• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

Giving him a grin, Fifer says, “You have poor timing my friend. Couldn’t you have waited an hour more?”

“An hour?” Jorry asks laughing. “It wouldn’t have taken you that long.”

James comes forward and asks, “Did you get everything?”

“Yes we did,” replies Fifer. “It’s out back in the wagon.”

“Wagon?” asks Uther.

James turns to Uther and says, “See if there are a couple more rooms available for the night.” When he nods and moves to find the innkeeper, James says to the others, “Let’s talk about this somewhere more private.”

Uther returns shortly with two keys and says they’ve got stall space for their horses. Illan has him and Jorry take the horses out to the stables while the rest of them go up to their rooms with the box.

Once the horses are taken care of, and everyone is crammed into one room with the door shut, James asks them, “Is the Pass open?”

Shaking his head, Yern says, “No. From what we’ve been told, the area on the other side is still too volatile and they’re not allowing anyone to cross over.”

“But, we may have arranged a way for us to be allowed up the mountain, though,” adds Fifer.

“How?” James asks.

“The last few days we sort of made friends with the guard in charge of this side of the Pass,” he explains. “We told him that we come here every year to fish up in the Pass, along with some friends of ours. I believe we convinced him we don’t plan on crossing over so he said as long as we give him our word to stay on this side of the way stop at the summit, we can proceed up the Pass.”

“Excellent!” exclaims James. “That’s better than I was hoping for. And you definitely got everything I asked for?”

“Yep,” Fifer says, nodding. “It’s all in the back of the wagon. Most of the stuff we got real cheap, seems the merchant’s around here are having a bad time now that no more traffic is coming through the Pass.” He hands James a coin filled pouch, what’s left of the coins he gave them when they left The Ranch.

“I can understand that,” says James, taking the pouch. “Well, since all is in order, I suggest we get some sleep and head out early.”

“Hope this rain stops,” Jorry moans as they begin to file out on the way to their rooms.

“Would you stop your complaining!” Uther commands.

James smiles as he hears their bickering continue down the hallway. Jiron again shares the room with him and he says, “I know you plan to hide it somewhere around here, but is it a good idea to do it so close to the Empire’s forces?”

“I know what I’m doing,” he says. “It’ll take them some doing to find it where I plan to put it.”

“I hope so,” he says as he blows the light out.

As James lies there in the dark trying to sleep, he suddenly notices the crystals of the box begin to glow brighter again. This time, he hardly has to use any of his own power to sustain the spells.

Whoever is seeking it, is directing their search far from here. Thank goodness. It looks like his misdirection earlier is definitely going to work. If they should concentrate directly on the area where the box is when he’s gone, it’s over. But they’ll have to be pretty lucky to do that.

The rain is coming down harder the following morning as they make their way to the barricade blocking the entrance to the Pass. A contingent of guards stand watch and one comes forward as they approach.

“So, you still plan to go up there and fish in this weather?” he asks Fifer with a smile, the rain pelting them as they exchange words.

“Sure do,” he says. “Should be back in a couple days.”

“Bring me one,” the guard says.

“Will do,” he says.

The guard hollers over to the men at the barricade and they swing a section of it clear to allow the wagon James is driving through. They stare questioningly at the boat tied down in the back, but just stand back as he rolls on by. Once they’re all through, the barricade is again replaced.

As they trundle along the road up the pass, the rain continues its downpour. The many waterfalls along the road are fat from the recent rains adding even more spray to soak the already drenched