Page 11 of Cage of Destiny
“Prisoner for processing,”the man escorting her said.
Allyssa withheld her laughter. She wasnot a prisoner.
“Crime?” the man behind thedesk asked, looking her over. He tilted his head to the side, andshe wondered if he recognized her.
“Stealing,” the man besideher said. “I was on my way to work when I saw her stealingtangerines from a merchant at the Bilarie Market.” He patted hertorso where she’d hidden the citrus.
“How do you plead?” the manbehind the desk asked.
“Not guilty,sir.”
“I saw you shove thetangerines in your shirt.”
She turned to face her accuser. “I hadno other way to carry the items.”
“Why did you run away fromthe scene of the crime if you didn’t steal them?”
“I had to meet my fatherand was running late. As far as I’m aware, that is not a crime.”She lifted her chin in the air, wanting to show her social standingand prove she was not a common thief. “Did you discuss the matterwith the vendor?” she demanded. “Did he tell you I stole theitems?”
“Well, no.”
She looked pointedly at the man behindthe desk.
“One of you go and speak tothe merchant while the other one of you escorts her to the holdingfacility.” He picked up his quill and began writing.
“I’ll go,” the man to herleft said before turning away and leaving. The man to her rightgrabbed her arm.
“I am not going to sit inthe holding facility with criminals while your man runs across townto prove my innocence. If you expect me to remain here, you willput me in an empty office.” Her hands shook, so she clutched themtogether, trying to remain calm and in control.
The man at the desk peered up at her.“Fine. Put her in one of the empty rooms.” He nodded to hisleft.
The man at her side grunted and ledthe way down the corridor. At the third door, he opened it, shovingher inside. Without saying a word, he slammed it shut, leaving heralone in an empty room with nothing but a small window serving asthe only light.
Going over to the window, she peeredoutside. She was on the first floor; however, it was elevated andshe estimated the drop to be about fifteen feet. Nothing shecouldn’t handle. Best to be quick about it before someone came andchecked on her. She unlatched the window and pushed it open. It wasgoing to be a tight fit. Hoisting her body up, she slid her legsout first. Not wanting to smash the tangerines, she pushed themaround to her back and then slid out of the window. When her bodywas fully extended, she let go, dropping to the ground and landingon her backside. Quickly standing, she started walking, trying toblend in with the crowd of people around her.
A moment later, Nathenek joined her.He didn’t say a word as they made their way along the street. Aftertwo blocks, he tilted his head to the left, and they headed in thatdirection. Her back itched and she wanted to turn around to see ifanyone followed, but she knew not to. It would only make her lookguilty. They continued in silence, turning several times as theymade their way through the city. They finally reached the dirt roadleading to Nathenek’s house on the outskirts.
She rounded on him. “I did notappreciate that test. And I don’t believe my mother would approveof such behavior.” Stealing, lying, escaping arrest. She was usedto putting people like that in jail.
“You’re just upset becauseyou failed.”
No, she didn’t. “I met you at theguard station with six tangerines.” She patted her torso, showinghim where they were stashed. She’d done everything heasked.
“You werearrested.”
“You didn’t say anythingaboutnotgettingarrested. Technically, I wasn’t formally charged, and I managed toget out of that situation.” She folded her arms, challenging him.She didn’t go through all that to fail.
He sighed, observing her. “You werecaught.”
“I allowed myself to betaken into custody,” she explained.
He unwound the scarf around his face,enabling her to see his facial expressions. He raised his eyebrowsin disbelief.
“I didn’t want to make ascene, so I went with the guard knowing I could escape.”
“You got lucky and managedto escape.”
“No. I knew I couldn’t beprocessed without an eyewitness account or documentation—neither ofwhich he had. I also knew there is always an empty room or officefor meetings. So, I asked to be taken to one, which would allow meto escape without notice.” In reality, the entire situation hadbeen a gamble, which had paid off. Going in, she figured she had afifty-fifty chance of it working.
