From the sounds of it, all pandemonium was breaking loose outside. I opened the door and began pushing my way through the press of soldiers as if I was one of them.
*****
The freedom of my dungeon companions was short-lived as they were hacked down by panicked guards terror-stricken at the thought of being fed upon. At least in death they were now free from the living torment that had taken over their lives. I could only wonder as to how many of them had been as innocent as I had of any wrongdoing.
I was among the press of court officials that was spilling out onto the street. Nothing like the threat of cannibals on the loose to clear a building. I saw the Prince striding about angrily, calling out orders, and I had to fight against the capricious urge to slip up next to him and bury a dagger in deeply.
He no doubt deserved it, but today was not the day.
I found myself in the palace stable yard quite by accident. It wasn't in me to be a thief and steal another man's horse, so I did the only thing I felt comfortable to do.
I strode up to what appeared to be the chief attendant of the stables and barked out, "The Prince requires his horse! Now!"
The stable master fidgeted nervously, as he split his attention between me and the general hubbub taking place in the palace, "Which one?" he asked distractedly.
"The red one," I said on a hunch.
"But it's not been properly broke in yet!"
"Bring it now man!" I yelled out forcefully.
The stable master ran off and I waited impatiently for his return. He came back moments later with a beautiful red stallion that pawed aggressively at the ground. Now this was a horse!
Of all the people in this kingdom, the Prince owed me the most and I was willing to call us even, for the most part, in exchange for this horse. I slid into the saddle, chuckling to myself as to how angry the Prince would be when he found out about this.
The Prince would be wise to be grateful that he was still alive, but I doubted that he would be. His kind carried a grudge to the end. With this act I'd made an enemy today.
The stallion did a hop, skip, step in preparation to buck, but I had no time for that. I spurred him out of the stable lot and into the hustle and bustle of the city. I had no wish to ever return here and I doubted that I would be made welcome anyway.