The Unsuspecting Mage - Brian S. Pratt [67]
Shaking his head no, Miko says, “Nothing. All seems to be quiet.”
“Good,” he replies with relief. “Maybe we can get out of here before we’re discovered.”
“I’m for that,” agrees Miko. “They would take us for thieves for sure.”
Waving Miko over to him he says, “There’s no one out in the yard so perhaps we could make it over the wall before anyone realizes we’ve been here.”
“Maybe,” agrees Miko as he gauges the distance between the window and the wall. It’s at least a hundred feet of open lawn. “But that’s a long run to the wall.”
“Look over there,” James points toward the right, over by the wall.
Miko looks and sees where a tree is growing close to the wall. “Maybe we could climb that tree and get over the wall?” he asks.
“That’s what I’m thinking,” nods James.
Taking one more look to make sure that the area between the window and the wall remains clear, he opens the window and helps Miko through to the ground below. Thank goodness they are on the ground floor. He then follows Miko out the window and closes it quickly once he’s down beside him. They crouch in the bushes beneath the window momentarily as they scan the area for people. Once they ascertain the area is clear, they head out quickly and quietly for the tree.
They take no more than three steps when from above them on the second floor, a voice cries out, “Guards! Intruders!”
Looking up, James sees a well dressed man staring at him from an upper story window. Their eyes lock for just a second before he returns to the business at hand and bolts for the tree.
“Guards!” the man hollers again, “they’re heading for the wall!”
No longer worrying about stealth, James and Miko make a mad dash across the grounds. Two guards bearing drawn swords emerge at a run around the corner of the house and upon seeing them racing for the wall, move to intercept. “Stop!” yells one.
Miko makes the tree first and jumps for a lower limb. Grabbing it, he swings himself up into the tree. James throws his backpack over the wall and not being as nimble, has difficulty getting into the tree.
Reaching his hand down for James to grab, Miko yells, “Take my hand!”
Seeing the proffered hand, James reaches up and takes hold of it. With Miko’s help, he’s able to get up into the tree. They make their way through the lower limbs to the top of the wall just at the guards reach the base of the tree.
Swords strike at them as they pass from the tree to the wall, but they’re too far up and the blows are ineffective. Swinging over the wall, they drop down to the street below and James begins looking around for his backpack.
A small boy stands not two feet away with his back to them. He has the backpack and is rummaging through it.
James comes up behind him and grabs the boy by the shoulder.
Startled, the boy drops the backpack as he jumps a foot in the air. Turning, he sees James and Miko standing there. Before James can say a word, the boy bolts and disappears into the crowd.
James picks his backpack off the ground and turns to Miko, “Get us out of here!”
“This way,” Miko says then races off into the crowd with James close behind. The people around them continue going about their business, as if two men climbing over a wall were an everyday occurrence. James expected at least one of the bystanders would have tried to hinder their escape or at the very least to have shouted a warning to a constable that something odd was occurring. But no cry arises from anyone and they make it out of the area.
Finding a quiet alley, they duck inside and stop for a moment to catch their breath. “Do you think they’ll send the watch after us?” James asks. Standing at the mouth of the alley, he peers around the corner for any sign of pursuit.
“I don’t think we have to worry about the town watch getting involved,