haired woman's eyes narrowed like a hawk's.

 "They would see this as an opportunity to strike, and throw the entire country of Mondor into disarray. Especially Prince Percy."

  A pit formed in her stomach as the name rolled off her tongue, hatred clouding her mind. That damned prince, who used slaves as toys and tortured them until they were mad. The one who took away her friend and used her in all aspects until she was garbage to him and tossed into a furnace like all garbage did. That damned demon in human skin that made others watch as their loved ones died, like he did with Hansel... Damn him, damn him, damn that bloody bastard! He should rot in the DEEPEST pit in the Nether-

 "Arawen, you're going to get quite a few wrinkles if you glare any harder at that wall."

 She took a breath and sighed, releasing all the tension in her heart. They had reached Lady Kingston's room now, and it was almost time to put their plan to action.

 The clocks seemed to tick ever louder, every tock a cautionary tale.

 Just how much longer could they hold out for Baron Sonika before their counterattack could truly begin?