Private Finished The King of the Iron Catacombs

The world warped around Taliesen's home right before dawn broke. Time was at a standstill. Clocks moving so slowly it seemed they'd stopped entirely. The windows had darkened over and there was a suffocating air about the place.

Mitch had noticed it immediately, her innate understanding of magic pinging before the clocks had even stopped. She couldn't do a thing about it, though, and in the matter of a second everything felt as if it had changed.

The place looked the same, but shadows stretched and Mitch couldn't see out the windows. She'd jumped up immediately, smelled the Fae magic, and went to Taliesen's room to wake him up, nervous-looking despite herself.

It was familiar, but Mitch couldn't place it.

"We're in Underhill," Mitch told him. She held a steak knife in her hand, which didn't look particularly friendly standing at the foot of his bed in the dark. If Mitch saw the humor in that, she didn't laugh.

"The windows are black. I couldn't open any of them. I don't remember this place?" She paused, then said, "it feels stuffy."

"Dwarves..." Mitch responded, using her shirt to help grab the handle and pull it open.

Outside was black, shimmering stone similar to volcanic rock. It was uncomfortably hot outside and it appeared they were in an underground cavern. Lava moved through the stones, visible but with no threat of falling on them.

Mitch stayed in front of Taliesen and took point, wary of any corner they came across (which was not many). In front of them stood two ichor black doors that moved as if alive. When Mitch reached forward to take the ringed handles, the doors flew open on their own.

The room inside was much cooler, but sitting somewhat elevated to the two of them was a being that Mitch had never associated with Dwarves.

He was sharp and shiny, unnaturally tall in a stretched out sort of way with fingers that reminded her of spider legs. His skin was pitch black, the same color as his eyes and his hair (if it could be called that) stood on end and was pointed and hardened like stone, same as his goatee.

"Taliesen, just the man I wanted to see. Glad to see you accepted my invitation," he said in the Fae tongue, standing and outstretching an arm to motion for the two to come in.

Mitch didn't move at first. This man, she realized, reminded her entirely of a spider, not a Dwarf. He was spindly, quick, and dangerous.

When Ettercap came closer to them, Mitch noticed he had several legs, and he moved, well quite like a spider.

"That is precisely why I needed you in specific to handle this very delicate matter," the creature smiled. "Precious Stone has a new Heir. I want them destroyed. I'm willing to pay handsomely to ensure this happens."

Mitch stiffened.

Ettercap didn't seem offended to Mitch, his body posture was relaxed, even as Taliesen insulted his court. He smiled and she noticed his teeth were capped with a sickly green poison.

Mitch wasn't exactly beside Tali, she still held her knife, though not in an offensive position, but she kept an arm's length between her and Tali. She was ready for a possible fight. She was his protector. So she had to protect!

"I'd hoped you'd see the bigger picture. In the grand scheme of it all Precious Stone doesn't matter. It's small. Small and closed off.

"Your Queene deals in all manners of wonderful things. Emotions, was it? What if I were to tell you I had several people lined up absolutely brimming with those new negative emotions you so sought after?

"If," he hummed infuriatingly smug, "say the heir was not to die but somehow managed to be... indisposed, I would consider that a win."

Who was this person they were talking about? Mitch hadn't known the ongoings of other courts the moment they happened, but she was certainly feeling the urge to pounce. The spindly creature before her hadn't looked at her even once, which was odd. Did he not realize she was there?