The moment Ralan said to save Raef and Alard, Maela grabbed at him, but he was too fast. She considered jumping out and cutting down the two guards before they could grab him, but to her shock, Ralan was quick, agile, and incredibly resourceful. Like a thief, Maela thought, smiling. Two things struck her when Ralan tripped a knight further down the hall, turning him into a small yet tangible barrier to those pursuing him. He had attracted everyone's attention, and he might actually escape.

With all eyes on Ralan, Maela sprinted down the hall and quickly picked the lock of the iron door leading to the catacombs. As she closed it behind her she had to shake her head. Ralan had done it. Now she didn't have to rush as she navigated the catacombs and freed Alard and Ralan's friend. Her only concern was how many guards awaited her downstairs.

Pulling a wicked looking dagger from her waistband, Maela started down the steps. To her surprise, there were no guards at the bottom. In fact, as she stepped into the long hall of cells, there were no guards at all. It was very dark, with the only light coming from weak and sparse torches. There was a brighter light that came from the bottom of another set of steps leading down in the distance.

The very first cell on the left contained a shadow, and Maela whispered, "Alard?" There was the sound of shuffling and then a young man walked over. He was bruised but looked healthy.

"Who are you?"

"Shh!" Maela held a finger to her lips. "Are you Raef?"

"Yes. Who are you?"

Maela started to work on the lock with her picks. "I'm a thief, and I'm here to free you." There was a click and Maela tugged the prison door open. "Now shut up and wait here. When I come back, be prepared to run up the steps and out the exit. On the Circle, there is a wagon. Jump on one of the horses in front of it and just give it a kick. Can you ride well?"

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Well enough not to fall off."

"That works. The horses are trained to just gallop to the Old Quarter. So you'll be fine."

Maela started down the hall. "Wait," Raef whispered, urgency in his voice.

"What?" Maela asked, walking back. "We don't have time for chit chat."

"Is Ralan okay?"

"He's fine. He's probably already on his way to the Old Quarter." I hope, Maela thought. Raef nodded and smiled.

She left him and paused at the top of the stairs. She couldn't see down into the lower hall, so she kept her head low to see what faced her as she silently crept down the staircase. As the hall opened up to her view, she could see a single guard sitting on a stool. He was in the middle of the hall with his back to Maela, facing a single thick iron door at the end. There were no bars and no windows. Just the door.

Alard is alone and in darkness, Maela thought, clenching her teeth. She wondered how badly he had been hurt. If he would be unable to walk on his own, she would have to abandon saving him.

She glanced at the guard. She could easily sneak up and kill him, either by slitting his throat or a well-placed stab between his chain mail links. He would never know what happened to him. Her instincts were to do just that, but thinking over Ralan's plan to have him blamed made her think twice.

A professional would slit his throat. A stupid friend would just try to knock him out. Maela twirled the dagger in her hand. It had a convenient hard steel pommel. Of course, knocking people out was more art than science—you had to use the right force on the right spot right above the back of the neck. Risky, but a good risk.

Maela snuck forward, twirled the dagger in her hand as she approached, and at the last second grasped it pommel down and slammed it into the back of the guard's head. He slumped to his left and slid off the wooden chair to the floor. Maela kissed her dagger, spun it again, and then sheathed it in her waistband.

[https://i.imgur.com/Xqgb2MS.jpeg]