“Surprise attack,” suggests Magnus. “Do they know we are here? We can march on the walls at night.”
“An entire army?” argues the Jarl. “Even with the cover of the trees we will be discovered, assuming we are not discovered now!”
I have an idea. “Then we send only a few.”
He raises an eyebrow at me. I take it as permission to continue.
“We can send somebody to infiltrate the city. It doesn’t matter if they walk in the front gate or climb over the wall.” Instantly I am interrupted.
“A few against four thousand?” questions Magnus. “That’s asking for death!”
“The numbers won’t matter if we play it right,” I counter.
“What do you mean if we play it right?”
“I mean everything doesn’t have to be a bloodbath,” I say coolly. “They like ale, correct? Whoever we send in buys out the local brewery, and plants barrels of ale in every guard tower we can. They get drunk, we open the gate from the inside, and when they wake up they find their city overrun.”
“Who would be idiot enough to-”
“Silence,” the Jarl cuts her off. “I agree with Kadmus.”
She’s shocked. “You can’t be serious.”
“Last time he had an outrageous idea, it worked,” counters the Jarl. “It’s the best idea I’ve heard so far.”
Magnus is fuming. “Who can we send in that can do all that?”
“I will,” I say immediately. “I can do it.”
“How are you going to get in?” fumes Genevieve. “You can’t just walk in the front gate.”
“Not wearing this, I can’t.”
“Will you be armed?”
“I’ll have to leave my hammer behind.”
She stares at me like I’m an idiot, which I may have to be for this to work.
“Would you like companions?” asks the Jarl.
“I’m sure a couple of my friends will volunteer,” I say. “But I’m going to need all of our ale and a supply cart.”
Infiltration
“You did what now?” asks Nathaniel.
We’re in our tent, and I’m halfway through explaining to them what I got myself into. So far they haven’t warmed up to the idea so well.
“I volunteered to infiltrate the city,” I say.
“And what else?” he urges.
“And get all the guards drunk and open the gate while they’re sleeping.”
“Are you out of your mind?” asks James, almost like he actually thinks I might be.
“Well, I’m in,” says Percival. “I’m right behind you.”
“I may be doing something stupid, but I’m doing it anyway,” agrees Jericho.
Nathaniel simply nods his consent.
“Sorry,” says James. “I’d come if I could fight, but if you get discovered I’m kinda dead.”
“We won’t,” I say. “But we understand. We’ll think about you while you’re nice and safe out here.” He tries to figure out what I mean, but gives up after a moment.
“What’s the plan?” asks Jericho. “Specifically?”
About an hour later we’re driving one of our supply carts, loaded with ale. We move slower than I would like, but the oxen aren’t going to go much faster. We wear no armor and the only weapons we carry are daggers. I’ve managed to hide a few throwing knives underneath my shirt.
“Are you kidding me?” Jericho says, irritated. We’re dressed in less-than-mediocre clothing, to fit the disguise, and he apparently finds it extremely uncomfortable.
“No, I’m not,” I answer.
We turn a corner and I get my first glimpse of Amgid.
It’s a tall city. A plateau-like structure rises out of the ground, upon which the city is built; as a result, the walls appear twice as high and formidable. An enormous arch sits at the bottom of the incline, the walls like cliffs descending the sides of the plateau to meet with it. A road leads up to the main gate that sits at the top of the incline. A large towering fortress rises from the center of the city, but where we are we can only see the highest towers. To the right, an enormous bridge spans the distance from the south gate, over the river, to a similar plateau where stands a malicious-looking watch tower. The pines of the forest surround the city to the base of the plateau; some even have managed to grow on the rocky cliffs of the plateau, but they are short and scraggly.
We pass under the huge arch and into an enormous inclined courtyard-like area. The walls slope with the incline of the plateau along each side of the area, to the main gate.
The oxen pull the cart up the steep road with ease, though they are thankful when the ground evens out again and we lumber up to the front gate.