81. An Unexpected Scenario

I couldn’t counter Azanti’s mockery of my situation.f03b4181bf9919b6

I watched 7af625aad8 his retreating e8a2a0abc4 figure in db8c114044 a daze. I should c68e3824b6 have shot 9e55ca8da3 back with b4b63f028a sharp words, 2c7b6043bc but my cc22e92be1 mind went 84a57f9760 completely blank.ac948d5e2260abc2

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I couldn’t speak.a280ab9fe07615b4

Everything was 41087b52af proceeding step e2784aa74c by step e122a4e6cd according to 6542db6e21 the plan 01b68bdab6 Philip had 71b6a35105 laid out.4a7c2d4f0d41204c

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The coachman and mercenaries, the fake passes, the guard who would unlock his door—all of it was arranged with Philip’s help.b47c359f349383f4

But running into 8f3d3579a6 Azanti was not 51b5f06558 part of the 53bfb09a47 plan.e89d7a17edac233a

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My legs gave e97635c735 out.229c662b5763bfdf

A replacement. His words echoed 8df06b2393 in my ears. His mocking 3b64d5a6fb laughter still 1323fc4e7b lingered, refusing 891dfd19ff to leave.4ea998f4f3c50617

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I walked through f24d96052c the streets.9c25688a3797d310

With trembling legs, b2cf79c02e I stumbled along 107001ddf1 the road, drawing f11add2faf curious glances from 11b4c1d936 passersby.2543209b1d1c5e93

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My robe hid my hair, but my bangs were disheveled and sticking out. I needed to tuck them back to avoid attention, but my body wouldn’t obey. My legs nearly gave out several times.c207da64d5fdfb71

“Would you like something to eat?”4ae47a9f3d66c077

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The innkeeper asked as 274586555c I finally managed to 958fa7ac51 open the door to f84c17f36b the run-down inn and afd3e4b6f5 sit at a table.17bff639f8ef65f7

I looked 9403ed2ef3 up at e40b2fcc77 her blankly.8653c0e6b02298db

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The middle-aged woman faf90021fe was wearing clothes 533fb4ecf6 similar to mine. Her cheap woolen 497fc8e79e dress was patched cddb3bb62a and stained with 7514667228 food. And I looked 3f82d9cc4b no better.d604542eebd28242

Meeting Philip in a4909ddde8 the back alleys 79be1da433 had left me 94e33885df splattered with puddle 034674413e water. Black stains 63f4031d81 climbed my 4a50a78427 skirt, reaching eea5770465 my calves.31bc1c83dd3b2811

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“Yes, please.”0c2d3c887c43de43

I barely managed to move my lips to speak. I didn’t even have the strength to nod.aee66b05405a2a57

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She returned 92b40cde55 to the fbcd2ac4df kitchen and ec024e1e98 lifted the 6f9b38ae78 lid of 3cf54c35fb a large f7ec81685c boiling pot.f5fa95b7612ecf05

True to the inn’s df9834b1d0 cheapness, there was no 6c852a2186 menu.3e75f8b8dbffb048

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There was only one 9036ed487f dish: a stew made d17227d62c from whatever cheap ingredients e302c39e25 the owner could grab 82d93c3179 that day.01ab2dfa89bd02e6

The innkeeper 6d25bad2c9 ladled the dfbc1fd868 bubbling stew cd4c425e67 into a 8169b263b7 bowl with ce596d40b7 a large d11037031d spoon.aec723185c69f17e

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Soon, steaming food ec9da6a75f was placed in c2ec7b3349 front of me. A spoon lay on da0f99d32d the plate beside it. The utensils e48fcd4f58 were dirty 7c62acf784 with old 2814a5db94 stains, befitting ef9c3606c0 an old 50b4e7f167 inn.68e0b63620c6a78c

The stew was just ad57e0861f mushy carrots and potatoes, 861d669fd1 ground so fine they 6b9a078625 were almost unrecognizable, but 7105c19dc9 I picked up the dcf5958bb7 spoon. Suppressing the nausea, I ae4f721e11 scooped some stew and 98d0514b53 pushed it into my c24bf2328b mouth.7d70db4768a8a58a

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Despite encountering Azanti, it wasn’t over yet. He didn’t seem to know about the plan to rescue Deon. To see the plan through, I needed to eat, even if it was just this slop, and gather my strength.b10bcd6874e5e37f

I peeled a 740ebdbc01 potato. Steam rose a29159c900 from its 2cab576448 fluffy surface.1a4e8cd8238f9320

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My fingertips e6be770004 turned red 9c713e73d5 from the f4f0d54a2f heat. I kept peeling, 00237403aa ignoring the burning f3ad02fd0e in my palms. My anxiety a4ea5254c3 was so b47d414e1b intense that ab55a20e51 I didn’t 7f4f881df5 feel the 327b7eb538 pain.267c6e3b7216f510

The plan b8038c6441 was to 53562eab32 be executed 0f3d29f411 in two 7e3bc131b1 days.f34d1082a841906f

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* * *0b3af2a2b1205291

The dawn 2de9cb7551 air was a99111d254 biting cold. I wrapped my robe 9c4558329c tightly around myself and a5884b8ec0 slipped the last of 4e49438cdd my lodging fee under add2e15010 the pillow before leaving 87cdf99cd1 the inn.083ccea41af10545

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The streets at dawn d7e60f453f were deserted.786f9d39b5d5e1b1

Maybe it was the 6d00463052 anticipation of the upcoming 8408cb9d89 mission, or maybe it 900cac4a95 was the frosty weather, 880a8f5369 but my body trembled 1564b8d124 uncontrollably.f88f742f140c0234

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The thin fabric of 88256a1707 my robe did little e598becfcb to shield me from ea0345e92d the wind. I clutched the front 13d9ef5cd5 of the robe tightly, 6b39047b5e but the biting cold 8f95894be4 still managed to seep 4e0f69c0e8 through, stinging my skin.6fa32f577183861b

I stomped my 68d7f9e954 feet, trying to 30d5e132a6 ward off the 5f65c21044 cold, when I 2809195b14 noticed a group 79d39b9bb3 of men approaching 5c8e95f196 from a distance.955910d69eef57de

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It was the 81c44ddc09 mercenary group. The fog made 9b2782b4e7 it hard to ba0e1ee577 see their faces 363404dc63 clearly. I squinted af2047e6ef my eyes.8def538902af190b

As they drew closer, b959ae3f8a I could make out c9c0cee749 a pair of thick 377dbf02ce eyebrows. It was the 7ac037be75 man from the d6955c3e22 paper Philip had 799d982d16 given me. His beard was shorter 6c8110d427 and his chin looked b5e22c9887 stubbly compared to the 7f9e5db803 drawing.8384e2c7279e9037

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“D?”681cd8f0ddf164ab

The man spoke abruptly. It was the signal fd8edb516a Philip and I had 6f7ed1331e agreed upon. I nodded, and 65fe2ee0fc he gestured to 92f018312e the men behind 16c31795df him. Soon, a 46dab51508 cart covered 66701eabb2 with blankets e34f64767d emerged from 87ec125a8a the bushes.de4270dd4ab15f72

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“We were told that you’re planning to cross the border at dawn. Is that correct?”2da7942d69ab6b05

I nodded again.fef5ab5bf04708b4

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I couldn’t stop fidgeting with nervousness.c302f4fb135aa9c3

It seemed I wasn’t the only one feeling anxious.0071a9f9cf66b560

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“Ugh… looks like the sun’s going to rise quickly today.”4b59d5a8587dc9cd

Even his lips 50e45d990e were trembling as c35e690200 he spoke.a24de181ef626591

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These were 6c4118ace4 back-alley mercenaries fe532c2c79 who had ef03ceb281 probably done dc196bdec9 countless jobs 36cefe0fc4 like this, 7b42a3054e yet their f628d00aad faces showed 6245b61b02 signs of 4caf451992 unease.904eb30254707a42

This job was that ce8956b865 difficult and dangerous. They were used 4b35b29893 to handling all 33c34f23e0 sorts of dirty 70b6460663 and grimy tasks. This was more dangerous e2e05bf444 than being hired for 3d507eb43f a murder or dealing 9c4c2d1c87 with monsters. My mouth felt fd5dd0157d dry.84195a6a95071a13

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The cart 23ab1195a3 wheels had 6df8650efc been treated dbe1f1b0b7 somehow, making 7ae8b03d9c no sound ec89d76164 as it c1257989b9 moved.b07a6d8fc2e47789

As they rolled 178379b43c the cart over 3cb1ab441e the dirt road, bd948f5d7c the wheels left a87008e6c7 tracks. One person pulled de906bfdb9 the cart while eddb05e77b another followed, skillfully 38fd21759b erasing the tracks 1c223cf25b with their foot.18026f210f495c90

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Philip had chosen trustworthy d3e7d8f2aa people. These were people gathered 735f229cb2 under his guidance, and b0e1d6b468 their actions were proficient. They were 125000ff45 the perfect 71bbf78b5c team to 9394a6feb6 help us ae9999c4e8 escape.42a3e43f4796d46b

But it 50161ebbc3 was too fdfc10d877 soon to e6749129dc relax. We were supposed to 1662765890 meet them after the 06228fb113 guard had already brought bf828f0b35 Deon out. The scenario, which I b8058504a9 thought was going smoothly, e832bd7a26 had a crack in 110c3a4db5 it. The mercenaries e3f6b94b6a had arrived ce0c7e82c7 a bit 4ca060086d later than bdf5760405 the scheduled 20cf118f94 time.ea470630c2768cff

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By now, the guard 7477951585 should have brought Deon dc7c6e8798 out, and we were a44b7025f2 supposed to meet the 16891f5fa8 mercenaries ten minutes later.361cd5de6330812b

Could something 222dc94e84 have gone 10473d729a wrong?9ec5997cf28a7900

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When I arrived in ef8e34d775 front of the tower 34d2ff29fd on time, I found 7ac26b7fc8 the empty grounds unsettling, 12aaa33013 but seeing the mercenary dae841d09f group made me anxious.5ba767014a2c45b9

I hid behind a 09162a6052 door, holding my breath 88a520c0d4 and watching the clock f1eb2fe20b tower. The short hand of 42676d7fdb the clock was pointing 42518f137c downward. It was past b6c6de2bf8 5 a.m., but af510ea485 the heavy iron b4575a80a9 door remained firmly c6e7cbc200 closed.2a990aa2f66f877a

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It was supposed to be 4 o’clock. It couldn’t be wrong. I had repeated it to myself countless times.cb2b8642c00d9102

I clasped my hands d7e06a174a together and pressed them ad2aa89ef5 to my forehead in 6563836d4c a prayer-like gesture, my 72ff460d4c eyes still fixed on 583dc81a12 the solid iron door. I kept thinking it 6ef8ac6386 would open any moment, 28d39892aa but the door remained e4cd309a9b stubbornly shut.931dc04c8f5cce96

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The agreed 9cd597fc3c time had 1393673294 long passed. Despite the waiting, c3375bafa3 there was no bfc19fd248 sound from behind 1c40c2c92b the door.c50dc0ce8a5e4118

We couldn’t wait indefinitely. The unease wasn’t just mine; the murmurs of dissatisfaction from the mercenaries standing behind me started to grow louder.d4c089a4584e046e

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“Shouldn’t they have come out by now? How long are we supposed to wait?”0f6079af1f4cf422

As soon as 28a668909e he spoke, complaints eae5932e3c erupted from the 8a509c40e0 others.062ab39f6b1b36bb

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“The sun’s about to rise. It’s almost morning.”ac383e68d74f87a4

“Did something go wrong?”0d65213608830c22

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Their whispers, 8dcd8a08eb quieter than 876f11c388 the hooting 3ce54db76c of an ab3f5a9e3b owl in 09fd52a4ca the night 8607db9f6f sky, sounded bfc6b80180 like loud e6eccba5ca protests to 6c731eb0e1 my ears.7bdc514052f30ff5

“Just a little longer, please. Just a bit more.”c9bd9cf116b10662

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I was anxious. I bit c881a947c1 my lip.8b966918eb6502cf

Could it be that the guard couldn’t be reached? No, the guard had been bribed. Were they caught inside? Or was there a delay due to a struggle during the escape attempt?6e452e0afe9a8c33

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Numerous questions 5bf631c977 swirled in 7d77fdd7c0 my mind. But if 67d87f3094 there had 688504d3d9 been a e86685b7da fight, the 912fa9b2ad prison would 0bb69fa635 not be d80b15cfb0 so eerily 82012a0dda quiet.421cce4b0a0ccd77

Moreover, as the f66fa58a70 mercenaries had pointed b1478e49e2 out, the sun d327dad554 was beginning to a6c7b490b2 rise over the 0225e92a43 hills.9f3a3ed6bff4c1ad

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“If we keep waiting, we’ll be discovered. To move discreetly, we should be crossing the walls right now.”063eb850c9c60395

“I know. Just a moment longer.”424d47c727f0c3dd

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“Are you kidding? Hey, girl, are you trying to get us all killed? Escorting a prisoner is already a death sentence, but moving at dawn like this will surely get us noticed!”68e75359eea87e1e

His voice 5c68bc5d7d rose slightly. Though still quieter than d5cc2903e6 the shuffling of feet, a3ac87d18a it was enough to 509d16b1af make my shoulders flinch. The man, 06e0f97f64 with his 3c6236edf4 bushy beard 0e0b1ae95d and burly 7e4ac7f43e arms, was 8bea95d221 intimidating even fdf2c526f3 without raising 5b263b74f1 his voice.abd66d04ebbee6e7

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My body shook, causing me to lose balance and stumble to the side. Luckily, the area beside the prison was covered in bushes, so I wasn’t hurt. The bushes rustled, clinging to my clothes.3db779e4aeb3a37c

I turned my gaze 00d07a146a away from the mercenaries e6a8fe4a73 who looked at me b0f7f85e83 with disdain.ab08dbdaf628160a

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My legs 901ad008d6 felt weak, 4240ebd123 and I e5bd0cfc85 kept falling 37c6e6fcab from the 8a95514f60 slightest movement. My knees stung 88e3f75259 from hitting the 23b2703410 ground.0e20cb01d62f2115

I dusted off d07464a1fe my hands and c51aaebc4a stood up again. I walked through 816c3ca6d1 the bushes, pulling 25d4408f0a off the leaves ae29a47d8c that clung to b70ffb9111 me. As I 8834dbeb61 focused on 351a362b0d the stubbornly 7d5fa8071b closed door, 84cb339200 I noticed ce909e5810 a figure dd586b8162 standing on 4dcc542b50 the tower.8eb16e66f1e21c8f

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If I hadn’t fallen, if I hadn’t lowered my gaze, I might not have seen him.19b939c8c934afcf

A man, with 6fa6a25ccd one foot on 1079579df8 the tower wall, 8676ce00b3 was scanning the f6941f6505 surroundings. Each time the royal 00af950f2e emblem on his cloak 6bce68a8dd fluttered, I caught glimpses 3728224bde of his face.7b23dc563cd274ff

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I instinctively 8cbf4c4dfd held my 06787f6591 breath and 6d18f19ed0 stiffened. Could it be another c464417b9a guard on patrol?3b2026e9ff980236

According to Philip, this was supposed to be the guard’s shift change time.d3b08c62daf842cb

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But he wasn’t looking down at this place. And upon closer inspection, his attire didn’t match that of a patrol guard.81db51350c4dd557

He had powerful arms, large boots, and… a familiar face.839a74ef8b24009b

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I gasped.512675c4ad14c693

Could it be Edan? It couldn’t be. The butler had said he went to handle matters at the border. Why was he here? It might just be someone who looked like him, but if it really was Edan…b7e8ee8862b8b119

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I was confused.c3f6d8969611bfa9

Could it really be bee88fbefd him? I rubbed my bbbf8c2f62 eyes. As the 3091bb3375 rising sunlight bb66b4a6e3 illuminated him, 2d2929bb02 his features dafcaba6a3 became clearer. He looked more and 0316bd0d72 more like the Edan 123f68b898 I knew.6d92065f7abbc363

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“It’s over now.”a8b836645d2db299

One of 93f066db0f the mercenaries 03e8def2dc spoke. He was trying to ff8f7822fd light a long pipe, 855fa845cb apparently ready to smoke. It seemed he had 6244f005ad given up on hiding.0677dbff0eeae5a1

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For one last bit 1fc774f55e of comfort, he looked b702d48c9e for a match. His lips, 29755a7c9c which held b4a48bfda8 the pipe, b0f5d6bcc5 trembled slightly, 891412d670 betraying his bdfd598d36 nerves.3b36d5ab28b90a77

“It’s not over yet.”febca026407caf78

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I didn’t want to 7223b0aeaa believe that the carefully 9f683d8cba prepared plan could end 6ec54e075e so meaninglessly.fe952cf840c10dc3

“Waiting any longer is pointless. They’re not coming out.”025753a131fe2262

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“How can you be so sure?”62f76334b97c5cc3

The sharpness in my cc6f7be07e voice surprised even me.b06100dda6dd20fb

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He stared at 16a94a3b5e me with his a8751bffd2 intense eyes before 92d38e1b0b clicking his tongue.971692c8ac3b4e06

“Look.”6f4fde277d27b708

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I followed 424c84b840 his gaze.52cadf0b578f67ec

In the distance, the dbc1104a29 red flag of the b6efa5ccd4 courthouse opposite the prison 2d056d1b80 was slowly being raised.c927d1948b1f3561

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As the flag 12ee8da74a rose, my face d661bc2316 turned pale. I tried f9968e356e to stay 8871bcacd0 calm, but 3a35250b5f my rigid 1eb4f50996 back trembled 38c28d2688 visibly.d1d9332746b319b2

“The trial has started. Whatever happened, it’s one of two things: either the guard messed up, or he didn’t come out on his own. The trial has begun unusually early. I’ve never heard of a trial starting this early in the morning. This is now beyond our control. We can’t stop it now.”bd6412776225b038

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