Sairis's POV
Sairis was on his feet before the sound of Tidal's footsteps had gone three paces down the corridor.
He crossed the library to the window on the far side, the one that looked out over the narrow strip of garden between the main house wall and the old stone boundary wall.
He remembered this window. He had used it more times than he could count when he was young, slipping out after dark to go places he was not supposed to go, coming back before anyone noticed.
The drop from the sill to the ground below was not far. He had done it a hundred times as a boy.
He had not done it while five months pregnant.
He pushed the window open as quietly as he could and looked down. The ground was close. He could do this, Sairis told himself. He swung one leg over the sill, then the other, and sat on the edge for a moment with both hands gripping the frame behind him.
