Warrior Priest of Dmon-Li - Brian Pratt [158]
Upon reaching the far side of the roof, he peers over the ledge to see if anyone is down on the ground below him. In the faint light, it’s hard for him to tell but he doesn’t think anyone is down there.
Hoping to find an open window just below him, he leans out a ways to get a better look. One of the windows to his left is partly open. Moving carefully, he scoots along the edge of the roof until he’s just above the open window.
After taking one more look down to make sure the area is clear, he swings himself over the edge, dangling four stories above the ground. He swings his foot toward the window and hooks it around the inside of the window sill, giving him some leverage. Then he brings over his other foot until he’s standing awkwardly on the ledge.
When his feet are secure upon the ledge, he leans outward and then jerks his body toward the window while at the same time letting go of the roof’s edge. One of his feet suddenly slips off the ledge and he suddenly loses his balance. He begins falling to the ground below and reaches out in a panic, grabbing the window ledge and succeeds in stopping his downward plunge.
Suddenly from below, he hears talking. Two men turn the corner and begin walking along the side of the building, directly below where he’s hanging.
His hands are gripped precariously and he’s afraid he might lose his grip but he remains still as they pass beneath him. Finally the men turn the corner on the far side and move out of sight. Breathing a sigh of relief, he readjusts his grip and begins to pull himself up.
Climbing in through the window, he pauses a moment as he catches his breath. Two floors down and I should be able to find James and Fifer. How I’ll get them out of here remains to be seen.
Very little light illuminates the room on the other side of the window and he has to feel his way over to the door. After stumbling across a stool and bumping his knee into the side of a table, he at last finds the door.
Placing his ear against it, he listens for a moment before opening the door slowly. A hallway lies on the other side, dark and quiet down both directions. Leaving the room, he enters the hallway and shuts the door quietly behind him. Remembering the way the last building had been laid out, and hoping they’re laid out similar, he moves down the hallway to the end where the stairs should be.
Sure enough, at the end of the hallway he finds a flight of stairs leading down. Taking the stairs quickly and silently, he comes to the next landing. The hallway leading away along the second floor is dark as well so he doesn’t even pause before descending toward the next level. With any luck James and Fifer will still be down on the second level just as Shyn had said.
As he begins to descend the final few steps, he notices a light illuminating the stairwell from below. The closer to the second floor he gets, the brighter it becomes. The second floor landing is completely illuminated by a candle sitting in a wall sconce across from the hallway. Jiron slows down as he nears the landing, listening for anything that might indicate whether or not someone’s near. Step by slow step, he moves down the last few steps to the beginning of the hallway and then peers around the corner.
The hallway extends from the landing just as the others had. Candles in recesses line the entire hallway banishing away the shadows. He sees the double doors that Shyn told them about, a guard stands watch before them.
Sighing with relief, he knows that the presence of the guard can only mean they’re still in there. He ponders the situation briefly and realizes the only way is to rush the lone guard and hope there’s no one else around. The thought of coming in through the outside window entered his mind briefly, but the window overlooks the courtyard and there’d be no way to get in without being seen by those in the courtyard below.
Getting ready to rush down the hallway and take out the guard, he hears two people talking as they begin to come up the stairs from the floor below them.