“That’s where you’ll find them.”
“How do we get in?” Miko asks.
“That’s up to you,” the man says. “I managed to arrange for a diversion. It’s not much but should draw the attention of the guards on the walls for several minutes.”
“When will it begin?” Jiron asks.
“Once you figure out what you are going to do to get in,” he says, “I’ll go and get it started.” He points off to an area of town back the way they came. “When it happens, it will come from that direction.”
Jiron nods. Indicating the curtain wall on the opposite side from where the distraction will take place, he says, “So our best bet would be to try something in that direction.”
The man nods in agreement.
Turning his attention to Aleya, Miko and Brother Willim he says, “You three stay here.” Then to the man he adds, “You come with me. We’re going to take a look around.”
“Be careful,” warns Aleya.
“I will be,” he says. “Be right back.” With the man in tow, he stays next to the buildings across the street from the curtain wall and makes his way to the far side. Once he reaches where the curtain wall curves and begins moving directly away from the street, he comes to a stop.
Scanning the street he makes sure it’s clear, then turns his attention to the closest guard atop the wall. The guard is moving toward the corner of the wall where sits a guard tower. From the guard tower, the wall turns ninety degrees and moves directly away from the street. Another wide thoroughfare runs alongside the wall as it moves further away.
Jiron remains motionless as he watches the guard approaching the guard tower. When the guard comes to within three feet of the tower, he turns about and begins heading back the other way.
“Come on,” Jiron urges then races across the street with the man right behind.
Aleya watches Jiron make his way down the street then pause a moment before darting across. Her eyes move to the guard on the wall, and is relieved when he fails to react to Jiron’s crossing.
“Relax,” says Miko. “Jiron’s done this sort of thing many times from what James tells me.”
Aleya doesn’t comment, simply nods her head as she continues to stare at the place where Jiron disappeared. She waits an agonizing fifteen minutes before he reappears. Darting across the street with the man right behind, he then works his way back to where she and the others wait.
When he rejoins them, he announces, “I think there may be a way to get in.”
“How?” she asks.
He looks her in the eye and says, “It’s going to depend on how good you are with the bow.”
“What do you want me to do?” She then listens as he lays out the gist of his plan to them. Nodding her head, she can see where her bow will play a pivotal role in what’s to come. When he’s finished laying it out, he asks, “Anyone see something I may have missed?”
Brother Willim shakes his head, “Not I. You seem to have it all worked out fairly well.”
Jiron turns to the man and says, “Go tell them we’re ready.”
The man nods his head and melts into the night on his way to begin getting the distraction underway.
After he leaves, Jiron turns to Brother Willim and hesitates a moment. Then he asks, “You know there’s a chance we’ll not get out of there without a fight?”
Brother Willim only nods in reply.
“I need to know I’ll be able to rely on you should the situation arise,” he says.
Gazing at him with sadness in his eyes, he says, “You know the priests of Asran are not allowed to hurt fellow human beings. That to do so will mean dire repercussions in this life and the next.”
“Brother, I understand that,” replies Jiron. “But you also know that if we don’t get James out of there and into Dmon-Li’s High Temple before the moon turns dark, it could well mean the end of everything. Your dreams, more than any of the others, tell us that.”
“I know,” he states.
“You once said that to keep a garden healthy, there comes a time when a gardener must prune to save the whole,” Jiron tells him. “This is the case as it stands now. You may need to prune to save the whole.” He can see the pain in the Brother’s eyes.
Miko comes and lays his hand on Brother Willim’s shoulder. “Asran will understand,” he assures him. “It’s for the greater good.”
Griping his staff in a grip so tight that almost causes him pain, Brother Willim nods. “I will do what I have to,” he says in a voice taut with pain. But the pain he is feeling is not that of the body, but of the soul. He has vowed to never take the life of an ordinary man. As the leader of the Hand of Asran, he had been trained to defeat those of power such as the warrior priests. Never had he believed that his skill would be used against those whom he vowed to protect. The fact that they may worship another besides Asran does not matter. Giving a silent prayer to Asran to forgive him for what he may be called to do, he gives Jiron a nod. “Let’s go.”
Jiron gives him a comforting pat on the back and then says, “Follow me.” Taking them along the front of the buildings across the street from the curtain wall, he brings them to a halt once they’ve reached the place where he crossed the street before. A street as wide as the one they are on runs along the wall as it turns and moves away from them.
He has them wait there until the guard atop the wall reaches the guard tower then turns back to go the other way. “Now!” he whispers as he bolts across with the others right behind.
Melding in with the shadows across the street from the wall, he takes them further down until he reaches a point where two of the guards walking upon the wall are visible at the same time.
Stopping, he indicates the guards on the wall. Then he shows them a statue of a warrior with an upraised sword that stands between them upon the edge of the wall. To Aleya he says, “That’s where I want you to put your arrow, between the upraised sword and the statue’s head. Can you do it?”
She gauges the distance and nods. “I believe so,” she replies.
“Can you do it with a rope tied to the arrow?” When she looks at him he raises his tunic to show her the rope secured about his waist.
“I…I don’t know,” she admits. “I’ve never shot an arrow with a rope tied to it before.” She then looks to his eyes and nods, “But I’ll give it a try.”
“Pick your best arrow,” he tells her as he begins uncoiling the rope from around his middle.
She removes the quiver of arrows from her back and begins going through them one by one. The third one she comes to is slightly thicker than the others and is very straight. Holding it up, she says, “This one.”
Jiron takes it and ties the end of the rope to it very, very tightly. When he’s sure it won’t come off in flight, he hands it back to her. “It’s going to drag some due to the tension of the rope,” he tells her.
“I understand,” she says. Holding the arrow, she feels how the rope alters its balance and increases its weight twofold.
“Ready?” Jiron asks.
Placing the arrow to string, she looks at him and nods, “Ready.”
“Take aim but don’t shoot right away,” he tells her. “When the two guards are both walking away from the statue at the same time, I’ll say ‘now’ and then let it go.”
“Okay,” she says. She looks up at the statue on the wall, raises her bow and pulls the string back. Holding it there, she gets her aim set and waits. Three seconds later, Jiron whispers ‘now’ and she lets go.
The arrow and rope sail through the air and cracks into the wall a good three feet below the feet of the statue. They freeze as they look to the guards to see if they heard the noise, but neither one of them even so much as glances back.
Jiron quickly pulls in the rope until it and the arrow are back with them. The head of the arrow is cracked from its impact with the stones of the wall. “We’ll try it again,” he says.
Aleya nods and begins searching through the quiver for another arrow. Feeling bad that she didn’t make it the first time, she vows to make it the second. Handing the next arrow to Jiron, she waits for him to secure the rope to it once more. Then once he’s handed it back to her, she again places it to string and takes aim at the statue.
“Now,” Jiron says and she again lets the arrow loose. And just as the first one, it impacts upon the wall in almost the same place as the first one had.
Jiron begins pulling in the rope when Miko places a hand on his shoulder. “Someone’s coming,” he hears him
