“Seems as if the whole thing was very well planned and executed,” Scar observes.
Nodding, James says, “Yes it did. There has to be more to this Slavemaster than meets the eye.” Glancing to the others he asks, “Anyone ever heard of him before?” When everyone shakes their head he adds, “He must be just a local mover and shaker.”
Jiron meets his eye and says, “The question now is, do you trust him?”
“I think so,” replies James. “If he can give us a diagram of some kind, it would sure help facilitate matters when we enter the temple.” Then to Brother Willim he asks, “This rite he mentioned that the priests of Dmon-Li perform during the dark of the moon, ever heard of it?”
“Not specifically no,” he says. “But every religion has days that are holy to them and each has specific rites that they must perform during that time. It sounds plausible.”
“That’s two days away,” Jiron states. “Isn’t that cutting it kind of close?” When everyone looks to him he adds, “I mean, Tinok could be dead by then.”
“If they are performing a rite to Dmon-Li,” Brother Willim says, “then that’s when they will be the most distracted. Thus entering the temple would be less perilous.”
“And Cassie did say he had until ‘Killian’s Shroud blinded the giant’s eye’,” James adds.
“Isn’t that considered to happen at midnight?” asks Shorty.
Nodding, Brother Willim replies, “Yes. Midnight is the darkest part of the night, and thus would hold special meaning to those worshiping a god such as Dmon-Li.”
James gets a thoughtful look. “Any idea when they would start the rites that night?” he asks Brother Willim.
“No,” he admits. “It could be right at midnight or some time before.”
“Any way to find out by then?” Stig asks.
“I don’t know,” Brother Willim says. “Any attempt to find out would surely raise their suspicions.”
“I say we wait until the Slavemaster sends the diagram,” James says. “He said it would arrive tomorrow.”
Nodding, Jiron glances to him and breaks into a smile.
“What are you smiling at?” James asks. Then he looks down at himself and remembers he’s in naught but a loincloth and blushes. Turning to Brother Willim he asks, “Is there anyway in which to remove the pigment you put on me?”
“Of course,” he says. “Just need to scrub it vigorously in hot water and it should come right off.”
“Then Reilin, go down and see about arranging for a hot bath here in the room right away,” he says to him.
“Will do,” Reilin replies. Heading for the door, he’s stopped by Miko who puts in a request for one as well. Turning back to the others, he asks, “Anyone else?” Everyone remains silent. Shrugging, Reilin turns back to the door and is soon out in the hallway.
“I’ll meet you all downstairs once I’m presentable again,” James tells the others.
Getting the idea he would like them to leave, they file out of the room. James stops Jiron before he can leave and says, “It might be wise to set up a watch through the night. This close to our goal, I don’t want anything taking us by surprise again.”
“Good idea,” he says then leaves with the others out the door.
Once James is in the room alone with Miko, he goes over to where his clothes and packs are. Digging in one of his belt pouches, he removes his mirror. Then, he uses it to try and see just what he looks like. When he finally gets a good idea, he just shakes his head and puts the mirror away. He notices Miko with a thoughtful look on his face as he remembers his time as a slave. Then they both take their ease on the beds to wait for the baths to arrive.
The following day Jiron takes most of the others and they go check out the temple. Basically seeing if there’s any indication of preparations of the rite the Slavemaster told James of. Also to get a good idea of the layout of the buildings, routes the temple guards take as they patrol the grounds, those sorts of things.
James, having scrubbed himself clean the night before and looking very much his normal self, decides to remain at the inn to await the arrival of the diagram the Slavemaster promised. Miko and Brother Willim agree to wait with him. Also remaining at the inn are Aleya and the slave boy Aku. Now in regular clothes, the boy is quite happy to simply do nothing but stay in the room with Aleya. It was decided he shouldn’t go out in public, no sense risking the chance that someone may recognize him and blame him for the death of his master.
Sometime after the noon meal, there’s a knock at James’ door. When he opens the door, one of the workers of the inn hands him a rolled message. As Reilin is out with Jiron, he is unable to question him about who dropped it off. So he nods his head to the lad and closes the door.
“Is that it?” asks Miko. He and Brother Willim are sitting at the table and have been discussing various finer points to being a priest. To James it appears as if Miko is really taking being High Priest to heart. At least he desires to be the best that he can.
James unrolls the paper, or rather papers, as there are two separate sheets. He brings them over to the table and with the other’s help, spreads them out. The first one shows the layout of the temple complex. One building is circled.
Pointing to the circled building James says, “This must be the temple.”
Miko nods his head and then points to what looks like the routes the temple guards take while patrolling the grounds. “With this we should have little trouble in reaching the temple,” he comments.
The other sheet is a bit more detailed. It shows the inner layout of the temple. Not all of it, just the route to the room holding the teleportation dais. There are annotations at three points along the way to the dais room, but none of them can read the annotations. It’s written in the Empire’s language.
“Wonder what it’s trying to say?” Brother Willim asks.
“I don’t know,” replies James. “It would have been more helpful if they were written so we could understand them.”
“At least we have the map,” Miko says hopefully. “With this we should be able to reach the dais quickly.”
James nods his head but still looks at the three places where the annotations are the thickest. It worries him what they might be trying to say.
They study them for an hour or so before Jiron and the others return. When Jiron sees the maps, he begins comparing the one of the outer temple complex to what he had just been observing. “This looks like the routes we saw the guards taking,” he says.
“Then we can assume the other is just as accurate?” asks Scar.
“I would think so,” replies James.
“The patrols of the guards within the temple aren’t noted,” Shorty says.
“It’s possible they couldn’t get those,” offers Stig. “Or maybe there aren’t any guards roaming their halls.”
“You have a point,” agrees Reilin. “I mean really, who in their right mind would enter the temple uninvited?”
James glances at Jiron and grins. “Who indeed?”
Jiron grins back. “I’m going back to the temple,” he announces. “I would like to make sure the routes the guards take are indeed the same as those depicted here.” Picking up the diagram of the temple complex layout, he places it within his shirt.
“Be sure to take Reilin with you, just in case,” suggests James.
“I’ll take Shorty and Stig too,” he says. Then to Stig he adds, “You better leave your shield here until we return.”
Stig nods and removes his shield.
Knock! Knock!
Shorty opens the door and finds Aleya and Aku standing there in the hallway. Stepping back, he opens the door wider so they can enter.
“I got tired of sitting in the room,” she tells them as she and the boy enters. “What’s going on?”
They bring her up to date on what’s been happening, also on Jiron’s next excursion out to check on the temple guards. “See if you can scare me up some arrows too,” she says. “The two I have left won’t do much good if
