The Trickster's Test {Prinxiety}

Chapter 12

Third Person

Virgil's escape plan thus far had been handed to him on a silver platter by Alexia, the only problem would be the door. Even if someone happened to drop the key through the small window, he wouldn't be able to get it into the lock on this side of the door. The little opening in it made it impossible for him to fit more than his hand through. After an hour or so of meticulously going over ideas as to how he'd get past the first and simplest obstacle, he had little choice but to wait for an opportunity to arise.

It would be better to leave at night anyway, he supposed. He ended up letting himself drift off to sleep with that idea, knowing he'd be better equipped to escape if he wasn't half-asleep, waking up a spare few hours later. Of course, he didn't have any clue what time it was or how long he had been asleep when he woke up, only that there was a small gap between the door and dungeon wall that wasn't there before.

As it turned out, doors that had no latch often wouldn't stay closed entirely when unlocked. Virgil personally discovered this when he was able to lightly push the door open. It looked like whoever was supposed to lock the door when they brought him back was going to get in a lot of trouble with Dallas, or Alexia had stopped by with the key. Either way, that took away the first major problem he had trouble finding a solution to, getting to the exit undetected being the next.

It was a well-known fact that generations ago, during the Trade Wars, that most merchant and noble homes were constructed to have at least one emergency exit. These exits were usually hidden, and kept secret from everyone but the family that lived there. Trapdoors that were built into the floor of a room were especially common.

And, although he could be wrong, Virgil believed there was a hatch of that sort in the room where he last spoke with Alexia and Dallas. There was simply no other reason for her to bring up the climbing story and butcher her own native language.

The Ouranian language was based largely in association, so to people learning it for the first time, it was easy to mix up words like blanket and pillow. But, to someone who'd known how to speak it before the universal language, it couldn't be an accident that Alexia had said 'tequellos u preita.' When directly translated, it means 'below your shoes,' and happened to be very close to the phrase for your boots. To someone who wasn't fluent in Ouranian, like Dallas for instance, it was easy to miss the slip-up, finding nothing wrong with the sentence, but to Virgil, it was a hint. It was her way of helping, to give him a perfect escape route without incriminating herself in the process.

This was all assuming that he had read her right, of course.

It had been years since he'd even seen Alexia, she could have changed so much in that time. It was entirely possible she'd gotten fuzzy on the finer details of the language from disuse, especially if she tried learning a new one. It wasn't a stretch to assume that there was no trapdoor at all, because why would she even know it was there? He could just be deluding himself with the desire to escape and potentially rekindle his friendship with Lex, and that was almost as dangerous as sitting around and waiting for something to happen.

Now, all Virgil had to do was get to the maybe there, maybe not trapdoor. Preferably, without getting killed.

He was well aware he likely wouldn't get out of here without having to hurt someone, the Geminian thieves almost ensuring that. There would most likely be one at the entrance to the prison, and if they all knew about the possibly there hatch, another would be in the back room. And while Virgil didn't think his combat skills were exactly lacking, he didn't believe they would be up to the standard of trained murderers; he'd need a weapon.

Sharp objects weren't kept in the dungeons of noble homes very often, the owners learning pretty quickly how bad of an idea it was. Although, a sword or two could usually be found on the ground floor, usually in the dining room under the family crest. That wouldn't help him with anyone at the entrance to the prison, so he was screwed for now if he couldn't find something.

His best bet ended up being a loose rock, mostly because it was basically the only thing down there that had the potential to be halfway dangerous. So, he ended up climbing the stone stairs as silently as possible with a large rock, that he may or may not end up dropping on his own foot. It was more likely an option than most would think. He stopped at the door, debating for a minute if it'd be better for him to open the door himself or bait someone on the outside to do it for him. He ultimately decided it would be best for him to do it, so he could possibly have the element of surprise on his side.

The man standing guard didn't appear to be with the Geminian thieves, which might be why he had barely reacted before Virgil hit him over the head with the rock. It would have been better to hide the now unconscious man from sight, but he couldn't move him on his own even on his best day. He settled for leaving the area quickly with the hope of getting out before anyone came to switch positions.

His first and only detour was to the dining room, where he was able to get a sword that could use a good sharpening, but would suffice so long as he didn't need it for anything more than slicing bread. From there, the trip to the back room was just a matter of staying quiet and hoping he could hear anyone approaching before they heard him. Once inside the room he shut and locked the door behind him, quickly shoving the carpet aside. And sure enough, a hatch was built into the floor there that pulled open with some effort, years without use making it creak horribly. A rotten ladder used to be the intended way down, but there was no way it would support the weight of a leaf, let alone a person. It wasn't that big of a drop though, so he didn't mind having to lower himself down into it. His biggest problem with the escape route was that he couldn't close the hatch, fix the carpet, and get into the tunnel; they would know exactly how he got out.

Oh well, as long as he got a big enough head start it wouldn't matter. Probably.

The tunnel was dark and cramped, but thankfully dry. He would have expected the place to flood several times a year so the cold, crisp walls were a bit of a relief. It was a straight shot out, the tunnel ending much sooner than he would have preferred. When he climbed out, he realized that was because the tunnel ended not even ten feet behind the house; a poor design choice in his opinion. The original homeowners either had no idea how to make a proper escape route or they simply didn't have the resources to make one effective enough to be out of sight of the house.

"Holy sh!t she was actually telling the truth," Virgil jumped at the sound of someone speaking, barely recognizing them in time to keep the sword at his side. Impaling his own personal guard wouldn't do him any good.

"Roman? What the hell are you doing here? Actually no, how are you here?" Virgil immediately bombards him, while the other engulfs him in a quick hug.

He releases Virgil, "I was one of the people sent out to come find you, and Logan suggested I watch over Caiser because it's the biggest port in Ouranious. While I was asking around, a dark-skinned girl approached me and told me exactly where you'd be tonight. At first I thought she was lying but I had to be sure and-"

"Alexia found you? Did you happen to see if she was with anyone before you talked?" If anyone that was involved with his kidnapping saw them talking, it could put her at risk. While Virgil would like to believe she wouldn't do something so stupid, she had a habit of not worrying about her own well-being when someone she cares about is in danger.

"Not from what I could tell, no," He responded, clearly confused, "How did she know where you were in the first place, and how do you know her name from only a vague description?"

Virgil waved off his questions, "It's a long story, one I'd rather not tell you until we're far away from here."

"If you're looking to get away from here, I can help with that." 

A/N: I'm honestly so happy I got to rewrite the bit in this chapter about Alexia clueing Virgil in to the trapdoor, because I always kinda hated the inital way it was hinted, not the fact that she subtly told him, causing a cliffhanger and payoff chapter. Using the made up Ouranian language just sits so much better with me than her drawing attention to Virgil kicking in a window, then "hey wait, you use your feet to kick in windows, that window was below me, maybe there's something below me. Trapdoor!"