Part 9 (1/2)

Fifer runs to head him off when a knife flies from behind him and strikes the man in the leg. Crying out, the man falls to the floor just as Fifer reaches his side. Staring up at the tip of Fifer's sword which is scant inches from his face, the man becomes motionless as he holds his thigh in which Shorty's knife is embedded.

”Who are you?” he asks frantically, pain making his voice rasp.

To Scar, Fifer says, ”Check the door.”

Nodding, he goes over and opens the door a crack and looks out. Closing it, he turns back to the others and says, ”Nothing.”

Turning back to Tillon, Fifer says, ”That's not what you should be worrying about. But whether you're going to live through this.” Pausing to let that sink in, he catches a glimpse of Miko and Gregory coming out from behind the picture.

When Tillon sees Gregory with them, he gets a dark look.

Gregory takes in the look Tillon is giving him and cries out, ”I didn't help them. I SWEAR!”

”Quiet!” Miko says to him.

”Now,” Fifer begins, ”just where might we find Lord Colerain?”

Tillon stares back at him defiantly while remaining quiet. ”I see,” Fifer says to him when he sees him being uncooperative. ”Unfortunately, we do not have the time to play games.” Motioning to Scar and Shorty, he asks, ”If you wouldn't mind holding him down while I cut off a finger.”

”Sure,” says Shorty as he comes over and pulls his dagger out of Tillon's thigh, eliciting a cry from the injured man. Wiping it off on Tillon's clothes, he replaces it in his belt.

Scar places one knee on his chest and takes a firm hold of his right arm, holding the hand up so Fifer can get to it.

Fifer removes a dagger from the sheath on his belt and takes hold of the hand. He spreads the man's pinky finger wide and rests the side of his knife against it. Looking back down at Tillon, he says, ”Now, where is Lord Colerain?”

Sweating, fear in his eyes, Tillon stares at the knife threatening his finger.

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 a.s.sa.s.sins. 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 pa.s.ses through to the other side. After the others pa.s.s 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 pa.s.s by and when the coast is clear, he quickly pa.s.ses 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 pa.s.sage. 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 tunnel:

”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! 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. 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.