Many hands were on repairing the boat, the sail was already in place and pitch was being applied trying to seal the worst holes. Everyone was working fast and motivated thanks to Lyaria's coins.

The sun was barely visible on the horizon, but this did not matter, the light of several fires and torches served to work even during the night. There was no hour when that ship was not being repaired.

"Do we have to get him out so soon? One week?”

"In a week the ship won't be able to navigate the ice without breaking in half." The old carpenter answers with life in his eyes and no alcohol in his veins. The idea of sailing had aroused an enthusiasm that he thought had died.

“It's impossible, we can't, it's very little time. The only way to achieve it is by force...” Dartan hugs his wife trying to protect her from the cold sea wind.

“Maybe it's possible with more time, but now… I'm sorry Lyaria, I agree with my brother, it's impossible.”

Lyaria knows that she couldn't be irrational and demand the impossible, they had already helped her by taking risks up to this point.

“Okay, this changes everything. Maybe Ezer will manage to hide his identity during the winter or maybe not. I have to prepare myself for those two situations.”

“We can gain influence inside the prison with coins, we just need someone with an open mind and pocket to pass information to Ezer and be able to coordinate. It will be difficult, but we will start with something.”

"We don't have to rush repairs anymore, let's save some coins by slowing down." Anali suggests.

A brief silence falls over the conversation, everyone recognizes Lyaria's concern by her face. However, a soft scream breaks the silence and the noise of the waves, it gets louder and louder until it is finally heard next to the group.

“I-I have information…! I have information…” The boy approaches Grige trying to control his breathing so he can speak.

“Speak!”

"Ahh ... Ahh ... Coin first..." He extends one hand and the other rests it on his agitated chest.

“Speak.” Grige repeats again, slipping two copper coins into the malnourished child's palm.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“I was playing with some friends… Ah! But I was paying attention to the prison as ordered, of course. It was very early in the morning and we just woke up to go out after…”

“Keep it short, little one.” Dartan suggests to the boy that clearly had no experience giving a report.

“Eh? oh! Yes, emm … a lot of screaming began to be heard in the prison. I was very brave and decided to get closer, not like my friends who…” The boy swallows saliva when he sees Dartan 's angry look that suggested that he has to go to the important part. “ So I decided to approach the alley, I could see how several people jumped the wall directly to the ground and ran in many directions.”

"He managed to escape…" Lyaria whispers to herself before starting to run towards the prison.

---------------------------

“Now what?” Nataña asks as the three of them try to normalize their breathing by resting behind a half-fallen house in the slums.

“We have to find Lyaria.”

"I just hope she's as trustworthy as you make her out to be." Anjani looks out of the corner of his eye at the narrow street where another of the prisoners was passing with no direction in mind.

"What's the second plan?" Nataña asks again.

“The walls end cutting the waves, If we go along the beach and into the sea… maybe we can reach the other side.”

"Do you know what temperature those waters should be?"

“It's the second plan for a reason.”

"We must start moving, the soldiers will soon flood every corner of the city. Any idea where that woman might be?" Anjani stops looking, seeing no other movement nearby.

“The best thing is that she finds us. You just have to wait for her to find my scent.” Ezer does not wait for an answer and starts to advance through the corners left by the houses stuck to each other.

“What? Smell? I hear well?

Anjani just shrugs and follows Ezer's footsteps, seconds later, Nataña does the same.

The city was already fully illuminated by the sun rising above the walls that surrounded it. Screams can be heard when some prisoners enter the houses looking for clothes or food, screams can be heard when a prisoner kills a person in the middle of the street to steal his things, screams can be heard...

Ezer simply stops paying attention to the other inmates, if he didn't, he would drown in guilt.

To the sounds of screaming is added the smell of smoke, above the roofs of the houses in the distance, several black columns could be seen rising.

“Fire! Do you think it could be the others?” Nataña asks referring to the prisoners.

“I don't think so, it wasn’t long and it's impossible that they ran to the other side of the city so fast.” Anjani gives clothes to both of them to keep the warm, where he got them from, it was clear.

"I think it's Lyaria... Only she would act so fast.”

"So it's a sign. Shall we go to her?"

“No, there is no point in going to a place where all the soldiers will be. We have to go in the opposite direction, towards the port.”

The distance was not far, they would not take long to arrive if it were not for the footsteps of the soldiers that could now be heard in every street and corner.

“We don't have any weapons.” Ezer points out.

"Then we just have to get ones." Anjani approaches the corner of a house and crouches like an animal waiting for its prey.