Workers have already begun to rebuild the destroyed section of the wall, a flurry of activity is taking place in and around the base of the opening. Wagonloads of stone blocks sit awaiting their turn to be set into the wall. It didn’t take them long to begin the rebuilding.
Satisfied with what he’s seen, he cancels the image of Korazan and again tries to find Tinok. After several minutes of fruitless searching, he gives up and puts away the mirror. Glancing over to where Jiron rides beside him, he can see the unspoken question. Shaking his head, James says, “Nothing. I can bring up Korazan, but not Tinok. I’m sure he’s not there.”
“We’ll see,” he says.
James continues to periodically check on the distance to Korazan. When he figures them to be less than an hour away, they leave the road. He feels rather conspicuous as they are the only ones not using the road. But, keeping a steady pace without appearing to rush, should alleviate any thoughts or concerns the other travelers may have about them.
Once away from the road, he uses his mirror to maintain a good distance from the city as they circumvent it. Also, he keeps an eye out for any roving patrols which may be in the area. They were forced to come to a stop at one point when he sights in his mirror a score of riders that would have intersected their path at an inopportune time. When the riders were past and there was no danger of running into them, they resumed their journey.
It’s not only patrols that they work to avoid, but those living in the area as well. While unable to completely avoid all the farmstead in the area, James is at least able to have them thread their way through so they won’t come in close proximity to them. They see some of the farmers out with herds of goats, occasionally one would wave a greeting as they ride by.
Due to the meandering path he leads them on through the farmsteads, it takes them close to two hours to reach the road on the south side of Korazan. At which time he takes out his cloth to see where Tinok lies, whether it will be north to Korazan or still to the south. Everyone holds their breath and when the cloth rises to point south, they collectively breathe a sigh of relief. They had been dreading having to return to Korazan.
“That settles it,” announces Stig when the cloth rises.
“Yes it does,” agrees James. Turning to Jiron he says, “He’s not there.”
Disappointed, Jiron nods. “Let’s get going,” he says.
Putting the cloth back in his pouch, James indicates for Reilin to take the lead as they continue along the road to the south. To their right sits the lake, Tears of the Empress. A beautiful lake, its water glistens in the sun. Many boats of varying shapes and sizes are out upon her waters.
They follow the road south along the shore of the lake for an hour until they reach a crossroad. Taking the right fork, they continue to follow the shoreline until they reach its southernmost point. There the road turns and for a brief distance goes due west until it comes to where the waters flow from the lake into a sizeable river. At that point, the road turns from due west and follows the river on a more southwesterly course.
Not too far from where the road begins to follow the river, they come to another bridge that has been destroyed. Again as in the previous ones they came across on their way down, this one too is in the midst of reconstruction. Two of the makeshift wooden bridges span the river here.
“We didn’t come this far south,” states Stig.
“No, you didn’t,” affirms James.
“One of your wagons?” asks Jiron in a whisper.
“It had to have been,” he replies. Other than Jiron, he hadn’t told anyone else about what he did with the wagon and wanted to keep it that way. After splitting off with Illan, he had planted seeds of magic in the beds of various wagons in many caravans they had passed. The seeds were to accumulate magic and then explode when they crossed over bridges. It looked as if one had.
“Then how did this happen?” Stig asks. Glancing to James he adds, “You do this?”
“Yes and that’s all I will say about it,” he replies. The last thing he wants is to have word spread about what he does with magic. An idea of what is possible could lead others in the magic business into embarking upon acts that could have serious repercussions.
The others take his lack of explanation with equanimity. They have been with him long enough to trust that what he does is for a reason and usually a good one.
Not too far past the ruined bridge they decide to stop for the night. It’s been a long day and the time spent on the road is beginning to wear on them. Before the light fades completely, James again tries to get Tinok in his mirror but to the extreme frustration of Jiron, comes up with nothing. “How far away is he?” he asks when James tells him of the results.
“I don’t know,” replies James as he puts away his mirror. “I’ll try again in the morning.”
Practically stomping in frustration back to where he and Aleya have their blankets laid out, he fumes over James’ inability to find him.
Sighing, James feels bad for his friend and would do more if he could. Though he’s been able to do some pretty amazing things, he’s not all powerful. He goes over to where Shorty has pulled cooking duty and gets a plate of what he calls stew. Not very good but at least it’s hot and filling.
Once they finish eating, they turn in for the night. As James lays there under the stars he gazes up at the full moon above them. He can’t help but think that time is running out and running out fast. Trying to put his worries aside, he eventually calms his mind sufficiently to fall asleep.
No sooner does James awaken the next morning than Jiron is bugging him to look for Tinok. Making him wait until he answers nature’s call, he then gets settled on the ground with the mirror held in his lap. Concentrating hard, he visualizes Tinok and sends forth the magic. Nothing. Giving more magic to the endeavor, he sends forth a burst and for the briefest moment, the image in the mirror flickered then disappeared.
“Did you see that?” asks Jiron excitedly.
“Yeah,” says James, “I saw.” The image flickered for a moment when he used more magic.
“Something happen?” asks Scar as he and the others come over to investigate Jiron’s outburst.
“He almost had him!” exclaims Jiron. Almost dancing with glee, he turns back to James and asks, “Can you do it again?”
“Possibly,” he says. Returning his gaze to the mirror, he opens the gate so to speak, and the magic pours from him. The image in the mirror shifts and Tinok appears.
“That’s him!” Jiron cries out.
The image is hazy, possibly due to the distance it’s coming from. Tinok is sitting in the back of a wagon with hands and feet manacled. It’s very hard to tell but it looks like the wagon is in motion.
“Where is he?” Miko asks. “Can you expand the image any?”
He tries but the drain of power is too great. Shaking his head he says, “It would require more magic than I have.”
Suddenly, he feels Miko’s hand on his shoulder. Glancing up he sees him there with the Star in his hand. “Maybe this will help?” he asks with a crooked grin and the Star flares brightly.
“Yes it will,” he replies. Casting a leech line to him, James suddenly feels the power of the Star flowing into him via Miko. As he returns his gaze to the mirror he hears Jiron say to Miko, “Thanks.”
With the added magic of the Star, the image clarifies some but the haziness remains. Expanding the image, they see that Tinok’s wagon is one of several. One man in armor on a horse rides in front of the lead wagon while a dozen others ride alongside the rest.
The haziness gradually increases despite the amount of magic he’s using. Then all of a sudden they come to the side of a large, black surface. It could possibly be a wall. A section of the wall slides open and the man in armor leading them rides inside. The wagons follow along behind, and when the last wagon passes through the wall, the mirror returns to normal.
“What happened?” asks Jiron.
“I don’t know,” admits
James. Staring perplexed at the mirror, all he can see are the reflections of himself and the others as they stare down at it. The magic is still flowing, but there is no image. Stepping up the magic flow, he draws more from Miko. Steadily increasing the flow of magic he concentrates on Tinok but the mirror remains blank. With a sigh, he gradually reduces the magic flow until he stops it altogether.
“I can’t reach him anymore,” he says. When Jiron is about to argue, he adds, “I was using more magic than ever before in searching with the mirror. There’s nothing more I can do.”
“At least we know he’s alive,” offers Stig. “That’s more than we knew before.”
“That’s right,” agrees Scar.
“He’s in trouble,” Jiron says as he gets to his feet. Looking at the others he says, “What are we waiting for?” They quickly make ready for travel. Once they’re mounted, Jiron leads them back to the road and maintains a quick pace.
After they’ve been on the road for an hour, James pulls out his cloth to see if they are still going in the right direction. When he casts the spell that he’s cast every time he’s done this, the cloth remains still. A shiver runs through him as he stops the magic. Attempting to home in on Tinok, he again releases the magic and says under his breath, “Come on!” But the cloth remains still and doesn’t even twitch.
He glances over to where Jiron is watching him. “It’s not working,” he says.
“What’s not working?” he asks.
“My cloth trick,” he explains. “It isn’t pointing to where Tinok is.”
“Why not?” he asks.
Shrugging, James says, “I don’t know.”
Bringing them to a stop there in the middle of the road, Jiron moves his horse to his side and says, “Do it again.”
“I’ve already tried twice and it isn’t working,” he tells him.
“Do it again,” he insists. By this time the others have gathered around to observe what’s going on.
Holding up the hand with the cloth once more, he concentrates on Tinok then releases the magic. Just as happened the two times before, the cloth remains down. Bringing his gaze to Jiron he sees the worry and fear for his friend that he’s feeling.
“What can it mean?” he asks.
“Something is blocking my search,” James explains.
“Or someone,” adds Brother Willim from his position next to him.
“Or someone,” agrees James.
“But who or what would do that?” asks Aleya.
“I don’t know,” James admits. Casting his eyes around the group, he looks questioningly for any ideas but they all shake their heads. Then he remembers the image in the mirror before he lost sight of Tinok. They had entered some building. Whoever is inside has to be blocking him. Glancing to Jiron, he decides to not add more worry to his mind and keeps the thought to himself.
“What about that prostitute in Inziala?” asks Stig. “Maybe she could shed some light on this.”
“Yes!” exclaims Jiron. “Maybe she can.”
“I doubt if she would be the one to have done this to Tinok,” Shorty says.
“No,” agrees Jiron. “But maybe she would have a good idea who did.”
“If nothing else, we could find out where she got the necklace,” offers Scar.
Nodding, Jiron asks, “Anyone know how far Inziala is from here?”
“I think it’s south of here,” Reilin finally answers, “but I don’t know where.”
Just then from the south they see a single wagon approaching with two men sitting on the driving seat. “Reilin,” James says. “Go ask them if they know where Inziala is.”
“Alright,” he acknowledges and moves to intercept them.
Jiron waits with the others while Reilin rides ahead to meet with the men on the wagon.
The men on the wagon are wary of his approach. One actually pulls out a crossbow when he realizes Reilin intends to approach them. Reilin stops ten feet away, holds up his hand in greeting and talks. He and the two men exchange words for several minutes then Reilin turns his horse around and rejoins them. The two men on the wagon keep an eye on them as their wagon rolls closer.
“They said that Inziala is only about a day away,” he explains. As the wagon passes them on its way north, James gives the two men a nod of thanks. The men only stare at them as they pass, their weapons at the ready.
“Friendly pair weren’t they,” comments Scar after they’ve resumed their trek south.
“You could say that,” agrees Potbelly. Glancing back to the wagon, he sees the man with the crossbow turned in his seat and is keeping an eye on them. “Wonder if travelers run into trouble out here?”
“Who knows?” replies Jiron. “I want to make Inziala before the sun goes down if we can.” Nudging his horse into motion, he gets up to a quick gallop.
The rest of the day they maintain a furious pace. They all understand that time is running out and now without James’ ability to point the way, it could take them longer to pick up Tinok’s trail. With only short breaks to answer the call of nature and to water the horses, they practically fly down the road.
When the sun begins to draw close to the horizon, still Jiron continues the fast pace. Three hours later when the horses are on the verge of exhaustion, the lights of a city appear out of the dark before them. Coming across a party of four men and two ladies, they ask them if the town is Inziala. James breathes a sigh of relief when they say it is. His butt was beginning to get sore from the hard pace Jiron had set.
With thanks and wishes for good fortune, they leave the party behind and continue on toward the city.
Chapter Fifteen
As they approach the city of Inziala, they see dozens of fires off to the east of town. It’s a large caravansary with scores of wagons comprising many different caravans. Jiron leads them to the gates of the city where the two guards on duty give them a cursory once over as they pass through.
From behind him, James says, “Let’s get a room first. Then you can go to The Split Navel and find this prostitute.” He sees Jiron nod his head.
They don’t go very far past the gate before they come to a two story building that looks fairly well kept. A sign depicting a man walking a road through the hills hangs outside near the entrance. “Could be one,” Jiron says as he comes to a stop in front. Turning back to the others he says, “Reilin, go see about some rooms.”
Pulling up next to Jiron, Reilin comes to a stop and dismounts. Instead of moving to the door he walks over to James. “I need more coins,” he says. “The last place wiped me out.”
James reaches into his pouch and removes a handful of coins, the glint of silver and gold can be seen among them. “Here,” he says, “this should last you for awhile.”
Taking the coins, Reilin grins and says, “I would think so,” then pockets them before heading to the door.
While Reilin is inside acquiring accommodations, the others wait outside. It doesn’t take long before Miko notices someone across the street paying rather close interest in them. Barely above a whisper, he says to Jiron, “There’s someone across the street watching us.”
Jiron turns his head just far enough to see the man there. Dressed in raggedy clothes, the man looks like someone who lives in the gutter. “I wouldn’t worry too much about him,” he says. “Probably wants a handout and is nervous about approaching us.”
Thinking back to his times on the streets, Miko can’t ever remember a time when he was nervous about approaching someone for anything. Nor anyone else who lived on the streets for that matter. “I don’t think so,” he says.
They continue to cast discreet glances to the man until Reilin returns with the room keys. As they move to take the horses around back, Miko glances over to where the man was standing and finds him gone. Casting a quick glance up and down the street, he fails to see him. Shrugging, he follows the others around back to the stables.
This time Reilin has managed to obtain five rooms, the last rooms at the inn
as it turns out. Aleya gets her own room of course, being the only lady and all. James and Jiron again take a room together, Brother Willim and Miko take another. Which leaves the last two to be divided among the rest.
No sooner has James entered and set his pack on the floor by his bed than Jiron states his ready to go and that he intends to take Reilin with him. “Have him arrange for meals to be sent up before you go,” James tells him.
About to protest the delay, Jiron realizes Reilin is the only one who can and nods. Moving from the room, he finds Reilin where he’s bunking with Stig and Shorty. “I want to leave soon,” he tells him, “and you’re coming with me. But before we go you need to arrange for food to be sent up here for the others.”
“You two going by yourselves?” asks Scar from the doorway.
“Might be better if you had a few others,” suggests Stig.
Looking from face to face, he can see their desire to come with him and perhaps have an ale and some fun. “We shouldn’t leave James here by himself,” he says.
“Oh, come on!” objects Scar. “With Brother Willim and Miko here, not to mention Aleya, it would take an army to take him.”
As if the stating of her name magically summons her, Aleya appears at the door. “I’m coming too,” she states.
“No you aren’t,” counters Jiron. “It would look out of place and might call unwanted attention.”
“I’m not about to let you go to some brothel by yourself,” she states.
“Don’t worry,” assures Scar, “we won’t let him do anything he’ll regret in the morning.”
“Or that you might take offense at,” adds Potbelly.
“Besides,” says Shorty, “not many guys bring girls along to visit prostitutes.”
She eyes Jiron intensely. “Promise me you won’t do anything,” she says.
He gives her a disarming smile, comes to her and gives her a big hug. “I promise,” he whispers in her ear then gives her a peck on the cheek.
“Alright then,” she says. “But if I find out something happened…” she trails off, leaving his own mind to come up with the possible consequences.
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