“Check it out,” he tells him.
Jiron opens the door and looks inside. He turns back to James and says, “Looks like a storage room.”
James turns his attention back to the guard and the girl. He indicates the storage room and says, “Move inside.”
The guard gives him a defiant look as he walks over to the storage room, the girl following with fear in her eyes. Jiron rips off two lengths of cloth from the girls dress and uses them to gag their mouths. Then he proceeds to bind their hands and legs. Once they’re secure, they leave the room and close the door behind them.
Suddenly, from the other side of the double doors, the sound of someone whistling comes to them. Jiron motions for James and Miko to move out of the way as he takes position near the door.
The whistling draws near and Jiron gets ready. The door opens up, a guard enters with a smile on his face and a bottle of wine in his hand. He stops abruptly when he sees Jiron there in the hallway before him.
Jiron moves quickly, but not before the guard realizes what’s going on and tries to shut the door. Slamming into the door with his shoulder, Jiron knocks it open. The guard is forcefully pushed back and falls to the floor, the bottle of wine flies out of his hand and smashes against a wall several feet away. As he hits the floor, the guard draws his sword while at the same time attempting to roll out of Jiron’s way to regain his feet.
But Jiron doesn’t allow him the opportunity to do that and kicks him hard in the side. The guard groans as Jiron kicks out again, knocking the sword from his hand. As the guard starts to cry out, he kicks one more time, this time in the side of the head and silences his cry.
He picks up the unconscious guard and carries him over to the storage room where the others are bound and gagged. Miko picks up the guard’s sword and brings it to the storage room as well. Once Jiron has him gagged and tied up, Miko removes the sword belt from the guard and secures it around his own waist.
When he sees James looking at him, he says, “May need it before we’re out of here.”
“Just be careful,” he advises.
“I will,” replies Miko. “Don’t worry.”
As they again leave the storage room and shut the door, James says, “That must’ve been the other guy’s partner.”
“I’d hate to be them when they’re discovered in there with that girl,” Jiron says with a grim smile. “They’ll be hard pressed to explain what she’s doing there, and in that state of undress.”
Chuckling, James nods his head.
They move to the end of the hallway where Jiron takes the lead as they begin to climb up to the tower. After making two complete circles, the stair comes to the next level.
This level is dark and has the look of a storage area. They continue on past, following the stairs up as it continues spiraling toward the top.
Voices begin to be heard coming from the level above them as they finish the first circle after the storage area. Light can also be seen coming from above them as well. Jiron motions for them to stop as he proceeds alone to investigate.
They watch him as he follows the stairs around, disappearing where the stairs curve out of sight. James waits anxiously for several moments before he returns back down the stairs. Coming close he whispers, “The next level looks to be a guard room. I saw at least six guards taking their ease there. Also, these stairs end there. I think I saw another flight going up over on the other side of the guard room.”
“So in order to continue up, we’ll have to pass through the guard room and the guards stationed there?” asks James.
Jiron nods his head, “I didn’t see any other way.”
James glances to Miko who nods his head and draws his sword. “Alright then,” he says to them. “Let’s strike hard and fast.”
With Jiron in the lead, they climb the remainder of the stairs until they near the landing which opens onto the guard room. James can hear the guards talking amongst themselves as they come near.
Jiron looks back to him, both knives drawn. James gives him a nod and they burst into the room. He strikes out at the nearest guard, taking him across the throat. Two stones fly in quick succession, taking out two more across the room.
The remaining three guards quickly recover from their initial shock at seeing them and draw their swords. The one closest to Jiron moves to engage while James’ last stone flies and takes out one of the others.
Coming straight for James and Miko is the last guard, sword ready and war cry on his lips. James readies a spell but Miko shoves him aside as he moves to engage.
As James stumbles to the side, he cries out “Miko! You’ll be killed!”
But Miko blocks the thrust of the guard and deflects the blade to the side. He follows through with a counter attack which the guard blocks.
Jiron is fighting with the remaining guard and is unable to come to his aid. But Miko seems to not need any as he again blocks an overhand hack. He kicks out with his foot and connects with the man’s chest, knocking him backward.
Miko immediately follows the man as he trips over a chair behind him and runs him through with his sword before the guard hits the ground. Putting his foot on the man’s chest, he yanks out his sword as he turns to the sound of Jiron battling the last guard.
Before Miko has the chance to make it over to help him, Jiron deflects a thrust with the knife in his right hand, twirls and smashes his left elbow into the guard’s jaw as he comes around.
The guard stumbles backward, blood streaming down his face from his broken nose. Jiron follows through with a quick series of attacks and succeeds in plunging one of his knifes into the guard’s chest, puncturing his heart.
As the man falls, Jiron pulls his knife out of his chest and turns back to the others when out of the corner of his eye he sees a sword coming down toward him. With reflexes honed through years in the pits, he brings up a knife and blocks the attack.
Miko brings his sword around for another attack when James yells, “Miko!”
Startled, Miko pauses as his eyes begin to focus on who stands before him. Lowering his sword, he stands there dazed for a moment.
Jiron and James look to each other, and James mouths the words ‘The Fire’ silently as the points to Miko’s pouch.
Sudden understanding comes to Jiron as he steps back from Miko.
Miko begins looking around and James comes over, saying, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” he says, somewhat distantly. “I’m fine.”
“You sure?” asks Jiron as he comes over.
“Yeah, I’m sure,” he says as he glances from one to the other. “What’s the matter?” he asks, seeming to abruptly snap out of whatever fugue he’d been in.
“Nothing,” James replies. “Let’s go.”
As they move across the guard room, James and Jiron exchange concerned glances.
Miko seems alright, just the sudden skill at arms and the way he attacks anyone gives James cause for concern. He gestures for Jiron to take the lead as they come to the stairs.
Jiron pauses at the bottom as he peers up the stairs and finds that they extend up to a heavy door with a small window. A face is looking out at him through the window. He turns back to James and says, “I think we’ve found him.”
James moves around Jiron and climbs the stairs, stopping several feet down from the door. The man is looking straight at him. “Are you the Madoc general, Pytherian?” he asks.
“Who wants to know?” the man behind the door says.
“One who would bring you from here,” replies James.
The man seems to consider a moment and then says, “Yes, I am Lord Pytherian.”
James turns back to Jiron and says, “Open the lock.”
Moving past James, Jiron takes out one of his knives as he begins working to open the lock. They all hear a ‘click’ and then he pushes the door open into the room.
Lord Pytherian is a man in his middle years who’s begun to gray along the temples. He looks at them and says, “Is this all?”
