“He has many friends here,” he explains. “If I were to move against him, the situation would become more troublesome. Should you do it, I won’t have to worry about such things. After all, if you succeed, things work out well. If you don’t, you’re just northerners they’ll execute for the attempt.”
“Who is it?” he asks. James is absolutely astounded that he even asked.
“His name is Kir,” Buka replies. “He’s a bard that is currently playing at the Wallowing Swine. Bring me his right hand and I’ll tell you what you want to know.”
Kir! He means Perrilin!
“Very well,” Jiron says with a stiff nod.
“But…” begins James when Jiron stops him with a wave.
“In case you have any thoughts about giving me a hand of someone else,” Buka tells them, “you must take it from him tonight during his performance at the Wallowing Swine. I’ll have someone in the audience to witness that it happens. Afterward, come to the compound’s gate and the guards will let you through. Then, and only then, will I tell you what you wish to know.”
Jiron and Buka lock eyes. Then he replaces his knife back in its sheath and nods. “We’ll be back,” he says.
“Make sure you are not followed when you come to the gates,” Buka says. “I wouldn’t want to be distracted by an angry mob.” When he sees Jiron nod, he adds, “I trust you two can find your way out on your own?”
Just then, the door to his room opens and a middle aged slaver walks in. His eyes widen when he sees Jiron and James there in the room. His hand grabs his sword and has it halfway out when Buka stops him.
“These gentlemen were just leaving,” he says.
The man glances to Buka and realizes there is no immediate threat. Sliding his sword back into its scabbard, he backs out into the hallway as James and Jiron leave the room. He watches as they walk down the hallway back the way they came until Buka calls him into the room.
“I want you to put a couple of our men on them,” he tells the man. Then he gives him a brief rundown of what they want and what they said they would do for it. “Make sure there is someone at the Wallowing Swine tonight just in case they actually go through with it.”
“Do you think they will?” the slaver asks.
Shrugging, Buka replies, “Maybe. If they do I doubt if they’ll make it back here.”
“Why do you say that?” he asks.
Grinning an evil grin, Buka says, “The crowd at the Wallowing Swine loves Kir. They’ll tear those two apart.” Then he and the other slaver break out into laughter.
James and Jiron follow the same route back out as they did when they came in. Still working to keep from being seen, they reach the wall and this time, once Jiron is on the other side, he automatically makes the loop for James’ foot before tossing the rope over. When he feels the tension increase on the rope, he pulls him over.
As James lands on the ground next to him, James asks, “You aren’t really serious about doing what he requested are you?”
Jiron looks at him and replies, “Not exactly, no.” With the rope once more secured around his middle, he steps out and heads back to where they left the others. Walking quietly and quickly, they make it back to the others.
“You find out what you wanted to know?” Aleya asks. Then she can see the hard set of his jaw and that look in his eye he gets when things aren’t going his way. “You didn’t, did you?”
“He wants us to do him a favor first,” Jiron replies.
“What does he want us to do?” Scar asks.
James glances up to him and says, “Pay a visit to an old friend.” Off to the east, the sky is lightning with the coming of dawn. “Let’s get a room and we’ll explain everything to you.” As they head back to the road leading deeper into town, he glances to Jiron’s back and wonders just how far he’s willing to go in order to find Tinok.
Chapter Twenty Seven
Shortly after their arrival at the Wallowing Swine and just before the evening meal is being served, the two slavers whom they saw there the night before arrive. The two men take the same table they had before and proceed to order their meal.
James and Jiron sit at a table near the stage while the others are at various tables scattered throughout the common room. James is the first to see the two men and point them out to Jiron. “Think they’re the witnesses Buka said would be here?” James asks.
“I would think so,” replies Jiron. He glances over to where Aleya and Potbelly are sitting at the table closest to the entrance. She sees his look and returns one of her own. Slightly strained and worried, she gives him a brief smile and nod.
Perrilin is scheduled to begin his performance in an hour so they settle in and eat a light meal of roast lamb and bread. As they eat, the crowd coming to hear Perrilin play begins to arrive. Many of the faces are familiar from the night before. The buzz of conversation within the Wallowing Swine gradually grows as more and more of the tables begin to be filled.
By the time Perrilin makes his appearance, all the tables are filled. The proprietor has even placed stools and chairs against the walls to accommodate the number of people who showed up. “Would have to be a crowd tonight wouldn’t it,” Jiron states.
“Yes,” replies James.
Finally, the noise at the rear of the common room increases as Perrilin makes his way from the back to the stage where he places his instrument on its stand. Again, he puts the time-worn wooden bowl on the stage then returns to the back. The crowd murmurs in delighted anticipation as they know this means that he is about to come and perform.
Several minutes later, Perrilin exits from the back and applause follows him all the way to the stage. Taking up his instrument, he turns back toward the crowd and an expectant hush descends onto the common room. Then he strums the strings and launches into a rollicking ballad full of daring-do and love.
He’s into the third stanza when he sees James and gives him a brief grin and a nod. James returns it. Glancing around the common room, he sees how much the people are enjoying the music, and it saddens him how they’ll react to what they’re about to do.
The two slavers keep casting glances to him and Jiron. Whether the looks are telling them to get on with it or whether simply because they don’t like them, it’s hard to tell. Whatever the reason, James decidedly doesn’t care for it.
For two and a half hours they sit there in the common room while Perrilin performs. When he leaves on his second break and heads to the kitchen, James locks eyes with the others positioned in the room and nods his head. They return the nod knowing the time has come.
“You ready?” he asks Jiron.
“Yes,” he replies with a glance to the door leading into the kitchen. “When he’s on his way back.”
“Right,” agrees James.
Just then, one of the two slavers gets to his feet and begins walking toward their table. “Not now,” whispers James to himself. Jiron hears him and sees the man coming toward them.
Then the murmur in the back of the room suddenly swells as Perrilin exits from the kitchen. He pauses a moment to exchange words with a man at one of the tables.
The slaver is almost to them when he’s bumped into from the side. Ale splashes all across his front as the man who bumped into him loses control of his cup. “Sorry about that,” Reilin says in a manner that suggests he’s entirely too drunk to be walking around. Using his hands, he tries to brush off the liquid that is beginning to soak into the slaver’s clothes.
By this time, Perrilin has finished his conversation and is heading toward the stage.
“Fool!” the slaver says as he knocks Reilin’s hands away.
“I’m truly sorry about this, sir,” Reilin says then places his left arm around the man’s neck and begins laughing. Those nearby who have been observing him and the slaver chuckle at the sight.
