Ridge: Day One

14. THE DAY OF ESCAPE

Hamel rushed along the streets, heading east toward the edge of the city. Word, by that point, would have spread to many of the soldiers. Every second he spent in the city decreased his chances of getting away. Soon, every soldier would be on the lookout for the man who dared to break into the Honored Matir's home.

As a General, he had the advantage of knowing the guard rotation and placement—unless Cuttel had changed it all. He did not think he would have. The Captain's attention would be on his new wife.

Hamel felt a pang of guilt. He could not believe the course of action had cost him his chance to be at his daughter's wedding. He knew he would do the same thing again, given the need, but it did not ease the pain.

He pushed the thought out of his mind and focused on the assassins he had met. He considered their faces, trying to think if he had ever seen either man before. Neither one looked familiar in any way, and there had been nothing on their persons to suggest any affiliation or provide means of identification.

The only thing that stood out to him was their movement. He had only seen the second assassin in action, but the man had moved with grace and skill, yet in a very unfamiliar fashion. Hamel had been trained in different styles of fighting and had trained countless others in those same disciplines, but at no point had he ever seen or experienced someone who fought as that man had. The assassins had received their training outside of Ridge.

That thought disturbed Hamel.

He pulled his mind back to the matter at hand. He needed to get out of the city and into the wilderness. It was time to leave the Capital.

The greatest challenge was not the city. If he were careful, he could make his way past the guards with little difficulty.

The challenge lay at the boundary. There was always a solid guard posted to watch for threats from the wilderness.

Unlike the western side of the city, which had two walls to protect the people from Beasts in the valley, the eastern side of the city had no natural or structural defense. The guards often used the empty houses on the border as checkpoints and command posts out of which the officers on duty could operate.

Beyond the houses ran a road that circled much of the city, and beyond that were Karotel's new houses. On the other side of Karotel's houses was the vast wilderness separating the People of the Ridge from their allies, the Olmosites.

The guard patrolled the road, and it would be difficult to cross unseen. His only hope was to move fast and keep low.

Hamel climbed to the roof of an empty house within sight of the edge of the city. He examined the guard and was pleased to see nothing had changed.

The soldiers stood on every seventh house and kept watch on the open area. Their role was to make sure the guards on patrol were consistent and to fill in any holes.

The position was more tradition than anything. They had no declared enemies to the east. Only the Olmosite Nation lay in that direction, and they had been allies for years. Other enemies lay far to the north and had not approached the Capital in generations. To the south was nothing but wasteland and to the west was the Valley Floor.

There were rumors of other nations on the far side of Olmos, but while relations with Olmos remained solid, they stood as a shield against possible threats. Every battle Hamel had fought in over the years had either been at the Valley Wall or far from the Capital.

He climbed back down to the ground and changed his cloak to a deep blue, matching the cloaks the guards wore. He knew if he were to get too close to a guard, the uniform would not hide his identity. Most guards would recognize him on sight. In the darkness, however, the cloak would be enough for his purposes.

Once he had his disguise, he approached one of the houses right at the edge of the city and climbed the stairs. The guard saw him approach but did not react. Hamel kept his head down and his hood raised as he stepped onto the roof. He saluted the man and walked forward. The darkness continued to work in his favor.

He took a quick glance to the left and the right. The sentries on either side were just visible in the darkness. They would not notice a problem unless they were looking right at him.

The guard quietly said, "We've been given warning that the disgraced Patir is out among the city and must be apprehended. I know I wouldn't want to meet up with him," the guard said with a chuckle as he turned his eyes back to the road. "You're a bit early to relieve me, but I don't mind. I'd like to..."

Hamel attacked, and the man crumpled to the ground. He checked the guards on the houses to his left and right again, but neither of them had reacted. He hoped that meant they had not seen anything.

He crouched low and pulled a small rope and a gag out of his pack. He tied the man securely and stuffed the guard's mouth full of the cloth before tying that in as well.

Years ago, in his first year after joining the military, he had awoken tied and gagged as a prank by the other soldiers. He had not enjoyed the experience and did not wish to cause the man such discomfort, but he needed to get out of the city.

Hamel made his way north to the next house with a guard and, in a similar fashion, disabled the man and tied him securely. Two guards removed would leave an unguarded distance of twenty-one houses. In the dark, that was more than enough space for him to make his way through.

He moved back to the middle of the newly unguarded area. The night was overcast, but the moon peeked out now and then. He would have to be quiet, stay low, and move fast, but he would make it through. He waited until the two guards on patrol along the road were far enough away that they would not hear him as he moved. Stealing his way to the other side, he reached the fields and rushed through to Karotel's houses.

The houses Karotel had built were of an unusual style. Most homes in the Ridge Capital were large, two-storied homes. Karotel's houses, however, were different. They had virtually no property to them such as grassy areas or trees in which children could play in safety and peace. The houses were built almost right upon one another with just a narrow space between each one. There were also no windows on the side of the wilderness. Hamel had to admit, the wilderness was not much to look at, but it was odd that all the windows should point toward the city. The houses were also quite tall. Each house stood nearly forty feet. No homes were built in such a manner in the Capital.

His shoulders rubbed the solidly built house on either side as he made his way between them. In another moment, he stepped out into the wilderness. Behind him lay not only what was left of his family, his home, and his entire life, but also all that he loved in the world. Ahead lay danger, the unknown, and solitude.

It was a high price to pay, but he would find his answers. His people would not fall to the Beasts.

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