I tried to keep my cool, to not let them know that I was afraid, but my legs started to tremble.
"How stupid of me! And I even gave them weapons! I have to get away from them fast."
As if reading my mind, the wizard girl grinned and pointed her staff at me.
"Kill her and take her magic pouch!" she ordered, and before I could react, the elder with the nephew that was right beside me grabbed my dagger and I saw the blade moving like a flash of lightning before my eyes, then I felt something warm flowing down my chest and, a few seconds later, an excruciating pain that blackened my sight immediately, making me fall to the ground.
"There is no time! I must act quickly! It's do or die."
I gathered all my remaining might and flipped on my stomach, so my cloak could hide my right arm that went straight to the pocket where I've put the healing pearl, took it, and placed it fast into my mouth, struggling to keep it there while blood filled my mouth. I started to lose control over my body, even my bladder gave up.
I clenched my fingers on my throat, pressing hard to stop the bleeding as much as possible. Was the healing pearl working? I felt only pain, hopelessness, hatred, and some little hands searching my body. That kid! He took the pouch and giggled.
"It's a merchant pouch!" he said. "This alone is worth at least 500 golds. I wonder what else it's inside."
"We are rich, and now we have weapons too," said the elder.
Their words, their faces, all became blurred, the only clear color being the pool of my blood forming around my head like an eerie halo. My fingers were numbed. The pain lost its intensity, and the cold crept into my flesh. I was feeling sleepy, so I closed my eyes, mostly because I didn't want my last image that I see to be my blood and the creepy statue heads looking down at me with that superior and cruel expression, as if the gods were pleased that they saw more blood.
"I lost too much blood. I'm dying... because of my own stupidity. And I was so close! It's not fair! It's not fair! It's not fair... Why are there nine pillars, but only eight statues? I'm so... so... cold. I told those thieves not to seek revenge, but if I'd had the chance now I wouldn't show them mercy."
The bleeding had stopped, but I was feeling weak and couldn't yet move. Could the healing pearl save me from the brink of death when I had lost so much blood? Minutes were passing agonizingly slow, but I knew I was still alive. I made huge efforts to remain still and play possum, while listening to their every word.
"Now it's the perfect time," said the wizard girl. "The only problem is that priestess, but I know a spell that can make them all meek and feeble for a few minutes. I have to remain focused while chanting, so you will have to kill them all. Start with that priestess, and the Captain... make sure he can't move anymore and I will deal with the rest."
The thieves started to move and soon I couldn't hear their steps and voices anymore, just the ones of the nobles above. I opened my eyes a little. There was no one there, so I rose to my feet, feeling very dizzy.
"Damn it, I feel so weak, like I have severe anemia, which is not far from truth considering all this blood loss. And I need new clothes."
I went ahead on my tiptoes, but there was no thief there anymore. I opened the secret passage in the wall and my heart almost stopped when I saw the wizard girl near the door that led to the great hall. Fortunately, there was no one near her, and she seemed too focused to notice anything else. I didn't have enough force to fight her, but I saw my magical pouch tied pretty loose to her waist, so I had to get it back. And the feat was quite easy.
I took the pouch, then got back on the tracks of my original plan. Went to the servants' wing, which was empty, as I expected. I tried a few doors until I found an opened one then changed my clothes inside. Instead of using the ones I had left in the pouch from the kings' wardrobe, I picked a servants' uniform, then went to the entrance doors. But they were guarded.
"I'll see if my acting skills have improved."
I went to the gates.
"I haven't seen you before," said a guard, and that made me yelp.
"I came with Lady Temalti, to help her with the auction. She requested me to go fetch the golds, because she wants to pay and return home," I said, remembering bits and bits from the conversations I've heard during my explorations in the castle.
"What hero and for what sum?"
"Not the one she wanted, unfortunately. That's why she wants to leave already. We've got the Alchemist and the price is 21.000 golds."
"You need help to carry it?"
"No, thank you. Lady Temalti prepared the coins in merchant pouches."
The guard looked at me with an intensity that made me think he was about to crack open my skull to read my thoughts. The other guard stepped aside and let me pass, with a bored expression. As I stepped into the courtyard, I turned towards them and asked:
"Did you prepare some kind of spectacle for the auction?"
"Not as far as we know, only the banquet, but the king wanted it to be quite simple. Why do you ask?"
"Because, while I was coming here, in one of the guest rooms I saw a group of people, dressed as nobles, but I know all the lords and ladies in the kingdom and I didn't recognize any of them. Besides, they all had weapons..."
"Weapons?" the guards frowned one at the other.
"Yes. Swords, maces, spears, staffs. I'm curious about what it is about. I want to return quickly. I hope they don't start without me."
Before I could finish my sentence, the two guards started to yell orders and didn't even give me any more attention while I sat there, watching. They ordered to check the prisoners from the dungeons.
"Alea iacta est. They can all kill each other as far as I'm concerned," I thought, then left the castle, going towards the unattended carriages.
I took a carriage, then headed to the town, feeling like a great weight had been lifted from my chest and I could breathe without stress.
As I was getting closer and closer to the town, I noticed that on both sides of the road were lots of carriages and I could hear music. Was there a festival or something? It seemed so, but I could barely keep my eyes open.
I let the carriage way ahead entering the town – that after removing any sign from the horses and the carriage that could be recognized - then went to the first inn that I saw.
"That was the longest night of my life," I thought, closing the door of my room with the key and blocking it with a chair too, then jumped into the bed that seemed poisonless and instantly fell asleep.