Trail of the Gods_ The Morcyth Saga Book Four - Brian S. Pratt [73]
When they’re done, they leave the inn and go out to their horses where Jiron helps James secure the box behind his saddle. Once secured, they mount and head out of the small collection of buildings. They leave the road as they make their way cross country to the south.
The day passes fairly uneventfully, those traveling behind James continue casting glances toward the box to see whether the glow will return or not. Much to the relief of everyone, especially James, the crystals remain dormant.
As the sun begins its descent toward the horizon, they see the river coming up ahead of them. James has them continue to follow it as it flows to the south. “If Bearn is up ahead, we can cross there.”
“Aren’t you worried about running into Lord Colerain?” Jiron asks.
“I don’t plan on taking us through the city, just around the outside of it,” he explains. “It’s doubtful if we’ll encounter him or anyone else who knows us.”
“Let’s hope not,” Uther says.
The skyline of Bearn appears ahead of them a couple hours before nightfall. He forgot the bridge sits in the middle of town. They’ll not be able to circumvent the city as it sprawls on both banks of the river.
“Guess we have to go through,” Illan states. “Or continue further downriver to the next one.”
“There is a ferry we might take,” he tells them. “Not sure just how far it is though.”
“What do you want to do?” Jiron asks him.
James pulls out a hooded cloak from his baggage and slips it on. A little hot but at least it covers his features well enough. “That might work,” says Illan. “As long as no one takes a close look, you should be fine.”
“Lead on,” James says.
They approach the outskirts of town and pass through the outlying buildings before coming to the gate. A brief questioning by the guards and they’re waved on through. “Just head straight through,” James tells Illan. “I believe this road leads directly to the other side.”
Riding their horses at a walk through the crowded city streets, it takes them a little over an hour to reach the gate in the eastern wall. The sun is almost to the horizon as they draw near the gate. Just before they reach the eastern wall, they can see the guards beginning the process of closing the gates for the night. “Let’s hurry!” Illan says to the others as he kicks his horse into a trot.
“Hold the gate!” he hollers to the guards there. One of them looks their way and cries, “Hold!” to his fellows. They wait for them to ride through the gate before closing it.
“That was close!” Jorry exclaims.
“Yeah!” agrees Uther.
Riding along the road through the outlying buildings, they eventually leave the edge of town. Another hour and they find a spot to make camp.
During the night, James is awakened by Uther who’s on watch. The box is again glowing as someone seeks to find the Fire contained within. James immediately casts out his senses to aid the crystal but finds the power behind the search is lessened quite a bit.
The others are awakened by Uther while James is concentrating on the box. He glances to them and says, “It isn’t nearly as strong as it had been the last time. It almost feels fainter, like it’s only the fringe of the spell.”
“Maybe it’s being directed elsewhere,” suggests Illan.
“That’s possible,” agrees James. “If so, it looks like this might actually work. You guys go ahead and get some rest, I’m going to keep an eye on this until whoever is trying to find it stops.”
Though they lay back down, none of them are able to return to sleep as long as the crystals on the box glowed. When a half hour later, the crystals finally subside back to their normal glow, everyone relaxes and begins drifting off to sleep.
The following morning, after a quick meal, they resume their way east to Trademeet. The travelers they meet are mainly merchants, with the few odd travelers thrown in. They ride quickly