Keep her with you.

Locking a girl like her back into the room of horrors where she had been held for the past few days was not an option, and there was no way you'd trust her alone on the roof top. Besides, in spite of all the benefits of her upbringing, you had to admire this girl - she might just make it.

"OK, princess." You tell her firmly. "You can stick with me until we find a better option." Before you could stop her she threw her arms around you and pressed her soft body against your side.

"You'll help me find Airlia?" She breaths softly against your cheek. Her excitement is as evident as the warmth of her soft breast pressed against your arm; the shear silk tunic that she's wearing is so thin she may as well be wearing nothing at all. Irritated as much by your reaction to her closeness as you were by her assumption that you were there to help her, your next words were a little sharper than you intended.

"No!" A little too loudly, "No, you little shit. I am not here to help you; I'm here to kill Orestes, I don't give a rat's ass about you and your stupid sister." She pulls away giving you a little breathing space and you soften your words a slightly.

"But, where we find Orestes we are likely to find Airlia." And then quickly added before she gets her hopes up. "But it won't be pretty."

"He's **** her." It was a statement more than a question, and you find her hand and give it a firm squeeze. It wasn't much of an answer. "Why her?" She asks "Airlia's barely started her cycles, she's just a flat-chested kid who doesn't even look at boys." You remember the feel of Iola's soft womanly curves pressed against your ribs and can understand her confusion. "If he wanted to use one of us for ..." she hesitates for a breath "Why didn't he take me?"

"Because the sick bastard likes them young." You tell her, not willing to pull any punches. "He prefers to make them scream."

"No,no,no,no..." Iola is losing it.

"Shut up!" You grab her by the shoulders and shake her angrily. "If you want to come with me I need you focused." One of your hands finds her soft cheek in the darkness brushing the soft hair from her face. Unlike your thick dark braid, Iola's hair falls freely to her shoulders and each strand is as fine and smooth as a thread of silk. As she pulls herself together you wonder idly what color it is, with a smirk that you know she can't see anyways you make your prediction: blonde - a naive, sweet-natured blonde, you'd bet your best knife on it.

"Are you ready?" She nods against your palm. "Good girl."

None of the other rooms in the tower were locked, it was too dark to see much of anything in the rooms but you've done this enough times to recognize the dusty scent of unused rooms. Once you dealt with Orestes you could check these for valuables, but the real money would be in Orestes private chambers anyways. Iola obediently follows on your heels into the darkness; one of her hands resting lightly on your shoulder as you move slowly down the steps; to her credit she follows your lead better than many other partners you've worked with and her bare feet are almost cat-silent on the smooth stone steps.

Finally, when you open a large door at the base of the stairwell you find something different. The space you are entering is far more open than anything else you've encountered, through a great wall of windows enough light filters into the great hall for you to see where you are. It is still dark outside, instead the moonless blackness of a few hours ago the predawn night let in enough light for you to see some details. You are standing on a balcony that encircles a great hall beneath you. To your right you see where a formal staircase descends into the large hall below, and around the balcony you see at least a half dozen doors, any one of them could lead to Orestes' private suite and the bedchamber where the pig is sleeping like a baby.

Of course, Orestes might have found a way to get into the Citadel. If that had happened, your target will live to see the morning - but you might still find Iola's sister, and you could at least find plenty of valuables to make the night worthwhile.