Shades of the Past: The Morcyth Saga Book Six (32 page)

With a slug in hand, James watches as man
after man is slaughtered rather than allowed to surrender.
What
are we to do with them?
Illan’s question returns to him. When
he first heard that none would be spared, he came to Illan to argue
the point. James quickly came to realize they didn’t have the
manpower to supervise possibly hundreds of prisoners on their march
back to Madoc. The only other choice was to let them go, but that
would mean they would have to face them again. So the order was
given to allow no quarter.

It doesn’t take the remainder of the Empire’s
men long to realize surrender is not an option. Gathering his men
in a tightly formed wedge formation, they set themselves to sell
their lives dearly. James wonders how many more Raiders will die
before the last man is slain.

A calm settles over the battlefield as the
two sides face each other, one now completely surrounding the
other. Easily three hundred battle hardened men now stand in a
tight group as they face the inevitable. One officer stands near
the center of the group, bloody sword in hand. He calls to his men,
rallying their strength and attempting to keep their moral
high.

Turning his back on what’s about to happen,
he finds Brother Willim and the rest of the Hand there behind him.
“Terrible things happen when one land goes to war with another,”
states Brother Willim. He and the others all wear somber
expressions. He turns to his brothers and says, “We have work to
do.”

As the Hand begins moving among the wounded,
lending what aid they can, James gazes around at the fallen. A
group of wounded have already begun to grow around the spot where
Miko is using the Star to save what lives he can.

Behind him, the thrum of bowstrings announces
the beginning of the end for the lives of many Empire soldiers.
Shaking his head, he heads back to the makeshift camp on the
outside of the walls and tries to ignore the cries of the dying
men.

During the aftermath of the fighting, Miko
and the Brothers manage to save many of the fallen. The area where
they healed the wounded reminded James of a scene right out of MASH
as the wounded were brought to them.

Armor and weapons from the dead Empire
soldiers are cleaned up as best they can be and then are given to
the newly formed units of crossbowmen and fighters. By the end of
the afternoon, what wounded that could be saved has been. Devin
puts up James’ tent so the leaders will have a place to meet to
discuss their next course of action.

“What do you mean you’re leaving?” exclaims a
weary Miko. Exhausted and wearing a fresh clean shirt as his other
had been stained beyond repair with the blood of the wounded, he
gazes at James in disbelief.

“I’m taking Jiron and Jared further into the
Empire while the rest of you follow Illan back to Madoc,” he
explains. Even though he had told them that he would be taking
everyone from The Ranch with him when he split off from Illan, he
came to the conclusion that a small group would travel faster
without attracting as much notice.

“I’m coming too,” he states very
matter-of-factly.

Shaking his head, James replies, “Not this
time.” When he sees Miko ready to begin another tirade about coming
along, he holds up his hand to forestall him. “Illan will need the
Star to keep as many of his men alive before they make it back to
the safety of Madoc.”

“But…” he begins to say then stops.

“You are more than just the kid I found on
the streets of Bearn now,” James tells him as he lays a hand on his
shoulders. “There are times when duty, especially duty for others,
will force us to abandon our own wishes. They need you.” Gazing
into his eyes, James pauses a moment before adding, “I doubt if
they will be able to survive to return to their families without
you.”

Emotions war within him from anger to
helplessness as he comes to grips with what James just told him.
After a prolonged silence, he at last nods his head in defeat.
Patting his shoulder once again, James turns to Brother Willim who
nods as well. Just before the meeting, he had explained things to
the brother.

Returning his attention to the others
assembled there, he says, “I’ve checked the surrounding countryside
and it doesn’t look as if any other forces are on the way. I plan
on sneaking out once night has fallen when any searches done with
magic will be less effective, I hope.”

“Now, what’s going on with Korazan itself?”
he asks.

“Fairly quiet, all things considered,”
replies Illan. “Ceadric?” he says.

“The foraging parties we’ve sent into the
areas surrounding the slaver compound have met little resistance,”
he explains. “There have been isolated incidents where bolts have
been fired at us, but those are relatively few.”

“Since our presence has been kept here on the
east side of town, our scouts keeping an eye on the north and south
road tell us that some brave souls are leaving the city and making
their way to safety.”

“Send Nerun and his riders to the north to
halt any further people fleeing in that direction,” Illan tells
him. “When we leave in the morning, we’ll be taking the north road.
Don’t want a bunch of civilians getting in our way.”

“Yes, sir,” he says.

“Delia,” James says turning to her. “There
are still several dozen crystals left that you will be taking with
you. Make sure no one but you touches them until it’s time for
their use.”

“What are they?” she asks.

“Similar to the ones I used to breach the
walls,” he explains. To Illan he says, “You can use them to blow
any bridges you come across on your way north too.”

Nodding, Illan grins and says, “We’ll do
that.”

“But won’t that make it hard for you to get
out of the Empire?” Miko asks, worried.

“We’ll be returning another way,” he replies.
“With any luck we’ll meet up with you by the time you reach the
border.”

“Still an army or two between us and Madoc,”
Ceadric interjects.

“True,” replies Illan. “But with any luck,
Lord Pytherian and the Alliance will have softened them up some
before we encounter them.”

“Maybe catch them between our force and his?”
offers Ceadric.

“That’s the plan,” Illan says.

“Where are you planning on going?” Delia
asks.

James looks to her for a moment and says,
“Oh, just some places south of here that the Empire would hate to
lose.” Then to Illan he adds, “On your way north, free as many
slaves as you can. They may not be able to fight well, but every
bit helps.”

Illan stands up and says, “We all have things
to see to before we leave in the morning. I suggest we get to
them.” And with that the meeting breaks up. Ceadric heads out to
find Nerun and have him close down the northward migration of
civilians. James takes Delia to the pack horses where he separates
the crystals he’s planning on taking with those he’s leaving for
her.

Jiron on the other hand has something else on
his mind. It doesn’t take him long to locate Aleya, she’s with
other archers working to fletch arrows damaged during the battle.
It took them some time but they managed to retrieve a good portion
of those used.

As he approaches, the talking ceases as she
and the others turn toward him. “Uh…” he begins then stops.

“Yes?” she asks when he fails to continue to
talk.

“Can I see you a moment?” he asks. When she
nods he adds, “In private?”

An arrow lies in her lap, the arrowhead
slightly skewed from where it had struck armor. “Give me a sec,”
she says.

He waits patiently while she works on the
arrow. Once the arrowhead is again secured firmly in the correct
position, she puts it in her quiver which is propped against the
pack lying next to her. As she comes to her feet, Jiron leads her
away to a spot of relative privacy away from the hustle and bustle
of the camp.

Coming to a halt, he turns to her and says
quietly, “James and I are leaving this evening.”

“What?” she asks. “I thought we were all
going together?”

He takes her by the hand. “So did I,” he
replies. “I’m not sure exactly where James is leading us but I do
know it’s further into the Empire. You and the others are going to
begin the journey back to Madoc.”

Sadness comes to her eyes as she gazes into
his. “I understand,” she assures him. “You be careful.”

Giving her a crooked smile he says, “I will.”
Pulling her close he wraps his arms around her and happily feels
hers wrap around him. “I love you, you know,” he whispers into her
ear.

“I do know,” she replies with an emotional
catch in her voice. “I love you too.”

Their embrace lasts for several minutes until
the stillness of the moment is disturbed by James clearing his
throat. They both turn to see him there a few feet away, a slightly
embarrassed look upon his face. “I hate to break this up,” he says,
“but the sun is almost down.” He glances from Aleya to Jiron and
says, “We need to get ready.”

Jiron nods his head. Then to Aleya he says,
“Would you mind helping me?”

“Not at all,” she replies. Arm in arm they
walk over and begin getting Jiron’s equipment ready for travel.

He, James and Jared assemble their equipment
for travel and for the time being leave it inside James’ tent. They
will wait for the protective cover of night before they transfer
their things to their horses, in case anyone is watching. Once
everything is ready, they get something to eat. Jiron and Aleya go
off away from the others to have some privacy while they share
their meal.

“Just when things between them are improving,
they are thrust apart again,” comments Delia as she takes a seat on
the ground near James.

“Parting is such sweet sorrow,” James says
dramatically.

“What?” she asks.

He grins and looks at her. “The drama club at
school put on a play and that was one of the lines that sort of
stuck with me.”

“Oh,” she says in that slightly confused
manner that they all have when he talks about things from his past.
Never quite understanding just what he’s talking about. During the
meal, he uses his mirror before it gets too dark to see if any
hostile forces are on the way. Other than some patrols and scouts
keeping an eye on them, there’s nothing out there of any size.
Illan glances at him when he’s through and James gives him a shake
of his head. Illan nods understanding and returns to his meal.

The sun finally sinks below the horizon
before they finish their meal. Those from The Ranch gather together
around the fire to have one last social time before James and the
others take off. Jorry and Uther begin another of their tales. It
must be the fact that James and Jiron will be heading into danger
that keeps Scar and Potbelly from picking the story apart as they
usually do.

When the story, which was a doozy about some
underworld figure they ran afoul of and got the best of, finally
ends, the stars begin to come out. “It’s time,” James announces as
he gets to his feet.

Devin and Moyil move to help him transfer his
equipment to his horse and Terrance helps Jiron. By the time they
have changed into native attire and are ready, a similarly dressed
Jared joins them with his horse all set for travel. James mounts
and waits while Jiron says goodbye to Aleya.

A tight embrace, then a quick kiss before he
swings into the saddle. “You come back to me,” she tells him.

“I will,” he assures her as he looks down
into her eyes. “You just stay alive until I return.”

“Until we meet again,” Illan says as he comes
forth. “Good luck.”

“You too,” James replies.

“Give ‘em hell!” Scar says from where he and
Potbelly stand with the rest of those from The Ranch.

James gives Scar a quick nod and then pats
his pocket wherein two glowing crystals lie. For what he’s about to
do, he may need the added power. “You ready?” he asks Jiron and
Jared.

Jared gives him a nod and Jiron says,
“Yes.”

“Alright then.” Summoning the power, he casts
a spell which should render him undetectable by magical means just
as he had with the Fire. This was one reason that he decided to
leave at night. In the event someone is keeping an eye on him, it
may not be readily noticeable that he left the main force. But when
they do, they will try to break through the spell shielding him,
just as they had with the Fire.

He waits a moment to see if anything
develops. When nothing does, he nudges his horse forward and turns
to the south, Jiron and Jared follow.

“Good luck!” Delia hollers as they begin to
move away from the camp.

Angling away from the walls to prevent their
leaving from being noticed, they stay off the main southern road
that runs along the large lake to the west. Tears of the Empress
it’s called and the reflection of the moon overhead off its water
gives them a guide in the dark.

Jiron moves ahead of James and Jared and
keeps alert for any scouts or sentries that may be in the area.
James keeps just within visual range of him and slows down when he
sees him come to a stop.

“What’s going on?” asks Jared quietly.

“Shhh!” James says as he watches Jiron
dismount from his horse. Moving further ahead, he disappears in the
dark. Sitting there anxiously for several minutes, James begins to
grow worried until he sees Jiron reappear in the moonlight.
Mounting his horse again Jiron glances back at them, waves for them
to follow, and then resumes moving ahead.

Jared glances questioningly at James but
remains silent. When they reach the area just past where Jiron had
stopped, they find a riderless horse standing by a motionless form
on the ground. “He’s good,” Jared mumbles.