Brian Pratt - Fires of prophesy

“Soldiers now?” James says as they quickly turn off the street into another alley.

Leading them further into the alley, Jiron replies, “Guess we really got their attention.”

“That was the plan,” James says from behind. “Could be the ones who’ve been following us the last few days, too,” he adds.

“Possibly,” agrees Jiron.

Coming to the end of the alley, they pause as they watch a dozen or more soldiers running past on their way further into the city. They’re just moving past the alley where James and Jiron are waiting, when from up above them, a woman begins crying out to the soldiers.

James looks up as she continues yelling and pointing to where they’re hiding in the alley. Glancing back toward the soldiers, he sees them turning and begin running in their direction.

“Damn!” he hears Jiron curse as they race back down the alley. Before they reach the end of the alley, Jiron grabs James and ducks into a side door of the building opposite the one with the woman.

James slams the door shut and locks it. That’s when he realizes Jiron has led them into someone’s home. Jiron takes the stairs leading up to the second floor with James following close behind. Before they reach the top of the stairs, banging can be heard coming from the door leading to the alley.

Emerging from the stairs onto the second floor they see before them a long hallway running the length of the home. From the far end a door can be heard slamming shut and what sounds like furniture being piled behind the door to prevent them from gaining access to it.

They do a quick search and locate a narrow stairway leading up to the roof. As Jiron steps upon the ladder to go up to the roof, they hear the door to the alley burst in. Moving quickly up the stairs they reach the roof.

Jiron pauses momentarily as James clears the ladder. “Where now?” James asks him.

He scans the buildings adjacent to them and finds one with a small enough gap between them that they will be able to jump. “Follow me,” he tells him as he runs and jumps over the gap between buildings.

James runs as fast as he can and with heart beating wildly, jumps across. Sailing through the air he glances to the alley below and panics. When he lands on the other side, he loses his balance, falls to the roof and rolls a couple of times before coming to a stop.

Jiron is there to help him back to his feet and then they run to the opposite side where they once more jump the gap. James makes it this time without falling.

A noise behind them causes James to turn and he sees soldiers pouring onto the roof of the building they had originally exited. “One more time,” he hears Jiron say as he makes once more for the edge of the building where he jumps across to the other side.

Looking over his shoulder before he starts to run for the edge, James sees the soldiers beginning to jump the first gap in pursuit. Bracing himself for another jump, he runs quickly and soars over to the other building where he lands well, maintaining his balance.

Jiron is standing by an open trapdoor that leads down into the building. “Hurry!” he yells over to him as he begins to climb down.

James reaches the trapdoor and starts to climb down when he hears Jiron fighting with someone on the inside. When he clears the top, he sees him there battling with someone in their nightshirt.

The man is no match for Jiron and is soon lying on the ground, blood beginning to soak the front of his nightshirt.

“Did you have to kill him?” James asks as Jiron begins to descend to the ground floor.

With impatience in his voice, Jiron replies, “Didn’t have time not to.”

Coming to the front door, he pauses a moment and says to James, “I think we’re only a couple of streets down from the inn.”

“Thank goodness,” exclaims James.

He looks out a window near the door and sees many soldiers running past on their way to the building they had originally entered down the street.

Suddenly, they hear the pounding of many feet on the roof as the soldiers chasing them reach the roof from the other building.

Jiron says to James, “There are still a lot of soldiers out there.”

“What choice do we have?” he replies grimly.

Jiron throws open the door and quickly engages the closest soldier, taking him by surprise. At the clash of metal, every eye turns toward them. Jiron quickly disposes of the soldier as he turns to face the others.

James pauses momentarily as he gazes at the dozens of soldiers in the street that are now intent upon them.

Crumph!

The ground explodes to their right, throwing soldiers and dirt into the air. Then he releases the power again as the ground to their left explodes upward. Two soldiers are left dazed and standing after the two explosions.

Jiron closes with the first one and in his dazed state, is unable to defend himself. Jiron takes him out in short order. The other soldier gains his senses quickly and draws his sword as he advances.

James looks back to the building they just vacated and sees the soldiers coming down the stairs from the roof, heading for the open door. Almost out of reflex, he unleashes a blast of energy through the door, knocking them backward and slowing them down.

“Come on!” Jiron says to him as the second soldier falls to the ground.

His head bursting with pain and knees wobbly, he hurries as best he can. Jiron sees the condition he’s in and takes his arm, helping him toward the inn.

They move along the path left between the two large holes in the road he created with the explosions and move into another alley on the far side. Hurrying as best they can, they come to the rear wall of the inn’s courtyard.

The inn’s courtyard is crowded with people who begin screaming and running when they see Jiron and James approaching. Jiron is a ghastly site, covered in blood as he is with one knife drawn, glinting in the torchlight. The courtyard is soon cleared of the panicked people. They move to the stable to retrieve their horses that they had left saddled for a quick escape.

Once in the saddle, they ride out of the courtyard and into the street where Jiron plows through a group of soldiers, knocking them to the ground. Riding with all speed, they race for the edge of town, several crossbow blots fly in their direction but all miss their mark.

They gallop with reckless speed through the streets, heedless of anyone in their way as they make for the edge of town. Suddenly, Jiron pulls up and stops. “Why did you stop?” James hollers at him as he slows to a halt beside him.

Jiron points down the street and says, “Look.”

Looking to where Jiron is pointing, he gasps when he sees the men stationed along the road ahead of them. There are easily thirty crossbowmen and another fifty foot soldiers barring their way. “Oh my god!” he says. Beyond the waiting men is the edge of town, and escape.

Looking behind them, Jiron sees a swarm of soldiers heading their way. “Looks like we’re trapped,” he says.

“Jiron,” James says.

“Yes?” he replies without taking his eyes off the approaching soldiers.

James removes a rope from behind his saddle and begins tying himself in place. “You may need to lead my horse should I lose consciousness.”

Jiron looks over to him and sees what he’s doing, “What do you plan?”

“Don’t have time to explain,” he replies. “Just don’t let go of my horse, whatever you do.”

Jiron nods his head and takes the reins as James closes his eyes. Behind them, the soldiers are gaining, only five buildings separate them from where he’s sitting on his horse. The soldiers barring the edge of town have taken notice of them as well and have begun advancing slowly toward them. Come on, James! he thinks to himself as he watches the men getting closer.