“You’re right,” he says. “Go ahead and start helping Perrilin up. Aleya and I will finish down here.”
Glancing to where Korgan sits on the floor, Brother Willim asks, “You’re not going to kill him are you?”
“No,” replies James. “I promise you when we leave this room, he will still be alive.”
Brother Willim nods. Then with one of Perrilin’s arms across his shoulders for support, they leave the room and begin working their way down the corridor.
The room remains quiet for several seconds after Brother Willim and Perrilin leave. Then Aleya breaks the silence by asking, “You aren’t really going to leave him alive are you?”
Nodding, he says, “I gave my word.” When he sees her about to protest, he repeats, “I gave my word.”
“Then shouldn’t we get out of here?” she asks.
“You know I’ll kill you the instant we meet again,” Korgan warns him. “The fact that you spared my life will do little to persuade me not to.”
James nods. “I know.” Then to Aleya he asks, “Do you still have the keys?”
Nodding, she gestures to where they hang on her belt.
“Good. Let’s go.” Moving out, he exits the room. Aleya follows him into the corridor, never taking her eyes off of Korgan until she’s out of the room.
“I think it’s a bad idea leaving him alive,” she tells him.
James remains silent as he walks down the corridor. At one point he holds out his hand and his orb appears on his palm. Canceling it, he nods to himself, very glad the leaves worked and that his magic is again at his command.
They pass through the interrogation room with the four torches and then move quickly down the corridor with the cell doors lining both sides.
When they reach the room with the lone guard that Aleya had killed with her arrow, James holds out his hand and says, “Let me have the keys.”
Giving them to him she says, “Here you go.”
Looking at the other exits he asks, “Which one?”
Pointing to the one that she and Jiron had entered, she says, “There.”
They cross the room and pass through the door to the corridor on the other side. James then closes the door behind him and uses the keys to lock it. Then he closes his eyes and concentrates for a full minute. When Aleya starts to say something, he holds up his hand and stops her.
As soon as his eyes pop open again, she asks, “What did you do?”
“Just a little something so Korgan won’t be alone,” he says.
Sitting on the floor, shoulder throbbing with pain, Korgan listens as their footsteps disappear in the distance. Once they disappear altogether, he works his way to his feet as best he can.
“Stupid of him to leave me alive,” he says to himself. Moving to the doorway they had passed through, he leaves the room as well and makes his way down the corridor. Upon reaching the interrogation room with the four burning torches in wall sconces, he immediately moves into the corridor with the cell doors lining both sides.
He can hear the door at the other end shut and the turning of the lock. None too worried about being locked down here, he knows that someone will be coming soon to check on things.
When he’s reached about halfway to the door, he comes to a stop when a noise disturbs the quiet. A clanking noise. Trying to figure out what it is, he’s soon to realize that it is the locks of all the cell doors unlocking by themselves. Then all of a sudden two of the cell doors between him and the door at the end swing open. The prisoners held within leave their cells and enter the corridor. One of them turns in his direction and sees him there. “Korgan!” the man exclaims in glee.
Seeing the prisoner moving toward him, Korgan begins to return back down the corridor. A glance behind him shows the prisoner has quickened his pace and is closing the distance rapidly. He breaks into a run as he races back to the room with the four burning torches. Every step sends pain radiating out from where the arrow is embedded in his shoulder. His hand that’s broken throbs very badly as well. Upon reaching the room, he enters and quickly throws his good shoulder against the door and slams it shut.
Bam!
The prisoner hits the door on the other side. “Korgan!” the man yells, “I’m going to kill you!”
Bam!
Again the man throws his weight into the door and manages to push it open an inch before Korgan gets it closed again. His arm extending from the shoulder with the arrow in it is numb and hangs limp at his side. Gritting his teeth he puts his other hand, the broken one, on the bolt in the door.
Bam!
The prisoner hits the door and knocks it open once more. Shoving hard, Korgan throws all his weight against the door and gets it closed. Then with an excruciating cry of pain, he pushes the bolt closed with his broken hand. The bones grind together as his muscles and tendons push and pull in his effort to lock the door. When at last the bolt sinks into its place, he gasps from the pain and sinks down to the floor.
Then a noise draws his attention to the other passages leading from the room as more prisoners begin moving into the room. Seeing him there, the prisoners grab various interrogation instruments and move toward him. His cries echo throughout the dungeon for a short time until finally becoming still.
Chapter Thirty Three
When James and Aleya reach the bottom of the spiral staircase, the sound of fighting can be heard coming down from above. Taking the steps quickly, they reach the corridor at the top. Emerging into the corridor, James looks toward the fighting and sees Brother Willim and Perrilin still several yards within the corridor.
“James!” Brother Willim calls to him. Waving him forward, he says, “They’re holding their own for now.”
“Anyone hurt?” he asks coming to a stop next to the pair.
Shaking his head, Brother Willim says, “Not so bad as to be life threatening. I think a couple of them have sustained injuries.”
“How are you doing?” he asks Perrilin.
“Better,” he croaks. His hand rubs the spot where Korgan’s knife had cut him. “I don’t think the knife touched my vocal cords.”
James can understand why that would be a concern for him, being a bard and all. His voice is his life. Just then Aleya rushes past with bow in hand and moves to the end of the corridor. She puts arrow to string and they hear the thrum of the string as she lets it fly.
“You better get out there,” Perrilin tells him. “We need to be gone before more reinforcements arrive.”
Nodding, James says, “Good idea.” Turning toward the fighting, he leaves them behind and rushes to the meeting room. Even before he arrives, he can see the dead bodies of Empire soldiers that litter the room. Tables are either lying on their edge or shattered. All in all the entire room is like a scene right out of a horror movie.
As he reaches the end of the corridor where it opens onto the meeting room, Aleya lets loose with another arrow and immediately reaches for a third. Placing it to the bowstring, she glances to James and says, “It’s almost over.”
She takes aim again as he enters the room. Three enemy soldiers are still standing. Jiron, Scar and Stig are faced off with them. Over to their left he sees Potbelly working to dislodge his sword that had been caught between the ribs of a fallen foe. Reilin stands near Miko as he bends over Shorty, the glow from the Star enveloping both of them. Coming over to them, he looks questioningly at Reilin.
“He took a slice along the side,” Reilin tells him. “Miko didn’t think it was all that serious.”
He nods. Then his attention is drawn back to where the battle still rages as the man facing Jiron cries out. He looks back just as Jiron yanks his knife out from the man’s armpit and shoves him away. Scar’s two swords dance in a weaving pattern before one of them suddenly darts forward and takes his opponent through the chest. His opponent stumbles into the soldier facing Stig and disrupts the man’s defense allowing Stig’s mace to connect with the side of his helm.
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 oth
er 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.
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