Cassilda considered it. As opportunities went it sounded golden but that was always the time to be extra careful. She came slowly to her feet, toying idly with the veil that hung around her neck. She had to admit it was a hell of the group. She had heard of some of the mercenaries around the table. Some by the boasts of their friends, and some by the curses of their enemies. Others were knew to her of course, but the kingdom was crawling with mercenaries these days.

[b]“I am Cassilda, suffice to say that I work in enchantments,”[/b] she said curtly. It was possible that others had heard of her but if not, there was no advantage in expounding further. She also neglected any mention of her skill with the sword, best to keep something in reserve.

[b]“Assuming your information is correct,”[/b] she began skeptically. Information gained by torture was frequently unreliable, not because people withstood it, but because they became too eager to spill their secrets. She deliberately avoided using the title of captain, underscoring that she had not yet accepted his terms. His concern for conscience was troubling.

[b]“Would we not be better served to attack the keep while their main force is away from their stronghold? Then when the others return, their numbers thinned, laden down with loot, we can mop them up.”[/b]

There was the downside that the lord and his retinue would be dead, but it had the compensation that all his wealth and goods could then be ‘confiscated’ by his gallant avengers.

She traced a rough plan of the tactic on the dusty surface of the table with her finger. It might be even better to incite to ogres to attack the keep somehow but she didn’t want to appear too clever for her own good, not this early in her interaction.