Part 17 (2/2)
Looking it over, he nods and hands it back to her. ”Looks like you've really taken to this whole project.”
She sits in a chair next to his and replies, ”It gives me something to do and if it helps out, then all the better. I like sewing, and making these lets me feel useful.”
”I know what you mean,” he says. ”You'd make a good seamstress.”
”You think so?” she asks.
”Of course,” he a.s.sures her. ”The st.i.tching you've done on the teddy bears I've seen thus far is quite excellent.”
”Thank you,” she says, blus.h.i.+ng slightly. Getting up, she adds, ”I just wanted to show you what I've been doing.” When she sees his nod, she returns back to her room.
James once more gazes out the window as he lets his mind wander. He'll be glad when the Fire is hidden, that's the major worry on his mind. After that, find someway to sneak into Saragon to look for clues as to the whereabouts of a priesthood that disappeared centuries ago. He really doubts if there is anything left that would tell him anything, but what else does he have to go on? How long have I been here and I still know very little about why I'm here? How long have I been here and I still know very little about why I'm here? At times he wonders if he'll ever go home again. At times he wonders if he'll ever go home again.
Chapter Twelve.
He moves through the house in the dark of night, light from the moon overhead filters in through the windows giving everything a surreal feel. Snores can be heard throughout from those asleep in the various rooms. He walks softly so as not to risk waking anyone as he makes his way to the kitchen. Moving extra cautiously through the darkened room, he maneuvers around obstacles by touch until his hand comes into contact with the unmistakable shape of the door handle.
Turning the handle, he opens the door slowly to prevent it from making any noise that might disturb those asleep in the house. Slipping outside, he quietly closes the door behind him. He pauses there a moment when he catches movement from the corner of his eye. The night's sentry is moving out in the dark, going about his patrol. Which one of the newcomers is hard to tell.
Whoever is walking guard duty this evening fails to notice him as they continue on by. He holds still, barely daring to breathe until he sees the sentry pa.s.s around the far side of the workshop. Moving quickly, he makes his way to the barn where he locates a shovel. Pausing a moment to make sure the guard hasn't returned yet, he quickly crosses over to the chicken coop.
The chickens are all roosting inside the coop area, the outer pen is empty. Lifting the latch on the door leading to the pen, he opens it and slips inside where he secures the latch closed.
Moving to the center of the pen, his foot accidentally kicks over a water trough and he can hear some of the chickens within the coop begin to rouse from the clatter it made. He holds still and quiet until the chickens once more settle down and is about to start digging when he sees the guard's silhouette approaching.
He waits until the guard once more pa.s.ses out of sight and then places the end of the shovel to the ground. Pressing down firmly with his foot, he digs out a chunk of dirt. He places it next to the hole and then scoops four more times before the guard again can be seen approaching. Remaining still, he watches as the guard pa.s.ses by no more than a dozen yards away. After the guard again pa.s.ses out of sight, he continues digging. The pile of dirt next to the hole steadily grows as he digs deeper until his shovel finally hits something hard.
Widening the hole a little more, he reaches down with his hand and can feel the top of the box buried there. Using the shovel as a pry bar, he removes the box from the ground. It's a small wooden box, not very big. After pausing one more time to wait for the guard to pa.s.s by, he then fills in the hole with the pile of dirt. He places the watering trough he had knocked over earlier on top of the recently excavated ground to camouflage what he's just done. He then picks up the box.
With the box tucked under his arm, he leaves the chicken coop and makes his way back to the side of the house just as the guard again comes into view. Pressing himself to the side of the house, he remains hidden in the shadows until the guard is no longer in sight.
Moving to the edge of the house, he glances around the corner and watches as the guard continues on his rounds. When the guard pa.s.ses around the far corner of the house, he runs quickly over to the workshop where he opens the door and enters. Shutting the door behind him, he glances out of the window. The shadows cast by the moonlight are all that can be seen outside. Sighing with relief, he moves over to the workbench where he sets the box.
James is relieved no one saw him remove the Fire from its hiding place. The less the others know of what he's doing and what he's planning, the less they can inadvertently tell somebody else. It still bothers him that he needs help in the hiding of the Fire and that those that help him will know exactly where it is. But unless he wants to be like the Pharaohs of Egypt who had everyone killed that had a hand in the building of their tombs and knew its secrets, he'll just have to live with it.
Picking the iron box the blacksmith delivered earlier off the floor, he sets it on the workbench next to the one containing the Fire. Opening the iron box, he widens the s.p.a.ce in the interior cus.h.i.+oning with his hands to receive the Fire. He then takes a small pry bar and removes the lid to the wooden box containing the Fire. As the lid comes off, he can see a barely perceptible glow coming from within. Just looking at it makes his skin crawl. He'll be glad when this thing is secured away forever.
Remembering the warning the shade of the long dead priest of Morcyth had given him, he takes two small sticks of wood he left lying on his workbench earlier. Taking one in each hand, he places them against the sides of the Fire and slowly draws it out of the box. Holding firmly and carefully, he transfers the Fire over to the iron box and settles it within the protective covering. Once it's in, he uses a stick to fold over the covering until the glow can no longer be seen.
Closing the lid, he locks it with the key. Picking up the iron box, he takes it over to the side of his workshop and places it under a larger box to wait until morning when he will finalize all the necessary spells before they leave.
Going back to the window, he looks out and waits until he sees the guard again move around the far side of the house. He quickly leaves his workshop and runs to the kitchen door. Slipping in quietly, he shuts the door and begins to return to his room when he sees a shadowy form, framed in the doorway leading further into the house.
”James?” he hears Miko's voice asks in a whisper.
”Yes,” replies James. ”It's me. What are you doing up?”
”Something woke me,” he says. ”It felt like I needed to do something.”
That's when James notices he has his sword in his hand. ”What?” he asks. ”What did you need to do?”
”I don't know anymore,” he says. ”It's gone.”
Coming forward, James lays a hand on his shoulder and says, ”Then let's go back to bed.”
”Alright,” agrees Miko as he turns around and allows James to escort him back to where he sleeps.
When he's finally back to bed, James goes and wakes up Jiron. Not saying anything, he indicates for Jiron to follow him back to his room.
”What's going on?” he asks when James' bedroom door closes behind them.
James fills him in on what he's just done. Of everyone there, he's the one he trusts with this information the most. Then he tells of finding Miko, how he was acting and what he said. At the mention of the sword in his hand, Jiron says, ”Was it the Fire that called him?”
”I can't think of what else it could've been,” he replies. ”I don't think it would be wise to take him with us to hide it.”
Shaking his head, Jiron says, ”You may be right. He won't like being left behind though.”
”I know, but what else can we do?” he states. ”Also, I'd like you to keep an eye on him tonight, just in case.”
”Alright,” agrees Jiron. ”I'll do that.”
”Good. We're going to leave first thing in the morning after breakfast. I still have a couple things to do in the morning, but they shouldn't take me too long.”
”See you then,” he says as he opens the bedroom door and slips out.
Once the door shuts behind him, James lies down on his bed and thinks about Miko. It must still have some control over him. The sooner I get rid of it the better. It must still have some control over him. The sooner I get rid of it the better.
When the sky first begins lightning with the coming of the day, James gets up and finds Jiron still sitting up in the front room looking tired. ”Anything?” he asks.
Shaking his head, he says, ”He stayed asleep the whole night. He's still in his bed now.”
”Good,” replies James. ”Get some sleep if you can. I'm going to finish what I need to do before breakfast.”
As Jiron goes back to where his pallet lies, James enters the kitchen and finds Ezra already there beginning to prepare breakfast for everyone. Arkie lies asleep on a blanket in the corner. ”Good morning,” he says as he pa.s.ses through to the door.
”Good morning,” she replies.
Leaving the kitchen through the back door, he makes his way out to the woods to collect the two crystals that have been charging the last two days. Over by the barn he sees Illan putting the new recruits through their morning drills. James has heard rumors they're glad Illan is going to be leaving for awhile and that their morning drills will be put on hold.
The crystals are still exactly where he left them, each having a fair sized glow within them. Not exactly maxed out, but still not too bad. Taking them back to his workshop, he begins the final stages of transferring power and setting up the spells.
Taking one of the crystals, he transfers the stored power it has to the defensive crystal. The spells contained within the defensive crystal he leaves inactive. He doesn't plan to activate them until the box lies in its final resting place. The other crystal he infuses with the spells which will light up the receiver crystal which will remain here in his workshop.
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