An arrow whizzed before him and Julia stopped. Habb lowered his weapon, sighed in relief and tossed the useless blade aside. 
[color=004b80][i]New colour, ey?[/i][/color] he thought when Julia winked at him, and he bowed slightly before the queen, his eyes fixed on hers. 

[color=007236]"Alright, the chimney is indeed our best chance, I'll admit that"[/color], said Habb, watching them all duck and struggle up the dirty passage. [color=007236]"There's a little something I'd like to do, though,"[/color] he added and smiled to himself. It was time for one of his magic tricks. He would mask one of the dead bodies to make it look like the new queen. It was one of the first tricks he had learned, but never used for more than wooing women and cheating rich men. This time, he would try to bait the enemy into thinking the queen is dead, hoping that they would abandon their pursuit.

[color=004b80][i]Let's see...[/i][/color] he though, looking for a body of smaller proportions, a feminine body. [color=004b80][i]You'll do.[/i][/color]
He chose the corpse of a young felled man, a boy dragged into battle, no older than he had been when he first went to the battlefield. He pulled out a miniature pouch, and knelt by the boy's lifeless head. After a loud combustion of some illusionist's powder followed by a richly-coloured puff of smoke, the body was no longer that of the boy, but of queen Julia. 
[color=007236]"Looking good, mate!"[/color] said Habb and went to join the gang climbing the chimney.

[color=004b80]
[i]I need a drink...[/i][/color]