The Unsuspecting Mage - Brian S. Pratt [159]
Opening his eyes, James sees where the compass is pointing and sighs.
Miko hears him and comes over asking, “Did it work?”
“Yes,” James replies, “but it’s pointing back the way we came.” He shows the compass to Miko.
“Is it directing us toward Dragon’s Pass?” Miko wonders.
“I don’t know,” he replies, “though we may have little choice.” Getting up, he has a sudden dizzy spell and briefly loses his balance. Miko sees him faltering and puts James’ arm around his shoulder. After taking a few steps and several deep breaths, he begins feeling better. He then removes his arm from around Miko’s neck. “I’m okay now, it’s passed.”
“Too big a spell again?” he asks.
“I think so, but I seem to be better able in handling the effects.” He mounts his horse and they turn to follow the direction indicated by the compass.
Several hours later and still following the compass, they once again come to the plateau where the old abandoned keep stands. When the keep comes into view, the compass swings and points toward it.
“Great!” James hears Miko exclaim when he realizes where the compass is pointing. “Somehow I knew we’d be going in there.”
“I had my suspicions too,” James admits. Thinking the way may be further down the plateau and not the old keep, James angles them to go around its left side. But when they begin to pass the entrance, the compass turns and continues pointing toward the open front door.
He shows the compass to Miko with a grin. Shrugging, he turns his horse toward the entrance and dismounts when they come to it. James peers through the slight opening made by the door being ajar, but isn’t able to make out anything in the dim light filtering in.
Turning back to Miko he says, “Let’s secure the horses around back and then investigate. We don’t want anyone coming by and helping themselves to them while we are in there.” They walk the horses around to the back where they find a fallen tree to secure them to. James takes his backpack and they return to the entrance. They stand there for a second when he says to Miko, “Wanna go first?”
“No,” replies Miko, a little scared.
“Alright then, I’ll go first.” James steps up and slowly makes his way through the doorway, passing into a poorly lit room. He makes his glowing orb and the light from it reveals a large room with several doors and two hallways leading from it. The compass indicates they should take the hallway directly opposite the door.
He makes his way across the room to the hallway. As he enters, the light from the orb reveals something large lying across the floor not three feet from where he stands. As he moves closer he discovers it to be a dead body in the latter stage of decomposition. The clothing on the man, at least he thinks it was a man, is in pretty bad shape but looks as if they used to be of good quality.
Miko sees the dead body illuminated by the orb and gasps. “James, we shouldn’t be in here,” he says with a tremor of fear in his voice. “Let’s find another way.”
“Don’t be scared Miko,” He says reassuringly. “It’s only a dead body.” He leans down and grabs a stick and then begins poking through the dead man’s clothes. “Most likely this was a merchant traveling through the Pass that ran afoul of bandits and they dumped his body in here. See, look, there is no purse on him, nothing at all of value.” James uses the stick and turns the head. “And look,” he says indicating the back of the head, “it’s cracked like someone hit him in the head with something hard.”
“Maybe the bandits are still here?” Miko says worriedly, looking around.
“Not likely,” he replies. “If they were still using this place, they would hardly have left a dead body rotting in the hallway. They would have dumped it out back where they wouldn’t have had to walk over it and smell it.”
“I suppose you’re right,” admits Miko, though still not sounding very reassured.
“So relax, we’re going to be okay,” he assures, trying his best to calm Miko.