“We have enough ropes for the second Door,” she announced. “How did it go?”
“Except for getting wet from the float,” chuckled Bin-lu, “it went as well as it could.”
“Why are we going through all of this trouble?” asked Rut-ki. “With all that is going on, wouldn’t it be easier to just destroy the Doors and give more attention to defeating the enemy?”
“It would be easier,” Bin-lu replied, “but Doors are very valuable. We do not know how to make them. Storing them in the ocean is an excellent solution. The enemy cannot use it now, yet we can recover it after the war.”
“Providing we win the war,” frowned Rut-ki.
“Providing we win,” agreed Bin-lu. “Let’s go get the other Door. There is still much to do tonight.”
* * * *
The unicorn flew back to shore and landed on the rocky beach. Bin-lu dismounted and stretched. Rut-ki sat nearby with three fairies dancing on her shoulder.
“How did it go?” asked Rut-ki
“It went well,” answered Bin-lu. “What’s with the fairies?”
“They are the fairies who were monitoring the Doors,” replied Rut-ki. “The fourth is in Tagaret informing the king about the arrival of the Federation troops.”
“I know that,” Bin-lu chuckled with a shake of his head. “I meant what is up with their dancing?”
“They are happy,” shrugged Rut-ki.
“Fairies do not like hiding in the dark day after day,” chirped one of the fairies. “We are celebrating our freedom.”
“And the successful completion of our mission,” interjected another fairy.
“We are filled with joy,” grinned the third.
Bin-lu smiled and sat down next to Rut-ki. “I am glad that someone is filled with joy.” Bin-lu sighed wearily as he turned his attention to Rut-ki. “We still have not figured out a method to gain entry to the enemy’s camp, and the night is slipping away from us.”
“Postpone it until we can think of a way to accomplish it,” advised Rut-ki.
“By morning the Federation troops will be leery and on full alert,” Bin-lu said with a slight shake of his head. “Tonight is the best chance we will have to take out the black-cloaks. We need to find a Federation uniform. Maybe we can wake up a tailor in Barouk and get him to make us something that will at least be passable.”
“A tailor who has never even seen a Federation uniform?” balked Rut-ki. “That is not a viable plan. If you are intent on doing this tonight, we will have to take out one of their sentries. That is the only way that we will get a uniform.”
“And alert the whole camp in the process,” frowned Bin-lu. “I should have spent more time planning this part of the mission. Clint could have procured a uniform for me.”
“We could put one of the soldiers to sleep,” suggested one of the fairies as Shrimp climbed out of Bin-lu’s pocket to see what all the commotion was about. “You could use the uniform to infiltrate their camp and then redress the soldier. They will think he just fell asleep on guard duty.”
“Impractical,” retorted Shrimp. “The sentry would be noticed missing before too much time passed. Even if he was not missed immediately, Bin-lu would surely be questioned when he walked in from the woods. Someone will mistake him for a sentry leaving his post.”
Bin-lu nodded in agreement, but the enthusiasm of the joyous fairies was not dampened.
“Why do you want to be a soldier?” questioned one of the fairies.
“Ogre brain!” taunted one of the others. “He just said that he needed to enter the enemy’s camp. He needs to kill the black-cloaks. Do you have seeds in your ears?”
“If he is not disguised,” explained Shrimp, “he will be killed on sight.”
“I know all that,” retorted the inquisitive fairy, “but officers would be quick to question a soldier roaming around the camp at night. It is not a smart way to do it.”
“And you have a better idea?” taunted one of the fairies.
“In fact, I do,” countered the inquisitive fairy. “If he wants to roam freely around the camp, he should be a black-cloak. The soldiers would turn away from Bin-lu before they questioned him. He could go anywhere he wanted except maybe the tents of the generals.”
“How do you know this?” asked Rut-ki.
“I have spent time in Zara,” answered the fairy. “The soldiers do not like the black-cloaks. They always try to avoid them.”
Bin-lu suddenly grinned and nodded enthusiastically. “That is an excellent idea. I can not only move freely around the camp, but no one will even question me for entering or leaving the mages’ tent.”
“And a simple black cloak should be easy to acquire,” nodded Rut-ki. “We may have to wake up a shopkeeper in Barouk, but I am sure that we could buy one there.”
The inquisitive fairy puffed with pride as the other two fairies started to dance again and pretended not to notice. Bin-lu laughed and rose to his feet.
“I will go to Barouk and obtain the cloak,” he stated. “Why don’t you return to the elves and catch some sleep?”
* * * *
The unicorn glided silently just above the tops of the trees, like a dark shadow racing across the terrain. The cloaked figure upon the unicorn’s back sat unmoving, his feet purposely taken out of the stirrups for a quick dismount. Below the canopy, two fairies darted from shadow to shadow, searching for an appropriate place for the attack to begin. Unexpectedly, one of the fairies shot up through the canopy. The other fairy halted the search and hovered in the darkness, his tiny eyes scanning the area for the nearest enemy solider. The attack was about to begin.
Shrimp offered no words of warning as he rose through the canopy and hovered over Bin-lu and the unicorn. He used his powers to levitate the Knight of Alcea off of the unicorn’s back. The unicorn promptly banked to the right and silently glided away. Shrimp silently levitated Bin-lu through the canopy and into the darkness beside a large tree. As Bin-lu’s feet touched the ground, Shrimp darted to his shoulder.
“This is as close as we dared to go,” whispered the fairy. “There are soldiers between us and the tent, but Speck and I will keep watch over you.”
“Where is the tent?” asked the Knight of Alcea.
“You are facing the proper direction,” instructed the fairy. “You have three-hundred paces to go. The last one-hundred will be across open ground. Return here when you are done. Speck will summon the unicorn for your return trip to the glade.”
Bin-lu nodded in understanding and adjusted his hood tighter to better conceal his face. Armed with only a small quiver hidden under his cloak, Bin-lu anxiously stepped away from the tree. His hand subconsciously reached through the rent in his cloak and touched the ends of the myric quills concealed there. He exhaled nervously and returned his attention to the path ahead. The first one-hundred paces were easy. None of the soldiers in the area were awake, and Bin-lu threaded his way through the maze of sleeping bodies.
Bin-lu saw the flames of the campfire before he saw the soldiers sitting around it. He altered his course slightly to take him farther away from the soldiers, but attention was still drawn to him. Of the six soldiers sitting around the campfire, only one of them took notice of the black-cloak roaming through the encampment. The soldier’s brow furrowed as his eyes followed the mage’s path.
“Unlike them to be up and moving about,” the soldier commented.
“Who?” asked one of the other soldiers as he turned and tried to see what his comrade was talking about.