บท 69: Diversion
Just as expected, the streets where lined with criminals. Their pace was slow as they crawled through the streets like timid cockroaches. I watched as the sea of people flucuated, a gentle tide coming in and evading back into the ocean. The murmurs that rose above the steady beat of feet across the stone pathway, was like a mother hushing her child back to sleep. But it came with a dark whisper of warning as they passed by. The gentle whisper of death caressed their lips as the words escaped their lips. Like a gentle chant, all I could hear was 'Laylia wants their heads.'
Who else would she be talking about other than us. We single handedly walked through her walls, the comfort of her own walls, her territory. Her privacy was disrupted, and the quiet comfort of the suprise she had been building for so long was now in disarray. No longer was she able to have the upper hand in her plot to over throw my home. At least that was the case if we could make it out of the city alive. For now, all I could do was watch the people float around the streets, gossiping as one does when something big happens.
But instead of brightly catty chatty women, it was filled with zombie like villans. All types of villans crowded the streets. Grim covered bodies, tightly fitted leather to shape ever curve and bulge of muscles. Their hair in gnarled messy do's as they placed their heads together in hushed sighs. Shifty eyes cast their dodgy gaze from left to right, their lips barely moving as to shield their conversations. The air was so fragile, it felt like one wrong move and the world would come shattering down in shards of panic and rage.
This nervous energy covering the air, only made my own growing nerves on edge. Nicklos was at my side as we quickly walked through the crowd, not once uttering a word. I guess he too was feeling a bit on edge, knowing that we where the reason the streets where growing ever quiet. I pulled my cloak tightly around myself, feeling slightly paranoid that they could see through my hooded cloak. Even though physically, not once did I ever meet their eyes, it still felt as if they could see right through me. It made my skin crawl with anxiety.
If it wasn't for Nicklos's close presence, I don't think that I would be able to pull something like this off. Dressing up a drunk homeless criminal up in our clothes. It might not even work given that the this person would look unkempt just like them. But with the word on the street that there was traitors amongst them, they might not even think twice until it was already too late. That was the hope anyway as we made our way through the crowd. Hoods pulled taught over our heads to cover our faces, we scoured the streets in search of our hope.
It had felt like forever when we finally found a candidate. Slumped against the wall in a dark alley way. Words fell out of his mouth, but not once forming a coherent word. Every now and then, he would giggle maniacally before placing a brown bottle to his lips. The sucking noise from his mouth was unsettling, making me uncomfortable as we apprached this gentleman. Upon further inspection as we got closer, he was an older man. His skin once taught and smooth, had aged horribly. It sagged like an over used sack of potatoes. It was dirt covered and rough with many permanent wrinkles covering his skin.
His eyes where half closed, leaving them into tight slits as he continued to babble nonsense to himself. His gums showed through his lips. There where no teeth present as he smiled in a stupor at us. The smell coming off his body was enough to make any sane person run away. The smell of infection wafted into my nose, permanently staining the smell of a living rotting corpse into my memory. I furrowed my brows together tightly as I held my grunts of displeasure, to myself.
"Alliah, hand me the clothes if you would." Nicklos muttered softly under his breath, trying to keep his own displeasure in check. Under the folds of my cloak, I pulled out the bright white uniform that Marquise had worn on the way here. The white fabric glared brightly in the dimly lit alley way. The gold lining glittered despite the lack of light. It seemed like the only clean and fresh looking pair of clothes as far as the eye could see. Folded neatly, I passed the linen to him with shakey hands, nausea rising into my throat as I inhaled his grimey stench.
"Stand guard at the entrance, I'll make this quick." Nicklos once again said, his voice becoming bland. I didn't have it in myself to argue with him, so I did as he said. I walked slowly down the alley way, keeping to the shadows of the closely placed walls. I continued to silently watch the crowd continue to bustle about. Despite knowing how dangerous these people actually where, it was interesting to watch them mill around. You wouldn't think that these people would form such cliques. It didn't matter what you where. You could be female, male, a whole different species all together, as long as you swung like them you where family.
It seemed that criminals were more accepting of other people that higer society. People spent so much time cursing each other and finding ways to take each other down, that they don't even realize how close we are to criminals are selves. I felt my chest tighten, knowing that once this was over, I would have to do my best to wash away the image my father created for me. Knowing that I myself will look like a criminal for trying to dethrone my father, and have to deal with both my sisters.
"Hopefully the other four are outside the wall. Let's get away from this alley way before we cause the diversion. We can't be looking suspicious." Nicklos said as he walked up from behind me. I jumped in suprise, being fully captivated by my own thoughts. A gentle hand was placed upon my shoulder, in silent reassurance. This diversion, if played out right, would grant us the time needed to escape the city. But that won't mean the journey home won't be filled with anxiety. Having tended to this inner war for so long already, I was begining to get more wary with every passing day.
"It's hard to say knowing the state Maxwell is in. He still looked really rough this morning despite how much Tucks worked on him. But considering how calm the crowd is, I doubt they have been spotted yet." I said casually, trying to hide my building angst. We moved away from the alley way, matching the pace of the moving crowd. Nicklos quietly grabbed my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"It's all most over Alliah. Just hang on a little longer." A small smile crested my lips, fully knowing well he was able to see through me. I wanted to reply to him, but before I could open my mouth, the chaos erupted.
"Hey! There is a Knight down here! He looks unconscious." A man yelled. His voice echoed and bounced off the walls, his announcement reaching through the city.
"Yeah he's right! It looks like he was knocked out. Let's get him and bring him to Laylia!" Another man cheerfully called out. I could feel my veins turn to ice. My anxiety turned to fear, praying that they wouldn't turn our way as we escaped through the winding city streets. Sweat beaded my forehead as we continued to push past other people, crowding closer and closer together. I didn't dare look back, knowing that once they realize it's just a commoner, their hunt would only get more fierce.
Nicklos gripped my hand tightly as we made our way through. The quiet murmurs from earlier were now at high volume. They clashed together like a loud out of tune band. The racket was overbearing, and was enough to cause a headache. But Nicklos seemed unphased, even though we had become completely enveloped in the sea of people. But like at the end of a rainbow, the light from the edge of the crowd shown through. My heart rate quickened, excited to be free of the sea of people.
With a final push, we had made it free. I didn't realize how long I had been holding my breath until I stepped out from the crowd. My lungs had begun to burn from the lack of oxygen. With a quiet sigh of relief, we escaped down the streets, and away from the loud bursting crowd and their excited cheers. If only this was the toughest part of our journey home.
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