Olmedo said nothing, so Annan could only hold his pose and keep staring at him.
Tap, tap, tap, tap—
Hurried footsteps sounded. Annan turned his head and caught a glimpse of a skirt disappearing behind the door.
"Are you done squeezing?"
Olmedo's cheeks were squashed together, his lips puckered as he spoke indistinctly.
"So you agree?"
"Let go first."
Annan dug in. "Not until you agree!"
Olmedo could do nothing with him. "If Old Ancestor is willing to shelter you."
"That's easy. Old Ancestor already lets me do whatever I want!"
Victorious, Annan let go and hurried off to tell his eldest sister the good news. He left Olmedo behind, cheeks flushed from either the squeezing or something else.
"When are you leaving?"
Idelia watched Annan's excitement, her eyes curving into a smile.
"After tomorrow night's banquet."
Blackwatch's execution was set for the end of the month. Half a month remained. It sounded like plenty of time, but it was nowhere near enough.
Whether he tried persuasion, pressure, or a jailbreak, he needed time to prepare. If he arrived too late, he would be too late to do anything. What would be the point of going then—to watch them hang in front of the Judgment Hall?
"You can go straight to Old Ancestor."
"That's what I was thinking."
Free City had both a direct train and a Portal to Siltovis, but the train was too slow and too vulnerable to trouble. Annan did not fear danger, but he worried that attackers might strike the train, killing innocent people and giving the service a bad name.
The Portal was fast, but it would not be an official visit. Annan wanted to go openly and save Blackwatch.
So he had to visit Old Ancestor first, then register with the Ceremonial Affairs Department