The young mystic’s eyes widen even more—now he looks confused, and horrified. He unhooks the arrow and slings his bow across his back, overlapping his long quiver.
With some difficulty, the archer throws open the latch and struggles to lift the wooden gate from the floor. Ayan ducks underneath, and throws her arms around her brother, burying her veiled face in his shoulder.
Kiddu ducks under the open gate and tiptoes around the embracing pair. They don’t seem to notice her.
She lifts the latch to Gil’s cell. But she’s not quite strong enough to lift up the gate.
Gil shakes his head. He needs time to think.
On the other hand, if they run away now—that’s it. It’s the point of no return. If he stays in his cell, he could get a light sentence. If he runs, he’ll be a fugitive for the rest of his life. A fugitive from Libri, at least.
Jaruna pulls away from his sister and takes her to the stairs. But Ayan stops suddenly, and spins around to face Gil and Kiddu.
Gil can’t make out her expression because of her veil, but her brother’s face contorts in incredulous disgust.
With only a second’s hesitation, the mystic grasps the gate alongside Kiddu. Together the two of them easily throw it open. Before Gil can even sit up off of his bed, Kiddu ducks under the gate and grabs his arm with both her hands, wrenching him off his feet.
The mystic regards them both with condescending eyes.
