So, what do I know so far? I know that Edwin was planted by my side by somebody, presumably Timothy, however, I cannot discard the nagging suspicion of it being Alex's work, as it aligns more with his personality. In either case, I will be considered dead by my would-be killer as soon as my ex-clerk-cum-poisoner returns home. Which, if my estimates are correct and I haven't lost any days to delirium, should be in a few hours. Of course, it remains to be seen if the assassin's words will be believed. Knowing my brothers and the prize they work toward, they will probably send someone to check on me to make sure I am indeed dead, and this town is the nearest one to the place where we camped, so when they fail to find my body, it will be checked as well. In theory, this should net me a couple of days of leeway before my brother's spy arrives, but I cannot afford the chance that the mastermind might already have an agent in place. If that is indeed the case, a messenger bird will take roughly eight hours to reach town from Bolexe's keep, but that doesn't account for the possibility that there might be magic communication means at play which would make the message arrive instantaneously.
Yeah, did I mention that Alvor is a fantasy world?
It becomes obvious to me that we must leave this town as soon as possible. Just a quick check at the temple and a couple of coins will ensure that the night guard will spill the beans about my presence, after which, checking the nearest inns will ensure that I will meet my doom, but where to go, and how to shake the hounds off my trail?
I try to recall the map of the area, thankfully an easy feat as the Duchy of Altlia borders with ours, and try to figure out a route. Wiverton, the capital of the duchy, is out of the question, as it is probably the first place the spies will check. However, there is another smaller port to the north of the capital in a town called Tineley. From there, I could hire a ship, but where to? If I recall the map correctly, to the north of this duchy is Bampundia, a huge kingdom that is bogged down in a war of attrition with its similarly sized northern counterpart kingdom of Dudgerid. The idea of escaping there only to get caught as a spy or pressed in the army does not appeal to me, so the two biggies are out. Sandwiched between the two in the east by the sea is a small duchy, Persburia. It is a cozy little duchy and would make a nice destination in different circumstances, but no matter what it is positioned between two warring giants, and while both sides have treaties with the Duke of Persburia, it wouldn't be a surprise for anybody if at some point one of the two kingdoms decided to take it over. So, my only choice is to go even further north and reach the Grand Duchy of Dalia. The Grand Duchy is unique in that its population is an amalgamation of humans from the southern states, elves from the Dominion of Bodgeridia in the south-west, dwarves from the western Marshian Empire, and a bunch of other races mixed in from all over the place. Gnomes, orcs, fairies, even dragons, each and all of them are welcome in the grand duchy. The previous grand duke instituted various policies that ensured the equality of his subjects no matter what their race might be, resulting in a thriving multicultural nation where it does not matter who and what you are as long as you follow the law. That should be far enough and a good place to hide. I still need to find a way to make my traces disappear, though.
Hmm, according to Edgard's beloved books there exist some magical masks capable of changing one's appearance. If we could manage to find two of those, everything else would be easy. However, where could we find them? While easy for an alchemist to make, their creation and use are generally outlawed, so… I guess the only ones that would have and use them would be criminals, which means that if I want the masks, I will have to find a way to access the underbelly of society, and quickly at that!
My thoughts are interrupted as I sense Alfric waking up with a snort. Immediately afterward, I feel him bringing his head close to mine and remaining still. I guess he is checking to see if I am still breathing. In other circumstances, I might have pranked the poor fellow, but now we are short on time, so I slowly open my eyes.
"Alfric."
Relief suffuses my butler's face as he realizes that I am awake.
"My Lord!"
Afterward, the relieved butler starts checking and prodding me everywhere but I cut him short with a wave of my hand.
"Belay that, Alfric, we don't have much time."
Alfric nods and sits back, well aware that it won't be long before we are discovered.
"Yes, my lord, you are right. Does my lord think that he will be able to travel?"
I frown, his way of talking is too much for me.
"First of all, Alfric, from now on no more sirs, my lords, and whatnot."
"But…"
"No buts. I am no longer a member of the baron's family and besides, if you were heard it would make it easier to be spotted by the spies. For now, I will take on the persona of a minor merchant and you will be my servant. What excuse did you give for my catatonic ass when you booked the room?"
"I told the innkeeper that bandits assaulted us, my l…"
I can hear Alfric swallow the word lord and smile at him in encouragement.
"All right, I assume you told the same to the temple's guard. Did you mention me being a noble to anyone?"
Alfric frowns and then freezes at my words,
"I… I might have…"
I sigh, this means we have to move fast.
"I don't blame you, Alfric, you were too worried to think clearly, but that means we need to leave now! We can make more detailed plans on the way. Also, from now on, my name is Paul."
"Indeed my l…, ehrm, Indeed Mr. Paul, but where to?"
"I think Padsdon for now, and from there to Tineley."
Alfric mulls a bit over my words, before asking,
"Why not go straight to Tineley? It would be faster."
I smile at him,
"Indeed it would, but Padsdon is one of the biggest markets in the duchy."
"Oh? Do we need to buy something?"
"Yeah, but I am unsure if we will be able to…"
I explain to him my thoughts about my brother's actions and my idea to acquire face-changing masks, to which he nods, surprised.
"I see, you are right, that would help a lot and Padsdon is our best bet. After all, wherever there is a big market there usually is a black market in the shadows."
I smile as my butler reaches the same conclusion that I have,
"My thoughts as well, Alfric. So let's get the hell out of here while we still can!"