Convoy

Petra, Anne, and Fenn were giddy with excitement as they waited with the other adventurer squads near the West Gate. Soon, one of the generals of the Red Seekers would show up to personally lead the mission!

Gwen, however, was struggling to keep awake. The excitement of the goblin den and the aqueduct from the day before had left her exhausted, and the little sleep she got was not enough to fully recuperate by dawn. 

She was kept up even later by the reaction of her squadmates to being drafted into a Red Seeker mission. Everyone knew the Seekers worked directly under the orders of the Crimson Emperor! 

As soon as Gwen delivered the news, Anne scribbled down the details and left to share the news with Fenn. The meeting time was only six hours away, so he would need to start preparing as well.

Petra, on the other hand, stayed, and had much to talk about with Gwen.

"Wow! What was it like working with a Seeker Captain? Was he as professional as the stories? How did you meet General Highgate in the first place? Are you friends now? Oh, the captain, was he cute? Will there be more Seekers on the mission?"

Gwen tried to answer as efficiently as possible, but sometimes she couldn't even edge a word in. Petra had wanted to join the Seekers, but her inexperience kept her out, even though her father knew some of the more prominent members. 

"I really don't know much about the operation. I'm sure they will brief us beforehand. You really should go back to sleep; I'm sorry for waking the two of you up so late." 

"Sleep!? How could you sleep now?" 

This was exactly the reaction Gwen was dreading. 

She lay on her bed and responded to Petra between fluttering eyelids, before finally drifting off to sleep sometime later.

Movement at the back of the crowd piqued the interest of the group. Fenn stood on his toes to see over the heads of the group in front of them.

"It's a small carriage; I bet the general is in there!" he announced. Those that had squatted or sat down around them began to stand up and straighten their gear to look more presentable for General Highgate.

The carriage suddenly stopped amidst the dispersed crowd. A large door swung open slowly and the same woman from that night took a step out and surveyed the crowd.

"Thank you for gathering today, adventurers. In just a moment's time, we will leave the safety of the Empire to do battle with the forces of the Ashen Prince. Your bravery in this task is a powerful reflection of the battle spirit passed down to Easlaners since the time of the Red King. It is a pleasure to serve with such fine examples."

A cheer rose from the crowd along with the thumping of shields.

Faye ducked her head back into the carriage just as a familiar face came out.

Enzo put up a hand to calm the cheers and began his briefing.

The plan was simple enough. Their caravan of adventurers would walk to the base of the Cloud Level Path of Ascension and set up camp for the night. In the morning they would begin to ascend the mountain, and by evening they would be ready to attack the monastery. 

"To ensure our success, we have also recruited the two survivors of the Ashen Prince's raid - Kai and Gwen of Cloud Level Monastery. They will help to lead two of the raiding parties once we reach the peak."

Faye's intentions became clearer. Enzo had tailed her in order to see if she was apt to lead a team on the mission. He had always planned on inviting her today - the aqueduct incident was merely a coincidence.

These Red Seekers are smart. Is this why she can't bring herself to trust them completely?

Gwen then realized that Kai was also invited. She spun her head to scan the crowd but couldn't see his bald head or his new giant sword.

Another roar rippled through the crowd. Enzo must have finished his briefing while Gwen was distracted. 

"Gwen!" he called to her from the carriage step. She looked up to see him beckoning for her to visit the carriage.

"Don't leave the man hanging, Gwen!" Fenn said while nudging her from behind. She heard Petra laugh lightly. What could the captain want now?

Gwen walked over to the carriage and ignored Enzo's hand when he reached down to help her up. She would hate for Petra to get the wrong idea.

"Please join us, Gwen. We are having a tactical discussion and I believe your input would be invaluable," Faye said from inside. Gwen ducked her head and entered the carriage to find Kai and a man with unkempt black hair seated next to him. The man's face was sharp and thin, and he had an exceedingly serious air about him. 

Kai slightly nodded to Gwen, who returned the gesture with a warm smile.

"You know young Kai, of course. The other is Tharon, one of the strongest men in Glendon, and Kai's mentor."

"I've heard great things about you, Tharon," Gwen said politely. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"Yes, it is," was all he gave in return. 

The carriage suddenly lurched forward as the ox team started moving, forcing Gwen to sit next to Kai across from Enzo and Faye. 

"We are all acquainted. Now, Gwen, we were discussing formations. How do you feel about leading your own platoon of adventurers? It would be around 20 men. Another 20 would be with Tharon and Kai's group, and 20 would clear the courtyards with myself and Enzo."

Leading anyone was entirely foreign to Gwen, no less leading a platoon! But the logic of their plan was solid. She and Kai had the best information about the interior of the monastery, and rushing in blindly would lead to unnecessary casualties.

"I will lead them," she replied. Faye smiled as her plan slowly formed itself in front of them.

"Then it is settled. Kai and Tharon will lead the first advance into the monastery's interior, and Gwen's party will provide support."

"We will take our leave, then," said Tharon with a nod. Before anyone could question him, his door was open and he was gone. Kai slowly got up to leave as well, bidding farewell to Faye and Enzo and slipping a smile to Gwen before stepping out of the carriage.

"Thank you for helping Enzo last night, Gwen. I've heard all about your investigation into the aqueducts. I know he can sometimes be a handful."

Gwen smiled as Enzo blushed and put his head down. He is so easily embarrassed.

"It was an honor to work alongside the Red Seekers, General Highgate." 

"You can drop the formalities and just call her Faye. If you keep calling her General Highgate it'll just inflate her head even more."

Faye glared sharply at Enzo who couldn't help but chuckle and lean his head back against the carriage cushion.

"I don't know about you, Gwen, but I'm beat from last night."

Within a few moments he began snoring. Gwen looked at Faye in amazement. He can sleep on demand! But as she thought about sleep, Gwen also felt a wave of exhaustion crash against her.

"Please excuse his rudeness. He is low-born by background, but has worked extremely hard to rise through the ranks. He means well, usually."

By the time Faye had finished her sentence and looked from Enzo to Gwen, the girl was already asleep.