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Out in the hallway, James has kept an eye on things and so far no one has come to investigate the noise. When Jiron begins to bend over and starts removing the man’s armor, James asks, “What are you doing? We don’t have time for this.”

“Then stop standing there and help me,” he says.

James enters the room and together they quickly get the man’s armor off. “Here,” Jiron says as he hands him the helm. “Put it on.”

Getting the idea, James puts on the helm. It’s a bit loose, but should work well enough for what he believes Jiron has planned. He also takes the man’s cloak while Jiron puts on the bloody armor.

Neither one of them would pass a close inspection, but in the dark and confusion outside, they just might be able to pull it off. Jiron tosses him the sword and he buckles it on. “Ready?” he asks.

“No,” replies James with a grin.

Moving out of the room, Jiron takes the lead. They continue to follow the hallway to the next room which is a small greeting room where the innkeeper and family can entertain guests without having to be in the common room. A door in one wall stands closed.

Opening the door slowly, they find it opens onto the edge of the rear courtyard. A quick glance reveals no soldiers are in the immediate vicinity. “Let’s do it,” Jiron says as he opens the door and strides outside, James following a step behind.

Walking in a straight line to the gates of the courtyard, they pass by several soldiers, none of whom give them more than a casual glance. Upon reaching the gates, they hear a commotion and glance up at the roof. They have broken through the trapdoor and must have discovered the hole they escaped through. A soldier on the roof is yelling to those below.

Opening the courtyard gate, they walk through and find more soldiers stationed out here. But walking like they have the right to be there, plus dressed at least partially in ‘appropriate armor’, they move right past them without being noticed.

Keeping a steady pace, they work their way through the soldiers until they leave the last one behind. Once they have put a suitable distance between them, they break into a run. Fleeing into the night, the find a quiet spot and shed their ill gotten armor. Then they begin working their way back to the building containing Aleya.

Chapter Twenty One

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Keeping to the shadows, James and Jiron make their way quickly from street to street toward the building where Aleya is being held. Down the street ahead of them, a squad of soldiers emerges from a side street. “This way!” Jiron whispers as he ducks into a side alley.

Plastering themselves against the side of the alley, they hold still as the footsteps of the soldiers approach. The light from the lanterns that two of the soldiers are holding gradually illuminates the street just outside the alley as they draw near. When the soldiers reach the mouth of the alley, the light from the lanterns fully reveals James and Jiron where they are pressed to the side of an adjacent building.

James holds his breath and silently prays that none of them happen to look in the alley or they will surely be discovered. As fortune would have it, the soldiers continue past without one of them seeing the two fugitives hiding within the alley. Once they’ve moved on, he lets out his pent up breath and says, “That was close.”

“Too close,” agrees Jiron. Peering around the corner of the alley, he finds that other than the retreating backs of the soldiers that just marched passed, the street is empty. “Come on,” he says and moves back onto the street.

Lights from several different groups are seen moving on adjacent streets. The number of men searching for them is steadily growing. It’s going to be hard enough just to reach the Eye’s Court as Orrin called it, let alone rescuing Aleya and getting free of the town.

They make it down several more blocks before having to again duck into the shadows as another squad makes its way past. “Can’t be too far from it now,” Jiron comments