Chương 70: Escape!

Lira slept for only a few hours after dinner. More like a power nap than a comfortable sleep. She used one of the new padded benches Dalwin had acquired. When she woke again, the library was dark and silent, and a look through one window showed the crescent moon at its zenith, probably around midnight. It was almost time to leave, so she began her preparations immediately.

"Pika. Asatan. Farshum." The rope she had hidden beneath a shelf stirred to life. The braided cord made of paper slithered across the floor before climbing her legs and disappearing beneath her dress. It coiled itself around her stomach and waist in several loops, distributing its weight evenly. The sensation was slightly unpleasant, but it wouldn't hinder her movement. Once the rope was secured, she climbed to one of the upper floors and retrieved a small chest hidden in a discarded desk drawer.

Inside sat a decent amount of silver. She had found this chest a few weeks ago when she was testing her divination spell. She filled a small pouch and tied it securely beneath her dress before returning downstairs. Waiting on her desk were the two bookmarks she had already prepared yesterday. Lira activated the runes one after another.

"Kisar. Maja. Tureth. Tarasana. Kurur." Mana Stabilization.

"Kisar. Maja. Veshar. Tarasana. Kurur." Mana Obfuscation.

"Kisar. Yorad. Veshar. Tarasana. Kurur." Body Concealment. Satisfied with her work, she left the bookmarks on the desk for now and created a new rune for her air purification spell. The one she created before somehow became sticky with an ashy residue that smelled terrible.

"Kisar. Riad. Luneth. Tarasana. Kurur." She folded the paper and slipped it into her dress pocket. If dogs were sent searching again, she wanted every possible advantage. Only then did she approach the hidden alcove. Lira pulled aside the tapestry, pressed against the disguised panel, and slid it open. The cramped chamber beyond was dark. Maren had fallen asleep sitting upright in one of the chairs. The poor girl must have been miserable.

"Candira. Fila. Curad." A candle flickered to life. The warm light filled the tiny space, illuminating the exhausted maid curled beneath a blanket. Lira stepped closer and gently shook her shoulder. Maren jerked awake immediately. For one terrifying moment, panic flashed across her face.

"Relax," Lira whispered quickly.

"It's me." The maid exhaled sharply.

"Lira?"

"We're leaving."

"Leaving?" Maren blinked.

"Yes."

"Leaving where?"

"Outside the castle."

"How?" The girl's eyes widened.

"You're going to have to trust me." For several seconds, Maren simply stared at her.

"I do," she finally nodded. The two girls climbed out of the alcove together, and Lira stopped for a second to secure it closed. The moment Maren stepped into the library proper, she stretched her arms overhead and nearly groaned with relief.

"By the goddess, I never want to sleep on another chair again."

"Tell me about it." Lira snorted. Maren rolled her shoulders.

"So what's the plan?" Lira hesitated. She needed an explanation, but there was no real gain in telling the whole truth. If Maren later got caught, the less she knew about the extent of Lira's abilities, the better it would be for everyone.

"I need to tell you a secret first." Maren immediately became serious.

"What kind of secret?"

"The kind that could get me executed." The maid swallowed.

"I'm already at your mercy, Lira."

"I know," Lira replied.

"I just need you to understand that what you're about to see can never be repeated. Not to Celene, not to Tessa, not to a priest, and not to anyone."

"I swear," Maren nodded. Lira took a breath, then committed fully to the lie.

"The former Queen Dowager had an affair with the old library caretaker."

"What?" Maren blinked.

"Nothing especially scandalous since she was a widow at the time. The king's grandfather was already dead."

"Still… he was a commoner," Lira added.

"Oh," said Maren.

"The alcove you were hiding in was originally built so they could meet in secret," Lira continued. The story until now was probably true. Lira had pieced together enough clues over the last several months to strongly suspect as much.

"When I found the alcove," Lira continued, "I also found an enchantment she created." That part, however, was a complete lie.

"Magical items that helped her move around the castle without attracting attention." Lira stepped toward her desk and, as Maren stared at her, she disappeared. Her outline blurred into the darkness. She didn't vanish entirely, but she became difficult to focus on. Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators! Maren gasped in shock. A moment later, Lira stepped forward again, reappearing from the shadows while holding both bookmarks.

"Whoever carries one becomes harder to notice." The maid looked completely speechless.

"You have magical items?"

"Which is exactly why nobody can know about them."

"Yes! Yes! I completely understand," Maren nodded rapidly. Lira handed one bookmark over. The effect wasn't immediately obvious since Maren couldn't see herself disappear, and standing close together, they could see one another normally. But once they stepped a few paces apart, each girl became little more than a blurry shape to the other.

"This is amazing," Maren whispered. They spent nearly fifteen minutes testing the enchantments throughout the library until both were comfortable that they could find each other despite the blur.

"Alright," finally, Lira nodded. She removed her apron and then her maid's headpiece, the only obvious signs identifying her as palace staff. Maren, on the other hand, was already wearing ordinary clothing, so no changes were necessary.

"Let's go."

"Can we make a quick stop first?" Maren asked.

"We are not going back to the dormitories for your belongings," Lira sighed.

"No," the maid's cheeks reddened, "I need the outhouse." Lira blinked. Right. The chamber pot Lira had provided her was only used for urination, and the poor woman had spent two days trapped inside that hidden room.

"Fair enough." A short while later, they finally left the library, and while Maren disappeared into the outhouse, Lira took the opportunity to cast more spells.

"Ladar. Oshkan. Pika." The Place Divination spell was vague and somewhat unreliable, especially when it came to things that Lira had no real knowledge about. Still, it was better than blind guesswork. Using it, she focused on finding the safest place to climb the walls, and almost immediately, a faint pull appeared somewhere along the northern wall. It was good enough, but just to be safe, she cast another.

"Paldina. Ladar. Pristana. Turat. Oshkan." Danger Sense. This spell had proven to be more reliable. If something were to threaten her, she would get a warning beforehand. When Maren finally emerged, Lira grabbed her sleeve and started walking.

"From this point onward, no talking." The concealment spell hid only from sight, and Maren understood that, so she just nodded. Together they began crossing the castle grounds, the journey feeling almost endless. Every distant movement made Lira's heart race, and she expected a guard to appear around every corner. Twice, she froze entirely after her danger sense activated, helping her avoid patrols crossing nearby courtyards. Eventually, they reached the northern wall.

The section the spell highlighted fell under the shadow of one of the towers. It was isolated and poorly lit. The perfect place for a little climbing.

"How are we going to escape from here?" hissed Maren. Lira just winked and stepped away from the other maid. After a few meters, the concealment spell blurred her from Maren's sight.

"Pika. Asatan. Farshum," she whispered, making sure the sound didn't travel to her friend's ears. The paper rope uncoiled from beneath her dress, and she quickly formed a lasso. Then, with a grunt of effort, she threw the rope upward. At least she tried to throw it. In reality, she was nowhere near strong enough to throw a rope five meters upward. The rope rose under magical control, and a moment later, it hooked securely onto the battlements. Maren released a small gasp.

Lira pretended not to hear her and started climbing upward, her feet doing the walking motion against the wall while her hands hauled her upward. It was exhausting, and that was despite the shameless cheating. Whenever possible, she used magic to lift the section of rope in direct contact with her hands, effectively helping pull herself upward. Several minutes later, she rolled over the battlement and collapsed onto the stone walkway beyond, her arms feeling like jelly.

When she heard Maren starting her climb, Lira stood up despite herself and helped even more aggressively. From this vantage point, she was able to exert more magical might, and the rope practically dragged the maid upward. By the time they reached the top, both girls were breathing hard. Neither spoke. They simply sat there for a minute recovering. Eventually, Lira tossed the rope over the opposite side.

The descent proved much easier, though they were lucky both were wearing gloves, or the rope burns would have been terrible. Once they reached the ground beyond the wall, Lira pretended to pull on the rope several times when, in reality, she was magically manipulating it, untying the knots. The rope detached itself and fell back down into her waiting hands. Maren gave her a dumbfounded look.

"My father was a sailor," Lira lied. Maren didn't seem to buy that explanation, but to Lira's relief, she didn't push it either. After all, they were finally outside the castle. For the first time since this disaster began, Maren was beyond the castle walls. The two girls hurried away. They crossed the open field first, the hundred-meter stretch of land separating the castle from the rest of the city. Once in the city itself, Lira relaxed slightly. She looked at Maren, who was smiling wildly.

The girl was unable to believe that she was out.

"What's next?" she asked.

"We are not safe yet," Lira nodded forward.

"Come on, let's hurry." They sprinted through narrow streets, crossed marketplaces, doubled back several times, and followed a deliberately confusing route through the city. Lira even deactivated the air purification spell occasionally, just in case someone was tracking the unusually clean air. Paranoia had kept her alive this long. There was no point stopping now. Eventually, they arrived at a modest house in a quiet neighborhood.

It looked completely unremarkable, but Lira knew it was one of the Ink and Blood Family's safe houses. She picked up the key from beneath a planter and unlocked the door, leading Maren inside.

"Wait here." The maid looked confused, but she remained silent. A short while later, Lira returned carrying a small package. Inside it was hair dye. Since it was late, she had to break into a cosmetic shop to get it, though calling it a break-in felt somewhat unfair. She had opened the door by sliding her rope through the gap between the door and the floor, unlocking it from the inside.

She took what she needed, paid for it, and even altered the merchant's ledger to include the sales record, perfectly mimicking his own handwriting. Both the book absorption and the calligraphy spells helped with that. Finally, she locked the door on her way out. As far as the shopowner would know tomorrow, everything had occurred normally, just an extra sale he had forgotten he made. Maren was unusually quiet when she finally spoke.

Lira had expected questions about the rope trick, the safe house, or even how she got cosmetics this late at night. But she seemed to have taken Lira's warning about not speaking about what happened to heart.

"You're dyeing my hair?" The girl with a mock, horrified look.

"You are dyeing your hair blonde," Lira explained.

"Yes."

"But I look terrible in blonde."

"It's only temporary until the heat dies down."

"Please, not my beautiful hair," the maid did an exaggerated gesture of covering her hair to protect it from Lira.

"I am sorry, but you have to do it." Forty-five minutes later, Maren's hair was bleached blonde. Lira thought she looked nice, but after a small look in the mirror, the fugitive looked deeply offended.

"Also," Lira added reluctantly, "stop wearing kohl around your eyes."

"What?" gasped the girl.

"But I always wear kohl." This time, her offended look seemed more sincere.

"Exactly. People in the castle call you the maid with pretty eyes and pouty lips. Since I can't change your lips, the kohl must go," insisted Lira.

"Should have let the guards catch me and be done with it," Maren groaned.

"There, there," comforted Lira half-heartedly. Afterward, over a quick meal of ham and cheese Lira found in the pantry, she placed the pouch of silver onto the table between them.

"Here," Lira offered. Maren opened the pouch, and her eyes widened.

"I can't take all that."

"You can."

"But…"

"It's a gift from Celene." That lie came surprisingly easily. She had done a lot of lying to her friend today, so what was one more? Maren looked down at the pouch, then back at her. Tears immediately filled her eyes. Before Lira could react, the girl threw her arms around her. Lira froze, then awkwardly returned the hug.

"Stay here until your lip heals," she said quietly.

"The house belongs to a friend, but he will probably return in a month. Before that, find a room near the docks. The smell of fish will confuse any hounds." Maren nodded.

"Don't leave the city yet. Guards are more likely to be checking checkpoints."

"Alright."

"And stay hidden."

"I will." For several moments, neither girl spoke, just tightly embracing. Finally, Maren stepped back.

"Thank you." Lira shrugged.

"It seemed rude to let you get executed." That earned a weak laugh. A few minutes later, Lira left the safe house and stepped back into the darkness. Now that Maren was safe, she could finally turn her attention back toward the people responsible. After some much-needed sleep.