The Mists of Sorrow_ Book Seven of the Morcyth Saga - Brian S. Pratt [77]
Chapter Fourteen
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The following morning they hit the road before the sun crests the horizon. Traffic upon the road gradually increases with the rising of the sun. By the time noon has come, the level of travelers reaches those they encountered the day before.
Small villages become more frequent the further they go. Most are little more than clusters of buildings that cater to travelers. Usually consisting of an inn, a tavern and a dozen or so other buildings that are quite likely the houses they live in. Less than half of these areas have a chandler’s shop of one kind or another. At one such spot, they take their noon meal and resupply their depleting stock of trail rations.
Once seated within the inn’s common room and have placed their order, Reilin asks their server how much further is Korazan. “You should arrive there before nightfall,” she explains. Then she takes a moment to give them a closer look. “You’re not from the Empire are you?”
After a brief confab with the others Reilin replies, “No. We are from Cardri looking for trading opportunities.”
“I thought so,” she states with a knowing nod. “You might want to stay clear of Korazan.”
“Why?” Reilin asks her.
“Earlier this summer, they had a bad time when Black Hawk’s army came through,” she explains.
“Bad?” he asks.
She nods her head in reply. “They say he and his men pillaged and burned down half the town,” she goes on to explain. “One man from Korazan who came through here afterward said that Black Hawk left so many dead that the streets were literally flowing with blood.”
“But why should that have anything to do with us?” he asks.
“You’re from the north,” she says, as if that should explain everything.
“Right,” he says. When their server leaves he relays everything she said to the others.
“We can’t bypass Korazan,” insists Jiron, “no matter the risk. Tinok might be there!”
“I don’t think he is,” replies James. “If he were, I should have been able to find him by now.”
“I say we go to Korazan,” Jiron says, his gaze turning to meet the eyes of everyone. As if to dare them to say no.
James thinks a moment then says, “How about this.” When he has Jiron’s attention again he continues. “We have been trusting my cloth trick to lead the way, correct?”
“Correct,” concedes Jiron.
“Then let’s do this,” he explains. “We bypass Korazan. If, when we are on the south side and the cloth points back toward Korazan, then we go. Otherwise we continue to follow wherever it may lead.”
Jiron mulls that over in his mind. He knows James’ magic is seldom, if ever, wrong. Nodding, he says, “Very well. If once we are on the far side it still points south, then I will forget about Korazan.”
Everyone breathes a sigh of relief. The last thing anyone wanted was to return and spend any amount of time there. If there was any place where they may be recognized, it would be at Korazan.
“Then I suggest when we come close, we leave the road at that time,” Stig says. “If we go to the city and skirt around its walls, it could seem suspicious.”
“I agree,” nods James.
When their meal of goat, bread and a root reminiscent of a carrot arrives, they dig in with gusto. At one point in the meal Shorty mumbles under his breath, “…flowing with blood.”
“What?” James asks.
Looking up from his plate, Shorty didn’t realize he had spoken aloud. “Sorry,” he says. “It’s just that we barely even went into town. The way they make it sound, we killed half the people and left their bodies rotting in the streets.”
Scar laughs at that. “Pay it no mind,” he replies. “In a few years the story will grow to that we killed half the town and bathed in their blood.”
“Probably,” agrees Potbelly. “Remember that time with Oofa?” Scar nods.
“Oofa?” asks Jiron. “I don’t think I heard that one.”
“Oofa was a man who often came to the Pits to watch me fight,” he explains. “He was a self proclaimed aficionado of the Pits. Claimed he knew everything about everybody.”
James and Miko give each other