Endalia

Alyssa Ashley II

         I’ve been sitting in this jail cell for a few days now. It’s absolutely annoying. Fortunately, I’ve not been idle. The Rogue of Downsweep is never idle. It’s not as if it’s the first time I’ve been trapped in a jail cell.

         I recognize it as time to put my plan into motion when only one guard comes down to give me my midday meal.

         “Hey there, sweetheart. Nice to see you again, don’t you agree?” I say, deceptively sweet to him.

         “I s’pose. Here’s ya rice and yer tea.” He reaches in the cell to drop the bowl down. Then he reaches in with his other hand to drop the tea in. Talk about idiocy. This will be easier than expected.

         I press myself against the bars. Pretending to feel him up, I take his keys. I stand. He’s not really a man. He’s more like a grubby teenager found on the streets. Figures.

         I step back. I smile seductively. “Heya.” I say. I hold up his keys. “Need something?”

         He looks at his belt and struggles to find the keys. Idiot. When will guards learn that if you’re holding up their keys, they don’t have them?

         Stepping up to the plate, I reach out of the bars. I smack him with all the force I got. Considering the Writing on my wrists to improve hand-to-hand combat, it’s hard enough to put this teenager down and out.

         I turn the keys towards the lock and try to figure out which key is for this lock. Turns out to be the fourth key.

         “Excellent.” I say as I step on the unconscious guard. “Thanks for your help. Now the Rogue of Downsweep may over-throw the grand King of Akjamani. I always knew the Plains Giants were idiots in government.”

         I walk down the hall in front of my cell. As I do, I remember what happened after I was hit by the cannonball.

         I asked around to find out. Apparently I splintered into about a thousand different pieces, similar to what would happen if a ship was hit by a cannonball. Then I started reforming, but not quite right. Kind of like something went wrong. Whatever happened, I’m going to escape this compound in the next few minutes. Plains Giants are notoriously lax in security.

         As I round the corner at the end of the hallway, I see some guards playing cards. They barely look up as I pass by.

         “Hey.” I say, and nod at them. They grunt in response, and then one of them plays a card.

         I walk past the guards. Into the Palace, as I’m probably in the dungeon right now. Might not be. I’ve never been in the Akjamani Prison before. At least, not this one.

         I walk up the steps, open a door, and find myself staring at a grand feast. What an odd place to put a door.

         There are guests everywhere, each of them at least fifteen feet tall. They won’t notice me so far below their noses. I simply meander through them and eventually end up on the other side of the room. There’s a table at face height right in front of me. I reach out and grab a glass of juice. I don’t drink alcohol. Could kill me, as a Tree-Person.

         I leave the place, then find myself in the hall where I was exploded into wood splinters. It’s not hard to simply leave the throne room. It’s not like the King is in there. With no king comes no guards. Like I said, the Plains Giants are notoriously lax in security.

         I leave the throne room. I find myself in a courtyard. Excellent. I climb stone walls like these easily. I skip over to one. Scampering up it isn’t much of a problem.

         I get to the top. Ah… I think. There’s my city.

         Getting down isn’t a problem. It’s only a short fall to the bottom. I fall.

         Landing, I look around. Where I should go now is my question. Should I go to my Tree-People and rouse them for a nice war against the Plains Giants? Or should I rouse the people who follow the Rogue of Downsweep? If I rouse both, they’ll fight among themselves.

         Then I start hearing people screaming near the docks.