The immensity of the fortress struck Heather breathless. The castle,
with turrets like clawed fingers, appeared more as the hand of some long-dead
malicious god reaching for the heavens. They still had a few hours of journey
ahead of them, but even from this distance Heather could make out pinpricks of
light flickering across the fortress’ façade, as if an unseen jeweller had
decorated the menacing building with gemstones of fire.
The journey was spent mostly listening to the lingering pitter-patter of
rain from a fading storm on the canvas of their wagon. A silence had descended
on the party as they contemplated the trials that lay ahead. Emma often tried
to improve the morose morale with a joke or an out of tune song, but unlike the
rest of them, she didn’t have to
sneak into a lair of giants.
They parted with Henry and his wagon at a stele that marked some old
forgotten battle from a time when the fortress was used to defend; now it
served to house giants occasionally used to forcibly collect taxes or enact
punitive decrees.
Heather took a deep breath, savouring the scent of wet grass, taking in
the sight of clouds that had parted like curtains before giving way to the
black of heaven.
“By the looks of the weather it seems you lot will have the help of the
moon to sneak in. Though judging by the horizon, I’ll have to keep watch with
the fog rolling in,” Emma said, collapsing her spyglass. She placed a hand on
her broad brimmed sun hat as a gust of wind sped by, the long feather plume
whipping in the air.
“You make it sound like we should be grateful to have a spotlight on us
while we bumble our way in,” Ged replied in an indignant tone after the wind
died down.
“True, but we have to look on the…” she used both hands to gesture at
the glowing moon, “bright side. Eh?”
Ren rolled her eyes, pulled her fluttering rouge coat tight against the
cold breeze, while Emma continued, “might still be some traps along the castle
perimeter so the added visibility’s nice. As for my situation, fog might make
it harder to spot someone approaching, but it also makes it harder for them to
spot me. That’s a tradeoff I can live with.”
Ged swung his black lacquered cane, obliterating an unfortunate crocus
flower and scattering the lilac petals to the wind. He turned back to face
Emma, “What’s the point of having a lookout anyway? I doubt you’d be able to
make it into the castle to warn us before one of those beasts do.”
It was Heather’s turn to roll her eyes. If he had listened to the scheme
instead of draining his cups he would’ve known. She felt frustration building
within but she reminded herself that her own plan was still on track.
Adelaide mumbled something and shuffled forward. She produced two small
silver bells from her pocket and in a shaky voice said, “uhm, th-these. She’ll
inform us with… with these.”
Ged snatched a bell from Adelaide’s palm, looked it over carefully, then
shook it. Silence. His expression contorted and it was clear he was about to
say something idiotic again so Heather stepped forward to spare the dainty
woman from the onslaught.
“It’s an enchanted bell. The one you’re holding is the receiver, the one
Adelaide’s holding is the transmitter. Show him.”
Adelaide nervously rubbed at the mark on her cheek, biting her lower lip
apprehensively. She nodded then rang her bell, but it too was silent. Instead,
a soft chime rang out from Ged’s hand. His face turned green at the prospect of
holding something magical and he quickly passed it back.
“Enough talk. We are wasting precious time,” Ren said curtly before
facing Mabel. “Are you ready?”
Mabel, her cotton vest clinging tight to her body, with each of her
metal arms hoisting a comically large bale of rope, replied: “I’ve just about
got it, yeah. Tricky to carry, even for me, but I think I’ve figured out how to
balance the weight while I move.”
“Right then, guess you’re off. Best of luck. Try not to get… uh… caught.
Would hate to break the news to your sis,” Emma said with an awkward smile.
“Try not to catch a cold while you lounge about,” Heather answered,
throwing her arms around the closest thing she had to a friend.
Moments passed, and in a surprisingly respectful manner Ren cleared her
throat. Heather tried to move away but Emma pulled her close and whispered,
“get those bastards.”
*****
Heather silently cursed with every squelching step. Even though there
was only one denizen lurking deep within the castle, her eyes instinctively
flicked to the barren parapets expecting guards to call out ‘intruder’ or
archers to pepper her with arrows.
It was clear that the others had similar anxieties, with each of them
flinching whenever their own boots crunched on gravel or made slurping sounds
when pulled from the mud. The full moon painting the landscape in pale, silver
light made it an even worse affair, with their own shadows seemingly taunting
them in the periphery. But even so, no one came. No alarmed voices and, better
yet, no booming steps of pursuing giants.
They passed the pebble-paved path that would eventually lead to the
portcullis and instead skirted the boundary of the fortification. Taking them
further and further from the main road and closer to their furtive
entrance.
Heather focused on the monolithic, moonlit walls, comparing them to the
schematics she’d so carefully memorised. Vines clung to the ancient stone,
choking it like a snake would its prey. She took a knife to the thick bramble,
slashing away at it until she revealed what they’d been searching for.
Curved iron bars, forming a makeshift ladder, decorated the wall. Nearly
impossible to make out from the grey stone, even without the foliage, but
Heather was a professional.
“I suppose we should be thankful that the masons who worked on the
castle were too scared to stay a moment longer than they had to,” Ren said,
craning her neck as she followed the service ladder with her gaze.
“Ain’t much of a point in securing the defences when your main defence
is a living, breathin’ giant, I’d wager.” Mabel replied, dumping her coils of
rope, her strong back heaving from exertion.
“We have to climb that? Next
you’ll probably expect me to jump out of a window.” Ged huffed.
That would make things
considerably easier and save us from your incessant whining, Heather thought.
“It… uhm… is a little h-high. Are… you going to be okay, Mabel?”
Adelaide whispered, finger brushing the splotch on her cheek. Not for the first
time Heather thought the gesture brought to mind wood that had been excessively
polished over the years.
“I’ll be fine Ada. Not keen on making a double trip, but I don’t see
much of a choice. You might have to tighten some of the bolts again later, but
I think I can manage the night without it.” She said as she rolled her
shoulders, drawing Heather’s attention to where long-since mangled and seared
flesh met metal.
Explosives can be such nasty
things… but very much worth it sometimes, she mused to herself.
The climb itself went by relatively easy, all things considered. If
anything, the sheer height at least helped to distract from actively thinking
about who they were about to steal from.
They emerged atop the wall, a wooden guard’s door leading to the service
tunnels only a few paces away from the ladder. Leaning against the merlon,
Heather could see the mist creeping in on the valley below. She thought she
could see the glint of a spyglass on top of a hillock. She raised a hand with a
wave, and shortly after they heard the trilling chime of the bell in reply.
“Well then, this is it,” she said, turning to stare at the determined
faces of her associates. “Hope you’re all ready. There’s lots to do and only a
few hours to do it.” Her hand came to rest on her pocket, fingers tracing over
the familiar embossed lettering.
Heather stepped away from the wall and glanced over her shoulder one
last time. She pushed open the door, standing aside so the others could slip
inside. With a final deep breath, cool air filling her lungs, she shut the door
and severed the moonlight.