The others take his lack of explanation with equanimity. They have been with him long enough to trust that what he does is for a reason and usually a good one.
Not too far past the ruined bridge they decide to stop for the night. It’s been a long day and the time spent on the road is beginning to wear on them. Before the light fades completely, James again tries to get Tinok in his mirror but to the extreme frustration of Jiron, comes up with nothing. “How far away is he?” he asks when James tells him of the results.
“I don’t know,” replies James as he puts away his mirror. “I’ll try again in the morning.”
Practically stomping in frustration back to where he and Aleya have their blankets laid out, he fumes over James’ inability to find him.
Sighing, James feels bad for his friend and would do more if he could. Though he’s been able to do some pretty amazing things, he’s not all powerful. He goes over to where Shorty has pulled cooking duty and gets a plate of what he calls stew. Not very good but at least it’s hot and filling.
Once they finish eating, they turn in for the night. As James lays there under the stars he gazes up at the full moon above them. He can’t help but think that time is running out and running out fast. Trying to put his worries aside, he eventually calms his mind sufficiently to fall asleep.
No sooner does James awaken the next morning than Jiron is bugging him to look for Tinok. Making him wait until he answers nature’s call, he then gets settled on the ground with the mirror held in his lap. Concentrating hard, he visualizes Tinok and sends forth the magic. Nothing. Giving more magic to the endeavor, he sends forth a burst and for the briefest moment, the image in the mirror flickered then disappeared.
“Did you see that?” asks Jiron excitedly.
“Yeah,” says James, “I saw.” The image flickered for a moment when he used more magic.
“Something happen?” asks Scar as he and the others come over to investigate Jiron’s outburst.
“He almost had him!” exclaims Jiron. Almost dancing with glee, he turns back to James and asks, “Can you do it again?”
“Possibly,” he says. Returning his gaze to the mirror, he opens the gate so to speak, and the magic pours from him. The image in the mirror shifts and Tinok appears.
“That’s him!” Jiron cries out.
The image is hazy, possibly due to the distance it’s coming from. Tinok is sitting in the back of a wagon with hands and feet manacled. It’s very hard to tell but it looks like the wagon is in motion.
“Where is he?” Miko asks. “Can you expand the image any?”
He tries but the drain of power is too great. Shaking his head he says, “It would require more magic than I have.”
Suddenly, he feels Miko’s hand on his shoulder. Glancing up he sees him there with the Star in his hand. “Maybe this will help?” he asks with a crooked grin and the Star flares brightly.
“Yes it will,” he replies. Casting a leech line to him, James suddenly feels the power of the Star flowing into him via Miko. As he returns his gaze to the mirror he hears Jiron say to Miko, “Thanks.”
With the added magic of the Star, the image clarifies some but the haziness remains. Expanding the image, they see that Tinok’s wagon is one of several. One man in armor on a horse rides in front of the lead wagon while a dozen others ride alongside the rest.
The haziness gradually increases despite the amount of magic he’s using. Then all of a sudden they come to the side of a large, black surface. It could possibly be a wall. A section of the wall slides open and the man in armor leading them rides inside. The wagons follow along behind, and when the last wagon passes through the wall, the mirror returns to normal.
“What happened?” asks Jiron.
“I don’t know,” admits James. Staring perplexed at the mirror, all he can see are the reflections of himself and the others as they stare down at it. The magic is still flowing, but there is no image. Stepping up the magic flow, he draws more from Miko. Steadily increasing the flow of magic he concentrates on Tinok but the mirror remains blank. With a sigh, he gradually reduces the magic flow until he stops it altogether.
“I can’t reach him anymore,” he says. When Jiron is about to argue, he adds, “I was using more magic than ever before in searching with the mirror. There’s nothing more I can do.”
“At least we know he’s alive,” offers Stig. “That’s more than we knew before.”
“That’s right,” agrees Scar.
“He’s in trouble,” Jiron says as he gets to his feet. Looking at the others he says, “What are we waiting for?” They quickly make ready for travel. Once they’re mounted, Jiron leads them back to the road and maintains a quick pace.
After they’ve been on the road for an hour, James pulls out his cloth to see if they are still going in the right direction. When he casts the spell that he’s cast every time he’s done this, the cloth remains still. A shiver runs through him as he stops the magic. Attempting to home in on Tinok, he again releases the magic and says under his breath, “Come on!” But the cloth remains still and doesn’t even twitch.
He glances over to where Jiron is watching him. “It’s not working,” he says.
“What’s not working?” he asks.
“My cloth trick,” he explains. “It isn’t pointing to where Tinok is.”
“Why not?” he asks.
Shrugging, James says, “I don’t know.”
Bringing them to a stop there in the middle of the road, Jiron moves his horse to his side and says, “Do it again.”
“I’ve already tried twice and it isn’t working,” he tells him.
“Do it again,” he insists. By this time the others have gathered around to observe what’s going on.
Holding up the hand with the cloth once more, he concentrates on Tinok then releases the magic. Just as happened the two times before, the cloth remains down. Bringing his gaze to Jiron he sees the worry and fear for his friend that he’s feeling.
“What can it mean?” he asks.
“Something is blocking my search,” James explains.
“Or someone,” adds Brother Willim from his position next to him.
“Or someone,” agrees James.
“But who or what would do that?” asks Aleya.
“I don’t know,” James admits. Casting his eyes around the group, he looks questioningly for any ideas but they all shake their heads. Then he remembers the image in the mirror before he lost sight of Tinok. They had entered some building. Whoever is inside has to be blocking him. Glancing to Jiron, he decides to not add more worry to his mind and keeps the thought to himself.
“What about that prostitute in Inziala?” asks Stig. “Maybe she could shed some light on this.”
“Yes!” exclaims Jiron. “Maybe she can.”
“I doubt if she would be the one to have done this to Tinok,” Shorty says.
“No,” agrees Jiron. “But maybe she would have a good idea who did.”
“If nothing else, we could find out where she got the necklace,” offers Scar.
Nodding, Jiron asks, “Anyone know how far Inziala is from here?”
“I think it’s south of here,” Reilin finally answers, “but I don’t know where.”
Just then from the south they see a single wagon approaching with two men sitting on the driving seat. “Reilin,” James says. “Go ask them if they know where Inziala is.”
“Alright,” he acknowledges and moves to intercept them.
Jiron waits with the others while Reilin rides ahead to meet with the men on the wagon.
The men on the wagon are wary of his approach. One actually pulls out a crossbow when he realizes Reilin intends to approach them. Reilin stops ten feet away, holds up his hand in greeting and talks. He and the two men exchange words for several minutes then Reilin turns his horse around and rejoins them. The two men on the wagon keep an eye on them as their wagon rolls closer.
“They said that Inziala is only about a day away,” he explains. As the wagon passes them on its way north, James gives the two men a nod of thanks. The men only stare at them as they pass, their weapons at the ready.
“Friendly pair weren’t they,” comments Scar after they’ve resumed their trek south.
