Song of the White Nightingale

Chapter IX | Escape and Rescue

"A Unionizer? Isn't this place run by the Collective?" Sam asked.

"I'm undercover," Jaak replied. "I was spying around to gather intel, but I found you two. Now I gotta get you guys out of here."

"How'd you know who we were?" Kara asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Jaak said as he began to search through the desks and cabinets in the room. "Strange clothes, unfamiliar language. You guys looked like lost puppies."

Kara and Sam shrugged, embarrassed by their lack of experience. Kara noticed he was still looking through all the drawers in the room. "What are you looking for? How can we help?"

"I'm trying to find anything we can use as a weapon. I've got my spear, but that still leaves you two unarmed." Jaak pulled a knife out from the inside of his boot, and the light reflecting off the blade blinded them just slightly. "Either of you two good with a knife?"

"I gutted a fish once," replied Sam. Jaak tossed him the knife, and Sam's sweaty hands almost missed it.

Jaak chuckled, and readied himself behind the door. "Stay close to me, and run fast. We won't have much of a fighting chance, so don't engage unless you absolutely need to."

Kara and Sam stood next to him. Sam swallowed a giant gulp.

"Ready? Now!" The three burst through the door and began running down the curved hallway. At first they didn't spot any guards, but sure enough they spotted a few as they darted across open spaces and up a staircase. They went through a door and found themselves on the balcony of the second story in a courtyard. As they ran across the balcony, a few guards came towards them from the other side, but Jaak was able to quickly disengage them with a few hits and kicks, even tossing one guard over the railing. The man fell directly onto a table full of cards and drinks, and the guards and officials from down below soon realized they were escaped prisoners, and got up to grab their helmets and spears.

"These guards are everywhere! How are we going to escape?" Sam asked.

Jaak looked at him and smiled. "Just trust me." Sam just rolled his eyes.

"Jump!" Jaak quickly hopped over the railing of the balcony and into a carriage. Kara and Sam hesitated, but then looked at each other and jumped in unison.

Jaak quickly took the reins and set the carriage in motion, and Kara and Sam almost lost their balance when the carriage shot forward. Jaak drove the carriage through the courtyard and under a bridge connecting two balconies on opposing sides into another courtyard. There they could see the massive wooden doors where they entered. Only this time it was guarded by at least twenty guards.

"Jaak! There's no way we'll get through that!" Kara said.

"Here, take the reins." Jaak tossed her the ropes, and stood up on the seat. He moved his hands around in a circle, and Kara could see a small light spark in his palms that quickly grew into a mellow flame. He took a defensive stance as he brought his hands together at his side, the fire growing in size and intensity. He motioned his hands forward forcefully as he shot a massive fireball from his palms. The soldiers scurried like bowling pins. The fireball blasted the wooden doors clean off the hinges, and Kara drove the carriage out of the citadel.

"Wow! That was amazing!" Sam had sat up when he realized they were out of the citadel. His eyes were wide as he looked at the damage Jaak's single blast had caused.

"We need to get out of the city. Take a right at the next street." Jaak sat down next to Kara, whose face was just as frantic as it was when they first burst out of the cell.