“This is an interesting way to get into the city. How long has this tunnel been here?” Vendis asked, glancing up at the rough timber supports with a hint of trepidation.

They were in a long, cramped tunnel that had begun in a barn well outside of Westgate. It was too short for most humans, and the generally shorter elves were able to get through with fewer issues than their taller companions, though many of them had to duck as well. Only a single person could move down the passage at a time, though if someone had to they probably could squeeze by the others by pressing against the walls if there wasn’t a support timber in the way.

“Since a few months after the wall was completed. As soon as we knew what kind of hub Westgate would become, we knew we’d need a way in and out of the city,” Slaid explained, glancing back and grinning. “It certainly is coming in handy now! Not that it hasn’t before, mind you. It’s great for smuggling escaped slaves out of the city, or things that we’ve stolen from the authorities.”

“I can believe that. How safe is the other end?” Desa asked from behind Vendis, the mage wearing simple clothing and awkwardly carrying a wooden staff through the tunnel. Vendis saw the other woman nearly jab the man behind her with the butt of the staff again, but the man, wary from previous incidents, managed to just barely dodge it.

“Pretty safe, for the most part. We’re going to come out near the river in one of the warehouses there. It does a good amount of business in transshipping, so we should be able to get out without too much difficulty,” Slaid told her, shrugging as he ducked another support. “I’m not going to claim it’ll be easy, though. There are a lot of us, and unless Umar managed to get enough information about security, we’re going to have a rough time of it.”

“Fair enough. We all knew this wouldn’t be easy,” Desa replied, to which Vendis couldn’t do anything but nod. She fully agreed with the mage, though she was surprised that Desa had come out to help them.

The mage had come with Alissa and Skylark, and all of them were equipped with fine weaponry that made Vendis slightly jealous. They’d barely made it to the rendezvous point in time, but considering what they’d learned about the Archon, Vendis was relieved they were there.

It took about a quarter-hour to reach the other end of the tunnel with how cramped and crowded it was. Finally they reached the end, though, with a ladder leading up to a hatch. Slaid knocked softly on the hatch in a particular pattern, then waited patiently. After waiting for a minute the sound of something being dragged aside came from above, and the hatch slowly creaked open. Slaid climbed out, and Vendis only just heard him speak as she started climbing. “Good to see you, Umar. How’d it go?”

“Pretty well. In fact, I’m starting to get suspicious.” Umar’s voice was filled with worry, and Vendis climbed out into the back room of a dusty warehouse, seeing Slaid’s lieutenant looking nervous. “I swear, someone has to either be trying to bait us into a trap, or they’re deliberately trying to get the Archon killed. Way too much information has leaked to our contacts.”

“Are you sure?” Slaid asked sharply, frowning. “Do you think it’s a trap? We don’t have much time to decide what we’re going to do.”

“I don’t have proof that it’s a trap, it’s just that my hairs are on end about all of this.” Umar shrugged, hesitating before continuing. “I suppose it’s made worse by our people all saying that Kelvanis is making the exact preparations leaked, save for a few disasters when someone managed to wreck the cart carrying some of the dinner supplies. I can’t find any indication that something else is going on, and perfect information never happens, Slaid.”

“Damn.” Slaid frowned, and Vendis couldn’t blame him. If they were walking into a trap, it would be a disaster. Yet if they gave up on the opportunity and it wasn’t a trap, they’d lose one of the best opportunities they might have to bring Yisara back into the war and to behead Kelvanis’ government.

“It’s your choice, Slaid. We’ve got no chance of pulling this off without you or your contacts,” Desa said softly, shrugging when Vendis gave her a startled look. Several others had emerged in the meantime, including Desa’s companions, so it was starting to get a bit crowded.

“Are you sure, Captain Iceheart? I mean, I know how important this is to you,” Slaid asked, frowning deeply. “I know that this is suspicious, but…”

“Desa is right, Slaid. While this is important, you’re the one who got us this far. We don’t want to make them realize you have a hidden way into the city,” Vendis added, her own feelings mixed. She didn’t like the idea of giving up, but she’d found that she liked Slaid, so this was a difficult decision.

“Hmm…” Slaid paused, leaning against a wall and tapping the wooden surface slowly as he considered. Eventually he let out a sigh and shook his head. “It’s a hard decision, but I think we have to go through with it. Unless we see a sign of a trap, let’s see about getting this done.”

Vendis felt her tension easing as Slaid made his decision, feeling much better now that she knew they hadn’t come here for nothing. They’d had a hard enough time avoiding Kelvanis’ patrols, even with the experience the rebels had in getting past them.

“Alright, Boss.” Umar seemed to relax slightly, nodding to Desa and Vendis. “Let’s get to the safe house and I can tell you what information we’ve got.”

“Sounds good. Unfortunately, ladies, that means that we’ve got to get you set up with fake brands,” Slaid told them, and Vendis’ smile faded.

* * *

Traveling down the streets of Westgate had been a strange, unpleasant experience. Since most of them were too attractive to pose as normal slaves, Desa and the others had been given fake courtesan brands, painted on and carefully dried before setting out in revealing clothing. The catcalls had been unpleasant, but eventually they’d reached the brothel where the rebel safe house was hidden.

Desa had been propositioned half a dozen times on the trip, but as Umar was posing as her owner, he’d harshly rebuffed those making the requests, quickly moving them along toward the safe house. He’d put on the attitude of a slave master a bit too readily for Desa’s comfort, but she had little choice but to play along until they were safe.

They’d greeted the madam of the house, then been ushered down to the basement, where Slaid had already taken up residence, the human able to travel through town with much greater ease than them. He was looking at a map of the city, and looked up, smiling as he nodded toward the corner. “Good to see you made it safely. Your staff is over there.”

Spotting the staff alongside several other weapons, Desa smiled in relief, stepping over to take it as she replied. “Thank you, Slaid. The trip was… unpleasant, I must say. This is my first time in one of Kelvanis’ cities when I wasn’t escorted by soldiers, and Grayhold was very different.”

“I imagine it was. Why’re you so concerned about that staff, anyway? It looks pretty mundane to me. I don’t see anything all that special about it,” Slaid asked as Umar and Vendis got more comfortable.

“It was a gift from Kassandra. This is an Everium battle staff, which wasn’t used in the Godsrage because it was almost completely spent. Two, maybe three more uses, and it’ll turn to ashes,” Desa explained softly, smiling more as she added, “This should allow me to kill the Archon, even if he is a grandmaster or lesser archmage.”

“What’s a battle staff?” Umar asked curiously, sitting down and staring at the staff. “I’ve never heard of one before.”

“It’s yet another lost form of magical item from before the Godsrage. A battle staff was, supposedly, designed to allow weaker magi to participate in wars where more powerful magi were involved. They’re essentially powerful spells in physical form, and a weaker mage can imbue their power to cast the spell. The problem is, casting spells of that power isn’t something that physical materials are designed for, and eventually their use destroys the staves.” Desa spoke softly, shaking her head slowly. “I’ve heard of them before. A handful of them have been found over the centuries, but they rarely last long, as potent as they are. That’s why I’m hopeful that it’ll even the odds. All I have to do is get close enough to use it.”

“That’s comforting to hear. It means we’ve got an honest chance of pulling all of this off,” Slaid murmured, grinning and relaxing as he nodded at the map. “Now we just have to figure out how to get you into position. I think I have a plan, but I want all of your opinions as well.”

“What did you have in mind, Slaid?” Vendis asked, pulling up a chair as Desa approached. She was uncomfortable in the skimpy top and skirt, but it wasn’t too bad.

Tapping the map, at the western gate of the city, Slaid spoke bluntly. “First and foremost is our escape route. There’s no way we’d manage to get everyone out through the tunnel in the time we have, so someone needs to take and hold the gate. Initially I thought about suggesting you and your people, Vendis, but you wouldn’t blend in well and you don’t know the city nearly as well as Umar and I do. Instead I’d like Umar to command a large team, of at least two-thirds my people, to take the gate. The other third would be assigned to me. You think you can do that, Umar?”

“That’s fine by me. The only thing I think we want to do is evacuate the ladies here before we act. When were you planning, boss?” Umar asked, nodding upward as he continued. “Depending on when you had in mind, this could get difficult.”

“The dedication is scheduled to go off about noon, and from the information you gave me, that’ll give us an opening to infiltrate the manor. I want to hit him as he gets back to the manor. I was thinking my team along with Desa and her people could go after the Archon, while Vendis rescues the Queen and her daughter and hustles them toward the gate,” the rebel leader explained, tracing a path from the manor to the front gates, then admitted, “I’ll admit this is going to be… unpleasant. We’re likely to lose a fair number of people if it goes badly.”

“Hmm…” Desa paused, looking up at Vendis and raising an eyebrow. “What do you think, Vendis?”

“How confident are you of managing to infiltrate the manor? Won’t security be heavy?” Vendis asked, frowning thoughtfully.

“Very. There are a number of sympathizers among the guards at the manor, and they’re scheduled to be on-duty during the dedication. We can get in quietly as long as we’re careful.” Slaid’s voice was filled with confidence as he smiled.

“Unless it’s a trap. I don’t care, though, let’s do this,” Vendis agreed, grinning. “Oh, we’ll need more details before I’m happy with the plan, but it’s a good start.”

“I’m fine with it as well. Get me within fifty feet of the Archon, and we’ll put him out of his misery for good,” Desa added, smiling even more as she stroked the ancient wood of the staff.

“Looks like we’ve got a plan, then,” Slaid murmured. “Let’s nail down some details, then we can rest. We’re going to have a busy day tomorrow.”

The four were soon hunched over the table, discussing the best way to carry out their raid.