Veil of Shadows

Chapter 65. The West Wing

"Hero Squad." A rebel knight said by way of greeting as he pushed open the tent flap. He lowered his head to Shadow upon seeing him, then handed a folded note to Wolf. "This was found at the entrance of the camp, addressed to your group. It's signed only with a W."

"Thank you, soldier." Shadow said, nodding to him before turning his attention back to the map laid out on the table before them. "Dismissed."

Once the knight left, Wolf opened the letter, already knowing with near certainty who it was from. "More correspondence from Wraith," she said, and Ranger's annoyance levels, already brought very close to their limits due to Red, promptly skyrocketed.

"Hero Squad;

I regret not being able to grace you with my glorious presence to deliver this note in person, but I don't particularly think you care either way. If you didn't burn this the moment you received it, congratulations! Your tempers are slowly improving.

Yes, I am highly aware that most of the times I've interacted with the Hero Squad were attempted murder or things like that. Don't take it personally. It's literally the way I make my living. If it makes that situation any better, I feel a little guilty. Just a little. But if you tell anyone else that, temporary alliance or no, I will slit each and every one of your throats and watch you bleed to death with joy in my heart.

Now, to get to the point.

Something's come up. Something mildly personal. And that specific unnamed event has pushed me further onto your side of this conflict. I'm starting to think that we share a common enemy. I want to help you. I also know how ridiculous this sounds, coming from someone like me.

This afternoon, most of Notch's men will be in the eastern wing of the palace to guard a shipment. They'll be expecting you to attack there. Don't. Enter the palace through the western wing; the rightmost watchtower will be weakest. You must believe that I want to end this war as much as you do. Give me the benefit of the doubt, just this once.

~ W"

Immediately, Midnight said drily, "Well, isn't this opportune."

Shadow, however, was slightly less sarcastic. His violet eyes were fixed on the note, and a small smile tugged at his mouth. "If that's the truth, we have what we need to stage a second attack. This one can't be open siege - not at first. That will be the second phase, once my Generals arrive."

Shadow gestured widely, then winced as the quick movement sent a small jolt of pain through his side. His wound was mostly healed, thanks to the vial of medicine Wraith had stolen for them. Nevertheless, his healers had advised against any straining activity until the sutures were taken out to avoid ripping them and injuring himself further. He looked over his shoulder, as though half expecting a healer to materialize out of thin air and start scolding him.

"Anyway," Shadow continued, fighting through the pain, "a handful of our best could infiltrate the castle and take out Notch and other commanding figures, leaving them in disarray. My Generals and the men they're bringing will be the final, crushing blow."

"But why the sudden change of heart? What happened?" Wolf asked, scanning the letter as if it might hold answers. Wraith had attempted to kill several members of the Hero Squad, and had come uncomfortably close to succeeding with Ranger, who was still understandably skeptical of the whole matter. "And even more importantly, why should we trust anything she says?"

Slowly, Midnight's snark faded as she grabbed the note. Her eyes flickered as she tilted her head. "I sense truth." She muttered. "How is that possible? How can this be serious?"

"If you sense truth," Toxic said slowly, "then it has to be real. Lots of us started out far from heroic. Some of us still have very questionable morals and pasts, and we're still here. It's not as if we're the only ones capable of change, right?"

Even Ranger's annoyance levels seemed to drop slightly. "We should start planning for our attack," she said, and all eyes turned to her. "The Hero Squad, alone, is how we started. No armies to help us do what was asked of us. We've gotten this far by ourselves, trusting our Squad. What better way to end than for us, the former favored warriors of Notch, figures of legend throughout all of Minecraftia, to strike the blow that marks the beginning of his end - the blow that sends his reign crumbling?"

~

Figures clad entirely in black.

The Hero Squad wore their cloaks, black as the darkest night, the silver clasps engraved with the letters HS, a constant reminder of who they were. Three others who weren't original members, Midnight, Equinox, and Red, were to join them. Midnight had a cloak of her own, which she already wore on a daily basis. She pulled the hood up, then adjusted her sunglasses.

For this mission, they'd need stealth, and a whole lot of luck. They couldn't have attention drawn to themselves. Everyone with glowing eyes - which was a good number of everyone who was going - had to carefully hide them so that they wouldn't be seen.

"From the watchtower Wraith mentioned," Equinox said quietly, "it will take some time to get to the throne room. Carrying a map in there will be more of a hindrance than a help, so I...used some external resources to get simpler directions." He held out a paper, his blue cape rustling. They'd noticed that the half-sun half-moon symbols were carefully taken care of, and not faded in the least. As though they meant something to him that no one else would ever know.

He was back in the messenger's livery he'd used when he first arrived at the palace. Shadow, Salia, and the rest of the rebels were to remain in the camp and wait for them to return. Shadow's Generals were due to arrive soon, and without a set time, no one knew when exactly that would happen. But now that there was a plan - now that the path to victory, at last, was slightly clearer, there was hope in the eyes of the rebels.

Not one of them could afford to fear or to doubt.