Once he's in the saddle, they resume following the wall as it continues around the city. They find more houses built against the side of the outer wall, all fall short of the top by at least twenty feet. Jiron figures this might be due to a city ordinance designed to prevent unauthorized access to the top of the wall.

The northern gate is crowded with people leaving as well. Not too surprising, there's no one here trying to enter. Anyone to the north of the city is moving deeper into Madoc, away from the enemy.

"It doesn't look like there's any other way out of here," Miko says when they start to return to the warehouse.

"No," agrees Jiron, "I didn't figure there would be. At least we now have a fair idea of the city's layout."

"Hopefully James will be able to see Lord Pytherian soon and then we can get on our way back to Cardri."

"Let's hope so," says Jiron.

They continue down the street, making as good a time as they can in the press of people. The crowd begins to grow thicker as they approach an intersection of streets. A wagon sits crooked with a broken wheel, effectively congesting the traffic flow down both streets.

Several men are trying to replace the wheel, all the while those pa.s.sing by shout obscenities at them. Jiron feels sorry for those guys as he slowly moves forward, creeping closer to the blockage.

From where he sits next to him, Miko suddenly gasps and grabs his arm. "What?" he says as he turns to see what's the matter. A shiver runs down his spine when he sees Miko's pale face staring down the side street.

He never takes his eyes from where he's looking as he whispers, "Look there!"

Jiron gazes where he's indicating but doesn't understand what he's trying to show him. "I don't see anything," he tells him. Then he notices a group of men standing outside a store, talking among themselves. "That group of men there?" he asks, pointing to them.

Nodding his head, Miko says, "See the one there, the one with the patch over one eye?"

Giving the men a closer look, he nods his head, "You mean the one with the scar running across his face?"

"That's him," Miko says breathlessly. "He's the one who poisoned the guards back at the City of Light and opened the gates for the Empire's army."

"Are you sure?" he asks.

"Positive," he replies. He glances at Jiron as he says, "He had me and James captured and was torturing James before we managed to get out." Lowering his voice, he continues, "He's definitely an agent of the Empire."

The crowd finally begins moving again and they make it around the blockage. Getting down from their horses, they take them to a post out front of an inn where they secure them. Jiron pulls Miko close and says, "We need to tell someone."

"But who?" Miko asks. "When James gets back, we can tell him and then go to Lord Pytherian. He needs to know about this."

"James might not be out for hours," he says to Miko. "We should follow them and see what they're up to. If we lose them, we might never find them again before whatever they're planning comes to fruition."

"Alright, but let's be careful," Miko says. He then follows Jiron as they move back to the corner of the street where he peers around to watch the group of men. The group is breaking up and most of them are moving together down the street away from where he's watching.

"They're moving," he says just before stepping around the corner as he proceeds to follow them. With the amount of people on the streets, it's fairly easy to keep them in sight without being spotted.

Ol' One Eye and the others are moving deeper into the city. As the group progresses down the street, the others with him begin to break off as they go down various side streets until finally only One Eye is left. When they come to realize where he's heading, they can't quite believe it. As he approaches the gate to the castle area, the guards on duty nod to him in acknowledgement before pa.s.sing on through.

Jiron indicates an alley and they move into it, all the while keeping the gate in sight. "This can't bode well," he says to Miko. "If he has access to the castle, then there must be someone of rank here in the city behind his activities."

"Could whatever he's planning be what the army across the river is waiting for?" asks Miko.

"Could be," agrees Jiron. "We better get back to the warehouse and wait for James to return."

"What if One Eye decides to do something?" asks Miko.

"Nothing we can do about it right now," replies Jiron. "We're going to have to hope we can contact James before he does."

"We should tell someone!" he insists.

"And who would we tell?" Jiron asks. "If we tell the wrong person, we'll be silenced and then no one will know what's going on." Pointing back up to the gate, he adds, "Those guards up there knew him, or at least had seen him often enough to recognize him. I wouldn't know who to trust other than Lord Pytherian."

"I guess you're right." Not happy about it, Miko tries to think of an alternative to just sitting and waiting but is unable to come up with anything. Sighing, he looks to Jiron and nods.

They make their way back to where their horses are tied and then ride back to the warehouse. As they approach, the guards who had bothered them earlier in the day about being in the warehouse, are leaving from a side door. Pausing until the guards move further down the street and out of sight, they return to the warehouse where they get comfortable as they wait for the return of James and Fifer.

The closing of the door brings him back to consciousness, or something close to it. Opening his eyes, he quickly shuts them tight again as he shuts out the nauseatingly swirl of the room. His head feels foggy and he can't think straight.

A moan next to him tells him Fifer is in the same state as he, maybe worse. Hands suddenly grab him and sit him up straight on the couch he'd been lying upon. A hand slaps him hard across the face, and then someone pulls open his eyelid as he stares at his pupil.

The blurry face of the man is somehow familiar but he can't quite recall from where. His mind won't focus long enough to draw out the memory.

"They've taken too much," the voice says with impatience. "They'll be worthless for hours!"

"Forgive me," another voice begs. "We didn't know what they were going to eat so we laced everything. That they were so hungry was unexpected this late in the morning."

"Let me know when they're able to talk," the first voice says commandingly.

"Yes, sir," the second voice says, distraught over the dissatisfaction of the other. "First thing."

Suddenly the door opens and closes, and James is again resting in blissful silence.

"Where are they?" asks Jiron from where he's pacing back and forth in front of the warehouse window. He again stops his pacing as he looks outside, night has long since fallen and he's getting worried.

"Maybe we should inquire at the gate for them?" Miko asks for the third time.

Jiron turns from the window and says, "Alright." When he sees Miko going for the horses, he says, "Leave the horses here, they'll just get in the way."

Miko stops and comes over to him as he opens the door to leave. Outside on the street, the crowd of people from earlier in the day has dwindled dramatically and they are able to move more rapidly than before.

Keeping their eyes open for One Eye, they move quickly toward the gate where they'd been turned away the night before. "d.a.m.n!" Jiron silently curses when he sees the same guard on duty from the previous night.

When the guard sees them coming, he gets a smirk on his face as he moves to meet them. "Back again?" he says. "I thought I told you guys you couldn't pa.s.s through."

"I understand that," Jiron says, trying not to provoke anything. "But earlier, two of our friends were admitted to the castle area. We were to meet them but they failed to return. Could you tell us if you've heard anything about them?"

"You mean those other two guys that were with you the other night?" the guard asks.

"Yeah, that's them," replies Jiron hopefully.

"Sorry, haven't heard anything," the guard replies. He looks over to the other guards and asks, "You guys hear anything?" The others just shake their heads no.

"Don't know what to tell you," the guard says.

"Thanks anyway," replies Jiron as he turns to leave. The guard watches them until they turn the corner and pa.s.s out of sight.

Miko says, "Now what're we going to do?"

"I don't know, but we've got to find out what happened to them," says Jiron. "Wish I could do that mirror thing that James always did," he tells Miko.

"Yeah, that would be nice right now," agrees Miko. They walk a ways in silence before Miko says, "If Miller and his men were in the city, where would they be?"

"I don't know," replies Jiron, "probably back in the castle area. Why?"

"I don't think they'd be there," Miko says. "This place is overrun with guards and soldiers of the various alliance factions. They would have to be billeted somewhere out in the city, only the highest ranking soldiers would be permitted within the castle area."

Jiron stops and looks at Miko as he contemplates his words. He begins nodding his head as he says, "You may be right. If that were the case, wouldn't they be put in a cheap inn?"

"Most likely," agrees Miko.

"Let's try searching for them," Jiron states. "It's all we have to go on."

An hour and fifteen less than desirable establishments later, they still hadn't found them. The last place had tested even Miko's limits on cleanliness. James must be rubbing off on him.

The next inn they come to is near the north gate. As they approach they find several soldiers and mercenaries standing around outside, which gives them some hopes they'll find them inside. Jiron swings the door open and steps inside just as a bottle smashes into the door near his head. Instinctively ducking, he looks around the common room at the brawl going on. To their amazement and relief, Miller's band is right in the middle of it.

One man, the proprietor most likely, is shouting for them to desist but only gets socked in the jaw for his efforts.

Everyone but the partic.i.p.ants in the brawl move to the side of the room, giving them some s.p.a.ce. Those that were outside come in to watch the fight, calling out to the various fighters as they encouraged them on to greater endeavors. Jiron can see money changing hands as some of them bet on the outcome.

Miller's band appears to be getting the better of the others as they've more men left standing, so Jiron and Miko just stay on the edge of the crowd. Miller and one of his men tosses one of the other combatants through the air, bystanders scramble out of the way as the man sails through the door and out into the street.

Miko waves at Miller when he sees him looking in his direction, distracting him just as a fist connects with his jaw. Flailing backward, he trips over a table and lands on his back. Rubbing his jaw, he gets to his feet quickly and rejoins the fight.

The last of the opponents fall fast until only Miller's band is standing. A cheer erupts from the crowd and everyone moves back to where they were before the fight erupted. Miller comes over to them and says, "You made it? I really didn't think to ever see your faces again." He looks around and says, "Where's that layabout, Fifer and that other guy, James?"

Jiron flashes a quick glance to Miko and then says, "Didn't Shyn tell you we were here?"

"Shyn?" asks Miller, a dark look building upon his face. "I haven't seen that rat since we entered the city, he disappeared shortly after we arrived. I'll kill him when I see him!"

"We need to talk," Jiron says as a foreboding feeling comes over him. "Right now and in private."

Miller studies his face and says, "Let's go to my room, we can talk there." He hollers over to his men, "Be back in a minute." His men just give him a wave as they down more ale.

Leading Jiron and Miko down a dark dingy hallway, he takes them to a small room in the back. After they have entered and shut the door, he asks, "Now, what's all this about?"

Jiron proceeds to tell him about the incident at the gate the first night. Then he goes on to tell of Fifer's finding of Shyn and how he helped James and Fifer get into the castle area.

"Out on patrol?" Miller cries out. "Hah! We've been sitting on our b.u.t.ts in this d.a.m.n inn since coming to this city. And if he'd suffered an injury, it's nothing compared to what I'm going to do to him when I finally lay my hands on him!"

"There's more," says Jiron. He waits a second for Miller to compose himself then tells him of Shyn leading them into the castle area, and then of their failure to meet them again at the warehouse. "I think they may be in trouble, and Shyn is the key to finding them."

Miller considers what he'd said a moment, then says, "Let me get my boys." He opens the door and goes back out to the common room.

"You didn't tell him about One Eye," Miko says.

"Let's worry about one thing at a time," he replies.

Just then, Miller returns with his men and they all manage to squeeze into the small room before shutting the door. He gives them a rundown on what's going on, several get dire looks on their faces and Miko almost feels sorry for Shyn should they ever find him again.

"Okay boys, here's what we'll do," Miller announces. "Let's quickly comb the city and return here in an hour. The one who brings Shyn to me gets a bonus, alright? Alive, preferably." They all nod. "Okay, get a move on. Back in one hour."

His men hurry out the door and quickly leave the inn as they begin combing the city for Shyn.

"Think they'll find him?" Jiron asks.

"If he's not holed up somewhere," Miller says, "they'll find him."

"Why have you just been sitting here in this inn?" Jiron asks.

"Orders," he tells him. "We were told to stay here until word came for us to go on patrol or the enemy attacked."

"Who gave you those orders?" inquires Jiron.

"A guard in the livery of the city watch," he answers. "Why?"

"It just seems too convenient for you to be here at an inn that's about as far from the castle as you can be," he explains. "If Shyn's up to something, or in with the enemy, it's sure been helpful to have you all stashed here where you're unlikely to discover whatever he's up to."

Nodding, Miller begins pacing the floor.

A little over an hour later, the door opens up and Shyn is shoved into the room from behind. One eye is swelled shut and blood is oozing from his nose and mouth.

"Where'd you find him?" asks Miller to his men as they follow Shyn into the room.

Uther, a tall brown haired man replies, "He was on his way back into the castle area. He'd almost made it to the gate before Jorry got a hold of him."

Going over to where Shyn lies on the floor, Miller says, "Get up!" When he doesn't comply, Miller kicks him hard in the side, "I said get up! NOW!"

Coughing from being kicked, Shyn gets on his hands and knees and uses a chair to help himself rise off the floor. Unable to stand, he collapses into the chair.

"What'd you guys do to him?" Miller asks as he looks to his men.

"He didn't want to come with us at first," Uther replies. "We had to convince him."

"You d.a.m.ned near killed him," accuses Miller.