NeverSeen

Falcon drew an arrow from his quiver as Raven waved him towards a tunnel at the far end of the room, a tunnel he recognized from their first mission. It had the mining tracks running in and out of it, but the carts were motionless and, for the most part, missing. A whooshing noise came from behind.

“Dang it, Tracer! Quit tryin’ to chop off my head!”

“Sorry,” he replied and stopped swinging his sword. “So what exactly is our plan?”

Falcon opened his mouth, but the voice came from behind.

“We flood the tunnels and ride it out through the escape-ways down the river,” Gator announced. They all turned to stare and saw a large plaque on the wall behind him. He waved them over. “According to these charts,” Gator began, “we’re above the water table. I wouldn’t be surprised if the tunnels lead out to the base of the falls. They’re really not that deep at the bottom, right, Raven?”

Raven nodded. “Right.”

“And if they designed the system like I think they did, we just might manage to flush out all the prisoners with us,” added Kael. He pointed back down the room. “Did you guys ever see the control panel for this place?”

Wayk’s hand shot into the air. “I’ll get it! I’ll get it!” Energy seemed to radiate from him, despite all they’d been through. His enthusiastic grin let them all smile briefly.

“No, Wayk, I need you here. You’re the best at stealth,” ordered Raven. “I’ll go,” offered Gator. “My father helps regulate the waterways. I’ll probably understand things that none of you would. No offense,” he added.

“Good. Tracer, go with him. There’ll be company waiting,” said Kael. They nodded and disappeared around a corner, the echoes of their thudding steps chasing after them. Raven put Falcon and Wayk on the left side and himself and Kael on the right side of the tunnel. He took a deep breath and looked at his older comrades.

“Alright, then. Let’s bust this haystack!”

The cheers following the call to war were amplified by the massive chamber. To Gator and Tracer, it sounded like a raging army.