Deeper into danger.

Arerto's party headed deeper into the sewer beneath the city and the smell got worse as all manor of waste mixed together. They counted the street covers until they came to the one they wanted. One warrior headed up the ladder and her hands slipped on the slime that covered them until she managed to reach the top rung. Using the tip of her sword she pushed against the grate and until it gave and opened up a little just enough to look out and get the group's bearings. There, off to one side was the entrance to the prison and in the darkness, the warrior could just make out two guards on the gates and two guards up in the towers. She gently lowered the grate and carefully headed back down to the waiting group and reported to Arerto that she could see only four men guarding the entrance. One of the warriors had continued further down the sewer and reported back that the next exit was outside the prison at the back gate.

Arerto quickly ran options through her head. The two archers could not both fit in the sewer grate at the same time and one archer would be unable to hit four targets without the alarm being sounded. The warriors could sneak close enough without being seen and again the alarm being raised. They would need to get close enough to kill the guards outside the gate and for the archers to each be able to get rid of the two tower guards. Arerto sighed as she realised that they would need a better plan so they headed back to the sewer entrance dragging the bodies of the two killed guards and cleaning up any signs they had been there. As the group headed back into the darkness Arerto looked back and uttered to Helena that she would soon be free then she caught up with her warriors. As they walked away they came across a camp in the desert and Arerto realised that it was a traveller camp and they could hear music and dancing.

Arerto ordered the archers to take positions to cover her and at the sign of trouble, they were to attack. Arerto headed into the camp minus her weapons and watched the women dancing around the fire. A tall dark-skinned woman approached her and asked Arerto what she was doing there so Arerto decided to somewhat tell the truth but not everything. She told the woman who had introduced herself as Cheytelle that she needed to get into the city so she could find her lover. Cheytelle assumed that Arerto was referring to a male and Arerto did not correct her and so it was that Arerto and her group joined the travellers who gave them costumes that would get them inside the city. Cheytelle was not a fool and she did not like the present rulers of Hansmead so did not mind helping. So she asked Arerto to come clean and after a brief discussion she told Cheytelle the truth and Cheytelle promised to help to them into the city and prison.