“You could say that,” agrees Potbelly. Glancing back to the wagon, he sees the man with the crossbow turned in his seat and is keeping an eye on them. “Wonder if travelers run into trouble out here?”
“Who knows?” replies Jiron. “I want to make Inziala before the sun goes down if we can.” Nudging his horse into motion, he gets up to a quick gallop.
The rest of the day they maintain a furious pace. They all understand that time is running out and now without James’ ability to point the way, it could take them longer to pick up Tinok’s trail. With only short breaks to answer the call of nature and to water the horses, they practically fly down the road.
When the sun begins to draw close to the horizon, still Jiron continues the fast pace. Three hours later when the horses are on the verge of exhaustion, the lights of a city appear out of the dark before them. Coming across a party of four men and two ladies, they ask them if the town is Inziala. James breathes a sigh of relief when they say it is. His butt was beginning to get sore from the hard pace Jiron had set.
With thanks and wishes for good fortune, they leave the party behind and continue on toward the city.
Chapter Fifteen
As they approach the city of Inziala, they see dozens of fires off to the east of town. It’s a large caravansary with scores of wagons comprising many different caravans. Jiron leads them to the gates of the city where the two guards on duty give them a cursory once over as they pass through.
From behind him, James says, “Let’s get a room first. Then you can go to The Split Navel and find this prostitute.” He sees Jiron nod his head.
They don’t go very far past the gate before they come to a two story building that looks fairly well kept. A sign depicting a man walking a road through the hills hangs outside near the entrance. “Could be one,” Jiron says as he comes to a stop in front. Turning back to the others he says, “Reilin, go see about some rooms.”
Pulling up next to Jiron, Reilin comes to a stop and dismounts. Instead of moving to the door he walks over to James. “I need more coins,” he says. “The last place wiped me out.”
James reaches into his pouch and removes a handful of coins, the glint of silver and gold can be seen among them. “Here,” he says, “this should last you for awhile.”
Taking the coins, Reilin grins and says, “I would think so,” then pockets them before heading to the door.
While Reilin is inside acquiring accommodations, the others wait outside. It doesn’t take long before Miko notices someone across the street paying rather close interest in them. Barely above a whisper, he says to Jiron, “There’s someone across the street watching us.”
Jiron turns his head just far enough to see the man there. Dressed in raggedy clothes, the man looks like someone who lives in the gutter. “I wouldn’t worry too much about him,” he says. “Probably wants a handout and is nervous about approaching us.”
Thinking back to his times on the streets, Miko can’t ever remember a time when he was nervous about approaching someone for anything. Nor anyone else who lived on the streets for that matter. “I don’t think so,” he says.
They continue to cast discreet glances to the man until Reilin returns with the room keys. As they move to take the horses around back, Miko glances over to where the man was standing and finds him gone. Casting a quick glance up and down the street, he fails to see him. Shrugging, he follows the others around back to the stables.
This time Reilin has managed to obtain five rooms, the last rooms at the inn as it turns out. Aleya gets her own room of course, being the only lady and all. James and Jiron again take a room together, Brother Willim and Miko take another. Which leaves the last two to be divided among the rest.
No sooner has James entered and set his pack on the floor by his bed than Jiron states his ready to go and that he intends to take Reilin with him. “Have him arrange for meals to be sent up before you go,” James tells him.
About to protest the delay, Jiron realizes Reilin is the only one who can and nods. Moving from the room, he finds Reilin where he’s bunking with Stig and Shorty. “I want to leave soon,” he tells him, “and you’re coming with me. But before we go you need to arrange for food to be sent up here for the others.”
“You two going by yourselves?” asks Scar from the doorway.
“Might be better if you had a few others,” suggests Stig.
Looking from face to face, he can see their desire to come with him and perhaps have an ale and some fun. “We shouldn’t leave James here by himself,” he says.
“Oh, come on!” objects Scar. “With Brother Willim and Miko here, not to mention Aleya, it would take an army to take him.”
As if the stating of her name magically summons her, Aleya appears at the door. “I’m coming too,” she states.
“No you aren’t,” counters Jiron. “It would look out of place and might call unwanted attention.”
“I’m not about to let you go to some brothel by yourself,” she states.
“Don’t worry,” assures Scar, “we won’t let him do anything he’ll regret in the morning.”
“Or that you might take offense at,” adds Potbelly.
“Besides,” says Shorty, “not many guys bring girls along to visit prostitutes.”
She eyes Jiron intensely. “Promise me you won’t do anything,” she says.
He gives her a disarming smile, comes to her and gives her a big hug. “I promise,” he whispers in her ear then gives her a peck on the cheek.
“Alright then,” she says. “But if I find out something happened…” she trails off, leaving his own mind to come up with the possible consequences.
“Good,” he says. Then to Reilin, “Now go down and have meals sent up for James and the others. Then we’ll leave.”
“Alright!” exclaims Shorty jubilantly.
Once Reilin has left Jiron turns to the rest of them. “This is not some pleasure excursion with drinking and debauchery,” he insists. “We are after information and that is all!”
“Hey, calm down,” Scar says.
“Yeah,” adds Potbelly, “we understand.”
He gives them another stern gaze then has them go to his and James’ room to wait for Reilin’s return. Once he’s returned and says the food will be up shortly, Jiron indicates the pit fighters and says to James, “They want to come too.” When he receives James’ nod that he’s okay with it, he adds, “Be back as soon as possible.”
As he is about to leave, James says, “Don’t make me come and save your butt this time.” Jiron pauses and glances back with a grin, “You won’t.” He remembers the ill-fated trip he and the others took where a tavern wench had tricked them and wound up hog-tied in her basement. If it wasn’t for James and Roland rescuing them, they would have been sold off to slavers.
Turning back to the door, he leads the others out into the hallway and downstairs to the common room. There he makes a beeline for the exit and they soon find themselves out on the partially crowded streets. He makes a quick scan to see which way is the quickest to the river. When he catches a glimpse of moonlight reflected off water from down the street he immediately heads in that direction.
Jiron keeps a brisk pace as they make their way down the street to the river. According to the child abductor they question about the necklace, they will find The Split Navel down by the river. As they draw closer to the river, the density of people on the street thins and the buildings begin to show more signs of wear, tear, and lack of upkeep that those more toward the center of town hadn’t. Definitely moving into the poorer quarter of the city.
The street they’re on finally comes to an end at a cross street running alongside the river. On the far side of the street are shanties built almost all the way to the water’s edge. “They don’t leave themselves much leeway for floods,” states Scar. One of the buildings looks to actually overhang the flow of the river.
“Not very smart that’s for sure,” offers Stig.
Jiron brings them to a halt at the intersection and looks up this new street first in one direction then in
