"Why do you need your sword?" I asked. "Where are we going?"

Tannix was just finishing buckling his belt. Without looking at me, he went to his closet and pulled out a deep blue cloak. "I told you we didn't have time for a walk," he said unhelpfully, as if that answered my questions. He draped the cloak over his shoulders.

"Yes," I said. It was clear he wasn't going to elaborate. "When you're in a hurry, do you always decide to waste time by bringing your sword?"

"We're in a hurry because I'm on guard duty tonight, and soon I'll need to relieve one of the guards near the main gate. For that, I need my sword."

"You have guards? I've never seen any."

Tannix sighed as he crouched to tie his boots. "We post guards by the main gate. When we get older, we gradually start to take shifts. We don't guard the walls because it is assumed that they're impossible to get over. Obviously a design flaw, and I would report it, except that I enjoy your visits." He hesitated as he stood up. "So yes, we have guards."

"Should I avoid the gate?"

"Usually, but now I want you to meet me there. We can talk until I have to go on duty, and then you'll have an easy route out."

"And if the other guard sees me?"

"He won't," Tannix said. "I can plan better than that. Do you want to see a map?"

I shook my head. "No, I'll find it on my own. How long will it take you to get there?"

"Ten minutes at the most."

I turned towards the window and stepped up onto the sill, not saying anything for a moment. "That long? I'll be there in five." I pulled myself outside before he could come up with anything to say in response. Considering I didn't really know where I was going, I actually doubted I would get there before him.

When I reached the roof, I looked across the courtyard towards the gate. Most of the wall was tall and solid. If not impossible to get over, it was at least hard to climb. Then again, anyone trained to climb at the Order could potentially make it over, which really made me wonder why no one had thought of it before. I turned my attention to the courtyard. It was quiet, so I wasn't worried about being seen as long as I was careful.

I climbed down from the roof, planning my route in my head. The thin cobbled walkway that ran between the wall and the ring of buildings would be the safest route. The courtyard looked deserted, but it wasn't worth the risk of sauntering right through it. When I reached the path, the memory of the last time I had been there crossed my mind, when I had finally told Tannix the truth about who I was. 

When he had let me go. 

I did my best to ignore the memory as I continued along the path. A few times, I heard voices and pressed myself into a shadow, but no one stepped out onto the walkway. I thanked Zianesa silently each time it happened.

The gate itself was arched and seemed unnecessarily tall, because it had more than enough room for a man on horseback to ride through. The opening was blocked by a sturdy metal portcullis that could be drawn up to allow people though. Within the portcullis there was a smaller hinged section about the size of a normal door, which would be used more often. There was one guard near it, standing against the stone wall and lazily holding a spear in his hand. 

This part of the wall was thicker, unlike the rest of it there was quite a lot of room for people to walk and move around. There was even a little building above the gate which I assumed was a guardhouse. On each end of the platform, I could make out the faint silhouette of a guard.

Before I could wonder where to meet Tannix, I heard his voice coming from near the little guardhouse. I backed away from the gate to where I couldn't be seen by any of the guards, and made my way up the wall. Once on top, I carefully walked along it until I could pin myself against the wall of the little guardhouse.

I could hear Tannix talking to one of the guards on the other side. The discussion seemed to be a mix between a professional report and a casual conversation. It wasn't until I heard the other voice say goodnight, and then footsteps walking away, that I peeked around the corner. Tannix was standing by himself, half leaning against the guardhouse wall. His left hand was resting on the handle of his sword, giving him the appearance of attentiveness even when his posture didn't. A torch flickered nearby, casting strange shadows.

Feeling relatively confident that I was safe, I stepped around the corner. "Tannix?" I whispered to get his attention.

He glanced up at me, then looked around, and motioned for me to come closer. When I reached his side, he said quietly, "That was not five minutes. And now I actually am guarding, so we shouldn't be talking."

"My apologies. Next time I need to sneak across a courtyard, I'll throw caution to the wind and just run over. Would that make you happy?"

"Would you get caught?"

"Me?" I shrugged nonchalantly. "Never."

"Of course, my mistake." He nudged me with his elbow, an action he managed to make seem both affectionate and condescending. "I suppose I'll forgive you for being late, this once."

I rolled my eyes, but I doubted he noticed in the growing darkness. "Do people bring horses up here?" I asked. There was a ring set into the wall near us, with a neat coil of rope attached to it. I'd seen rings similar to it before, and they were usually outside of buildings and meant to tether horses.

Tannix nodded. "Sometimes the more important men like to ride up here to flaunt their power. It's unnecessary, and not very easy. Of course, the horses can't take the stairs and they don't particularly like the ramp. It's only happened two or three times since I got here."

"Horses can't use stairs?"

Tannix paused. "I suppose they could, if it was only a couple. But we're nearly two storeys up. I think getting them back down would be the real problem, anyway."

"You're important, so why don't you ride up here?"

"My horse is back in West Draulin."

"I'd think the son of West Draulin could just buy a new horse."

"I could," Tannix said. "But I don't want to." A noise nearby, like someone kicking a small stone, grabbed our attention. Tannix pushed me away and without complaint, I disappeared around the corner of the little guardhouse. I pressed myself against the wall once I was out of sight. The silence almost seemed to draw out forever, until I heard Tannix speak. "My lord," he said, greeting whomever it was who had walked up. "I only just took over the watch; I have nothing to report yet."

I heard a noise I couldn't place for a moment, and then the loud clang of two metal objects hitting each other. I flinched at the suddenness of the noise. Then Tannix was yelling for guards and I had to look around the corner of the guardhouse. He had his sword out, and it flashed in the moonlight as it met the blade of his opponent. 

I would have thought it was a training exercise; I even tried to persuade myself that it was, but Tannix's yelling convinced me otherwise. I was frozen in both shock and fear, unsure of how I was supposed to help him. My mind raced, only slightly comforted by the fact that Tannix was the better swordsman. He'd only gotten better during the last four years. It looked like he was winning until the second stranger appeared.

The idea appeared in my head and I started moving before really knowing what I was doing. I slowly walked closer to the fight, using the shadows from the wall to hide. When I reached the horse ring I had noticed earlier, I crouched and wrapped the end of the rope around my right wrist a few times before clenching the end in my fist. The perfect moment came when Tannix plunged his sword into the stomach of one of the strangers. At the sight, I almost lost my nerve, but while he was struggling with the body, the second man was stepping up behind him.

I took my chance, rushed forward, and threw myself at the second attacker. Had he been expecting it, he could have braced himself against me, but as it were, my momentum carried us both over the edge of the wall. The rope jerked against my wrist and I turned just in time to hit the wall with my feet, letting my knees take the brunt of the crash. The stranger, with no rope to hang from, fell screaming to the ground far below us.

My wrist throbbed furiously, and my hand tingled as it went numb. The rope dug into my skin. It was supporting almost my entire weight and I couldn't take it off while hanging there, so I did my best to lessen the load. I found footholds in the wall and a good handhold, but without the use of my right hand, I couldn't climb any higher. I closed my eyes and tried to block out the pain. A heartbeat later, I opened them when I heard noise above me.

"Finagale." Tannix's voice was laced with concern as he crouched at the edge of the wall. He reached out a hand to me and I grabbed at it desperately. We caught each other's wrists, and he pulled me up. Once I was up, I crawled away from the edge, almost forgetting about my wrist until I put weight on it.

"Stop." Tannix gently lifted my wrist and unwound the rope. Even the slight movement shot pain up my arm. I flinched and pulled away from him, cradling my arm against my chest. His sword was lying abandoned near us, its blade red.

"You killed him," I said shakily.

"He was trying to kill me." Tannix sounded calm, but I got the impression he was more shaken than he was letting on. "You killed the other one. Why did you do that? You could have died."

"You would have died." I couldn't keep the tremor from my voice. I felt sick suddenly, realizing what I had just done. My breath hitched and I started to shake. I imagined Siour gathering the man in his chariot and taking him to the underworld.

Tannix put an arm over my shoulders. The images faded. "Finn, you need to get out of here. I think these men killed the other two who were guarding the gate, but there is no way nobody heard me yelling." He stopped talking and looked up suddenly. "I just heard them. Stand up." he got to his feet and almost had to lift me to get me up.

"I... I can't," I protested.

"You have to."

"I can't climb with one hand," I said. I looked up at him, panicked. "I can't get away."

"My lord!" The call startled us both, but I recoiled and almost fell over when Tannix's grip loosened.

I knew then, for sure, that there was no way I could get away. My mind was suddenly clear. "Tannix. Can you get me out of jail?"

He hesitated, and then nodded. "Yes, I can get you the key."

"Then arrest me."

"Finn," he began to protest.

I cut him off by shaking my head. "I can't get away. If I try, they'll catch me and they'll probably kill me in the process."

"Lord Tandrix?" The guards had evidently found the other guards' bodies and knew who it was they were looking for.

Tannix stared at me, looking torn between his two options. He nodded as he made up his mind. "Guards! I'm here!" he called. He then grabbed my little dagger and tucked it under his own belt. I understood why, and slipped the chain with the Order ring over my head to drop into his hand.

As soon as we'd finished, three guards appeared from the other side of the gate. They each had their swords out, looking around wildly. They gave a start when they noticed the bleeding body on the ground, then their eyes landed on me. Tannix was not supporting me anymore, but he was still holding my left wrist tightly.

One of the guards stepped forward. "My lord, are you hurt?"

Tannix shook his head, then launched into an emotionless report. "Two attackers, both dead. The other fell over the side of the wall. Neither spoke. Dressed similarly, black clothing, I assume to blend in. I heard no cries of alarm from the other guards. Were they killed?"

The same guard nodded. "What of him, my lord?" He used his sword to gesture towards me, and I flinched.

"A petty thief," Tannix replied. "I highly doubt he had anything to do with the attack. I believe he was trying to climb over the wall and was drawn into the action. He has no weapons and did not try to attack me."

"Very well." The guard didn't sound entirely convinced, but luckily he didn't seem willing to question a lord. He turned to his companions. "Escort Lord Tandrix back to the building. Call an alarm if you see or hear anything suspicious. I'll take the boy off your hands, my lord," he added.

Tannix nodded slowly. "Yes, thank you."

The guard walked over to us and roughly grabbed my right forearm. His hand missed my wrist, but the movement alone was enough to shoot pain through my arm. I managed to not make any sound, but Tannix must have noticed a reaction.

"He's injured, try not to make it any worse. I would like to speak to him later about what just happened."

The guard finally seemed to notice the way I was holding my right hand. "Of course, my lord." He took my other arm, not gently, but at least it didn't already hurt.

Tannix seemed like he wanted to say something else, but then reconsidered. He picked up his sword from where he had dropped it earlier. "Lead the way," he said. My panic started to build up again as I watched him disappear into the darkness.