Escape from the Capital (2)

Retreating into the alley I prowled for someone on their own. Ten minutes later I found a target. One man was standing watch at the intersection between two alleys while the second was talking to a woman in one of the many doorways 30 feet away. At the intersection one of the guards was in between myself and the second guard.

I crept closer to the crossing as silently as I could while keeping my eye on the guard further away. The guard with the woman was slinking into the doorway as time passed and paying less and less attention to his partner.

By standing just above the head of the guard I could see into the cross alley. A third guard stood within sight. I knew if my plan was to work, I had to maneuver one guard out of sight of the other two.

Glancing around I looked for anything small that I could toss. It had to be small enough that once it landed it made only enough sound to travel to one guard. Nothing that would provoke a defensive response.

Due to there being lots of families in the area the planks to the clothing lines were filled with random kids' toys. I found a wooden horse, the size of my hand, and picked it up to feel its weight. About the weight of a fruit.

Deciding it would work I glanced once more at the second guard. He was almost out of sight into the house of the woman making it the perfect time. I turned back from where I came from and hurled the horse at the wood paneling of the second story fifteen feet away.

This way the third guard would be out of sight and the second would be further away.

With a bang louder than I wanted, the horse met the house. I watched the guard move out of the intersection to investigate before taking a look at the other two guards. Neither moved.

From my bag I pulled out the last of my prepared array scrolls and unrolled it. Walking carefully along the planks I aimed to stand just above his head once again. He inspected the area as I stood there until he stopped in one spot. Dropping down on top of his head, I held open the scroll aiming for the base of his skull. I focused all of my magic into the array and once again the dizziness hit me. By now, after running dry multiple times this night, I had gotten used to ignoring it.

A flash of green signaled the activation of the array. Since I was right on top of the guard as the array activated the light was faint enough to go unnoticed. An electric shock passed though the guard's body, amplified by the metal of his uniform and armor.

He dropped to the ground, with me on top, sending up a cloud of dust. Quickly untangling myself I glanced behind at the second guard. I mostly expected him to be running at me by now, but instead I saw the woman's arms around the guard's neck and head. It was more distraction than I had intended but it worked in my favor.

As I silently thanked the woman, I stripped the uniform and armor off the guard and put it on over my own ragged clothes. The shirt was a little tight but wasn't too noticeable while the pants were too long. Turns out this guy was taller than my six-foot frame and lacked any muscle tone. I doubted the guard could even swing a sword with such thin arms. The good thing about the armor was that there was a helmet attached to the belt. Perfect for hiding my identity but hot and heavy for routine work.

Only after I was done changing did I take a good look at the face of the man I had just stripped. Turns out I recognized him too; he was the descendent of a noble.

I had been taught that the royal guards was a privileged duty, reserved for the strongest and most recognized among the population. It was a troop that wasn't supposed to play favorites between nobles and commoners. However, seeing as I recognized more people than not as nobles, I was beginning to think it was more elitist than rumored.

Sighing at the bigotry, I pulled him to the side of the alley and covered him with a cloth from one of the clothing lines. Making it look like he was a homeless man and easily overlooked. Once done I walked back to the intersection.

"Hey, what did you find?" The third guard yelled at me the moment I turned the corner.

"One of the boards among the clothes lines came loose. I think that guy was walking around up there. I'm going to head to the main street and contact our superiors. I don't want him getting away." I yelled back. "Can you keep an eye on my partner while I'm gone?"

"Go on. I'll gather the others around here and head down that alley." The third guard waved me off before turning to others and rallying them.

I headed in the opposite direction of them and out into the main street. Everywhere I looked there were men in guard uniforms. Both the city and royal guards were out in full force. Taking a deep breath, as I prepared to run at any second, I walked stiffly to the nearest senior officer I could find.

"Reporting, sir."

Over the years I had gotten the complete course in etiquette, which included military manners. Saluting to the senior officers was mandatory. As he turned to me, he saluted in response.

"I have found traces of the criminal running near alley SW-32 and asked my comrades to pursue as I came to report."

"Perfect. Our first lead." The officer said before yelling to the gathered guards. "Criminal in alley SW-32, already in pursuit and requires back up to surround. Move out."

Movement of the multitude of guards obscured my own movement as I headed east. The guard I had just talked to glanced around as if looking for me but gave up after a few seconds to coordinate the others. No one thought that it could be fake information or that I had stolen a uniform. I came to realized that pride and overconfidence were useful tools in the hands of others and weaknesses when they were my own.

The east side of the street was feet away when I happened to glance to my right. Steven stood at the back of the crowd watching the commotion with a furrowed brow. I could see that worry and hesitation warred with his sense of duty. His left hand was clenched white over his right forearm, directly around the array I had placed.

'Is he going to change his mind?' Due to the fact that the array on my arm hadn't activated I had assumed Steven decided to not use it to catch me. Knowing what I did of my brother, I was betting that no matter how strong his sense of duty to the royal guards was, his familial duty to me was stronger. 'I hope I'm right.'

I raced the last foot into the east alley and out of the encirclement. Unbeknownst to me, Steven had turned on instinct to glace where I had been, only to see the shimmer of metal disappear into the alley. After freezing momentarily Steven relaxed and accepted his choice. The array was now nothing more than a tattoo in memory of his dead brother.