Honor Bound

The rebellion has started. The goblins are coming for us. My time to prepare is over.

The battle for the Dornte crown has begun and we're not ready. Ruic Breard has an army, a stockpile of weapons from the Human Realm, and the knowledge that the Amberloq force consists of two Elbirfae warriors, and me. Go team!

What our enemies don't know is that Dune, Tundra, and I have a support network behind us... the Phoenix Quint, the Thornebane Quad, and most importantly, my wildcard mates, Lukas and Shadow.

Oh, and don't forget sweet Moonshade.

To win this struggle for power and control once and for all, and to save the Dornte quadrant from another reign of tyranny, my mates and I have to unite and embrace our shared destiny as Guardians of the Crown.

Honor
“I am Honor Thornebane, Princess of Dornte, Guardian of the Crown. Thank you all for coming to help us during this time of turmoil. Who’s in charge?”
The attention of the men gathered in the castle cafeteria shifts toward a well-built and chiseled man with a mop of shoulder-length, russet red curls. “That would be me, lass. Connor MacDougall at yer service, but most people call me Mac. How can we help?”
“How much do you know about why you’re here?”
“Och, bits and bobs, mostly. It seems there’s an uprisin’ underway and yer military forces have been left wanton.”
“Unfortunately, yes. Without going into a history lesson, the members of my family are the rightful rulers of this quadrant. There is a group of wealthy citizens who want to shift the ruling power from the people to the one-percenters. We can’t let that happen.”
“And what do ye need from us to squash it?”
“As you mentioned, our military forces have been depleted. A skirmish in the chapel a moment ago alerted us to hostiles within the castle. I want a team with me searching for the traitors. At the same time, I need to send reinforcements to all the entrances and exits to ensure we don’t have any other surprise guests.”
“Ye had men on the doors when we arrived. Has somethin’ happened to them?”
“No, but your men won’t have any interest in switching sides during the commotion. I can’t say the same for all of our citizens.”
“How many exits do we need to cover?”
“In total, there are eight possible ways to enter the castle without smashing a hole through a wall. Protective screens were lowered on the windows, and portaling is being heavily warded against, so the doors should be our only point of entry. Our first objective is to secure the castle. Once that’s complete, we’ll send teams out to the grounds to secure the raiding rebels.”
“What about those wee monsters shootin’ knock-out darts? I like a game of sport as much as the next fella, but would rather not have my men in the crossfire of tarantulas having a tantrum.”
“Understood. These dermal tags carry a frequency the sentinels recognize as a friend and not a foe. Pass them out to your men and stick them on your skin. After that, you should be good to go.”
“Should be?” Connor Mac repeats.
I shrug. “This is our first chance to use them. Let’s hope your Mr. Barron is as good as everyone says.”
“Och, weel, if Mr. Barron is behind those wee bastards, I have all the confidence in the world.” He takes the package and laughs. “Avengers?”
I roll my eyes at the printed superhero designs on the military tags. “Mr. Barron’s mate, Brant, oversaw the design. According to what I’ve been told, he thought these were better than standard issue.”
Connor Mac laughs. “Och, I know the bear well. Enough said.”
While Connor passes those off and the patches are distributed and stuck in place, I address my next problem. “Does anyone have contact with the incoming shuttle with the last group of officers through the Portal Gate? If they arrive and engage out on the lawns, they’ll end up as paralyzed as the attackers.”
Connor Mac extends his hand and snaps his fingers. “Brady, bring me yer radio, will ye?”
One of the soldiers at the nearby table breaks away from his group to deliver a hand-held radio to his commander.
“What frequency are we using for transportation?”
Someone sitting at the next table yells the answer and Connor Mac makes the necessary adjustments. “This is Alpha-1 calling Beta team. What’s your ETA?”
“Beta-5 responding, sir. Two minutes out.”
“Officer, hand your radio over to yer commander. We have a situation.”
The line goes quiet for a moment and then a woman is the next to speak. “This is Beta-1. What’s the situation, Mac?”
“We’ve got rebel raiders attackin’ and the castle lockdown procedures released mechanical drones on the grounds as a front line defense. If ye try to approach on foot, yer team will be knocked out by tranq darts.”
“Good to know. What do you suggest?”
“How many on your team can fly or portal?”
“Three can fly. One can portal.”
“All right. Have those who can get to the roof of the castle without using the grounds secure our perimeter from that vantage point. The rest of your team should hang back and secure the entrance until we call off the sentinels.”
“Roger that, Alpha-1. Keep us informed.”