The Doctor

Chapter 13: Cat and Mouse

   A hasty knock rasped quietly at my door the next morning. I slid begrudgingly out of the sheets, still sleepy from my almost all nighter, and opened the door. Bryce stood just outside, glancing around nervously. In his hands he held a black cape with a long hood and an apple. 

   “Put this on.” He whispered. I did so and he looked me up and down with a smile. “This may just work...” He mused to himself, then suddenly remembering the apple and handing it to me. “Sorry its not much but if you have to run you don’t want to do so on a full stomach.” He explained, I nodded not minding the small breakfast but not caring to explain to him the real reason why. I followed him down the hall, attempting to eat silentLy but still he cringed with every loud biting noise it gave. As we got closer and closer to the front of the castle I started seeing more people but I wasn’t the sore thumb I would have expected. Everyone was wearing capes of some form, even Bryce slipped one on as we neared the front gate. Guards stood all around the gate, inspecting every face in the crowd carefully. 

   “So what are you going out for today? Going to buy anything nice for yourself dear?” Bryce asked, I looked at him as if he had gone mad but he said nothing, just stared at me expectantly. Suddenly I realized what he was doing. 

   “Oh.. Yeah sure... I haven’t like the food so I’m hoping to find something good in the market.” I said, trying to seem casual but we both could hear the uncertainty in my voice. We passed many guards during our brief conversation and it managed to hide my face from them as I looked at Bryce but still didn’t seem out of the ordinary. 

   “Your shoe is untied.” He said grabbing my wrist and yanking me down. I crouched down and this hid my face from the rest of them. I would have thought someone would question a girl who isn’t wearing shoes why she was trying to tie them but hell maybe insanity for the working class here is normal. We followed the crowd down the dirt path to a small, worn down town made from rotted wood and a prayer. More guards were present at the mouth of the road leading in but they didn’t seem as intently fixated or all that interested by the crowd who had already passed first inspection, we sLid by with ease and kept walking until we were on the edge of town. Suddenly Bryce stopped.

   “See that path?” He asked, pointing to a heavily traveled and easy to follow foot path.

   “Yeah.” I said, 

   “Don’t take it.” I gave him another funny look but listened anyways. He had gotten me this far and was my best bet to continue going farther. “There are more guards and they are on alert and waiting for someone to try and sneak out of town by taking it. Lord Castile has to give us days out to keep us happy but he knows people will still try to leave and is prepared. Go to the other side of the clearing and forge your own path through the woods. It will be a hard way to travel but they are praying on the laziness of these people in order to catch them. Keep going straight and when you find a paved main road you can follow that, it will be safe at that point. Pick a direction and find a road sign, you want to go to Taigha. That city is split directly down the middle and once you cross the bridge your home free. Ask around the town to get pointed in the right direction.” He explained.

   “Your not coming?” I asked, feeling worried.

   “No, it would be to dangerous. I’ll go back and distract anyone’s attention away from the clearing while you make a run for it. If I went people would notice my absence after a while and the guards will come looking, on the other hand everyone thinks your still asleep in your room so you have time.” I nodded sadly. 

   “Thank you Bryce. I’ll never forget this.” I said and gave him a tight hug. 

   “You better make it.” He said hugging me back. “I don’t want to see you back in that castle.” When we separated I looked at him funny.