Knight of Kandor

Kara- The End

It took three days of planning. We used the wagons we had brought up from Cadmium and took the covers off of them. Two separate teams went to nearby farms and bought as much trade goods as they could to load the wagons. Also, the teams acquired enough clothing for the DEO, John, Lex, Lena, and six of Lex's men to dress the part of traveling tradesmen just looking to sell their goods. The rest of the men Lex had brought with him stayed in camp with Donovan in command and Lady Jessica staying behind.

Both carts rumble slowly across the bridge. We huddle low with hunched shoulders of working people, Lena already secured to me by a safety line beneath our cloaks. We are stopped as expected just before the gate for the men to search our carts. The cart behind us has the rear hatch opened. That's when we move. Boxes of produce and several casks of wine spill out onto the ground, shattering and causing the deep red liquid to go everywhere. The men Lex brought begin shouting at the guards for destroying their wares. Voices are raised and catch the attention of everyone around. I open the secret hatch to let out the men going to take our places as well as a couple from the other cart quickly switching over. It isn't the exact same amount but it will help with the shock of so many people disappearing. As the scene grows more intense, I hook my climbing rope onto the cart before helping Lena slowly over the side. We dangle freely for a brief moment before a shift our weight and swing towards the cliff beneath the bridge. After a few tense moments with Lena clinging tightly to me, I manage to grasp the bars and find footing on the jagged rock face.

The nine others do the same. A brief whistle and the lines to safety are cut as we stand clinging to the bars of the spillway. It is still wide enough for Maggie to work in the middle. She had brought with her a powder that Felicity and Caitlin created that burns hot and fast. Hot enough to melt the iron. She spits on the upper part of the bars so the powder will stick and carefully spreads it around the lower part that sinks into the rocks.

"All right, get as far back as possible and close your eyes," Maggie commands.

The rest of us shuffle to either side of the entrance, feet squeezing between bars one at a time as we switch our handholds. Alex stays by Maggie, supporting her as she uses both hands for the flint and steel to send sparks flying. The commotion above has stopped, replaced by the sound of dozens of people entering and exiting the city at once. I squeeze my eyes shut as one of the sparks grows brighter and hear the sizzling of the various elements working against each other. Maggie repeats the process until each of the five bars she picked has fallen into the water far below us. then she and Alex is pulling each of us into the new opening. I pull out a torch from my pack and Alex does the same. I lead the way through the tunnels as my sister takes up the rear.

Luckily it is fairly easy to navigate and dry because the spring rains had yet to come. The main tunnel is the only one we have to stick to because it is the one that leads directly to the castle. It's faster than taking the crowded streets and passing through the gates, in a few short hours we are standing where Winn and I had determined the castle gardens would be. Not the royal ones, but the ones used for parties or enjoyed by staff and advisors. There is a ladder here for maintenance purposes, I climb up and slowly lift the cover to peer out. It is in a corner, blocked by view from high hedges. I sigh out my relief and snuff out the torch on the stone ceiling before climbing out and gesturing for the others to follow. I look at the faces crouched around me. The Deo all have the hoods of their robes pulled up, we had worn our uniforms under the cloaks and discarded them at the mouth of the tunnel. We had also gone as far as to wear light leather armor under our tunics for the fight that was inevitably coming, I just prayed we would not be alone. I nod to the determined faces and look around. The garden is empty for now, it was still too early for nobles to think about being out of bed, let alone strolling through the gardens, and too late for servants to still be attending chores here. I allow Lex to take the lead. He may not have been at court much, but every soldier new the Commander of the Royal Army. Servants naturally avoided the attention of royals and made themselves scarce. Several times soldiers half-heartedly tried to stop them before realizing who they were talking to and bowed deeply to the man who ignored them and brushed past.