right behind.
Miko takes them down a long street, the buildings bordering it becoming steadily more run down and shabby. The few people on the street don’t look like the kind you would want to run across when you’re alone; thugs, and others of a more disreputable nature are loitering together near one building.
The group gazes at them as they pass but make no move to waylay them.
Miko turns down another side street, moving still further away from the city walls and after another two blocks, brings them to a halt. Everyone gathers round as he says, “It’s just ahead.” He indicates a large building sitting a hundred feet further ahead. The only light other than the stars above is the light coming from out of its windows.”
“Looks like someone’s there,” observes Scar. He points out a carriage with four guards standing watch beside it. “Must be Lord Colerain’s.”
“Yeah,” replies Illan. “Let’s move around to the back and see if we can get in that way.”
Miko backtracks to the previous alley they had passed and takes them through to the street on the other side. Turning down the street back toward the warehouse, they approach it, this time further away from the carriage and the guards.
They quickly cross the street to the edge of the warehouse and are soon out of sight of the waiting guards. A small door stands closed two thirds of the way down.
Miko moves toward it and tries the handle. He’s surprised when the handle turns and the door opens. “Thought for sure it would be locked,” he whispers.
“Never question good fortune,” Scar says.
“I suppose not,” replies Miko as he moves to enter the warehouse. Anxious to find James, he begins to rush in when Illan places a hand on his arm and stops him. “Wait a moment,” he tells him. Then to Shorty he says, “Go in and look around.”
Nodding, Shorty draws one of his knives and enters the building. They wait outside for several minutes before he returns. “I didn’t see him but whoever’s in there is in the warehouse’s office,” he says. “I couldn’t get close enough to see whose inside, it’s on the other side of the warehouse and there’re two guards standing outside the office door.”
“Could you hear anything?” Illan asks.
“Muffled voices, nothing definite,” he tells him.
“Four guards outside and two inside by the door,” he says. “No telling how many there may be in the room with everyone else.”
“What’re we to do?” Miko asks him.
“Try to take out the two by the door quietly, if possible,” he explains. To Shorty he asks, “Was there any other way into that room?”
Shaking his head, he replies, “Not that I saw.”
“Alright then, let’s go.” Leading the way, Illan enters through the door and goes down a short hallway with a door on either side. The doors lead to rooms that are dark and quiet. Paying them no heed, he continues to the end of the corridor and looks out into the main storage area of the warehouse.
A large area, virtually empty but for a few scattered boxes stands between them and the office. Over to the left is the door leading out to the street, outside of which are the four guards by the carriage.
“Shorty, can you take them out with your knives?” he asks, indicating the two by the office door.
“Probably,” he replies. “The first one for sure, but the second, maybe a 50–50 chance.”
“That’ll have to be good enough,” Illan tells him. To the others he says, “Stand ready. When Shorty throws his second knife, run like hell to finish them off before they can sound the alarm.”
Scar looks dubiously at the distance between them and says, “Okay, but that’s a ways.”
Ignoring him, Illan says to Shorty, “Ready?”
Nodding, Shorty draws two of his knifes and moves to the end of the short corridor until he’s as close as he can be without being seen. Taking a couple calming breaths to center himself, he takes the first knife and after a brief pause to judge the distance, throws it toward the first guard. Before the others even realize he’s thrown the first one, the second one follows.
Illan leads the charge quietly and watches as the first knife sinks into the first guard’s chest. The second guard stands stunned as he watches his partner falling to the ground, at first not realizing just what had happened to him. Then the second knife strikes him off center in the chest and he falls backward into the side of the office with a thud.
Both guards fall to the ground without as much as a peep. Illan was afraid the sound of the guard hitting the side of the office would alert those within, but after a moment they realize it hadn’t.
Upon reaching them, Shorty retrieves his knives, wiping them off on the clothes of the dead men before replacing them in his belt.
Illan moves to the door and places his ear against it.
“…a thief,” a voice says. “I want to know who sent you.”
James voice replies, “I already told you, we were there by accident and took nothing!”
Whack!
He hears James cry out as he’s struck with what sounds like a leather whip or strap.
“You don’t expect me to believe you do you?” asks the voice again. “You just happened, by accident, to be within a walled estate? No, I don’t think so.”
Whack!
Again, Illan hears James being struck.
“I’ll ask you again,” the voice continues. “Where is it and who sent you?”
“What is it you think I stole?” James cries out. “Is that why you’ve hounded me ever since that day?”
“Either tell me or you will not leave here alive!” the voice shouts at him.
“I DON’T KNOW!” screams James.
Illan glances at the others, and when they give him a nod saying they’re ready, steps back from the door and raises his foot as he kicks out hard.
Wham!
Connecting with the door, the force of his kick causes it to burst inside, swinging wide and slamming hard into the wall behind it.
Illan quickly assesses the scene. James is tied to a chair in only his pants, red welts across his shoulders and back show where he’s been struck repeatedly. Two other men are in the room as well, one is a well dressed man who is standing before James. The other is to the side and is holding a three foot long strap, obviously the source of the welts upon James.
The man before James has to be Lord Colerain, the quality of his clothes shows him to be a man of great wealth. He turns as the door crashes open and begins to say something when he sees them enter with their swords drawn. Pulling a knife, he moves threateningly toward James but a knife flies and strikes him in the shoulder, throwing him off balance.
The one with the strap throws it to the ground and draws his sword as he moves to put himself between the attackers and his lord. Illan strikes out and the man successfully blocks the attack but is run through by Scar who comes in beside him. Falling to the ground with Scar’s sword wedged in between his ribs, he breathes a few last raged breathes before lying still. Scar then puts his foot on the dead man and yanks his sword out.
“James!” Miko cries as he enters. Coming to where he’s tied to the chair, he gives him a hug.
“Easy, easy,” James moans when Miko’s hug brings pain from the welts.
“Sorry,” he says, releasing him.
Shorty comes and cuts through the bonds with a knife as James asks, “How did you manage to find me?”
“We’ll get into that later,” Illan says. “Right now we’ve got to get out of here.”
“What should we do with this guy?” Scar asks from where he’s covering Lord Colerain with his sword.
They look to see him holding the wound in his shoulder where the knife had struck. Shorty comes over and retrieves his knife from where it lies on the ground next to him. Glaring at all of them, he says, “Murderers and thieves! I’ll see you all executed for this!”
James gets up and stands before him, “Know this, milord. I did not take anything from you, and I am warning
