Chapter 45: Best Laid Plans

virgilknightley

Darkmaw sketched out the layout of the Keep as best as she could recall it. It was a four-walled structure with eight turrets and a drawbridge that fell forward upon opening--not over a moat but over a pit of spikes, but only in front of the entrance.

I’d seen the keep before from a great distance when on Patrol with Blue. I remembered the sense of foreboding I felt whenever I’d hovered close to it, and I knew that if I went any further than I had, I’d be riddled with arrows. Of course, that bit of reality begged the question of our method of approach.

“The Keep and its surrounding lands will be heavily guarded,” she said, her claws tapping the map she'd drawn up. “Sneaking in undetected will be almost impossible for any number of people.”

“So our only hope is to attack through the front door?” I asked. “We’d need a death wish for that.”

“I don’t disagree,” Darkmaw said, scowling at the thought, brushing her long black hair behind her shoulder. It was a bit distracting due to the lack of clothing, but we were all singularly focused on the importance of the mission. “But there may be one other way in.”

Aldon sat up straighter in his chair. “We’re listening,” he affirmed, with Winter standing over him and clutching his shoulder. Autumn, for her part, was sitting at my feet alongside Etherea.

The meeting was in Etherea’s cottage--hence her presence being more or less inevitable. With our cabin burned down, all meetings had to be held there for the time being--but I didn’t mind. She was the town leader and lorekeeper, after all. Our decisions affected her and the people of Tater Town, so they deserved a seat at the table when heroes planned and plotted.

“There is a narrow waterway that flows alongside the castle. You can approach in the water, and that way you’ll be already upon the castle before you risk anyone seeing you.”

“They won’t be watching the water?” I asked, just wanting to be sure. An amphibious assault probably wasn’t something they were counting on--and for good reason. Staying submerged long enough for such a tactic to be successful would be a challenge. I was never that good of a swimmer, either, and the idea of scaling castle walls and fighting in damp clothing and armor--it seemed like a really risky idea.

“They won’t be prepared for it,” she nodded. “There are fewer sentries watching that side of the wall, too. Your chance to go entirely undetected is still narrow but slightly higher.”

“What do we do when we’re seen?” I asked.

She chewed her lip before answering. “If that happens, I’ll offer to send my wolves out looking for you. Put up a fight, but let them take you in. Play dead. If it goes that route, it’ll be another way into the castle.”

“And if we go unseen?” Aldon asked as Winter possessively ran fingers through his hair, her face obviously fraught with worry for her lover.

“Then it’s easy. Take out the guards in one of the towers and remain there until the generals all bed down for the night. One by one, we’ll slay them all in their sleep.”

I nodded. “It sounds good on paper, but I can imagine a lot of things going wrong.”

Darkmaw’s face showed the same concerns. “Indeed. No plan ever survives first contact with the enemy. But it’s important to have a plan so you can keep your mind on the objective and improvise alternative paths toward it.”

“And our objective, then, is to free the Goblin Queen and kill the traitors?” Autumn asked, wisely seeking clarification before the conversation could move forward. Like her sister was with Aldon, she was caressing my leg anxiously throughout the proceedings. “How many generals will attend?”

“All six,” Darkmaw said. “All must die.”

“Except for you,” I clarified.

She smiled, her sharp canines glinting in the firelight. “Yes, Apex Hero, except for me.”

We went over battle plans for a while, Autumn and Darkmaw being the most active participants and strategically minded. I thought I noticed a bit of mutual respect growing there as they bounced tactics off one another. Autumn had little combat experience, but she was nothing if not mission-focused, and it was clear Darkmaw picked up on that right away.

“I believe I may be of some use to you, hero,” Etherea interrupted as she tugged playfully on the leg of my pants. I looked down at her and raised an eyebrow but waited for her to continue. “I can muster a water-breathing enchantment on your capes,” she said. “It would replace some of the stoneskin charms, though, but it would make it possible for you to easily stay submerged as long as necessary.

“No need to do that for me,” Aldon said. “I can cast a temporary enchantment like that on myself and one other.”

I nodded. “Save it for Ivy, then,” I said. “She doesn’t like wearing armor or capes, and she likely won’t go into the castle with us. She’ll be on the outside, keeping watch, and ready to break in or make a distraction should it be needed. But she’ll need to be able to breathe underwater, too.”

“Who else would you like to go with you?” Autumn asked. “Ivy, of course. But surely, at least one more is still necessary.”

I looked at Aldon for his thoughts. “I mean if we want a total bloody mess, the unicorn girl seems the best option.”

I shook my head. “The answer is still no. She’s too valuable here, and her not being able to directly communicate with you makes her a liability.”

“I get your point,” he conceded with a sigh. “In that case, it has to be the lagoform.”

“Bonny?” I asked. I looked out the window over to the smith’s shop where the already distressingly visibly pregnant bunny girl was hammering something out on her anvil. “Yeah, that makes the most sense, but she's super preggers.” Her baby bump was already showing--which was insane, since it'd only been several days. She waved when she caught me gawking at her. I beamed back and found myself blushing for some reason. I should be way past the point of blushing with her. I scolded myself inwardly for it.

“Keep your head in the game,” Autumn said teasingly, probably noticing me gawk a bit more than I meant to.

“Right,” I grunted. “But I'm not sure Bonny is the best idea. I don't want to risk the pregnancy. May Belle is strong, and Daisy can breathe fire, but their wombs are currently occupied, too. That leaves you, Autumn," I said.

She nodded. "I've picked up a few tricks of my own."

Winter looked at her skeptically. "You can't be serious."

"Deadly serious. I can handle it."

"...Be careful." It's all her sister offered as she stared Autumn in the face with mounting worry and skepticism.

Aldon cut in before anyone else could reply. "That's settled, then. What’s next?”

Darkmaw shook her head. “Nothing. Next is the slaughter. I must leave immediately if I’m to make it there in time. You will need to depart on foot within a day and a half, too. Approach cautiously, slowly. Don’t let anyone see you--not even the centaurs.”

Aldon and I exchanged confused glances at one another before he chimed in. “Why not?”

“I suspect that there are traitors among their numbers, too. Even with the help of the Demon Queen and Witch Queen, the centaurs should have been able to fight back and prevent the orc army from getting to your Sanctuary.”

Autumn and Winter gasped a little at that revelation. “I thought as much,” Winter said. “I don’t remember much about the centaurs--I haven’t ever had many dealings with them, even before we went on our mission to find Aldon and Bucky, but--”

“--But they should have chieftains rivaling the generals in power,” Autumn agreed. “You’re right. That is fishy. And Aldon, you said that not many centaurs were left dead--most retreated, right?”

Aldon nodded silently.

“That also doesn’t fit what I know about centaurs as warriors.” Her brow furrowed with an open look of surety. “Some of them have been corrupted and seduced by the other two queens.”

“That’s awful news,” I sighed. My eyes were dry with lack of sleep. “We have even fewer allies than we thought. It looks like our territory is on the brink of collapse.”

“It is,” Darkmaw agreed. She closed her eyes. The wolf woman grimaced and clenched her clawed fists in anger. “It’s all coming down atop us, Apex Hero. But we cannot give up now.”

“I’m in complete agreement,” I said, standing up.

“Bucky, slowly!” Autumn shrieked at me.

“I’m fine,” I said. “And if I’m leaving for an assassination mission in less than a day and a half, and we’re all fine with that, worrying about my wounds right now is pointless.”

Still, Autumn’s pretty lips trembled as she stared back at me through ocean blue cat eyes. Her hair had grown longer since we’d met--mine, too. I liked the new look on her. On me, though, it just looked shaggy.

“Bucky’s not wrong,” Aldon said, clapping my shoulder. “I’ve suffered similar wounds in my past life. But we’re supposed to be heroes, and we have a mission to keep.”

I felt the tingling pain in my scars even still, and I knew it wouldn’t die down in time for the mission. If Etherea was to be believed--and she was--the pain of dragon fire would never go away. Not entirely, anyway. It was something that I would have to live with. The prickling, crackling discomfort was a constant passenger in the back of my mind, whispering words of weakness when I most needed strength.

But I would ignore it. “I forbid anyone from mentioning my scars or pain again without me bringing it up,” I said, eyeing Autumn and Etherea sternly. “Please. Just treat me like you used to.”

“But things are different,” Autumn said. “The rest of us will be able to help you carry the burden in the future.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when it’s relevant,” I said with a sigh. “At the moment, I’m still the one on the front lines, and I’m sure Aldon is with me when I say we don’t need pity or worry. We know you care, so the overtures and outpourings are unnecessary.”

I saw Aldon grip Winter’s wrist as I spoke as if to say, ‘this message is for you, too.’ Just like Autumn, her lower lip curled out, and she pouted and trembled the more and more we talked about how dangerous the mission was destined to be.

“I shall take my leave, Apex Hero,” Darkmaw said, and then she nodded at Aldon. “And Aldon.”

“Why does he get a name, but you just call me Apex hero?” I asked, showing my offense on my face.

“Why does he get the title, and I’m just Aldon?” the wizard asked.

The exchange made the catgirl sisters and Etherea smirk and giggle at our expense. Darkmaw just shrugged with a mischievous grin, slightly parting her lips. “Goodbye for now.” She paused, looking nervously around at all the other people in our company, then setting her fierce gaze exclusively back on me. “I will kiss you now. Please ask your women to avert their eyes.”

“I didn’t take you for the shy type,” I laughed. “And what makes you think I’m going to let you kiss me?”

“I feel as though I’m entitled to a chaste exchange of saliva given everything I’m prepared to risk and all the trust I’m ready to place in you,” she replied, narrowing her eyes to slits as her brow creased impatiently.

I couldn't argue with that. “Look away, girls,” I said, and everyone did, including Aldon and Winter, though Aldon just let out an exasperated groan.

Darkmaw took a sultry, hip-swaying step forward and grabbed me by the throat, pulling me toward her lips. She kissed me sweetly, her tongue dancing against mine, tickling and teasing it as I inhaled her incredible scent.

I got bold, grabbing her by the ass and pulling her crotch against mine, making her whimper, causing her steely, powerful resolve to melt ever-so-slightly. She bit my lip--hard, drawing blood and lapping it up.

After a minute of that, she pulled back, her cheeks flushed, panting with a visible, noticeable rise and fall of her bosom.

“Very good, Apex Hero,” she said. “If we survive this, then I shall treat you to much greater pleasures.”

“I’ve got plenty of pleasures in my life,” I said. Then I paused. “But you can’t have too much of a good thing, I suppose.”

Autumn rolled her eyes, looking back at us once she knew the kiss was over. “You’re living proof that you can, in fact, have too much of a good thing.”

With Darkmaw having departed, Aldon and I went over our schemes the rest of the day, flying out to survey the plains. Few centaurs were still in sight, and they were far more spread out than they had been the last time I'd seen them in this region. The Keep, once it appeared in the distance, gave me an even darker sense of gloom and doom than the first time I’d seen it.

But I could see our way in--the stream that opened wide and deep enough for us to submerge into. Staying low, we could go this far on the backs of Blue and Blackie, but no further. From here, we’d need to take the water passage to not be seen by sentries and scouts.

The plan was clear--at least until we got inside of the Keep. Depending on how the first part of the plan went, that could change a lot.

“We need contingency plans for our contingency plans,” I said to Aldon as we landed. He looked back at me grimly, just nodding.

The following day when we awoke, the mood in the town was different. As I saw each beautiful face view me for the first time that day, I became very aware that, to them, this may very well be a day of goodbyes. I would make sure it was a day they never forgot.