It was supposed to be a quick job, in and out, no problems. Accidentally freeing a high profile prisoner on her way out and subsequently discovering an evil scheme, was not part of the plan.
Suddenly, it's her own face that Kaia finds on the front o...
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The alarm kept blaring as Tyler and I sprinted to a door opposite of the one we'd broken into. I stopped short as I noticed a teenager, maybe fifteen years old, in one of the cells we ran by. His eyes were the only ones I'd seen that still looked somewhat clear to me.
He was very skinny, just like the rest, making the runes on his upper body look even more pronounced. Unlike the others, his runes were pulsating with dim light as if his body was still fighting to assimilate the amount of mana. Some of the prisoners were banging on the walls, shouting and crying, riled up by the noise, but he was watching us quietly.
His eyes were the worst. Although they were still somewhat clear, he looked hopeless. For someone so young, he lacked life in a sense.
Tyler had broken down the door in a similar fashion as before, and finally realized that I had stopped. "Kaia, we have to go!" he shouted at me.
I knew we had to, but still, I hesitated. My eyes scanned the prison cell and its runes.
If I overload the set on the right, maybe I can-
My thoughts got disrupted by Tyler, who'd grabbed my arm again and started dragging me towards the opening he'd created.
"Ty wait, we ca-"
He stopped, turned, and put my face between his hands, forcing me to meet his gaze. "Listen, K. We cannot save or help anyone here. Trust me, I know." His eyes were dead serious when he looked at me.
I dropped my gaze and nodded in defeat. Deep down I knew he was right. It just felt so wrong to leave all these people at the mercy of their jailors.
He took my hand, and this time I didn't shake him off. Before we left, however, he threw a small but sharp knife towards the boy. And then, we were running again.
It took us around one hour to finally get out of the mountain. Tyler led us through the maze of tunnels. We dodged most of the guards that were looking for us. Those we couldn't avoid were taken care of quickly.
I felt kind of dull when I looked up at the sky that was turning brighter every second as morning approached. This discovery changed everything. For months, people from guilds, the officials, and everyone else was clueless as to how so many Skeiran had appeared recently. Now, I finally found the answer, but it was not something I could just go out and broadcast to the world.
Victor Cane.
I had identified the council member who ran this place previously. He was the one behind all this. I kept twirling my knives, lost in thought, as I contemplated how to approach this.
Victor Cane definitely not someone to be trifled with. His rise to power was still somewhat recent but he had already firmly established his position. He represented progress, innovation, and campaigned to support the "little man." I supposed his innovational drive ran a bit deeper than expected.
