Now Rowland was setting into motion a plan more ambitious than anything the Alliance had done before now. He wanted the capital. He was going to take it right from under the nose of the Zephyrian governor. With the Legion stretched thin to keep the rebels from seizing any towns again, the capital was never more vulnerable. There had never been a better time to strike.

The Zephyrians did not know this, but Rowland was betting everything on this attack. Almost all of their numbers had been assembled. If they failed this day, it could easily spell doom for the Alliance. Simona wished she could be at Rowland's side, but he had a mission for her and she would be sure to execute it.

During the months of preparation for this attack, besides accompanying Rowland on his scouting expeditions to secure routes of ingress into the palace grounds, she was also training an elite unit of spies and sicarii who could get close to the enemy without drawing any suspicion. They could pose as anything, anyone, but they were most successful disguised as a troupe of travelling entertainers.

For two weeks before the day of the attack, they worked their way through the capital, building a name for themselves until they were admitted into the old Noble Quarter. There they spent three days charming wealthy patrons until they found someone they could dupe into granting them admission into the palace.

That person was Lord Bernicos, a senator and heir to the old Notian nobility from the days before the kingdom's fall. The Senate served to give the Notian people the illusion there was a measure of self-rule in the Protectorate. In truth, it was nothing more than a gathering of wealthy collaborators with Zephyrian rule eager to remain in the occupiers' good graces. Some of them were secret supporters of the Alliance, mostly because they sought to save more of their precious wealth from taxes paid to Hesperia. Lord Bernicos was not one of these people and that was why he would be above suspicion when he brought Simona's troupe to the palace.

The troupe was staying at Lord Bernicos' estate as honored guests. The night before, Simona was able to convince him of what a delight it would be present her troupe to the Duke. While there were a number of spells she could have employed to compel him to do as she wished, Lord Bernicos was a simple man and the flesh possessed all the magic needed to bend him to her will.

It was near daybreak when servants came for them, to bathe them and dress them for their performance at the noontide meal. Simona did not like to be touched by human hands, but she patiently bore with the ministrations of the maidservants as they washed and scrubbed, primped and painted her. She was of course disguised as a human, but without the talisman that helped maintain her spell, only her strength of will and of concentration kept her true nature from being exposed. She was at her limit when they finally dressed her and the talisman took away the greater part of the burden of maintaining the illusion.

It was about the third hour after dawn when the procession made its way to the Eagle Gate. Simona had been subtly shedding members of her troupe over the past few days so that nearly thirty remained in the Noble Quarter while the remaining fifty went on the palace. It was all part of the plan. Lord Bernicos had some twenty servants with him, but they were nothing to be concerned about.

A servant went on ahead of them to announce, "Open the gates! Make way for his lordship, Bernicos, Viscount of Milos!"

One of the guards in the gatehouse shouted back, "Have his lordship step forth to stand and be recognized!"

Lord Bernicos did so, flanked by five attendants.

Although the guard was nothing more than a common soldier, he did not let any fear of Lord Bernicos or his wrath sway him.

Lord Bernicos' face was turning red and his fleshy jowls shook and he shouted, "This is an outrage! I will see you pay for this!"

Simona knew all his fulminating would accomplish nothing. His rank was nothing more than an empty title. Zephyrian soldiers answered to the Duke and they would not compromise the security of the palace for a single despised Notian blowhard. If he continued to make trouble, it could jeopardize the entire plan, but Simona was in no position to say anything to him. It was one thing to whisper in his ear during a private dance, but appearances had to be maintained out in public.

Simona glanced up at the sun. It would not be long until Rowland made his way up from the sewers into the baths. She needed to have control of at least one of the gates before then. But she needed patience. If she tried something foolish like rushing the gate, even if all the guards were killed, the alarm could still be raised and throw the entire plan in jeopardy. Whatever might cause the plan to fail, it would not be any action of her own.

Though she originally thought silence prudent, perhaps it would be better to say something after all. Curtseying to Lord Bernicos, she said, "Milord, might I and a few of my players accompany you while we wait for the centurion of the watch? It would be an opportunity to entertain the brave men of the guard as a gesture of our good will."

She bowed low to allow the piggish Lord Bernicos a generous peek down her tunic. It was as effective as any magical art to mesmerize him and bend him to her will.

Between his distraction and blustering for show, he stammered, "Ye, yes, well, I suppose I could permit it. Guard."

Lord Bernicos took four of the servants of his entourage, Simona and four of her players. As the gate rose to admit them, Simona signaled to Iacquo her second to wait with the rest of the troupe. She was confident that they could overrun the guards but not without raising the alarm. Patience, she reminded herself. Even as time was running out, she needed to be patient.

On the other side of gate, she began a simple performance, dancing to the pipes and lutes of her players. It helped keep her mind off her growing unease, but it also served to distract those around her. Though she surrendered her body to the music, she remained observant, taking note of everything around her. There were probably no more than ten men at the gate and the guards atop the wall were few and scattered. Some soldiers could be seen passing through in the courtyard, but these were not patrols. Security was lax, meaning that the Duke's spies had not uncovered their plan. They were wary enough of threats from the outside, but inside they were vulnerable, just as Rowland had expected.

Simona lost track of time when the centurion of the watch appeared, flanked by two other soldiers. She continued to dance as if she did not notice him.

The players dutifully ceased their playing and Simona slipped out of her dance into a curtsey for the centurion. He paid but a passing glance to her before turning back to Lord Bernicos.

Bernicos gestured to Simona and to the others beyond the gate, saying, "I have come with this troupe of outstanding players to entertain the Duke while he breaks his fast, on to the evening and well into the night if it pleases him."

As expected, Lord Bernicos did not take this well. His face flushed red all over again and he started to shake before finally bursting forth.

The situation was getting out of hand. They were going to be thrown out and Simona would fail her part of the plan. She had to take action even if it meant resorting to her powers.

Before the centurion could respond to Lord Bernicos' threats and curses, Simona glided over to the senator's side and touched his hand. It was easier to work her craft when flesh was pressed to flesh, though she was loath to touch this pig of a man.

Fortunately, a mind so weak was easy to bend. Lord Bernicos' anger melted away and a drunken grin crossed his thick lips. Before the centurion could wonder long on this sudden change, Simona took his hand and went to her knees, pleading with him, "Brave centurion, we are but a simple troupe of entertainers. We seek only the pleasure of our audience. His lordship saw fit to honor us with a performance for your Duke. I beg you, do not deny us this."

The centurion tried to pull away at first. His mind was stronger than Lord Bernicos', but it did not take much for Simona's arts to overcome his resistance.

Were it not for her arts working on him, the centurion would have never agreed, but so bent to her will, he replied, "Very well then. Show me your art."

The gate was raised to allow the rest of Simona's troupe and Lord Bernicos' attendants. The troupe wasted no time setting up for the impromptu performance for the centurion. The players former a semicircle around Simona and the dancers with the jugglers and other performers waiting in the wings.

Simona chose a dramatization of the rivalry between the second wife of King Atreus II and the eldest daughter by his first wife. The second wife was a Zephyrian princess foisted upon the old king in his dotage. Many suspected that the marriage was nothing more than a ploy to usurp the throne. This was some fifty years before the Darklanders invaded but even then Zephyr had designs on Notos to build its empire.

Princess Iphigenia saw through the ploy and took action without mercy or hesitation. After years of maneuvering, she had the new queen and her young son killed, removing any obstacles for her brother's ascension to the throne. While the elder King Atreus denounced her as a murderess and imprisoned her, the younger Atreus her brother promptly restored her freedom and hailed her as a great heroine who did what was necessary for the sake of Notos. Many in the Alliance continued to honor her memory. She was seen as a type and symbol for the native Notians' overthrow of the Zephyrian occupiers.

Simona wondered if the centurion of the watch knew the meaning behind the story. Of course, as she was performing her part as Princess Iphigenia, she further ensnared the centurion. Getting him to watch her dance was one thing, but her next request required her to further wear down his will. It was not too difficult, but she could not be careless either.

She drew out a knife and pantomimed the murder of Queen Berenice on a fellow dancer and when the bloody work was done, she recruited the centurion into the role of Prince Atreus and fell into his arms. He could not help but catch her and as he held her, she leaned in close to whisper in his ear.

Her charms, both mystical and mundane, did their work and the centurion was as much her slave as Lord Bernicos.

He obediently raised his voice, saying again, "Open the gates. Let them pass."

The guards did not question the order and the gate was raised to permit Simona's troupe and the rest of Lord Bernicos' entourage. Simona nodded to Iacquo and with a few hand signals flashing among them, the troupe subtly moved to ring the gatehouse.

When they were in position, Simona stepped out in the center of the ring and said, "Good sirs, we thank you for your cooperation, but we are in need of haste and here we must part ways."

She bowed low in a theatrical flourish and before anyone could truly understand what was happening, she snapped back up, throwing her knife into the neck of the centurion of the watch. Her troupe immediately set upon the guards and Lord Bernicos' entourage. A dozen or so swarmed into the gatehouse to kill the guards inside before they could drop the gate and render it inoperable.

Her people worked quickly and everyone was dead in a matter of moments, save for Lord Bernicos alone. Shaken from his stupor by the sight of the carnage around him, the fat lord's legs gave out from under him.

She then plunged her knife deep into the flesh of Lord Bernicos' neck. The thick roll of fat swallowed her hand. Horrified, she yanked it free, losing her knife inside. Though no stranger to killing, she was not above disgust. She quickly remembered herself, and after wiping off her hand on Lord Bernicos' tunic, she surveyed her people's work. Of course they performed admirably, letting not one escape and only a single man of their suffering a light wound to the arm while taking the gatehouse. It was true that they were under orders to keep the shedding of Notian blood to a minimum, but Lord Bernicos and his entourage could not be trusted. If it proved to be problematic later, they could always blame it on the Zephyrians.

The troupe split as directed and Simona had to trust they would accomplish their tasks before the alarm could be raised. Simona would have liked to lead the advance to one side or the other herself, but she had to remain at the Eagle Gate. She was waiting for someone.

She wished she had enough people to clear away all the bodies, but she needed most of the available eyes on the lookout. Soon it would matter little, but in the meantime, she did not want the first alarm to be raised on her account.

A group of eight men approached, Zephyrians, but the orange armbands marked them as Prince Carpos' men. As much as Simona might like to kill them, they were allies and she had to stay her hand.

For such a small group, a centurion personally led them. Neither Simona nor the centurion bothered with greetings.

At least the princeling was playing his part according to plan, but as soon as the Duke was informed, the garrison would be put on alert. There were still other pieces that needed to be in place first.

Speaking of the Eastman, that foreigner and his rabble were late. They were supposed to have been smuggled into the Noble Quarter last night and waiting near the gate for when Simona's troupe took it.

Then the buccinae sounded. The alarm had been raised.

Simona muttered a curse under her breath, but then she heard the sound of hoofbeats and straw sandals on the pavestones. At last the warlord Akasame and his men had arrived. Akasame himself rode at the head of the formation, clad in red armor with a bow slung on his shoulder and his sword in hand. His three retainers rode close behind him.

Akasame had not been speaking to her earlier and he did not much appreciate being spoken to. He had a brief flare of anger. The flashes of memory told Simona that in his own country, he had killed for less.

Simona dropped the spell of illusion to reveal her true form to him. Even though it was hardly the first display of magic they had seen, some of his men marveled and muttered at the sight of her transformation. Akasame merely scowled at her.

She was taken aback for a moment being called Rowland's woman. True, she was his, but not in the way the warlord meant it.

Though Akasame made no display of acknowledging her, he pointed to Carpos' men and said, "Lead us to this armory so that we may taste our first blood in this land."

The centurion did not seem to much like Akasame or his men, but he kept it to himself and simply told the warlord, "This way."

Carpos' men led Akasame's soldiers deeper into the palace grounds. With that done, her work there was finished.

Leaving the gate in her people's care, she darted off in search of Rowland. He would want to know how things were progressing. They would only know for certain when the battle began in earnest. She only hoped nothing had happened to Rowland in the meantime. He was brave and strong, but Death had a way of claiming the brave and strong just as readily as the cowardly and weak, sometimes even more so and he was rarely one to give great men a death worthy of their greatness. She could not bear to imagine such a fate for him.

A rarity in her life, her hopes were rewarded when came near the Horse Gate on the west side of the palace. There he was standing, bloody from his work, but the blood was not his own. Her hero, no, the hero of all Notos, leading them to triumph. In that moment, her fears melted away and she knew in her heart that today would be a day of victory.