With a city guard hot on his trail, he raced through the streets of Bearn. Clutched tightly to his chest was a loaf of bread that had until just recently, been on display in front of a baker’s shop. Still warm and emitting a most mouthwatering aroma, it would likely be the only meal he would have this day. Unless of course he was caught.
Usually he took more care when purloining food. Those in his situation had to keep from being noticed by the authorities. For once they became known as thieves, life became all the harder.
Miko never wished to be a thief. His life being what it was, he was forced to steal from time to time merely to survive. The odd job that came along never paid much. As often as not, he would be forced to relinquish his coins to the older kids or suffer a beating. Life on the street was not easy.
“Stop!” the guard yelled. “Thief!”
A glance over his shoulder revealed the guard had closed some distance and was gaining fast. Up ahead loomed the dark mouth of an alley and he bolted toward it. Dodging around a servant girl with a basket full of fruit, he reached the alley and shot inside.
A form emerged out of the shadows before him. Unable to stop in time, he struck the emerging shadow dead center.
“What the hell?” a voice cried as a boy several years Miko’s senior was knocked to the ground only to have Miko land atop him.
“Miko!” another boy shouted.
Before he knew what was happening, Miko was pulled off the older boy, his hard won bounty ripped from his hands, and a poorly shod foot kicked him in the side.
Just then, the guard appeared at the mouth of the alley. “Stay right there!” he commanded. Drawing his sword, he was about to step into the alley when the group of older boys took off. As they disappeared into the shadows, one of them cried, “Thanks Miko!” to the laughter of his fellows.
“Stop!” the guard ordered but the boys were gone. Then he turned his attention to Miko. “It’s the axe man for you, boy.”
Miko knew what ‘axe man’ the guard meant. Anyone caught in the act of stealing would lose a hand, even if it was a loaf of bread. For not yet being of age to shave, he would most likely lose his left as a lesson while leaving him his right in order that he may still be a productive member of society after having seen the error of his ways. Unable to face such a future, he bolted.
The guard’s foot lashed out and tripped him before he could take two steps. “Oh no you don’t,” the guard said as Miko’s head slammed into the alley’s wall. Landing in a pile of refuse, he squirmed away but the guard placed his foot against his back, pinning him to the ground.
“No use struggling,” the guard said, laughing. “You ain’t getting away.”
Noooooooooo!
He came awake in a cold sweat, heart beating fast. Miko sat up and was about to bolt when realization sank in. It had only been a dream. The familiar sight of their horses and mule, as well as James lying still asleep nearby gave him a small measure of peace.
Glancing over to James’ sleeping form, he calmed himself. He thought, And you thought coming with you was dangerous! What he had gone through in his travels with James was nowhere near as bad as his previous life had been. At least with James, he was treated as an equal of sorts.
The caw of a bird drew his attention to where several fought over something small. No sooner had one stolen the prize from another, than that bird lost it in turn. He rubbed the dream-sweat from his forehead, and panicked when he removed his hand and found it smeared with blood.
“James!” he shouted. “I’m bleeding!”
Startled out of a deep sleep, James raised his head and looked over to Miko. All vestiges of sleep vanished when he found a scene that sent chills down his spine. Forehead darkened with blood and a hand to match, Miko sat not far away with wide and frantic eyes. He stared at the boy’s blood-smeared hand. Alarmed, James hurried over.
As he knelt to inspect Miko’s forehead, he said, “Now just calm down, it doesn’t look like it is still bleeding.” He put his hand on the ground for balance and squished something soft and a little bit nasty beneath his palm. Quickly lifting his hand, he discovered a small, bloody mass mixed in with the dirt.
“Miko, look!” he said as he picked up a stick.
He bent over to look at it more closely. James poked at it and then turned it over. Miko watched, and when the object was revealed to be a human eye, he lost it. He bent over, retching, and expelled what little his stomach held. Disgusted, James flipped the eye out of camp.
A dark form swooped out of the sky, and in a deft aerial maneuver, snatched the eye before it hit the ground. James threw the stick at the bird who adroitly avoided the missile. As it flew away, two other black birds gave chase.
“It hit me in the head!” Miko said once he stopped vomiting.
“Relax,” James said as he headed over to the nearest horse. “You’ll live.”
Water bottle in hand, he rinsed the blood off his hand and then gave it to Miko. While Miko cleaned himself, James gazed around the immediate vicinity. Groups of the black birds were massed upon the dead men and horses, feasting. His gorge rising, he quickly made ready to travel so they could leave this place behind.
Miko helped him while both did their best to ignore the feasting around them. When they were finally ready to ride, Miko was the first in the saddle and raced past the clumps of birds with eyes closed, not stopping until they were no more than black specks on the horizon.
“Are you going to be okay?” asked James.
“I’m better now that we left that behind us,” he replied, still a little pale.
“I know what you mean. Better them than us though, eh?”
“Yeah, I suppose so.” Miko still felt a bit green, but after a few minutes felt better.
The rest of the day went by without incident. They arrived at the outskirts of Willimet shortly before sunset. The first building they came to boasted a sign with a man sleeping on a bed. Figuring it to be an inn, they stopped out front where James left Miko with the horses as he walked to the front door. Before he drew near, it opened unexpectedly.
A man emerged reeking of some unknown unpleasantness. His hair was matted and the original color of his clothes was lost beneath an accumulation of stains and grime. His odor was so strong that James was forced to hold his breath until the man passed. Once the man had moved some distance away, he took a hesitant breath. Though the man’s stench was still present, it was no longer so overpowering.
Stepping through the doorway, he again was forced to hold his breath. The inside of the inn reeked just as badly as the man. Nasty was the word that came to mind when he glanced around the inn and toward the common room. Some tables had yet to be cleared of the remnants of the noon meal though it had been over for many hours. Smoke from the kitchen created an unpleasant haze that only heightened James distaste.
A skinny man of average height with greasy black hair spied him standing in the foyer. Wiping his hands on an apron that quite possibly had never been washed, he crossed over to greet him. “Need a room?” he asked, and James could almost see the green, putrefied odor coming from the man as he talked.
James turned his head slightly to try to get away from the sickening smell. “No,” he quickly replied while he tried not to breathe. “Just seeing if my friend was here,” he lied. “Thanks though.” He made a hasty exit through the front door, and took a deep breath once outside. He informed Miko that they would not be staying there that night.
“What was wrong with it?”
Getting back on his horse he replied, “It was filthy and nasty. The one person I saw stank and I fear he may have been the cook.” The thought of eating anything produced in a place of such disregard for cleanliness made him slightly sick.
“I’m sure there are others here, it’s a fair sized town,” commented Miko.
“I certainly hope so. I’ll sleep under the stars again before I stay in a place like that.”
They found another inn further into town. Th
is one looked to have a fresh coat of paint and the grounds were well-maintained and orderly. “I think this may do nicely,” he said with satisfaction. It was a stark contrast to the earlier place.
“I hope so,” added Miko, “it’s starting to get dark.”
James dismounted and said to Miko, “Stay here and I’ll see if they have a room available.”
“Alright,” Miko replied.
He handed Miko his reins, went up the stairs and entered the inn. This one had a smoky haze similar to the other inn, but at least it smelled of wood smoke and cooking. Overall, the place looked to be a better choice. A man greeted him, “Welcome to the Apple Tree Inn. How can we help you tonight?”
A friendly greeting, with a neat and clean common area. Yes, he thought to himself, I think this will do.
“My friend and I require a room,” he said, “and stalls for our animals.”
“How many do you have?”
“Two horses, and a mule.”
Nodding, the man said, “Yes, we do have room for you. It will be a silver a night for the room and another four coppers for the stalls.”
James handed over the money and received a room key in exchange. “It’s off the common room.” He pointed toward a side hallway, “All the way down and on the left. It’s the quietest room we have.”
“Thank you,” James said, “I appreciate that.”
He and Miko took their animals around back, and got them settled into the stable. They took their bags, and returned to the inn where they found their room at the end of the hallway. Two beds again, which made Miko happy. They put their bags next to their respective beds before they headed back to the common room.
They enjoyed a quiet dinner of roast fowl, bread and ale. After downing the last of his ale, James said, “I think I’ll go for a walk” He glanced to Miko, “Like to come with me?”
“Sure, okay,” Miko agreed. “Maybe we could find some more tarts?”
“You never know,” James replied, smiling at his friend.
They left the inn and strolled through the streets. During their walk they got propositioned by several women, all of who looked rather skanky to James.
After turning down the fifth offer of cheap sex, Miko said, “There’s something I’ve noticed about you.”
“What’s that?” asked James.
“You are never with a woman. Don’t you like them?” Miko inquired. “Or is it because you were mutilated?”
“I like women, most definitely,” he replied, and then came to a stop. Turning a quizzical look to Miko he asked, “What do you mean ‘because I was mutilated’?”
Looking a little embarrassed, Miko said, “Well, when we took our baths the other night, I couldn’t help but notice that a part of you had been cut off.”
“What are you talking about?” James asks confused. Then it hit him, he was circumcised. He started laughing and said, “What you are referring to was done when I was born. It’s a custom with my people that when a boy is born, such is done to him.”
Looking aghast, Miko asked, “What for?”
“It’s the common belief that if it’s removed then there will be less chance for infection during his life,” answered James. “In fact there is one religion back home that mandates it.”
“I’m glad I wasn’t born there,” Miko stated with conviction, unconsciously covering himself.
“There are times when I wish it hadn’t been done to me too, but there’s not a whole lot I can do about it now. But rest assured, it still works as well as anybody else’s and it doesn’t affect my desire for sex.”
“Then why don’t you go after the women?”
“I was raised to believe sex is not a casual thing,” he explained. “And it’s definitely something you should never pay anyone to do. Also, there are certain diseases that you can get from such activities that really mess you up bad, even kill you.”
“The boys I used to hang around with, whenever they got hair between their legs, started going after the girls”
“Yeah, I knew guys back home that were like that too,” admitted James. “But you should always do what you think is right, no matter what others may think or do.”
James resumed walking and Miko was silent for a while, thinking about what was just said. They eventually arrived at the main marketplace which was still surprisingly busy even though night had already fallen. Several performers were scattered around. One was a juggler who had several different objects coursing through the air simultaneously. Next to him sat a chair with a knife that sat half on and half off the seat. At one point the juggler added the knife to the dance of items in the air with an upward kick of his foot. As it flew up, the onlookers oohed and ahhhed. When he caught and incorporated it within the pattern of the other items, they erupted in applause. Several tossed coins into a hat resting on the ground.
They watched as the juggler kept all the items airborne. Twice people tossed other objects which he also incorporated into his aerial display. Miko was completely fascinated by the man so they stayed there for a little while to watch. By the time they moved on, the juggler had seven items in the air and didn’t look like he was going to stop anytime soon. James gave Miko three coppers to drop in the hat.
As they made their way through the marketplace, they stopped to observe other performers, though none were as talented as the juggler. While they paused to watch a fire breather, James noticed a small tent almost hidden in a dark corner of the market. Inside sat a woman at a table. Before her atop the table rested what looked to be a crystal ball. She looks just like a fortune teller right out of an old movie, he thought to himself. Curiosity got the better of him.
“Miko, I’ll be over there,” James said as he pointed toward the small tent.
“Alright,” Miko acknowledged. “I’m going over to watch the monkey.” He pointed to where a man had a monkey doing tricks and wearing a funny little outfit.
“Don’t get lost,” James said before he made his way through the crowd and entered the tent.
“Close the curtain so we may have some privacy,” the woman said to James. She indicated a chair across from her. “Come, sit down and I’ll look into your future.”
He unhooked the curtain and let it fall, then walked to the chair and sat.
“Place your hands upon the table, next to the ball with your palms up.” She rested her hands upon his and said, “Now look into the ball and make your mind blank, let it drift as it will.”
He stared into the crystal ball, but all he saw was the crystal ball.
“You must relax,” she told him, as she gave him a reassuring smile. He did his best and slowly his mind cleared, and his body relaxed.
She stared into the ball as she said, “I see a great future for you, one of power and fame.”
“Really?” he asked as he peered more intently into the ball but failed to see anything.
She looked up and said, “The ball does not lie. Now, gaze deeper within its depths.”
He stared into the ball as she said, “I see love and happiness for you.” When he looked up to her she met his eyes and said, “And not too far away.”
“She looks to be a daughter of a rug maker,” she said. She looked up to see his reaction. Then she quickly added, “Or possibly a horse trader.”
“Where can I find her?”
“Back home,” she said. “Where you were born.”
Fake! He thought to himself. There aren’t any such back where I come from. “Thank you,” he said, then began removing his hands from the table.
Suddenly, her hands shook and she clenched his tightly, preventing him from pulling them back. “I can see that you have come a great distance and not by choice.”
From deep within the ball, a deep red color blossomed. He relaxed and waited to see where this would go, he was intrigued by the show if not the accuracy.
“You have many questions,” she said, her voice becoming more distant, “and few answers. You are on a quest, a quest for a
nswers.”
A chill ran down his back. She was hitting closer to the mark now. The deep red color continued to grow and started to slowly swirl throughout the ball.
“I see a long road but you are not alone, another walks with you,” she said, her voice changing, growing harsh and raspy. “He will be the key, a lock must be opened.”
Nervous, he hesitated. He was on the verge of leaving yet drawn to see what would happen.
The red swirl churned faster and a subtle pulse could be seen coming from the orb. Gasping, her body jerked. Her hands tightened around his in a grip of surprising strength. He tried to free his hands but was unable to break away. Her grip grew uncomfortable.
Looking at her he saw that her features had changed subtly, yet unmistakably. With a voice growing less human she said:
With the star, seal your fate,
A giant knocks upon the gate.
Her voice rose in volume and pitch, and the throbbing red vortex in the ball swirled like a maelstrom. The pulsing continued to grow and became much more pronounced with each word she uttered.
Pillars of Flame dispel the night,
Out of darkness, blossoms a light.
Her grip on his hands became painful. With her eyes wide, the pupils rolled back into her head, her visage now completely unnerved him. Scared, he wanted nothing more than to break free. Struggle though he might, her grip on his hands was simply too strong.
A friend’s wrath you shall feel,
Destroy the land so it may heal.
The crystal of the ball was now completely infused with red and the swirl was no longer apparent. Now a solid red, it pulsated, keeping in time with the words being spoken by the woman.
Return the lost, stones to dust,
The table began to vibrate, the pulsating grew more pronounced, actually bathing the entire tent in an eerie pulsating red glow. In a voice that sounded as if it was being stretched to its limit, she cried:
Remember… in all… your heart... to trust!
She screamed as the crystal ball exploded, sending shards in all directions. Several scored along his arms and face. At the shattering of the ball, she fell backward and released the iron grip she had on his hands. Her chair tipped over backward and the woman hit the floor, not moving.
James came around the table and saw that she still lived, but was unconscious. Amazed, he discovered a streak of white going through her black hair that hadn’t been there before. Droplets of blood welled from the many spots on her arms and face where she had been struck by the shattering ball. He lifted her from the floor and carried her to a pile of pillows in the corner of the tent and tried to make her comfortable. When he had her settled, he looked around the tent at the shards of crystal everywhere.
He began removing the shards from her skin when her eyes flew open. “Who are you?”
“You were telling me my future,” James replied soothingly so as not to alarm her. “You must have gone into a trance or something. Then suddenly the ball exploded and you fell over unconscious.”
“That has never happened to me before,” she said, frightened. She looked around at the scattered pieces and broke down into tears. “What am I to do?” she wailed. “I have no ball! How am I going to get people to come in here? How am I to live?”
“I am sure you could still make it work,” James assured her. “There are many different ways in which to tell people’s futures.”
She didn’t look convinced. “But seeing in the ball is what I am known for. They won’t believe in me if I try another way.”
“Can you get another one?”
“They are hard to come by and expensive. This one cost me over fifteen golds,” she said, sobbing again.
He reached into his pouch and pulled out fifteen golds and gave them to her. “Here, take this.”
Taking his coins, she again started to cry only this time in gratitude. “Oh, thank you, how can I ever repay you?”
“Just help others, that is all I ask.”
He looked around at the shambles that was her tent. “When the tale gets around that while you were reading someone’s future, the ball shattered and that white streak manifested itself in your hair, you may have more business than ever before.”
She reached up and touched her hair. “A white streak?” she asked incredulously.
He touched her hair above her forehead and said, “Yes. It starts here and goes all the way back. Makes you look mysterious.”
She pulled some of her hair down before her eyes and looked at the white strands. “Mysterious?” she said as she started to calm a bit.
“Will you be alright now?”
“Yes,” she said. “I think I may.”
“Then I must go,” he said. “Thank you for the telling.”
“You are welcome, sir,” she replied. “Was it helpful? I don’t remember.”
“It didn’t make a lot of sense,” he said, “but who knows with such things?” He pushed aside the curtain that shielded the entrance. Outside he found Miko still watching the performing monkey who now rode a wagon being pulled by a small dog to the laughter of the bystanders.
When he reached Miko’s side, the boy saw his face in the torchlight. “What happened to you?”
“Oh, I just had my fortune told and there was a little accident,” he explained. “I’m okay, nothing to worry about.”
Turning back to watch the monkey, Miko said, “This little guy is amazing, he can do all kinds of tricks.”
“I’m sure he can, but maybe it’s about time we head back to the inn.”
“Alright,” he agreed. “But what about those tarts?”
“I almost forgot.” Glancing around the market, James searched for a bakery but couldn’t make one out. “Let’s walk around and if we don’t find one, we’ll head back to the inn, agreed?”
“Agreed.” Miko led the way. Though they failed to find a bakery, they came across a man who sold what reminded James of a cinnamon roll. Instead of cinnamon it had a red jelly spread across the top and in the middle. They bought six and headed back to the inn. Eating as they went they both agreed that they were delicious and ended up eating them all before they made it back to the inn.
With the words of the fortune teller still echoing in his mind James had trouble falling asleep. ‘Another walks with you, he will be the key, a lock must be opened’. That had to be a reference to Miko. But what lock will he open? He’s not a thief.
The rest of it didn’t make much more sense:
With the star, seal your fate,
A giant knocks upon the gate.
Pillars of Flame dispel the night,
Out of darkness blossoms a light.
A friend’s wrath you shall feel,
Destroy the land so it may heal.
Return the lost, stones to dust,
Remember in all your heart to trust.
I’m sure it will make sense after it would have been useful to know, he reasoned. After wrestling with it, he finally succumbed to sleep.
Early the next morning, they gathered their things and headed down to the common room. They discovered the lower floor of the inn swarming with people. The buzz of conversation flowed throughout the room like a hive of excited bees.
“…I didn’t believe it myself at first…”
“…lucky to be alive if you ask me…”
“…simply incredible, you should see her…”
Spying one of the serving girls, James caught her attention. “What’s going on?”
Giving him a surprised look, she said, “Haven’t you heard? Serenna’s ball exploded during a foretelling last night.”
“Oh really?” he asked. “Is she alright?”
“She’s fine,” replied the serving girl, “though her face and arms were struck when the ball exploded. No one knows what happened to the person for whom she was doing the foretelling.” Suddenly, she noticed his face and the numerous fresh puncture marks. She looked at his arms and saw matching wounds there
as well. “You?”
“I’m afraid so, but let’s not make too much out of it, okay?” he asked. “I would just like some breakfast.”
“Sure thing,” she said as she backed away then turned and headed toward the kitchen. On the way she paused to whisper to another serving girl who glanced over at him with a wide-eyed expression. The other serving girl then turned to another person. Soon the conversations quieted as word of his appearance spread. Fearful looking eyes took in the wounds which dotted his face and arms that had been caused by the shattering of the ball. James began to feel a little self-conscious beneath such scrutiny.
“Wonder why such a reaction?” Miko asked.
“Don’t know,” he replied. “Let’s just eat and get out of here fast.”
“Yeah, it’s getting kind of creepy.” Taking a seat at a small table in the corner of the common room, they waited for the serving girl to appear.
When their meal arrived, the girl set it on the table then backed away fast. Wishing for nothing else but to rid themselves of the watchful crowd, they ate their meal quickly. Most saw that James was not behaving out of the norm, and they soon returned to their conversations.
James couldn’t help but notice the way everyone cast glances their way. After a bit, he also noticed that the crowd seemed to be getting larger. Over in the corner were several youngsters talking amongst themselves. One girl from the group, who couldn’t have been more than twelve, was given an encouraging shove from another. She timidly made her way to his table. She stopped several feet away and asked nervously, “Can I ask you a question?”
James said, “Sure, what would you like to know?”
With eyes wide and a slight tremble in her voice she asked, “Is it true that a demon came and Serenna had to fight it off or it would have eaten your soul?”
“What?” he cried incredulously.
“You didn’t tell me that part,” Miko said.
“That’s because it never happened.” Turning to the girl he asked, “Just where did you hear that story?”
“Everyone is talking about it,” she said. “They say you made a pact with the demon and that it was coming to collect!”
“That’s absurd!” he replied. Then he noticed how every eye in the inn was directed his way. From their expressions, it was clear they had heard the same thing.
Standing up, James faced the crowd and raised his voice saying, “Despite the rumors you may have heard, there was no demon and I have never made a pact with one.”
“But I heard the story from Serenna herself,” one lady said from the crowd. “She’s been telling it all morning.”
“Oh, we’ll just see about that!” He grabbed his things and said, “Miko, we’re leaving.” They went to the stable to collect their horses and mule. Curious onlookers followed and watched as they made ready to ride. It was with great relief when they mounted and left the courtyard. A few attempted to follow but he kicked the side of his horse and quickly left them behind.
Drawing near the marketplace, they found it packed with people. They slowly made their way forward, forcing their way through at times, to the grumblings of those they pushed aside. The marketplace wasn’t much better as a mass of people filled the entire area, all faced toward Serenna’s tent. James carefully maneuvered through them. Standing on a wagon in front of her tent, she spoke to the crowd, the white streak in her hair a stark contrast against the black.
“…its scaly foot had him pinned to the floor, a seven foot sword dripping with fire was raised and ready to cleave him from head to toe. ‘Your soul is mine’ the fiend cried.” The crowd collectively caught their breath, with several women actually fainting dead away. “Not knowing what else to do, I cried, ‘Fiend be gone’ and threw my crystal ball.” Pausing for effect she dramatically reenacted the throwing of the ball. “When it struck, the demon cried out in pain. Why, I don’t know. The crystal shattered, spraying shards in all directions.” Using her hands to direct their gaze to her face, she continued. “Many of the shards struck me, causing great pain.” Members of her audience let out with an ‘ahhh.’
“The shattering of the crystal in some way caused the demon to return to its realm.” A cheer arose from the crowd. “The poor man, who had come to me for help, lay there, whimpering with fear.” Her voice softened, “‘Mama, is that you?’ he cried as I came close. Not knowing what else to say I replied, ‘Yes it is, dear.’”
James saw everyone hung onto every word Serenna was saying. Some of the women were openly sobbing with tears streaking their face. Even the men were visibly moved.
“I held him there, blood still welling from my wounds, pain throbbing in my face and arms, yet still I held him. He slowly came to his senses and at first did not know where he was, ‘Where am I?’ he asked. ‘You’re safe, that is all that’s important now,’ I assured him. He suddenly jumped up, fear again in his eyes and ran out of my tent. I called for him to return, so that I might help him, but he did not heed me.”
The audience applauded. James would have been moved by the story too, if he hadn’t known it was just a bunch of lies. Feeling slightly offended, he continued toward her.
Her attention drawn to the presence of a rider approaching, she recognized him. “There he is!” she cried as she pointed toward him. The crowd as one turned their attention upon him, the marks on his face and hands were quite visible. They were a match to the ones she herself bore.
“It is him,” uttered many whispered voices throughout the crowd.
“I am glad you are now safe,” Serenna said, loud enough for the crowd to hear.
“That’s quite a story,” James said, raising his voice loud enough to carry across the marketplace. “But not quite true, is it?” Turning to the crowd he continued, “There was no demon…”
A scream ripped through the marketplace. With a crazed look in her eyes, Serenna screamed again then cried out to the crowd, “The demon has taken this man’s soul for his own. Do not hearken to him.” She pointed an accusing finger at James.
His line of thought was broken by the unexpected shriek; he began to formulate his next rejoinder.
“Uh, James,” said Miko staring at the crowd.
“Not now, Miko,” James said, trying to come up with a counter to what Serenna had just said.
“James,” he said again with a slight tension and a sense of urgency to his voice.
James looked back toward Miko and then the crowd. The crowd stared at him in a less than friendly manner.
“Be gone demon!” Serenna cried out. “Bother not our city!”
“Maybe we should go,” Miko suggested nervously.
The crowd grew more edgy. Fearing it could easily transform into a mob, he nodded and they turned to proceed back the way they had come. The crowd parted for them as they left. Every eye was on him as they made their way from the marketplace. As they left the area, they heard Serenna once again speak to the crowd though they were no longer able to make out the words. The crowd within the marketplace cheered loudly to something that she had said.
James shook his head and led them out of the city. Once again they headed east toward the Merchant’s Pass.
Chapter Seventeen
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