She sprints for the Convent

The decision to disguise her as a Herald was a brilliant stroke of planning on the part of the Chevalier Masters. The sight of a Church messenger running through the city was hardly unusual, furthermore the city guardsmen were trained to do everything in their power to facilitate the progress of these messengers.

Mika ran as fast as she could, not down to the harbor and the pre-assigned safe house but upwards to the old Convent and her friend. The uphill run took longer than Mika expected or hoped, and she took the time to change back into the grey initiates robes in an alley not too far from the gates.

However the casual attitude of the Templar guarding the open Convent gates and the hustle and bustle of daily life assured Mika that she had indeed reached her destination in time.

It took every bit of her training to casually walk through the Convent smiling and waving to other initiates like the carefree Mika they had all come to know. Thankfully she saw Adam waiting outside the gate to the Templar's quarter just where he promised he'd be. When she flashed the handsome red-head the sign for a blown operation he barely reacted, but she knew that he had understood both the signal and the consequences of her failure. Stretching lazily he dusted the dirt off his cloak and wandered off towards the prison entrance. His job would have been much easier if she had been able to do hers, but Mika had known Adam since they were children and had no doubt that he at least would not fail.

She found Winlay as expected in her the small room that they shared.

“Mika!” Winlay jumped to her feet and hugged her happily. “I was starting to get worried.” Something about Mika must have alerted Winlay because she pulled away and held her arms firmly. “What happened Mika?”

“Do you trust me Winlay?” Mika asked searching Winlay's wide brown eyes hopefully. “I mean really trust me, enough to do what I ask without question?”

“Of course, I do Mika.” Winlay answered solemnly “I've only known you for a couple weeks Mika, but you're one of the most trustworthy people I've ever met.” Mika cringed when she heard her friend's description her after she had lied to her about so much, but all the same she smiled encouragingly and gave Winlay a quick hug.

“The next few minutes are going to be very odd.” She told Winlay as she led her to the door. “Please just remember that you trust me and that what I'm doing is for both of us and hold your questions until we are safe.” Mika could see that she was frightening Winlay, but it couldn't be helped. She saw her friend open her mouth and then close it again without asking the dozens of questions that must be racing through her mind.

She led Winlay out to the gardens past Sister Margaret's small cottage and past the greenhouses to the sewage pool near the Convent walls. Mika had scouted the Convent grounds yesterday when she had scaled the walls to retrieve the burlap sack and knew exactly where she was going. The pool was screened by a hedge of evergreens that helped mask the unsightly view and some of unpleasant sent.

Mika moved to the large cement opening that led from the bowels of the Convent buildings. The drainpipe was 1.5 meters in diameter and secured by a sturdy iron gate locked tightly to keep both the curious and larcenous out of the sewers. Mika tried to ignore Winlay's gasp of surprise when she pulled a small packet of picks from the small gap between her breasts and quickly opened the locked gate.

If that surprised her, Mika sighed quietly to herself then what would she think of the small flashlight hidden in the 'X' of Xelta symbol that she wore around her neck.

“Almost there Winlay, this last part is going to be nasty, but soon I'll answer as many of your questions as I can.” The smell coming from the dark hole was foul, and Mika could feel the hesitation that her friend had about wading into the stream of filth but to her relief she took her hand and followed her into the dank sewers.

If Adam's part of the mission had been successful, she should be meeting him soon as he made his way out from the Templar prison. Winlay knew Adam would not be happy to see Winlay, but she really didn't have any option. He'd see that if she had a chance to explain it to him. He had to understand ... she hoped. Winlay showed an amazing strength and resilience to the many bewildering things that Mika was revealing. Not even when she had to use the hidden flashlight did her friend stop her and demand answers to all the questions that must be racing through her mind.

Finally, Mika saw what she had been hoping for over the past fifteen minutes. A small light matching her own was moving towards them in the dark sewers. It was Adam, but had he succeeded in his part of the mission?