Chapter 50
While Alvar and Veli spent the night training with each other Gerdi had a different goal in mind as she lay awake that very night. After throwing the sheets to the side the girl stood up and with her clothes already on her body opened the window of her small room that lead to the outside, causing a small gust of cold winter air to enter her abode.
With her resistance against anything cold she didn't mind though and only felt a slightly pleasant sensation run over her uncovered skin. With an exhale she jumped onto her windowsill and threw one last glance at her room after which she let herself fall out of her window and into the soft snow down below.
With her posture crouched Gerdi crept through the shadows of Hoelbrak, not taking any chances at being seen, and after a few minutes of walking reached the gates of the city.
Crouched in the shadows she observed the guards patrol the walls for a few seconds until she spotted a window of opportunity to leave the city.
Though not over the wall. She had been smarter than that. As luck would have it Gerdi was part of the team that took care of the reconstruction and repair of the gates and thus managed to carve at a small part of the wall that made up the gate of Hoelbrak in a hidden corner through which she could escape and return should the need arise.
Thus, the small feminine shadow soundlessly squeezed itself through the small opening and while staying hidden in the safety of the shadows escaped into the night.
Not long after and Gerdi arrived at her usual training spot where she usually met her teacher and would do so again tonight. She only had to wait for a few minutes until the slim woman came into view, just like Gerdi hidden in the shadows.
"What have you found out?" The woman asked in her no nonsense way that Gerdi liked so much as she was of the same opinion that lesser is more. And so she told her teacher, everything. From the relocation to the logistics and the progress of the militant forces that Hoelbrak possessed. The information she provided was taken in complete silence until she finished her report and received a short nod in return.
"You have done well, Gerdi. I will make sure to relay that you were the one to uncover all these things. They will be rather useful indeed…" The woman said which brought a bright, toothy grin to Gerdi's face after which the woman simply disappeared back into the shadows as if she had never been there in the first place.
Satisfaction at her success filling her Gerdi stood up from the tree stump she had been sitting on and made her way back towards Hoelbrak, grinning at the thought that its inhabitants were doomed and it was all thanks to her…
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After Alvar and Veli had finished their spar they didn't even manage to drag themselves back home and simply fell asleep on the spot, buried in their thick fur mantles. Though their sleep was of a rather short duration as Sjorn soon after arrived at the training grounds and without preamble woke them back up.
"Had some fun with each other last night?" Sjorn asked the groggy duo with mirth tinging his voice while the two teens were to tired to even give some kind of smart response in reaction.
"Go home and get yourselves some sleep, lads. You're of no use to anybody in your state! And Alvar, prepare yourself! You'll have to make up for the time you've lost…" Sjorn spoke while the two left the training grounds which made Alvar curse silently, already dreading the following day as he knew that Sjorn would increase his training regime once again. Hopefully the old man would show at least some level of merci just this once…
Thus, the two of them returned home and promptly fell onto their beds to the amusement of their respective families who each wondered where the lads had been last night but could not ask as the two boys had already fallen into a deep slumber, not waking up until the next morning.