Prue�s armour and all the weapons went into the cart, with the tools on top and a scattering of filthy, smelly straw from the cart�s previous life.� Even though I had good reason to get close to the cart, I certainly didn�t want to.� Hopefully the gate guards would feel the same way.
Once the cart was loaded, and Prue was back in her cloak, Buster took his place at the front of the cart and easily pulled it into motion.
We had been over the plan several times so we all knew exactly what we were going to do once we reached the gate.
Evening was approaching and the light, already dim due to the rainclouds, was fading even further.� It was perfect weather for making gate guards want to be indoors by a roaring fire rather than rooting through a cart that smelled like a blocked outhouse.
Well-practiced, we split up before we were in sight of the gate.� Large groups would be suspicious.� Prue wished us luck and then I was on my own.
We each had our own plausible stories.� I�d worked with each of the group to make sure the details of the story were plausible and consistent.� It had been a bit of a struggle to get them to appreciate that the more mundane and boring the cover story, the less the guards would be interested.� However boring it may be for us was not the issue.
Effren with his Uptown accent and mannerisms, for example, would be claiming to be on his way back home after visiting an elderly sick aunt.� Since he delivered his fictional gifts to his made-up aunt, he was empty handed.
I was claiming to be on a collection run for Father Terry, on my way to pick up donations from a charitable organisation in Faircrest.� There was very little chance the details of my cover story would reach the good Father, since people tended to avoid him if they didn�t want to get roped into some volunteer scheme or tapped for donations.� I�d seen Father Terry do it enough time that I was ready to play the zealot and start hassling the guards for donations if it looked as though they were going to be difficult.
Nana was on her way to Faircrest to buy herbs, and well primed to go on about their properties and uses at the first sign of trouble.
Buster and Prue needed a convincing story to explain the cart.� That had taken some thinking.� In the end I�d decided that the best lie has truth in it, so they were on their way to do some manual labour for an Uptown estate owner.� Buster was under instructions to let Prue do the talking.� It was somewhat delicate trying to explain to Buster without hurting his feelings, but I�d found the best way to handle it was to explain to him that it was a vital part of the plan, but not really explain why.� Then he�d be caught up with being entrusted with something so important and not ask too many questions.
We approached the gate.� We were as ready as we could be.