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Turning to Dave, Miko asks with barely controlled contempt, “Will you please come with us?”

Giving them both a sardonic smile, he says, “I’d be glad to.” Hopping off the bed, he moves to follow them.

Illan gives him a look full of anger before he turns to follow Miko from the room. All the way to the Dancing Squirrel, Dave whistles an off tune merry little ditty which does nothing to quell the anger burning within him. Only Miko’s sudden intervention and the fact that he’s James’ friend kept him from beating the living hell out of him.

At the Dancing Squirrel, they find Jiron and the others still in their room on the second floor. When the door opens and Illan sees Jiron standing there, the pent up rage Dave had instilled within him erupts.

“Just what did you think you were doing?” he yells as he and the others move into the room. Miko hastily closes the door so their neighbors along the hall won’t be able to hear the interchange. Or at least not as well, Illan can summon quite a loud voice when he wants to.

Jiron has the good sense to blush. “Sorry Illan,” he says. “But when I was offered the chance for a fight, I just couldn’t pass it up.”

“So because of your indiscretion,” Illan rages, “James is in jail, you’re hiding out and the whole city is looking for you.” Then he turns to Fifer, “Why didn’t you stop him?”

“I didn’t think…” he begins when Illan cuts him off with a wave.

“Of course you didn’t,” he states. “If either of you had half a brain we wouldn’t be in this mess.” He glares at both of them and has the satisfaction of seeing them divert their eyes first.

He glances at the Parvati and says, “We have things to discuss which are best said in private.”

“He’s coming with us,” Jiron pipes up.

“What?” Illan asks. “How can you even think that? He’s one of them!”

“No longer,” asserts Qyrll. “I owe my allegiance to the Shynti. He restored my honor and now I must remain with him until the debt can be repaid.”

Illan glances to Jiron who nods. “Great,” he says, not very happy about the whole situation. “How are we going to get James with a Parvati? We’re not going to be able to remain unnoticed with him along.”

“Regardless,” Jiron says. “He’s coming with us.”

“He’s good in a fight,” adds Fifer.

“I know he’s good in a fight,” states Illan, “he’s a Parvati.”

“I’ll be back,” Miko says as he opens the door.

“Try to return in an hour,” Illan tells him. “Sooner if you learn anything.”

Miko gives him a nod as he leaves the room, shutting the door behind. While Illan and Jiron begin discussing different strategies for rescuing James, Miko heads for the rendezvous with the kids.

Coming to the open market, he sees most of them congregating around the eatery where they ate before. When he approaches, the boy who was to round them up says, “I couldn’t find them all.”

“That’s alright,” he says. Only two of them aren’t there, one of the older girls and that cute one that always gives him hugs. “Hungry?” he asks though of course he already knew the answer.

So after buying them each a meal, he lays down what he wants them to do while they’re eating. “My other friend is still in the castle dungeon,” he begins. “Now it’s come to my attention that the Empire’s men plan on taking him out of the city and back to their country. I want to stop that.”

They perk up at that. To them it sounds like the beginnings to one of the tales of daring do that the bards are always telling. “How?” one boy asks.

“I would like you to keep an eye on their camp outside the city and on the gates to the castle,” he tells them. “At some point they’re going to be moving him and I want to know when and where.”

“Is that when you’ll be hitting them?” another boy asks.

“That will be decided when we know exactly what they plan to do,” he says. “If you see anything that indicates they are moving my friend, I want one of you to come get me at the Dancing Squirrel. You know where that is?”

“Oh sure,” one girl says. “Isn’t that the place with the yellow cat?”

Smiling, Miko nods and says, “Yes, that’s the one.” Getting up