CHAPTER II
THE INFILTRATORS
The room was unusually dark and there she was, sitting on a chair with her back to the open window. Outside, the fireworks display was about to come to its finale. As fireworks rose to the sky, they lit the room through the window.
Yes. She was there with her long, curly brunette hair flowing beautifully at her back.
Her elegant blue dress complimented her always calm blue eyes. Everything was the same.
Everything… But for one…
The last of the fireworks filled the sky as they formed an erected golden sword half swallowed by blue flames. It was what she wanted to see the most but then, she was still - as still as her immovable dry lips and as stagnant as her unblinking eyes. Yes everything was the same.
Let alone the fact that she's dead.
Exactly 24 hours before the first sound of fireworks, a boy recounted these events in his mind as he stared blankly at a fifteen feet high wall. There was nothing peculiar or anything amazing about it. Not a single design, just plain smooth black metal.
It's just an ordinary wall. He thought. And yet they had to travel miles and miles just for this. Or rather, for the "alleged" community told to be living on the other side of it.
"Nice cover up. Don't you think?"
It's Leo. The boy didn't have to turn around to know who owned this deep calm voice.
"What's that face?" Leo asked from the dark alley behind. "Doubting something? or…Remembered something?"
He put such a stress in the word "remembered" that actually annoyed the lad. Seeing this reaction, Leo smirked.
"Both," the boy answered back icily.
"Oh…" Leo couldn't help but grin.
Leo loved taunting this student of his. The lad inherited Leo's calmness but was also easily agitated when it comes to certain things. Leo gave him the nickname "Jet" for a reason only both of them knew. They were first introduced when Jet was still six and he had been teaching the kid for twelve years now.
There stood a lamp post on the left side of the wall. It was usually put off except only at this particular day of the year. As Leo moved away from the dark, the light revealed his tall figure and his young looking face which he preferred to keep neat. No mustache, no beard. One would have mistaken him to be in his early 30's while in fact he just turned 48. He was wearing his favorite brown cloak over his blue shirt and worn out jeans that were tucked in his boots.
"How crafty of the governor to keep the gate uncatchy. Almost all the streets here have a black wall similar to this in the middle of white others," he said as he leaned against the cold metal. "But what's with the light?" he added as he studied the lamp post.
"Well that's the only odd thing. Other than that, what else? Nothing." There was a tone of disappointment in Jet's voice.
"Haha…You still are a kid Jet."
"Whatever. I just want to get over this fast. We only have to confirm the allegations, right?"
"Right. It's rather a very simple mission. Or so only on the surface." Leo sighed. "The palace seems very keen about this one. The Emperor looks pretty worried."
"I know. I've been wondering why though. It's seems the claim was just a bogus. You can't even call this a gate. How do you think anyone is capable of passing through this thing?"
Leo tapped his fingers on the gate. Yes there wasn't even a single opening. So how?
"Maybe there's another entrance."
"But we don't have a lifetime to look for that." It was a woman's voice coming from the darkness. There was a great sense of authority in it that both men recognized quite well.
"Hey there Ell," Leo beamed at the thin bespectacled woman now standing behind Jet. She was ten years younger than Leo but it looked like the opposite.
Jet merely kept still. He wasn't much fond of this other company. She would always act like the head of the team and was rather very pushy. She also had the knack of filling the air with "mourning aura" whenever she was near. He thought her creepy in her always all black attire even in mid hot daylight.
Tonight wasn't an exception. She was wearing another black dress which made her look more like a floating ghost.
"We only have tomorrow." And as she spoke, Jet could see her freckles from the corner of his eyes.
"Understand?" She looked sharply at Leo and then gave Jet the usual disapproving look.
Jet was aware she disliked him just as much as he disliked her.
Jet avoided her look as always while Leo simply smiled in reply.
"So what's the plan?" Jet asked still not looking at Ell.
"Nothing. We'll just stalk. The informant said the gate opens at twelve midnight and closes by ten in the evening. We can't come here at midnight though. There would be a huge number of guards. We can't afford to be discovered."
"Won't there also be a huge amount of guards at 10?" Jet probed.
"No. Well the informant claims that most of the guards should be having their own good times by then, but there would be five or six left on the gate."
"The informant claims."
"Don't give me that sarcasm kid," Ell spoke in a more dignified tone.
"But I'm just - "
"Drop it Jet," Leo interrupted. "This is just another minor mission anyway. If there are more guards than told then we leave. After all we only have to see if there's even one head passing through here." And he tapped his fingers on the metal again. "Right, Ell?"
"Exactly." Ell now had the tone of victory.
Minor? But you just said the palace is concerned? Jet's mind started to question as he looked at Leo with disbelief. Leo, who had read the question on Jet's face, gave his student a meaningful look.
Just let it go. Fine. And Jet sighed in defeat.
