She had no idea why he stopped and waited at the gate, but she'd done her part. He was free to run. She had no reason to linger with him. She hurried down the walk away from the gate, blending into the shadows as best she could. When she reached the alley where she had left the guard, he was limp, dozing against the pole. It was extremely strange to be looking at her own body, knowing another consciousness was inside it. She could see that he had spent a miserable night in the dark, damp alley. She clunked her boots as she walked, which immediately made him start awake.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Jeeze... is that really what I look like when I first wake up?</span>she thought, noticing the puffy eyes and bleary look on the face.<br/><br/>She crouched down, sitting on her heels, to look her body in the eyes, staring directly at the guard's consciousness.<br/><br/>"Now. Lets be honest. We both know you are not an idiot. We both know you've figured out at least an idea of what I was doing tonight. You have two choices. Either you get up, lay low, and keep your mouth shut about what you know, or you watch me slit Penny's throat. When I leave here, I'll make sure you take no blame for what I did while inside you. I'll make it clear you were not in control. If you leave them with no way of knowing who I was, you'll be free and so will I. Do we have a deal?"<br/><br/>The guard had to think about this for a minute, and she guessed what was causing his hesitation.<br/><br/>"I didn't hurt anyone. The man I helped escape was wrongly imprisoned for something he did not do. It was my fault he was in there, and I was honor-bound to help him. By releasing him, I have put no one in danger."<br/><br/>Finally, he nodded his agreement, "You've left me little choice. I accept your terms."<br/><br/>She nodded  in response. Pulling out the cuff keys she still held, she released the shackles around his wrists, untied the belt around his feet, and pulled him free of the pole.<br/><br/>"It would be extremely unwise to try and run just now... but take whatever risks you like."<br/><br/>Relatively certain he would not try anything, she poked at the wound she'd sliced in his palm earlier with the dagger from his belt. Next, she reached to the belt pouch hidden in the skirt her body wore. Pulling out a vial, she allowed the blood to trickle into the potion. There was another puff of smoke and flash of light and she set the bottle down.<br/><br/>Using the shackles she'd taken off of the guard, she chained herself to the pole and sat down. After tossing the keys toward her own body, she nodded to the bottle she'd set down beside him.<br/><br/>"Drink it."<br/><br/>Appearing confused, he sat up. She could see that he was simply wishing for the whole endeavor to end. He picked up the bottle and drank it in one gulp. After swallowing, he gasped, gagged, and began to squirm. He kept writhing in agony and she found herself experiencing another strange moment of vertigo. It was disconcerting watching her own body writhe and moan. She knew what was coming, and still it came with a shock. She felt herself being torn free of the guard's body. It was a horrible sensation. Her entire being burned and itched as the potion took effect. After a moment of agony, all sensation suddenly vanished. She was floating in nothingness for a brief moment before slamming with a solid impact into her own body.<br/><br/>She needed only a few moments to recover from the effects. When she sat up, the guard was unconscious, chained to the pole, and deathly pale. She knew he would be fine, after a full night's sleep. Rising, she groaned as her sore muscles were stretched. It had indeed been a long and miserable night. Her body ached all over. Her wrists were raw. He must have been fighting against the cuffs a great deal. Her ankles also were chafed. Her face and head ached from the blow she'd taken. All in all, she was decidedly unhappy as she pulled a few more items from her hidden pockets.<br/><br/>When she finally left the guard several minutes later, he was still sitting chained to the pole as before, but there were significant changes to the scene. Chalk lines had been drawn in on the stone floor around him. They were harmless, meaningless lines, but the uneducated guards would assume spell work had been involved. To add to this, she placed candles and bundles of herbs around him and lit the candles. They would be wary of disturbing the 'spell circle' for some time. It would give her the time she needed to get away.<br/><br/>Her padded leather boots were much quieter than his heavy plate cloppers had been. She made no sound as she dashed down the alley, headed back to the road.