Chương 235: They Found Us!

One of Beric's guards silently escorted me to my room. He checked the chamber briefly before allowing me to enter, then stationed himself at the end of the hallway with a clear view of my door. Protection or surveillance? Perhaps both. As soon as I was alone, I moved to the window, studying the courtyard below. The blue sun hung low on the horizon now, casting long shadows across the grounds.

A few stable hands moved between buildings, and a pair of travelers argued with the innkeeper over what appeared to be a disputed bill. Nothing obviously suspicious, yet the tension in the air was palpable.

"It would make sense for them to move her tonight," I murmured to Azure.

"A prudent decision," he replied.

"But do you think they'll include you in their escape plans."

"I hope so, but I'm just a village boy they rescued, so it wouldn't surprise me if they left me behind," I shrugged.

"Yet Lady Laelyn seems to have developed a certain... attachment."

"An interesting distraction for a noblewoman," I replied.

"Nothing more. She'll forget me as soon as we part ways."

"Is that disappointment I detect in your tone, Master?" I ignored Azure's teasing.

"What matters is that we need to reach the Blue Sun Academy. If they leave tonight without us, our most direct path to the academy disappears." I paced the small confines of the room, considering my options. I could attempt to follow them, but that risked being discovered and branded a spy or worse. I could ask Lady Laelyn directly, but seeming too eager to accompany them to the academy would seem very suspicious.

Or I could simply wait and hope they included me in their plans, the least appealing option to someone accustomed to controlling my own destiny.

"They have little reason to abandon you," Azure observed.

"Lady Laelyn values your company, and even Beric recognizes your usefulness after you warned them of the assassin. Leaving behind someone who has proven loyal seems counterproductive."

"Perhaps," I conceded.

"But their primary concern is her safety. If they believe bringing me along increases the risk, they won't hesitate to leave me behind." Closing my eyes, I steadied my breath, allowing my awareness to expand. The sounds of the inn filtered through my consciousness; footsteps in the corridor, muffled conversations from adjacent rooms, the distant notes of the minstrel still playing in the common room. I cataloged each noise, creating a mental map of the building's occupants and their movements.

"Something's changed," Azure said suddenly, his voice cutting through my meditative state. I opened my eyes, instantly alert.

"What is it?"

"The guard at the end of the hall has moved. And there's increased activity in the stables, horses being readied." I rose silently, moving to the window once more. Sure enough, the courtyard now held several servants hastily preparing mounts. They worked with minimal lanterns, their movements suggesting urgency rather than the normal preparations for morning departure.

"They're leaving now," I realized. It seemed they really didn't plan to bring me along. A sharp pang of something that felt uncomfortably like disappointment lanced through me. I pushed it aside, focusing instead on the practical implications. Had they decided I was a liability? Or perhaps they simply didn't want to involve a civilian in what might prove dangerous? Before I could think about it further, a soft knock sounded at my door. I froze, every sense suddenly hyperalert.

The knock had been gentle, too gentle for Beric or his guards. I moved silently to the door, positioning myself to the side rather than directly in front of it. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"Who is it?" I called softly.

"Laelyn," came the whispered reply.

"Please open the door quickly." I relaxed slightly, though not completely, and opened the door a cautious few inches. Lady Laelyn stood alone in the corridor, a dark traveling cloak now covering her dinner attire. Her hair had been braided and pinned tightly to her head.

"May I come in?" she asked, her voice barely audible. I stepped aside, allowing her to enter before closing the door behind her.

"We're leaving," she said without preamble.

"Now."

"I noticed the preparations," I replied, gesturing toward the window.

"Your men aren't being particularly subtle with the horses." A flicker of annoyance crossed her features.

"Beric insisted on speed over stealth. He believes we've been compromised."

"The servants," I nodded.

"They've been acting strangely since we arrived." Surprise registered in her eyes.

"You noticed that too?"

"It was difficult to miss," I said with a shrug.

"The way they kept looking out windows, whispering to each other."

"Beric thinks someone has paid them to report my presence," she confirmed.

"We intercepted a stable boy trying to leave on horseback a few minutes ago. He admitted to being offered silver to carry news of noble travelers to a contact on the north road."

"And now you're leaving before whoever paid him can arrive," I concluded.

"Yes." She hesitated, studying my face.

"Beric wanted to go without telling you. He thought it safer for you to remain behind, away from our troubles." So I had been right. They had planned to abandon me.

"But you disagreed," I prompted, curious about her reasoning.

"I did." Lady Laelyn looked slightly embarrassed.

"It seemed... wrong... to leave without saying goodbye, at the very least. And more importantly, I'm not convinced you would be safer here. If whoever is hunting me discovers you traveled with us, they might assume you have information." Her concern seemed genuine, her eyes searching my face for understanding. Most nobles would hardly spare a thought for a commoner's welfare once they no longer served a purpose.

"So," she continued, taking a small step forward, her voice softening as she looked directly into my eyes.

"Do you wish to accompany us to the Academy?" I hesitated for just a moment, not wanting to sound too eagre.

"Yes," I nodded slowly.

"But I don't think Beric and Lady Mara will be pleased with another... complication in your journey." A small, rebellious smile played across her lips.

"Beric and Mara are tasked with keeping me safe, not making my decisions. They'll accept it, even if they grumble." She waved a dismissive hand.

"We'll sort that out when it comes to it. For now, what matters is getting away from here safely."

"I'll try my best not to cause any trouble," I replied, returning her smile with one of my own. She glanced quickly toward the window, then back at me.

"Meet us at the stable's rear entrance in five minutes. We'll be leaving through the eastern gate to avoid being seen from the main road."

"I'll be there," I promised, nodding firmly. She held my gaze for a moment longer, then, in a move that caught me completely by surprise, stepped forward and placed a gentle kiss on my cheek.

"For luck," she whispered, and was gone before I could react, slipping through the door like a shadow. I stood frozen for a moment, my hand unconsciously rising to touch the spot where her lips had brushed my skin. This body's reactions were becoming increasingly inconvenient: the accelerated heartbeat, the warmth spreading across my face, the momentary inability to form coherent thoughts.

"Well, that was certainly unexpected," Azure remarked, his tone distinctly amused.

"A cultural custom, nothing more," I muttered, forcing myself to focus on practical matters rather than the lingering sensation of her kiss.

"Of course, Master. A completely standard farewell between a noblewoman and a commoner she's known for less than a day." I ignored his sarcasm, and with one final glance around the room to ensure I'd left nothing behind, I extinguished the lamp and moved towards the door. Before I could reach it, Azure's voice cut through my thoughts.

"Master, wait," he said.

"There's a group approaching the inn from the northeast." I froze, my hand hovering above the door handle.

"Merchants? Late travelers?"

"No," Azure replied, his voice dropping lower.

"They're trying to conceal their auras, but in their haste, some of it has slipped through their shrouding techniques. Blue sun energy, concentrated and refined." My muscles tensed instinctively.

"Lightweavers? Are you certain?"

"Without question." I moved away from the door, back toward the window where I could scan the darkened landscape beyond the inn's walls.

"What rank are they?" Azure was silent for a moment.

"Five Rank 1 Lightweavers," he said finally I let out a slow breath.

"Five," I whispered. With my full cultivation base, five Rank 1 practitioners would have been manageable, challenging, perhaps, but not insurmountable. But in this body, with limited access to my spiritual essence and only the most basic runes available...

"I could perhaps kill one," I thought grimly.

"Maybe two if I ambushed them, expendeding every ounce of energy and employing the most destructive techniques available to me." But five? And revealing myself as a Skybound practitioner in the process? That would be tantamount to suicide. Yet the alternative was equally unpalatable. If I did nothing, Lady Laelyn would likely be captured or killed, along with her group, which I was now a part of.

And if I were to escape by myself, my most direct path to the Academy would vanish, and I'd be back at square one, that is if I wasn't caught before then.

"They'll reach the inn's perimeter in approximately one minute," Azure informed me. I frowned, my reflection in the window mirroring the gravity of my predicament. Five Rank 1 Lightweavers. Each one a deadly opponent on their own, trained in harnessing the blue sun's power in ways Beric and his Radiant-Touched guards could never match. I had a decision to make, and precious little time to make it.