‘Through that gate, to the left,’ he said, pointing to the location he described, ‘there are half a dozen slave huts. One of them will have a green light on.’
‘A green light?’ Og asked.
‘A candle, inside a green lantern,’ the barbarian explained. ‘That is Ericka’s hut. She has agreed to take you to the home of the Emperor and his family. But let me make it clear. There are hundreds of soldiers in the palace. If you’re seen, you’re dead. Or worse, they take you alive.’
‘That’s all very well,’ said Gurin, ‘but how are we going to get past these walls without being seen?’
‘Well,’ said Simba, ‘it doesn’t seem like such a hard thing to do. We just need to eliminate any guards in this section of the wall.’
‘But we need to get in first, before we can start eliminating people.’
‘Oh. No problem. Wait here until I open the gate,’ Simba said, setting off.
Assata caught the dark elf by the arm. ‘And if you fail?’
‘Then assume I’m dead or captured and call off the mission.’
The Imperial Palace
After all the waiting they had done, Grim assumed there would be a lot more of it to come. He was surprised, therefore, to see the gate slowly swing open not long after Simba had disappeared over the wall.
‘There’s our cue,’ Gurin muttered, wincing as he got to his feet.
‘Good luck,’ said Little El.
Assata clasped his hand. Then their barbarian guide disappeared into the shadows, and the three companions made their way to the palace.
They began to cross the bridge, Grim looking warily up at the wall, in case it was a trap. But as they neared the gate, he made out the white-haired figure of the dark elf, gesturing for them to hurry.
They set foot inside the palace walls and Simba closed the gate behind them.
‘This way,’ he whispered, pointing.
About forty feet inside the perimeter of the walls was a cluster of huts, and a green light flickered outside one of them.
‘The guards?’ Assata asked Simba.
‘Five of them altogether. I’ve dumped their bodies out of sight. But for all we know, there could be a change soon. We don’t have time to waste.’
They made their way towards the hut, Grim doing his very best to go quietly. He was helped a little by the well-manicured grass underfoot. But they can’t have been silent, because the door to the hut opened as they approached, and a small figure ushered them inside.
Slaves of all ages were sleeping on the floor, while a few had been woken by the goings on and were staring at the arrivals to their hut. The woman, carrying the green lantern with her, followed them inside and closed the door. She was small, much older than Assata. To Grim’s eyes, she was incredibly delicate looking, and yet there was a look of determination in her eyes.
‘Ericka?’ Assata asked.
‘Yes.’
‘I am Assata.’ She pulled her sleeve up to show the woman her tattoo. ‘You know why we are here?’
‘I do. Do you need anything?’
‘No. We are ready when you are.’
‘The guards?’
‘Taken care of,’ said Simba.
‘Then let’s go. It’s not fair to keep you here. I am comfortable with risking my own life, but not those of my family.’
With that, Ericka led them back outside. They followed her across the lawn and onto a path that took them towards a group of larger buildings in the palace, all with upturned eaves.
‘I work in the Inner Court,’ she whispered. She glanced at their blank looks. ‘Where the imperial family lives,’ she added.
They cut past extravagant looking wooden buildings, coloured red and orange and green, with yellow roof tiles. Many had steps leading up to their entrances. But Ericka kept them to the shadows, without comment, until she raised a hand and stopped them.
‘See there,’ she said, pointing ahead of them. ‘That is the Inner Court.’
The Inner Court was raised significantly higher than the rest of the palace. Grim could see more buildings like the ones they had passed. He could see a wide set of stairs that led up to the Court. And, of course, he could see guards, both at the foot and at the top of the stairs.
‘I can go no farther,’ Ericka whispered. ‘If you walk in a straight line from the top of the stairs you will come to a large building, the Hall of Supremacy. It is coloured bright red, with golden statues on the roof. You cannot miss it. The princess has her room on the top floor, second from the left. No men are allowed in her room, only female attendants. Please try not to harm the attendants.’
‘Any ideas how to get past these guards?’ Gurin asked her.
‘Sorry. I have done what I promised to do. Long live the Resistance.’
Ericka clasped hands with Assata and then left them, retreating the way they had come.
‘Well, that’s useful, isn’t it?’ said Gurin sarcastically. ‘Now what do we do?’
They looked at one another and then back to the heavily guarded approach to the Inner Court. No-one seemed to have an answer. Until Assata turned to Og-Grim-Dog.
‘I think we’re going to need a distraction.’
The truth was, Og-Grim-Dog were quite content to play the role Assata wanted. They just weren’t suited for subtlety or stealth. This was a much closer match to their skill set.
They charged at the guards stationed at the foot of the steps, coming out of the night like a creature from your worst nightmare. It helped that their ogre eyes were better in the dark than humans were—they could see their enemy a fraction quicker. When the Kuthenians did lock eyes with the ogre, their brains froze, or panicked: unable to interpret what exactly it was that came roaring at them. Og’s pike lashed out, the range he had longer than anything they had ever experienced, the wicked blade at the end coming at them before it could be expected. Grim carried on into them, allowing Dog to swing about with his mace, barking with pleasure.
It didn’t take them long to turn the soldiers into a bloody mess on the steps. But now the element of surprise had gone, and soldiers began to emerge from around the palace. They came down the steps in a row, spears and shields at the ready. More came from the buildings in the Inner Court, and from the buildings behind them. They shouted to one another—insects, working together to bring down the beast.
Grim hadn’t caught a glimpse of his three companions. That was good. If he had seen nothing, the chances were high that they had slipped by the Kuthenians unseen also.
‘I don’t think fighting our way up these steps is the best idea,’ Grim said.
‘Agreed,’ said Og.
‘Well, there’s plenty of people to kill down here,’ said Dog magnanimously.
Grim backed away from the row of spears preparing to skewer them. Suddenly, he turned and ran in the opposite direction. Here, the Kuthenian soldiers had yet to organise themselves into anything resembling a formation, simply running towards the sound of fighting. They were unprepared for what came their way. Those with the presence of mind, turned and ran. Those who hesitated were battered by a mace, a huge blunt weapon swung with the force only an ogre could muster. Any who took a direct hit didn’t get back up again.