Veil of Shadows

Chapter 49. Told You So

"Get to Notch's castle as fast as you can, and use the hidden tunnel to enter! One-fourth of you go to the dungeons, half to clear the way to the exit, and one-fourth to the throne room!"

The battalion of knights following Salia shouted in almost perfect unison "Down with the God-King!"

"Great to know you're enthusiastic," Salia murmured under her breath and mounted her horse. It wasn't a fancy white purebred like Notch had assigned to his private guard, but a rather plain dappled brown and black with rings of white around the hooves.

It had taken a lot of time and money, but every knight on this mission had been given a horse to ride, down to the last soldier. Speed was essential, and they needed a fast method of retreat in case things went awry.

Salia whispered a command to her horse and gently nudged its flanks, and it almost immediately leapt into action. Honestly, she was surprised it hadn't bucked her off and left her laying in the dirt.

There was no trumpet to signal the start of this hunt, no. The knights were ready and prepared to die for their cause if the situation demanded it. The only thing left to do was infiltrate the castle.

Free Shadow, cut down as many guards as possible, and attempt to - emphasis on attempt to - kill Notch.

Those were Salia's goals, and she would see them through.

~

When the two guards were incapacitated, Shadow glanced down the hallway, checking for any others who might have heard the commotion and come to investigate. Nothing at all. His eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion.

Something wasn't right. There were hardly any guards in the dungeon, when there should have been dozens.

But there wasn't any time to worry about it now. He stepped inside the room to see how the rescue mission had gone. Ranger's condition was gradually improving with each passing minute, her eyes slowly regaining the light they had lost.

"This isn't really necessary," she said to Blaze, who was helping her stand. "I can stand by myself, and this is humiliating. You can just let me walk-"

"No." Blaze said firmly. "You are walking with me so I can make sure you won't trip."

"I feel like an idiot." Ranger mumbled, trying to push her away. "I can walk. You're just fussing."

"No, you can't walk, and you're just being stubborn and prideful because you hate admitting that you can't do something without help." Blaze replied, effectively shutting Ranger up.

Wolf interrupted "We need to get out of the dungeons. Someone's bound to come by eventually, and getting caught down here won't help our case."

"I know a place where we can hide until assistance arrives." Shadow added, standing by the doorway.

Dave and Toxic exchanged a disbelieving look. "Why are you helping us?" Toxic asked him, stepping forward. "We were employed to bring you to Notch so he could kill you. So why are you helping us?"

"Because you didn't understand. You were being kept in the dark about many things, and I want to help you realize the truth." Shadow replied, then gestured to the hallway. "Are you coming or not?"

For a split second, they all hesitated, not sure if they should follow.

"If you want to stay here and be killed on sight for disobeying Notch's orders, murdering his men, and saving two of his prisoners, then be my guest." Shadow said, stepping out into the hallway and heading for the stairwell.

After another brief moment of hesitation, they followed.

The sound of footsteps urged them to move faster, knowing that if the guards found them, it would mean detaining at best. Execution at worst. At one point, Ranger tripped on the stairs, almost whacking her head off the wall. Blaze caught her just in time, then gave the Ender a 'told-you-so' look.

Shadow quickly led them out of the dungeon and up into one of the lower floors, where he stopped in front of a wall. He pressed a small button, and the wall opened up before them. "An abandoned servant's passageway," he said by way of explanation. "There's a few of them scattered about, and they're rather useful for spies."

Picking up a torch from a bracket in the wall, Shadow went first into the hidden hallway, and when nobody jumped out and skewered him, the rest followed - albeit cautiously, but they followed.

"If everything went according to plan, then assistance should be arriving sometime later today." Shadow said, filling in the silence.

The hallway was ridiculously long, but upon reaching the end they were met with a cavernous room with a low domed roof. An oval-shaped table sat in the center of the room, countless chairs placed along the length of it.

Everything was dusty and looked as if it hadn't been used in years. Unsurprisingly, someone sneezed, and it echoed through the room. The silence that ensued was more than a little unsettling.

"Make yourselves comfortable." Shadow said, taking off his helmet and setting it down on the table. "I'll alert you when help gets here."

~

Myst, Jaddie, Olivia, and Poppy were still sulking about being left behind by their mentors.

Poppy was reading, Myst was sketching her own wings, Jaddie was juggling knives, and Olivia was poking her own shoulder with a stick. Nobody knew what she was doing, and they honestly weren't inclined to ask.

A few seconds later, they found out when Olivia stabbed her own shoulder with the stick. When she pulled it out, a blade made of ice formed around the stick, and it became a sword.

Poppy didn't bother to look up. She was reading an intense fight scene and had made it clear that if anyone interrupted her for whatever reason, their life was immediately forfeit.

Jaddie looked over, still juggling. "Nice magic trick." She commented, studying the smooth ice blade.

"I've been working on it for a while." Olivia replied, stabbing the stick back in her shoulder and pulling it out. This time, the ice blade was gone. "And no, before you ask, it doesn't hurt."

Then a knock came at the door. Myst looked up, setting down her pencil. "Come in!" She called, but her grip tightened on her hidden dagger just in case.

The door opened to admit a boy around twelve, dressed in a messenger's uniform. "Hero Squad apprentices." He said, inclining his head to them. "I must ask that you come with me, and hurry."

"Why?" Jaddie asked, sheathing all her throwing knives in quick succession except for one.

"Because guards are coming to find you, and your mentors are unable to reach you. I will take you to them, but we have little time left." The messenger explained as best he could.

"Whose guards? Shadow's?" Poppy asked, finally looking up from her book. They were surprised she had been listening at all.

"No. King Notch's guards. Your mentors successfully rescued Ranger and are in hiding. Notch no longer trusts the Hero Squad and plans to have you brought before him. I can assume that's not a good thing."

"So who are you then?" Olivia inquired.

"A friend. A spy, but a friend."

"Why should we trust you if you refuse to tell us your name?" Jaddie responded simply.

The messenger sighed. "I do not know my true name, but I call myself Equinox. Is that good enough?"

"Very. Lead the way, Equinox."