Yan reached the east gate as the last family group boarded the ferry. The captain had been taken to the temporary post near the wall, but a shout rose from that direction before the ferry pushed off.
“He’s gone!” a guard called. “The Registry captain broke loose!”
Wei was already moving. Yan followed him across the square. A warden said the prisoner had slipped between two guards during the change of shift and run toward the covered market. His hands had been bound in front; one guard thought the knots were secure, and the other had turned to help a wounded soldier.
“Keep people out of the market,” Wei ordered. “No one chases through the food stalls.”
A cart was still parked beneath the market awning. The captain had overturned two baskets to clear a path. Yan saw his black coat flash between the stalls and ran. He used Three-Step Ash Run, its burst giving him more speed and strength. The yard seemed to draw nearer in an instant. He grinned at the clean rush of power and crossed the square before the captain reached the river road.
The captain turned in the narrow lane and swung his saber. Yan met it on his bracer. The blade rang against the reinforced metal, but the force drove Yan sideways into a shutter. Pain flared across his shoulder. He kept his footing and stepped in before the captain could swing again.
