Twice more the young man had to wait for guards to turn corners, and as he entered the solar, he was preparing himself mentally for the most daring … or reckless, but certainly the most dangerous part of his plan. The windows in the solar were already open, so he approached with caution, knowing that he still had no idea where Farson and Adona were located. Hiding in a shadow, he peered out into the garden below. He saw no movement or manlike shapes. Taking a necessary risk, he stuck his head out of the window and examined the rooftops above and around him and again saw no one.

Stepping onto the windowsill, he examined his escape route. It was thirty feet to the ground, and he was not sure the fates would allow him to survive another such fall. The garden was surrounded by a ten-foot stone wall, atop which stood a five-foot high iron fence. At twelve years old, he stood at just over five feet tall, so if he hung from the windowsill, he would drop only ten feet to the iron fence. The top of the iron fence, however, was lined with foot-long metal spikes, so he would have to land with his feet on the crossbars between the spikes, and he could not crouch too far in the landing, or he would be impaled. Additionally, the crossbar was a little more than an inch wide, so it was going to be a balancing act.

Maneuvering himself into position, Rezkin dangled from the windowsill, and without hesitation, let himself fall. He immediately regretted his decision. He struck the iron fence and produced a muffled clang that reverberated along its length. Rule 12, again. While he managed to land his feet on the crossbar as planned, one of the spikes caught in his pant leg and sliced into his calf. Rule 6 broken. His arms pin wheeled as he wobbled before regaining his balance, and then he dropped to grab hold of the crossbars. Once he planted his feet on the stone wall, he released his grip and caught himself once again on the lip of the wall. With one final release, he dropped to the ground in a crouch nearly tipping forward when his calf screamed in pain.

Rezkin took in a deep breath through his nose and drew a strip of cloth from another pouch at his belt. After wrapping his calf, he scanned to see if he had left any noticeable blood behind. Satisfied that he had not broken Rule 10 again, he crossed the garden, looked for guards, and then passed through a gate. He darted across the yard toward the stables then ducked behind a hedge only to run into a massive wall of flesh. Dark eyes peered down at him above a cruel smirk. Striker Adona. Rezkin’s heart skipped a beat just as a meaty fist connected with his temple and all went black.

“Method 16?” queried Master Peider.