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My body ached as I huddled in the corner of the wall. Though the rails were cold, my body was overheated and sweaty. My backside was wrapped in a blanket where I had been lying. I placed my hand on the glass and glowed a little bit. I could see people trying to get out of the city from the wall using their night vision and flashlights, but none of the guards seemed to be watching this side of the wall. I needed to get out.



 I felt weak, exhausted, but had no choice but to get to the other side of the wall and search for my family. I banged my hand on the gate, trying to get it to open.



 I had heard stories of people being kept in stockades when they tried to get out of the city, but the music I had heard told me that there was no way I'd be put in prison. If I got caught I'd be sent straight to the prison and be dead, but I still had to try.



A clicking noise, like that of a door opening, came from behind the wall. I frantically looked around for a hiding place.


 It sounded like people were on the other side of the wall, things moving around, so I put my hands on a rail, but the noise stopped, and I heard a much deeper noise coming from inside the wall, like a growl of a large beast.




 The noise became quieter, and I heard a door open. I heard the growl again, but this time, it was breathing. The door banged back into place and I heard the lock turn.



I reached into my bag and pulled out the rectangle of glowing green glass and put it in my mouth. I couldn't vanish like I could when I was using my ring. This was the only magic that I could do without touching the glass.


 I needed to try to get out of here, but I wasn't sure how to do it. I shook my head. I couldn't think calmly enough to figure the best course of action. All I could do was wait. The sound of breathing stopped. 



My mind was racing, but all I could do was linger under the wall until someone showed up. The door opposite the one I was hiding under was slightly swinging back and forth. I quickly grabbed the railing and started dragging myself along it.



I was very tired and had to focus just to move. The door banged open, and I froze.



"Thomas, what are you doing out here?" I recognized the drunken voice of Bob, one of the guards.



"I was just messing with the lock when I found the door, but I didn't know how to open it. I'm sure I set up a trigger, right?" Thomas was definitely not very experienced with magic, and he was second in line for the job after Bob. 




There were a lot of things we couldn't do with magic, but there were a lot of things we could do. I smiled listening to them talk.



"Sure, Tom. You go take a nap and I'll talk to you later.


"Thanks, Bob!


I want to stay and listen to them talk about the attack, but I knew that I needed to get out of here. Where was the gate? I pressed my back against the wall and looked out into the darkness. I didn't see any lights out there. 




How was I supposed to get out of here? I had to wait until morning, but I knew that this was not a good place for me to stay. I couldn't rest here. I gulped the potion down. It made me feel awake for a few minutes, a magical boost.




 I had to wait for it to recharge before I could do it again, so I had to get out of here. I took a deep breath and set my hand on the gate. I could feel the magic pulsing through me, but I had to hurry or I'd be found out.



 I started pushing harder, willing the gate to open wide. It worked, but it wasn't enough. I had to push harder. It started to open too wide. I was going to be found.




I looked down and saw an old, semi-cracked key in my hand. If I could get the key in the lock and the gate closed, then I wouldn't be found. I'd be free. The key had an emblem on it.



 I didn't know what this emblem was, but it had to be good. I started to type the last letter of that emblem into my ring. I couldn't duplicate it; that was a long time earned magic.



 I started to type the first letter. The portal for the key was between the second and third character so I started with the second character. Then I had some extra room. I typed in the third letter and held my breath.




Nothing happened.




I typed the fourth letter and imagined pushing it through the keyhole. Nothing happened. I tried the next letter and put pressure on the key.




The gate opened. I bent over, gasping for breath. I ran out the open gate and into the woods.




I fell to the ground, laughing, my heartbeat racing. I was free.





I didn't know where I was, but I didn't really care. I lay there for a few minutes letting the adrenaline wear off, and then I started to sneak through the trees.




I only went about a hundred yards before I found the wall from the other side. I pushed my way through the brush and found I was in a dense forest.




I kept walking, following the wall closely. I bumped into trees or pulled at the brush. This side of the wall grew thicker and more overgrown. I couldn't go very far in the surprise.



 I was really lucky that I was found in such an overgrown part of the wall. That could have been a lot worse. I didn't want to find out how or where I would be put if I was found out of the wall.



I started walking quickly. I didn't know how far I had gone, and I didn't know how much time I had before I made it to the outside of the wall.