good.”
The seconds ticked off as they waited for him to come upstairs. Soon, the sound of heavy footfalls thundered down the hallway and the door burst open. “We got to get out of here!” he blurted out.
“What?” asked Soth as he crossed the room to his brother.
“Did Bart get caught?” asked Riyan in fear.
Panting from the exertion of running through the streets, it took Seth a moment to catch his breath. Shaking his head, he said, “As far as I know, no.”
“Then why must we leave?” demanded Chyfe.
“They’ve begun searching the city,” he stated. With everyone looking on, he explained. “I was in the plaza keeping an eye on the gates when they suddenly opened, and squads of guards began coming through. I followed one of the groups to try and discover what was going on.”
“They went to an inn and while two remained outside, eight men entered. A short time later they emerged with two men from Byrdlon. One was unconscious and being carried by two of the guards. The other had a black eye and blood was flowing from his nose. Both were bound.”
“What are they doing?” asked Chyfe though he was afraid he already knew the answer.
“I asked one of the guards who said they were rounding up people to question about the disturbance at the castle,” he explained. “It’s only a matter of time before they come here.”
Chyfe raced for the window and looked out at the street. “No guards yet,” he told the others. “Grab your stuff. We’re leaving.”
“What about Bart?” objected Riyan.
Chyfe rounded on him and asked, “What good are we going to do him if we’re thrown into a cell beneath the castle?”
“He’s right,” agreed Chad. Racing for the door, he said, “Meet you in the stables.” He was soon out the door and heading for his room to retrieve his pack. The others began doing the same.
It didn’t take long before they were in the stables setting a speed record in saddling their horses. Chyfe was the first to have his mount saddled. With reins in hand, he led his horse over to the stable door. Looking out, he saw a city guard exiting from the back of the inn. The guard glanced around the courtyard then his eyes settled onto the stable.
“Trouble,” Chyfe whispered to the others. He mouthed the word ‘guard’ and pointed to the courtyard.
“Damn!” he heard Riyan curse as he worked to cinch the final straps tight.
Chyfe was soon joined by Seth and Kevik and they watched the guard begin walking across the courtyard toward the stable. Thus far, he was the only person in sight.
“What are we to do?” asked Kevik.
“We can’t let them take us,” Seth said.
“I’m well aware of that fact,” stated Chyfe.
The guard had now covered half the distance. He paused a moment and glanced back to the inn when another guard emerged through the door and said, “They’re not in their rooms.”
“Did they take their belongings?” asked the guard in the courtyard.
The guard at the door nodded his head. “Yes they did,” he replied.
“Question everyone,” the guard in the courtyard told the other. “And have Caleb and Benn search the neighboring streets. They may not have gone far.”
“Yes sir,” the guard at the inn’s door replied. As the guard ducked back within the inn, the one in the courtyard turned back toward the stable and resumed his progress.
“Everyone back!” whispered Chyfe urgently. He and the others moved away from the door. Then Chyfe turned to Kevik. “As soon as he passes through the door, hit him with your goo spell.”
Kevik kept his eyes on the door and nodded.
The guard’s footsteps could be heard as he neared the door. Then, the door swung open and the guard stepped through. No sooner had the guard’s foot hit the ground inside the stable, than he was encased in goo. Shocked by the unexpectedness of the attack, he remained still for a second before commencing to struggle and shout. The goo covered him to such an extent that the only sounds he could make were indistinct gruntings.
“Let’s go,” Chyfe said as he mounted his horse.
Chad held the reins to Bart’s horse in hand as he swung into the saddle. Soth took up the rear with the two pack mules.
Chyfe turned to Seth, “Take the lead.”
Seth nodded. “You got it,” he replied as he began moving toward the exit.
“Make it quick,” Chad said as Seth emerged into the courtyard and headed quickly for the gate leading to the street.
The courtyard was clear of any other guards at the moment. First Seth, then Chyfe crossed the courtyard and passed to the street beyond. Then came Riyan and Chad. When Kevik’s horse was but two feet from the gate, a shout rang out from the inn. Kevik and Soth glanced to the inn and saw a guard framed in a second story window. The very window to the room Kevik had stayed in the night before.
“Stop!” the guard yelled. When he saw Kevik and Soth kick their horses to quicken their pace, he yelled, “they’re getting away.” In a flash, they were through the gate.
The commotion the guard was making drew stares toward them as they fled. Soth led the others down the street toward the city gate furthest from the castle. It was his hope that the squads of guards which had issued forth from the castle area may not have yet made it that far.
A quarter of the city lay between their inn and the gate. They were quickly forced to slow as the street was congested with people going about their day to day business. Behind them, guards emerged from the inn’s courtyard in pursuit, and began closing the distance.
“We have to move faster,” Riyan hollered at Seth and Chyfe. “They’re gaining!” Hampered as they were with trying to make their way through the crowd on horseback, they were unable to quicken their pace.
Seth looked at the sea of people before them and realized he’d have to trample women and children under his horse’s hooves to accomplish a greater speed. He maintained his pace, agonizing over the knowledge that there was nothing he could do without risking the innocent. And that was something he wouldn’t do.
“Start yelling!” hollered Kevik.
“What?” asked Chad.
“Start yelling like you’re insane!” he replied.
“But we’ll attract attention,” argued Riyan.
Kevik gave him a look of annoyance and indicated the guards rapidly closing the distance behind them. “It no longer matters,” he said. “Now yell!” Raising his hands, Kevik spoke arcane words and a massive spray of sparks flew into the air from his fingertips.
Riyan and the others quickly got the idea and started to yell. Loud, incoherent gibberish it may have been, but the crowd quickly took notice and grew fearful. Then, energy missiles flew over the heads of the crowd and struck buildings bordering the street as Kevik began casting them in rapid succession.
Screaming, the people on the streets ran for their lives. Seth glanced back at Kevik, nodded, then kicked his horse into motion.
The display they put on would only work for a block or two. Then they would reach an area where people had heard the commotion, yet hadn’t recognized it as a possible threat. So Kevik and the others would be forced to repeat the ‘disturbance’ every so often to keep the street ahead of them cleared of pedestrians.
“My lord,” the magic user said excitedly.
“Did you find him?” the River Man asked.
“No,” came the reply. The purplish ball in his hand was spitting out micro bursts of lightning in a frenzy. Moving to the nearest window, the magic user pointed toward the heart of the city. “But magic is being cast out there.”
“Well, well,” his lord said. “Seems we’ve flushed out the intruder’s accomplices.”
“Perhaps,” agreed the magic user. Though they were below the level of the wall surrounding the castle area, they could still see the occasional energy missile arc up into the sky.
Turning to the captain of his guard, the Warlord of the Orack Tribe said, “You know what to do.”
The captain nodded and patted the satchel hanging at his side. Giving his lord a brief bow, he turned and
