Fires of Prophecy_ Book Two of the Morcyth Saga - Brian Pratt [96]
“Yeah,” Stig replies as she makes herself comfortable on his lap, “just passing through.” He places his arms around her as she leans against his chest.
“I’ve got some friends who would like some company tonight,” she says sultrily and she runs her fingers through Stig’s hairy chest. “If you feel up to it of course.”
“How many friends do you have?” Potbelly asks.
“Oh, more than enough to satisfy you, I’m sure,” she assures him.
“Well, what are we waiting for?” Scar says, grabbing the bottle and then getting up from the table.
She gets up off Stig’s lap and leads them out of the tavern.
James paces by the fire, Where are they! Everyone else has already fallen asleep and it’s well past midnight. Probably passed out in the street somewhere. Having to know, he takes the mirror out of his shaving kit and concentrates on Jiron as he gazes into it.
Slowly, Jiron’s image begins to appear and at first it looks like he has in fact passed out somewhere. Broadening the image, he realizes they’re not passed out, but tied up and lying on a dirt floor. He can see the others lying next to him, some are struggling trying to loosen their bonds.
Damn! What did they get themselves into now? Unable to see much more, he puts the mirror away and goes over to wake up Roland.
He gently places a hand on Roland’s arm and gently shakes him.
“What?” Roland says groggily as he wakes up.
“We got trouble,” James whispers to him, trying not to awaken Ezra who’s lying next to him.
Sitting up abruptly, he looks around the camp but doesn’t see anything. “What trouble?” he asks.
“Not here, in town,” he explains. “The guys are in trouble and we need to go get them.”
Roland gets up, gently disengaging himself from Ezra and then goes over to the remnants of the fire with James.
“What happened to them?” he asks.
“I’m not sure,” he says and then explains to Roland what he saw in the mirror. “But we better do something.”
“I agree,” Roland says once he understands their predicament.
James goes over and wakes up Delia, explaining the situation to her so she won’t worry if she were to wake and find them gone. Then he and Roland head into town to try and locate them. James makes sure that he has the belt with his slugs around his waist just in case.
“How are we going to find them?” Roland asks as they enter the town.
He moves over to a side alley and then glances around to make sure no one is watching. “Watch,” he tells him as he lets the magic flow and a shimmering, transparent bubble forms in the air before them. In the dark of the alley it’s almost impossible to see unless you know what to look for. “I’ve been working on this the last couple of days,” he says. “Thought it might come in handy in finding Miko when we finally catch up with him.”
“Amazing,” Roland says as he reaches out his hand to touch it.
“Don’t,” says James as he lays his hand on Roland’s arm. “It would most likely disappear if you do.”
Taking his hand back, he says, “Sorry.”
The bubble begins to float away as it leads them in Jiron’s direction. Several times it floats past people on the streets, but in the dark, they fail to notice it. Whenever James loses sight of it, he has it flash a very dim light until he once again spots it and is able to follow.
It takes them through the city, all the way to the other side, where it comes to rest near the door to an old house with a single light emanating from an upstairs window. The bubble starts to dimly flash in the dark.
“They’re in there,” he tells Roland as he cancels the spell.
“Now what?” he asks.
As James approaches the door, he says, “We knock and ask for them back.”
“What if they don’t admit they’re here?” he asks nervously.
“Then I’m afraid I’ll have to insist,” he says as he knocks loudly upon the door. When there’s no answer, he pounds a little harder.
From the other side they hear footsteps approach and the door opens a crack. A little old lady sticks her head out, “Yes?”
“Good evening ma’am,” James says, somewhat