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.It took time to carry each sack into the loft, but he figured this was the safest place to hide themuntil he came back.The loft was also where he'd hidden his sword, and he pulled it from behind somebales of moldy hay.He had considered taking it with him when they first left for the mountains, but hehadn't been able to bear the thought of talking to Catrin about her mother.He could not lie to her, and ifshe saw the sword, she would surely have questions.Any answers he gave to those questions wouldcertainly have led to questions about Elsa.The memories were still painful for him, and he could see nogood that would come from revealing things to Catrin that would only confuse and hurt her.Now,though, his need outweighed his desire to spare Catrin the pain of knowing.Even as the thought occurred to him, he heard the barn's front door open and the sound ofhorses walking into the barn.In the next moment, he heard something that chilled his bones and made himcurse his own stupidity: "Why is the back door open?" someone asked in Zjhonlander.Benjin hadn'theard it spoken in many years, but he recognized the peril of his situation immediately.After making surethe sacks of salt and grain were well hidden, he climbed over the bales of straw that were stacked almostto the angled roofline.Squeezing himself through the cobwebs, he ducked under the rafters that gave himbarely enough room to pass.When he finally reached the other side, he quietly slid down into the smallopen area between the straw pile and the back door of the loft.From what he could hear, the soldiers below had not called out or raised the alarm, but he heardthem climb to the loft.As quietly as he could, Benjin opened the loft door just enough to see if anyonewas outside.When the way looked clear, he opened the door and climbed out onto the narrow ledgethat ran along the top of the barn doors.With his back to the barn, Benjin closed the door and scootedhimself sideways until he reached the makeshift ladder he'd built many years ago.It had taken a only fewscraps of barn board cut into short strips and nailed to the side of the barn to create a nearly invisibleladder.As he climbed down it, he was thankful for his own ingenuity.When he reached the bottom, he saw the soldiers coming back down from the loft, and he racedto the fence.Using his momentum and a hand on the top rail, he launched himself over the fence.In truth,he was lucky his grip did not miss the top rail since the entire fence was overgrown with honeysuckle andblackberry bushes.It was the growth that gave him cover while he fled.Running while crouched is not an easy thing to do, and his knees ached terribly when he finally reached the tree line.From there, hewatched and rested.The Zjhon seemed quite relaxed.They had taken Harborton and the highlands, and now thosewho remained to hold these seemed content to get fat on what had been left behind by the people of theGodfist.Anger and resentment burned in Benjin's belly, and when a sentry came too close, he movedwithout hesitation.Silently he approached the bored-looking soldier and caught him completely bysurprise.Using his momentum and leverage to focus the power of his muscles, Benjin landed adevastating punch that dropped the soldier without a sound.After dragging the man back to the tree line,Benjin took his uniform and left him there.Knowing it was only a matter of time before someone noticed the sentry was missing or found hisbody, Benjin hurried through the trees, looking for the game trail he used to hunt.When he found it, hetook a moment to change into the soldier's uniform, and he stashed his clothes near the trail.He tuckedhis hair beneath the jacket collar and hoped his disguise would be sufficient, though he knew it was thin.Getting to Harborton was as easy as following a series of trails through the woods that dominatedthe foothills, but when he reached the edge of town, his task became a great deal more difficult--thedarkness his only boon.After sifting through a garbage heap on the outskirts, Benjin found some thingsthat might help him get to the Watering Hole without having to answer any questions.He cut the top offan old leather flask and filled it with a noxious mixture of rotting vegetables and stale wine, and he hid theflask within his coat.When the moon was high, Benjin walked the streets, doing his best to look as if he belongedthere.Careful planning took him along a route that he guessed would have the least traffic.One street ranalong a narrow canal whose smell kept most people at a distance, and another was little more than a dirtyalley between two rows of buildings.The refuse that had accumulated there over many years madegetting through difficult, but Benjin was grateful for it.At the end of the alley, he could see his destination.The faded and chipped sign above the innhad always been a welcoming sight, but now Benjin knew better.The Zjhon religion declared churchesand libraries sacred and decreed that they must not be destroyed during the conquest of a city, but it wasthe soldiers who declared inns sacred
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