into Cardri without anyone knowing? If the guards at the gate recognize Perrilin, or just report that someone in his condition passed through, then the hunt may be on.
He slows his horse’s pace as he ponders the situation. They reach the outlying buildings, and after traversing several blocks, the gate comes into view. It is well lit and two guards stand vigil.
Agonizing over how to get in, he suddenly hears the sound of drunken singing coming from the intersection of streets ahead of them. James reins up some distance away and waits to see what’s going on. Around the corner appear four rather drunken men, singing and sharing bottles as they stagger up the street. Their destination seems to be the gate into the city which gives him an idea.
“Oh my god, Reggie,” one of the guards says to his partner as he looks at the men coming up the road toward them. “Would you look at what’s coming down the street?”
“Looks like they had a good one tonight,” Reggie says.
“Yeah, so much so that one of them can’t even walk,” the first guard laughs.
The two guards look on in amusement as the six men, one who needs to be supported by two of his companions, come staggering up and then through the gate into the city. They watch as the group meanders away down the street and are soon out of sight but not out of hearing as their off key caterwauling echoes through the night.
Once past the guards and out of sight, James quickly disengages himself and Perrilin from the drunks. They make their way through the streets to the second gate, ducking into alleys whenever a patrol of the city watch comes by.
They finally reach the second gate and find two guards on duty. Both are looking rather bored but otherwise alert. James watches from the shadows of an alley for a while, but no opportunity presents itself they can take advantage of to get through the gate unnoticed. Perrilin rests with eyes closed against the wall of the alley, passing from being conscious to unconscious and back again as James considers his options.
Afraid of trying something like this, but unable to think of any other way, he scans the area to make sure no one is approaching before he begins. He concentrates on a visualization of the guards becoming tired, then drifting off to sleep. The power wells up and flows toward the men. The flow of power is small and subtle, taking a small amount of time to work its affect. Soon, the men begin yawning and their eyes start to blink. First one then the other slumps down and drift off to sleep.
Helping Perrilin up, James bears much of the bard’s weight as they make their way through the gate, passing within a foot of the sleeping guards. Once they are past and far enough from the gate so as not to be noticed, James stops the spell but the guards fail to reawaken. Not wanting them to get into trouble on his account, he leaves Perrilin sitting against the side of a candle maker’s shop while he returns to the gate. Stopping some distance away, he picks up a small rock and tosses it toward the sleeping guards. It bangs into the wall then ricochets off the head of one. Startled, the guard wakes up, suddenly realizing that he had been asleep and gets up fast. Then he notices his partner lying nearby and kicks him in the leg to wake him. Satisfied they won’t get into trouble because of him, he returns to Perrilin and with the bard still leaning heavily upon him, head for the Silver Bells.
When they reach the inn, James can hear that the common room is still packed with the evening crowd. Above the voices and the occasional laughter wafts the sound of a bard or minstrel. Going around to the back, he finds an area steep in shadow where he leaves Perrilin.
“I won’t be but a moment,” he tells the bard. The only reply Perrilin gives is a nod.
Moving as unobtrusively as possible, he walks in through the back door and quickly makes his way to the stairs and then up to his room.
Opening the door, he finds Miko lying atop one of the beds fast asleep. Coming over to him, James shakes his shoulder. “Wake up, I need your help.”
Startled to wakefulness, the boy bolts upright only to relax when he sees James standing over him. “I was getting worried about you,” he says.
“Sorry about that,” James replies. “I found Perrilin and he’s downstairs.” Holding up a finger he says, “No time for questions, I need your help getting him up here. He’s pretty badly hurt.” As he leads Miko from the room he adds, “We need to get him up here without letting anyone know that he’s here.”
“How are we to do that?” Miko asks.
“Just follow my lead,” James tells him.
Miko gives him an affirmative nod and then follows him down the stairs and through the back door. James is relieved to find the bard where he left him. He and Miko manage to get Perrilin to a standing position, and with an arm around each of their necks, help him to and then through the back door.
As they enter, Miss Gilena just happens to walk by. She stops when she spies them, her face turning into a frown. Wearing a disapproving look, she moves toward them and asks, “What is going on?” Her expression seems to indicate suspicion that they are up to something.
“Just a friend who got the tar beat out of him is all,” James explains.
She turns her gaze first onto James, them Miko. When her eyes turned on the man between them, her expression changed from one of suspicion to that of shock. “Is that…?” Having been discovered, James can only nod. She looks around and finding nobody nearby says, “Hurry and get him to your room. I’ll be up in a few minutes with some food and water.”
“Thank you,” he says.
She only nods in reply then hurries to the kitchen. They help Perrilin up the stairs and into their room, laying him in the bed furthest from the door. Miko lights the candle on the table giving the room a little light. They pull the covers to his chin to better hide him should someone come in unexpectedly. They were just finishing with Perrilin when a single knock sounded on the door followed right after by Miss Gilena entering the room. Bearing a tray of food and a pitcher of water, along with several towels tucked under one arm, she snags the door closed with the heel of her foot.
“What happened to him?” she asks as she comes to where he lies. Handing Miko the tray of food, she then pours some of the water into a nearby basin and wets the end of a towel. Coming to sit on the bed next to Perrilin, she uses the damp towel to begin cleaning the dried blood off his face.
“I found him being held in a farmhouse several miles out of town,” James explains. “They were beating him up pretty good and were about to begin using a hot poker. That’s when I came along and managed to get him out of there.”
“I thought he was arrested by the city watch?” she asks.
“Apparently not,” he explains. “I went by the jail first, but they said he was never brought in.”
They both turn their gaze toward the sleeping bard. James wonders what Perrilin has gotten himself into.
After cleaning him up fairly well she says, “You will need to get him out of those dirty clothes and clean the rest of him as well. In the morning, I will bring clean clothes for him.” Getting up off the bed she says, “If he wakes, try to get him to eat and drink, at least drink if nothing else. I need to be downstairs and if you should require anything, send the boy down to me,” she emphasizes by pointing to herself, “and I shall get you what you need. Understand?”
“Yes ma’am,” James replies.
“Good. Now I’ll leave you to it,” Miss Gilena states as she returns to the door and leaves the room.
“What now?” Miko asks after the door closes behind her.
“I guess we better get his clothes off and get him cleaned up like she said,” James answers as he proceeds to remove Perrilin’s shirt.
“No, I mean about gaining access to the Royal Archives,” clarifies Miko.
When he removes the shirt, he looks with anger at the many shallow cuts and bruises dotting the bard’s chest and back. The cuts are obviously the source of the blood staining his shirt.
“They sure did a number on him, didn’t they?” Miko asks as he too examines the extent of his injuries.
“Yes they did,” agrees James. He takes another of the towels and dips it into the basin. Being careful so as not to reopen the wounds which have already begun to heal, he gingerly works to remove the rest of the blood and dirt.
“I think we will need to wait until he wakes before we do anything further about the Archives,” James says. “We’ll lay low until tomorrow and then when he awakens see if he can help us. Hopefully he will be awake by then.”
