Jiron standing there.
“Can’t a guy get any rest around here?” he asks.
“No,” he says. “Tinok’s time is almost gone. We no longer have the luxury of resting and taking our ease.”
Sighing, James says, “I know.” Sitting up, he looks to Jiron and can see the worry in his face. It troubles him to see that. With sleep now an impossible goal, he gets up and makes ready to travel. After finishing off a quick meal Miko hands him, they mount and begin making for the road.
Back at the road they join the traffic already upon it and turn south. “It’s at least two days until we reach Zixtyn,” Jiron announces. “Let’s pray we have no further delays.” Kicking the sides of his horse, he’s soon up to a gallop. Then they begin putting miles behind them.
Chapter Thirty Four
Two days of hard riding bring them at last to the walls of Zixtyn. The way it sprawls across a wide area makes it one of the largest towns they have yet come across. Which is odd seeing as how no major waterway runs through it. Usually people tend to settle where there’s water, like a river or lake. But here there’s nothing. No river, no lake, yet here they are.
“This place is huge,” comments Scar when it first comes into sight. “You wouldn’t think such a large population could survive together out here.”
“I know,” agrees James.
Off to the west of the city sits a large, tall edifice which can only be a temple. Dark and foreboding, it almost seems to draw light into itself rather than reflect it outwards. Surrounding the temple are many buildings of various sizes which have to be the place where the training of Dmon-Li’s priests takes place.
“That’s it,” says Brother Willim. “That’s what we have to get inside.”
“Oh, man,” utters Reilin.
A wall surrounds the complex but isn’t designed to keep people out. It’s more to mark off the area as part of the temple complex. There are many ways in which to pass through, many gates and openings.
“There’s not much light left,” Jiron announces. “Best if we find an inn and do a little reconnoitering in the morning.”
James turns and looks at him askance. “In the morning?”
Nodding, he replies, “Yes. We still have at least two days left. Now that we’re close we can’t afford to act prematurely or rashly. In the morning I’ll take Reilin and Shorty and scout the area.”
“Good idea,” agrees James.
It takes another half hour before they reach the outlying buildings. Not so much due to distance as people. Many people crowd the streets and they are forced to slow to a crawl in order to make it through.
Several inns appear along the road as they pass through the outskirts, most of which look to be dives or even worse. They decide to continue further into Zixtyn until they come across a decent one.
There are guards moving along the street but they don’t pay James and the others any more attention than they do to everyone else. They’re there more to keep order than looking for men wanted by the Empire.
Jiron leans next to James and whispers, “Word about what happened up north hasn’t reached here yet.”
James nods and whispers back, “Doesn’t look like it.” Then all of a sudden the tingling sensation runs across his skin. Magic is close. He starts looking around to find its source when Brother Willim takes notice of what he’s doing. Moving his horse closer he says, “It’s the temple. They’re performing magic there.”
Calming down, James turns to look at him. “It is a school,” Brother Willim explains. “They are just practicing.”
“I hope you’re right,” he says. Still unnerved by the constant tingling, he continues to scan the area for any mages. And come to think of it, this is the first time he’s felt the presence of another doing magic other than those he’s traveling with, since that battle with the mages. Could it be possible he took them all out with the explosion? He doubts it, but why else would no mages be present? Nor warrior priests for that matter, just that one time in the Mists of Sorrow when they were attacked. Definitely curious.
Pressing on into town, they reach an area where five streets converge onto a large plaza area. In the center of the plaza is a large stone structure easily three stories tall. On one side, teen feet from the ground, a long wooded pole extends outward for about fifteen feet. Then it connects to another series of wooden beams that form a lattice work above where four mules are turning a wheel.
At the base of the tower on the opposite side from where the mules turn the wheel, water issues forth to fill a large trough area. Women, slaves, and small children are there filling large jugs with water.
“So this is where their water comes from,” James observes. “They pump it from beneath the ground.”
“It would take many such buildings to satisfy the thirst of so many people,” Brother Willim adds.
“There well may be more,” James replies.
Three smaller troughs catch the overflow from the larger. All three have children playing in them. One man has paused next to one of the smaller troughs and is allowing his horse to drink.
As their horses are in need of water, they move to another of the smaller troughs and let them drink their fill. While there, James takes a closer look at the water pump. Always one interested in ancient technology, he admires what they’ve accomplished. Though with his technologically advanced knowledge, he can see where they could improve on the design.
Slaves, both male and female, come and go as they fill water jugs. The sight of them fills James with disgust. How one human being can ever consider another as property is beyond his understanding. Off to one side, a small child dressed in a slave loincloth is being strapped by an older man. James feels a hand on his shoulder and that’s when he realizes he was on his way over to rescue the child. Glancing over his shoulder, he sees Jiron there.
“We can’t,” he says.
James can see the pain in his eyes too. Ever since traveling with James, he’s grown much more conscious to the plight of those around him, especially kids. Steeling himself, James turns his back and tries to shut out the crying of the child. “Let’s get out of here,” he tells Jiron.
“Sure,” he says. Then he returns to the others and they start to get back in the saddle.
James walks woodenly to his horse and mounts. Unable to help himself, he glances back to where the child was being beaten and finds him lying unmoving on the ground. The man has stopped strapping the boy and says something to the child as he nudges him with his toe. Still the child remains unmoving.
He watches in horror as the man works the toe of his boot under the body and flips it over. The boy’s head lolls to one side. That’s when it finally hit home that the man must have killed the boy. His vision turns red as anger suffuses him. A slug makes its way into his hand and he cocks back his arm to deliver judgment on the man for the death of the child. Just as he’s about to throw, an arm grabs his and stops him. Turning, he sees Miko there.
“The child’s not dead,” he says quietly. “Though he will be if we do nothing.”
Turning back to the boy, he sees the man nudge him one more time with his foot then turn and walk away. None of the other people on the street even so much as bat an eye at what this man has done to a child. Probably because the child is a slave and who really cares about the fate of a slave.
Leaping from his horse, James runs across the plaza toward the child. Picking him up, he can tell that he’s only unconscious. Blood from the boy’s wounds where the man’s strap had cut into him smears his arms and clothes but he doesn’t care.
Standing up, he turns back only to find Jiron standing there. “Find us an inn, fast!” he insists.
Jiron looks about ready to protest. Then he sees the seriousness in James’ face and nods. Moving over to Reilin, he points toward the main thoroughfare and tells him to find the first inn and get them some rooms. Moving quickly, he hurries to get it done.
James starts carrying the boy toward the street where Reilin disappeared in search of an inn. Miko is beside him and has a hand on the boy’s chest. “He’s going to make it,” he assures him.
Hardly even hearing him, all he can think of was that he turned his back on this child and it almost cost him his life. Never again.
The others are following along behind, Scar and Potbelly are leading James and Miko’s horses. When Reilin
