Chapter Forty

Infiltrating the Outpost

MELODY

Three days passed, and still it felt like they were making no progress. Or at least, it felt that way to Melody. The endless plains of white and numerous hills and mountains they had to scale or navigate around were constant obstacles in their path. Thankfully though, they hadn't run into more of those undead soldiers that they had faced that evening.

Thinking about it still brought an uncontrollable shudder to Melody. Staring into the green eyes of those creatures, it was like they had no souls. And they probably didn't. She had deduced that they were people being manipulated by the powers of the Last Emperor, sent after them to destroy and eliminate any threats to his reign. It made sense, but Melody still couldn't entirely wrap her head around it. Is this really the world I live in now?

She couldn't help but let out a sardonic chuckle. Years ago, all she'd wanted was a life of adventure away from the mundane lifestyle of a schoolgirl and heir to the throne. And now, she was stuck behind enemy lines, fighting for her survival and dealing with whatever was lurking out there. Another involuntary shiver as a chill ran up her spine. Oh, and dealing with whatever this is. She glared down at her hands, which had begun to tremble again at the thought of the dangers that lay ahead. They'd become more of a hindrance these past few days, especially when they'd fought off the undead soldiers.

The reason why she couldn't shoot straight anymore still eluded her. It was as though her archery skills had been rendered entirely useless, and she'd had to rely solely on hand to hand combat. At least that was still intact, though she found that her emotions fluctuated more easily and her temperament became more volatile.

Getting annoyed at Eleanor wasn't that much of a surprise, but she'd displayed her vexation towards Deirdre more times than she'd intended in the past two weeks, even though the fiery sorceress was on her side. Thankfully, she'd not chosen to push the matter and Melody was grateful for that, though she was still perplexed as to what was happening to her.

"We're here," Eleanor's horrid voice brought her back to the present.

"Mon Solrak?" Deirdre asked.

"Where else?"

Standing at the top of a cliff, Melody surveyed the village that stood below them. Mon Solrak was built on one of the shorter mountain ranges, and it looked to be a rather laid back civilisation, cut off from the rest of the world. From here, she couldn't assess if they would face any resistance from the locals or anyone else.

"So," Maui came up alongside her, rubbing his arms. "This is Mon Solrak."

"Yeah." Melody said. At this point, she'd given up thinking it was weird to talk to her conscience. It didn't exactly matter anymore.

"And the temple's down there?"

"I suppose so," Melody said. "Eleanor wouldn't have dragged us all the way out here for nothing."

"You certain about that?" Maui folded his arms, the knife still stubbornly sticking out of his chest, refusing to fade from Melody's mind.

"With Eleanor? I don't know." Melody grimaced. "She may not have the demon anymore, but she's just as unpredictable and dangerous as ever."

"And how's she taking the fact that you humiliated her the other day?"

"Surprisingly she hasn't tried to murder me yet. But I'm guessing that in this screwed-up state I'm in, she probably wouldn't find it very hard."

Maui barked a laugh. "Give yourself a little more credit," he winked. "You're the toughest human I know."

"High praise from my own conscience? Should I be flattered?"

"Probably not," Maui chuckled good-naturedly. "But you should probably keep an eye out for her and keep her on a short leash. You never know what might happen."

"I'll keep that in mind," Melody said. "Now, you going to come with us?"

"Nah. I'll sit this one out. You got this." He winked at her again.

Turning back to the village before her, Melody tried to go through her usual tactical process of assessing a new environment. "Is there anything we need to know before going in?" She directed her question at Eleanor. Of course, she would take whatever the former Empress had to say with a pinch of salt. Thanks to Maui - or rather her own conscience - she didn't think she could trust her very much, if at all.

Eleanor stopped bickering with her sister long enough to cast a sideward glance at Melody. "Uh, yeah. It's Empire territory now."

Melody bristled. "What?"

"You heard me. Mon Solrak belongs to the Empire. Which means there are probably soldiers occupying the village."

"What do you mean probably?" Deirdre said sharply.

"I don't know. I wasn't paying attention to all those reports from Kane or the Minister of War. But I do remember overhearing that Kane had dispatched men to secure the village."

"How many?"

"Huh?"

"How many soldiers are there occupying Mon Solrak?"

Eleanor shrugged. "Don't know. But I think I remember hearing Kane mention that he usually puts a company's worth of soldiers in smaller villages to keep them under their thumb, and a battalion or more for the larger cities."

"So I guess it's about a company in there." Melody surmised. "Two hundred and fifty, more or less?"

"Don't know. But at least now you know we're going to be facing some resistance in there, right?"

"Wait, what do you mean?" Melody's eyebrows knitted. "You expect the soldiers in that rural village to know that you've been dethroned? Do you really think word got out so fast?"

"I don't know," Eleanor snapped.

Deirdre glowered at her sister. "And you couldn't have told us about this earlier?"

She shrugged again. "I guess I forgot."

"Alright. So we're going to have to come up with a plan to get into the village and not get spotted by the occupiers." Melody bent and stooped to one knee. "Stay low."

"Any ideas?" Deirdre asked as she and Eleanor crouched as well.

"I'm thinking." Levelling a spyglass to her eye, she narrowed her eyes and tried to make mental notes of the threats and obstacles they could potentially face, and also weaknesses in the infrastructure they could exploit. It hadn't been obvious before, but through the spyglass, she could see that the gates that were located on the eastern end of the village were guarded by soldiers in their red Exonian uniforms.

More soldiers patrolled the streets in pairs while most of the locals kept off the snow covered streets. Even from this distance, it was apparent that the people wanted nothing to do with their occupiers and simply wanted to live out the rest of their lives without further trouble. Melody's eyes narrowed further. So there's not going to be any chances of blending in then.

The village was mostly comprised of wooden houses, positioned in no particular order. No lines, columns, just houses built wherever there was flat ground. Maybe we can use the irregular infrastructure to our advantage. Melody lifted the spyglass slightly, panning it about in search of the temple. "Eleanor."

"What?"

"Where's the Hoffensol temple?"

Eleanor barked a laugh, and Deirdre slapped a hand over her mouth.

"Keep it down, damn it," Deirdre hissed.

"It's not like they're going to hear us from all the way down there, you dumb blonde," Eleanor pushed her hand away. "They're not sorcerers or Mage Slayers."

"You never know these days." Melody muttered.

Scoffing, Eleanor turned to Melody. "The Hoffensol temple isn't down in the village," She pointed her finger up at a mountain right behind the colonial outpost. "It's up there."

Melody followed her finger. Damn. It was a rather tall mountain, one that the three of them could not easily scale without actual climbing gear. "So we need to get ourselves some proper equipment from the village?"

"Bingo. You're smarter than you look." Eleanor sneered.

Letting out a soft groan, Melody lowered the spyglass and pocketed it. "Alright. So first things first before we think about scaling that mountain. We're going to sneak into the village undetected, then liberate it from the inside."

Deirdre had an amused look on her face, but something told Melody that the fiery sorceress wasn't surprised. Having been affiliated with Melody for enough time, she'd probably known that was first on her list. Eleanor, on the other hand, looked positively taken aback.

"Wait, what the hell?" Eleanor stared at Melody. "That wasn't part of the plan! We're supposed to get up there!" She pointed at the mountain. When Melody returned her a placid glance, her face twisted into a snarl. "Damn it, this wasn't part of our deal!"

"It is now," Melody answered. "You want our help getting up to the temple, you're going to help us get rid of the occupation in Mon Solrak."

"And why would I help you? It's my Empire, remember?"

"Not anymore. Hans took it from you, remember?" Melody retorted icily.

Deirdre stifled a snort, earning an acidic glare from her younger sister.

"You can try and go it alone, but something tells me you don't have the stealth or skills to navigate through an entire village without being spotted by one of your own soldiers," Melody went on. "Or do you?"

Contemplating for a long minute, Eleanor finally snarled and whirled round. "Fine."

"Good."

"I can't believe I'm doing this." Eleanor muttered. "You're a goddamn idealist, you know that?"

"You're not the first one to tell me that."

"What do you want me to do?"

"I'm still working on that. For now, just follow our lead." Melody gestured for the two sisters to follow. "Come on."

###

Getting into the village wasn't exactly very hard. With only about a company of soldiers occupying the village, not every corner or entrance was covered, which gave Melody, Deirdre and Eleanor an opening to cut a hole in the fence's wires and slip through, all the while being obscured by one of the houses built right in front of it.

Once inside the village, it was just a matter of remaining out of sight. It was still midday, so that meant seeking refuge in the house closest to them. Melody knocked on the backdoor and waited. The door opened a crack, and a middle aged man's face cautiously peered outside.

"Hello," Melody started with a smile, trying her best to appear friendly. "We're not from around here, but we could use a place to hide from the soldiers outside. Can we come in?"

The man stared at her with fear in his eyes. "Sedeiff Hulmahif Kondark?" He whispered.

Melody blinked and turned to Deirdre. "What's he saying?" Her expertise didn't exactly include whatever language this was.

"Let me handle this," Deirdre stepped up to the door, and rattled off something sounding similar to what the man had said. The man looked pensive, then finally opened the door slightly wider for them to enter.

Once inside, Melody surveyed the interior. It was a rather small house, with everything in sight seeming to be made out of wood. The living room was cramped, with a couple of chairs around a fireplace, a small rug and an oil lamp standing unlit on a wooden table. Apart from that, there wasn't much else.

A woman stood a short distance away, her back against the wall. Melody guessed that she and the man were a couple. She noticed, however, that the woman had a kitchen knife in hand, an anxious look on her face.

"Ishkan trevleign mebheis Mon Solrak?" The man asked, warily sizing them up. He had a thick grey beard which twitched as he spoke.

"What did he say?" Melody asked Deirdre.

"He's asking what we are doing here in Mon Solrak." Deirdre translated. She replied the man fluently in his tongue. "Ravlikol ulmach tozinyev, jelwi polonkoff." She pointed in the direction of the high mountain where the temple was located. "Yulheim saldaq chulrimontoff, rantein Hoffensol neimbis."

The man looked taken aback, and he exchanged a glance with his wife. This time, it was the woman's turn to speak up. She pointed a trembling finger at Eleanor and rattled off something too quick for Melody to follow.

Deirdre calmed them down, explaining the situation in long sentences which left Melody at a complete loss. On the other hand, Eleanor scowled and crossed her arms, putting on as haughty an expression as she could muster.

When Deirdre was done, the couple looked a little less nervous, and the man said something to Deirdre, which she replied with a grateful nod.

"What did you tell them?" Melody asked.

"A vague version of the truth," Deirdre glanced at her. "Don't worry. I made it clear Eleanor's not a threat to anyone anymore."

Eleanor scoffed but said nothing else.

The couple returned with three cups of steaming coffee, still eyeing Eleanor guardedly. Apparently they'd heard of her fearsome reputation. They offered the drinks to the trio, and invited them to sit on the wooden chairs near the fireplace.

Deirdre thanked the couple in their language, and the couple began to look a little more at ease, settling into their own chairs opposite from the guests.

"What language is that?" Melody asked.

"It's a lesser known dialect. It was once used by the Turlmanish decades ago, and it spread to Mon Solrak." Deirdre explained.

"Never heard of it." Eleanor said.

"Well somebody couldn't be bothered to learn when our parents wanted to hire tutors for us."

Eleanor glowered at Deirdre but remained silent.

"I don't suppose they know how to speak English." Melody said.

Deirdre shook her head. "No. Not this deep into Empire territory. This isn't like the capital."

"Alright. Tell them our plan."

Deirdre launched into a fairly long explanation in the locals' native tongue, pausing periodically to sip from her cup of hot coffee. By the time she was done, the couple was left with a hybrid of expressions on their face. Shock, amazement and hope. To Melody's relief, they finally nodded in approval.

"Great. Now tell them to spread the word. We can't be seen going door to door, but these people can do it without raising suspicion from the soldiers." Melody told Deirdre. "By nightfall, we should have the entire village on our side. Hopefully."

"That's a big 'hopefully'." Eleanor side-eyed her as Deirdre relayed the message to the couple. "How do you know it's going to work?"

"Because no one likes living under the thumb of a tyrant," Melody answered coldly. "And that's why they'll join in the fight for their freedom."

"Milheim tu." The man said, looking straight at Melody.

"He says thank you." Deirdre translated.

Giving the couple a warm smile, she set down her cup of coffee. "We'll move out once it's dark."

"So you're going to rally all the villagers to fight?" Eleanor shook her head and barked a laugh. "I don't know what's funnier. Your plan or your overestimation of their combat abilities."

"You'll be surprised what an angry, oppressed people can achieve. Don't forget what we did in Denmark."

"That…" Eleanor lapsed into silence and scowled. "So what exactly am I supposed to do in this grand scheme of yours?"

Melody let a smirk break out at the corner of her lips. "Assume the role you love to play when the time comes."

Eleanor raised an eyebrow. "And what's that?"

"The Empress."

###

By the time the sun dipped below the horizon, Melody had confirmation that the vast majority of Mon Solrak had received their instructions. She didn't know exactly how many of them would comply and join the fight when the time came, but she had to hope that their desire for freedom would trump their fear. Right now, the three of them were hunkered down in the house, simply waiting for night to fall.

So far, Eleanor hadn't turned on them yet. She had already been briefed on her part in the plan, though she evidently hated it. The scowl didn't leave her face throughout Melody's detailed explanation of what needed to happen. And frankly, Melody couldn't blame her. Eleanor would effectively be putting herself in front of a firing squad, purely banking on the chance that the outpost hadn't heard the news that they had a new emperor. If the soldiers saw through her act, they would gun her down on sight.

The only thing that had kept Eleanor in gruff agreement was the fact that Melody and Deirdre had promised that they would be looking out for her. Deirdre would keep her covered while Melody would rally the villagers to attack.

And it would begin soon. The local couple were armed not with rifles or swords, but simple tools such as spades and shovels. Many of the villagers were farmers, according to the man, and all of them were vehemently unhappy that the Exonians had come to occupy their village and disrupt their livelihood. Melody was banking on that indignation to work in their favour.

The wait felt like an eternity, but it was finally dark outside, the surroundings lit by nothing but single oil lamps hung outside each house that acted as street lights, illuminating the path that soldiers patrolled. All was quiet outside, apart from the Exonian soldiers who still continued to talk and laugh loudly amongst themselves. And unfortunately, it had begun to snow again.

"It's time." Melody turned to Eleanor. "You better get started."

Rolling her eyes, Eleanor stood up and turned to leave. She paused, then turned around with a scowl. "You won't let me die, right?"

"No," Melody said curtly. Even though I would dearly love to.

Hesitantly, Eleanor opened the backdoor and slipped off into the shadows. She had to effectively leave the village undetected, and take the long route to enter the village from the eastern gate where the soldiers would see her.

From where Melody was, she had an unobstructed line of sight to the eastern gate where sentries were standing guard. She sucked in a deep breath. Would Eleanor screw this up and doom them all? Or would she somehow find a way to betray them and turn the tables? Or would she actually keep her promise and come through? Melody could only hope that it was the third scenario.

"Tell them to get ready and watch for the signal," Melody said to Deirdre.

Deirdre nodded, then relayed the message to the local couple. They'd all been briefed earlier that everyone would all act on Melody's signal, one that they would not be able to miss. The couple nodded, half uncertain and half determined. It was clear they wanted their freedom back, but were unsure of how the rebellion would turn out.

Melody had been instrumental in toppling the Empire's occupation in a city once, and she was here to do it again. But this time, she found herself feeling a lot more anxious than before. Her quivering hand gripped the compound bow by the riser, the quiver strapped to her back. Clenching her jaw, she tightened her grip on the bow in an attempt to stop the tremors. They didn't stop.

Shit. Melody grimaced. She was going to have to go out there again and fight handicapped without being able to rely on her archery. Her aim had been way off the last time, and it wasn't something she was willing to risk again in the heat of battle. No. This time, she was going to have to rely on close quarter combat to get her through. Still, she couldn't shake the uneasiness that crept through her even though she'd been in battle so many times before.

"I should get into position too," Deirdre whispered, crouching out of sight of the windows and moving stealthily towards the backdoor. She glanced back at Melody. "Hey."

She turned. "What?"

"You'll be okay?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" Melody tried to sound confident.

"Alright. Just making sure." A pensive look rested on Deirdre's face for an instant as she studied Melody with that perpetual slight scowl etched on her features. Then, without another word, she left.

Blowing out a long breath, Melody focused her attention on the open window and waited. The gate was about thirty yards adjacent to the house she was in. It wouldn't take her longer than a few seconds to cross that distance to the first soldier and engage. She could feel sweat beginning to bead on her forehead despite the evening winter chill and her heart was already beating faster than it usually did before a fight. Levelling the spyglass to her eye, she tried to steady her breathing as the instrument trembled in her hand. Focus.

Finally, she spotted the figure of the red headed Eleanor strutting up to the gates, that familiar arrogant swagger that screamed that she was better than everyone else. Melody couldn't help but let a tight grin surface. Eleanor was playing her role to perfection so far. But would the ruse hold?

In the silence of the night, she could hear the Exonians if she strained her ears hard. "Your Imperial Majesty!" One of the sentries exclaimed in Exonite as they shot up as stiff as rods, saluting sharply. "We didn't know you were here!"