The opening of the door awakens him. Sitting up in bed he sees a shadow standing in the hall outside his door. A floorboard creaks as Jiron makes his way from his bed toward the door, the glint of reflected moonlight from outside says he has a knife in hand.
“James,” whispers Miko urgently.
His orb suddenly springs to life and they see Miko there at the door, Brother Willim’s face peers over his shoulder. From where Jiron stands halfway to the door, James hears him mumble under his breath as he replaces his knife back in its sheath. Sitting up on his bed, James waves them inside.
“What’s up?” he asks.
“Trouble,” says Miko. “There’s been a death here in the inn.” He glances from James to Jiron then back again. “It wasn’t a normal one.”
“Normal?” questions Jiron. “What do you mean by that?”
“I think someone’s been murdered,” he explains.
“When?” James asks.
“A few minutes ago,” he explains. “Remember how I told you that ever since what happened in the City of Light I’ve been able to feel when people near me pass on?” When James nods he continues. “Thankfully there haven’t been many, it still unnerves me when it happens. But this time, it felt…wrong.”
“Like the one back at Al-Ziron?” he asks.
Miko nods affirmatively. “Yes,” he replies. “Just as wrong.”
James can see the worry behind his friend’s eyes. He turns to Jiron and says, “Go get the others.”
“Right,” he replies then moves to the door and passes through into the hallway. Shortly, the sound of a door opening and closing can be heard.
“Could you tell where it happened?” James asks.
“I’m pretty sure it was above us on the third floor,” he states. They grow quiet as each listens for any noise that may indicate someone is moving around above them. Just as Scar and Potbelly arrive looking quite tired, they hear the creak of a floorboard in the room directly above James’.
“They must still be there,” concludes James as Jiron and the rest finally join them. He quickly fills them in on what Miko believes happened.
“Maybe we shouldn’t get involved,” Stig says. “Could lead to complications.” He looks to James for his reaction.
“We have to,” James says. “There could be more people up there in danger.”
“Alright then,” Jiron says. To Scar, Potbelly and Shorty he says, “Whoever it is, is above us. You three go outside and keep a lookout for anyone leaving or acting suspiciously.”
As they leave to do as requested, he turns to Stig and Reilin. “You two stay at the stairs here on the second floor in case they get by us,” he says. “We’re going up.”
“Right,” replies Stig with a nod.
Jiron turns to where Aleya stands and says, “You stay here. It’ll be safer.”
Giving him an annoyed look she shakes her head and says, “I don’t think so.”
Rolling his eyes, Jiron pulls a knife before moving to the door and passing into the hallway. Moving silently, he makes his way to the stairs and begins climbing up. James, Miko, and Brother Willim follow close behind. Turning back to James he indicates the orb and says, “Get rid of the light.”
With a thought James cancels the orb and they are once again plunged into darkness. A floorboard creaks revealing Jiron is already moving up the stairs. Following, James keeps a hand in contact with the wall to guide himself until he reaches the stairwell. The blackness is gradually making way for indistinct shadows as his night vision returns. Moving quickly, he takes the steps up to the third level. When he makes the top, he sees the shadow that is Jiron standing outside the closed door of the room that lies directly above theirs. Stepping quietly, he comes to Jiron’s side.
“Someone’s in there moving around,” he says. Then they hear another floorboard creak inside the room. He glances to James and nods to the door. When he receives a nod in reply, he steps backward and kicks the door hard with his foot.
Waaaaaaaaaa!
A baby’s cry rips through the night as the slamming of the door against the wall frightens it. Its mother turns in fear toward the door and clutches her baby tight to her bosom. The person they had been hearing moving around was a woman trying to get her child back to sleep. She screams as a man bolts up out of the bed that’s sitting against the far wall. He looks in alarm at Jiron standing framed in the doorway, the light of the candle on the table glinting off the knife in his hand. Drawing a sword, the man moves to stand between his wife and child, and the intruders.
“Not this one,” Jiron says. Then to the couple he says, “Sorry.”
“Reilin get up here now!” cries out James.
Backing out of the room, Jiron moves to the next door and hits it hard with his shoulder, bursting it open. The smell that hits him tells him he’s got the right room this time. “This is it!” he cries out as he enters.
Then Reilin appears at the top of the stairs. James turns to him and says, “We barged in and frightened these people.” Indicating the man ready to defend his family, he says. “Give them our apologies and explain the situation to them.”
“Alright,” he says, then moves to the doorway and begins explaining things to the couple.
Doors along the hallway crack open as the other guests look out to see what’s going on. When they see them in the hallway, they quickly shut their doors and throw the bolt.
“Miko,” says Jiron from the other room, “you better get in here.”
Leaving Reilin to deal with the family, they hurry over to the open doorway. Within they see Jiron moving over toward the open window, beneath which lies a woman bleeding to death. On the bed against the far wall is the murdered man whose passing Miko must have sensed. Bound and gagged, he lies face down on the bed with a knife still sticking out his back. On the floor next to the bed is an open chest. Whatever had been contained within is gone.
The light from the Star fills the room as Miko enters and rushes toward the woman. Soon, the glow surrounds him and then moves to envelope the woman. Aleya comes to his side to help in whatever way she can.
Snaking out the window is a rope that’s anchored to the bed. Sticking his head out the window he looks down to see Shorty staring back up at him. “Did you see whoever it was that came down here?” he shouts.
“No!” he hollers back up.
“Look around, he can’t have gone far,” he says. “Take Scar and Potbelly and search the area.”
Nodding, Shorty races away to get the other two.
A commotion is developing in the hallway. The raised voice of a man grows louder as he approaches. Jiron casts one look around outside and then returns his head back into the room. Just then, Reilin appears at the doorway with a rather irate innkeeper.
“He demands to know what is going on here,” Reilin explains.
“Tell him a man’s been robbed, his woman stabbed, and all their money is gone,” he says.
Reilin turns back to the innkeeper who by this time has seen the dead body bound on the bed and the glow surrounding Miko as he works to save the life of the woman. Several exchanges later, Reilin turns back to those in the room and says, “He says there was a small girl too.”
“What?” asks Jiron and James at the same time.
“They had a girl of about two or three with them is what he said,” clarifies Reilin.
Glancing around the room, they see where a pallet had been laid out in the corner for a small child. “She may be hiding,” says James. “Search the room.” He moves to the bed where the dead man lays while the others search the rest of the room. Bending over, he pulls up the covers that are draped over the side and looks beneath. Nothing. Standing back up, he looks around and the others shake their heads. She’s not here!
“Could he have taken her with him down the rope?” James asks Jiron.
“Possibly,” he says. “If she was drugged or knocked out.” After a moment he adds, “She would bring a large sum on the slave blocks.”
“She would wouldn’t she?” states James.
The room suddenly dims as the glow surrounding Miko and the woman winks out. James looks hopefully at him and receives a reassuring nod. “She’ll live,” he tells him. “May not wake up for a while though.”
“Take her to our room,” James says. Then he catches sight of Stig out in the hallway with the crowd that has gathered. “Stig!” he hollers. When he sees Stig looking his way he says, “You and Brother Willim help Miko with taking the woman and her things to our room.” Then to Brother Willim he says, “It’s bad enough to have lost your man, worse yet to wake and see him dead.”
Brother Willim nods. “You intend to go after the child?” he asks.
“I can’t let her be made a slave,” he replies. The thought of that sends a shiver down his spine.
“Good,” he says. “Miko and I will watch over the woman until your return.”
“Keep Stig and Reilin with you just in case,” James tells him.
“Very well,” he says.
James glances to Jiron. “You ready?” he asks.
Jiron nods, “Let’s go find her.”
As they make to leave the room, they are blocked by the innkeeper and half a dozen other men, some with swords drawn. The innkeeper says something in a demanding way. He looks to Reilin who says, “He says you are not going anywhere until he knows what went on here.”
“Didn’t you explain it to him?” he asks.
Nodding, Reilin says, “Yes. But I don’t think he entirely believes me.”
“Tell him this,” states James. “The girl is missing. I intend to go after her before something bad happens.”
Turning to the innkeeper, Reilin translates. When the innkeeper replies, he says, “He thinks you took her and that you just want to get away.”
Sighing over the fools in the world, James turns to the innkeeper and with Reilin translating says, “We came in here to save them. We were too late for the man but managed to save the woman. Right now their child is being taken away to a life I don’t even want to imagine.” He glares a moment while Reilin finishes translating then continues. “Some of our comrades will remain here until our return to look after the woman. Two of them are priests. If it makes you feel any better, you can consider them as hostages until our return. But time is running out and we are going!”
When Reilin finishes the translation, the innkeeper glances at James, then to Miko who is carrying the unconscious woman. Nodding his head, he steps aside to allow James and Jiron to pass. As James steps forward with Jiron right behind, the others in the hallway move aside for them too.
Hitting the stairs at a run, they return to their rooms and take only a moment for them to put their boots on. Then they are back at the stairs and hit the common room at a run. Once out the front door, James pauses a moment and removes the cloth from his pouch and begins seeking the girl. He’s not sure that it will work, what with him never having seen her and all, but the cloth rises and becomes rigid as it points off to the right.
“This way,” he says. As they move to follow the direction indicated by the cloth, Shorty appears and reports no one is in the vicinity. About that time Scar and Potbelly come running around the corner of the inn to report the same.
“Stay close,” he says as he moves away from the inn, the others fall in behind.
Walking briskly, they pass by the rest of the buildings surrounding the inn and are soon out in the desert. The half moon above gives them sufficient light with which to see their immediate surroundings.
It isn’t long before they can hear the crying of a small child ahead of them. “That’s her,” says Scar.
“Jiron, go take a look,” suggests James.
Nodding in the dark, he moves toward the sound of the child’s crying. While James and the others wait for him, they hear a man yelling in anger and then the sound of someone being slapped hard. It must have been the child that was slapped for her cries increase tenfold.
“I can’t wait for Jiron,” says Shorty and moves to follow. James, Scar and Potbelly trail along behind.
From out of the distance ahead of them, a structure rises from the desert. From one window the light of a single candle shines dimly out. The sound of crying is coming from that direction. Suddenly, a form passes in front of the window and they see Jiron moving to look in.
Off to one side of the structure, which as it turns out is a farmhouse, a dozen horses stand in the dark. Beside them sits a covered wagon. From the back of the farmhouse, the sound of a goat can be heard as it calls out.
The sound of them moving to join Jiron causes him to turn from the window. “They have the child in the other room,” he whispers to them. “I saw two boys tied up in there with her.”
“Okay,” James says. He then squats on the ground under the window and signals for the others to do the same. “Jiron and I will go in and deal with their captors,” he says. Turning to Scar and Potbelly he adds, “You two get into the room with the children and protect them with your lives.”
“No problem,” Scar says. Potbelly nods.
“Shorty, you stay out here and keep anyone from leaving,” he replies. He then looks from one to the others and adds, “I don’t care if any of these child stealers survives or not.”
“That’ll make things simpler,” Shorty says as he draws one of his throwing knives.
To Scar and Potbelly he says, “We’ll give you a minute to maneuver around to the window of the room in which the children are being held. Don’t take too long getting in.”
“We won’t,” assures Scar.
As they leave to move around into position outside the children’s room, James and Jiron move to the front door. When he thinks Scar and Potbelly has had ample time to get set, a shield flashes into being around him and he glances to Jiron. Receiving an affirmative nod, he moves to the door and tries the handle. Surprised to find it unlocked, he readies a slug, opens the door and walks in.
Ten heads turn to see him enter through the door. Immediate pandemonium erupts as the men leap to their feet and draw swords. His slug flies to the nearest man and blasts its way through his chest.
Jiron flies around him, knives in hand as he moves to engage. A quick strike takes one through the side, dropping the man to the floor. His other knife flashes lightning quick and leaves a thin line spurting blood from where it severed the jugular of another.
From the back of the house, a crash can be heard as Scar and Potbelly gain the room with the children. Slugs fly and knives strike as the men in the front room fall quickly. When all but three men have been taken out, Scar appears in the doorway leading to the room with the children, bloody sword in hand. He gives James a nod saying all is well with the children. Seeing Jiron still facing off with three men, he exits the room and draws his second sword.
The three remaining men, after having seen their companions taken out so fast, lose heart for the battle. Throwing down their swords, they surrender. Jiron looks to James who nods that he should take their surrender. Wiping the blood off his knives on the shirt of a dead man, he then replaces them in their sheathes.
“Tie them up,” James says and then moves to the front door. “Shorty!” he hollers as he sticks his head out. No longer needed, he cancels his shield.
“Yeah?” comes the reply from the dark.
“It’s over,” he hollers. As Shorty approaches, James asks, “Did any make it outside?”
“Two were out with the horses,” he says. Then he points to two forms lying on the ground a little distance from the door. “They came running when you entered through the door.”
James nods then notices Scar beginning to go through the pockets of the dead men for anything of value. Leaving him to his work, he crosses the room and passes through the door leading into the room with the children.
Potbelly is there, already having untied them. Two bodies lie on the floor of the men who had been here when Scar and Potbelly made their appearance. Potbelly has bits and pieces of glass and wood in his hair, testament that he had been the one to smash through the window first. Most likely jumped through.
Turning to the children, he sees their eyes wide with fear. He gives them a big smile in an attempt to put them at ease but fails miserable. “Are you okay?” he asks them slowly.
None understand what he’s saying, they simply stare at him with fear. To Potbelly he says, “Stay here with them. Try to make them understand that we mean them no harm.”
“I’ll try,” he replies, though he’s dubious about his ability to do that when they don’t even speak his language.
“At least keep them in here until we’re ready to leave,” says James before he turns and makes his way back out to the front room.
“What should we do with them?” Shorty asks about their three prisoners when he returns.
“We’ll take them back to stand justice,” James tells him.
Jiron is at a table over in the corner, several dead bodies lie on the floor before it. “Hey look at what I found!” he exclaims. Turning around to the others with a grin, he holds up a bulging sack. Jingling it, they hear the unmistakable jingling of coins.
“Must be the stuff they stole from the people at the inn,” suggests James.
“Probably,” agrees Scar.
Jiron takes it over to the large dining table and upends the sack, spilling out coins, gems and other valuables onto its surface. He picks up several gems and tucks them into his pocket. When he sees James giving him a disapproving look he says, “For our trouble.”
“No,” says James. “Put them back with the others.”
Jiron frowns but does as bidden.
“That is going to go to the lady that was recently widowed,” James says with conviction. “Small enough consolation for losing a husband.”
“Perhaps,” pipes up Scar. “Unless he was a real piece of filth like my old man was.” Taking the items gleaned from the dead men, he adds them to the pile on the table.
“Whatever the case may be, it’s time we took the girl back to her mother.” James has Potbelly and Shorty begin getting the prisoners tied across the backs of horses in preparation for the trip back. Grabbing one off the floor, they take him outside to the waiting horses.
He then goes over to Jiron where he about has all the coins and such put back in the sack. Glancing at the table, his eyes briefly examine the coins and jewels still awaiting their turn to be returned to the sack. Several gold coins and others of a lesser value, half a dozen jewels of varying sizes and colors, and two necklaces.
Just about to turn away and cross over to the room where Potbelly has the children, he pauses and turns back toward the items on the table. When Jiron reaches to pick up another handful, he holds out his hand. “Hang on a minute,” he says. Something, a whisper of memory comes to him.
Then realization strikes. Reaching out, he picks up one of the necklaces. It bears a heart shaped gold medallion with two small diamonds in the middle. The heart with two small diamonds is what drew him to the necklace, in his dreams they had been two lights.
Each time in his dream when he had entered the Tunnel of Love, there on the wall just inside was a large heart with two lights blazing forth. In each subsequent dream, one of the lights had continued to grow dim until at the last, it was all but out. The two stones, Cassie and Tinok. The one growing dim had to represent Tinok and the situation he is in.
Jiron halts putting the items back in the sack as James stands there motionless with the necklace in his hand. “You okay?” he asks.
Snapping out of it, James’ eyes meet Jiron’s. “This is the necklace Tinok gave Cassie,” he says in a hushed whisper. “The one he took with him when he left us after her death.”
“Can’t be,” he says then takes a closer look. Though only having a good look at it a couple times over a year ago, he comes to realize that James is correct, this is indeed that necklace.
Eyes narrowing, he pulls a knife and moves to the remaining two captives. Pointing to the necklace he shouts, “Where did you get that necklace?” Holding the knife close to the face of one of the captives, he yells, “Where!” The man’s eyes stare at the knife before him, ready for the blow he’s sure is to come.
“He can’t understand you,” James tells him. “We’re going to have to wait until we get back to the inn so Reilin can interrogate them.”
Jiron stands there with knife still before the man for several more seconds before turning away. As he does, he sees Potbelly in the doorway to the bedroom and then glances over to the front door where Scar and Shorty stare at him too.
Pointing to the necklace James is holding he says, “They have Cassie’s necklace!”
Scar actually gasps. Shorty asks, “The one Tinok took with him when he left?”
Nodding, Jiron replies, “The very one.”
“But how did they get it?” Potbelly asks.
“I don’t know,” Jiron says. Then turning to the men on the floor, he adds, “But I’m going to find out.” To Scar he says, “Bring that other man back in here.” Then with a glance back to James he adds, “I’m not about ready to hand them over to the authorities for justice until I have a chance to ask them some questions.”
James meets his gaze and nods. Turning to Scar he says, “Go ahead and bring him back in.”
Once the man is brought back inside, James says, “Potbelly and I will take the children back while you three remain here with them.” When he receives Jiron’s nod, he continues. “Then I’ll return with the others and we’ll see if we can learn anything.”
“Good,” states Jiron. He holds his hand out obviously wishing to have the necklace.
“Oh,” James says as he turns to Jiron and sees his hand out. “I should take the necklace with me. It may have been that they stole it from the family at the inn. If so, then the woman may know where it came from.”
Nodding, Jiron lowers his hand. “I want it when you return,” he says.
“Don’t worry,” replies James, “You will have it.” Turning to Potbelly he says. “It’s time to bring the children out.” Crossing over to the doorway, James follows Potbelly in. The three children have managed to relax a little bit, maybe they realized that he and the others are not there to hurt them. After all, they did kill the ‘bad men’.
The older boy says something to them in the Empire’s tongue but they fail to understand. In as soothing a voice as he can manage, James says, “It’ll be okay. We’re taking you home.” The tone, if not the words, further relaxes them. When he motions for them to follow him from the room, they hop off the bed to follow.
He leads them through the front room where Jiron, Scar, and Shorty are working to remove the men killed in the fighting. They shy away from the three men sitting bound against the wall and hurry to follow him outside.
Potbelly helps the girl onto one horse while James assists the younger boy to mount another. The older boy is able to make it into the saddle of a third horse on his own. Once they are settled and not in any immediate danger of falling off, he swings up behind the younger boy just as Potbelly mounts behind the girl.
Giving the kids an encouraging grin, he leads the way with the older boy in the middle and Potbelly bringing up the rear. The return trip to the inn takes less time than the trip out and soon its lights appear in the dark.