Reaching the end of the next juncture, he peered around the corner. The second guard was heading away from him. Rezkin did not have time to wait for the guard to vacate the corridor, so he would have to silently follow behind and hope the guard did not turn around. Twenty-five paces farther was an alcove that led to a supply room with an entrance to the disused servants’ passages. Of course, the fortress had no servants, but he had been told that long ago the fortress served some other purpose. No one had seen fit to tell him what that purpose was. It did not matter. Today, he would use those passages.

Silently slipping along about fifty paces behind the guard, Rezkin suddenly felt a prickling on his skin, and the hairs on his neck stood on end. He knew someone was approaching from behind. He shot forward as fast as possible hoping he did not make any sound and slipped into the alcove. His heart pounded, and the sound of blood rushing through his ears was making it difficult for him to hear if anyone pursued him.

Rezkin took several deep breaths as he reached into the pouch at his belt with shaky fingers. He quickly pulled out a small clay jar with a cork stopper. Digging into the jar, he drew out a clump of thick grease made from pig fat. With jerky movements, he slathered the grease on the old hinges of the storage room, replaced the stopper, and held his breath as he pressed on the heavy door. It swung inward with a gentle glide, and he let out a quiet sigh. He ducked through the door and closed it just as a booted foot came into view of the alcove. There was no guard scheduled to be there at that time, so it must have been Farson or Adona. He had to move quickly. If one of the strikers chose to investigate the storage room at this moment, he was done for.

After greasing the hinges on the next door, he gave it a push, but it did not want to open. He realized he was going to have to put his weight into it, and he hoped it would not be so loud as to alert the guard. It took three tries, but finally the door burst open with a thud. Rezkin winced at the sound. Of course, he broke Rule 12 … again. That had to be the hardest one. Some of them were much easier, like Rule 156—Do not die.