pointing to the southwest. “Should we head that way now or stay south until he’s due west?” he asks.
“May as well head straight there,” he says. “We don’t know if going south or southwest is the safest way. So we may as well go in as straight a direction as possible.” He looks to Jiron and then says, “Until our circumstances change that is.”
“Southwest it is then,” Jiron says as he turns his horse in that direction. As James turns to follow, Jiron asks him, “What do you plan to do after we find your friend?”
“First thing would be to get him out of wherever he is,” he replies. “I still want to try to head back to Cardri. Maybe we could get a ship and sail around the coast.”
“Maybe. Then what?” prompts Jiron.
“Oh, maybe rest for a while and perhaps build a house.” He glances to Jiron and continues, “There are some things I’ve been thinking about, things to do with magic that I would like to experiment with. I want to be somewhere safe and away from people where I can work and not be disturbed.”
“What about searching for information about this Morcyth? Do you still plan to continue with that?”
“Absolutely,” James replies. “There are things I still need to know, but the last few weeks have shown me that I need to be better prepared before I set out again.” He pauses for a few seconds then says, “But I’ll worry about that when I get Miko back to Cardri. One thing at a time.”
They ride along in silence for a while longer before a road appears in the distance ahead of them. The coastline has begun to curve which has brought the road toward them. Several travelers are upon it, none looking to be military in nature.
Jiron looks to James who shrugs and says, “The road might actually be okay now.”
“How do you figure?” he asks.
“Since that large force had just recently come through here,” he explains, “it’s unlikely they would expect us to be here.”
“Possibly,” states Jiron.
“Besides, I’m tired of slugging our way through the desert. I want to get to Miko as quickly as possible.
“Alright,” agrees Jiron as he leads them toward the road. Upon reaching it, a fellow traveler on his way north says something to them, but they ignore him as they pass.
The man turns and says something, an obvious statement about being rude before he continues on his way.
When they are some distance away from the closest traveler on the road, James says, “It’s going to be a problem, not being able to speak their language.”
“I know,” replies Jiron, “but what can we do about it?”
“Nothing, I suppose,” he says.
They follow the road for several more miles and the only traffic they encounter is civilian in nature. James is surprised at the lack of military presence on the roads. Maybe the force he saw before the storm is all they are sending, or are able to send. Hopefully the local garrisons have been depleted to make up that force and are unable to spare any for patrols.
A town begins to appear ahead of them and when Jiron notices it, suggests, “Perhaps we should skirt around it. We could make camp out in the desert and I could sneak in for some supplies after it gets dark.”
James nods agreement, “Our supplies are getting a little low.”
So they veer to the east and continue until they’ve reached a spot a good two miles away from the town. They set up camp and wait for the coming of darkness. When the sun reaches the horizon, Jiron mounts his horse and says, “I’ll be back in a couple of hours, hopefully not longer.”
“Be careful,” cautions James.
“I will,” he assures him.
As he gets ready to leave, James stops him and says, “How are you going to be able to find me out here in the dark?”
Jiron looks around at the landscape and fixes the landmarks in his mind before he turns to James and says, “Rest assured, I’ll find you.” Then he turns his horse in the direction of the distant town and rides off into the deepening night.
Upon reaching the edge of town, he skirts along the edge, keeping to the shadows. He comes across several trees growing beyond the edge of town and stops to secure his horse in among them. With any luck he’ll still be there when he returns.
Removing a couple sacks from his saddle bags, he folds them up tightly and places them within his belt pouch. He pats his horse on the neck as he says, “Stay quiet,” and then melts into the darkness as he makes his way to town.
The wall surrounding the town is not very large, almost seems more for aesthetic value than for defense. A gate stands across the road where it passes through and is being guarded by two men. Jiron pauses for a moment to observe them as he evaluates his chances of making it through.
Deciding not to risk detection, he moves down the wall away from the gate. Reaching a spot where no one can observe him, he jumps up and grabs hold of the top of the wall, then proceeds to pull himself up. He looks over the top to the other side and when he sees it’s clear, slips over the wall and drops to the ground.
Keeping to the shadows as best he can, he runs across the distance to where the first building lies. He moves along its side until coming to a window. Glancing in through the window, he discovers it to be some sort of carpentry shop. Not what he’s looking for, he continues down to the adjacent building where a light is shining out through a window. Looking in, he finds this one to be a home, most likely that of the carpenter. It doesn’t look as if any one is currently within, though it’s hard to be sure.
Not wanting to take the chance where someone could be home, he continues on from building to building. Staying in the shadows as best he can, he finally comes across one that is dark, yet seems to be a residence. Hoping for it to have some food, he makes his way around the side to the alley running between it and another building.
Finding the alley vacant, he moves into it and continues down until he comes to a door leading into the building he wants. A moment’s listening at the door assures him there’s no one on the other side. He takes the handle and tries to open it only to discover it’s locked. Taking out one of his knives, he works on the lock until it clicks open.
Pushing open the door slowly, he makes his way into the dark interior of the house, closing the door quietly behind him. Much to his relief, he finds that it is indeed a residence and begins to search the house until he comes across the pantry. Relieved to find it containing food, he takes a loaf of bread and puts it inside one of his sacks as well as some dried fruit. It’s not going to be enough to last him and James for very long, but it’s a start.
This residence contains many things of value so he doesn’t feel obligated to leave any money this time. They won’t suffer from the loss of a little bit of food. As he returns to the door leading to the alley, he opens it a crack and looks out to find the alley still remains dark and empty. Leaving the house, he closes the door behind him and starts moving further along the side of the alley until coming to a cross street. He sees hanging outside of the building directly across the street from him, the unmistakable sign of a butcher’s shop. That’s what I need!
Excited at the prospect of raiding a butcher’s shop, he looks up and down the street before he crosses. A lone man is walking toward him. Hiding in the shadows of the alley, he waits until the man passes and continues down the street, eventually moving out of sight. A quick scan after the man disappears shows the street to be empty so he dashes across to the shadows of the alley next to the butcher’s shop, where he pauses momentarily to glance back along the street. Finding that he’s made the dash undetected, Jiron begins searching for another entrance to the shop, other than the one facing the street.
Around back, he finds a door that’s locked and no amount of finagling with the lock will open it. Wishing for his lost lock picks, he begins glancing overhead and spies an open window on the second floor.
Searching the alley for something that might help him reach the window, he finds a broken crate lying in the alley several feet away. Going over to it, he checks it quickly to be sure it’ll hold his weight, it seems sturdy enough. Picking it up, he brings it over and sets it under the open window. Standing upon the crate, he comes to within inches of the window. Hoping the crate will indeed hold up under his weight, he jumps up and grabs the window sill. He then pulls himself up so he can look through the window.
The room looks to be someone’s bedroom, a bed and several dressers are contained within. Snores can be heard coming from the bed, two forms are sleeping under the covers. Not wanting to risk disturbing them, he drops
