"Guess we got off lucky there," Jiron says once they've put the village behind them.

"Looks that way," agrees James.

"I'll be glad to be back where I can understand what someone's trying to tell me," Miko pipes up. "It's unnerving when you don't know what they're saying."

"I know what you mean," agrees James.

The road continues to wind through steep hills, with little in the way of hiding spots should the need arise. They continue along the road for several more hours, the hills continuing to be steep and inaccessible.

The light from another town begins to be visible from up ahead. This one is sizably larger than the one they recently pa.s.sed through. There are many buildings and when they pause a moment to survey the area, they see guards walking the streets.

"We could pa.s.s by over there," Jiron suggests, pointing to an area west of town.

James looks where he's pointing and sees just a few buildings. The whole area is fairly dark, just some light escaping through several of the windows. Nodding, he says, "Looks like our best bet, let's go."

With Jiron in the lead, they stay as close to the sides of the hill as they can. They're forced to pa.s.s close by one of the buildings and as they move past, the door suddenly opens and a man steps out.

The light from within the house illuminates them as they sit there on their horses, frozen in the man's back yard. They stare at each other a moment when suddenly the man calls out and two dogs begin barking.

James sees two dogs run around the house and head straight for them as the man goes back in the house, shutting the door. He takes a stone from his pocket and throws it at one of the dogs, taking it through the head.

Jiron jumps down from his horse as his knives flash in the moonlight. The dog jumps for him and he twists as his knives strike the dog as it flies past. It falls to the ground and begins whimpering as blood flows from the wound in its side. The dog tries to get up but is unable and soon lies still as its life leaves it.

From the other side of the house, they hear the man running into town, raising the alarm. "That tears it!" exclaims Jiron as he gets back on his horse.

No longer trying to remain quiet, they race toward the north side of town and the road. Lights begin springing up as people fill the street to see what's going on.

From up ahead of them, they see a dozen soldiers moving to block their escape. Kicking their horses to greater speed, they race to beat them to where the road moves back into the hills.

"They're going to make it first!" cries out Jiron.

Crumph!

The ground under the running soldiers erupts, tossing them every which way. The few that remain, turn around and run back toward town.

Suddenly, James feels the p.r.i.c.kling sensation of someone doing magic. "They've got a mage here!" he hollers at the others.

A wall of flame springs into being ten feet in front of them, the heat searing their skin. The horses cry out and come to a quick stop. James hears Miko yell, "James!" Turning to look, he sees Miko's panicked horse running directly toward town, nothing he does seems to be able to alter its course.

"Miko!" he cries out as he turns to follow. The heat behind him increases and he realizes the wall of flame is moving quickly toward him. He concentrates and the wall begins to decrease in size as it slows in its approach.

Seeing James occupied with the wall of flame, Jiron says to him, "I'll get Miko!" Without waiting to see if he's been heard, he turns his horse and races into town.

James finally gets the wall of flame to vanish and he looks around, trying to find the mage. He locates the brown robe off to his right. Taking a stone from his pocket, he launches it at the mage and watches as the stone hits him, blasting out the back.

When the mage falls to the ground, he turns his horse toward town and moves to follow Jiron.

Jiron, upon reaching the edge of the town, is thrown from his horse when a crossbow bolt strikes it, knocking it out from under him. Jumping clear, he rolls and comes to a crouching position as he surveys the area.

Another crossbow bolt strikes the ground near his foot, he looks back along its trajectory and sees the crossbowman pulling the wire back. Without hesitation, Jiron sprints toward the crossbowman to engage him before he can get it ready again.

The crossbowman sees him approaching and throws the crossbow at him as he draws his sword. He thrusts at Jiron who deflects the sword with one knife and then follows through with the other, sinking the blade three inches into the man's side.

The man falls to the ground and begins coughing up blood as his lungs fill from where Jiron's knife had punctured them.

With him out of the way, he looks around and tries to see Miko, but can't see him anywhere. The town is in total chaos, people running everywhere. "Miko!" he hollers, but no reply comes. "d.a.m.n!" he curses as he sets off into town on foot to locate him.

James reaches the outskirts just as the p.r.i.c.kling sensation starts again. Looking around, he sees another brown robe just as the air between them begins to shimmer and a wave of force knocks him backward off his horse and into the side of the building.

Smashing into it with great force, James has the breath knocked out of him. As he tries to get his breath back, he takes another stone out of his pouch and throws it at the brown robe. Again, the stone smashes through him and the mage falls to ground.

Looking around, he doesn't see anyone nearby. His horse had been spooked and is now running away out of town. Moving cautiously, he stays against the building and moves further into town. When he sees Jiron's horse dying in the middle of the street, he momentarily fears for his friend. But when he doesn't find his body anywhere, figures he's already moved further into town. The streets are beginning to clear of pedestrians as they begin to realize fighting is going on.

James once more feels the p.r.i.c.kling of magic being used. Just how many mages are in this stupid town? Just how many mages are in this stupid town? Unconsciously, he glances back to where the last mage had fallen, and stops in shock. The mage's body is no longer there. He'd seen it fall after the stone had blasted a hole right through its chest, so just where is it? Unconsciously, he glances back to where the last mage had fallen, and stops in shock. The mage's body is no longer there. He'd seen it fall after the stone had blasted a hole right through its chest, so just where is it?

Down the street in front of him, a brown robe stands as bolts of energy are fired toward him. He deflects them by creating a shield and throws one of his last stones toward the mage. The stone blasts through his chest and the mage falls to the ground.

James moves toward the building and pauses next to it as he watches the body of the fallen mage. After several moments, it shimmers and then disappears. An illusion! An illusion!

He begins to look around, trying to find where the mage actually is. From up the street, a brown robe begins walking toward him. Without pausing, James launches a stone at the brown robe, and again, it falls to the ground dead.

James bends down and picks up a stick from the ground. He casts a seeking spell to find the source of the other mage's magic and the stick begins to point to the building across from him. Canceling the spell, he searches all the windows before he catches a movement out of the corner of his eye. Looking all the way to the top, he sees a shadow moving upon the roof.

Gotcha! He begins to let the magic flow and directs it to the building the mage is on. Suddenly, cracking and snapping can be heard coming from within it as the support beams begin to break in two. A section of the building collapses and then the whole thing falls in. He begins to let the magic flow and directs it to the building the mage is on. Suddenly, cracking and snapping can be heard coming from within it as the support beams begin to break in two. A section of the building collapses and then the whole thing falls in.

A thick cloud of dust rises and a second later he sees the mage stumbling from the rubble, coughing and holding his broken left arm tight to his chest. Letting the magic flow, he strikes out with an energy wave which strikes the mage with great force. He's propelled back into the wreckage and James can hear more boards break as the mage smashes into them.

Moving toward the collapsed building, James hunts for the mage. A p.r.i.c.kling sensation can be felt as the mage begins a spell. James doesn't wait for it to be completed, he lashes out with waves of force, pummeling the mage.

The p.r.i.c.kling wavers and then stops. He creates the orb of light and moves into the rubble. He finds the mage, lying unconscious as blood oozes from her nose and mouth. A woman? A woman? Unable to outright kill her, he leaves her where she lies as he makes his way out of the rubble and back onto the street. He cancels his...o...b..so as not to be a beacon in the night for his enemies. Unable to outright kill her, he leaves her where she lies as he makes his way out of the rubble and back onto the street. He cancels his...o...b..so as not to be a beacon in the night for his enemies.

Back on the street which is now empty, he moves further into town to find the others.

Jiron, meanwhile, turns a corner and is knocked down by a running, terrified woman. The woman falls on top of him and begins screaming. She claws at him, leaving red lines along his left forearm before she gets back up to her feet and runs away down the street. He gets back up quickly and looks down the way the woman had come, he can hear the clashing of swords. "Miko!" he cries out as he runs toward the sound.

As Jiron moves toward the sound of battle, a townsman rushes from a nearby doorway and hacks at him with his sword. Easily blocking the attack, Jiron kicks out with his foot and hears a snap as the man's knee breaks.

The man falls to the ground, and Jiron moves around him, leaving him there in his agony. James must be rubbing off on me James must be rubbing off on me he thinks as he leaves the man alive behind him. he thinks as he leaves the man alive behind him.

Suddenly, the sound of fighting stops and from around the corner steps Miko. Covered in blood and carrying a gore covered sword he walks toward Jiron.

"Miko!" Jiron calls out but it doesn't seem as if he's hearing him. Running forward, he stops in front of him and places a hand on his shoulder. "Miko, are you alright?" he asks as he shakes him slightly, looking intently in his eyes.

Miko suddenly starts, as if seeing Jiron for the first time and replies, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Thank G.o.d!" Jiron says. "Let's go find James and get out of here."

Nodding, Miko looks at the sword in his hand, almost seems surprised it's there. Tossing away the sword he follows Jiron as they hunt for James.

As they run back down the street, they see him coming toward them. "You guys okay?" he asks as he comes close and sees Miko there, covered in blood.

"We're fine," replies Jiron. Miko nods as well.

"Then let's get out of here," he says. He quickly surveys the area and sees an inn. Moving quickly, he leads them around back to the stables there. Entering the stables, they find a terrified stable boy who runs to his room and hides. While they are saddling three horses, they catch him peering out at them. Whenever he sees he is being observed, the boy ducks back inside the room.

When the horses are saddled, they mount and ride out of the stables. No one is there to challenge them. As they race out onto the street and make their way to the north side of town, they see people staring out of windows and from behind doorways.

If there are any guards or soldiers remaining, they've decided it more prudent to be absent than to stand in their way. They make it to the north road and quickly leave the town behind them.

After they leave, the townsfolk start to come out of their homes. They begin to take stock of the damage wrought by the intruders. The most ghastly sight of all is the area where the boy had walked out. A dozen soldiers lay dead as well as several of the townsfolk who tried to help, their bodies literally hacked apart. Some wonder what had visited their town that night. Many pray that it never comes back.

Chapter Seventeen.

They find a small stream several miles past the town where they pause to allow Miko a chance to clean off the blood.

While he's by the stream, James pulls Jiron aside and asks, "What happened?"

Shrugging, he replies, "I don't know. I heard fighting and by the time I got near, the fighting was over and he walked around the corner."

When he pauses a moment thinking about it, James asks, "What?"

"It's just that, when I first approached him, he didn't seem to be aware I was even there," he explains. "When I took him by the shoulder and shook him, that's when he became aware of me."

They both turn to look at their friend over by the stream. James is worried about him, not sure what happened. Maybe he was just in shock over the fighting, he hopes that's all it was. But how had he even survived? But how had he even survived?

When Miko finishes cleaning himself as best he can, they once more mount and quickly put distance between themselves and the town. He's not sure when it will materialize, but James is positive that pursuit will be forthcoming, and soon.

As they ride, James keeps an eye on Miko but he seems his same old self and soon quits worrying about him.

The hills begin to fall away as they move further away from the town until they finally pa.s.s into gra.s.slands once more. As the road starts to turn more to the west, James suggests cutting cross country across the plains in order to maintain a more northerly route. Everyone is in agreement with the idea so they turn off the road, making their way into the gra.s.slands.

As they cross the gra.s.slands, the moon begins to reach the horizon, what light it gave them about to disappear. Once it sinks below the horizon, travel becomes more risky as they only have the light from the stars to guide them. Like ghosts, they move silently in the night, hoping there are no holes or anything else for their horses to trip upon.

Throughout the night, they maintain a quick pace, pausing now and then to allow the horses to rest and grab a bite to eat. When dawn approaches and the sky begins to lighten, they find themselves still in the middle of gra.s.slands. Off to the northeast, the lightning sky silhouettes a range of tall mountains.

"We're pretty exposed here," says Jiron.

"I know," agrees James. "But not much we can do about it now." He glances back to Miko and sees him asleep in the saddle. Despite being asleep, he's somehow managed to remain on his horse. James cracks a slight grin at the sight.

They continue on as the day gradually brightens until finally the sun tops the mountains to the east. With the sun comes the heat of the day, James can tell it's going to be a hot one.

As the sun makes its way up into the sky, they see a sizeable city ahead of them. This one is even bigger than the previous one. It even has a sizeable defensive wall. A small keep can be seen situated near its center. Not wishing to take the chance of being noticed by the men patrolling along the top of the wall, they turn east and move quickly toward the mountains in the distance.

They see many people moving outside the walls but none seem to take notice or even care that they're there. Suddenly, horns can be heard coming from the city. They turn in panic, expecting soldiers to boil from the gate in pursuit. Instead, they hear answering horns sound from a large force of men consisting of both foot and cavalry approach the city from the east.

Turning south, they gallop until the city and army are no longer visible. They then slow a little to save the horses and again turn more easterly.

"Think that was a force coming back from Madoc?" asks Jiron.

"Maybe," replies James. "Of course it could be one coming back from a battle with the Kirken Federation as well."

"Either way, it would be best to avoid that city," suggest Jiron.

"I agree," Miko adds.

"We better head for the mountains and try to keep as much distance from those forces as possible," James tells them.

"Good idea," says Jiron.

Moving quickly, they continue pushing for the mountains to the east. The mountains continue getting larger on the horizon until they reach the foothills at their base.

"Man, can we stop?" James hears Miko ask in a tired voice from behind.

"Give us a minute or two to find a good spot," he tells him. "And then we'll rest until dark."

Miko nods tiredly as they continue further into the hills. When they finally find a spot to make camp, he gets off his horse and in less than a minute, has laid out his blanket and fallen asleep.

"Never seen him that tired before," says James. "He didn't even eat anything, and that's odd."

"We have been pushing hard with little rest the past few days," comments Jiron. Even he is showing signs of fatigue.

James glances over to the sleeping Miko and says, "Let's split the watch and let him sleep."

Nodding, Jiron replies, "Okay with me."

They get the horses taken care of and then build a small fire to roast a couple rabbits that James kills. He is surprised when Miko doesn't wake up to the smell of the rabbits roasting. When they're fully cooked and ready to eat, he goes over and wakes him up.

"Tired?" he asks him when he gets up and comes over to the fire.

Nodding his head, he replies, "Yeah, I feel more tired than I ever have before."

"We've been on the go for a long time, it seems," James tells him. "I think we're all reaching the point of exhaustion."

From the other side of the fire, Jiron adds, "You've been taking the mid watch as well, which really plays h.e.l.l on your sleep."