Dell had offered to watch. I had already been mentally preparing myself for the task, as it was something that I doubted either he or Ivrette would want to do. After weeks of traveling, with a risky operation on the horizon, I would be most adept at doing that without sleep, but Dell's enthusiasm sometimes got the best of him. Even though I wanted to complain, he seemed eager to have such a responsibility, and my body craved sleep.

"Remember, wake us shortly after the one o'clock bells. If there's any sign of a commotion, even if it's a bad gut feeling, wake me immediately," I reminded Dell, a hint of sternness in my voice.

"Yes, of course, sir. I promise to not let you down," his voice was almost giddy, and I realized it would be one of his first opportunities to prove himself to me face-to-face. My impact on the boy may have taken too much control over him.

Regardless, it was the most comfortable I had ever slept on a rock surface.

‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵︵‿︵

    I had never needed much sleep to function. When Dell shook me awake, I felt refreshed, but looking at his and Ivrette's faces, I could tell they felt quite different. Ivrette looked as if she hadn't slept at all, and Dell looked like he had already raided Ravennisse.

    "There's no time to waste. You'll have plenty of time to rest after the raid, but this is the best time to attack," I addressed them, hoping to show the importance of our mission.

    "Y-yes, sir," Dell uttered before yawning loudly.

    "Remember our plan. We move as the guards move, and if we're stealthy, we should make it into the dungeons unnoticed. Unfortunately, by them, we would need to dispose of whoever is guarding the entrance to the dungeons, but if we find the King fast, we can follow the tunnel out. This is the riskiest part as the tunnel may not exist, and even if it does, we don't know where it leads. Even a minor mistake could cost us our lives. Are both of you ready?" My words flew fast, conveying my  urgency.

I received a nod in return from both of them. "Remember to stay close," I uttered as a final command before exiting the tunnel.

We could not use lanterns as it would be too easy to identify us. My companions would have to closely follow me as we were dressed darkly, and it was hard to see even a mere inch in front of you. We would have to navigate following the starlight and the lights of the town. Straining my eyes, I made out the faint outline of shadowed trees and slowly began to trek downward, cautious of whatever I could not see. Whether it be an exposed rock or vicious wildlife, I always took in all factors before beginning a journey.

We needed to be discreet yet swift. If we could not complete this operation by sunrise, it was a lost cause. My hearing was precise, and I used it to my advantage. A snapped branch in the wrong direction always gathered a look. If I heard my partners trailing behind, it was a sign to slow.

I had begun to get nervous as I heard the two o'clock bells chime with the lights of the town seeming no closer than before. I couldn't show that I was nervous. If I was nervous, no matter how the other already felt, they would become frightened of what was to come.

I already knew they were anxious as I heard Dell speak. "Sir, are we having a good time?"

He must have also seen the lights and judged our distance. "Yes, you don't need to worry. You should never judge distance by specks of light, especially when we're on an incline."

It was a half-lie, but I assumed it calmed his nerves as I didn't hear him speak afterward. It was hard to judge distance, especially when you were tired and likely weren't concentrating on the same target. When the trees cleared, I grinned slightly for a moment before realizing our situation.

We were on a cliff.

We must have missed it analyzing our route, or it would have been impossible to determine from the tunnel's exit. Regardless, we were trapped as the cliff seemed to stretch for miles. We wouldn't make it around in time, especially since detouring to the left would lead us into the heart of the town. As the castle was built into the mountains, going right, we would need to navigate around the castle before finding a suitable passage, and that was a risk I didn't want to take.

In despair, I hurried to the edge of the cliff and allowed myself a brief, triumphant smirk. Directly below us was a small pond. I imagined Ravennisee children playing in it, especially with the summer's heat.

I heard Dell and Ivrette join me, and the sigh of shock and despair that they both emitted.

"I-It can't be... right?" I heard Ivrette softly say, the first sign of despair I had seen in her.

"A cliff," Dell muttered, his tone just as defeated as Ivrette's.

A smile worked its way up my face, one that I didn't bother to mask as I turned to face them. "Yes, it's a cliff, but hope isn't lost for there's a pond below us. It couldn't be better, considering the situation."

Ivrette, her face expressionless, walked by me toward the edge of the cliff and peered down. "This is still exceptionally high. It seems double the height of the castle walls, and we already know how disastrous that jump has been for individuals."

"True, but water acts as a cushioning of sorts. I imagine you two can follow my lead. You've been doing it all night." As I finished speaking, I began to undo the straps on my armor.

"Oh, and what are you doing now?" Ivrette's tone was sarcastic, and it was evident she didn't believe in my plan.

"Taking off my armor. I'd advise you to do the same, unless you want to sink like a stone, of course."

Ivrette returned my statement with a grunt, yet I saw her begin to dismantle. I stretched once my armor was off, hearing a satisfactory pop of my back, savoring the cool night for a moment. It was always refreshing to take off the armor, and it was a perfect night. Yet, I felt that was about to change as we plunged into the likely cold waters below. Then, there would be the sneaking into the castle whilst soaking wet, and unarmored.

"What are we to do about our armor and weapons?" Ivrette asked.

I turned to look at her and saw that her tools were in a pile by her feet. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and she had an annoyed look on her face.

"We can hide them and come back for them later."

"Yes, but what if we don't come back? This is my best set of material."

"And that is why you don't bring your best tools on a mission like this. Even the tools I bought were borrowed from the castle's armory."

"And you're expecting us to storm the castle with any weapons or protection?" Dell spoke this time, and even he was sounding uncertain.

"If we do it right, we won't need armor or weapons."

"What happens if they decide to shoot us?"

"They wouldn't. They would want to find our motive, and at the very least, we would be thrown into the dungeons before our trial."

"That's not any more desirable," Dell muttered before continuing, "And say we ran into some guards? They're armed and we're not."

I scoffed. "You think I can't take an armored guard or two?" I stretched my arms behind my back again, flaunting my biceps which already were straining the tight tunic. "And, that would be desirable. After that, we have weapons again." After pausing for a moment, I continued. "Remember, almost step off the edge. Fall straight, like an arrow. If you hit the water with your legs first, you'll suffer the least damage. I've seen people jump from twice this height into a haystack and emerge perfectly fine. It won't be that bad."

That last bit was an exaggeration, but I hoped it would do its task of easing my companions. Walking toward the edge, I stepped off, falling for a moment.

Then there was the impact.

It felt like I had jumped from a great distance onto a rock surface. Even with my boots, the force of the impact smashed against my feet and worked its way up my legs. I felt my legs tense as the hit worked into my abdomen.

What was nearly as bad was the cold. Despite the season, we were in Northern Ravennisse where it was known to snow even in the summer. The cold infiltrated my mind and made my body feel like shutting down. I grabbed every fiber in my body, chilling every muscle.

Knowing I couldn't concentrate on the pain, I willed my legs to kick as I tried to pull myself to the surface. The moonlight was a faint glimmer on the surface. My legs hurt. The cold felt like needles puncturing my body. My body yearned for air.

You're Graeme Blackwoode. You don't give up. You would rather die than give up, I grit my teeth as I fight to the surface. One moment, I was underwater, and the next, I was breathing in the cool night air.

Assessing the pond for either Dell or Ivrette, I saw Dell crudely paddling his way to shore, but I didn't see any sign of Ivrette. Turning, I noticed splashing to the left of me. Continuing to eye the situation, I began to realize what was happening.

Ivrette doesn't know how to swim.

Soldiers in the army were taught as it was a skill more common than some would think. Yet, Ivrette had never received training in the army. It would have been helpful if she told me this before she jumped.

In a few quick strides, I had arrived by her side, and after a moment of struggling, strung her across my back.

"C'mon, just hold on. It'll be okay in a moment."

I wasn't great at comforting, but feeling her hands wrap around my neck, I took it as a sign to continue. I got us both back to shore safely, but before allowing her to walk off, I grabbed her wrist, preventing her from leaving.

She tried to pull away, but quickly realized it was fruitless. "Why didn't you tell me you couldn't swim?" My voice was gravelly, reflecting my discontent.

"Because I didn't want to seem like a fool." Ivrette's head was down, and her voice was filled with something I had never seen from her before. Embarrassment.

"You would have seemed less like a fool if you told me. We could have worked a way around this instead of you almost drowning."

She gave me a nod and I released her wrist. We had to cover a short distance to reunite with Dell as he had gone straight ahead while we had gone to the left. The night breeze, one that was refreshing minutes ago, was a winter gust now. My tunic clung to me like a second skin and did nothing in terms of protection. We arrived next to Dell who was shivering, but upright.

"Remember our plan. Follow me, I understand their paths. We should make it in and out without any disturbances. If we're lucky it'll take days for them to discover the King is missing, and we'll be well on our way by then."

All my partners managed was a nod as I began to lead them through the woods to the castle.

It would have been nice if we could have arrived at the castle walls.

Yet, the last thing I could remember was a feeling of shooting pain through my shoulder before the world turned black.

QOTC: We're a decent way into the story now, so how do you feel about the characters?