Brian Pratt: Fires of prophesy

An hour later finds them coming to the stockade wall that surrounds the mine. It appears out of the forest and then turns to run along the edge of the road. They enter the forest on the opposite side of the road from the wall before coming into view of the guards patrolling along the top. Keeping well within the woods, they make their way slowly alongside the road, all the while staying out of sight of the guards atop the walls. When they reach the area directly across from the gate, they stop and from a hidden location, watch the guards atop the gate.

The guards are fairly lax in their duty, most of their time is spent either engaged in conversation with the guard next to them or looking within the compound. Only occasionally does anyone glance around the outside along the road and into the forest.

“Looks like they’re not too concerned about an attack from the outside,” Jiron whispers to James.

“I think they are there more to keep people in than out,” reasons James.

Jiron looks to him and nods, “That should make this all the easier, then.”

“Let’s hope so,” he replies. Then he asks, “Can you get in?”

Shaking his head, he says, “Not with all those guards on the wall, they would spot me for sure. Let me go around the walls and see if there might be anyplace that would be less visible.”

“Should I go with you?” James asks.

“No,” he answers. “I can move a lot quieter and quicker if I’m by myself. Just stay here and keep an eye on the gate, see if you can determine some kind of routine for the guards.”

“Alright,” he says. “You be careful, this isn’t like sneaking around a city.”

“I will,” he assures him and then begins moving along the road away from James, keeping in the trees to avoid detection. When he’s gone far enough away beyond the point where the wall turns back into the forest, he quickly rushes across the road and enters the forest on the other side.

James catches his breath when he sees him crossing the road, sure that a guard on the wall will see him. He looks to the wall, but the guards are too engrossed with their conversation to have noticed. Hoping he finds a way in, James sits back against a tree and makes himself comfortable while waiting for his return.

Keeping a watch on the gate and the guards on the wall, he soon realizes there isn’t any sort of routine or pattern. They simply stand there and converse among themselves, as well as others within the compound. One thing James has noticed is that there are always four guards walking the wall over the gate. Or rather, standing there talking to one another.

Jiron has been gone an hour when the gate opens and three wagons full of ore exit. The wagons turn south and begin rolling down the road toward the smelters. While the gate is open, James looks within but isn’t able to see much more than some buildings scattered about. He does see other guards about the place, five others besides the ones on top of the wall. Once the last wagon has exited through the gate, the gate swings closed. With the gate closed, there’s little for him to do other than sit back and wait for Jiron’s return.

A hand touching his shoulder jolts him awake. Startled, he finds Jiron has returned and is shaking him. “Wake up,” Jiron says with a smile as he sits next to him.

“What did you find?” James asks him.

“Just more of the same wall completely circling the entire encampment,” he says. “Each wall has guards patrolling along the top which will make any attempt to gain entry difficult at best.”

James gestures to the wall in front of them and says, “There are only four on patrol above the gate at any given time.”

“That’s about what it is on the others as well,” he explains. “Most of them seem to be totally unconcerned with what goes on outside of the walls.”

“I noticed that too,” says James. “It feels like no one has ever tried to break in here before.”

“Most likely,” agrees Jiron. “Hopefully that will make our job that much easier.”

“What’s the plan?” he asks him.

Jiron sits and thinks for a minute before saying, “I really want to know what’s on the other side of those walls. If I knew that, I would better know from where to attempt to gain entry.”

“How about climbing a tree?” suggests James. “That should raise you high enough to see within the walls.”

His eyes widen like he never even considered the option. Nodding, he says as he looks around the forest, “You may have something there.” He gets to his feet and begins to look around for a suitable tree that’s both tall enough and placed so he will be able to see over the walls without being observed.

When he finally locates one that appears to be acceptable, he says to James, “Be right back.” Then he walks quietly through the trees until he comes to the one he spotted. The tree sits about thirty feet away from where the wall turns from the road back into the forest.

Jumping up, he grabs hold of one of the lower branches and swings himself up. James alternates between watching him climb and keeping an eye on the guards, all the while praying that he’ll remain unobserved. The guards, totally oblivious to what’s happening in the tree near them, continue talking among themselves.

James glances back to Jiron and sees that he’s reached a height that will afford him a good view of the entire compound. He settles into the crook of a branch and stays up there quite awhile before beginning his descent back to the ground. Once down, he makes his way over to where James is waiting.

“Well?” he asks when Jiron approaches.

“They have a lot of guards within the walls,” he says. “Thirty or more, I couldn’t get an exact count. That of course, doesn’t include any that are currently within the mine.”

He takes a stick and begins drawing a diagram of the compound on the ground. He draws the wall and a large pit in the middle and large rectangles around the pit. “There’s a large pit in the middle, most likely the entrance to the mines.” Pointing to the rectangles around the pit he says, “These look to be quarters for the slaves and perhaps other auxiliary buildings, similar to the ones we saw back at the smelters.”

“Did you see any of the slaves?” he asks.

“A few, but the majority must still be within the mine.” He sits back and rests for a moment. “I’ll go back up the tree and stay there till nightfall, just to see if things change. Then we can determine what we want to do.”

“Alright,” agrees James, anxious now that he’s this close to getting Miko out.

Jiron reaches into his pouch and hands some dried beef to James as he says, “Here.”

Taking the beef, James asks, “Where did you get this?”

“Found it on Kristo’s boat,” he says, grinning.

James tears off a bite and begins chewing, a little tough, but not bad. Jiron hands him another chunk and they have a quick meal before he returns to the tree to watch the compound. While they’re eating, the gate opens and another five wagons leave the compound as they begin rolling south down the road to the smelters.

“They get a lot of iron from here, don’t they?” he observes, a thoughtful look coming to him.

Nodding, James replies, “Yeah, I’ve been watching wagons leave all day. Why?”

“No reason,” he replies. Finishing up, Jiron gets back to his feet and goes over to the tree where he again climbs up to keep an eye on what’s going on inside the walls.

“Boys,” Essin announces as the last wagon of the day rolls away, “I believe that puts us close to being the best team in the mines.”

A cheer erupts from the men, Miko feels pride as Nate slaps him on the back and gives him a big grin. “Your hard efforts have not gone unnoticed and tonight you will not find the usual fare brought to your quarters. Tonight, you will have beef and wine.”