Read Online Fires of Prophecy: The Morcyth Saga Book Two by Brian S. Pratt - Free Book Online Page B

and
had come down to get some more supplies,” he explains. “We ran
out.”
    “Ah, yes,” the leader says. “And what town
were you heading to for the supplies?”
    “We don’t actually know where any are,” he
admits. “You see we’re from Lornigan over in Cardri…”
    “But,” Jiron jumps in, “we figured if we
were to follow this road, it would eventually lead us to one.”
    The officer nods his head and signals the
crossbowmen to lower their weapons. “Then you’re in luck,” he says,
“we were just on our way to a town just south of here. You’re more
than welcome to accompany us and purchase your supplies there.”
    “That would be great,” James says. “Just
give us a moment and we’ll be ready.”
    The officer nods his head and takes his men
a short distance away, where he speaks to one of them in a language
that none of their group understands. After a few short words, the
man turns his horse and races off to the south.
    The officer sees James looking at the
departing rider and says, “He’s just gone ahead to keep a lookout
for rogues.” Giving James a disarming, charming smile he continues,
“You can’t be too careful.”
    James comes over to his horse and gets ready
to mount, when Jiron places his hand on his arm and whispers, “Are
you crazy?”
    James gives him a look of desperation and
replies in a hushed whisper, “We’ve got no choice. We’d never be
able to stop the crossbowmen before they fire, someone could get
killed. Let’s just bide our time, and see what opportunities
develop.” He mounts his horse and continues, “We can’t risk having
the girls hurt.”
    Not happy about it, Jiron mounts his horse
as the officer and his men approach again. “Ready, are we?” he
asks.
    “Yes, we are,” James replies. “We appreciate
the escort, though it’s not really necessary.”
    Smiling a charming smile, he says, “Not a
problem, really. As I said, we were already heading in that
direction.”
    The remaining man without a crossbow heads
out first, leading the way. The officer rides next to James while
his three crossbowmen take up position at the rear behind the
girls.
    James is very uncomfortable with the
‘helpfulness’ of the soldiers. Having three crossbowmen behind the
girls doesn’t leave much opportunity to get out of the situation.
Trying to appear nonchalant, he asks the officer, who’s riding next
to him, “So what are you doing out in these parts?”
    “Just on a routine patrol,” he replies,
“making sure no one makes mischief, that sort of thing.”
    “What town are we going to?” James asks.
    “The locals call it Mountainside,” he
explains. “Not a very original name if you ask me.”
    “No,” comments James, “I suppose not.”
    They ride for a short time before the town
comes into view. “Ah,” he says to James, indicating the town up
ahead, “there it is.”
    Sitting at the base of the mountain is a
rather small town, even though it’s at a junction of roads. A
little over two dozen buildings are apparently all there is to it.
As they approach, James begins to realize there are no people out
amidst the buildings, just more of the Empire’s soldiers. As they
pass a few houses, he can see faces peering out from windows. Faces
full of fear and worry.
    Suddenly very nervous, James glances back at
his companions and can see his fears mirrored in their faces. But
with the three crossbowmen behind, he dares do nothing yet.
    They are led to a large, two story building
on the edge of town, where several soldiers are standing around
outside. One says something to the officer, who answers back in the
same language. James sees them smile and one even laughs a
little.
    The officer stops his horse in front of the
building and says, “You can get what you need inside, I am sure.”
He gets down, handing the reins to a soldier who’s standing there
and starts toward the door, where he pauses. Glancing back at them,
he asks, “Coming?”
    James