Fires of Prophecy_ Book Two of the Morcyth Saga - Brian Pratt [104]
“Let’s go,” he says. “I got a pretty good look at where they’re being kept. It’s a large estate with plenty of grounds surrounding it.”
“Sounds like someone important,” Jiron reasons, “or rich.”
Stepping out of the alley, they follow the street as it moves closer to the river and the castle. Estates of that size are most likely to be located in that area, hopefully.
They proceed for a few more blocks before coming to the inner wall. A single gate stands open with two guards watching as people pass through.
“Doesn’t look as if they’re stopping anyone,” James says hopefully.
“Maybe it’s because they already know them?” Jiron suggests.
Shrugging, James says, “Only one way to know for sure.” He steps out, followed closely by Jiron and begins to walk toward the gate, heart beating rapidly in anticipation of a confrontation. The guards see them approach but don’t stop or question them as they pass through.
Once through to the other side, James breathes a sigh of relief. They continue down the street, now in a much more affluent section of town. Not too far past the gate, they come to where the street splits. One section continues on toward the keep and the other moves away from the keep. The street moving away from the keep looks to head toward an area with estates.
James glances to Jiron and indicates the area away from the keep. When he sees Jiron nod in agreement, he turns to follow that street.
“Which one is it?” Jiron asks after they’ve traveled down that street and have begun to enter the estate area.
“I’m not sure,” he replies as they continue down the street. Then, on a hill off to their left he sees the estate that was in the mirror. “That’s it!” he exclaims as he points it out to Jiron.
“You sure?” he asks.
“Absolutely,” James replies.
The estate has a stone wall going all the way around it’s perimeter with but a single gate for an entrance. The gate has a well lit guardhouse with a guard keeping watch. The area between the wall and the house is fairly clear except for a small area containing plants and bushes, probably for the lady of the house.
“Let’s go around back and see if there’s a better spot to try to get in,” Jiron advises.
James nods his head as he follows him around the outside of the wall.
“It doesn’t seem to be guarded,” says Jiron suspiciously.
“We’re in the heart of the empire, who would be dumb enough to break into a noble’s estate here?” James reasons.
“You may be right,” Jiron agrees. He gets close to the wall and jumps up, grabbing the top as he pulls himself up and then quickly scans the area on the other side of the wall for guards.
“See anything?” James asks.
“No, it looks clear,” he tells him from the top. Reaching down, he says, “Give me your hand and I’ll help you up.”
James takes his hand and Jiron pulls him to the top of the wall. They quickly drop down to the other side and squat for a few seconds in the shadows to observe what’s going on. The area between the wall and the manor house is dark and they don’t see anything moving. With Jiron in the lead, they make their way across the open lawn to the side of the house near a darkened window.
Jiron silently moves to the window and peers inside, but is unable to make out anything in the dark. With great caution, he tests the window and finds it locked. Taking out one of his knives, he slides it in the narrow space between the two sides and lifts the latch. Replacing his knife in his belt, he pulls the window open and then quickly slips inside.
Reaching his hand down, he helps James in through the window and then closes it once again. Jiron begins moving around, trying to find the door when a soft glow begins to fill the room. Looking back, he sees James there with the glowing orb in his hands. The orb is barely giving off any light at all, just enough so they can make out the details of the room and won’t be stumbling around.
“Thanks,” Jiron whispers.
Grinning, James replies quietly, “No problem.”
The light shows that they’re in a study of some kind with but a single door leading out. Jiron moves over