sits next to James and says to him, “James, you’re okay. You’re safe.”
His eyes begin to focus on Jiron and his surroundings as they start to lose the wild look they had. “Oh my god!” he exclaims as he lies back down on his bed. Slowly, his pulse calms down and the fear he experienced begins to subside. He looks again to Jiron sitting there on the bed next to him and then to the door as Jorry returns with Illan.
“What happened?” Illan asks.
“A dream, I hope” croaks James. Then to Jiron he says, “Got any water?”
Getting up, he goes over to their packs and brings him a water bottle. James takes it and almost downs the whole thing. “Thanks,” he says as he returns the near empty bottle to him.
“Are you okay?” Illan asks, concerned.
“I think so,” he replies. “Just tired.”
Illan turns his attention to where Jorry waits in the hallway and says, “He’s okay.” Jorry nods his head then closes the door as he keeps watch in the hallway.
“Where are we?” asks James.
“Somewhere to the west of Trendle,” replies Illan.
“We started to head to Trademeet,” explains Jiron. “We thought it best to not be seen passing through town so are taking a more roundabout way.”
“Good,” James says, nodding. “Has the box been glowing any while I’ve been out?”
Shaking his head, Illan replies, “No, nothing.”
“That’s good news,” he says. “I doubt if I could counter another attempt so soon.”
“Who was trying to find it?” asks Jiron.
“I don’t know, probably one of Dmon-Li’s followers I’d expect. Whoever it was used an awesome amount of power. It was all I could do just to maintain the concealment spells.”
“Just get some rest,” Illan says as he begins heading for the door. “Are you going to feel up to traveling in the morning?”
Nodding, he says, “Whether I do or not, we need to get this done.”
“Alright,” he says, opening the door. “See you then.” He passes through the door and they can hear him saying something to Jorry before his footsteps are heard going down the hallway to his room.
Jiron gets up from the bed but James grabs his arm and says, “Jiron, I don’t think it was just a dream.”
Sitting back down, he says, “Why do you say that?”
James then relates to him the events as transpired on that other world, about the shadows, Igor and finally the monstrosities. “I don’t know what it was, but it felt too real to be a dream,” he concludes.
“It sounds too farfetched to be anything but a dream,” states Jiron. “But you would know better than anyone else. What could it mean?”
“I don’t know and that’s what’s bothering me,” he replies. “If it wasn’t a dream, was it a foretelling of the future? Or maybe I entered another level of existence? But what really has me worried is what happened to Igor. He was losing the battle when I passed through the arch. Is he gone?”
Jiron just sits there with him as he works through it. “Maybe you should try to get some sleep,” he finally says. “It’s not going to be answered tonight and you’ll need your rest tomorrow morning.”
Stifling a yawn that suddenly tries to break loose, he says, “You’re right.”
Jiron gets up off the bed and goes over to the other. Lying down, he blows out the candle on the nightstand.
James can hear his breathing relax as he slips into slumber, but he is far too worried to be able to fall asleep quickly. His mind continues wrestling with what happened and the implications of it as well. Finally though, exhaustion wins out and he falls asleep.
The morning finds him rested and feeling better, the terror of the night before all but gone. His memories of that time are no longer as sharp and clear as they had been when he originally came out of it. Pushing it to the back of his mind, he focuses on the task at hand.
He notices the box on the floor by his bed and picks it up, placing it next to him. A close examination of the crystals reveals no cracks and that they have a glow to them showing they still have power. Hoping not to go through the struggle he went through in the forest, he places the blanket back over it.
Jiron is still sleeping so he gets dressed quietly and opens the door. Jorry is standing there on the other side of the door and is startled when the door opens behind him.
“Are you okay?” he asks as he steps aside to let James by.
“Better, anyway,” he replies quietly with a grin. “Just going to go downstairs and see about getting something to eat.”
“Alright,” says Jorry.
He makes his way downstairs to the common room and finds a table near an open window. The morning breeze feels good as he waits for the serving girl to finish with two men at another table. Looking outside, he sees Uther out by the horses. Doesn’t look like he’s doing much more than just hanging out next to them. Curious.
By the time the serving girl finishes with the other two men, he’s joined by the rest of his crew. Jiron carries the blanket covered box and takes the seat next to him, placing the box on the floor between them.
After breakfast has been ordered, James asks, “Exactly where are we?”
“Somewhere east of Trendle, as best I can figure,” Illan explains.
“Hmmm…” James thinks a moment and then says, “If we head due south, we’ll come to the river. We’ll just need to find a spot to cross and then make our way to Trademeet.”
“What are we going to do there?” asks Jorry.
James taps the box and says, “Get rid of this.”
“How?” he asks.
“You let me worry about that,” he tells him.
Once breakfast comes, they eat quickly, Illan has an order of eggs and tubers sent out to Uther by the horses. When James asks, he tells him he didn’t trust a place without a stable so stationed a man out there to keep an eye on them all night.
When they’re done, they leave the inn and go out to their horses where Jiron helps James secure the box behind his saddle. Once secured, they mount and head out of the small collection of buildings. They leave the road as they make their way cross country to the south.
The day passes fairly uneventfully, those traveling behind James continue casting glances toward the box to see whether the glow will return or not. Much to the relief of everyone, especially James, the crystals remain dormant.
As the sun begins its descent toward the horizon, they see the river coming up ahead of them. James has them continue to follow it as it flows to the south. “If Bearn is up ahead, we can cross there.”
“Aren’t you worried about running into Lord Colerain?” Jiron asks.
“I don’t plan on taking us through the city, just around the outside of it,” he explains. “It’s doubtful if we’ll encounter him or anyone else who knows us.”
“Let’s hope not,” Uther says.
The skyline of Bearn appears ahead of them a couple hours before nightfall. He forgot the bridge sits in the middle of town. They’ll not be able to circumvent the city as it sprawls on both banks of the river.
“Guess we have to go through,” Illan states. “Or continue further downriver to the next one.”
“There is a ferry we might take,” he tells them. “Not sure just how far it is though.”
“What do you want to do?” Jiron asks him.
James pulls out a hooded cloak from his baggage and slips it on. A little hot but at least it covers his features well enough. “That might work,” says Illan. “As long as no one takes a close look, you should be fine.”
“Lead on,” James says.
They approach the outskirts of town and pass through the outlying buildings before coming to the gate. A brief questioning by the guards and they’re waved on through. “Just head straight through,” James tells Illan. “I believe this road leads directly to the other side.”
Riding their horses at a walk through the crowded city streets, it takes them a little over an hour to reach the gate in the eastern wall. The sun is almost to the horizon as they draw near the gate. Just before they reach the eastern wall, they can see the guards beginning the process of closing the gates for the night. “Let’s hurry!” Illan
