The Mists of Sorrow_ Book Seven of the Morcyth Saga - Brian S. Pratt [33]
“Another has been killed,” Illan tells Ceadric as he leaves the room. Nodding, Ceadric draws his sword and falls in with the others.
The light emanating from the Star fills the hallway with brilliant light. “Can you sense the shadow?” James asks.
“Yes,” he replies. “It’s above us and on the move.” Quickening his pace, Miko passes stunned servants and guards as he hunts the shadow. One guard of the keep had to practically jump out of his way to prevent from being run over.
Reaching a flight of steps going upward, he turns into the stairwell and proceeds to the next floor.
“Can you sense anything yet?” James asks Brother Willim.
Nodding, he says, “We do now.”
Hurrying along the hallway, Miko comes to a stop before a closed door and opens it. “We’re near,” he says. “Its pace has quickened.”
“Could have sensed our magic approaching,” suggests James and Brother Willim nods in agreement.
The door opens up onto a storage room filled with boxes, crates and barrels. Moving into the room, the light from the Star blazes forth revealing every nook and cranny. Across the room from them stands another closed door.
“We must hurry,” Miko says as he runs to the other door.
“Can’t be much further until we reach the outer wall of the keep,” Illan says as he enters the storage room.
Jiron beats him to the door and has it open for Miko to pass through. The light from the Star reveals another storage room that’s practically empty. A dark shape is moving across the floor and is almost at the far wall.
“There it is!” exclaims Miko.
With a shriek, the shadow races from the burning light of the Star. Passing through the wall, it seeks to escape.
The glow surrounding the priests of Asran suddenly intensifies tenfold. “Got it,” says Brother Willim.
Moving to a small narrow window in the wall, James and the others look out to see the shadow enveloped by a green glow hovering far above the ground. As the brothers work to send the shadow back to whatever hell it came from, it lets out with an ear shattering scream. Inch by inch the green glow surrounding the shadow shrinks until finally it winks out.
“Great,” breathes Illan in a less than happy tone.
“What?” asks James.
Indicating out the window to the ground below, he says, “That’s the Empire’s Ambassador’s camp.”
Everyone in the camp below is staring up at where the shadow had been held by the brothers. All of a sudden, a group of men break from the crowd and make for the gates to the keep.
“He’s coming,” comments Jiron.
Illan immediately moves from the window and says, “Ceadric, take them somewhere out of sight until the Ambassador returns to his camp.”
“Right,” he says.
“Why?” asks Shorty.
Gesturing to James he says, “James here is the most wanted man in their Empire. According to what our agents have discovered, they’ve issued a hundred thousand gold piece reward for your death. It appears they don’t even want you alive.”
Leaving the room, Illan begins to return the way they came while Ceadric takes the others the rest of the way. Coming to a stop Illan says to Brother Willim, “I’ll need to borrow your brothers.”
“Why?” he asks as everyone pauses in the hallway.
“The Ambassador knows something happened,” he replies. “He already knows these two have been here for awhile. If we put forth that they were the ones that destroyed the shadow, it might quell any further questions.”
Brother Willim nods to his two fellow priests who then move to stand with Illan.
“When he’s gone I’ll send word,” Illan tells them. “Until then, stay low and get what rest you can. I know you must be exhausted.”
“That’s an understatement,” jokes Shorty.
To Ceadric he says, “Meet me in the Hall when you have them stashed away.”
Nodding, Ceadric resumes leading them down the hallway. He hurries along until coming to another hallway branching off to the right. Moving into it, he leads them