“You need any more help?” yelled the guard from the bottom of the ramp as we began to back the wagon down it, inch by cautious inch.
“No, we’ve got it all under control!” I shouted back. “Now, get back to your post!”
“All right, ” he grumbled. “Assholes,” he added under his breath as he passed us. We both looked away as he did, pretending to adjust various things on the wagon so that he wouldn’t get a look at our faces.
Another benefit of backing the huge wagon down the ramp was that it served to pretty much completely block it off from the outside. Once we started our battle inside the cathedral, the soldiers would have to clamber over the oxen and climb through the inside of the wagon to get into the cellars.
It felt like it had taken forever, but we finally managed to get the back of the wagon up against the now-open doors.
“Good job, Grast.” I gave the old man’s shoulder a firm squeeze. “Things are going to get a bit crazy from this point on, so I suggest you find a place to lay low until the fighting is all over.”
“I know the insides of the cathedral cellars like the back o’ my hand, I do. I have a good few hiding spots. But are you sure you don’t need me by your side? I’m not much of a fighter, that much is true, but I’m willing to try my hand at swinging a sword or and ax. Especially if it means we’ll have an even slightly better chance of taking out Nabu.”
I beamed at the old man; he had heart all right. I didn’t want to him to risk his life, though. That was best left to us trained fighters, who would, for that reason, obviously be taking a lesser risk when entering the fray.
“We need someone who’s guaranteed to survive, so that the tale of what happened tonight can be told, even if the rest of us don’t make it,” I said. “Can you do that, Grast? Because if such a story doesn’t stir up a revolt against Nabu, I don’t know what will.”
“Aye, I bloody well can!”
“I knew you’d be up for it. All right, Grast, my friend.” I offered him my hand, and he shook it firmly. “This is where we part ways. Wish us luck!”
“You don’t need luck, Lord Chauzec. You’ve got justice on your side.”
I also had a couple of skeletons, a five-ton lizard, a powerful cleric, and a skilled enjarta on my side—as well as the Goddess of Death and her enchanted blade—but yeah, justice was a welcome addition to this list of allies.
“That we do, Grast, that we do. Farewell.”
I slipped back into the rear of the wagon, squeezed past the skeletons, and climbed over Fang so that I could open the back and start unloading our “wine barrels.” As soon as I had the back open, Fang almost bowled me over in his haste to get out. He’d been curled up in a cramped and uncomfortable position for several hours. It was quite a wonder that his bulk hadn’t actually caused the wagon’s wooden walls to burst into splinters.
Once he was out, the skeletons followed suit, climbing out of the wagon and then forming up in good fighting order. Fang was shaking out his paws, leaping around, and stretching his neck and back. With my minions out and ready for combat, Elyse and Rami finally climbed out with their weapons at the ready.
I looked at my deceptively small army. “Elyse, you know the layout of this place, so lead us on. Remember, everyone, stealth is key here, and that goes for you in particular, buddy,” I added, flashing Fang a cautionary look.
With that, we set off, making out way silently through gloomy cellars crowded with wine barrels. At the end, we reached what looked like the main exit: a wide staircase leading up into the cathedral proper. I turned to head up the stairs, but Elyse reached out and grabbed my wrist.
“Not that way. There’s a smaller, secret stairwell further on.”
I nodded in Fang’s direction. “There’s no way he’s going to fit up a small stairway.”
“Well, he’ll just have to wait here then. If we go up these stairs, I guarantee we’ll run into Resplendent Crusaders, and once they raise the alarm, this place will be swarming with hundreds of guards. Even though we have the main entrance locked, they’ll come in through other ways. Slower, of course, but we’ll still have quite a fight on our hands.”
“Okay, buddy, you wait here,” I said to Fang. “I’ll whistle like this when we’re ready.” I produced a shrill whistle but kept the volume down so no one else would hear.
Fang let out a deflated-sounding rumble. Ultimately, even though he had something of a will of his own, he was still under my control and had to obey my commands. He backed away into a pool of deep shadow a couple of yards from the base of the stairs and waited there. The rest of us moved on, following Elyse through an entrance hidden under the main stairs.
“Few people know about this passage,” Elyse whispered as she led us through the inky blackness. “Basically, only the bishop and his couple of true trustees. We’ll be able to take them completely by surprise.”
I heard a strange sound coming from somewhere up ahead, like something heavy and limp was being dragged along the floor. I leaned forward and grabbed Elyse’s shoulder. When she turned around in surprise, I pressed my finger to my lips.
“I can hear someone up ahead,” I said. “Can’t you?”
She strained her ears, and her eyes widened slightly. “There shouldn’t be anyone down here, especially not at night,” she whispered back.
“Let me take the lead.” I squeezed past her. “Just in case we’re being served
