Sage Eyes: Reawakening

Chapter 1 Part 3

This Rose must have connections, Tenci thought, as the guards opened up the outer gates for them. She had merely gone up to them, taking off her mask, spoke some words, and the armored men with pikes motioned for all of them to enter. He felt a stab of fear as he passed under their watchful gaze, but didn't let himself react, as that could blow the plan.

Going to the north, crossing one of the stone partitions, they came to a stone building, dull in comparison to the splendor of the rest of the castle. "Here we are," Rose stated. They stood in the shadow of the castle itself, backs against the wall.

"Isn't this the dungeon?" Raven asked, hand on her hip.

"It also leads to the king's vault."

Tenci laughed. "Really? They have the dungeon right by the castle and the King's Vault? So, if the criminals escape, they can get access to powerful ancient artifacts and invade the castle? Not the smartest idea."

Even in the darkness, from under her handkerchief, Tenci could feel Rose blush. "That's never happened before."

"Hey, I wasn't saying it was your dumb idea. Just that whoever planned this didn't think it through very well."

"I don't know," Simon said. "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer."

"Stop talking," Ceno said. "Let's get in."

"I got you past the outer guards, and this courtyard is pretty open and free, but I don't belong in the dungeons," Rose said. "Some of you are going to have to fight the guards in there, without alerting anyone else."

"Raven and I will do it," Tenci volunteered. Raven looked at him with an amused smile, while Simon shook his head, probably mad he didn't get in fast enough.

Rose nodded and said, "The door at the entrance is so heavy, the first guard inside will have plenty of time to identify whether you're friend or foe, and has a bell that can alert the other guards. You'll have to stall him or something to keep him from ringing that, or else all the guards in the dungeon and even some from outside will come running. The hallways echo, and most guards get suspicious of unknown voices and unplanned footsteps. You'll also have to have some way to signal to us that you're clear. The vault entrance is near the front and has its own set of guards, but once we pass them, there shouldn't be any guards or anything on the inside to stop you."

"Unless it's haunted inside, like they say," Mero said. Simon groaned at Tenci's side.

"Sounds like fun," Tenci said. "Let's do this."

Tenci and Raven snuck out, keeping a low profile as they walked over the field that led to the dungeon. Tenci felt so exposed, wishing he could hide in an alley or something, but no such luck here. Fortunately, no one patrolling the walls seemed to notice or care.

Once they arrived at the doorstep, Tenci took Raven aside. "Do you think you're brother's going to promote me to second-in-command?"

"Stop worrying about that, wiz. Do well, and it'll come naturally. I don't have any say in it, anyway."

"I just don't know how that weasel Drake got the title. All he does is suck up to Ceno."

Raven eyed him knowingly. "There you have it, your road to success. Now, are we going to break in?"

"Yeah, sure," Tenci said.

Tenci examined the door. Indeed, it looked heavy and unwieldy, better to delay convicts in their escape. In his time, Tenci had to break out from a prison or two, but never had to break in. At eye level, there was a slot that looked like it opened up so the main guard could speak to people outside without opening the door. Good.