Natalia quickened her pace, keeping her eyes on the building tops and searching for a glimpse of the city wall. Walking two more blocks, she turned right, hoping to see the wall on the horizon, but instead of the wall, she saw more clay-shingled roofs. Slowing to a stop, she spun around in search of the wall. Giving in to her frustration, she looked to Solomon and said, “Fine, you can come along as our navigator.”
Solomon grinned through his white beard, rain beading down the tangled mat, “Okay. Where did you say Inama and her soldiers were supposed to meet you?”
“At the south sewer,” she said shortly.
Raising his index finger, Solomon said, “Ah, it’s a good thing you’ve got me here. You’re heading exactly the opposite direction.”
Natalia rolled her eyes, assuming Solomon only said that to make her feel better about accepting him as part of their mission. He could be telling the truth, but she had no way of knowing, so she kept quiet and followed the man as he wound them through the cobblestone streets and finally to the wall.
As she noticed earlier, covered turrets were spaced periodically along the top of the wall that surrounded the city. From what Natalia had seen at the gate and what she could see here, all of the soldiers manning the wall were standing under cover and out of the rain. She didn’t blame them. In this weather, she wouldn’t want to spend all day out in the open either.
“These are the sewers,” Solomon said, pointing at vented grates along the edge of the streets. “They run out of the city in multiple locations, but this is the south wall exit.”
Natalia nodded to a set of stairs zigzagging up the wall. “We’ll take these,” she said.
Together the three climbed to the top of the wall, Natalia continually checking to either side to make sure no soldiers had strayed out onto the wall where they could see her small team. Seeing that the coast was clear, Natalia led them toward the nearest lookout. The open doorway to the brick tower revealed four soldiers huddled inside. Natalia slowed her pace, walking through the rain on the wall toward the covered structure. She could see two of the men facing the other way, looking out the opposite open door. The other two leaned against the open window with their heads out of view.
Natalia drew her blade as she stalked closer to the covered building. She heard Maylox’s light footsteps close behind. Remaining focused on the tower, she crouched low to the ground as she neared the brick structure. Just as she prepared to sneak inside the turret, two soldiers at the opposite door turned around to face her. In their hesitation to act, Natalia cleanly hewed them with two flicks of her blade. Their bodies hadn’t yet hit the ground when the other two leaning in the window became aware of the intruders. As they reached for their weapons, Natalia swiped her sharp steel across their throats, felling them in one clean stroke.
She heard Solomon shudder as they pulled the bodies out of view of anyone who might be walking along the wall. She stepped to the open window and looked out from the turret, searching for Inama and her men. A whistle directed her attention to a group of trees where Inama stood half-hidden and waiting. Doublechecking with a glance that the sewer was indeed barred and sealed from any outside entries, she motioned for Inama to toss up the rope. Standing back, she heard the rock hit the wall three times before it came through the opening with one end of the rope fastened to it. Natalia tied the rope securely to the turret wall.
Once she saw the first of the Lumbapi beginning the climb, she turned to Solomon and Maylox, “Help me get these soldiers out of their uniforms.”
She and Maylox got to work stripping the dead men, while Solomon leaned his head out of the door. Natalia could hear him coughing and gagging.
“Sol,” she said. “Make yourself useful and keep an eye out for anyone coming this way.” Based on how content the soldiers had been to remain at their posts along the wall, Natalia didn’t expect to see anyone coming along the wall, but she thought it might give Solomon some focus while she struggled to loot the watchmen. She caught a glimpse of his feet as he walked through the doorway and stood just outside, letting the drizzle soak him.
By the time they’d stripped off the first soldier’s uniform, Inama had reached the top of the wall. She hurried into the tower and, upon seeing what they were doing, immediately started helping. They fitted the first four Lumbapi soldiers to climb the wall with the four dead soldiers’ uniforms. When the fifth man reached the top, they’d donned their disguises and worked together to pitch the dead men over the wall, leaving their blood to wash away in the rain.
As they waited for the remaining three men to climb the wall, Solomon stepped carefully back into the guard post, whispering, “There are soldiers at the stairs.”
Natalia leaned out to see four soldiers starting up the stairs, one of them already halfway up the wall. Thinking quickly, she directed the four men wearing the bloodstained uniforms to stand near the entrance, potentially blocking the others from view.
Natalia flattened herself along the inside wall and out of view. Solomon, Maylox and Inama did the same. She held her breath as the fifth Lumbapi stood behind the men blocking the door. Shortly, Natalia heard one set of boots approaching. A conversation with the men pretending to be lookouts began. She could hear the solitary soldier’s voice turn from casual to serious. Before he could alert the others, the Lumbapi pulled him inside and Natalia stuck her blade through his mouth, silencing him for good. As his body fell limp to the turret floor, Natalia saw the disguised men waving down to the soldiers, indicating for them to join them. As she peered out between the gaps in the open door, Natalia watched the three soldiers climb the stairs one at a time; their heads down, they were oblivious to the danger ahead. Pulling each into the building, they quickly dispatched the men, giving the remaining Lumbapi soldiers their disguises.
Once the last of the castle soldiers had been pitched over the wall, Solomon laid out their route to the castle. Natalia listened intently as he proposed the idea of acting as prisoners to be carried to the castle. Another option would be to split up, the soldiers marching to the castle and the four of them not dressed as soldiers left to search the castle. Natalia opted to travel in smaller groups and the others agreed.
They decided that two of the Lumbapi soldiers would remain at the observation tower to protect the escape route. Another five would go to the castle walls and act as postmen, ensuring the princess’ safety. The remaining four would wait outside the castle gates for the Lumbapi soldiers and then allow them to enter the city, gaining access to the castle.
Solomon led them down the stairs and they started out across the city. Natalia walked with her companions, cloaked as a commoner out for a stroll in the rain. She watched from the corner of her eye as the Lumbapi soldiers peeled away, taking the different routes Solomon had described to them. She hoped they wouldn’t get as lost as she had.
As they walked through the city, Natalia wondered where the orcs were. She’d only seen men in the king’s army, now Merglan’s army. Once they moved closer to the castle walls, she found her answer. Orcs milled through the streets, the rain tinkling off their plate armor as they patrolled en masse. She glanced back at Maylox, hoping that the dwarf’s cloak would give her the appearance of a child. In truth, she wasn’t yet an adult, but much shorter than other girls her age would’ve been. Her thick red hair and squat features gave her away when she was out in the open, but under that cloak Natalia thought she could pass as a well-fed little girl.
They kept their heads low as they shouldered their way through the crowded streets. Orcs grunted, looking twice at them as they passed, but the orcs lacked the sense to notice it odd that no other common folk were walking around in these parts. Likely they’d all left once the large army of ugly brutes strolled in.
Natalia wanted to regroup and make a new plan. Walking in the midst of orcs wasn’t the best way to get past them. She was sure there must be a better way, but Solomon continued to walk quickly through the streets. Trying to catch him, she quickened her pace. The old man navigated his way through the orcs with haste. She noticed that the orcs became more active, more attentive as they neared the castle. Each time she got close enough to Solomon to tap him on the shoulder, an orc would shove past, bumping her back.
The concentration of orcs intensified as they neared the castle and she quickly lost sight of Solomon, his gray hood disappearing somewhere beneath the mass of tusked faces. Natalia glanced back, but Inama and Maylox were no longer behind her. As she slowed her pace, the orcs pushed her along, their continual movement forcing her to shift with them. She pushed one out of the way and squeezed through a gap. Finding another opening, she darted through, pushing and forcing her way past the disgruntled orcs. Stopping against a large flat stone wall, Natalia rested and attempted to get her bearings.
Hearing the faintest whisper, Natalia looked up. There in an archer’s slotted window along the castle wall, Solomon’s face peered down at her. She saw him point to her left and whisper, “Quickly, the door.”
Moving left as instructed, Natalia found an indent in the stone wall. She slid inside as orcs moved in, filling the space where she’d rested briefly. The door opened and she stepped inside. As the door closed behind her, she stood still for a moment waiting for her eyes to adjust to total darkness.
“Solomon?” she whispered.
“Come,” he responded, and she felt him take her by the hand.
She let him pull her blindly, turning several times before they came to a stop near a slit in the wall. The archer’s window lit the darkened space enough so she could see his wrinkled, bearded face. For a moment she wondered how old he really was. This man appeared ancient yet moved with the agility of a youth. Natalia knew little of him and less about his past.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“We’re inside the castle wall,” Solomon said in a low tone.
Seeing his serious expression, she still couldn’t help but ask, “You’re sure? I didn’t see it coming.”
“No, it was hard to focus with all of the orcs circling the outer reaches,” he acknowledged.
Natalia looked out through the slot, seeing the sea of mottled heads moving in a single direction through the streets.
“Where are the dwarf and the princess?” Solomon asked.
Natalia shrugged. “Probably still out there. I almost lost you, too,” she sighed.
“We’ll go back for them,” Solomon said, turning back.
Natalia grabbed him by the shoulder, “No. It’s better this way. The smaller the group, the less conspicuous we are. They’ll find their way out when the battle begins.” She could tell Solomon didn’t like the idea, but he stopped and she recognized that he was willing to go along with her approach.
“Right then, all we need to do is find Ivan, Anders and Zahara and free them without Merglan knowing,” Solomon said.
