Snippet #2634975

Anna crept quietly through the fort, peering out into the darkness for any sign of other sinners lurking within. She heard the faint crunching of footsteps in the dirt, but there was no one she could see and no time to go searching for a single patrol. Hurrying as best she could while still keeping her footsteps quiet, she moved towards the back of the fort.

It was a small blessing that the stable was simple enough to find, still intact from whenever the fort had last been occupied. Anna could see a half dozen or so horses in the stable and a cluster of tents nearby where the other men were encamped. Anna crouched down as she moved up to the edge of the stable, and there was still no sign of another guard. She could only silently thank the Lord as she stepped into the stable, quickly untying each horse from the wooden posts.

Once she reached the last horse at the end of the stable, Anna flicked her knife out, cutting across the horse's flank. It was a shallow wound, far from anything that could impede the steed from running. The horse reacted immediately, roused from its sleep by the pain and quickly panicking. As it neighed loudly, the other horses started, and quickly began galloping out of the narrow confines of the stable with their ropes already having been severed.

Anna hurried behind the stable, watching as figured rushed out of the tents and soon their shouting was added to the sudden cacophony. Men were hurrying about, trying to catch the horses before they could trample anyone or rush out of the fort. As Anna watched, she saw that there was one man who had not ran off, instead remaining in front of a large tent set up behind the others. Anna circled around the encampment, approaching the guard from the side. While his attention was still focused on the chaos, she jabbed her knife out and he caught the blade in his neck. The man fell, wheezing and convulsing. Anna glanced over her shoulder, and seeing no one else catch her notice for now, she looked into the tent.