The Mists of Sorrow: The Morcyth Saga Book Seven (60 page)

Dazed, the man is unable to defend against
Scar who moves in and strikes his head from his shoulders. A calm
settles over the room as the last opponent falls dead to the
floor.

James quickly takes in the room. Over a
score of soldiers lie strewn about the room, all but a few are
dead. Those that are still alive won’t be for much longer, their
wounds are too grievous and James doesn’t plan to wait around for
Miko to heal them.

“Miko,” he hollers. “We have to go.”

The glow surrounding him and Shorty winks
out and he turns his head to gaze to his friend. “All done,” he
says.

“Good.” Then to Reilin he says, “You help
Brother Willim with Perrilin. Stig, you help Shorty along.”

Shorty gets to his feet and announces, “I
don’t need any help. The wound wasn’t that bad.”

“Okay then,” James says with a nod. He turns
to Jiron and says, “Get us out of here.”

“You got it.” Moving out, he takes the lead
with Scar and Potbelly bringing up the rear. He follows the most
direct path to the gate leading out of the Keep. The halls of the
Keep are eerily deserted and he comments on that fact to the
others.

“It’s the fire,” Perrilin explains. “Word
came when it first started for every able bodied man and woman to
go fight it.” He grins as he adds, “Korgan was a bit put out that
the Lord of Hyrryth ordered all his men away. He argued that the
fire was a ruse friends of mine had made so they could rescue me.
But no one believed him.”

“I believe the guards you killed back there
in the other room were all that was left here in the Keep,” he
says.

“There were two civilians that fled when the
fighting broke out,” Miko tells him. “They were in that meeting
room going over a map with a couple soldiers. One of the soldiers
we killed looked important.”

Nodding, Perrilin replies, “He was. That is
if the body of the Commander of Ten I saw back there is the one
you’re talking about. He was the Commander in charge of this region
of the Empire. His loss will be a severe blow.”

Jiron comes to a junction of hallways and
takes a moment to figure out the best way. Then he turns down to
the right and they continue on.

“That’s not the first one we’ve faced,”
James tells him.

“Really?” he asks.

“Yes.” He then briefly goes into the details
of how Jiron had returned to Mountainside for his backpack that
held incriminating evidence, his subsequent capture and eventual
liberation at an oasis.

“That is truly something,” says Perrilin.
“It’s said they are fearsome fighters and can wield magic.”

“True on both counts,” Miko says. “But the
one we faced here in the keep only used one spell.”

“Maybe they only have one to use,” suggests
James. “That was all the one at the oasis had used.”

“Could be,” agrees Scar.

Jiron comes to another junction of hallways
and motions for everyone to halt and remain silent. Moving to the
corner, he peers around the edge to the right. A dozen guards stand
at the entrance to the Keep. Half are facing in while the others
are facing out. Returning to where they wait, he tells them of the
forces blocking the exit from the Keep.

“Any crossbowmen?” asks Reilin.

Shaking his head, he says, “No, just
guards.”

“We can take that many,” Potbelly says.

Jiron nods his head then turns to Aleya.
“How many arrows do you have left?” he asks.

She checks her quiver and says, “Eight.”

“Move out in the hallway and start taking
them out,” he says “They’ll charge if they see only a lone archer.
Just keep firing at them until they are close then let us know and
we’ll move to engage them.”

“You got it darling,” she says and gives him
a kiss.

Turning slightly red faced at the expression
of affection, he says, “Okay, go ahead.”

To his embarrassment and the amusement of
the others, she actually pats him on the bottom as she moves to the
middle of where the two hallways meet. Pulling an arrow as she
enters the junction, she puts it to string then turns and faces the
guards at the entrance.

She aims for one of the guards who is
furthest away from her and then takes a calming breath. Down by the
entrance, she can see the guards take note of her standing there
but fail to really pay her that much attention. Then she lets the
arrow fly and has another to string before the first one strikes
home.

When her arrow hits the man and knocks him
backward with a cry, the guards turn as one toward her. She lets
fly her next arrow and another man hits the ground as the rest
charge. “Here they come,” she announces as she looses her third
arrow. By the time her fifth arrow is in the body of a dead soldier
on the ground, the charging men are too close to allow her another
shot. Turning, she bolts down the corridor past where Jiron and the
others are waiting.

“I got five,” she says as she races
past.

“As long as you saved a few for the rest of
us,” Scar replies. Drawing forth both swords, he and Jiron move to
meet the oncoming soldiers. When the first one rounds the corner,
he’s met by the point of Scar’s sword.

One of Shorty’s knives takes out the next
one and then Jiron engages yet another. With knives weaving in and
out, he works his way inside the man’s guard and drops him to the
ground.

Potbelly, Stig and Reilin come next and the
battle is joined. The skill of the guards is nothing compared to
the skill honed in the fight pits by the men they’re facing. When
Stig crushes the skull of the last man, Jiron hollers, “Let’s get
out of here!”

Leaving the dead lying in the hallway, they
race for the entrance to the Keep. No other guards make an
appearance as they cross the remainder of the hallway and pass out
into the night. The smell of burning wood fills the air and off to
their right above the curtain wall they see the glow of the fires
that rage within the city.

Ping!

A crossbow bolt strikes Stig’s shield and
ricochets away. Aleya turns her attention to the walls above them
and sees three crossbowmen cranking up their crossbows for another
shot. Immediately putting arrow to string, she aims and lets fly.
The arrow sails true and sinks its head into the chest of a
crossbowman. The man staggers a moment as his crossbow falls from
his hands. Then he plummets off the wall down to the courtyard
below.

“Get the gate!” Stig yells to the others as
he moves to put his shield between Aleya and the crossbowmen. No
sooner does he have his shield in place than two bolts are
deflected by its hardened surface.

“Thanks,” she says as she readies another
arrow. Then, “Lower your shield so I can get a shot off.” When his
shield drops half a foot, she aims, fires and watches as her arrow
strikes yet another of the crossbowmen.

Stig raises his shield to protect her while
she readies for her final shot. Taking her last arrow from her
quiver, she puts it to string then aims for the remaining
crossbowman. Stig glances back to where the others are racing for
the gatehouse to release the gate lock. One guard lies on the
ground dead while Jiron engages with another. Scar and Potbelly
race past the two locked in battle and make a dash for the stairs
leading to the gatehouse.

“Now Stig,” she says bringing his attention
back to their situation.

Lowering his shield, he hears her release
her arrow and then watches as the third crossbowmen falls from the
wall. “Good shot,” he says.

“Thanks for your help,” she says. Then she
rushes across the courtyard to the fallen crossbowmen to retrieve
her arrows. Stig goes with her just in case she needs protection
again.

Scar and Potbelly reach the gatehouse and in
no time the grinding of the gears which unlock the gate can be
heard. Emerging back out of the guardhouse, Potbelly yells, “It’s
open!”

James sees Jiron finish off his opponent and
says to Brother Willim, “Let’s get out of here.” He heads to the
gate with Reilin and Brother Willim helping Perrilin following
close behind. Jiron reaches the gate first and pulls it open.
Expecting there might be an attack, he quickly scans the area and
is relieved to find the street on the other side empty.

Glancing back within the courtyard, he sees
Scar and Potbelly moving to join him. Then he notices where Stig
stands near Aleya while she works to remove one of her arrows from
out of a dead crossbowman. “Aleya!” he hollers.

She turns her head to glance at him, then
returns to working out the arrow.

“We don’t have time for that!” he
shouts.

“He’s right,” Stig says to her. “One more
arrow won’t make all that much difference.”

“It may,” she says. Inserting her knife
between the man’s ribs wherein the arrow is embedded, she spread
them apart enough to allow the arrow to come free. Wiping it off on
the shirt of the crossbowman, she stands up and puts it in her
quiver. “Okay, let’s go.” With Stig following behind her, she races
across to where the others are waiting. She managed to retrieve two
of the three arrows.

Jiron gives her a stern glare as they
approach and she returns one equally as severe. Deciding this is
not the time or place to argue with her, he leads them down the
street away from the gate in the curtain wall.

“Perrilin needs to rest,” states Brother
Willim.

“Can you lead us back to the inn?” James
asks. “The people there will take care of him. He’s in no shape to
continue with us.”

Jiron stops and glances to where Perrilin is
sagging between Brother Willim and Reilin. “Very well,” he says.
Moving out, he takes a right at the next intersection and begins
taking them along the same path they took when they followed the
other guy to the keep.

Smoke permeates the air. Thick, but not so
bad as to be unbreathable, just annoying. The people out on the
streets seem to be rushing in no apparent direction. Some are
heading toward the fire while others appear to be fleeing it.

When at last the inn appears in sight, Jiron
brings them to a halt. “What are we stopping for?” Shorty asks.

“Remember when we left, there were men
watching the place,” he says. “Don’t want them to know we came
back.” Then he motions for Scar and Potbelly to work their way
around to the right while he and Stig work their way around to the
left. The others he has remain where they are.

He and Stig stay in the shadows as they
slowly work their way to the far side of the inn. Taking it slowly,
they search for anyone who may be hidden. But by the time they meet
up with Scar and Potbelly on the other side, neither pair had found
anyone. “Guess they all went to help with the fire,” Stig
suggests.

“Possibly,” Jiron agrees. Then he heads back
down the street toward where James and the others are waiting. As
soon as they come into view, he waves for them to join him.

“Anybody?” asks James.

“Not that we saw,” Jiron explains.

“Have them keep an eye out while we take
Perrilin inside,” James tells him. “And send someone around back to
get the horses ready.” Then he indicates for Brother Willim and
Reilin to follow him with Perrilin. As they head for the door,
Jiron has the others fan out and take position around the inn. He
sends Shorty to the stable.

Before they reach the door, it opens and the
innkeeper steps out. “You got him?” he asks incredulously.

James nods. “He’s hurt pretty badly
though.”

Glancing up and down the street, the
innkeeper waves for them to enter. “Bring him inside,” he says.

As they enter the dimly lit common room,
James notices two other men there. One of them is the man who led
them to the Keep. “I didn’t think you were going to burn down the
town,” he says to the man.

“It worked didn’t it?” he replies with a
grin. “Don’t worry, we were very selective in what we torched.
Business concerns and homes of those with whom we are at odds
with.”

They bring Perrilin over to a chair and a
serving woman appears with a mug of ale for him. “Thank you,” he
tells her as he takes the mug. Then to the innkeeper, Perrilin
says, “They must leave town quickly. Send someone to help get their
horses ready and give each an ample supply of food for the
road.”

The innkeeper nods and then has the second
man go and see about getting it done. “Shouldn’t take too long to
get it ready,” the innkeeper tells James.

“What about Korgan?” asks the man who led
them to the Keep.

Perrilin turns his gaze to James who says,
“I doubt if he survived.”

“Did you see him die?” the innkeeper
asks.

Shaking his head, he replies, “No I did not.
But with his injuries I highly doubt if you’ll be seeing him
again.” Not to mention the fact that he let all the prisoners loose
down there. It’s altogether likely one or two will have it in for
Korgan.

“Good,” the innkeeper states with
satisfaction.

Perrilin lays his hand on James’ arm. “I
want to express my thanks for rescuing me yet again,” he says.

“Just stop making it a habit of having to be
rescued,” he says. “I may not be around the next time.”

Perrilin nods his head and grins, “I’ll
try.”

One of the serving women comes from the
kitchen with several bulging travel packs. “Here,” the innkeeper
says when she places them on the table before James. “Take this
with our gratitude.”

“I will,” he replies. “Thank you.”

A few minutes later the man who went to get
the horses ready returns and says, “They’re ready.”

To Reilin James says, “Go tell Jiron to
bring the others around back.”

Nodding, Reilin hurries out the front
door.

Coming to his feet, James holds his hand out
to Perrilin. “Good luck,” he says.

“You too James,” he says, taking the hand
and giving it a firm shake.