Several people are milling around outside the inn as they draw close. One takes notice of their approach and runs inside. As they come to a stop, Stig emerges through the door with Brother Willim. “You did it!” exclaims Stig.
Brother Willim comes and reaches up to help the girl down from the horse. She gives a glance back to Potbelly who nods that it’s alright, then allows Brother Willim to help her down.
From out of the inn another couple emerges and immediately takes possession of the two boys. The calls and cries of the boys tell James they must be their parents. He can see the tracks of tears down the woman’s face from where she’s been crying over the loss of her boys.
Once the father helps the younger child down from where he sits before James, he extends his hand in gratitude. Words rush out from the man as James takes his hand. The older boy has dismounted and wrapped his arms around his mother in a hug that’s likely going to last awhile.
“He’s saying thank you,” Reilin’s voice comes from where he just exited the inn.
“I figured as much,” replies James. “Tell him that I am glad I was able to bring his boys back to him.” When Reilin translates, the boys’ father again shakes his hand vigorously as the mother gathers the children to her. He then takes his family and they move off to where a wagon sits next to the inn. Climbing aboard, the father takes the reins and with a last wave and salutation to James and the others, he gets the team of horses moving.
As James dismounts, Reilin comes to him and says, “The boys disappeared two days ago. When word spread that another child was taken and that someone had gone to get her back, they came in hopes you would return with their boys.”
“I’m glad it worked out well,” replies James. “How’s the woman?”
“She’s better,” he says. “The loss of her husband was a brutal blow and she went into hysterics when told of what happened to her daughter.” Glancing over to where Brother Willim is just entering the inn with the girl he adds, “But now that her daughter’s back, I think things will be okay.”
“Where is everyone else?” asks Stig.
James quickly fills them in on what happed at the farmhouse and of finding Cassie’s necklace. When he’s through, he tells Stig, “Get our horses ready. We’re going out to the farmhouse once I ask the mother about this.” He holds up the necklace to show them.
“She may not be in much condition to answer questions,” explains Reilin.
“We’ll see,” he says. “Make sure our things are out of the rooms too.”
“I’ll take care of it,” he assures him and moves off to get it done.
Reilin follows James as he heads toward the front door of the inn. The people he passes pat him on the shoulder as well as other forms of congratulations on bringing back the children.
Inside, he finds Miko and Brother Willim sitting at a table with the woman they found upstairs. Next to the woman sits Aleya with a smile on her face as she watches the mother and daughter. The girl is wrapped tightly in her mother’s arms and they are crying together, both for happiness at being reunited and sadness at the loss of the father. The innkeeper meets him just within the foyer. Reilin translates.
“I’m sorry,” he says. “I was mistaken about you.”
James gives him a reassuring nod. “Don’t worry about it, I understand,” he assures the innkeeper. “By the way, we’ll be leaving just as soon as I talk with the mother.”
A pained look comes to his face. “If I’ve given you offense…” he begins.
James waves off the coming apology and says, “It is nothing you have done or didn’t do. Something else has arisen that we must see to right away.”
Somewhat relieved at that, the innkeeper says, “If you need anything, just let me know.”
“I shall do that,” James assures him. Leaving the innkeeper behind, he moves across the common room and makes for the woman and her daughter.
At his approach, the girl says something to her mother. The mother glances up to him with tears in her eye. “Thank you,” she says in his language.
“You speak my language?” he asks amazed.
“Yes,” she replies. “My husband and I spent many years in Cardri before our daughter was born.”
“I’m sorry for your loss,” he says. Pulling out a chair from the table he sits down.
“So am I,” she says with a catch in her voice as her emotions get the better of her.
James waits patiently until the tears stop flowing. “There’s something I would like to ask you if you don’t mind,” he tells her.
Using a kerchief to wipe away her tears, she takes a deep breath to calm herself then nods. “What would you like to know?” she asks.
He pulls forth Cassie’s necklace from his pouch. “This was found in the possession of the men who took your daughter,” he explains. “Did this come from you or your husband?”
She takes the necklace and looks intently at the heart with the two diamonds. After a moment she shakes her head. “I don’t think so,” she says as she hands the necklace back to him. “It’s lovely though.”
Just then Potbelly comes to the table and sets the sack containing the loot liberated from the captors. “Here you go ma’am,” he says.
“What’s this?” she asks as the sack is placed before her.
“Gold and jewels we found with your daughter’s captors,” James explains. “It’s for you and your daughter.”
“I can’t take all of this,” she says. “You keep some for yourselves. It’s the least you deserve for what you did for my daughter.”
Shaking his head, he says, “No. We don’t need it and it will help you along now that your husband is gone.” He nods to her daughter. “It will also provide a nice dowry for your daughter when the time comes.”
Another round of tears comes as she says, “Thank you.”
“There is no need for thanks ma’am,” James says. Then to Miko and Brother Willim he says, “We need to get going.” Standing up, he turns his attention again to the mother and says, “I would wish you happiness, but that may take some time to come again. Instead, I shall wish you long life and good health. That when happiness once more comes, you will be able to enjoy it for a very long time.”
“May your travels be safe ones,” she tells him. The little girl gets off her mother’s lap and at first looks to be moving to give James a hug. Instead, she moves around him to where Potbelly has come to stand behind him. Wrapping her arms around his legs, she gives him a hug.
Standing there a little embarrassed, he reaches down and pats her on the head. Looking at a loss at what further he should do, he simply stands there until her hug comes to an end. Then she quickly returns to her mother.
James gives him a smile and nods toward the door indicating they should be going. With the others following, he crosses the room and leaves the inn. Outside, he finds that Reilin and Stig already have their horses ready with their belongings secured behind the saddles. Moving to his horse, James quickly mounts.
Several of the people standing nearby come to Miko and give him coins. Surprised, he at first makes to refuse them, but a quick shake of the head by Brother Willim convinces him to take them.
“Let’s go,” says James and then turns to head back to where Jiron is waiting at the farmhouse with the prisoners.
“It’s an offering,” he hears Brother Willim say to Miko.
“An offering?” he asks.
“Some people hold to the belief that if you give coins to a priest after he saves the life of someone,” he explains, “that you will be blessed for your generosity.”
Holding the coins in his hand, he asks, “What should I do with this?”
“Keep it and use it how you will,” he replies. “If you had an actual temple, I would say to put it in the temple’s coffers. But right now, you are the temple. So use it as you see fit.”
Nodding, he puts the coins in his pocket.
James grins as he thinks of how the coins will most likely be used should they run across a bakery selling tarts any time soon.
They ride in silence on their return to the farmhouse. The light coming from its window soon appears in the distance ahead of them. As they draw close, a shadow disengages itself from the night and comes forward. “Everything go okay,” Shorty asks them.
“Yes,” James replies. “The girl is once again reunited with her mother. The parents of the two boys were there as well.”
“Good,” he says. “Find out anything about the necklace? Jiron’s been climbing the walls ever since you left.”
“She never saw it before,” he says.
“Too bad for those three we have tied up inside,” Shorty says as he walks with them back to the farmhouse. “Jiron’s not going to be satisfied if they can’t tell him something.”
Sighing, James says, “I know.” Moving to the farmhouse he sees Jiron framed in the doorway.
“Well?” he asks.
James holds out the necklace to him and says, “She didn’t know anything.”
Taking it, Jiron nods. Looking past James’ shoulder he hollers, “Reilin! I need you.”
“Be right there,” he replies.
Jiron then turns and goes back in the farmhouse. James follows him in.
The three men still sit in the same place where they were when he had left to return the children. Even though the dead bodies have been removed, the blood that was spilled during the fight remains.
“What do you need?” asks Reilin when he enters the room.
Jiron waves him over to where he stands before the three prisoners and shows Reilin the necklace. “I want you to ask them where they got this,” he explains.
“Why?” he asks.
“The last time I saw it was when Tinok left,” he replies.
“The same Tinok we are trying to find?” he questions.
Nodding, Jiron says, “That’s right.”
Taking the necklace from Jiron, he turns to the prisoners. Holding up in front of them, he asks, “Where did you get this?” Three sets of eyes stare back at him silently. “Tell me!” he insists. When they still refuse to answer, he turns back to Jiron. “They’re being stubborn.”
Jiron removes one of the knives that the Renlon’s gave him back in Illion. He grabs the hair of the closest man and puts the knife’s point an inch away from the man’s left eye. Then he says to Reilin, “Ask them again.” The man whose eye is being threatened begins to sweat. His eyes flick from the point of the knife, to Jiron, and then to Reilin.
“Now, my friend is real anxious to find out about how you came to be in possession of this necklace,” he explains to the man with the knife before his eye. “It once belonged to a friend of his, and the fact that you had it causes him great concern. Things will go much smoother if you would cooperate.”
“It isn’t ours,” the man being threatened states. When he speaks, Jiron backs the knife a few inches away from in front of his eye.
“That’s right,” another of the prisoners adds. “If we tell you what we know will you let us go?”
Reilin translates for the others who have gathered to watch the proceedings. James says, “If they convince us they are telling the truth and have told everything they know, we won’t kill them.”
When Reilin explains that to them, the man says, “Very well.” Eyes moving from James then to the others, he says “It was Gryll’s.”
Another of the men adds, “He claimed he bought if from some prostitute in Inziala before we came north. Said he paid her four gold pieces for it.”
“What prostitute?” asks Jiron after Reilin translated for them.
A few moments’ discussion with the captives and Reilin says, “They don’t know her name. Supposedly she works down by the river at a place called The Split Navel.”
“Can we trust them?” asks Shorty.
“I can’t believe they would lie about something as trivial as where a necklace came from,” suggests Scar. “I mean, what’s the point?”
James glances to Brother Willim and asks, “What do you think?”
“I don’t sense any attempt at deception,” he replies. “I would tend to believe they are telling the truth.” Beside him Miko nods in agreement.
“So then, what to do with them?” Stig asks.
“I gave them my word not to kill them,” he says, “but I said nothing about releasing them.” He glances to Jiron and says, “We leave them bound and gagged when we go.”
“And then notify someone at the next town where they are?” asks Shorty.
Shaking his head, James says, “No. The people at the inn know that something happened here. More than likely someone will come out here to investigate.”
“They will execute them when they find them,” Miko says.
“If so, it’s no more than they deserve,” he says. “Let’s get out of here, I don’t want to stay is this place any longer.” The blood soaked floor and rugs are beginning to make him a bit nauseous. Indicating the three men he says, “Make sure they are secure and won’t go anywhere.”
“You got it,” says Scar. With Potbelly’s aid, they make sure the men will not escape their bonds on their own.
James walks with Jiron and Aleya to the door. “Does anyone know how far Inziala is from here?” he asks.
“Not exactly,” replies Jiron. “But if you remember, we did go through it during our search for Miko.”
“Seems like we are always hunting for someone that the Empire has taken,” James says.
“With luck this will be our last time,” Jiron states.
“I hope so,” admits James. “You know, I would love to simply sit by a river under a warm sun and do nothing for the rest of my life.”
Laughing, Jiron says, “Don’t we all.” Aleya snakes her arm around his middle as they move through the door to where the horses are tied.
Off to the east the sky is beginning to lighten with the coming of dawn. As James swings into the saddle, still weary due to lack of sufficient sleep, he can’t help but revel in the peace this time of day brings. Still and quiet, it’s almost as if the world stops in anticipation of the sun’s rise.
When Scar and Potbelly exit the farmhouse, they report that the men aren’t likely to get free. Then they mount and James leads them back toward the road. He angles in a slightly more southerly direction to avoid encountering the inn and the people there. Things should be okay, but you never know.
By the time the road comes into view the sun has crested the horizon and is already warming the day. Jiron pulls alongside James and asks him if he can check to be sure Tinok still lies to the southwest.
Pulling out the cloth, he lets the magic flow and they both watch as the cloth once more rises toward the southwest. “Still there,” James observes.
“Good,” he replies.
“Plan to check on this prostitute should our path lead through Inziala?” James asks.
“Yes,” he says. “But if our road should lead elsewhere, I won’t worry about it.” He rides in silence for about a minute before adding, “Though I worry what it could mean that he no longer has it.” Glancing over to where James is riding he says, “He wouldn’t have parted with it easily.”
“No, I wouldn’t think so,” replies James. Considering how much he cared for Cassie and the degree in which he reacted to her death, James can’t imagine anything parting him from that necklace except imminent death.
They continue following the road all morning long as it winds its way alongside the river. Twice they’ve come across ruined bridges that Illan had destroyed on his march north. One of them was already in the process of being repaired, workers on both sides were working to smooth the ragged edges. They observe a gang of slaves who are clearing the broken stone of the old bridge away and taking it to waiting wagons for transportation.
Close to the area where they work to repair the bridge, a makeshift wooden bridge spans the river allowing those on foot and wagons to cross. The make-up of the bridge is reminiscent of the bridges Delia and Hedry’s force took out back at Lythylla.
“That didn’t last too long,” comments Jiron. When James glances to him he says, “I would have thought it would take longer to get trade going again across the river.”
“They can’t afford to have their routes impaired for too long,” replies James. “I suspect we’ll see this all along the river.”
Then all of a sudden as a wagon was crossing over the makeshift bridge, the section it’s on breaks off from the main body and begins floating down the river. Jiron guffaws and says, “I suppose they still don’t have a handle on it.”
James returns the smile with, “It doesn’t look like it.”
Men on both sides of the river run along its banks as they try to help the stranded wagon. The bridge section begins to spin with the current and the horses attached to the wagon start to panic. For reasons unknown, the horses suddenly bolt and drag the wagon into the river. The driver dives off into the current just before the wagon is pulled into the water.
Screams of the horses are heard as they struggle against the traces which drag them beneath the waters. Soon, it grows quiet as the river wins out and drags them under completely.
“Too bad for the horses,” Aleya says. The others nod agreement. The section of bridge floating upon the river continues to slowly spin as it flows downstream until it finally disappears in the distance. An hour later they come to where the bridge section was stopped in its southward voyage when it got snagged on a sandbar in a bend of the river.
“Think they’ll come get it?” asks Stig.
“Who knows,” replies Scar. Keeping a steady pace, they soon leave the broken section of bridge behind them.
Once the sun is high in the sky, they pull off the road to allow the horses a chance to rest and for them to get a quick bite to eat. Off in the distance to the south on the far side of the river lies the outline of a town.
“A day or so south of that town lies Korazan,” announces Stig. “Should be interesting to see what they’ve done to the place since we left.”
“Could your friend be there?” asks Reilin.
Jiron stops dead in his tracks. He never even thought of that. If something had happened to Tinok, he could very well be sitting in a slave pen at Korazan. Glancing to James he asks, “If he is, could you see him in your mirror?”
“A day away?” he muses. “Possibly.” Taking out his mirror, he concentrates on Tinok. Again, the mirror remains placid, the only thing he sees in it is his own reflection. “Nothing,” he says. “Still, it could be that we’re still too far away. I’ll look again before it gets dark tonight.”
“Okay,” Jiron says.
After the break, they return to the road and continue their way south. The city on the opposite side of the river they saw during the break continues to grow until they reach where a branching of the road moves toward the river.
A wide bridge once spanned the river where the road crosses over, but now it’s just two broken ends jutting from the ground on either side. Wagons and people have formed a bottleneck while they wait for their turn to cross. Two of the makeshift bridges span the water similar in nature to the one they encountered earlier. One of the bridges is used for traffic coming from the town and the other for those going the other way. A single wagon is making the crossing toward the town while a dozen people use the other on their way to the road James and the others are on.
“Wonder what would have happened if that bridge that broke loose further up had made it this far,” supposes Scar.
“I doubt if those two bridges there would have survived the impact,” James says.
“How long do you suppose it is going to take them to get the bridges we destroyed rebuilt?” asks Jiron.
“Years, I would think,” replies James.
As they move on past, they keep watching those who are there at the bridge waiting to cross. It’s obvious those in line are not happy about the speed with which the crossings are taking place. After several single wagons cross, one at a time, James tells the others that it’s probably due to the unstable nature of the makeshift bridge. Too much weight at one time could cause them to break away like the other one did earlier.
The bridge and the people waiting to cross soon disappear behind them. Not much further after that they come to where a road from the east joins with theirs. At the junction, the river bends sharply to the east and the road moves to follow it.
“I remember this place,” Potbelly suddenly announces. “I figure Korazan is only another day and a half’s ride away.”
“You sure?” asks James.
“Oh yes,” he replies. “A sharp turn in the river followed by a town on the other side. Last time we came through here I was commenting to Scar how this would be a good defensible spot if someone was trying to cross over to the west.”
“That’s right,” Scar says. “You brought it up because of the time up in Rycklin…” For the next half hour, he and Potbelly regale everyone with a tale of daring-do that, aside from being the usual unbelievable fare, is quite interesting. At least it helps to pass the time.
They’re able to maintain a quick pace throughout the day and have covered many miles before the sun begins to set. With no inn or other suitable locale available, they pull off the road and make camp next to the river.
While the others are collecting firewood and preparing the meal, James removes his mirror and tries to locate Tinok. Still no luck. He glances back at Jiron who was watching the mirror over his shoulder. “I don’t think he’s in Korazan,” he says. “I should have been able to find him by now if he were.”
Crestfallen, Jiron sighs and goes over to where Aleya has laid out their bedrolls off to one side. James watches as he sits next to her and leans his head against her shoulder. Memories of Meliana come to him as he watches her put a comforting arm around him.
Putting away his mirror, he wonders what she’s doing right now. He sure misses the way she felt when they were in each other’s arms. It seems so long ago that he last held her, could she have found someone else by now? A woman isn’t going to wait around forever. When this business with Tinok is over he’s going to find a way to either go and see her or have her come to him.
Not for the first time he wonders how his grandparents would react if they knew he was in love. He really believes they would have taken to Meliana, she’s a real nice woman.
“You okay?”
Snapping out of his reverie, he looks up to see Miko approaching with two plates of food. “I’m fine,” he replies. “Just thinking of home.”
“Me too,” he admits. Handing James his plate, Miko sits on the ground next to him. “The guys back in Bearn wouldn’t know it was me now.”
“Not likely,” James agrees. The fare this evening is a simple stew made of dried beef and some old tubers that Brother Willim had produced. Where he got them no one knows and none felt like asking.
They sit and eat in silence for awhile. James glances at his friend and can see there’s something on his mind. “So,” he begins, “how is being a High Priest?”
Miko finishes off a piece of tough beef as he thinks of his reply. “Frankly,” he says after swallowing, “it scares me to death.”
“You seem to be handling it well so far,” James says encouragingly.
“It’s not what I’m doing now that bothers me,” he admits. Then he turns to face his friend and in a hushed voice he says, “I am responsible for increasing Morcyth’s presence on this world. How am I to do that?”
“Does the Book of Morcyth tell you anything?” he asks.
“I haven’t had much time to read it at any great length,” he explains. “I sort of skip around to see what’s in there.”
“And?” prompts James.
“And it’s full of rules, rituals and some other stuff I have no clue as to what it’s trying to tell me.” He takes half a tuber and sticks it into his mouth whole while he watches James for his response.
Trying to keep the smile from breaking out at seeing Miko work that tuber from one side of his mouth to the other in an attempt to reduce its size, he says, “Relax. Rather than being scared, be happy. Maybe even excited.” At Miko’s scoffing expression, he adds, “Think of it this way. Out of the millions of people on this world, you were chosen to be Morcyth’s representative. That’s got to make you feel pretty special, at least a little.”
Finally managing to get the tuber down to a reasonable size, he finishes it off quickly. “It does,” he admits. “I just don’t want to let anyone down.”
“Can’t,” James tells him. “Do what the book tells you, never go against what you think is right, and you’ll do fine.”
“I will,” he says.
“Then you’ll have no problems,” James states matter-of-factly.
Then the grin that James remembers from before Miko began to be changed by the Fire makes an appearance. “Well, there is one problem I’ve been having lately,” he says, the grin getting wider.
“And what would that be?” asks James.
“I have an unbelievable craving for tarts,” he says then breaks out into laughter. James joins in and they finish the rest of their meal while rehashing old adventures, both fun and otherwise.