Chapter 53 Fifty three

Chapter 53 Fifty three
Mias POV

The night air was cold against my skin but my fingers were warm on the strings of the lute. I sat on a low stone wall outside the main gate with my hood pulled low over my head for concealment. My lute was cradled like a lover in my arms to keep it secure and ready. To anyone watching I was a traveling musician seeking shelter and offering song for coin to earn some payment.

In truth I was the bait set there to attract all the attention from the guards and servants. I began to play not the light pretty pieces I usually offered but something deeper from my past. A lament from my homeland a melody so full of sorrow that it stopped people in their tracks right away. The first notes floated through the gate on the breeze and I saw heads turn toward the source of the sound.

A guard looked up from his post with clear interest on his face. A servant carrying water paused her jug forgotten in her hands as the music reached her. The music grew with more intensity and depth as I continued. I poured everything into it including the fear of the past days and the guilt of my uselessness. I poured the desperate hope that I could finally be something more than decoration in the plan.

The melody soared high then dipped low and wove through the night like a visible thing. More faces appeared at windows as the sound carried across the estate grounds. The guard at the gate took a step toward me then stopped caught by the sound without any ability to resist.

Another guard emerged from the guardhouse his stern face softening as the melody affected him. A woman in fine robes Farooks wife by the look of her appeared at an upper window drawn by the beauty of the grief I was singing. They were all watching the performance with full focus now. All listening to every single note with complete attention. All forgetting to guard the other parts of the estate we needed open.

Samiras POV

I walked toward the guardhouse with the confident stride of someone who belonged there in the role. The magistrates robes itched but they were perfect for the disguise I had chosen. The forged documents in my hand were flawless since I had spent hours on the seals alone to perfect them.

The guard at the small side door barely glanced at me as I approached him. State your business he asked in a standard voice. I held up the papers with an impatient flourish to display my authority. Impromptu audit ordered by the regional tax council I stated clearly. There are discrepancies in the Emirs quarterly filings and I am here to resolve them tonight without any delay.

I stepped past him before he could think twice about allowing me entry. I will need access to your records all of them immediately I added to keep the pressure on. Inside the guardhouse there was chaos among the men on duty. The guards were distracted by the haunting music drifting from the gate into their area.

The ones who were not distracted were arguing about whether to let the magistrate in or turn me away. I let them argue among themselves to waste valuable time. Let them waste time on the pointless discussion. Every second they spent confused was a second the others could move forward with their tasks.

I opened a ledger and made a show of studying it carefully right in front of them. I asked pointed questions about dates and figures to keep their minds occupied. The guards scrambled to answer my questions as best they could in the moment.

Their attention was fractured between me the music and their own incompetence in handling the situation. Behind my stern expression I was smiling with satisfaction at how well it was going. The distraction was working perfectly just as we had hoped from the start.

Nadias POV

The eastern wall was old crumbling in places from years of exposure. Yasmins map showed every weak point and every handhold for the ascent. I tested the stones found them solid enough for my weight and began to climb steadily upward. Imani came behind me then two of Khalid's best men came after us.

We moved like shadows silent and sure in every movement we made. The music from the gate covered any small sounds like the scrape of a boot on stone. The music from the gate covered the soft thud of a landing on the other side. I reached the top and scanned the courtyard below with careful eyes.

Empty the courtyard was completely at that time. The guards were all at the front drawn by Mias lament that filled the night air. Farooks arrogance had left his back door unguarded and accessible for our entry. I dropped into a crouch and signaled the others to follow me down.

They followed one by one without any problem or noise. Imani landed beside me her eyes already scanning and cataloging everything around us. The dungeon entrance is there she breathed pointing to a low building against the far wall. Beyond the kitchens the service passage should be unlocked as per the information.

I nodded in full agreement with her assessment. My body ached from days in that cell but adrenaline burned through the pain keeping me strong. Leyla was down there waiting for the rescue we were bringing. I was coming to get her out safely.

We moved through the shadows like ghosts on a mission of rescue. The music swelled behind us a beautiful defiant anthem covering our approach from detection. Mia was giving us everything she had in her performance at the gate. I reached the service door and tried the handle with steady hands.

It opened easily under my touch without resistance. I looked back at Imani and she nodded to confirm the way was clear. We slipped inside the building quietly and without detection. The dungeon stairs were cold damp and lit by flickering torches mounted on the walls. One guard at the bottom never heard me coming in the dim light. A swift blow and he crumpled to the floor without a sound. Cells lined the corridor in a long row on both sides. Empty the first cell was completely.

Empty the next cell was as well. Empty the following cell was too. Then the last one came into view at the end. Leyla stood at the bars her eyes wide with surprise her face a mask of disbelief at our arrival.

Behind her on the cot Nadia the real Nadia struggled to sit up her battered face breaking into a fierce painful smile of recognition. I reached through the bars found Leylas hand and squeezed it tightly in reassurance. Miss me I whispered softly to her through the bars. Her laugh was half a sob as emotion took over.

You are insane she said with a mix of relief and affection. Takes one to know one I replied quickly in return. I pulled out the keys I had taken from the guard earlier in the stairs. The lock clicked open with a small sound in the quiet. The cell door swung wide open giving us full access at last. Freedom was one step away for Leyla and the others. Above us Mia's music soared a victory song before the battle was even won completely. The rescue had begun and the rest was up to us to finish now.