Escape from the Capital (3)

With few guards patrolling east of the main road I could pick up my pace significantly. Once in a while I'd run into a random patrol and either tell them I'd been spotted to the west or pass off that I was running an errand. With the conflicting reports I hoped to obscure my path enough to buy me time.

As I got near warehouse 3 I altered my path and headed straight to the gate. Several more guards were posted near the East gate. I didn't know if my ruse had been seen through, causing more guards to be sent to head me off, or if it was only precaution that had increased security. Deciding it didn't matter much I detoured to the south a bit and aimed at the wall. Once there was only one row of buildings between me and the wall, I scoured for guards around me.

With no one in sight I stripped the uniform and armor off and piled it near an intersection. The cross alley headed straight for the east wall. I'd proven more than once that I could scale the walls so leaving my disguise there would hopefully convince many people that I'd already gotten out of the city.

Once the morning came and I was accompanying the caravan, if the bait was taken, the guards should be reduced in number. On top of that they should have become less vigilant of anyone still in the city. Being up all night probably won't help either.

For good measure, I climbed back up to the boards over the alleys and backtracked to the warehouse. By now, I had less than ten minutes to get in the doors and register. After confirming there were no guards in sight I dropped to the ground and walked out into the open.

The warehouse was sandwiched between two others and took up about 800 square meters. The front of the building faced Market Street, which lead to the main east-west road to head out of town. While the back of the building faced another street that was inhabited by more warehouses. On both sides of the building, there were two huge doors that would allow any transportation to go in one and out the opposite. Near the corners of the building there were service doors for people to enter without getting in the way.

One of the service doors were open, so, I figured it was my best bet of where to go. Inside the door was a table off to the left with two piles of paper on it. Behind it sat a middle-aged man and in front stood a younger man talking to him. While the two men talked, I looked around and waited.

Boxes were stacked at least ten feet high while some were nearing the ceiling at close to thirty feet. To my left, behind the table and men, was the wall that opened into the local offices. To my right were the carriages which were currently being loaded by more than forty people. The staff of Swat Merchant Outfit all wore uniforms and were directing the show from the sidelines.

"Can I help you?" The man sitting at the table caught my attention as the other guy walked away.

"Oh, yes." Stepping closer I pulled out the job information I got at the brothel and handed it to him.

"I was told to report here."

"Here for guard duty? What's your name?" He asked as took the paper from me and looked down at a list in front of him.

"Jefferies."

"Ah, yes, here you are. You applied last night. Perfect timing, we were lacking a few men. It looks like your strength is close-quarter fighting with little elemental power." The man placed the paper on top of the left pile, made a note on the one in front of him, and looked up at me before continuing. "You're right on time. My name is Cade, and I am in charge of security. Closer to departure I'll gather all guards for last minute orders. For now, follow the orders of the Swat staff to finish loading the goods. Do not look into the crates."

"Yes, sir." I replied before walking over to the nearest person wearing a Swat uniform.

Before I could get a word out, I was being yelled at to start moving the boxes. Knowing I couldn't afford to draw attention I followed the orders and hurried over to a pile of boxes others had already started to move.

For the next half hour, I moved boxes and bags, camping equipment and tools enchanted with elemental magic. Finally, though, we were told to rest after the carriages were over-flowing. I started counting the carriages and noticed that the eleven mentioned on the job request were full of merchandise to be transported. That left no room for passengers.

Sighing to myself as I just realized I was expected to walk the entire way to Absome.

I walked sluggishly over a pile of boxes we weren't taking and slid to the floor. I was sore from moving the heavy boxes and tired from being awake and alert the entire night. Now I was going to have to walk for hours on end while fulfilling my job as a guard.

Moments later I felt someone come up next to me and sit down. By now I was the furthest thing from an upright, proper noble and no one had said anything about my identity that I figured I was safe for the moment.

"Hey there escapee." Recognizing the voice, I realized how wrong my thoughts were.

"Tony." I breathed out.

Looking over I saw an old acquaintance.

"What a surprise it was to see you here. I heard about you hours ago and you're still not caught? Never would have thought you were that good. But now you got me curious, what could you have stolen to warrant the high bounty? It must be something quite interesting... and valuable."

Tony wasn't what you would call smart, but he wasn't that stupid either. Simple and naïve might be better descriptions. Given that he was keeping his voice down it was likely that he hadn't told anyone else that he'd recognized me. I also couldn't afford to run out on my only way out of the city. Taking a chance, I decided to talk to Tony first.

"Yeah, it might have been valuable, had I actually been able to steal it before triggering an explosion. I'm sure you heard about the explosion. Sven Charduke, my cousin, was one of the guards caught in it. As for me, it sent me flying out the window."

"You actually expect me to believe you broke into the castle, escaped, and now have a bounty on your head and you didn't steal anything?" Clear disbelief colored his words.

"The chest I was breaking into was made of Modrium. Do you really think I could break into something like that?" I rebutted hoping Tony would underestimate me, just like most people.

"Modrium? Well... what about the bounty? If you didn't steal anything, why is it so high?"

"Probably because I broke into the castle. Also, I bet it's because I know about the chest now. The royal family wants to keep all knowledge of that chest and whatever is inside, to themselves." Tony seemed to be considering my story, so I added one last push. "I wish I'd gotten inside, just to see what it was."

I could see that Tony wasn't totally convinced but I had placed enough doubt to confuse him. It was likely that he thought I didn't have anything of value on me, but the bounty was another story. If I couldn't convince him to keep quiet, it wouldn't matter what I said. Everyone in the building would be coming for my head.