Siege

He half-pulled Richard to his feet. Without thinking, Richard followed him into a narrow alley off the main street. It was scarcely wide enough for one man to squeeze through, but about twenty paces from the road, it widened suddenly so that it was easily wide enough for a man to run had it not been littered with broken wooden crates and refuse. Daniel leaped over a pile of broken wood, and Richard followed. He landed, and again felt Daniel’s hand grab him roughly by the mail shirt and pull him to the ground.

Looking back through a gap in the pile of wooden refuse, Richard saw several figures rush past the narrow alley. It did not take long to recognize the pale blue and gold colors of the royal army as they went past. One man stopped, peering into the alley, trying to pierce the shadows. Richard held his breath, and heard Daniel do the same next to him.

After a moment, the man thought better of squeezing through the narrow alley and turned away, moving out of their sight. Richard let out a breath, and relaxed a bit.

"Whew!" whispered Daniel. "I thought I wouldn’t catch you in time! Have you lost your senses? You know the gatesmen wouldn’t keep the gate open with half the royal army not a half mile behind you!"

"I- I hadn’t thought about it, but you’re right." Richard said. "I’m glad you caught up with me. Where are Harry and Jimmy?"

"They ducked off the main road a half-mile back," said Daniel, "I had planned on joining them, but we couldn’t get your attention. I think they are safe- unless the soldiers are checking all the alleys as they go. In that case, we may not be safe here."

"Where should we go?" asked Richard. "We can’t hide in the city forever at this point, and if the gate has fallen, it won’t be easy to get out."

"Harry says he knows of a way out of the city that might be safe, but we have to get to the South Quarter first." Daniel said. "He said to meet him at the butcher shop by Red Creek before tomorrow morning. Do you know where that is?"

"He means old Gunther’s shop. That place has been closed for years," Richard answered. "I know where it is, but how do we get there from here? We can’t go anywhere until nightfall."

"I can get us to the South Quarter by the back alleys," said Daniel. "If you can get us to the butcher shop from there, we should be able to make it before morning. If we’re careful, we might be able to avoid the royal troops altogether."

Richard nodded. Daniel took a quick look back down the alley from which they came. There were still masses of royal troops rushing past the opening, but none seemed interested in checking it. Daniel rose quickly, staying crouched as much as possible behind the piles of refuse, and crept further down the alley.

They were still not far from the main road of the city, so there was a good number of royal soldiers nearby, hunting through various buildings that lined the street for plunder. They were forced to stop often and hide in small crevices between buildings, behind barrels, refuse, and boxes as well. By midday, they had made a good deal of progress. Both had discarded their helmets and armor. If they were found, there would be little hope of convincing the royal soldiers they were civilians if they were wearing armor. Neither was confident enough to drop their swords, however.

As misfortune would have it, it was just after midday when the rains began falling. They had taken refuge from the firs downpour under the overhang of a burnt-out building that smelled of soot when Richard heard the voices approaching.