Passing a few more unguarded arches and turns, they entered a rather wide corridor. Just a little more, and narrow loopholes of windows will appear, maybe to get out the window, it will not be very high, the second floor, they can try, and if to cling to the rough masonry of the tower… so what? Once in the prison yard, they will be in full view. Who will open the gates to them? Only if you put everyone down, steal the horses… if Nikto was in good condition… he could “put everyone down”, for some reason she had no doubt about it. “Yes, and I would also help,” she thought, not without pride. Only, they still have to go to the windows, and maybe it’s easier like that – to go through the cordon after cordon, supposedly leading him for interrogation. And to meet with her father at the door of his office, huh…
Her feverish thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps. Security was checking the floor around the perimeter. The corridor was quite wide and there was nowhere to go. What to do?!
She pushed Nikto around the corner, into some small dead-end arch, and herself darted behind him. Maybe they will not be noticed?
Her back felt a quiet breath. Nikto didn’t move, and even his heart seemed to be beating quietly, but her one must have been beating so that the guards could hear it. Their steps were getting closer, closer …
“Who is there?!”
That was the end. They were noticed…
“I’m Karina Kors, I’m leading a prisoner to my father for interrogation…” She slowly stepped apart from Nobody, came into the light.
“Your pass!”
“Here you are,” Karina glanced at this overseer and understood everything. Slowly, without making any sudden movements, while the overseer was still interested in her pass, she again stepped back a step, pushing Nikto who was still standing in the arch with her back, a little rude, probably as if making it clear: “It's trash!”
“Why are you hiding from us, lady Karina Kors? And where is the escort? Are you alone?!”
“Because the matter is secret, you see! No one should know about this!”
And with relief, Karina felt that Nikto understood her, and slowly, carefully, gently was pulling the sword of the murdered guard from the sheath behind her back.
“A secret matter? Show me your prisoner! Why are you hiding him behind you, behind your back?”
Karina pulled away frowningly.
“Oh! What is with his eyes? The Devil’s son bewitched the daughter of Kors!” They all snapped at once.
“Take…”
But the guard didn’t finish, blind and weak Nikto at the oblique trajectory cut him from neck to chest. Karina drew her sword, too, one of the guards ran away from them, to where there were other corridors to the exit, to where there were windows, and he desperately blew a trumpet, giving out the most vile sound that Karina had ever heard. Karina looked at Nikto, and at the bodies of four guards lying on the floor, only one there was killed by her.
“Well, you're a monster! But what should we do now? Soon my father’s entire army will be here!”
And in confirmation of her words, somewhere up there, the buzzing sounds were heard, a clang was heard, and the ringing of additionally locked doors and bars. The path to the top was cut off. Everything was blocked. They couldn’t walk forward even ten meters. What to do?!
And as if answering this dumb question, Nikto pulled her back.
