• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

“I know,” he replies. “This could take a couple days.”

“Days?” he asks.

“Don’t worry, we’ll leave town before it gets dark and then return in the morning,” James assures him.

“Okay,” he says. Then he and Qyrll leave for the center of town.

Turning to Dave, James says, “Shall we?”

“Let’s,” he replies. He appears more at ease now that it’s just him and James, the others always put him on edge.

They move along the outskirts and begin checking the buildings starting with the inn where their horses are tied. The front door has long since fallen off its hinges and lies on the floor within. Dust covers everything, including the fallen door. Other than small animal tracks, there’s no sign of anything or anyone having been inside for a long time.

“Check upstairs,” he says to Dave as he nods toward the stairs. “I’ll check around down here and meet you up there.”

“Alright,” he says as he heads to the stairs.

While Dave begins searching the rooms on the floor above, James looks through the rooms on the bottom floor. Room after room, he finds nothing out of the ordinary and no indication of Morcyth.

Aaaaaahhhh!

“Miko!” he cries when he hears his scream. He rushes out of the kitchen and enters the common room just as Dave comes to the top of the stairs.

“What was that?” he asks, his voice cracking due to his nervousness.

“I don’t know,” replies James as he rushes out the door. Turning down the street toward where he heard the cry, he takes out a stone and readies it. He turns the corner and sees Jiron standing there with Miko.

When Jiron sees him running, he rolls his eyes heavenward and nods to Miko.

“What happened?” cries Fifer as he and Qyrll come running from the opposite direction.

Miko turns toward them and holds up a rat’s skeleton. “Sorry.”

“When he opened the door it fell on him,” Jiron explains.

Sighing, James flashes Miko an amused look then turns to return to the inn. He meets Dave on the way back and he explains to him what happened, at which Dave grins.

Back at the inn, they take a quick moment to finish the search and then continue on to the next building. Hours go by and no one finds anything of note. They meet back by the horses periodically to check in, primarily making sure no one comes up missing.

Throughout the day people continue to pass through going either to the north or to the south. Though they take notice of James and the others wandering through Ironhold, they speak not a word to them, simply rush through as if they didn’t want to linger any longer there than necessary. Which they probably don’t.

During a search of an old tannery, Miko walks into its back room and a door begins to slowly open on its own. He stands there, fear rising as his feet stay frozen in place. Wanting to run but unable to, he’s only able to stand there and watch the door open. Suddenly from the other side, Jorry and Uther jump out and yell “Boo!”

Miko yells in fear as he jumps backward three feet, landing awkwardly. Losing his balance he falls to the floor.

Jorry and Uther laugh as they leave the room. Miko gets to his feet just as Jiron enters, the sound of the other’s laughter still can be heard from outside. “You okay?” he asks.

Miko glances to him, face red from being scared as he was. “Yeah,” he replies.

Jiron glances out a side window and sees the duo passing by. Jorry looks back and sees Jiron staring at him and gives him a grin. Face turning into a frown, he turns back to Miko and says, “How would you like to get them back?”

Brightening at the idea he replies, “Man, would I!”

“Alright then,” he says. “Come with me.” With Miko in tow he leaves the building through another exit and works his way to a point where he can keep an eye on the pair as they move along the street without being seen.

When they finally enter a building to begin searching, Jiron pauses and turns back to Miko, saying, “Okay, here’s what we do…”

“I don’t think there’s anything here to find,” Jorry complains to Uther. Other than the fun they had with Miko, so far Ironhold