Fan Fiction ❯ The Soul Reaver and The Spirit Shield ❯ Into Enemy Grounds ( Chapter 13 )

Chapter Thirteen

Jenise and Raziel stood at the end of the cliff passageway, looking down upon the Sarafan stronghold. A moment of calm before they infiltrated the enemy's base. The only Sarafan guarding their safe haven were atop the cliff across from the lake on the path that led to the Pillars. Not a very wise idea.

The two comrades began to discretely descend the cliff, clinging onto the small ledges available for footholds. They both reached the bottom with little difficulty and turned their attention to the lake before them. The last time Raziel had set his eyes upon the watery mass, it had been completely frozen over. Not so this time, for it was late spring and the water was full of life, free from its winter shackles.

"We'll have to swim to the other side," Raziel informed. "From there I can open those large doors and gain access inside the stronghold."

"I can't swim across with all my armor on! I'll sink to the bottom!"

"So take it off," Raziel sighed with annoyance.

"Not in front of you I won't! You swim across first and I'll catch up on the other side," she demanded.

"Fine," Raziel agreed, and dove into the water. Jenise watched him under the surface of the water, swimming away from her in a fast pace. When she could barely see him anymore, she began to remove her armor.

The heavy chest plate that covered her entire upper torso definitely had to go. Her leg guards…gone. She peeled off her wrist bands as they would hinder her swimming. Stripping herself of the heavy chain mail she wore as secondary protection, she lay that on the ground. She placed all other pieces of armor on top of the mail. Finally, she removed her steel boots and placed those too, on the mail.

The remaining garments Jenise left on were a shirt and leggings, both made of an unrestricting, cotton material. The shirt had sleeves, which were only a few inches past her shoulders and the leggings reached halfway down her calves. The material was comfortable, not too hot, but not too cold.

Jenise looked down at her feet and scowled. She hated her hideous, deformed feet. In her eyes, it was a curse that had been passed down from mother to daughter for generations. If she were able to swim with her boots on, she would have left them on. But she knew that was impossible, especially if she was going to lug her armor across her back as she swam to the far shore on the other side.

Jenise decided she would just throw her boots back on as soon as she reached solid ground again. There was no way she was going to let Raziel see her ugly, shameful feet. Or anyone else for that matter. She did not have the desire to have people look at her with disgust.

Tying the arms together and legs together of her chain mail, Jenise tightly secured her armor within. She then wrapped the mail around her back and tied the arms and legs around her front. The weight was still going to be a hindrance, but at least the bulk wouldn't prevent her from swimming.

She eased herself into the water and began swimming across the surface of the lake. She was only out about thirty feet or so when she saw Raziel leap out of the water on the other side and land on the ground. `Lucky bastard,' she growled to herself, `doesn't need armor. Just goes around not caring if he gets hurt.'

The armor was definitely slowing the priestess down. However, her determination kept her focused on her objective. Raziel quietly watched Jenise struggle across the lake, prepared to dive in at the second she should ask for help. But the plea never came. As she finally neared the shore, she huffed out to him.

"Well…hurry up…and open that…door already!" she ordered between strokes. Raziel rolled his eyes as he turned from Jenise. She was only about fifteen feet from the shore. He knew that she sure as hell wasn't going to give up and drown now after having struggled across that entire lake. The reaver of souls called up the element of light within the wraith blade and aimed a projectile at the crystal above the giant doors to the stronghold.

With Raziel's attention on more pressing matters, Jenise climbed upon the shore, relieved to be on solid ground again. Taking a few deep breaths, she quickly untied her chain mail and began replacing her armor, starting with her boots. She was snapping her chest plate armor back on when Raziel turned back to her; the stronghold doors were wide open.

"You know, we have to swim to get inside, right?" Raziel questioned, taking note that she had hurriedly replaced her armor. Jenise looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.

"You're not serious, are you?" asked the priestess. Raziel answered with a single nod. "Damn it!" Jenise cursed. "I'm not taking this back off again! The distance is much shorter. I'll just go like this. If I drown, I drown!"

Raziel shook his head in disappointment at her stubbornness. Just what was the big deal anyway? Deciding that it wasn't worth getting worked up over, he dove into the water again and entered the stronghold. Jenise walked along the shore until she reached the spot she felt was closest to the entrance.

Climbing into the water, she decided it would be easier to swim on her back with the added weight. It was easier to float on one's backside than on one one's front, right? The armor on her arms and legs caused a severe deficit in her ability to swim. Moving through the water like a snail across an open field, Jenise slowly made her way through the doorway. Looking up, she could see the high archway as she passed underneath it.

`Almost there,' she thought, as she struggled to keep herself afloat. Suddenly and unexpectedly, she felt something grab her and she felt herself being yanked up and out of the water. The next thing she knew, she felt her rear make contact with the stone floor inside the stronghold. Blinking in confusion, she saw two blue, decayed legs in front of her. She knew instantly whose legs they belonged to, and followed them up to Raziel's face.

"Why the hell did you do that for?" she demanded. Raziel looked at her with a stern face.

"You were on your way to a watery grave," he enlightened her. "You were moments from sinking beneath the surface and on your way below this platform we're currently standing on. Had I not grabbed you, you surely would have drowned."

Shock spread across Jenise's face at the realization of her near death. She was unaware that her armor was pulling her down that much or that she was so close to the platform. She stumbled to her feet, water dripping from crevices in her armor. Raziel had turned away from her and was looking intently down the corridor leading further into the stronghold. She could sense a sort of resentment resonating from Raziel.

"Thanks," she muttered, barely loud enough for Raziel to hear. He turned slightly towards her in response, and nodded a `you're welcome'. He then turned back towards the corridor. Jenise walked up beside him.

"It's very quiet in here. Too quiet. There's almost no one around," the former vampire informed his companion, changing the subject.

"We should be careful then. It is possible Mobius knows of our arrival here and has planned an ambush."

Jenise and Raziel quietly crept down the corridor, keeping to the shadows. They reached the corner of the massive hallway and hadn't seen a single Sarafan on guard. Peering around the corner, Jenise spotted a knight, at his post outside a large chamber door. She studied the oblivious warrior for a moment or two before ducking back behind the corner.

"What did you see?" Raziel inquired, a little impatiently.

"A single Sarafan soldier standing guard. Based upon his insignia, he's a very low ranking warrior," informed Jenise.

"Insignia?"

"Yes, his insignia. On his shoulder plates, like mine," she explained, while tapping her left shoulder guard with her right hand. "He's barely a step above the lowest rank, meaning he's only been a Sarafan for a few months."

"So he should be no obstacle to us then?" Raziel wished to confirm as he called forth the wraith blade.

"No, Raziel. I don't think we should attack him," the priestess halted her partner from ambushing the unsuspecting Sarafan. She took a moment to think quietly to herself, then suddenly announced, "I have a plan."