They didn't linger a moment longer. The three of them mounted the waiting horses in haste, urging the animals first into a brisk trot, then into a full gallop. Gerard rode behind the hooded stranger who had pulled him out of his cell, clinging to the man's cloak for balance, while the second stranger rode several paces ahead, leading them down a narrow path.
Their instincts had been right. Just as they began to put meaningful distance between themselves and the arena gate, distant shouting echoed behind them. The noise carried on the cold night air, unmistakably coming from the place they had just escaped.
The more guards must have discovered his empty cell by now, their panicked cries warning the rest of the patrols that a prisoner was slipping through their grasp at that very moment.
