Gabriel knelt beside his bed checking his pack by candlelight. He was in a spacious room with no windows and only one door in or out. His room was in the center of the compound since this was not his first attempt to run away, nor his second, nor his tenth. He had lost count after twenty. Every time he tried to escape he was found and brought back to a nastier beating than last time, but over seven years he got closer and closer to leaving this damned place.

  He was checking his pack again when he heard footsteps near the door. He hurriedly tied up the pack and threw it under his bed, one of the few pieces of furniture in the dark room. He thought about hopping into bed but knew it would make too much noise so he sat at his desk with his candle acting like he was simply reading.

  When the knock came Gabriel was ready. He played up his sleepiness and answered with a half yawn. “Yes sir?”

  The voice that answered him was a much higher pitch than the one he expected. “Wow. ‘Sir?’ I should help you sneak out more often. I like this kind of respect”

  Gabriel nearly tripped over his chair, stumbling to open the door as quickly as he could. He opened it up and pulled Coral, his co-conspirator, inside. He checked that there was no one else in the halls and then shut the door swiftly but quietly.

  “Are you trying to get us caught? If we get caught I won’t tell you where I hid the money.” Gabriel angrily half yelled and half whispered. Gabriel was under 24-hour watch, supposedly for his own protection, because of his malady, but that was just an excuse to have guards make sure he didn't run away. The reason there were no guards outside his door at this hour of the night was because they believed he was asleep. They believed they had a few hours to play cards and raid the pantry of the richest man in the guild, if not the world.

  Coral decided to ignore Gabriel’s fear of getting caught. Gabriel was always worried about getting caught. “Hey. Nice hair.” Coral was remarking on Gabriel’s orange colored hair which matched Coral’s. “So, you got everything ready to run away from your golden prison?” Coral jabbed.

  “I don’t see any gold around here. It’s just a prison.” Gabriel paused for a second forcing Coral to take a look around the room. It indeed did look more like a prison than a bedroom. There were few furnishings. There was a simple bed with one of each piece needed to call it a bed: one pillow, one blanket, one mattress, and one bed frame. A rack of clothes hid neatly folded in the corner. There was a desk with pen and paper, which could be called a luxury, but considering there was nothing else in the room, not even a window or a rug. The pen and paper were moreso instruments to avoid insanity than a leisurely pass time.

  Gabriel continued where he left off. “Do you remember the plan? I only need a few hours.”

  “Oh yea, I got you man.” Coral said in a sly self assuring voice.

  “Alright, are you ready then?” Gabriel said while taking out a couple of “misplaced” herbs from the medical ward. These herbs magically found their way into Gabriel’s bag because Coral and Gabriel didn’t look much alike but close enough to pass if their faces were swollen like a watermelon.

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  “I’m ready.” Coral assured him. He closed his eyes tight waiting for Gabriel to apply the poisonous herbs, but Gabriel paused.

  Gabriel felt guilty when he judged what kind of punishment Coral would receive for helping him escape, but Gabriel felt that the price he was giving Coral was enough to justify the risk. Coral felt that way too. Of course, he wouldn’t be here if he didn't feel it was worth it. Gabriel still paused because he knew that bad things happened to people who have helped him escape before. Many of them have been demoted, imprisoned, or exiled.

  Gabriel hoped that none of that would happen to Coral because he was a healer like Gabriel, and they were highly prized here in the guild city. Still, as he pulled out the poisonous leaves he couldn’t help feeling like this was a bad deal for Coral.

  “Hey we don’t have all day.” Coral quipped impatiently, shaking Gabriel out of his thoughts.

  “Right. I’ll get started now.” Gabriel was sure Coral wouldn’t get too bad of a punishment.

  He rubbed the leaves all over Coral’s face. After the face, he hit a few other areas like the arms and the legs. He was trying to recreate a facsimile of his own illness with poison. It wasn’t actually anything like his own illness, but these guards didn’t know that. Gabriel hadn’t had a breakout for over a year and these guards were new.

  Once Gabriel was done he stood up. He wrapped the leaves up and stuffed them in his sack. He would throw them out once he got into the forest and away from any eyes that served his “father.”

  “The leaves’ poison will take a few…” Gabriel stared.

  “A few minutes to activate and then I'll be itchy, red, and swollen. Wait a few hours, preferably six or more then I can heal myself, tell the guards you tricked me, then I can take my gold and get away from here. So where is it? Where is the gold?” Coral was also a healer so he knew what type of poison Gabriel used. He didn’t want to be lectured by someone a year younger than him. At least he thought he was a year older. Since they were both orphaned by the beast raids neither of them knew how old they really were. All Coral really wanted was the gold he was promised.

  “The gold is behind the healing barracks. I was able to sneak away from the guards long enough to put it under the tree and heal the tree. Look for the tree with three cuts near the base.”

  “You know. I never understood why you practiced healing plants but it does come in handy from time to time.” Coral said this calmly, but in his mind he was shocked at how versatile Gabriel was. Most mages could only heal people, but he healed people, plants, and animals. He could heal broken bones, and broken twigs in the same breath which was probably why he was kept on such a tight leash by Lord Karson, his adopted father.

  “Comes in handy.” Gabriel commented, shrugging. “Anyway, I’m off. Wish me luck.”

  Coral chuckled. “I think I’m the one who needs luck here, but still good luck.”

  He picked up his pack and walked to the door with a sinking feeling in his gut. He opened the door and turned around. “Good luck.” That was his final comment before he closed the door and rushed to the window that led out to the garden. Through the thorns and thickets he would make his escape into The Great Forest and hopefully some answers to his questions.