Miko’s team wasn’t the one sent to help dig out those poor souls, but had heard of it through the gossip channels later when leaving for the night.
Every other day or so, Black Tooth makes an appearance to give them their water and bread. His scowls have become so common now that Miko is no longer bothered by them. Lately, when they leave the mines at night, Black Tooth can be seen hanging around some of the supervisors, talking and joking with them. Whenever he sees Miko though, his smile fades from his face and hatred creeps into his features. He absently rubs his stump while looking at Miko, almost as if he’s unconsciously reliving the day he lost his hand. But Miko no longer fears him. He’s never far from his team and he knows they will stand by him should things ever get ugly between him and Black Tooth.
A day ago, during a break when bread and water was brought to them by someone other than Black Tooth, Miko had bitten into his bread and felt a sharp, jabbing sensation in his mouth. He reached in and pulled out a sharp rock, stained with blood from where it had punctured his tongue. If he would have swallowed it, it would’ve most likely torn apart his insides.
He had taken it to Essin who then proceeded to yell at the man who brought it. The man said he didn’t know how it had made its way into the bread but that he would look into it when he got back. Later that day, when they were leaving the mines, Miko saw Black Tooth standing near the kitchen building talking to the one who had brought the bread down to them. He pointed them out to Nate who said, “Apparently, he’s not through trying to get you, and he’s enlisting aid.”
“What can I do?” Miko asks him.
Shrugging, he says, “Nothing to do, just watch out until you have proof to bring to Essin.”
Miko kept glancing over to Black Tooth until his team reached their room and went inside for the night.
The following morning after they reach their spot in the mines, all goes as usual and they are able to maintain their pace to achieve their quota for the day. The day passes uneventfully as they load wagon after wagon full of ore.
James and Jiron look out from the woods to where the smelting complex lies. Six buildings bellow smoke from tall smokestacks, wagons being unloaded into smaller carts which are then taken inside. Several other smaller auxiliary buildings surround them. Two wagons enter the complex from a road on the far side and make their way toward one of the smelters.
“That road must lead to where Miko is,” states James.
“Let’s work our way around to it,” Jiron suggests.
Nodding, James makes to move when he’s stopped by Jiron’s hand on his shoulder. He glances back as Jiron indicates a group of workers walking along the side of a nearby building. Remaining motionless, they wait until the men move to the door in the side of the building and enter.
Working their way through the edge of the forest, they circumvent the smelting complex and come to the road. At the road they pause a moment as they look both ways. Not seeing anyone upon the road, they step out of the trees. James says, “Let’s take the road. It’ll be faster.”
“Alright,” he says. “But we better keep our eyes open.”
They travel down the road for a hundred feet before Jiron suddenly takes him by the arm and whispers, “Someone’s coming.” Further up the road, movement can be seen.
James follows Jiron into the forest where they crouch down behind some bushes and trees to wait. Shortly, they begin to hear the unmistakable sound of a horse drawn wagon coming toward them down the road. When the wagon reaches them, they see that it’s heaped full of ore from the mine, heading for the smelters. Aside from the driver, two guards with crossbows ride upon the wagon. After the wagon passes and has moved further down the road, they return to the road and continue down toward the mine.
An hour later finds them coming to the stockade wall that surrounds the mine. It appears out of the forest and then turns to run along the edge of the road. They enter the forest on the opposite side of the road from the wall before coming into view of the guards patrolling along the top. Keeping well within the woods, they make their way slowly alongside the road, all the while staying out of sight of the guards atop the walls. When they reach the area directly across from the gate, they stop and from a hidden location, watch the guards atop the gate.
The guards are fairly lax in their duty, most of their time is spent either engaged in conversation with the guard next to them or looking within the compound. Only occasionally does anyone glance around the outside along the road and into the forest.
“Looks like they’re not too concerned about an attack from the outside,” Jiron whispers to James.
“I think they are there more to keep people in than out,” reasons James.
Jiron looks to him and nods, “That should make this all the easier, then.”
“Let’s hope so,” he replies. Then he asks, “Can you get in?”
Shaking his head, he says, “Not with all those guards on the wall, they would spot me for sure. Let me go around the walls and see if there might be anyplace that would be less visible.”
“Should I go with you?” James asks.
“No,” he answers. “I can move a lot quieter and quicker if I’m by myself. Just stay here and keep an eye on the gate, see if you can determine some kind of routine for the guards.”
“Alright,” he says. “You be careful, this isn’t like sneaking around a city.”
“I will,” he assures him and then begins moving along the road away from James, keeping in the trees to avoid detection. When he’s gone far enough away beyond the point where the wall turns back into the forest, he quickly rushes across the road and enters the forest on the other side.
James catches his breath when he sees him crossing the road, sure that a guard on the wall will see him. He looks to the wall, but the guards are too engrossed with their conversation to have noticed. Hoping he finds a way in, James sits back against a tree and makes himself comfortable while waiting for his return.
Keeping a watch on the gate and the guards on the wall, he soon realizes there isn’t any sort of routine or pattern. They simply stand there and converse among themselves, as well as others within the compound. One thing James has noticed is that there are always four guards walking the wall over the gate. Or rather, standing there talking to one another.
Jiron has been gone an hour when the gate opens and three wagons full of ore exit. The wagons turn south and begin rolling down the road toward the smelters. While the gate is open, James looks within but isn’t able to see much more than some buildings scattered about. He does see other guards about the place, five others besides the ones on top of the wall. Once the last wagon has exited through the gate, the gate swings closed. With the gate closed, there’s little for him to do other than sit back and wait for Jiron’s return.
A hand touching his shoulder jolts him awake. Startled, he finds Jiron has returned and is shaking him. “Wake up,” Jiron says with a smile as he sits next to him.
“What did you find?” James asks him.
“Just more of the same wall completely circling the entire encampment,” he says. “Each wall has guards patrolling along the top which will make any attempt to gain entry difficult at best.”
James gestures to the wall in front of them and says, “There are only four on patrol above the gate at any given time.”
“That’s about what it is on the others as well,” he explains. “Most of them seem to be totally unconcerned with what goes on outside of the walls.”
“I noticed that too,” says James. “It feels like no one has ever tried to break in here before.”
“Most likely,” agrees Jiron. “Hopefully that will make our job that much easier.”
“What’s the plan?” he asks him.
Jiron sits and thinks for a minute before saying, “I really want to know what’s on the other side of those walls. If I knew that, I would better know from where to attempt to gain entry.”
“How about climbing a tree?” suggests James. “That should raise you high enough to see within the walls.”
His eyes widen like he never even considered the option. Nodding, he says as he looks around the forest, “You may have something there.” He gets to his feet and begins to look around for a suitable tree that’s both tall enough and placed so he will be able to see over the walls without being observed.
When he finally locates one that appears to be acceptable, he says to James, “Be right back.” Then he walks quietly through the trees until he comes to the one he spotted. The tree sits about thirty feet away from where the wall turns from the road back into the forest.
