The first guard thudded to the floor as my arrow hit him at the back. I had to stand behind him, preparing myself for his body to land on me. The impact wasn't as bad as I expected but I buckled slightly under his weight. Still, I had no time to dwell on it. I had to act fast. I wrapped my arms under his body and lowered him to the ground as silently as I could before dragging his body into the dense hedges nearby.
We were hidden by the shadows of the night but my eyes still scanned the surroundings hoping no one saw anything. Satisfied with that I continued my journey deeper into Lord Skarde's Manor, pressing myself against the cold stone wall.
From here I could make out the tall building where I knew the event was going to be held and inside of it too were the prisoners that would fight to their death for their own survival.
Heather had prepared everything just like she had said. She had prepared me with enough information for me to know what to expect. But as I stared at the towering building my mind became overwhelmed with anxiety.
The prisoners were a lot. I didn't know the exact number just yet but I knew it was almost impossible to get them out. When Heather had presented this strategy, it seemed like such a great plan then but I knew it couldn't be done without help.
I alone couldn't do this, it would be nice to have someone extra, someone who is strong and very smart, someone like Reagan!
But I couldn't get him involved in this, he was on the hunt for me as ordered by my father and he already had his suspicions that I was hiding something from him, he just didn't know what it was, not yet. I just can't imagine what was going to happen when he actually found out about my identity.
Perhaps that is the real reason you are avoiding him! A tiny voice whispered accusingly in my mind and it wasn't wrong.
These past days alone, I've realized that the reason I was avoiding Reagan wasn't because of Celeste's sudden news, although it was preferable for him and everyone to think that's the reason. I also realized it was best Reagan and I put some distance between us, go back to where we were before this our make believe started. I just can't seem to imagine what would have happened if he ever finds out my secret, about my identity.
There was not going to be any forgiveness and it was going to be a disaster we can't come back from.
Shaking my thoughts away from my mind, I decided to focus on the task at hand. It might be difficult but I was going to do it, I would get them out one way or another.
Feeling more determined, I grabbed two daggers and then with speed that seemed almost impossible I did a little sprint across the wall then launching myself in the air, I threw both daggers.
The men's eyes widened but with accurate precision the daggers struck them in their respective target before they fell down to the ground with a thud.
I didn't even bother to hide their bodies, instead I just walked past it and entered the building.
The moment I entered the building, I could hear light music coming from somewhere and then laughter sounded along with the soft chattering of people. The atmosphere felt strangely cheerful while the setup for prisoner entertainment continued without delay which reduced my available time drastically. Whatever they had planned was set to happen very soon.
I hurriedly walked down the hallway, my feet moving swiftly as the soles of my boots silent against the shiny hallway floor. As I descended further I noticed the temperature dropping while the smooth floor tiles transitioned to rugged dim corridors. I had no doubt this route led to the dungeon. Heather's map appeared in my thoughts showing each corner and every dead end that burned in my mind.
I heard the clang of keys and the doors opening. I immediately pressed myself against the grime wall, blending into the shadows as I heard muffled voices along with the sound of chains dragging across the floor. It didn't take long before I saw some guards come out of the dungeon while dragging some prisoners along.
I counted five prisoners all of them of different age gaps and when I looked closely I thought I could see an old man and my eyes widened when I realized it was the man from before, the man I had seen in Lord Skarde's residence!
Had he been captured too? I asked myself as I continued to stare at the man while remaining hidden in the shadows.
The prison guards pulled their victims through the corridor while their strong boots made pounding noises against the surface of stone. The chains sounded from prisoners who walked while stooped over because the guards believed their spirits had been broken.
I waited for the guards to drag the prisoners past me. I moved quietly forward, the torches on the wall extending just beyond the location I moved forward to. A guard trailed behind them, his posture relaxed, he didn't even sense me coming towards him. And before he could, I reached up and wrapped one arm around his neck while my other hand clamped down tightly on his mouth muffling his shouts.
He struggled against me and before his movements could alert the others, I grabbed his neck and twisted it to the side firmly. I winced at the sound of bone crunching just as the guard slumped against me.
The prisoner the guard was escorting turned to look at him, and I raised a finger up to my lips. Silently instructing him to keep his mouth shut and strangely enough the prisoner complied and continued walking not drawing any attention.
I lowered the guard to the ground and started moving trying to find my next target but before I could grab him, the guard suddenly turned his eyes widening for a minute before they narrowed into a hard glare.
"Who are you?" He asked in a gruff tone.