Fires of Prophecy_ Book Two of the Morcyth Saga - Brian Pratt [167]
He grabs the rope and tries to pull himself up but fails, his arms just not strong enough. In gym class, this is one of those things that kept causing him to almost fail every year. He was never able to get the hang of it. When Jiron realizes he’s not going to be able to climb the rope, he whispers down, “Make a loop at the end for your foot and I’ll pull you up!”
Waving back up to him, James bends down and ties the end in a loop. Putting his right foot in it, he gives two quick tugs on the rope and waves up to Jiron.
The tension in the rope suddenly increases and then the rope begins to rise. Gripping the rope tightly with both hands, he holds on until he’s up to the top of the wall. He reaches out and takes hold of the ledge and begins pulling himself the rest of the way. Jiron releases the rope and helps him the last few feet. “Thanks,” he says.
Jiron gives him a slight nod and says, “Just pretend you’re a guard so if they look up here, all is normal.”
“Alright,” James says.
“What about those two down there?” Jiron asks him.
“One’s dead,” he tells him. “Broke his neck when he hit the ground, the other is tied and gagged.”
Jiron shakes his head and says, “Should’ve just killed him.”
“I can’t do that,” asserts James.
Shrugging, Jiron points over to a building twenty feet from the wall and says, “From what you showed me in the mirror, that should be where your friend is.”
“How do we get down?” James asks.
Gesturing off to the right, he says, “There’s a ladder over there we can use. Once we do though, it’s only a matter of time before someone realizes there’s no one up here and will come to investigate.”
“We better hurry, then,” James states as he makes for the ladder, Jiron right behind him. Jiron has him wait while he descends the ladder first to be able to deal with any trouble should it arise.
Just as Jiron reaches the bottom, a guard rounds the corner of a nearby building and walks up to them as he begins talking. His words cut off suddenly when he realizes he’s not facing fellow guards but intruders. He turns to run as a cry begins to escape his lips just as Jiron tackles him. A quick strike with his knife and the guard is soon lying on the ground, choking as blood pours out of the wound in the side of his neck. In a moment, the guard is lying still and quiet.
A quick check to be sure no one heard the fight, they leave the dead guard behind and stay to the shadows as they work their way to the corner of the building. The side with the door to Miko’s room is illuminated by a line of torches that shed light on the interior of the compound and the mine entrance.
“Don’t think we can sneak in,” Jiron tells him when he’s assessed the situation. “But if we walk as if we belong here, we might make it before anyone realizes what’s going on.”
“Alright,” he says nervously, “let’s go.”
They look around the corner to make sure the immediate area is clear before Jiron steps out as if he owns the place with James right behind. Going past the first three doors, they stop in front of the fourth where Jiron grabs the handle and pulls it open. The stench that wafts out from within catches him unexpectedly and his stomach tries to spew forth its contents. Keeping it under control, he steps into the room and sees bodies lying all over the floor.
James rushes past him and stops next to a boy with a man’s head on his lap. “Miko,” James says as he kneels on the floor next to him.
Miko’s head comes up and as if he can’t believe what he’s seeing, asks, “James?”
James nods his head, tears coming to his eyes.
“I thought you had forgotten about me,” Miko says.
“Never,” he asserts. “We’ve come to get you out of here.”
“I can’t leave without Nate,” he says indicating the man whose head he’s cradling.
Closing the door, Jiron asks from where he stands just within the room, “What happened here?”
A look of anger overcomes Miko’s features as he says, “A fellow slave I call Black Tooth slipped poison in the wine and now everyone’s dead.” Tears come to his eyes as he looks around at the friends he lost. Slaves