The Star of Morcyth_ Book Five of the Morcyth Saga - Brian S. Pratt [146]
“I don’t think this town has what James is looking for,” grumbles Miko.
“Either do I,” agrees Jiron.
“Then why are we here?” he asks.
Sighing, he turns to Miko and says, “Because James says to. He’s proved us wrong before when we thought what he was doing didn’t make any sense.”
“True,” he agrees.
At one point Miko asks him if he plans on continuing the jokes on Jorry and Uther but Jiron shakes his head. “James is right, we need to finish this and get out of here.” He pauses a moment and says, “Of course if they do something then we should hardly just take it without retaliation.”
Miko likes the sound of that. So not only is he looking for signs of Morcyth but is keeping on the lookout for the next prank Jorry and Uther may pull.
Walking back onto the street, Jiron gestures to a rundown building across the street and says, “Should we try this one before heading back?”
“Alright,” agrees Miko just before his stomach sounds off with a loud rumble, “but let’s not take too long.”
Jiron gives him a grin and they cross the street. The door is closed but opens readily enough when Jiron turns the handle. It’s a three story residence and Jiron offers to check the upper floors while Miko searches the ground floor.
The one part of this Miko likes is opening all the old chests and boxes lying around. So far he’s found quite a number of interesting objects, not to mention the odd coin or two. As Jiron hits the stairs to search above, he leaves the front room and enters the kitchen area.
Opening the various cabinets he finds them all empty. A door is set in the far wall, and he walks over to it. Grasping the handle he pulls it open and finds a walk-in pantry on the other side. Old rotted containers still line the shelves, whatever they had once contained is long gone. He moves inside as he checks for anything which may have been left behind. He’s become quite the scavenger.
Not finding anything he turns to leave and takes two steps before coming to stop. A cold chill runs through him and his heart skips a beat at what he sees in the other room. Standing there, looking directly at him is a figure of a man, gaunt and pale. The skin is pulled tight to his bones and his hair is scraggly, looking like it has fallen out in patches. Clutched in one hand is a pickaxe such as a miner would use.
The instant of fright leaves him as he says, “Alright guys, enough is enough. You’re not fooling anyone.”
When the figure makes no reply and continues to stand there staring at him, his feelings of unease return. Fear begins to take him again as he comes to realize this isn’t Uther or Jorry.
Standing there frozen in fear, Miko is speechless as they both gaze upon the other. Then the miner’s mouth begins to move but nothing comes out as he turns slightly toward Miko. Taking a step forward, he reaches out his other hand as if to grab him.
The movement of the miner breaks the spell fear had over him and Miko lets out with a god awful inarticulate scream of fear as he backpedals into the pantry. Reaching out in panic, he takes hold of the pantry door and pulls it closed behind him.
Moving as far back as he can, he stands there in the dark, eyes locked to the door afraid the miner will open it and come for him. The darkness of the pantry does nothing to alleviate the terror that continues to rifle through him.
Suddenly, the door swings open and he sees Jiron standing there, knife in hand. “What happened?” he asks. Then he sees the wide eyed, pale expression on Miko’s face.
“He was standing there!” Miko says, pointing to the other room.
“Who?” Jiron asks. “Who was standing here?” Looking around the kitchen, he doesn’t see anything.
“A miner,” he says. “I think he was dead.”
Reaching his hand out to him, Jiron asks, “Were they playing another joke on you?”
Shaking his head vehemently, he says, “No, it wasn’t them.”
“Come on, let’s go tell James,” he says.
Nodding, Miko takes the hand and