A Plan to Escape the Prison

Honestly, I don’t know how long I walked, head bowed, being dragged along by the guards. All I knew was that every ounce of life had been drained from me after witnessing Rafar's death. They removed the bracelet that suppressed my magic, and when they threw me into an empty cell reeking of rot, I finally raised my eyes to see where I was.

The place was dark and ancient, like a prison from centuries past. The black bars of my cell emitted a faint purple glow. I discovered their purpose the hard way when I received a painful shock after trying to touch them. I attempted to summon magic, but it didn’t work either. A small window near the top of the stone bed let in faint beams of light, which became my only distraction as I tried to push away the consuming thoughts swirling in my mind.

At first, there was no one in the adjacent cells, but after a while, the guards returned with more prisoners. Among them, I spotted what appeared to be soldiers, identifiable by their uniforms—and Cypher. I waited for the guards to leave before trying to communicate with the robot, who was placed in the cell next to mine.

“Cypher!” I whispered, but there was no response. I called out again, this time louder, only to be met by an unfamiliar voice.

“He won’t answer you, girl. The guards removed his motherboard. Now, he’s just a pile of junk,” said a man in the cell directly across from mine. He had shoulder-length black hair, and his beard looked as if it hadn’t been trimmed in ages. Scanning him for robotic parts, I found none. He was human, like me. “If you want to save him, you’ll have to wait until execution day, which is tomorrow. That’s when the guards get careless. There’s a hidden exit to the side, known by few. Wait for one of them to fall asleep, grab the keys, and escape as fast as you can.”

“How do you know that?” I asked, skeptical of his words. As I spoke, the prisoner didn’t even bother to look at me. His disdain and indifference were striking, making me wary. If he was imprisoned, he must have done something to deserve it.

“Doubting me? Well, I suppose a servant girl would have some reservations about trusting a criminal. But given your current situation, I don’t think you have much of a choice,” he replied, glancing at me briefly before sizing me up. It was then I remembered that I was dressed in plain clothes, not those of a noblewoman. I laughed, noticing his eyes linger on me with faint curiosity.

“Well, you’re right—I don’t have much of a choice,” I said, steadying my voice. The truth was, I was terrified. A part of me didn’t even want to survive in that place, but I had a mission: to save Cypher as an act of loyalty, just as he had shown unwavering dedication to Rafar. “But I still need to know how you know all this.”

“Let’s just say I’m familiar with this place,” he answered curtly.

“Been here a long time?” I pressed.

“You could say that. Just listen to what I told you. Tomorrow is a big day, so wake earlier than everyone else and prepare to seize the opportunities that come your way,” he said with such conviction that, for a moment, I believed him.

My only sense of time was the light filtering through the small window. I noticed when night fell and when dawn broke. Waking up wasn’t difficult—the hard bed had done a number on my back. I searched for weaknesses in the cell but found none of significance.

I tried using magic again and felt a faint, tingling sensation within me. It wasn’t nearly as strong as it was outside the prison, but it was something. I turned my gaze to the prisoner in the cell across from me, trying to discern how he knew this day would work to my advantage. Rummaging through the corners of the cell, I found decomposing trash. Pinching my nose, I grabbed a rotten banana peel. “Never eating bananas again,” I thought, and tossed the peel just outside my cell.

My hunch was correct: breakfast was served shortly after everyone woke. A chubby guard distributed moldy bread, and I seized my moment.

“Sir,” I called out in a polite tone, waving the bread in the air, “you forgot this one!”

“I didn’t forget anything, girl. That’s your food,” he barked back.

“But sir, mine isn’t moldy. I demand proper bread,” I said dramatically, ensuring my voice carried the right amount of indignation. It worked—he stomped toward me, only to slip on the banana peel. He fell hard, slamming his head against the bars. For a moment, guilt flashed through me—my plan had worked too well.

The prisoner across from me observed the scene with an intrigued look.

Using a piece of metal, I carefully hooked the guard’s keyring from his pocket. It took longer than expected; the keys were tightly secured. With great effort, I managed to pull them toward my cell, balancing them precariously on the edge of the bars—until they slipped and hit the ground with a sharp clink that echoed through the chamber.

At that exact moment, the prison door creaked open, and the guards rushed in, searching for the source of the noise. One pointed to the unconscious guard on the ground, while another stormed toward me.

“You wretched witch! You don’t deserve the gallows—you deserve to burn!” he spat, fury dripping from every word.

“Calm down, my friend,” said another guard mockingly. “You’re forgetting that the townspeople will decide her fate. I’m sure they’ll choose the worst punishment after she killed Prince Rafar.”

“What?” I shouted, eyes blazing, but they walked off laughing. The soldiers in the other cells grew restless, muttering curses under their breath.

And once again, I was left alone, without a plan, in that forsaken prison.