“Why not attack?” offers Uther. “If they are in fact waiting for reinforcements, then the odds will only get worse the longer we wait.”
“You got that right,” adds Jorry.
“I don’t like attacking without cause,” objects James.
“Without cause?” Jiron asks incredulously. “They are the Empire’s soldiers and we have had hurt after hurt because of them. I lost my city because of them. Many of those we care for have died and been enslaved because of them. If that isn’t cause enough for you I don’t know what is.”
“James,” Miko says. “If these are soldiers of the Empire then we should take them out before they possibly join up with others. Even if they aren’t planning on doing that, their destruction is our duty anyway. They are our enemies.”
“He’s right,” agrees Fifer. Qyrll nods in agreement as well which surprises James as he’s from the Empire.
“You all are a bunch of bloodthirsty killers,” Dave says from where he stands behind James. “All you talk about is death and destruction. You won’t be satisfied until we’re all dead.”
Jiron steps forward with a hand on the pommel of one of his knives, anger building behind his eyes. He opens his mouth to tell Dave off when James holds up his hand forestalling his tirade.
“I see the wisdom in what you are saying,” he says. Then adds to include Dave, “What you’re all saying.” Turning to Jiron and the others, he says “But what you all need to realize is Dave and I come from a world where the arbitrary killing of your enemies is frowned upon, extremely discouraged you might say. It’s hard for me to go and seek the death of a group of people that are no immediate threat.”
He pauses a moment to let that sink in. Many there who have traveled with him for awhile will understand what he’s talking about. Then he says, “I need to know for a fact they plan to come after us.” Looking to Qyrll he asks, “Would you be willing to find out?”
Looking surprised, he says, “They will think it odd for me to suddenly appear among them all alone. I don’t think they would tell me anything.”
“I don’t mean that,” James clarifies. “Just sneak close and try to overhear what they’re saying. Could you do that?”
“Perhaps,” he says. “If they’re not vigilant and lax in the posting of sentries.”
“Good. Then take Jiron with you and see what you can learn,” he says.
Smiling at the prospect of having the Shynti with him, he nods his head. “I would be honored to have him accompany me.”
James gives them a general idea of where to find the enemy camp. Then when Qyrll and Jiron are about ready to head out, he adds, “Don’t take too long.”
“We won’t,” Jiron assures him, then they leave the camp.
The others murmur among themselves, all the while casting glances over to where Dave remains standing near James.
“Come with me,” James says to his friend as he leads him away from the fire and into the night. When they leave the proximity of the fire, the cold makes its presence felt. They pull their jackets closer together as they move further away from the others. Once they’ve reached a spot where they won’t be overheard, he comes to a stop.
“I know what you’re going to say,” Dave begins before James has a chance to start. “I’m sorry, but it’s true. All they talk about is killing and death.”
“That’s not true,” counters James. “We are in the middle of a war. Those on the other side are continuously seeking to make our lives difficult in any way they can. Given the world in which these people have grown up, I think their responses are true to form.”
“But they’re going to get us all killed!” insists Dave.
“We could sit on our butts and that will still happen,” says James. “We grew up in a relatively safe environment where conflict to this degree simply was not a factor. If we were in one of our campaigns we used to play in the chess room, what would you be doing?”
Considering the question for a moment, he then says, “Probably arranging an attack to avoid possible future complications.”
“Remember,” James tells him, “this world is similar to that of our role playing, more so than I would have thought possible. That’s probably why the advertisement in the newspaper said role playing a plus.”
Nodding, Dave says, “I see your point. But I am still going to caution you against actions which I feel are wrong.”
Laying his hand on Dave’s shoulder he says, “I wouldn’t want you to do otherwise. I need a voice of reason in this chaotic and hostile world.”
Giving his friend a grin, he says, “You got it.”
“Now, let’s go back to the others,” suggests James. “And this time, don’t go calling them blood thirsty killers.”
“I won’t, promise,” Dave assures his friend.
As they’re walking back to the fire, a sound comes to them from the darkened town. A wailing sounds in the night as if a spirit is writhing in torment. They rush to the edge which overlooks the town and see a light atop one of the buildings. From this distance it’s hard to make out just what it is, but it looks to be the size of a man and it’s moving.
“What the heck is that?” Dave asks.
The others join them as he says, “I don’t know.”
“It’s a ghost!” Miko exclaims.
“Could be,” agrees James. Too bad Qyrll is missing this. He would’ve loved it.
The light continues to pace back and forth along the roof as the wailing continues. It lasts for ten minutes before the light and wailing disappear.
A hushed silence falls over the companions as they stand there in the dark and cold a moment. When it doesn’t look as if the spirit will be returning, they make their way back to camp.
As James takes his seat and begins warming his freezing hands, he considers the predicament they’re in. On the one side they have a hostile force most likely bent on their destruction. On the other is a city with free roaming spirits. At least the spirits mostly come out at night, mostly.
Chapter Twenty Eight
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It’s been over an hour since they left. Where are they? Pacing around, James is worried about what may have happened to them. To add more to his already worried mind the spirit from Ironhold makes two other appearances in different parts of town, always a lone spirit and always on top of a building.
No one is getting much sleep tonight, not with the racket going on when the spirit appears. It’s been twenty minutes or more since the last spectral appearance and a few of the others have fallen asleep. The only one other than himself who’s still awake is Miko. Try as he might, he can’t bring himself to relax enough to slip away.
James glances in his direction every once in awhile to see if he’s managed to fall asleep, and each time he sees his eyes wide open.
The silence of the night is broken by the sound of something moving toward the camp through the trees. Miko hears it too and sits up, his hand on the hilt of his sword which is resting on the ground next to him. He glances to James and begins getting up when Qyrll and Jiron enter the firelight.
“Glad you’re back,” James says in relief. “I was getting worried.”
“Sorry,” apologizes Jiron. “It took us some doing to move close enough for Qyrll to be able to understand what they were saying.”
By the time they take their seats at the fire, the others have awoken and moved closer to hear. “What did you learn?” he asks Qyrll.
“From what I heard, they are but one band of many situated in the hills surrounding Ironhold,” he explains. “They are waiting for something, no one said for sure exactly what. One of the men was complaining about something not being here yet, couldn’t tell if it was more men, one man or what.”
“So if we attack them,” James says, “it would be safe to say the other bands will go on the offensive right away.”
Nodding, he replies, “I think so. If they were discovered, their first inclination would be to atta
ck.”
Looking around the assembled faces, he summarizes their situation, “Either we attack one band and face what’s out there now, or we wait for whatever else may be coming.”
“That would seem to be the choices before us,” agrees Jiron.
James sits back and thinks on the situation for a minute. The others remain quiet to give him time to think. He glances to Dave but he knows what he’ll say, ‘Leave’. The others want to attack, he’s sure of that. They’re men of action and don’t like the idea of waiting.
“If what they’re waiting for takes another day or two to get here,” he says, “we may be finished and on our way home.”
“I don’t think we should count on that,” Fifer states.
“He’s right,” agrees Jiron, the others nodding in agreement.
James sits and contemplates the various options before him. He can see the logic in an attack, but his inclination is to avoid direct confrontation if at all possible. “Right now, we do nothing,” he tells them. Around him he can see them reacting negatively to his decision, all that is but Dave.
“We’ll keep an eye on the band near us through the night and tomorrow we find another place to hole up, maybe in one of the mines.” He glances to the others a moment before saying, “It would be more defensible should they attack.”
“With no way out,” Miko warns.
Turning to him, James replies, “I know. But it’s still better than sitting out here in the open. If anyone comes up with a better idea, let me know. Now let’s get some sleep while we can.”
He no sooner says the last word before another wail comes from Ironhold.
“What was that?” Qyrll asks as he gets to his feet and moves to where he can look out over the town.
“The ghost of Ironhold,” Fifer says.
“He’s been going on that way for some time now,” Miko explains.
The others come to stand near him and see the spirit atop another building on the far side of town. Qyrll makes to move toward Ironhold and James puts a restraining hand on his arm. Qyrll glances to him and sees him shake his head.
“Might not be a good idea to go down there,” warns James.
Mixed desires war within him but he finally sighs and stays put. The spirit stays active for a few more minutes and then again disappears.
“It’s been doing that since shortly after you guys left,” Miko says.
“I really didn’t think the tales we heard were actually true,” admits Jiron. Glancing to James he says, “Think that’s the miner Miko saw?”
“Could be,” replies James. “Though from what Miko said, it wasn’t glowing or making any sound.”
“It’s possible it will only do that at night,” suggests Qyrll.
“Perhaps,” nods James.
They stand there a moment longer before the cold drives everyone but Qyrll back to the fire. Since it doesn’t look as if he has any intention of going to sleep right away, Jiron hollers for him to wake him when it’s his turn at watch. Qyrll nods in reply but never takes his eyes off the darkness concealing Ironhold.
As the night progresses, the visitations of the spirit diminishes until finally coming to a halt sometime after midnight.
Dawn comes, cold and crisp. A high pressure system must be keeping the clouds at bay, the sky is a dazzling crystal blue and frost covers most everything.
When James gets up he sees Miko over near the fire where he’s been trying to keep warm during his shift at watch. Glancing around he notices Qyrll is nowhere around. Coming to Miko he asks, “Where’s Qyrll?”
“He went down to Ironhold,” he replies. “Said something about wanting to investigate where the ghosts appeared.”
“What?” he exclaims. “How long ago did he leave?”
“About a half hour or so,” Miko tells him. “Said not to wake you, that he would be back shortly.”
“Damn!” curses James. He quickly moves around and gets everyone up, telling them that Qyrll has gone into town. “Get up and get ready, we’re going after him.”
“Why?” asks Dave. “He’s a big boy and can take care of himself.”
James glares at him and says, “Just get your horse ready.”
“Alright, fine,” he replies and then gets up to do just that.
It’s just a few minutes before they’re ready to ride. Moving away from the campsite, they head down the trail to town. As soon as they’re upon the main road, they hear coming from behind them several horses as the travelers from the plateau begin making their run through Ironhold.
The first one to reach them gives them an odd look, he knows they didn’t come from the area to the south as he and the others have. Not bothering to stop, he races on past in a hurry to get through Ironhold as quickly as possible.
One thing James has noticed is that those traveling through Ironhold don’t talk. It’s almost as if everyone is afraid to disturb the tranquility of this place. Or of disturbing what may lurk here.
“There he is,” Fifer says, pointing to a building not too far away.
James’ eyes follow where Fifer is pointing and finds Qyrll atop one of the tall buildings.
“I think that was one the spirit walked last night,” suggests Jiron.
Nodding, James says, “You may be right.” Moving through the streets toward the building Qyrll is on, he finds his horse tied to the rail before the front door and comes to a stop next to it. Dismounting, he hands his reins to Miko and says, “Hold this.”
Taking the reins, Miko says, “Okay.”
Jiron and Fifer dismount to accompany him to the roof. They make their way inside and take the stairs up to the third floor where they find a ladder leading to an open hatch. Climbing the ladder, James gains the roof to find Qyrll bending over and examining a section of the roof.
From the ladder he asks, “What do you think you’re doing?”
Qyrll glances up and sees him there in the hatch. Getting to his feet, he makes his way over to them. “Wanted to see if the ghost left any evidence of its passing.”
“Why?” asks James as he moves down the ladder to allow Qyrll room to descend.
“To know if it was real or not,” he replies. As he steps off the ladder and onto the floor of the third floor hallway, he adds, “Didn’t find anything though.”
“Spirits don’t leave footprints,” Jiron tells him.
Nodding, Qyrll says, “Now I know for sure.”
They make their way back down to where the others are waiting outside. On the way Fifer asks, “Why are you so interested in this anyway?”
Shrugging, Qyrll replies, “I don’t know. It fascinates me for some reason.”
“I can understand that,” says James. “Where I come from there are all manner of people who hunt for ghosts and such things. Why, there’re even tours you can take that will bring you to the most haunted areas.”
“Really?” asks Qyrll, intrigued. “I’d like to do that.”
“Most of them are just shams to get your money,” he admits. “Though there are a few that are legitimate I suppose. Never been on one myself.”
Returning to the others, they mount their horses and make their way through town to the last section they have yet to search. After a brief warning to be alert, they split off into their pairs again. James gives Jorry and Uther a stern gaze warning them not be up to any shenanigans today. They assure him they’ll behave, probably the sight of the spirit the night before had a sobering effect on them.
The morning goes by and still nothing is discovered. James is beginning to become discouraged at the lack of anything to do with Morcyth. Ellinwyrd had to have led him here for a reason and one to do with what he learned at Saragon.
At noon when they return for the noon meal, Fifer says, “I think I saw someone on a hill to the south watching us.”
“Probably one of the soldiers,” Qyrll says.
“I’m sure they’re keeping their eye on us,” Jiron replies.
“I hope they don’t do any
thing,” wishes Miko as he glances to the surrounding hills.
“Wouldn’t think it likely until whatever they are waiting for arrives,” says Qyrll. “They seem content to watch us from a distance and as long as we continue as we are, I doubt if they will do anything.”
“Let’s hope not,” says James. “Tomorrow we’ll begin checking the mines and then if nothing is found, we’ll leave.”
From where Dave sits, he can hear him mumble, “Should leave now.” He glances over to his friend and only receives a glare in return. All day his mood has steadily deteriorated and James isn’t sure why.
When they’re done with the noon meal, they once again split into pairs as they search the few remaining buildings. So far, the miner Miko encountered the day before has yet to put in an appearance.
Miko and Jiron head off for a building which looks to have once been a temple of some sort, though now the years of disuse have turned it into a dilapidated building. Slightly askew on its foundations, it sits cocked to one side. The windows which at one time must have been beautiful lie shattered in the street.
Coming to the entrance, they find a pair of double doors. The one on the right sits closed, the one on the left has fallen off its hinges and lies across the front steps. Stepping carefully around the fallen door, they move inside.
It’s not a very large building, merely two stories high. The interior actually has a couple plants growing through the floorboards near one of the broken windows. Whatever furnishings it once had, have long been removed, most likely when the town was abandoned.
“Sad,” Miko says as they walk across the floor.
“Sad?” questions Jiron. “What makes you say that?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” he replies. Glancing to him, Miko says, “The place depresses me. Do you think this could have been a church to James’ Morcyth?”
“Never know,” he says.
At the back of the temple they find two sets of stairs, one going up to the second floor and another leading down into darkness. Jiron glances to Miko and asks, “Up or down?”
The Star of Morcyth: The Morcyth Saga Book Five Page 36
