Uther just shrugs.

Miko comes over and grabs Shyn by the shirt, "Make him tell what he did to James."

Miller grabs his arm and has him let go of Shyn's shirt, "We will lad." Turning his attention back to Shyn, he says, "Well? Where are Fifer and James?"

Shyn raises his head and stares into Miller's eyes defiantly, remaining silent.

Miller c.o.c.ks his arm back and strikes him on the chin with his fist. Shyn's head snaps back and when it comes forward again, fresh blood begins to dribble from the side of his mouth, as he spits a tooth out onto the floor.

Signaling to Jorry, Miller has him draw his knife and come over. "Now, I'll ask you again. Where are they?"

When he again fails to answer, he nods to Jorry who, with the help of another of Miller's men, grabs Shyn's left hand and places the edge of his knife alongside his pinky.

Fear is evident in Shyn's eyes as he stares at the knife ready to sever his finger. His eyes flick to Miller as Miller again asks, "Where?"

Giving him a moment to reply, Miller says to Jorry, "On three, slice it off."

Jorry nods his head as he readies himself.

Miller looks into the fearful eyes of Shyn as he says, "One."

Sweat begins to bead on his face as he glances first into Miller's eyes and then at the knife threatening his finger.

"We've got all night," Miller tells him, no hint of mercy in his voice. "There're nineteen more fingers and toes after this one, then other parts of the body."

A few more tense seconds go by before he says, "Two."

The sweat is beginning to drip off the end of Shyn's nose. His breathing becomes more labored as he stares at the knife at his finger. Then his eyes look to Miller, he sees him to begin to say three when he cries out, "Okay!"

Miller motions to Jorry and the other guy to let go of his hand and back away. "Now, where are they?"

"They are in the castle area," he replies."

"Where in the castle area?" Miller asks.

"In Councilman Rillian's building," he says. "I think they're still on the second floor."

"What interest would Councilman Rillian have in them?" asks Miller.

"Who's this Rillian?" Jiron asks.

Miller glances at him as he replies, "He's one of the members on the Patriarchal Council, very influential and powerful." Turning back to Shyn, he says, "I asked you a question!"

"If I tell you they'll kill me!" Shyn exclaims, looking to Miller for sympathy.

He'd sooner get blood from a stone than sympathy from him. "I'll kill you now if you don't!" he yells.

"Will you let me go if I tell you?" Shyn asks.

"If you can convince me you're not feeding me a pack of lies, then yes, I'll let you go," he a.s.sures him. He suddenly draws his dagger and puts it to his throat and says, "But if you don't, then you'll be feeding the buzzards in the morning."

Nodding, Shyn says, "Okay."

"Now," begins Miller as he replaces his dagger in his belt, "what part does Councilman Rillian play in all this?"

He glances from Miller to the others in the room as he says, "He's been bought by an agent of the Empire."

"Was it a man with one eye?" Miko bursts out.

Shyn nods, "Yeah, I think his name is Kirgin or Karrigan..."

"Korgan?" asks Miko.

"Yeah, that's it," he says.

"Who's this Korgan?" Miller asks Miko.

"He's been hounding us for awhile," he explains. "Ever since James ran afoul of him back in Cardri. We also believe he was instrumental in opening the gates during the siege at the City of Light."

"Is that why he's here?" Miller asks as he turns his attention back to Shyn.

"I couldn't tell you that," he says. "I don't know that much about him. I just saw him prior to taking James and Fifer there."

"What part did you play in all this?" asks Miller.

"Back before the fall of the City of Light, I had been an agent for the Empire," he explains. "I would pa.s.s on information I had heard to another agent who would then get the information out of the city. When the city fell, I fled with the other refugees until I stumbled upon your band and joined it."

"Traitor!" One of the men behind him says. "You caused the death of thousands of innocent people."

"There are no innocent people," he replies. "Just allies and enemies."

Miller signals for his men to remain quiet and hold their anger. Then he says to Shyn, "Go on."

"After we arrived here in Lythylla, I saw another agent and met with him," he continues. Looking to Miller, he adds, "That's when I left you guys to help the organization here. With Councilman Rillian's help, it was easy to put you here so you wouldn't discover what I may be doing."

"But you still haven't said anything about James and Fifer!" Miko cries out.

"I'm getting to that," he a.s.sures him. He points to a flagon of ale sitting on a nearby table and asks, "Can I have that?"

Miller hands it to him and after a long drink, he continues. "The return of Lord Pytherian was an unexpected blow to the Empire. The alliance which had stood against the Empire was beginning to fracture and fall apart. It was easy enough for Councilman Rillian to make the rifts wider by casting doubts upon first one faction then the other."

"In fact, when I gave my report about his rescue and the role James had played, that was when they came up with the idea for imposters to attempt to a.s.sa.s.sinate him. Almost worked, too."

"When it was reported that another 'James' had showed up at the gates, it was fairly easy to track you down. I made sure you were the ones who contacted me first, I just made myself available. Then it was simple to lead James into the trap that captured him."

"What did you do to him?" asks Miko.

"Oh, he's alive, to be sure," he a.s.sures him. "They were most explicit in that regard. We set out some food laced with a drug to inhibit his magical abilities and told him to help himself while he waited for Lord Pytherian."

"Now what?" Jiron asks as he comes closer to him. "What are they planning to do to him?"

Shrugging, he says, "I was never involved with that. My job was simply to get him there and make sure he didn't suspect anything."

"Is there anything else you're not telling us?" Miller asks.

"No, I swear it!" he exclaims. "Can I go now?"

"What?" Miller says with a laugh. "I don't think so. We'll just hold you here until we're sure you haven't just fed us a bunch of cow dung."

Miller turns to his men and says, "You guys stake out the gates leading out of the castle. There're three of them so two to a gate. If you see James or Fifer leave, or anyone else leaving in an odd manner, one of you comes back here to me and the other follows them. Understand?"

His men nod and as they leave one of them hits Shyn across the back of the head causing him to cry out.

Jiron looks to Miller and says, "You staying here?"

"Someone's got to watch this piece of trash," he replies. "You?"

"I'm going to get into the castle area and find James," he explains. "Miko, you stay here too." Seeing him start to argue, he holds up his hand and says, "I may need to go where you can't follow. Stay here and I'll find him, okay?"

"Okay," he says.

Jiron goes over to Shyn and asks, "Where is the building he's being held in?"

"There's a courtyard in front of the gates to the castle itself," he tells him. "It's the building on the east side."

"Which room?" he asks.

"It's on the second floor," he says. "Follow the corridor down from the top of the stairs and you'll find a pair of double doors on the right. Last I knew, he was in there."

"If he's not, you're dead," Miller says to him. To Jiron he adds, "Good luck."

"Thanks," he says as he heads to the door. After opening the door, he glances to a worried Miko and says, "Don't worry, I'll get him out."

"When you see him, tell him One Eye is in the city," Miko tells him, "he'll understand."

Jiron nods his head as he leaves the room.

Chapter Twenty Six.

Leaving the inn behind, Jiron moves quickly and silently through the dark streets. The castle rises up before him to the south, its spires standing tall behind the wall enclosing the castle area. If Shyn is to be believed, James is being held in a building on the far side of the castle itself.

He makes his way around to the nearest gate which lies on the north side. The gate is large enough for two wagons to pa.s.s through side by side and still have enough room for foot traffic. The area is well illuminated and there are two guards on duty.

The buildings of the outer area end a hundred feet from the wall. It looks like that continues the entire way around, most likely to give the defenders a clear killing area should the enemy make it this far within the city.

Crouched in an alley a little way down from the gate, he tries to determine the best way to enter. Suddenly, a hand touches his shoulder from behind. He turns around fast, knife in his hand and just before he strikes, recognizes Jorry and Uther. "Man, you scared me!" he exclaims quietly.

He hears a chuckle come from Jorry as Uther says, "Sorry."

Indicating the guards at the gate, he says, "Just the two of them?"

"Yeah," replies Uther. He glances at Jiron and asks, "You gonna try to get in?"

"I hope to and see if I can't find James and Fifer," he tells them.

Jorry spits on the ground and then curses, "d.a.m.n that Shyn!"

"Yeah," agrees Uther. "I can't believe Miller'll let him go."

"He's not loose yet," Jorry says.

"True."

He glances from Jorry to Uther and says, "Do you think you guys could draw them off for a minute?"

"And how do you suppose we're to do that?" asks Jorry.

"Well, it depends on how convincing you guys can be and just how bored they are..."

Jiron waits in an alley on the east side of the gate. Suddenly, the crash of swords can be heard striking each other as Jorry and Uther come into the light on the west side of the gate. From where he's standing, it looks as if they're trying to kill each other as they shout obscenities and recriminations.

"Stop that!" one of the guards cries out as he moves over toward them. The other guard moves out a little from the gate as well to better see what's going on.

Back and forth, Jorry and Uther move as their swords dance and sparks fly. As the guard approaches, they begin to slowly move westward away from the gate and closer to the wall. The guard near the gate moves several more feet further from the entrance, his attention firmly fixed upon the combatants. The guard's back is toward where Jiron is hiding.

Jiron looks to make sure no one will see him and then moves quickly to the wall where he begins to make his way toward the gate. Oblivious to what Jiron is doing behind him, the second guard at the gate is watching the fighting intently. His partner is moving toward the combatants as he continues yelling for them to stop.

As Jiron slips through the gate, just feet behind the second guard, the other one reaches Uther and Jorry. Jiron hears the clashing of the weapons stop as he splits them up and tries to find out the reason they're fighting. Whatever they tell him is lost as he pa.s.ses through to the castle area.

Inside the walls, he finds the area well lit with oil filled street lamps s.p.a.ced in fifteen feet intervals along the streets. Many people are still about, walking along as they go from building to building about their business.

To his left stands a large group of soldiers laughing and talking amongst themselves, effectively blocking the quickest way to where James is being held. Cursing his luck, he follows the wall as it curves westward to the right, which will take him on the other side of the castle courtyard from where the building he's searching for lies.

Keeping to the dark shadows along the wall, he follows it as it curves around the castle area. Having to stop and remain motionless several times while someone pa.s.ses nearby, it takes almost ten minutes to make it to where he's able to see the courtyard on the south side of the castle. A quick glance shows him no one is in the immediate vicinity so he makes a quick dash across the street to the buildings bordering the castle courtyard.

Despite having oil lamps s.p.a.ced about, there are still shadows he's able to take advantage of as he makes his way closer to the courtyard. He pauses a moment when he reaches the edge of the courtyard in order to appraise the situation. To his left lies the castle, imposing and majestic. Directly across the courtyard in front of him lies the building supposedly holding James.

The courtyard is crowded, guards and soldiers are everywhere. He sees so many different coats of arms on the various uniforms, he figures there must be a meeting of leaders happening within the castle and these are their escorts waiting for them. If he's discovered now, there's nowhere to hide.