Contents
Chapter Sixty-Eight
Overview
Tiyung, Hana, and a disguised ally execute a ruthless escape from Idle Prison, killing two guards and staging a cover-up. Tiyung discovers the ally is Nayo, Hana’s brother he once freed. They frame the scene to exonerate Nayo, then knock him out to sell the ruse, and plan to reach Khitan.
Summary
At the prison exit, the captain of the guard moves to raise an alarm, but Jimi seizes his throat. Hana kisses a second guard, Ral, poisoning him, then poisons the captain as well. Within moments both men collapse, leaving Tiyung stunned and uncertain.
Following Hana’s orders, Tiyung drags the dying captain into his office, arranges him on a couch, and replaces the keys in the captain’s pocket to suggest a fatal heart attack. Hana secures the remaining bolts and prepares the scene, pressing Tiyung to act faster as the risk of discovery rises.
Hana instructs Tiyung to “take care of” Jimi. Confused, Tiyung realizes Jimi is actually Nayo—Hana’s brother and the former prisoner Tiyung once freed. The plan is to bruise and knock Nayo out so he can claim he was attacked by a prisoner, buying him plausible deniability while they escape.
Hana slits Ral’s throat and stages his weapon. With urgency mounting, Tiyung strikes Nayo with his sword hilt, leaving a visible bruise. Weighed by guilt yet resolved, Tiyung reflects that perhaps good people, not gods, have given him this second chance, and he and Hana prepare to flee toward Khitan.
Who Appears
- TiyungPOV; orchestrates parts of the prison escape, stages the captain’s body, and knocks Nayo out to maintain the cover.
- HanaColdly efficient planner; poisons two guards, directs the staging, reveals intent to head for Khitan.
- Nayo (alias Jimi)Palace guard and Hana’s brother; aids the escape, revealed to Tiyung, then is knocked out to preserve his cover.
- RalGuard poisoned by Hana and later throat-slit to complete the staged scene.
- Captain of the prison guardSilenced, poisoned, and posed in his office to look like a fatal heart attack.