crystal above the pool.”
“And?” he prompts him to continue.
“And there must be a reason, something about the crystals that made them important to whoever had lived there,” he explains. “I intend to figure it out.”
“I’m sure you will,” he says as he gets up off the ground. “I’m going to see if I can’t scare up some food for breakfast.”
“Don’t bother,” James says as he motions over to several dead animals with holes in them. “I already got something, if you wouldn’t mind preparing them?”
Shaking his head, Jiron says, “No problem.” He goes over and begins skinning and preparing them for the fire. As he prepares them, he continues glancing over to James as he stares at the crystal.
When the animals are over the fire and roasting, the smell awakens Miko. “Finally up I see,” Jiron says to him.
Miko doesn’t reply, just goes to the edge of camp and answers the call of nature. Upon returning, he says, “James, why did your medallion act the way it did?”
James glances over to him and then returns the shard to his pouch. Turning to face him, he says, “The Star of Morcyth is a symbol of a god. Where I come from, it’s often the belief that religious symbols have some effect upon the dead or half-dead. Often it’s based upon the strength of the faith of the one wielding it. But I don’t worship Morcyth, so I’m not exactly sure why it did what it did.”
“Maybe it’s no ordinary medallion,” Jiron says from where he’s turning the spits over the fire. “Just where did you get it, anyway.” When James hesitates to answer, he says, “I think we have a right to know, after what we’ve been through.”
So James relates the events after he’d come to this world. Miko is astounded that James claims to be from another world and has had dealings with gods or whatever Igor is.
“He had said not to lose it, that I might need it,” he tells them. “I guess he was right.”
“Incredible,” Jiron says. “And you still don’t know why you were brought here or what you should do?”
Shaking his head, he says, “No, but I’m figuring it to have something to do with the god Morcyth.”
“That makes sense, since you were given his medallion,” Jiron says as he nods his head. “And that’s why you were in the City of Light?”
“Yeah, I was there looking for the last high temple to Morcyth, which we found as we fled,” he says. “But that didn’t answer any of my questions. When I talked with Ollinearn, he’d said that the last high priest had been born in Saragon. I had thought maybe to go there next, but it’s currently in the hands of the Empire. So I’m not really sure what I’ll be doing next.”
“I’m sure something will come up to tell you,” Jiron assures him. “They’re not going to have brought you here just to let you cool your heels.”
Smiling, James says, “Probably not.”
“Well anyway, breakfast is ready,” he announces as he hands each of them a skewer. As they take the offered food, James sits back and relaxes, unable to get the events of the last few days out of his mind.
They sit in silence as they eat, just happy to be out of the complex and on their way again. Jiron wonders what’s going on with his sister and the others they’d left back at Al-Kur. He’s anxious to meet up with them when they reach Trendle, and is sure she’ll make it there safe. The pit fighters had given their word to see her safely there.
As he eats, he also contemplates James and what he’d just been told. Fantastic to say the least, the story would hardly seem plausible but for the events he’d been party to since joining with him. What happened back in the underground complex lends credence to it all.
“What are we to do now?” he asks James.
“Remember that mural we saw back in the ruins?” he responds. “The one showing the countryside?”
Jiron and Miko both nod their heads, and Jiron says, “Yeah, I remember.”
“It looked like the main waterway that flowed near here will lead to a lake nestled up in the mountains,” he says. “I figure if we go that way, we might avoid any Empire forces which may be on the lookout for us.”
“Maybe,” he replies. “At least it’s going north.”
James nods, “That’s what I was figuring too. Since the swamp has been free of their patrols thus far, if we stay within it then we should be able to make it north without detection.”
“Then what?” he asks.
“Then we just see what our choices are as they present themselves,” James says. “Not much else we can do.”
Miko sets his skewer and what’s left of the carcass on the ground as he gives out a large belch.
James glances to him and smiles, “Ready to go?”
Patting his stomach, Miko says, “Yeah.”
Jiron takes a few more bites of his and then tosses it off to the side as well. Standing up, he begins kicking dirt upon the fire until it’s smothered.
James looks to him and says, “Lead on.” Grabbing his walking stick for support, he shuffles along after Jiron with Miko right beside him. His leg and side still hurt considerably but he manages to maintain a quick pace.
They begin to head toward where the waterway flows past the complex and shortly arrive next to its bank. Jiron turns to follow it as he leads them north, keeping the river to their left.
As they move north, the state of the vegetation quickly improves until there’re no signs of the withering that had been evident nearer the complex, much to everyone’s relief. Having to forge their way through the undergrowth, not to mention maneuvering around stagnant pools of water, doesn’t allow them to make great time and they soon have to stop for the night.
James’ leg and side are hurting abysmally bad, and it’s all he’d been able to do the last few hours just to stay upright. When they finally stop to make camp for the night, he collapses. The others allow him to rest as they go about building a fire and acquiring some food for dinner. After he’s eaten his fill, he promptly falls into an exhausted sleep.
Jiron and Miko take turns that night in keeping watch, allowing James to sleep the night through.
When morning dawns, they have to wake him up once they’ve gotten breakfast ready. His leg and side are still throbbing badly, and he’s afraid they’re becoming infected. But when Jiron examines them, he says they’re healing fine. Relieved, James takes the offered food and begins eating ravenously. He’d been worried about infection, not having any antiseptic or anything.
Even after eating, he’s still feeling weak, tired and hurting badly. But somehow he’s able to bring himself to his feet though he still leans heavily upon his walking stick. With Jiron taking the lead, they continue moving north along the waterway.
Ever since the morning, James has noticed how the life of the swamp has begun to return. Back when they were by the complex, there’d been no birds or any other sign of life. But since they’ve left it far behind them, the sounds of the swamp have begun to return. Off in the distance, they can hear the cry of the rhino-lizard. James is glad that it is far off, they’re not in any shape to defend themselves from an attack.
When the bugs and mosquitoes become unbearable again, he coats them with another dose of the noxious bug repellent. The stench doesn’t bother them nearly so much, now that they’ve been around it for so long.
Much to everyone’s displeasure, they’re still in the swamp when night falls. They find a suitable stretch of land to make camp upon and Miko begins to build a fire while Jiron goes in search of food.
James feels a little better than he did earlier in the morning, the day’s walk seemed to have worked out most of the kinks.
After dinner, when Jiron and Miko begin talking about standing watch, James offers to take the first couple of hours.
“Are you sure?” Jiron asks him. “If you need rest, then rest. If something should happen, we’ll need you strong, not weakened from lack of rest.”
“Yeah James,” Miko adds. “Your leg needs to heal, so rest.”
“I appreciate your concern,” he tells them, “but I’m not really that tired right now. So I’d just as soon take a turn. I feel bad when you two stand watch and all I do is rest.”
Jiron looks at him a moment and then shrugs, “If you feel up to it, alright. You take the first watch.” Turning to Miko, he says, “You take the midnight watch and I’ll finish it off.”
