“You think there is hope of rehabilitating the Motangan soldiers?” questioned Galantor.
“I do,” nodded Princess Alastasia. “History tells us of at least one other time that the Motangans rebelled against Vand. That last rebellion resulted in the invasion of the mainland. Truthfully, I do not know the disposition of the average Motangan soldier, but we are about to find out. As soon as the sentries are neutralized, I want our forces to enter the city quietly. We will try to attain the high ground by controlling the rooftops and then we will surround the barracks and control the major intersections. Those are the instructions that I want given to the troops.”
“Then that is what I shall pass along,” replied Galantor as he turned to leave.
“There is more,” Princess Alastasia said before the elven officer could leave. “I want a dozen mages to come with me. I also want a dozen of the best warriors to accompany me.”
“To protect you,” nodded Galantor.
“No,” Alastasia shook her head. “I want to neutralize the Motangan mages before they can get word out of the attack.”
“Do you know where they are?” frowned the officer.
“No,” the princess admitted, “but I have a good idea of where I will find them. The Motangan mages are the elite of Vand’s society. They will be housed in the finest building in Sudamar.”
“The temple?” questioned Galantor.
“The temple,” nodded the princess. “I will enter it as soon as you have the barracks surrounded. Make sure that no alert is given before that time.”
Galantor nodded and faded into the darkness. Princess Alastasia stared at the closest sentries to see if she would be able to detect the elven assassination teams. She grinned broadly when both of the closest sentries suddenly slumped and fell noiselessly to the ground. She turned and headed towards her army to gather her mages and warriors.
When Princess Alastasia reached the departure point, she was pleased to see that most of the elven warriors had already been dispatched. She saw a small group of mages and warriors standing around Galantor. She strode purposefully towards the group.
“Why am I not surprised to see you among this group, Galantor?” asked the princess.
“I am only following your commands,” grinned the elven warrior. “You asked for the best.”
“That I did,” smiled Alastasia. “Let’s go.”
The small group of elves moved swiftly towards the city of Sudamar. Princess Alastasia started when she saw the Motangan sentries still on duty, but she quickly recognized them as elven imposters and grinned.
“Nice touch,” she said softly to Galantor.
“I thought you would approve,” he replied.
The group passed the sentries and entered the Motangan city. Dark shadows flitted far in the distance as the elves secured the sleeping city. The princess’s eyes rose as they moved towards the city center. She scanned the rooftops and saw no one.
“They are there,” Galantor softly assured the princess when he saw her eyes searching the rooftops. “You are not supposed to see them.”
The princess did not respond, but her eyes returned to street level as the temple came into view. She moved past Galantor and took the lead, turning at the next intersection to avoid approaching the front of the temple directly. She knew there would be more sentries at the entrances to the temple.
The small group passed through a cordon of elven archers that were surrounding the barracks and eventually halted on a street that approached the side of the temple. Princess Alastasia held up her hand in a silent order to forestall anyone following her. She moved cautiously along the street until she came to the last intersection before the temple. She hugged the building on the corner as she peered out at the small replica of the temple in Vandamar. While Vand’s temple in Vandamar rose over a dozen stories, the smaller temple in Sudamar was only four stories high. Like the temple in Vandamar, this one had only two entrances, one in the front, and one in the rear.
Princess Alastasia could just see the profile of one of the front guards from her concealed position. The rear guards were not visible at all. The princess dashed across the open area separating the blocks of city buildings from the temple. She hugged the wall of the temple and waited silently to see if an alarm would be sounded. The city remained silent.
The elven princess studied the ground at her feet and found a small scraggly vine trying desperately to climb the side of the temple. She concentrated on it and cast her magical spell. The vine shot upward as its tiny feet lashed out and attached to the wall of the temple. The princess continued to concentrate even after the vine had reached the roof of the temple. The vine responded by growing thicker and sturdier. When she was satisfied that the vine would hold the weight of the elves, she wove an air tunnel to the rest of her small group.
“Come across the open area one at a time,” instructed the princess. “Check the guard at the front of the temple before exposing yourself. I will wait for you on the roof.”
Princess Alastasia dropped the air tunnel and climbed the vine to the roof of the temple. From her new vantage point, Alastasia was able to gaze over the rooftops of the city. Still the elven archers were hard to spot. She dismissed them from her mind as she turned and dashed to the rooftop entrance to the temple. She stood to one side of the doorway and listened intently. She heard nothing. A few minutes later her small group reassembled on the roof.
“We will take one floor at a time,” explained the princess. “Move swiftly, but silently. I would like to eliminate the mages before the battle begins.”
Everyone in the group nodded their understanding, and Princess Alastasia led the group into the temple. Inside the temple, the group split up into thirteen groups with one warrior accompanying each mage. Galantor grouped with the princess.
There were less than thirteen rooms on the top floor, so Galantor and the princess waited near the top of the stairs for the others to finish their task. Alastasia listened intently for any sound that might alarm the rest of the inhabitants of the temple, but none came. When everyone was reassembled, the princess led the way down the stairs.
Alastasia and Galantor entered the first room near the stairs. They moved silently into the darkness. Two figures rested upon the beds in the room. Princess Alastasia cast freeze balls on each of them. Galantor used his sword to decapitate the frozen mages, and the elven duo left the room. Before they could find another occupied room, the rest of the elven group reassembled. The princess led them down the stairs to the second level.
Again the elves split up in pairs and raided each of the rooms without causing alarm. Although the assassinations were quick, Alastasia knew that time was running out. If she wished to avoid a bloodbath in the Motangan city, she had to move quickly. As she led the group down the stairs to the first level, a soldier happened by. Movement from the stairs caught his attention and he turned to look. His mouth opened to shout an alarm, but Alastasia’s Sakovan star impacted his forehead before he could speak. Galantor pushed past the princess and rushed to the fallen soldier to finish him off, but the Motangan was already dead. He pulled the star from the dead man’s forehead and stared questioningly at it.
“It is a Sakovan star,” the princess said as she moved passed Galantor.
Galantor wiped the blade of the star on the Motangan’s uniform and stuck it in his pouch. He hurried after the princess and the others. Alastasia halted the group in the large atrium.
“Split up and check for anyone on this level,” instructed the princess. “Two of you handle the guards at the rear door. Galantor and I will take the guards out front.”
The elves silently moved on to eliminate the enemy inside the temple. Princess Alastasia led Galantor towards the front door. She halted just inside it.