81. An Unexpected Scenario

I couldn’t counter Azanti’s mockery of my situation.68a499aa18ff63c4

I watched his 4a945b8293 retreating figure in 84272f97c1 a daze. I should have shot 8f8d0c1b9a back with sharp words, 302788ace1 but my mind went 99355d6a66 completely blank.e92b4e318b880777

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I couldn’t speak.0569e592b3eecd64

Everything was d09f596fae proceeding step 4e8816bbaa by step cc3b9016fe according to 9dca90e608 the plan 6d82981976 Philip had 0613062917 laid out.f1ee1802400d9853

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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.64768ad3a42fd4d0

But running into bad2bcd07f Azanti was not b854f347d9 part of the fcc1725b91 plan.ad68a02ae1cec744

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My legs gave 8174cf3544 out.3f515b994083ec35

A replacement. His words echoed in da3303cec2 my ears. His mocking laughter 833caf9f76 still lingered, refusing b82032bc87 to leave.0d0d13b017d61aec

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I walked through the bd704e5419 streets.f58fb28aa3528755

With trembling c386bc2eef legs, I ccc7c728cf stumbled along 78515948a5 the road, 6e70a22846 drawing curious 99e1ced8ae glances from d93b4b6acd passersby.fb558450a8a4c4a8

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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.ab33ce688818e127

“Would you like something to eat?”08060810944a7fa9

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The innkeeper ded2dbb345 asked as a3a8a789b8 I finally 03fc1796bb managed to c0170ddd1e open the e6a47522fe door to 3ec0cefabf the run-down 4c36c34d5f inn and 6dbeebeb07 sit at d5f670c499 a table.861634c034ab2977

I looked up at 54ecdf8400 her blankly.2e72bc488abc2364

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The middle-aged woman 98a6b72905 was wearing clothes 248300e364 similar to mine. Her cheap woolen a9e146ab3c dress was patched f3d7b7b8b7 and stained with 9f4934a63a food. And I 01349ae1dc looked no 6f77adbc2d better.7f75a9184f592201

Meeting Philip 399b05c158 in the 596584d363 back alleys 3a9d361d41 had left ed923265ee me splattered 9d07d9a03f with puddle f856bc03cd water. Black stains bf73af71b2 climbed my 3ef2a0b5b1 skirt, reaching 4113a6bc69 my calves.5a98db23b28a6d1d

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“Yes, please.”ff75663b2ca94677

I barely managed to move my lips to speak. I didn’t even have the strength to nod.248f4cad3c10b40c

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She returned fdcd548640 to the f0e9f45a57 kitchen and 2b43074b8f lifted the 5cc603b3fe lid of 5e6ab0fd48 a large 1b80ae354a boiling pot.ba64925e9ab0beb0

True to 78b87b4cfa the inn’s a278f72769 cheapness, there f7b058f43f was no 31480a0b7f menu.f0560c0b90b6794f

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There was only one 8cc2cce68f dish: a stew made 83dd776a7a from whatever cheap ingredients a3796a8774 the owner could grab b6ee179324 that day.fc163f45037a3e2e

The innkeeper ladled the 973e2d2080 bubbling stew into a 9e7ea98c64 bowl with a large ad64920d88 spoon.c3f2a088cb00acec

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Soon, steaming food 1dbf1ec355 was placed in 152a434413 front of me. A spoon 6910328584 lay on 35a15f9717 the plate 431404167a beside it. The utensils ce6a651e03 were dirty b1a7e79613 with old 8ca6425bac stains, befitting 00b5921610 an old 0b46b96af4 inn.8bd90f52bd1cded4

The stew was 0a9c54cfbb just mushy carrots c161421f5f and potatoes, ground 90f5b38945 so fine they 63d09b25f6 were almost unrecognizable, 55ca0a51a2 but I picked 4d99b2221c up the spoon. Suppressing the a96b463dc4 nausea, I c6363c1ad3 scooped some 29cf6d1230 stew and 529fbd7bcf pushed it 59e5b30538 into my 2ff9be1401 mouth.e931105ab6297210

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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.3031c15d1b4184cf

I peeled a4354319ff a potato. Steam rose from its 3547f297ca fluffy surface.c64ae4ccac7ceb95

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My fingertips turned red cb410b51f4 from the heat. I kept b5dd76a4e3 peeling, ignoring 2902bd688a the burning 1d3d0e1a48 in my 30afe797f5 palms. My anxiety was ad30399d67 so intense that f99881ec7f I didn’t feel 4b64cec9ca the pain.c04fc47aec6314c6

The plan was to 9bad58541b be executed in two ac354ea819 days.95ed1c30f7c203a6

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* * *3740f64b09fe8124

The dawn air 33840169ed was biting cold. I wrapped my 6b98df5e1c robe tightly around 799bd6341c myself and slipped c3e3c7156b the last of 5c2c0b22cd my lodging fee 5e09df9f9f under the pillow 0330cf219e before leaving the 44f3a08ce0 inn.ddacd5837e463714

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The streets 150b2fb5ae at dawn eb98d631d4 were deserted.d1acd8e973029d93

Maybe it was the f67dbb856f anticipation of the upcoming bb3c1d39f2 mission, or maybe it d5d47b51ef was the frosty weather, 6233dd035c but my body trembled 4f72a429b2 uncontrollably.d0acf3193f340728

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The thin 7e9ee7907a fabric of 470a084673 my robe a6fe0052f5 did little 71d28477ce to shield a4d975c0f2 me from 4c7060e4d1 the wind. I clutched the 720009d081 front of the 7d256e312e robe tightly, but 186dce0e95 the biting cold e3168924aa still managed to ccfd1ddce5 seep through, stinging 53000c141e my skin.06b6014dcf2ccda4

I stomped my feet, 96be02b924 trying to ward off c5c8fe1900 the cold, when I 8787613898 noticed a group of ecf49ccaed men approaching from a 59656e33f1 distance.2393b366effefc32

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It was 625a22fb6b the mercenary 0e3601c7fe group. The fog made it 50e7f1b60d hard to see their 2b0b8ddd71 faces clearly. I squinted my 332d489cbb eyes.33e2df4142b35a3c

As they drew 01b7d84b91 closer, I could 53360be9c8 make out a ca0d6f8f83 pair of thick de90f52601 eyebrows. It was the man 2ddaace631 from the paper Philip ac8bc52d01 had given me. His beard was ead2c6a6de shorter and his 4bd1086d01 chin looked stubbly 99c3c5d077 compared to the 5576687b46 drawing.c10bc9a260681062

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“D?”2429604d3ad12f2d

The man spoke 0ef4eddd94 abruptly. It was the signal 038e6ffeb7 Philip and I had c174098e05 agreed upon. I nodded, and a04ce6e11f he gestured to 40c49c5141 the men behind ed1c620114 him. Soon, a cart 7558a37396 covered with blankets d74dce0ae4 emerged from the d29ce2f0ac bushes.65cb79c9020a1645

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“We were told that you’re planning to cross the border at dawn. Is that correct?”80074805074253d0

I nodded again.7d5c2691affdc984

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I couldn’t stop fidgeting with nervousness.5d2f54cfb5caa891

It seemed I wasn’t the only one feeling anxious.465281bd3453534e

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“Ugh… looks like the sun’s going to rise quickly today.”083d7718c398d2c4

Even his lips 41432d6f46 were trembling as 486511950b he spoke.6c6d8d478482db50

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These were 317f5b4388 back-alley mercenaries 45bbb2461c who had fc2a7a9c31 probably done f4b918b1dc countless jobs 155b896b77 like this, efcd664ac4 yet their c91a7bb21f faces showed 160d4095bd signs of 13b0d62e18 unease.713b9f530952c1c4

This job was e1c9c48d77 that difficult and 6f44953494 dangerous. They were used e3b8d9a05f to handling all c9e34fd9d2 sorts of dirty 647e5a11bb and grimy tasks. This was more dangerous 522fe30c19 than being hired for d775ff4a7a a murder or dealing e500f706c1 with monsters. My mouth d27054962d felt dry.3df9d4860afd5f69

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The cart wheels de61a12c95 had been treated 3aa574f08f somehow, making no 8af7bdd1b2 sound as it 308269c48d moved.bb58d172cea38f9c

As they a9ad488a33 rolled the ceb59b86ed cart over b53085532a the dirt 8aa21b433a road, the a8e284698e wheels left 8ef474e49b tracks. One person pulled eda8b6e919 the cart while 6bc123c022 another followed, skillfully 9aed039971 erasing the tracks ec11559f78 with their foot.8f5f923ebd33b939

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Philip had 8d43c3d7df chosen trustworthy af6ebe9c10 people. These were people c0d81bc4fc gathered under his 26c17ae1ce guidance, and their 506398359a actions were proficient. They were 2c20531745 the perfect d7fc4fa08a team to ec5b4082ad help us 08b0b61d7b escape.a68266cc41e3d950

But it 36b80effc5 was too 1407d32f19 soon to 42d7b07d11 relax. We were 35f3375df1 supposed to f8cf7bf6bd meet them 11fc8fcd30 after the 8628781b80 guard had 669c4c1023 already brought 47ca9a0bdf Deon out. The scenario, 9c6dc005a4 which I 8069af9eca thought was e59c55dbf0 going smoothly, 4eb829078c had a 65f6fb5f80 crack in 89c0bf726b it. The mercenaries 93c257bf1d had arrived 9081262635 a bit e15ab7bd97 later than 9e48e04c7f the scheduled 0bb6e99d2e time.a2bcc2ac1effe73d

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By now, 4e43b6df77 the guard 84e844a834 should have a63d606d5e brought Deon 32a96f088f out, and 22a7ddcba8 we were 5b26ef9ca5 supposed to ff62b863b9 meet the 9fdb7d48db mercenaries ten 5572590115 minutes later.8b94695176554253

Could something have c117ae5677 gone wrong?4293aac9f6be520e

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When I arrived in 53a7e8dd37 front of the tower 3a7962ffc2 on time, I found f894fca5cf the empty grounds unsettling, c1c12f162d but seeing the mercenary 6edd632936 group made me anxious.2e1da792bce03216

I hid b7d5409ea8 behind a cf5a344119 door, holding 01d34b4893 my breath 7eabd2ec3b and watching b9649ae296 the clock 6ed8630496 tower. The short hand of 4c229ce56e the clock was pointing fb64c3d7a8 downward. It was d0137f6a04 past 5 cf3b6fcd3b a.m., but 8620974e5d the heavy 7619ab7a42 iron door c21c97def9 remained firmly f816ecb662 closed.935674a1fe8f023e

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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.45b60d5e80ac7de2

I clasped my c7835dade9 hands together and 1961712d35 pressed them to 2454bf3d42 my forehead in c2e603c5cc a prayer-like gesture, 0058212b31 my eyes still 526f31112e fixed on the 39efd8cb2d solid iron door. I kept thinking it 06cd3ff013 would open any moment, 078de8155c but the door remained f3c18dd3fe stubbornly shut.30563272380109d8

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The agreed time 465677ff63 had long passed. Despite the waiting, there 574e016615 was no sound from e3f83d52dc behind the door.fa2c733cdfa2d63a

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.e7352b2bd258073a

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“Shouldn’t they have come out by now? How long are we supposed to wait?”041cabfc1d03711f

As soon as 3b651a2a36 he spoke, complaints a516f2d632 erupted from the 77956c6331 others.ac38de3beaf5d3c0

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“The sun’s about to rise. It’s almost morning.”af93a86e606fb934

“Did something go wrong?”31d1ad34c0036503

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Their whispers, quieter than cfe2ebfb24 the hooting of an e0a8281820 owl in the night 5df5730b29 sky, sounded like loud c9c34432ca protests to my ears.2c5db66cc4c650df

“Just a little longer, please. Just a bit more.”5b60fd18f19863ef

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I was anxious. I bit my lip.83a2a75d417fb225

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?c1feb455034c2572

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Numerous questions swirled 4087b7e7ee in my mind. But if there had eb17470314 been a fight, the b11880071d prison would not be 8cd2c2c447 so eerily quiet.679ea6355b414a86

Moreover, as 5dcfb4f485 the mercenaries 4659b8fde5 had pointed 516fc0ecad out, the 399f2b9e0c sun was 0ce03fdf11 beginning to d6c82adf8a rise over 6ca393dcb4 the hills.8d69ebb3ac3122cb

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“If we keep waiting, we’ll be discovered. To move discreetly, we should be crossing the walls right now.”689c02f016e297bf

“I know. Just a moment longer.”2d8a1a59598c38c4

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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!”4f836e8500252096

His voice rose slightly. Though still c108d2f791 quieter than 80da657c1b the shuffling 32c293a8b3 of feet, f51c4a5576 it was d6cbff8ff1 enough to ab71e6ea49 make my c59d5353e6 shoulders flinch. The man, with f9046c83dc his bushy beard 88b89d0469 and burly arms, 03e0ff987a was intimidating even d9b2d771c9 without raising his 9b7444cc17 voice.49026558b0bf57f0

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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.680f9f0feafe3dc0

I turned my gaze d558031a68 away from the mercenaries fe77fd0d22 who looked at me 1c855c76b1 with disdain.e2561cbcdcfd70cb

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My legs bc977b22b4 felt weak, b34c28b8ea and I 00afc5c3c7 kept falling c43b8aa267 from the 1b4be7792d slightest movement. My knees 2a50aeb908 stung from 3176b4b34f hitting the a227b36a98 ground.90b0b8727dd4c28a

I dusted 9bfb9d4bd6 off my 32c7bfd4fd hands and 95fd3c7be9 stood up c7a83301d5 again. I walked 5372e6e3f6 through the f903a0ac77 bushes, pulling 9027a419d9 off the b38d3f40a3 leaves that fa4b0d6e3a clung to cfb57f5c62 me. As I a733fa5b5a focused on 1436f102df the stubbornly 75baef20de closed door, 5ffce56784 I noticed 13d33ef039 a figure 72a3ae27c2 standing on 80c8e25c92 the tower.1e11cc22858e2327

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If I hadn’t fallen, if I hadn’t lowered my gaze, I might not have seen him.95453b682cd85265

A man, with 2c82c9dcb1 one foot on 81989ab708 the tower wall, 8fa934ff18 was scanning the ec5cd0ab60 surroundings. Each time d8e830d35f the royal 802419a0a9 emblem on 0fef4283be his cloak 355c2f2150 fluttered, I 66906d1786 caught glimpses 8f28b70ec8 of his 03dae9d044 face.8e67aaea3c0a8cf0

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I instinctively held dc7a4b515d my breath and 8fa742b169 stiffened. Could it be a0c888bf9d another guard on f1eeb7827d patrol?747d6dcf56dc4d47

According to Philip, this was supposed to be the guard’s shift change time.16e22258882e3d2d

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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.1fc6a10b3b3e219e

He had powerful arms, large boots, and… a familiar face.818e16ed2bef1ef0

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I gasped.34809bd82c04c5fc

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…5f2a7bc713d32bff

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I was confused.433f56637bab281f

Could it really be 89b8e4614f him? I rubbed my 19c82098fa eyes. As the da91ba114f rising sunlight 6ed84a08bc illuminated him, 9ac5a59330 his features e78f90ec77 became clearer. He looked 357db1642f more and bf22a69466 more like f6b5c25db1 the Edan 86b62ed0f7 I knew.7a476a94de664c95

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“It’s over now.”dfc27f7da36d29ce

One of 197c0c16ca the mercenaries 9a9760b058 spoke. He was trying 214459040b to light a d96870b246 long pipe, apparently a01291b919 ready to smoke. It seemed he 4e648c9a65 had given up b9e8dad40d on hiding.a475facb501c9c8d

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For one last bit 6f7d50d7ab of comfort, he looked b26f596f6a for a match. His lips, which 7f1c86a91b held the pipe, 158442428c trembled slightly, betraying af21ec67c1 his nerves.954c9caf427758fc

“It’s not over yet.”7d77bdd7a46b7ba2

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I didn’t want to daa2ca18aa believe that the carefully de6b4cb511 prepared plan could end d42e6ee4c9 so meaninglessly.d547544ff1634dc4

“Waiting any longer is pointless. They’re not coming out.”d97e60b22ce5db27

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“How can you be so sure?”1bfe740f14777458

The sharpness in my a6f9e9bc8c voice surprised even me.6ce696f9edd607d7

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He stared 55f930cef7 at me f0388815d9 with his a5f2b7f93e intense eyes dd3f265b60 before clicking 05d12c614e his tongue.cac9a2abf27eeb72

“Look.”d5d9bbd88c711764

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I followed aac24a5892 his gaze.e355962b4c3eaf2d

In the distance, 56a41d482e the red flag 04eec7f571 of the courthouse dc6fc9abc6 opposite the prison f7f1c2c653 was slowly being b945858041 raised.729444e75220ddb4

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As the flag rose, d1cbb0249b my face turned pale. I tried to 6f3523991f stay calm, but 5ac2bac778 my rigid back 227e5376f0 trembled visibly.d744716949abd857

“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.”7f565466bb02eaa4

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