Grym burst through the door closing it behind him and pressing against the slab as if holding back an enemy force. The dwarf’s eyes were wide as he hissed.


    “They’re at the base of the stairs – hurry!”


    His two companions glanced up from the desk they were ransacking. The female gnome – Lunish – was working the lower drawers while Glynfir, a half-elven wizard, hurriedly flipped through paperwork on the surface.


    “I think this is it!” the wizard whispered excitedly as Lunish craned her neck to see past his larger form, finally hip checking him to the side to get a look. Grym started across the room towards them but before he could reach the desk there was a loud click, and a section of the bookcase across the room flew open, spilling five soldiers into the space.


    They were in the commander’s office at the top of a three-story tower in the heart of the garrison town of Chagrothlond. As a cell of an intelligence-gathering network called the Radiant Guardians, they were tasked with confirming a change to the beneficiary within Commander Duval’s will and, oddly, the name of the barrister that had signed it. Breaking into military offices, however, was not their wheelhouse. Most assignments involved gathering information more organically from less formidable adversaries.


    “Take them!” barked the first soldier that entered – clearly in charge. He stepped aside, allowing the others to move towards the startled occupants.


    “Shit! Shit! Shit!” was all Lunish could muster taking a step back, putting Glynfir between her and the guards.


    “Of course, there’s a secret door!” She heard Grym mutter seeing his hand instinctively move towards the axe on his belt. The dwarf rolled his eyes and shook his head, disappointed in himself.


    “What kind of military leader wouldn’t have another way out of his own office? Especially when it’s at the top of a Gonddam tower! Should have known!”


    “Let’s worry about it later – we’ve got to go!” Glynfir snipped “You both know the plan - rally at the south gate!” He spoke this last part louder, ensuring the guards could hear him.


    The wizard’s left hand began to draw patterns in the air as he reached into his satchel with the other and extracted a small block of resin encasing an eyelash. Lunish immediately regained her senses and summoned her magical essence. With a flash, she shifted form into a mouse and scrambled up the back of Glynfir’s robe and into his satchel.


    The wizard shunted his reluctant dwarven companion towards their only available exit – the door he had just come through - as he muttered the words of his incantation. Pulling the door closed behind him, disrupting the line of sight of their pursuers, he placed a hand on Grym’s shoulder and released the spell. The two of them disappeared in a purple flash.


    Hearing the din of the ascending troops, and certain of what lay behind them, Grym hustled down the half flight of stairs towards the oncoming guards, consciously controlling his upper body movement to minimize the noise of his chain mail and axe. As he reached the landing six uniforms appeared from below, rounding the corner. They moved with military precision, single file, hugging the interior railing. The office door above them burst open and their pursuers started to descend. Trapped. Simultaneously, alarm bells began to echo around the open stairwell. His adrenaline started to flow and Grym anxiously reached again for the axe. Better make the first shot count, while I’m still invisible.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Glynfir knew combat was a losing proposition. He also knew his dwarven friend would see it as the only option. Grym impulsively defaulted to violence before considering other possibilities. In this case, that choice would be disastrous. It was two against ten and they were outflanked. Their only advantage was their invisibility.


    The tower’s split staircase landings were wide, designed to accommodate the flow of larger numbers. Maybe they’re wide enough? The wizard stretched one arm around his friend’s shoulders, covering his mouth with the other hand. Getting right behind Grym’s ear, he exhaled a whispered shushing sound and pulled the dwarf back towards him. The two retreated as far into the corner of the landing as the space would allow. He could feel Lunish moving around in his satchel as they pressed themselves against the landing’s exterior wall and collectively held their breath.


    Nothing if not predictable, the rising guards maintained their formation up the inside of the stairwell across the landing and halfway up the top set of stairs, oblivious to the proximity of the huddled trio, before the emerging group from above began to shout.


    “Did you see them? It’s that halfie caster who took our silver playing dice last night.”


    “No one came past us. You mean that prick with the mustache?”


    “Yeah! He was a with a dwarf and a grubby little boy.”


    While the confused soldiers traded questions and accusations regarding the whereabouts of the intruders, the pair seized their opportunity. Releasing Grym’s shoulders, Glynfir gave him a nudge towards the now vacant descending staircase. The two tiptoed several feet across the landing then bolted down the stairs towards the open courtyard two and a half floors below. Abandoning any further attempt at stealth, the dwarf’s rattling chain shirt announced their position with every footfall. The race was on. The pair flew down the stone stairs with ten shouting pursuers in tow. A bolt from a hand crossbow zipped past Grym’s ear as the guards began firing at sounds. Though unable to see his dwarven companion, the wizard was confident he had tumbled down the last few stairs. Sounds like someone dropped an entire crate of cutlery! He also picked up a muted groan amidst the clatter.


    “You okay?” he asked.


    “Yeah…” Grym’s hesitant tone suggested he was more embarrassed than injured


    “We need to split up. You know where to meet. Be careful!”


    With that, Glynfir rounded the corner and ran headlong into unexpected chaos.


    The normally sedate courtyard was in complete disarray. Bells rang, and groups of soldiers rushed in multiple directions. All the shops and stalls on the south side of the quad were either shuttered or in the process of hurriedly packing up. He pressed his back to the tower wall and drew a deep breath, silently observing as several pursuers poured into the courtyard behind him, hunting for any hint of their whereabouts. Several raced towards the town’s fortified main entrance – the south gate. Foot soldiers started forming a phalanx in front of the closed metal and wooden barrier and a group of six wizards were casting various spells on the ground between his current position and the exit. So, they all know we’re invisible. Word travels fast! Despite what he had said upstairs, the south gate was not part of their escape plan. It had been a deliberate piece of disinformation. Though inexperienced in this level of espionage, only a fool didn’t have another way out just in case the original plan went sideways. Recalling his druid friend in mouse form, the wizard checked in.


    “Can you hear me, Lulu? Give me a wiggle.” He whispered


    He felt movement against his hip from within the bag. After pausing to allow another group of guards to vacate his proximity, he continued in the same hushed tone.


    “Troops everywhere, but it looks like we’re still good. They are all gathering by the south gate. Stay in form a while longer. I’ll pull you out when we’re clear.”


    Feeling another confirming wiggle, Glynfir shifted his gaze. On the north side of the courtyard, a series of catapults stood ready to defend the mountain pass known as Stonebreach. That was their way out.