Chapter 21: The Silent Rescue

The sad and mesmerizing melody of the fiddle spread through the night, capturing the attention of the soldiers like a spell. Some stopped their patrols completely, while others approached the gates, trying to locate the source of that mysterious music. The old man continued to play, his fingers gliding over the strings with precision and emotion, while his eyes remained fixed on the fortress.

The music was having the desired effect. The soldiers, enchanted by the melody, lowered their guard, leaving gaps in their defenses. Seizing the moment, the old man moved through the shadows, his steps light and silent. He knew well the power of distraction, and music had become his most powerful ally.

As he played, he approached the gates of the fortress, where two guards stood attentively, but clearly involved in the music. The old man watched them for a moment, and then, with a smooth movement, stopped playing. The sudden silence was as striking as the music itself, leaving the guards confused and disoriented. Before they could react, the old man used the small knife the innkeeper had given him. In quick and precise movements, he incapacitated the guards, without taking their lives, but ensuring that they would not raise an alarm. With the gates now unguarded, he entered the fortress, the fiddle once again in his hands, ready to be used if necessary. Within the walls, the fortress was a maze of dark, cold corridors. The stone walls reflected the echo of distant footsteps, and the old man knew he did not have much time. He slipped through the corridors, avoiding the few soldiers who were still awake, guided only by his intuition and the desire to find the young man who had been taken. Finally, he heard muffled voices coming from a room at the end of a corridor. He approached cautiously and peeked through a crack in the half-open door. Inside, he saw the young man, chained to a wall, with a group of men around him. They spoke in low tones, discussing what seemed to be a cruel plan to use him in some military ritual.

The old man knew he had to act quickly. He pulled out his fiddle again and began to play a different melody, more intense, charged with an energy that seemed to reverberate off the walls of the fortress. The voices in the room stopped abruptly, the men looking around in confusion.

Using the confusion to his advantage, the old man entered the room with determined steps. The men, mesmerized by the music, did not notice his presence until it was too late. He used his knife to cut the chains that bound the young man, and then, in one swift movement, pushed him out of the room.

"Run!" whispered the old man, as he continued to play, keeping the men paralyzed by the melody.

The young man did not hesitate. He ran through the corridors, guided by the old man's quick instructions, until they were both outside the fortress, in the shadows of the mountains. The old man stopped playing, and the night returned to its usual silence.

"You are safe now," the old man said, as the young man caught his breath.

"What you did in there... it was like magic," the young man replied, still dazed.

"It was just music," the old man replied with a tired smile. "Now, let's go back. Your mother is waiting for you."

And together, they began to descend the mountain, leaving behind the fortress and the horrors it held. The mission was accomplished, but the old man's path continued, always toward the next destination, the next encounter, the next rescue.