Coming awake quickly, he stands up and looks around, Jiron and Tinok are nowhere in the room. “How long have they been gone?” he asks worriedly.
“Several hours,” Cassie replies from where she stands behind Delia. “He said they would be back before it got dark. I’m worried.”
Concerned himself, James says, “Let me take a look outside and see if I can tell what’s going on.”
“Be careful,” Cassie warns.
“I will,” he assures her. “I’ll just stick my head out and see what the situation is like outside.”
The girls accompany him over to the passage and watch as he makes his way through the rubble to the stairway.
The passage is fairly choked with debris, he can’t believe they managed to drag him through here unconscious after the battle. At the stairs, he has to step carefully so as not to dislodge any of the rocks and stones, the entire area seems very unstable.
Nearing the top, he begins to see the starlight being filtered through the bushes that have overgrown the entrance. He reaches the top of the stairs and slowly and cautiously, peers through the bushes to see what’s going on outside.
He looks around and discovers that the bushes are located within a corner of a city park, that’s wedged in among several buildings. It’s not much more than a small grassy area with trees, where the people could take their ease from the worries of the day.
With only the stars above for light, James can’t make out much more than vague shadows, but it doesn’t look as if there’s anyone around. He remains there scanning the area for several minutes before returning back down to the room.
“Didn’t see them out there,” he tells the girls as he leaves the passage.
“What are we going to do?” Cassie asks, fear in her eyes.
“I’m sure they’re okay,” Delia states with conviction. “They know the area and Jiron is good at evading people when he wants too. Besides, they may have had to take a longer route to get back, or hole up and wait until they can once again move without being seen.”
“I hope so,” Cassie replies.
“I doubt if we could make it out of here without him,” says James. “We’re going to have to wait until either he comes or we’re sure that he isn’t. So let’s just settle down and get comfortable, it could be a while.”
The girls go back to their usual place, with James accompanying them. They break out some of their supplies and have a little snack while they are waiting for the boys to return.
“So,” begins James, “are you two their girlfriends?”
Delia laughs and Cassie blushes slightly. “I grew up with Jiron,” Delia explains. “We are very good friends. When he realized the Empire’s soldiers were within the walls, he came and found me. Cassie just happened to be there with me, and I wouldn’t go unless she could come too. You see, she’s my best friend. He tried to locate his sister, but there were just too many soldiers on the streets. So we headed here as quickly as we could, occasionally having to hide and wait until the enemy passed by. When we got here, Tinok had already arrived and we’ve been here together ever since.”
“Do you think Jiron can actually lead us out of here?” James asks.
“If anyone can get us out,” she says confidently, “he can. That boy knows every street and hideaway in the whole city.”
“Let’s just hope they make it back,” he says wishfully.
“They will,” Delia says, “you can count on it.”
They sit and talk for a while until James begins to hear noises coming from the passage. All three look with both hope and trepidation to the entrance of the passage and hold their breath. Then, Jiron and Tinok step out into the room, carrying four backpacks filled with stuff.
“Told you,” Delia says to James. Then to Jiron she asks, “What took you so long? You had us scared to death you weren’t going to make it back!” She stares him down with hands on hip as he walks over to them.
“Sorry about that,” Jiron apologizes, as he hands her a backpack.
“Yeah,” Tinok says, “we had to lay low for a while. They brought in extra soldiers and are still in the process of searching houses.” He hands his extra pack to Cassie.
“Seems they know there’s a mage here somewhere, and they want him bad,” Jiron comments as he looks toward James. “We overheard some talk between soldiers about it.”
“Is this going to hamper our efforts to get out of here?” he asks.
“Shouldn’t think so,” Jiron explains. “I don’t think they’ve blocked the way I was planning for us to take.”
“And what way is that?” James asks.
“Can’t really explain it,” he says. “But trust me, the way should still be open.”
When Cassie puts on her backpack, she says, “Just what is in here that makes it so heavy?”
“Some dried beef, water bottle, and other essentials,” he explains. “There are also some extra clothes, just in case.”
Once everyone has their backpack on, Jiron leads the way through the passage, with James right behind. Tinok is taking up rear guard with the girls in between.
They all wait at the bottom of the stairs while Jiron goes to make sure it’s safe. “It’s clear,” he whispers back down after scanning the park, “come on up.”
James begins to climb the stairs with the girls close behind. He reaches the top and joins Jiron outside while they wait for everyone to exit.
“Now where?” James asks once everyone has joined them up top.
“Just follow me and stay close,” Jiron says. He has them hug the wall while they make their way toward the street at the end of the park. As they approach, marching feet can be heard coming toward them from further down the street.
“Now what?” James quietly asks.
Speaking to all of them, he whispers, “Stay silent and close to the wall, they should march right past us without even noticing we’re here.”
Standing still and quiet, they press themselves against the wall and wait. Soon the first soldiers appear from the left and continue marching down the street, past the park. Jiron’s plan is working, not one soldier even bother’s to look within the darkened park.
Aaachew!
They all look to Cassie in disbelief as a very loud sneeze escapes her.
Immediately the closest soldiers stop and turn at the sound. They see them there, partially illuminated by the few torches a couple of the soldiers hold. Both sides just stand and stare at one another for a brief second. Then James yells, “To the tunnel! Move!”
As if that is the catalyst everyone needed, all hell breaks loose. They turn and race back toward the stairs as the soldiers give chase.
As everyone reaches the stairs, James turns and lets loose the power, attempting to slow the soldiers’ advance.
Crumph!
The ground explodes upward, tossing soldiers in the air and pelting them with dirt and other debris. Several soldiers had been in advance of the area that exploded and were now almost upon him.
In a panic, James pushes out with the power, literally tossing the onrushing soldiers backward, where they collide with their comrades.
“The mage!” he can hear coming from the street as more soldiers rush toward the park, starlight reflecting off their swords.
“James! Come on!” he hears behind him. Turning, he sees that everyone has already made it inside the tunnel and Jiron is there motioning for him to follow.
James runs over and enters, flying down the stairs. “What are we to do now?” he asks Jiron.
“We’re trapped,” Jiron explains. “There’s no way out!”
When James enters the room, Cassie is there in tears. She looks to James and cries, “I’m sorry!”
“It’s okay,” he assures her, though in his own mind he’s not nearly as forgiving.
Tinok is standing at the passage entrance, listening for pursuit. He turns and says, “They’re coming.”
