53 Sleeping (1/2)

I left the garden and went back to the Manor making my way to the kitchen area. As I was leaving, I picked two small pieces of bamboo from those that formed the perimeter of the garden. The kitchen was silent, no one was present since it was still the middle of the night. I started a fire in the wood stove, drew a small amount of water from the well, and placed it in a pan to come to a boil.

While waiting, I hollowed out one of the bamboos with an ice pick and used my knife two fashion three little darts from the other. Then I used a bit of glue to attach a small patch of cloth to the end of the darts. When I was finished, I grabbed a mortar and pestle and ground the petals and stem of the Adarna into a paste. When the water came to a boil, I poured just enough in the mortar to cover the mixture. Then I stirred it all together until it was soupy.

The Adarna plant had a secret that not many knew about. Typically, the flower is used as a decoration, due to its beauty it's very popular. That is why it was placed in my garden and can be seen in flower displays all over the village. However, the stem and petals produce a unique chemical that when mixed together and exposed to warm water creates a fast-acting sedative. The sedative is strong enough to knock out a Brown Steel Bear. The only downside is once the chemicals of the flower are mixed they lose all potency after 30 min. Therefore, you can't make any ahead of time and must use it immediately. Also, even if you use it, the effects wear off at the end of that thirty minutes. So if you mix it and take 25 min to affect your target, they will only be out for 5.

I dipped the three darts into the mixture and loaded one into the hollowed out bamboo. I quickly made my way over to the East Wing of the Manor. As I passed through the seating area, I looked for a particular chair. After finding it, I used my knife to pry off a metal trim that was part of the decorative design.

When I got closer to the east wing, I slowed my steps so I wouldn't make any noise. I reached the area with the guest rooms and peered around the corner. Two guards were sitting in a chair on either side of one of the doors. One looked half asleep while the other was lazily looking down the other side of the hall. I made a mental note to address their lackadaisical actions later, for now, it actually helped me. I pointed the bamboo at the closest guard who was half asleep. I quickly blew into the end, and the dart shot at the guard.

Fortunately, the guards weren't outfitted in full body armor. They had leather chest plates, but nothing on their legs except cotton pants. The dart stuck into the guard's calf.

”Ouch”

He reached toward his leg and slumped over, completely asleep. The other guard looked over when he heard the sleeping guards voice.

He looked at him with disdain mumbling, ”If you are going to sleep at least stay quiet. Talking in your dreams, how pathetic.”

He waited for a second to see if the sleeping guard would respond, ”Hmph.”

He went back to staring down the other side of the hall.

I quietly loaded another dart, took aim, and blew into the bamboo. Another hit, right in the thigh.

”What the hell?”

The guard turned around, but before he could even see what hit him, he went limp. I got up from my crouching position in the corner and walked over to the guards. I removed the two darts from their legs. The hole from the dart was too tiny to notice and the dark-colored cotton pants absorbed and obscured any sign of blood. Even if they see the small mark, the will probably think it was a bug bite. I propped them both up against the wall. It's vital that they believe they only dozed off when they wake up.

So far so good. I unlocked the door to the room. My heart was racing, but I knew what I had to do. I entered the room, most of the furniture was removed. All that was left was a small mattress, a blanket, and a pillow. Sylvia was laying there with her hands shackled together, and her feet chained to a bolt in the floor. She looked like she was peacefully sleeping. However, I had to be sure. I placed the bamboo to my lips and blew the last dart. It hit the center of the bottom of her foot sticking out underneath the blanket.

She quickly sat up completely alert, ”What? What are you do.....”

It seemed she was only pretending to be asleep. However, the sedative quickly kicked in, and she fell back down. I pulled out the metal trim from earlier, formed it into a Z shape, and left it on the floor. Then I used my key to unlock her from her shackles. I picked her up and carried her out of the manor and into the garden. Before leaving, I made sure to lock the door to her room behind me.