with his
other knife, dropping him to the ground. Tinok’s man is wielding a
sword in one hand and a knife in the other and is pressing Tinok
backward.
Tinok sees out of the corner of his eye that
Jiron’s man is down and quickly begins a series of fast attacks.
The pattern makes the man defend and through precisely timed and
aimed attacks, causes him to leave a spot open where Tinok strikes,
puncturing a lung.
The man stumbles backward and begins
coughing up blood. Falling to his knees, he chokes on the blood
filling his lungs. Unable to breathe, he soon falls to the ground,
dead.
“Took you long enough,” Jiron says to Tinok
as he wipes his blades on the dead man’s clothes.
Tinok just looks at him and they both start
laughing.
Cassie by this time has made it to the man
whom they were chasing, lying in a puddle of his own blood. The
crossbow bolt must’ve struck an artery in his leg, for the blood is
flowing from the wound quickly.
James comes over, and sees the amount of
blood on the ground and when Cassie looks at him, just shakes his
head, indicating there is nothing that they are going to be able to
do for him.
“Thank you,” the man says when he sees them
approach.
Cassie comes to him and asks kindly, “For
what?”
“For letting me die a free man,” he tells
her. He’s dressed in just a loincloth, the garb of a slave.
“Were you part of the people who were
captured when the City of Light fell?” James asks. “We’re seeking
friends who were taken by the Empire’s forces.”
“It fell?” the man asks incredulously. “Bad
news indeed.” The man begins to get a glazed look in his eyes and
his voice gets weaker. “They’ll probably be taken to Korazan, to
the slave markets. That’s where I heard the slaver say we were
being taken, before I escaped.”
“Korazan?” Jiron asks intently, “where is
it?”
“Don’t know,” the man says, weakly,
“somewhere to the south…I…think.” The man takes one last light
breath and then death takes him.
“Poor man,” Delia says sadly.
“At least he didn’t die a slave,” Jiron
says. “We should bury him before we go.”
“I agree,” Cassie says. She gets up and
looks around until she finds a rock. Then she begins to scrape out
a grave for the man. The others find rocks and sticks and before
too long have a fair sized grave dug. Jiron and Tinok carry the man
over to it and lay him respectfully within. They cover him with the
excess dirt and when they are done, mount up and ride on.
“Korazan,” James says after they get going,
“anyone heard of it?”
“No”, Delia replies, the other just shake
their heads no.
“It must be within the Empire,” he guesses,
“at least we have a destination now.”
“How do you know if they’re actually being
taken there?” Cassie asks.
“Don’t,” James replies, “but it’s all we
have to go on.”
The rest nod in agreement.
They continue on, eating in the saddle to
save time. A couple more times before nightfall, they see riders
off to the east. Angling more to the west each time to avoid being
seen, they find themselves gradually being pushed more and more
westward. By the time night begins to approach, they begin to be
able to see the Silver Mountains off in the distance to the
west.
“Didn’t realize we had been going so far
westward,” James says when they stop for the evening.
“What do you mean?” Jiron asks.
He points over to the mountains in the west
and says, “That’s the Silver Mountains, they run the length of the
border between Cardri and Madoc.”
“Are we going away from Korazan?” Cassie
asks him.
“Can’t say,” he explains, “since we have no
idea where it is.”
“Oh, right,” she says a little
embarrassed.
“But I would think that the further we are
to the west, the less of the Empire’s soldiers we will encounter,”
he reasons. “Of course, that assumes that the Empire and Cardri
haven’t gone to war yet.”
“Think they
other knife, dropping him to the ground. Tinok’s man is wielding a
sword in one hand and a knife in the other and is pressing Tinok
backward.
Tinok sees out of the corner of his eye that
Jiron’s man is down and quickly begins a series of fast attacks.
The pattern makes the man defend and through precisely timed and
aimed attacks, causes him to leave a spot open where Tinok strikes,
puncturing a lung.
The man stumbles backward and begins
coughing up blood. Falling to his knees, he chokes on the blood
filling his lungs. Unable to breathe, he soon falls to the ground,
dead.
“Took you long enough,” Jiron says to Tinok
as he wipes his blades on the dead man’s clothes.
Tinok just looks at him and they both start
laughing.
Cassie by this time has made it to the man
whom they were chasing, lying in a puddle of his own blood. The
crossbow bolt must’ve struck an artery in his leg, for the blood is
flowing from the wound quickly.
James comes over, and sees the amount of
blood on the ground and when Cassie looks at him, just shakes his
head, indicating there is nothing that they are going to be able to
do for him.
“Thank you,” the man says when he sees them
approach.
Cassie comes to him and asks kindly, “For
what?”
“For letting me die a free man,” he tells
her. He’s dressed in just a loincloth, the garb of a slave.
“Were you part of the people who were
captured when the City of Light fell?” James asks. “We’re seeking
friends who were taken by the Empire’s forces.”
“It fell?” the man asks incredulously. “Bad
news indeed.” The man begins to get a glazed look in his eyes and
his voice gets weaker. “They’ll probably be taken to Korazan, to
the slave markets. That’s where I heard the slaver say we were
being taken, before I escaped.”
“Korazan?” Jiron asks intently, “where is
it?”
“Don’t know,” the man says, weakly,
“somewhere to the south…I…think.” The man takes one last light
breath and then death takes him.
“Poor man,” Delia says sadly.
“At least he didn’t die a slave,” Jiron
says. “We should bury him before we go.”
“I agree,” Cassie says. She gets up and
looks around until she finds a rock. Then she begins to scrape out
a grave for the man. The others find rocks and sticks and before
too long have a fair sized grave dug. Jiron and Tinok carry the man
over to it and lay him respectfully within. They cover him with the
excess dirt and when they are done, mount up and ride on.
“Korazan,” James says after they get going,
“anyone heard of it?”
“No”, Delia replies, the other just shake
their heads no.
“It must be within the Empire,” he guesses,
“at least we have a destination now.”
“How do you know if they’re actually being
taken there?” Cassie asks.
“Don’t,” James replies, “but it’s all we
have to go on.”
The rest nod in agreement.
They continue on, eating in the saddle to
save time. A couple more times before nightfall, they see riders
off to the east. Angling more to the west each time to avoid being
seen, they find themselves gradually being pushed more and more
westward. By the time night begins to approach, they begin to be
able to see the Silver Mountains off in the distance to the
west.
“Didn’t realize we had been going so far
westward,” James says when they stop for the evening.
“What do you mean?” Jiron asks.
He points over to the mountains in the west
and says, “That’s the Silver Mountains, they run the length of the
border between Cardri and Madoc.”
“Are we going away from Korazan?” Cassie
asks him.
“Can’t say,” he explains, “since we have no
idea where it is.”
“Oh, right,” she says a little
embarrassed.
“But I would think that the further we are
to the west, the less of the Empire’s soldiers we will encounter,”
he reasons. “Of course, that assumes that the Empire and Cardri
haven’t gone to war yet.”
“Think they
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