James hides in the shadows until they're just about to enter the circle of light from the next lamp. Then he steps out in front of them with his knife drawn and says, "Stop right there!"

They take one more step before coming to a halt, which brings them into the circle of light. A woman screams and James can see they're not Korgan and friend.

A middle aged lady and a gentleman who looks to have been a veteran of battle stand before him.

The man pulls out his sword and cries, "What's the meaning of this."

"My apologies," James stammers, embarra.s.sed. "I thought you were someone else." Putting away his knife, he begins backing away from the couple.

The man keeps his sword out as they, too, begin backing away.

"The gate!" Uther cries out.

They all turn their attention to the gate as they watch Korgan and his friend run in through the gate. Korgan pauses momentarily as he looks in their direction, a grin upon his face. He says something to the guards, and one brings a horn to his lips and begins sounding the alarm.

"Move!" cries Jiron and they all begin running down the street past the couple James had accosted.

Ducking down a side alley, they try to lose any pursuit that may be forthcoming. They run to the end of the alley and break across another main thoroughfare to the alley on the other side.

Pausing a moment, they listen for any pursuit. When none is forthcoming, Jiron leads them further into the alley until the darkness within completely swallows them before coming to a stop.

"Now what?" he says as he turns to James.

"I don't know," he replies. "We might try to backtrack the way he'd come and see if we can find where that meeting was being held."

"Whatever we do, we need to hurry," Illan states. "When they come to get you out of the dungeon in the morning for the council meeting, they'll know you're not there." Remembering the horn blast from the guard at the gate, he adds, "If they don't know already. And dawn isn't very far away." They all glance at the sky that is beginning to lighten with the coming of the morn.

"Hopefully we can discover their plans before the army begins its attack," Uther says. "Whatever they're planning has to coincide with that."

"I agree," says James. "Do you remember the way?"

Indicating the direction with a nod of his head, he replies, "It's this way." He then leaves the alley and turns down the street in the general direction of where Korgan had been.

"How are we going to find out which house it is?" Jiron questions.

"Not sure, exactly," replies James as they continue following Uther.

In the early morning hour, they've encountered relatively few people. No group has been greater than two or three and those were usually drunk. That's why when he sees a group of twenty men coming their way from down a side street, James has them duck into a side alley to avoid being seen.

"What's wrong?" Illan asks him when they're within the shadows of the alley.

"Doesn't it seem strange for such a large group to be about so early in the morning?" he asks.

"Now that you mention it, it does," he replies.

"And the fact they're in the area where all those weapons are leads me to think they may be going to retrieve those weapons," explains James.

"Could be," whispers Jiron.

They all remain quiet as the men turn onto the street James and the others had just recently vacated. As the men move away from them, James whispers, "My guess is, if we follow them, we'll find that house."

Several of the others nod their heads in understanding.

Letting the men move further down the street, James and the others quickly enter the street to follow them. They continue following the men at a discreet distance until they come to a large house. Turning off the street, the men approach the front door, open it, and then go in.

"That's the house!" exclaims Jorry excitedly. "Has to be!"

"We need to get word to Henri at the north gate," James says. "If they're moving to get their weapons, then the attack is imminent." He turns to Yern and says, "Tell him there are likely other spots around the city."

Yern nods and quickly heads off down the street.

"How'd they get so many within the city?" asks Fifer.

"Remember all those refugees that were pouring into the city when we got here?" James asks. When Fifer nods, he continues, "That's how. I bet they've been trickling in over the last several days, disguised as refugees."

"d.a.m.n!" he exclaims. "No telling how many there are within the city now."

James has them spread out around the building, staying within the shadows as best they can. He's keeping Miko close to hand.

Suddenly the door to the house begins to open and the men start filing out. Where they'd gone in without swords and armor, they're now coming out fully decked out for battle.

James takes several slugs from the pouch at his hip and sets them in his left hand. Taking one in his right, he let's the magic flow as he throws it at one of the men exiting through the doorway.

The slug strikes him square in the middle of the chest and gore sprays on the man behind him as the slug exits his back. Still having momentum, the slug strikes the second man in the chest but its force had been greatly reduced by going through the first man, only knocking him back a step as the armor prevents it from punching through.

"Keep them in the house!" cries James.

The others spring into action as another slug flies toward the open doorway, this time taking out the gore coated man. They move to the exits and begin fighting with those attempting to leave.

James can see Miko next to him begin to slowly pull his sword out of his scabbard and says, "Not this time, Miko. They can handle this."

Miko glances to him, his eyes regaining their focus as he nods and slides the sword back in the sheath.

The fighting going on around the house is becoming intense as those that were within begin to make their way out to engage Miller's band.

Cries from the neighboring buildings fill the night as the residents take notice of the fighting going on around the house.

Suddenly, horns can be heard coming from the west as the Empire's forces begin their a.s.sault.

James lets loose the power and...

Crumph!

...an explosion can be heard within the building. Windows shatter outward from the blast and all fighting ceases for a moment as the combatants stagger from the explosive concussion. The building begins to shake as the sides buckle and the entire structure collapses, burying those still inside.

The fighting resumes and the enemy that had made it out are soon dispatched. James does a quick survey and is pleased to note that all of them have survived. A few are bleeding from numerous cuts and Jorry has blood running down the side of his head.

"Come on!" he cries. "To the west wall, we can't let them get a foothold inside the city!"

"How do we know that's where they'll make their move?" asks Uther.

"We don't," replies James, "but that's where the horns are sounding."

As one they turn and begin racing toward the western wall. Other soldiers can be seen running to the sound of the horns to aid in the defense. On their way, they meet up with Yern who decided to return once the horns began sounding. "I think Henri will know what's going on now," he says when he rejoins them. Running as fast as they can, they head to the west gate.

They find a battlefield at the base of the west wall. Dead and dying soldiers litter the area in front of it. A semicircle of men are holding off the defenders while several others are over at the gatehouse attempting to open the locking mechanism.

The men keeping the defenders from the gate house are falling fast and soon the way is clear. Soldiers of Madoc rush toward the gatehouse and begin beating upon the gatehouse door. James can see the door itself is beginning to buckle under the force of the pounding.

Suddenly, a clanking sound can be heard as the locks on the gate are opened. James looks to the gatehouse and sees one of the saboteurs lift a sledgehammer as he begins smashing the locking mechanism, making it so the gates cannot be locked again.

The door to the gatehouse finally buckles and shatters. The defenders rush in, killing everyone, clearing the gatehouse.

"Bar the gate!" can be heard from the captain of the defenders as dozens of men throw their weight against the gate, trying to prevent it from being opened.

Archers upon the walls are raining down a barrage of arrows upon the attackers as they work to push open the gates from the other side. The Empire returns fire with their crossbowmen and James hears a cry as an archer plummets off the wall, a bolt sticking out of his chest.

The p.r.i.c.kling sensation of someone doing magic suddenly hits him. He looks around but it doesn't look like anyone close is the source. Then suddenly he understands, it's from someone on the other side of the wall.

The feeling spikes incredibly as the gates suddenly burst open, crushing men caught behind them as they slam into the walls.

"Beat them back!" James looks behind him and sees Lord Pytherian there in armor as he arrives with reinforcements. Rallying his men, they move to beat back the enemy.

His men surge forward as they clash with the enemy entering in through the open gates. The fighting is fierce and the defenders are slowly being beaten backward.

The remnants of Miller's band begin to join the defenders but Jiron stops them. "We must stay and protect James. He's our only hope!"

Yearning to join in the defense, they understand and position themselves around James to protect him from harm. Jiron nods to James and says, "It's all yours."

The p.r.i.c.kling sensation begins again and James climbs up on a wagon to get a better look. He sees the mage standing upon the bridge, arrows from the defenders seem to glance off a barrier of some sort surrounding him.

James concentrates on the bridge and meets resistance as the mage begins to counter what he's trying to do. A sudden thought comes to mind from a story he had read, 'First mage casts a spell, second mage counters, third mage casts spell to help the first, fourth casts spell to help the second, then the army shows up and cuts them all to pieces.' If he wasn't experiencing it, he'd laugh.

Two of the enemy break through the lines of defenders and come straight toward him. Jorry and Uther move to meet this threat and quickly take them out.

The contest of wills between James and the Empire's mage continues, as each tries to get the better of the other. Suddenly, the resistance eases up and James is able to finish his spell.

Crumph!

The area in front of the bridge explodes upward, enemy troops are flung into the air. Suddenly, the p.r.i.c.kling starts again and before James has a chance to recover, a bolt of force strikes him in the chest and knocks him backward off the wagon.

Hitting the ground hard, he has the wind knocked out of him. Coming to his knees, he tries to get his breath back as Jiron comes to his side.

As Jiron helps him to his feet, he sees Miko running toward the fighting at the gate, sword in hand. "Miko!" he tries to yell at him, but he can't get the volume needed to be heard. He watches as Miko begins to wade into the attackers, his sword moving so fast that the eye can hardly keep track of it.

"We've got to help him!" James cries out to Jiron.

"He's too far away," he replies. "We'd never be able to get to him!"

James watches a moment as Miko, in the state he's in, inadvertently kills a defender that had been coming to his aid.

The dust clears from where the explosion had occurred and they see that the bridge and the mage are still standing. More troops are pouring across the bridge and working their way through the hole he'd just created to continue the attack on the defenders.

The attackers fall like grain to the scythe as Miko strides into them, totally oblivious to the many minor cuts he's receiving. The line of soldiers that were pushing the defenders further into the city, buckles as Miko cuts a swath through them.

James tears his eyes away from Miko and back to the mage. The p.r.i.c.kling sensation spikes again and another bolt of force flies toward him. Ready for it this time, he's able to deflect its trajectory and it pa.s.ses by harmlessly.

He throws two stones in quick succession but they bounce harmlessly off the invisible barrier. Though the mage was untouched by the missiles, he does have the minor satisfaction of seeing them striking soldiers next to him.

The attacker's push into the city is at a standstill with Miko there. No one can stop him and the defenders are rallying around him. More archers are arriving from their positions on other parts of the wall and their arrows are having a devastating effect.

Lord Pytherian can be seen there amidst the line of defenders as he encourages them on to propel the invaders back. His sword is almost as deadly as Miko's to anyone who comes close.

James sends his senses out to the barrier around the mage, trying to understand it and find a weak point that can be exploited. Suddenly, he finds it and realizes he should've thought of it before.

He redirects his senses, searching for what he needs. When he finds it, he lets loose an enormous surge of power. The one place the mage's barrier does not cover is the soles of his feet.

Suddenly, an old root from a bygone tree breaks through the ground under his feet. The force of it hitting the mage's foot sends him reeling, the unexpectedness of it breaks his concentration. When the p.r.i.c.kling sensation stops completely, he knows the barrier is down.

He c.o.c.ks back his arm and with another great surge of power, sends a slug speeding toward the staggering mage. The mage tries to erect another barrier but is too late. Striking his upper chest, the slug blasts through and he topples backward into the river.

A cry rises from the defenders when they see him fall, and Lord Pytherian shouts above the din, "Now! Beat them back!" With unbridled ferocity, the defenders wade into the attackers.

James, fatigued and staggering a little, looks over the battling fighters. Miko stands near the gate, momentarily still as the attackers keep their distance. They've learned that to come near him is to die. His sword periodically moves in a blur as it strikes a bolt out of the air as it flies toward him.

"Come on!" James cries to the others. "Now's our chance to get him out of there!"

Running toward the fighting, James steers around pockets of fighting as he tries to get close to Miko.

Jorry, Uther and the others form a ring around him, taking out any attacker who gets close. Jiron, with knife in one hand, runs next to James. "Will he leave the battle?" he asks.

"I hope so," replies James. "If he gets out of the gate, we'll never get him back!"

"James!" he hears Lord Pytherian shout. He looks back and sees him pointing out of the gate. Turning his attention to the gate, he sees a large group of Parvatis coming across the bridge. If they get in it might turn the tide against the defenders.

"Jiron!" he exclaims. "Stop them!"

"How?" he replies. "I've only got one arm!"

"You're the Shynti, remember?" he explains.