Jacob slid down the rope, and when the length of the rope was expended, he gently swung to the railing at one side and vaulted into the corridor.
Hugging the brick wall, he heard the sound of hurried footsteps coming from the staircase in the corridor, sounding like there were about a dozen people.
Jacob moved to a door nearby, gently turned the handle; it wasn't locked. He pulled out a throwing knife, cracked the door open just a slit, slipped in, and quickly closed it behind him.
The guards outside, holding crossbows, ran past the corridor, unaware that there was an added intruder on this floor.
Jacob darted into the room, raising the throwing knife in caution, only to see that it was a laboratory, empty of any people. Tiny kerosene lamps hung on the walls, and many glass vessels were arrayed on the tables.
He leaned in to inspect the vessels closely and guessed that all the red liquid inside was blood.
