Fires of Prophecy_ Book Two of the Morcyth Saga - Brian Pratt [4]
Marching under the hot sun soon has Miko exhausted and extremely thirsty. Only after they’ve been on the road for two hours does a slaver pass down the line, allowing each of them one cup of water while they’re walking. No one dares to asks for more this time. This repeats every two hours until they stop for the night.
While Miko is sitting and eating the small amount of food they’ve given him, a voice is heard coming from within the group of slaves. “Where are you taking us?” a woman’s voice asks.
“Who said that?” one of the slavers asks. With whip raised in his hands, the slaver rushes over to where the sound of the voice originated, looking from face to face in an attempt to determine who dared break the silence. Unable to find the source of the question, he looks around at them all and says, “The Slave Markets of Korazan.” After a moment’s pause to let that sink in, he adds, “Where you will be auctioned off to the highest bidder, to spend the rest of your lives as slaves.” Laughing, the slaver goes back over by the fire and resumes eating his meal.
“Oh, James,” Miko sighs quietly. “Find me!”
Chapter One
_________________________
James wakes to find the two boys are no longer there. The two girls are over in a corner huddled together, and talking in hushed voices. He stretches and sits up, asking, “Where are Jiron and Tinok?”
Startled, Delia and Cassie cease their conversation and look in his direction. “They’re out looking for Jiron’s sister,” Delia explains.
“She was separated from us during the attack,” adds Cassie, her yellow hair shimmering in the candle light.
Concerned, he asks, “Do you think it’s wise for them to be about with all the soldiers in the city?”
“They’ll be alright,” Delia assures him. “Jiron knows how to keep hidden when he needs to.”
Cassie nods her head in agreement.
Worried about the boys, but even more worried they may lead someone here, he tries to relax. Resting his back against the wall, he realizes there is nothing he can do about it now but wait.
He still feels weak and a little drained from the battle two days ago. Even though he’s had two good nights of sleep and food, he still feels a little shaky. “Is there any more food?” he asks after his stomach growls loudly.
“Oh, yes,” Cassie says. She gets up and goes over to a sack sitting against the wall. She pulls out some bread and cheese, bringing them over to him along with a bucket of water.
When she sets the bucket down next to him, she says, “Sorry, but there are no cups.”
James smiles at her and replies, “That’s okay.” He takes the bread and cheese from her and removes his knife from its sheath, before slicing off a chunk of cheese. He only has to scrape a little bit of mold off with his knife.
While he eats, Cassie returns to Delia and resumes their conversation. Both occasionally stop talking and glance over at him, then when they realize he’s noticed them staring, they quickly turn their heads away.
Sighing, James tries to ignore them. Miko, what’s happening to you? he silently wonders. He’s feeling better and stronger, but is still a little too shaky to attempt to go after him. Upset with his own weakness, he knows all he can do right now is try to regain strength quickly so he can go after him.
About that time, Jiron and Tinok come back in through the collapsed hallway. Earlier, he took a look and found it choked with stone and wood from when the building above had collapsed some time in the past. A small space has been cleared through the debris, wide enough to allow people to pass through in single file.
Several feet down the passage, a stone stairway extends up to the ground above, exiting in a corner of a park. From what Jiron told him, the opening is overgrown with bushes and grass, effectively hiding the entrance from anyone passing by.
Several years ago, when he was younger, Jiron had been playing in the area and stumbled upon the opening. Excited about finding a secret place, he decided to keep the knowledge of it to himself. Later, when he and Tinok became