Chapter 65 - Night without pursuers

Chapter 65: Chapter 65 - Night without pursuers The exit of the tunnel is a well-concealed door inside a small house at the foot of a hill. There are some small buildings here and there in the outskirts of the city, a testimony to the relentless fight of humans to thrive even in the most adverse situations. "Good luck." Was the only thing Foodie told us before getting back inside the tunnel and closing the door. We are on our own from here on, but that’s not a problem. It’s night, but both moons are bright in the sky, providing a faint light to the landscape. The only problem is that we don’t know exactly how much we deviated from the ’straight north’ route. Mimby and Yaci are the experts in navigating the terrain, so I leave them discussing that and jump onto the house’s roof. We had agreed on a signal to make ourselves seen by Lovelace and the others. But it assumed that the guards knew we went to the Barrens already. This situation, where they think we’re still in the city, is both a bliss and a curse. It’s great to not have them on our tails, but any sign we do would be seen by them. If this house is directly north of the city, then we should just push north, and we’ll find our people. But if we’re to the east or west of the expected route, we might end up passing them entirely. But from the roof I can see the city walls. The towers on it are well-lit, which makes it easier to spot them. Geez, maybe that’s why the Barrens have such a bad reputation for being crawling with monsters at night. Those lights must be attracting a lot of them to the immediate surroundings of the city. It’s even possible to discern the gates from my vantage point. Oh, right. "Mimby, Yaci, come up here." A few minutes later, both of them are with me. There are some hills blocking direct view from the city at ground level, but the roof is at the exact height. "Oh, that helps." "See? We have strayed just a bit to the east." "Yes, Mom. You were right." "So, we need to go northwest from here?" "Exactly." "Let’s move, then." ::: We hurry through the night, and it doesn’t take long before we find our friends. "Aurea! Yaci! Here!" "Lovelace!" "So, you made it! I was starting to get worried. Do you have pursuers?" "No, I don’t think they know we’re outside the city yet. We got some help and managed to escape through a tunnel." "There’s a tunnel? You mean, underneath the walls?" "Yeah. Probably used for smuggling and other less-than-legal stuff. The Boss allowed us to go through it." "Boss?" "I’ll tell you everything later. We..." "Mimby!!!" "Who? Ohh, Pyatan! You grew up so much I barely recognized you! And Mwacyr and Kawan, as well!" There are other fox beastkin between the girls, but they were born in human society and never lived in the tribe, so the guys don’t recognize them. We exchange just some words of greeting and then keep hiking northwards. I’m glad we managed to avoid any direct confrontation with the city guard. If we did too much damage there, the kingdom could even send an army against the tribes. And that’s not what we want, of course. Some of the girls are already showing signs of weariness after walking so much without rest under so much stress. Most of them never had to walk that much before, to begin with. Exactly like me when I first fled. So, after some time, we make a quick stop to rest, eat, and drink a bit before continuing. ::: PoV: Jyllian "They are probably in the Barrens already, Master." "Yeah, probably. What did the guards find at that inn?" "Nothing, actually. The little girl was indeed a host there but disappeared without saying a word. Or so claims Levinna." "Hmph. If my little sis is really between the fugitives, then Levinna certainly helped them escape." "That’s what I think as well, Master." "Well, let’s pay her a visit later, then. It’s been too long since the last time I talked to my sister-in-law." "Yes, master." The prince is in the governor’s office, alone with his ’maid.’ He wrenched control of the city guards during the crisis, overriding the Duke’s orders using his own position. Under his order, the guards are doing a thorough investigation in the decrepit manor the slavers were using. The prince’s own guard is ’helping’ them, of course. The official reason for the investigation is to learn about the identity of the attackers. The real reason is to try to find any proof that the princess was being held as a slave there and that the actual owner of the place was the Duke. If he could find concrete proof of both those things, he would be able to undermine the Duke’s power in the court. But nothing short of direct evidence would suffice. The Duke has been solidifying himself as the second most powerful person in the entire kingdom ever since the coup attempt a decade ago. A knock on the door interrupts Prince Jyllian’s thoughts. "Your Highness, a report." "Let him in." The door opens, and a soldier with the royal crest enters the room and kneels. "So, any news?" "We found that there was indeed a human slave called Lillian in that place, and that the one leading the attack was none other than her daughter, a girl called Aurea." "Lillian? Was it my sister?" "We’re not sure. The description matches the princess’ features, but that’s all." "Tsk. And the involvement of the Duke?" "We found no document linking him. Some of the workers there testified that he sometimes made visits to have pleasure with the slaves, but nothing that would link him as the one behind it all." "Hmmm... That’s not enough evidence to bring to court. If only my father had managed to pass the human emancipation bill..." The King tried to outlaw slavery of humans the year prior, but the Duke’s faction blocked it. The surprising thing was that even the Church of the Goddess, which defends humans above everything, was against it. Slavery was that much of a lucrative trade, after all. If the King tried to force his hand on the matter, the nobles would have rebelled under the Duke’s banner. "Thank you, captain. You are dismissed. Order the city guard to keep doing patrols inside the city. Block any further investigation that could be held by the Duke’s faction." "Yes, Your Highness." The captain does a salute and walks out of the room. "Well... It seems that it was my sister, after all. And it seems the girl you saw the other day was her little daughter, after all." "She really looked too much like the Princess, Master." "Keep someone overseeing the inn. Let a few days pass so the dust settles, and then prepare for us to visit Levinna undercover." "Yes, Master."