Chapter 74
In the middle of the night, Zeth approached the edge of town, Astrys by his side. She carried a large barrel she’d used to transport the goods to base in her arms, the only thing preventing her from holding more being that she couldn’t fit more in her arms.
“Alright,” he said, “stay there so your aura doesn’t affect anyone. I’ll go ahead and start giving this stuff out.”
After grabbing a handful of random food items from the barrel, he snuck ahead out into the streets, creeping up to the nearest house he could find. He’d specifically gone over to the smallest, poorest guild housing, hoping to help people who wouldn’t have as much money saved and would be hit the hardest from the lost wages. So ideally, he’d actually be helping people as he dumped off his stolen goods.
With his heartbeat thudding in his ears, Zeth crouched by the house, listening for any signs of movement within. Hearing none, he left a small bundle of smoked meat and dried fruit by the doorstep. He adjusted his cloak and mask, hoping they’d be enough to shield him from any prying eyes in the quiet, moonlit streets.
But as he turned to leave, he spotted the window of the house he stood at slowly light up—it looked like someone was approaching with a candle. He darted away, hoping they wouldn’t spot him flee as he ran over behind another house. Staying there for a moment, he listened as the door opened, followed by a bit of silence, then some soft, sleepy grumblings, and the door closed once again. He peered around the corner of the wall he hid behind to ensure nobody was out there, and it looked like they’d headed back inside.
Close call. They must’ve heard him approach, or seen a glimpse of him through a window. More carefully this time, he approached the next house, crouching below the windows and being sure to make no noise as he stepped down the cobblestone road. This time, he managed to leave another bundle of food behind without alerting any attention.
He went down the street, handing out individual meals worth of food at each doorstep. Since the houses were all perfectly identical, Zeth was able to build up a routine taking the same movements each time to ensure nobody detected him.
Once he ran out, he went back over to Astrys and they moved to another location, he refilled his arms with food, and went out again, dropping off the presents on each person’s doorstep. He went house by house, leaving each one with a little more to get by on. But as he did this time, Zeth saw in the distance as a light appeared around the street corner, and the shining white armor of the Inquisitors came walking in his direction, lanterns on their belts.
He dashed off to hide in the alley between two houses, hoping the cover of dark would keep him safe as the Inquisitors passed. But as he hid, he heard the sounds of their walking pause for a moment, and they muttered between themselves for a moment.