Read Online Jalia and the Slavers (Jalia - World of Jalon) by John Booth - Free Book Online
Authors: John Booth
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shrugged apologetically for letting them wake him.
“What do you want?” They weren’t his cleverest pair of men, which is why they were guarding the stables.
“Sir, the trader you were worried about.”
“What about him man, spit it out!”
“He went out to do some trading this morning and never came back,” the man blurted out.
“Don’t worry, he’s been in the lobby all of the afternoon,” Marcus said. He had been getting regular reports from the men tailing Jalia. The two guards started to leave when Marcus called them back.
“He left this morning with some of his trade goods?”
“Oh no sir, He left with everything, horses, donkeys and his saddle bags fully laden. We just talked to the men who relieved us and he never brought them back in the evening.”
The man had barely finished speaking before Marcus was out of the room, gathering his men behind him as he ran. When he reached the lobby, he had fifteen men running behind him, all of them wondering what all the fuss was about.
Down in the lockups, Jalia and Daniel were moving the last of the gold bars when they heard the sound of running men. They ran to the tunnel into the caverns and closed the door. The wall was already complete and Daniel wondered what Jalia planned to do with the remaining bars.
They lit a torch from one of many stored in the tunnel. Jalia led them down to the warm running stream at the bottom of the steps and then led Daniel along it.
“These tunnels are supposed to be filled with monsters,” Daniel reminded her in a whisper.
“I’m not planning to go very far, just leave a partial trail of gold bars. We can go out the way we came in when they give up looking for us.”
Daniel thought that an excellent plan and they dropped their gold bars at intervals along the stream before heading back to the tunnel steps.
Marcus led his men through to the stables and to the guards at the other end who swore that neither Daniel nor Jalia had come past them. They searched the stables top to bottom and found no one.
Marcus stood in the corridor of the lockups fuming and wondering how they managed to escape him. He leaned back against the door of his own lockup and fell to the floor when the door swung inward. It was the last room Daniel and Jalia had cleared of gold and they hadn’t had time to relock the door.
Marcus was dazed when he landed on the stone floor. One of the guards was trying to help him to his feet when he saw the room was empty. His first thought was that he must be in one of the spare rooms, but as soon as he stood up he realized it was his room.
“Break down the other doors!” Marcus screamed at the guards who thought he must have gone mad. “Before I gut you all,” he yelled, pulling out his sword.
It took them thirty minutes to smash the next door down. Nobody but the Mine Owners had a key to their own lockup so this was the only way that Marcus could be sure they had all been robbed. When he saw the second empty room, Marcus stopped his guards from smashing any more doors down.
Marcus al’Tren wasn’t a stupid man. He knew how much the gold weighed and how many journeys it took to bring it in the first place. It had not been removed on the backs of four donkeys and a few horses no matter how full the saddle bags had been packed. The gold had to be in the hotel unless there was a secret way out and even then it could not have been moved far.
Holding on to that thought, he ran back to the paneled room. If there was another way out it had to be in this room. He had personally inspected the stables and the lockups were surveyed by experts. This was the only place that a secret passage could be hidden.
To the amazement of his men, Marcus drew his sword and plunged it into the nearest panel. It took him several minutes to break through to the stone wall behind.
“All of you. Pick a panel and smash your way through,” Marcus yelled and his men reluctantly began blunting their swords on the hard wood,
“What do you want?” They weren’t his cleverest pair of men, which is why they were guarding the stables.
“Sir, the trader you were worried about.”
“What about him man, spit it out!”
“He went out to do some trading this morning and never came back,” the man blurted out.
“Don’t worry, he’s been in the lobby all of the afternoon,” Marcus said. He had been getting regular reports from the men tailing Jalia. The two guards started to leave when Marcus called them back.
“He left this morning with some of his trade goods?”
“Oh no sir, He left with everything, horses, donkeys and his saddle bags fully laden. We just talked to the men who relieved us and he never brought them back in the evening.”
The man had barely finished speaking before Marcus was out of the room, gathering his men behind him as he ran. When he reached the lobby, he had fifteen men running behind him, all of them wondering what all the fuss was about.
Down in the lockups, Jalia and Daniel were moving the last of the gold bars when they heard the sound of running men. They ran to the tunnel into the caverns and closed the door. The wall was already complete and Daniel wondered what Jalia planned to do with the remaining bars.
They lit a torch from one of many stored in the tunnel. Jalia led them down to the warm running stream at the bottom of the steps and then led Daniel along it.
“These tunnels are supposed to be filled with monsters,” Daniel reminded her in a whisper.
“I’m not planning to go very far, just leave a partial trail of gold bars. We can go out the way we came in when they give up looking for us.”
Daniel thought that an excellent plan and they dropped their gold bars at intervals along the stream before heading back to the tunnel steps.
Marcus led his men through to the stables and to the guards at the other end who swore that neither Daniel nor Jalia had come past them. They searched the stables top to bottom and found no one.
Marcus stood in the corridor of the lockups fuming and wondering how they managed to escape him. He leaned back against the door of his own lockup and fell to the floor when the door swung inward. It was the last room Daniel and Jalia had cleared of gold and they hadn’t had time to relock the door.
Marcus was dazed when he landed on the stone floor. One of the guards was trying to help him to his feet when he saw the room was empty. His first thought was that he must be in one of the spare rooms, but as soon as he stood up he realized it was his room.
“Break down the other doors!” Marcus screamed at the guards who thought he must have gone mad. “Before I gut you all,” he yelled, pulling out his sword.
It took them thirty minutes to smash the next door down. Nobody but the Mine Owners had a key to their own lockup so this was the only way that Marcus could be sure they had all been robbed. When he saw the second empty room, Marcus stopped his guards from smashing any more doors down.
Marcus al’Tren wasn’t a stupid man. He knew how much the gold weighed and how many journeys it took to bring it in the first place. It had not been removed on the backs of four donkeys and a few horses no matter how full the saddle bags had been packed. The gold had to be in the hotel unless there was a secret way out and even then it could not have been moved far.
Holding on to that thought, he ran back to the paneled room. If there was another way out it had to be in this room. He had personally inspected the stables and the lockups were surveyed by experts. This was the only place that a secret passage could be hidden.
To the amazement of his men, Marcus drew his sword and plunged it into the nearest panel. It took him several minutes to break through to the stone wall behind.
“All of you. Pick a panel and smash your way through,” Marcus yelled and his men reluctantly began blunting their swords on the hard wood,
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