Book 3: Chapter 29
Over a mile above the team that rested in the darkness of the first tomb, two mighty bridges stood firm. Each was wide enough for four carriages to pass side by side, but not a single carriage could be seen on them. Instead, they were positively packed with metal-clad soldiers, weapons clutched nervously in white-knuckled grips, and eyes peering out into the darkness of the storm. The rain had been continuing to lighten, but still, its drops splattered against the armor the soldiers wore and the stone upon which they stood, before tumbling down to the river below.
Beyond the two bridges lay the upper-class district, and the further from them one traveled, the richer and more opulent the homes became, until the neighborhoods gave way to the great noble houses in their walled compounds, and then the palace. The high bridge, so called because it stood in the northern north of the likewise named low bridge, led to a giant square also filled with soldiers getting ready to carry out their duty. Shouts and the tramp of boots echoed in the night as the army mobilized. Yet despite the readiness of many of the soldiers, the command to advance never came.
From a tower overlooking one of the bridges, an officer stared out into the darkness of the stormy night. Thanks to the strengthening of his soul spark, his eyes could faintly pick out the undead Maragoth, rampaging around. But despite the damage it was doing, no order came.
"What are they waiting for?" his companion asked him.
The taller soldier stroked his sandy-blonde mustache and let out a small sigh.
"They're waiting for the gangs to absorb more of the undead. We should be getting a report soon.
But the longer we wait, the more damage this wave is going to cause," his companion replied, staring out into the darkness with a hard look.
"Sure, but do you think that matters to the commanders?" the first officer replied, his tone scornful. "Remember, we're just being sent in to clean up. If the gangs want to survive, they're going to have to do it on their own."
"What about the people, the citizens?" the other officer protested. "It's not just gang members in that district."
The mustached officer fell silent, his gaze turning to a large artifact next to him. It looked like a horn of sorts, mounted on a thick wooden pedestal, its wide end pointing out the window. As soon as the horn was blown, the army would spring into action, carrying out their predetermined plan to stop the undead wave. But the order still had not come.
"I understand what you're saying," he said finally, his face falling. "But until we get the order from above, we are to hold position here, defending the two bridges."
"Is it true that they ordered us not to let any refugees through?" The other officer asked after a moment of silence.
There was a paleness around the mustached officer's eyes as his teeth clenched, and he gave a short, sharp nod.
"They say it's to help keep the infection from spreading," he said.
Though his companion didn't reply, both of them knew that that wasn't the major concern.
"I hate politics," the shorter officer said, shaking his head as a shout drifted up from down below. "Sounds like there's a report. I'll go see what the scouts are saying."
Hurrying to the door, he paused for a moment, looking back at the other officer.
Slamming his fist into the wall, the mustached officer glared out over the city. Ryn had heard enough. Moving as softly as a mouse, she climbed back through the opening she had created, and once on the top of the tower, closed her eyes. She wasn't exactly sure how the flower that connected her to the rest of the Klein family operated. She assumed it was some sort of mysterious artifact spreading its network through each of them. But she did know its functions. Her thoughts drifted through their connection to Garrett, filtering into his mind and causing his eyes to snap open. His mind raced, as he clutched the arms of Dreamer's Throne, running through half a dozen plans before he finally settled on their next course of action.
As soon as Ryn got the message back, she grinned. This was going to be fun. Peeking up over the short parapet that surrounded the top of the tower, she scanned, looking for a nearby building that would serve her purpose. As soon as she spotted one, she gripped the top of the parapet with two hands and vaulted over, using her newfound strength to launch her into the air. The cloak she was wearing seemed to snap open, spreading to either side of her, catching the air, and actually causing her body to rise up a few feet. Somehow, the cloak maintained its shape as she glided across the distance to land on the roof she had been aiming for.
Landing with hardly a sound, she moved swiftly across it, jumping two more large gaps with a similar motion, all the while her eyes constantly scanning the ground. She finally found her target in a small alleyway just off of the main square. There, she saw an officer standing quietly in the shadows, no doubt enjoying a small break from the evening's excitement. Swinging herself off of the roof, she hung for a moment, and then leapt down, spinning as she fell into the alleyway. Her feet made contact with the opposite building's wall, a dozen feet above the officer's head, and the faint scrape of her foot against the stone was enough to cause the startled officer to look up. All he saw was the black shape of two wings falling on top of him, and with a muffled thud, Ryn's fist connected with the back of his skull, knocking him unconscious.
She had picked him because he wasn't awakened, which made knocking him out much easier. Also, he was just about her size, and a few moments later, the unconscious man, stripped of his clothing, was laid down back in the alley and covered with the thin cloak that she wore. Dressed in his uniform, Ryn quickly swept her hair up into as tight a bun as she could while putting the man's hat on her head. There was a faint darkness shadowing her face, making it hard for anybody to see exactly what she looked like.
Putting her shoulders back and walking with confidence, she entered the square, making her way across while clutching a tube that she had taken from her bag. Her bag had been left behind next to the unconscious officer, and though she got the occasional look, as soon as anyone saw the tube she carried, they quickly backed away, giving her a clear path. With crisp steps, she rushed back to the tower, calling to the guards at its door as she got close.
"Urgent orders," she said, waving the tube.
The two guards looked at her and then looked at the orders she carried.
"We just got orders," one of the guards said.
"Yeah, and I haven't seen you around before," the other guard chimed in.
"I don't make them, I just carry them," Ryn snapped back. "And I've never seen you before either."
Bemused by her response, one of the guards started to open the tube, but Ryn snatched it back.
"Are you mad," she hissed, glaring at him, her face still shrouded in the darkness of the night, "that's the royal seal on there, and you're going to break it? Get your commanding officer now."
With a startled gulp, the two guards looked at the tube more clearly and saw the faint but unmistakable mark of the royal seal. Realizing that they had nearly committed treason by mistake, one of the guards took the tube.
"I'll take this up to my commanding officer," he said.
"Good. Without opening it, I hope," Ryn said sarcastically, rolling her eyes, before turning and fading into the crowd.
As soon as the guards had lost sight of her, Ryn doubled back. There were groups of officers coming and going from the tower, as they coordinated the defense, and it was into one of these groups that Ryn blended, shifting the way she walked, the way she held her shoulders, and deftly swapping her hat out for someone else's without them being any the wiser. The remaining guard at the front door was too distracted to notice as she slipped by, and once she was in the tower, she quickly ditched the group she had been tagging along with and headed for the upper floors.
Walking with a grim expression and a determined stride, as if she was on important business, she made it to the third floor without incident and walked down the long hall, pausing only briefly to listen at each door. At the fourth door, she heard a voice and recognized it as the guards. This was the room she was looking for.
