Broadswords - 34. The Escape

Broadswords

Chapter Thirty-Four
The Escape

Breaking out of his restraints wasn't as hard as he'd expected it to be. Thanks to Deke's consistent desire to show Birten all of the artifacts he'd gathered on his travels, it was just a matter of sneaking the right item off the stone slab and into the waistband of his pants. On that given occasion, Deke had a countless number of items displayed before them. He went over each one with pride, explaining where he'd gotten it, what he had to do to take possession of it, and what it did.

Birten's ears perked up when Deke explained that the slender, metallic object was like a skeleton key of lockpicks. He'd acquired it when he was on Elau Island in the continent of Lodessia. He'd bartered with an old thief who wasn't initially willing to give it up. However, Deke used his sweet talk to convince the thief that a bag of mermaid scales was far more valuable. In reality, Deke admitted to Birten, the scales were almost useless based on the amount of time it had been since they'd been removed from their host.

What mermaid scales could be used for, Birten didn't know. And he didn't care. He'd begun to tune Deke out once he'd learned that the lockpick was almost guaranteed to open any lock, regardless of how complicated it was or how novice the user. As Deke droned on about the rest of his treasures, Birten waited for the right moment to snag the lockpick. And when Deke bent over to pick up an item he'd accidentally knocked over, Birten had his chance. He swiftly stuck the item into his trousers and Deke was none the wiser.

Thankfully, due to the number of things on the slab, Deke didn't seem to realize that anything was missing. Birten was nervous, considering how attached Deke was to everything he possessed. But as luck would have it, he got away with it.

Eventually Deke left, as he always did. He strapped Birten back into his cuffs before he exited the room. Now Birten just had to wait for Rea's arrival. She usually spent a few hours with him. He wasn't sure, but he felt like she remained there for a while after he drifted to sleep. His mind had been foggy for most of his time in Oestra, and he couldn't help but feel that she might have something to do with it.

On this visit, Rea spoke to him in Tarragonian. He surprised himself by responding in the tongue. He didn't realize he'd known how to speak it. Wait, no. Of course he did. He was bilingual. He had lived on Tarragonia his entire life. She spoke to him about a kingdom on a different continent in which an enemy prince was plotting an upheaval of the reigning king.

The words flowed from his lips effortlessly as he asked why it was any concern to them, being from Tarragonia. She explained that Jhirdyr, as the kingdom was called, was one of the strongest across all the continents. It would just be a matter of time before the evil prince begun attacking the other kingdoms, she had said. And considering that Tarragonia had three kingdoms, second only to Centralis where Jhirdyr lie, the continent might easily be one of the prince's first targets.

They discussed the matter for a little longer, and Birten felt like it was his duty to try to assist in ensuring his native land was protected against the plot in place from Jhirdyr's prince. He was glad he'd gotten hold of the lockpick. Initially he had planned on using it simply to escape, but it was evident that his escape was more important as a means of finding his way to Jhirdyr. He kept that fact from Rea, of course.

And as always, their discussion ended with Rea talking him into falling asleep. It had become easier over the past few days to fall asleep while restrained. It was mere seconds before he blinked himself out of awareness.

He didn't know how long he'd been asleep, but he was awoken by the sharp click that emitted from the latch of the door closing. He remained silent in the darkness, giving it time to ensure that nobody was nearby. He waited for a few hours, for good measure. Finally, he felt that enough time had passed to begin launching his escape.

It was very complicated, but he managed to shift his body enough to feel the end of the lockpick with his fingers. He fidgeted until he was able to firmly grip it in his hand and slide it out of his pants. More complicated still was maneuvering his wrist to get the pick to a point of finding the keyhole. That's when it became easy. Deke hadn't been exaggerating; the cuff fell open with not much effort at all. Once the first one was off, the rest was simpler yet.

When he was free from the table, he stuck the lockpick into his pocket. It would undoubtedly come in handy later. He tiptoed to the door and placed his ear against it for several moments to make sure there was no sounds coming from the other side. Once satisfied, he removed the lockpick once more and placed it into the hole beneath the door handle. The mechanism inside clicked almost immediately.

He pulled the door open slowly, careful not to cause any unwelcomed creaking. He stopped again to listen now that he had a clearer exposure to whatever sounds could be coming from outside. Satisfied, he slunk out the door and closed it quietly behind him. If anyone did happen to come by, he didn't want the open door to alert them to his escape any earlier than need be.

Now was the complicated part. He had no idea where he was. From the hallway, it appeared to be a cellar or other underground structure. It could be underneath anything: a home, a castle, or even just underneath the ground in general. He had to be careful. He navigated the corridor with hesitation and as much deftness as he could.

Before long, he located a staircase with a door at the top. He climbed up carefully, and as he had done with the door in his cell, listened intently before feeling confident enough to pick the lock. The staircase emerged into an ornate dining room. Based on his surroundings, he surmised that it was indeed a home. No candles were lit, so he felt safe entering the room.

Thankfully, the adjacent room was a foyer with a large door that clearly was the exit. He was able to get through and out of the house without issue. And finally, he was free.

It wasn't hard for Birten to locate the main road out of Oestra. Most of the roads were gravel, but there was one that had actually been paved. Not only did it point Birten in the right direction, but it also granted him a more inconspicuous departure. The last thing he needed was the crunch of the rocks beneath his feet to alert someone to his whereabouts.

Once he was about an hour outside of the city, he began to let his guard down. He was still cautious, but he allowed himself to move with more speed. After another hour or so, he came to a fork in the road. A rundown sign advised of his options. To the left, the kingdom of Jaffe. To the right, the kingdom of Amullym. And directly forward was Winter's Desert.

The pavement continued on either side of him, the directions toward each of the nearby kingdoms. The way forward had no path whatsoever; the road simply ceased. He weighed each option. It would be easier travel to go toward either kingdom, though he wasn't sure which one was closer. He vaguely remembered Deke referencing Oestra's proximity to Jaffe, but he couldn't be sure how accurate that information was. There would be food and water at either, and depending on the size of the kingdom, a chance to blend into the crowd if someone did decide to come after him. As for the desert, there was no telling what could be in store for him there. At the same time, the choice of the desert route would be just as illogical in the minds of any pursuers. Thus, he made the potentially problematic choice to trek across the unknown.

Indeed, it was a strenuous journey. The sand, which was stark white and surely the origin of the desert's titling, was soft. It took much effort to walk through it, and several times Birten found the muscles in his calves and thighs begging for reprieve. The nighttime temperature also dropped quite rapidly, which could have had another part in the naming of the place.

Regardless, he pushed himself through. He had someplace to be.

The plantlife was sparse. When he did stumble across it, however, he felt as he was being spared. The cool nights created enough moisture in the air to allow small traces of water to accumulate in the thick, fibrous flowers that randomly peppered the twiggy trees. It wasn't much, but it was somehow enough to keep him relatively hydrated.

He attempted to eat one of the flowers as well, but it didn't prove as fruitful. Upon first bite, he immediately felt a stinging sensation upon his tongue which soon turned into numbness. He surmised that the flowers were poisonous, or at the very least an irritant. He scrubbed his tongue the best he could against the linen of his tunic, hoping it wouldn't prove fatal. And as time wore on, it was evident that the flower simply caused an unfortunate amount of discomfort.

It wasn't until a few days in that he finally stumbled upon a valid source of nourishment. A slow-moving lizard, about the size of his foot. He couldn't be sure why, but he knew what it was. It was called a dracolizard. It was so named because though not actually a dragon, it bore several resemblances. Predominantly the fact that it breathed fire. The amount of flame a dracolizard produced wouldn't have been enough to even catch anything ablaze. However, it was enough to scorch the tongue and throat of the creature. While the rest of the lizard could induce sickness if eaten raw, the tongue and throat were edible without cooking. It was another miracle in Birten's eyes. A way to keep him going strong for a little longer.

As a result of its sluggish movements, Birten was able to spear it with the lockpick after only a few tries. It writhed around the pick for a few moments, much to Birten's chagrin. But eventually it stopped moving. And with much effort, he managed to decapitate the creature. The edible parts were far from completely sating him, but it was enough to keep him moving.

Over the next fifteen days, he was lucky enough to come across the floral cups of water and dracolizards a reasonable amount of times. The further he got, the more numerous the spoils became. Often the water was only enough to remove the dryness in his mouth, but it was something. The trees were at least becoming close enough to one another that he was able to down a few flowers' worth of water. He wondered if the increased plantlife and the more populous lizards meant he was nearing the edge of the desert.

Before long, he saw something in the distance. Initially, he thought it was his eyes playing tricks on him. He assumed being in a desert for an excess of two weeks could to that to a person. His already slender frame had become gaunt, and the solitude was affecting his mental state. Between those factors and whatever other physical conditions he had going against him, he wouldn't have been surprised if it was indeed a mirage.

However, as he got closer, he realized that he wasn't losing it after all. There was a small, white-brick structure amidst the sea of sand. When he finally reached it, he located the solitary door that it housed.

He considered using the lockpick, if it were even locked, but thought better of it. In the off chance that it was occupied, his unauthorized entry could put an end to him faster than the effects of the desert. With an immense amount of uncertainty, he knocked.

Upon hearing shuffling around from within, he realized that he'd made the right decision. Soon, the door opened. Before him stood a short figure, clad in layers of rust-colored fabric from head to toe. He was humanesque, but Birten could clearly see that the man was of a different race. The stubbiness of the ears that protruded from the fabric around his head, the smallness of his eyes, and the overall stature of the figure were all evident to Birten. It was a Tetrad.

Tetrads were notorious for being standoffish and it was a rarity that they interacted with humans as a general rule. Birten hoped such would not be the case with the stranger before him. Considering that the Tetrad was not located within the depths of the Tetrad Desert, Birten felt a glimmer of a chance. Most Tetrads did not stray from their native land, and the ones that did typically had a slightly different demeanor than their brethren.

With hesitancy, the Tetrad stood back and allowed Birten entrance. The inside of the structure, like the man's own height, was stunted. Birten didn't have to duck, but he did feel cramped. Regardless, he would not complain.

The Tetrad offered him a glass of water, which Birten drank thirstily. He breathed heavily afterward, the sufficient amount of water almost shocking his body. He placed the empty glass onto a nearby surface, the Tetrad watching him throughout.

Birten knew better than to ask the Tetrad about why he lived on a different continent from his homeland, what had brought him here. As part of their distant character, the race did not discuss things of a personal nature with outsiders. But from what he'd learned from Deke's stories of his travels, Tetrads could be persuaded to bargain for trade. It might be a longshot, but if this Tetrad happened to have a piece of Tetradite, it could be exactly what Birten needed to get to Jhirdyr and to the prince.

"Trade?" Birten asked in Tarragonian. The Tetrad's eyes narrowed, somehow, given their already minute appearance. He didn't understand Tarragonian. "Trade?" Birten repeated, this time in the common language.

The Tetrad seemed to understand that time. "For?" he asked with a heavy accent.

"Do you have… Tetradite?" Birten asked tentatively.

The Tetrad laughed suddenly, a low, unsettling sound emerging from his narrow lips. "Rare, Tetradite. Hard trade. Few options will grant trade for Tetradite."

Though he hated to part with the lockpick, it was literally his only option. Besides the clothes he was wearing, he had nothing else on his person. With hesitancy, he removed it from his pocket and held it out to the Tetrad.

With another unpleasant laugh, the Tetrad motioned to a nearby jar that contained several lockpicks. But Birten could tell that they were standard, run-of-the-mill tools. "This one is more than a regular lockpick. It's got the ability to open even the most complicated lock with ease."

"Tetradite can transport anywhere, no need for magic lockpick," the man said, holding his hand up in passiveness. He shook his head slowly.

"Any lock!" Birten said desperately. "Tetradite can transport you, but it can't get you out of chains. It can't get you inside of treasure chests." Though he wasn't sure if Tetradite could actually work if the wielder was chained, he saw a noticeable difference in the man at the reference to treasure.

The Tetrad moved some things around on a shelf behind him until he emerged with a small, uninteresting box. He plucked one of the lockpicks from his jar and as soon as he stuck it into the lock, it broke. "Had box for many years, no key or lockpick can open. Prove yours works." He handed the box to Birten.

"Do you have Tetradite to trade, or not?" Birten asked. He wasn't about to help him if he wasn't going to get anything in return.

With an air of annoyance, the Tetrad went back to the shelf and rifled around again. It took longer to find than the box had, but he eventually located a small glass vial which he showed to Birten. "Small sliver. Once broken from gemstone, powers fade. Limited use, maybe only one."

Although in the grand scheme of things the lockpick would be much more useful, at that point in time even a one-way trip using the Tetradite was exactly what Birten needed. He sighed, but stuck the pick into the lock. The lid opened easily.

The Tetrad's eyes lit up quite noticeably, and he dove forward to see what the contents of the box were. It was clear he'd been waiting a long time for this. Before he managed to snatch it away, though, Birten slammed the lid shut again. "Not until I get the Tetradite. Give me the vial, and I'll give you the pick." The Tetrad was obviously not thrilled about it, but shoved the sliver toward Birten. Adhering to his end of the agreement, Birten handed the box and lockpick to the Tetrad.

As the man greedily repeated Birten's action of opening the box, hungry to see what it held, Birten didn't pay any attention. He couldn't have cared less. He had what he needed. He pulled the stopper out of the bottle and slid the dull orange stone bit into his hand. He wondered how exactly it worked, if all he needed to do was think about where he wanted to go.

And before he even had time to think about it, he realized his surroundings had vastly changed. He was in a large bedroom. An oversized bed took up the middle of one wall, predominately red bedding covering its surface. Two more of the walls were adorned with various paintings and a smattering of furniture. The final wall was inlaid with a large window and an ornate desk. And in the chair was a handsome man, with blond hair and exquisite blue eyes that were full of surprise. "Birten?"

Birten smirked. He'd found the prince.