“So they keep our Houses under observation and anyone who enters is immediately suspect,” he says. “Those they’ve never seen before are doubly so.”
“Very well,” says Jiron. “We may be targeted by an Eye. It won’t be the first time.”
Azku’s eyes widen at that. “Really?” he asks.
“Oh yes,” Jiron replies without expanding any further upon it. “Now, can you tell me who you received the necklace from?”
“In the city of Cyst to the south, you will find the person in question in the large compound on the eastern edge of town,” he explains. “When you arrive, ask for Buka.”
“Is Buka the one from whom you received the necklace?” Jiron asks.
Nodding, he adds, “Though I doubt if he’ll be willing to help you.”
“Why?”
“For one thing he hates those from the north,” he explains. “For another, he’s a slaver. Being from the north as you are, he’s just as likely to make you a slave as look at you.”
From behind him, Jiron hears Stig snort. “I’d like to see him try,” he says.
“A slaver huh?” he muses.
“I know how those of you from the north view slavery,” Azku states. “Are you still going to be able to hold to your word and cause him no harm?”
Jiron nods. “Yes.”
“Good. If you break your oath to me, no power on this world will protect you from my wrath,” he warns. “I’ll find you no matter where you go.”
“Your threats are unwarranted,” Jiron assures him. “I do not break my oath.”
“Good enough then,” Azku states. Standing up, he says, “Now that I’ve answered your questions, would you be kind enough to take your leave?”
Coming to his feet, Jiron offers his hand. Hesitantly, Azku shakes it. “I thank you,” he says.
Azku nods and steps aside so he and Stig can leave. Moving past him, Jiron and Stig walk through the door and into the hallway then down to the door. Azku does not accompany them.
“That went better than I thought it would,” Jiron states. Opening the door he glances back down to the room and sees Azku still standing there, his eyes upon them. Then he passes through to the street outside.
Stig follows him out. “What if he lied to us?” he asks.
“Then I’ll come back and kill him,” Jiron replies matter-of-factly.
Outside, they check to make sure the street is quiet. Then Jiron has Stig go around back to get Scar and Potbelly and meet him across the street with the others. As Stig moves to do as requested, Jiron hurries across the street.
Before he completely crosses the street, James leaves the shadows. “Everything go alright?” he asks.
Jiron nods his head. “Yes. I found out what I wanted to know.”
“Good,” states James.
They wait there a few moments before Stig arrives with Scar and Potbelly. While they wait, James fills him in on seeing Orrin from Cardri leave Azku’s house and informs him that he sent Shorty to follow.
“There’s an Eye in the city too,” Jiron says and gives him the gist of what Azku told him.
“That may complicate things,” he says.
“Not if we leave town as soon as possible,” states Jiron.
When Stig and the other two are seen crossing the street, Jiron suddenly notices that they are one person short. “Where’s Aleya?” he asks.
“What?” replies James. “She’s right…” he trials off when he realizes she is not among them. “Aleya?” he calls out in a hushed voice.
When no answer is forthcoming, Jiron hollers very loudly “Aleya!” Again, no reply. “Fan out and find her,” he says and moves toward the area where she had stalked off just before he and Stig went to talk to Azku. Worried and fearful, Jiron’s pace quickens. About to call her name again, his eyes catch sight of something on the ground. Stopping fast, his heart skips a beat when he sees her bow and quiver of arrows lying on the ground. Two of the arrows have spilled out of the quiver and lie next to it on the ground.
“Oh no,” he says as he reaches down to pick them up. “Aleya!” he hollers again. Turning to the others he says in a voice filled with anguish, “He’s got her.”
“Who?” asks Miko.
“The Eye!” he exclaims.
Chapter Twenty
“We have to find her!” Jiron exclaims as he turns to James.
“Maybe she took off on her own,” Potbelly suggests. “She was pretty mad.”
“Are you insane?” asks Jiron as he rounds on him. “All alone in a hostile city where she doesn’t speak the language? I don’t think so.”
James pulls forth his cloth, not for the first time he wishes for something better with which to work with, and says “Okay, let’s find her.” Sending out the magic, they watch the cloth rise and point the way.
Moving out quickly, they walk as fast as they can without drawing unwanted attention. It doesn’t take them long to figure out where the cloth is indicating. On the south side of town sits one of the largest buildings in Morac.
Easily five stories tall and built like a fortress, the place is massive. No windows on the first two floors, only a very sturdy wooden door in front for an entrance. Two heavily armed men stand watch outside the door and several windows hold men with crossbows. Everyone is looking outward and scanning the area.
“Think they’re expecting someone?” asks Scar.
“Yes,” replies Jiron. “Us. Wait here,” he tells them. Then he stays in the shadows as he makes a circuit around the building to see about another way in. He finds what could be another door, there’s a large square wooden section in the rear stone wall. It could be a door but there’s no handle or anything else that might be used to open it from the outside. Men are stationed at windows on the other sides as well, making it impossible for anyone to sneak up to the building without being seen.
Returning to the others, he tells them what he’s discovered. “If we storm the place,” Stig says after he’s done, “they will probably kill her.”
Jiron nods, pain in his eyes. “Then how are we to get in there?”
James gazes at the building and shakes his head. “I don’t know,” he admits.
“Maybe this Orrin fellow you saw leaving Azku’s house might know?” suggests Potbelly. “From what you’ve told us, it sounds like they have their fingers in many different pots.”
“Could be there’s no love lost between the Order of the Scarlet Sword and the Eyes of the Empire,” adds Scar. “Might be worth a shot to go see what he can do.”
“If we do, it’s got to be quick,” states Jiron. “No telling what they could be doing to her in there.”
“Very well,” James says. Then to Scar and Potbelly he says, “You two stay here and keep an eye on the place. See if you can figure out a way we can breach its defenses.”
“You got it,” affirms Scar.
“Shorty was to meet us back at the inn once he found out where Orrin is staying,” James says to the others. “Be best if we try there first.”
“Okay, but let’s hurry,” urges Jiron.
Leaving Scar and Potbelly there to keep an eye on Aleya’s captors, the rest hurry back through the streets to the inn. When the inn finally comes into sight, they find soldiers of the Empire in and around the place. They come to a quick halt and Jiron has them duck into the shadows of a nearby alley. Then just as they reach the mouth of the alley, a squad of six guards exits the inn with Shorty in their midst. Hands tied behind his back and blood running down the side of his face, it’s easy to see he didn’t go quietly.
The leader of the squad hollers something back into the inn and is answered by someone inside. As the squad leaves the inn, the leader of the squad directs several other soldiers to move into position around the
