I reincarnated in game

41 Under Observation

The next few days in Illad were uneasy.  While there was no actual rioting, a number of dissidents were seen to be patrolling in the town square, particularly near the inn where the king’s invited guests were staying.  Their cries against the church and the taxes they levied showed the level of their discontent.  They could not afford to live on what was left after the excessive tribute payments.  They were very angry and the opulence of the parade and celebrations had been the catalyst to their open rebellion.  Because of their volatility, tensions ran high.  The king’s response was to have a greater number of guards in the area to ensure that the discontent did not erupt into another show of violence. 

Inside the inn, Bishop Paul was well aware that the issue of tribute and taxes were the primary reasons for the riots.  He was confident that the king’s guards could keep the most aggressive locals in check to a certain extent; at least for the first few days until their anger subsided somewhat.  He called his men together.  “Fellow priests, I fear it is too dangerous to attempt an open departure back to Sdel at this time.  There is a lot of anger out there and the bulk of it is being directed towards us.  I believe that our best option is to remain here in the inn until there is less obvious discord in the square.  We can keep an eye on the unrest, and, when it is safe to do so, make a discreet exit; perhaps in a couple of days.”  He glanced around at the faces looking to him for direction.  “We will have to move the horses and carriages from here … I am thinking that we can have three men, dressed in street clothes, each take a carriage over to the church grounds here in Illad.  There would be very low risk because it would be obvious the carriages were empty.”  To himself, he added, “And if there was any risk, I won’t be the one taking it.”      

The bishop continued, “That way, when we decide to leave, there will not be any horse or carriage noises to betray our departure.  On the day that we feel it is safe, the same three men will go to the church and bring the wagons to the alley behind the bakery two streets over.  We will give the three drivers an hour to ready the wagons at the church and get to the rendezvous point.  The rest of us, dressed in street clothes, will leave two at a time from the rear of the inn, and make our way to the carriages.  Nobody here at the inn, or in the square, will be wise to our departure.”  There were nods of approval from the group. 

Bishop Paul continued, “We will have to have a strict rule.  Any person, who is not on the wagons within half an hour of the departure time of the first party, will be left behind.  We cannot risk discovery by the locals.  Each minute of delay would put the remainder of us in jeopardy.  We will start with the two of you from room twelve and go in order from there to the last two of you who are in room eight.  I am probably the most recognizable of all of us so I will be the last to leave.  I would not want to have anyone in my presence put at a higher risk if I am recognized in spite of my street clothes.  Being the final departure, I can make sure that nobody has been left behind.”  To himself he thought that if there were still risks of being beset on by the dissidents, they would hear the commotion when the first groups were spotted; at that point, he would still be safe inside the inn. 

After the dignitaries had been whisked away to the inn following the announcement of the postponement of the engagement, Hugh, Judi and Kenneth made their way back to the place where they were staying.  They had their evening meal then went back to their adjoining rooms to discuss strategy.

Hugh began, “With the unrest we saw today, it is unlikely that the bishop will risk coming out in public, in broad daylight.  We know that he likely will want to return to Sdel as soon as possible because the royal engagement has been postponed.  It would likely be that he will attempt to sneak out either in the very early morning of after nightfall because there will be fewer locals around to challenge him.  I think we need to set up a surveillance of the inn on the square for both the pre-dawn and evening periods.  There is a chance that he will have his carriages brought to the front of the inn so they can leave for Sdel because of his confidence that the king’s guards and his entourage will be able to keep them safe.  It is more probable that he will attempt to sneak out the back of the inn to his carriages in the stables and leave from the back of the inn.”  Hugh paused a moment.  Looking at Judi, he continued, “You can set up somewhere in the square to watch the front of the inn; I will station myself in the alley at the back.  That way we have both exits covered.”

“What you say makes sense.  We can certainly start doing the surveillance starting tomorrow morning but I will only agree that we separate in order to cover all exits if you make me a promise that you will call if you need my help.  I don’t want you to take on the whole group by yourself.  You would be far too outnumbered,” she said.

“I agree.  So I think we should get up an hour before sunrise and make our way down to the square.  I will wear the camouflage device so that I am not a target for any of the locals.  We can keep watch from the time of our arrival until an hour or so after sunrise; we can repeat the process at night, leaving an hour before nightfall and staying an hour or so after dark,” said Hugh.

Kenneth had listened to his friends as they discussed their plans.  “Could I come with you guys if you are only going to be watching the inn?” he asked.

Judi crossed over to where Kenneth was sitting.  She took both of his hands in hers and said gently, “Kenneth, we know you want to help in any way you can, but we are concerned for your safety.  If an opportunity arises, either Hugh would have to come to my position or I would have to get to his position very quickly.  Taking time to make sure you were safe could take crucial moments and make it more dangerous for both of us.  Do you think that you could stay here at the inn where we know you will be safe and that we don’t have to worry about you?”

Kenneth hung his head, disappointed that he would not be able to accompany his friends. 

Hugh came over to stand by Judi.  “You know Kenneth, you are our link to James if we get in trouble.  We promise that we will be very careful and that both of us will come back to you as soon as we can.  Knowing that you are here waiting for us will inspire us to be more cautious.”      

Judi and Hugh were up and dressed before daylight; Hugh donned his camouflage device before putting on his winter coat.  They sprinted down to the square.  At the inn, Judi took up a position under the temporary dais that still stood there.  Hugh went around to the back of the inn and hid behind some large garbage containers that afforded an unobstructed view of both the back door and the alley. 

They waited.

Dawn broke.

Just about an hour later, the activity in the street started picking up as merchants and vendors hurried to their respective places of business.  Hugh figured it was about time to end the watch when he noticed a man, in street clothes, coming out of the rear door.  Hugh watched as the man looked both ways, up and down the alley, then turn and motion behind him.  Two more men, dressed the same, joined him at the door and together they ran across the alley to the inn’s stables.  He found their actions suspicious so decided to stay in his secluded hiding spot a little longer.  He could hear the sounds of horses being moved about.

While he was waiting, he saw Judi coming up behind him from the direction of the square.  He motioned to her to be quiet and duck down to avoid being seen.  When she joined him behind the garbage can, Hugh whispered. “Three guys just came out of the inn acting a little suspicious.  They are in the stables and I have been hearing some horses moving about.  I thought I should stay a little longer to see what they’re up to.”  She nodded.  They both watched in silence.

About a half an hour later, they watched the bishop’s three carriages exit from the stables and turn away from them down the alley.  They turned right onto the first main street and disappeared from their view.       

“Nobody was in those carriages.  Only the three men who came out of the inn; one is driving each vehicle.  Since the stable manager allowed them to move the bishop’s wagons, they have to be connected to his party.  It may be they are testing the waters … if getting the carriages ready does not draw any unwanted attention from the people in the square, they might just take them around the corner and out of sight from the inn so the others can come out to join them, and all can be on their way.  I think we should hang around a bit longer to see if the rest of them try to leave,” Hugh suggested.

“OK, we can wait another hour or so … they would surely not want to have the wagons sitting on the side of the road for longer than that.  If we hurry back right afterwards, Kenneth won’t have much time to get worried,” Judi replied.

Time ticked on.  There was no activity at the back of the inn.  After about forty-five minutes or so, Judi touched Hugh’s arm and pointed to the far end of the alley.  They saw that the three men, who had driven the carriages away, were now coming back towards the inn.  The lead man went directly to the back entrance and pulled on the handle.  The door appeared to be locked.  The man knocked, and then waited.  In a few moments, one of the kitchen staff opened the portal; after speaking briefly with the leader, she stood back and allowed the trio to enter.

Hugh and Judi waited until the door was allowed to close; Hugh then nodded to Judi and said, “Let’s get going!”  They rose from their crouched position and headed back to the inn.  They arrived just in time to join Kenneth for breakfast. 

While they were eating, Hugh said in a hushed tone, “I still think they might be gearing up to leave.”

“Yes,” Judi replied.  “We will have to continue our observations and be ready to act on a moment’s notice.”