Sliding the knife slowly at the base of his pinky, Fifer produces a few drops of blood as he arcs an eyebrow in question.
“Just tell them!” Gregory implores him.
“What are you going to do to him when you find him?” Tillon asks, the pressure Scar is putting on his chest making it hard for him to breathe.
The knife backs off a fraction as Fifer replies, “A friend of ours was taken by people from Bearn and we mean to get him back. It’s believed Lord Colerain is behind it. As for what we’ll do, that remains to be seen, but we’re not assassins. If we were, you’d be dead already.”
“I don’t know anything about your friend,” says Tillon. “If Lord Colerain is involved with that, he never mentioned it to me.”
“Where is he?” asks Fifer, taking the knife a little bit further away from the thumb.
Relaxing only slightly, Tillon says, “If he finds out I told you, my life won’t be worth anything.”
“I hardly think we’ll have the time to talk with him, let alone tell him of your involvement,” Scar adds from where he’s kneeling on his chest. “Only you and Gregory over there know what’s going on.”
“Alright,” Tillon says visibly deflating as he gives into the inevitable.
Fifer motions for Scar to get up off his chest and he pulls him up. Setting him in a chair, he has Shorty tie a cloth around his leg to stop the flow of blood. When his leg is taken care of, he says, “He’s meeting someone by the name of Egger over in the abandoned linen warehouse on Strill Street. He left here about a half hour ago and didn’t say when he’d be back.”
Fifer glances to Miko who nods his head, “Corim, the man who was killed when James was taken, was part of the same gang as Egger.”
“Good, then we’re on the right track,” he says. “Do you know this place?”
“Yeah,” replies Miko.
Indicating Tillon and Gregory, he says, “Tie them up.”
Using their knives, they cut strips from the window curtains and bind their hands and legs. “What are we to tell Lord Colerain when they find us like this?” cries out Tillon before he’s gagged.
Laughing, Scar says, “Don’t see how that’s our problem.”
After getting them completely secured, Fifer turns to Miko and says, “How far is it?”
“It’s outside the walls,” he explains. “In the poor section.”
“Should we go back the way we came?” Shorty asks.
Shaking his head, Miko says, “No, we can make it over the estate’s walls easy enough.”
“Lead on then,” Fifer says to him.
Going over to the window, Miko looks out for the guards patrolling the grounds. Not seeing any, he opens the window and passes through to the other side. After the others pass through, they shut the window and Miko indicates the tree he and James had used to escape from Lord Colerain’s estate the previous time. “We can get over the wall by climbing that tree over there,” he whispers to them.
Just then, a guard comes walking around the corner of the house. They press themselves against the side of the house and pray that they’re not discovered. The guard doesn’t seem very alert as he goes about his rounds. He fails to take notice of the men hiding in the shadows by the house.
When he finally walks around the other side of the house, they make a run for the tree. No cries of ‘intruders’ breaks the silence this night and they quickly gain the tree. With Miko in the lead, they climb up to where the limbs reach the top of the estate’s wall.
Miko goes first and looks over to the street on the other side to see if anyone’s around. Only two people are visible, a man and a woman walking arm in arm down the street. He indicates everyone should remain still and quiet. He watches them pass by and when the coast is clear, he quickly passes over the wall.
Once everyone is down on the street, he says, “This way.” Moving out, they quickly make their way to the gates of the city.
Now in total darkness, with just a slim crack of light coming through the narrow opening from the lamp on the other side, Illan begins to move back down the sewer the way they came.
Keeping his hand along the wall, he retraces his steps, hoping to find the exact spot where they had entered. If he remembers correctly, it should be the fifth set of rungs on this side.
He steps carefully, making sure not to trip over the debris littering the sewer passage. Suddenly, from the darkness up ahead, he hears a man scream and then is abruptly cut off.
Pausing, he listens intently and tries to see through the darkness ahead but is unable to see or hear anything. Taking it slowly, aware that he may not be alone down here, he continues moving forward. Miko’s words echo in his mind as he makes his way further down the tunneclass="underline"
“ There’s a gang down there that doesn’t take too kindly to intruders,” he warned. “If they should discover us down there, it could get bad.”
His hand comes in contact with the third set of rungs since parting with the others. Only two more to go! He pauses every once in a while and strains to listen for any sound coming from up ahead. So far, nothing. He moves on.
Shortly after reaching the fourth set, a light begins to be seen from up ahead. Stopping, he presses himself against the slime covered side of the sewer as he waits to see what the light is going to do.
He knows that just ahead is the fifth rung, but how far he’s not entirely sure. It becomes apparent the light is making its way toward him. Backing up quickly, he comes to the fourth set of rungs and quickly begins climbing them.
At the top, he finds a trap door. He pushes up on it but it doesn’t budge. It’s locked! Smashing it open would surely alert whoever is coming down the passage as to his whereabouts, not to mention whoever might be on the other side of the trapdoor. Holding still at the top of the rungs, he watches as the light continues its approach.
As it comes closer, he can see there are seven men with two women. The women have obviously just been taken off the streets above. They’re crying and scared, while the men are laughing and joking among themselves.
Knowing their fate, yet being unable to do anything about it has Illan seething with impotent rage. To intervene would surely mean his death and the women would still meet the same fate.
The light comes ever closer until the group approaches his hiding place at the top of the rungs. If they were to look up, he’ll be discovered. Sweating, he holds on as the group passes beneath him and then continues past down the tunnel.
Breathing a sigh of relief, he waits until they move further away from him before returning to the floor of the sewer. Moving much faster this time, wanting nothing more than to be out of here, he hurries down the sewer passage until he finds the fifth set of rungs.
Relieved to have reached them, he climbs up and passes through the trapdoor at the top. The room is dark but looks to be the same as the one they went through before. Shutting the trapdoor, he moves out of the small room into a larger one.
Recognizing the broken door leading to the alley, he knows he found the exit he had been looking for.
Leaving the room, he passes into the alley and makes his way to the inn where their horses are waiting.
Chapter Seven
After they passed through the outer gates into the poor section, Fifer says, “Maybe we should see if Illan’s made it to the inn yet.” To Miko he asks, “Is it on the way?”
“Actually, it is,” he replies.
“Then let’s stop there first,” Scar says. “Another sword may come in handy.”
“Very well,” Miko says as he begins making his way through the streets toward the inn. Before they come close, a shadow disengages itself and approaches, “What happened?” it asks.
“Illan!” Fifer greets him happily. “We found out he may be in an abandoned warehouse, Miko knows where it is.”
Nodding, Miko tells him, “It’s not too far away.”
“Alright then,” Illan says. “Let’s not waste any more time.” He indicates Miko to lead the way and he follows right behind.