Brian Pratt - The unsuspecting mage

He cautiously looks out and takes a quick look around. Finding the room empty, James opens the door wider and steps into the room, signaling for Miko to follow. As Miko passes through he closes the door behind him.

The room looks to be a richly furnished den. The door they came through turns out to be a life sized portrait of a man that has been hinged to the wall, concealing the secret entrance. A large mahogany desk and chair dominate the room, with a large picture window in the wall behind it. Across the room from the desk sits a brick fireplace, now cold and unused. Several shelves line the walls containing many books and other knickknacks. From the looks of this room, the owner is a very rich individual indeed.

The only exit from the room, other than the one they came through, is a door to the left of the portrait. Nodding to the door, he whispers to Miko, “See if you can see or hear anything.” While he checks the door, James walks across the room to the window behind the desk to see if it can be opened. He finds it held closed with a simple lock and can easily be opened. Glancing out the window, he sees an expansive lawn area extending from the house to a high stone wall which looks to surround the grounds of the estate. At the moment there doesn’t appear to be anyone in the vicinity. He whispers over to Miko who is still peering out the door, “Anything?”

Shaking his head no, Miko says, “Nothing. All seems to be quiet.”

“Good,” he replies with relief. “Maybe we can get out of here before we’re discovered.”

“I’m for that,” agrees Miko. “They would take us for thieves for sure.”

Waving Miko over to him he says, “There’s no one out in the yard so perhaps we could make it over the wall before anyone realizes we’ve been here.”

“Maybe,” agrees Miko as he gauges the distance between the window and the wall. It’s at least a hundred feet of open lawn. “But that’s a long run to the wall.”

“Look over there,” James points toward the right, over by the wall.

Miko looks and sees where a tree is growing close to the wall. “Maybe we could climb that tree and get over the wall?” he asks.

“That’s what I’m thinking,” nods James.

Taking one more look to make sure that the area between the window and the wall remains clear, he opens the window and helps Miko through to the ground below. Thank goodness they are on the ground floor. He then follows Miko out the window and closes it quickly once he’s down beside him. They crouch in the bushes beneath the window momentarily as they scan the area for people. Once they ascertain the area is clear, they head out quickly and quietly for the tree.

They take no more than three steps when from above them on the second floor, a voice cries out, “Guards! Intruders!”

Looking up, James sees a well dressed man staring at him from an upper story window. Their eyes lock for just a second before he returns to the business at hand and bolts for the tree.

“Guards!” the man hollers again, “they’re heading for the wall!”

No longer worrying about stealth, James and Miko make a mad dash across the grounds. Two guards bearing drawn swords emerge at a run around the corner of the house and upon seeing them racing for the wall, move to intercept. “Stop!” yells one.

Miko makes the tree first and jumps for a lower limb. Grabbing it, he swings himself up into the tree. James throws his backpack over the wall and not being as nimble, has difficulty getting into the tree.

Reaching his hand down for James to grab, Miko yells, “Take my hand!”

Seeing the proffered hand, James reaches up and takes hold of it. With Miko’s help, he’s able to get up into the tree. They make their way through the lower limbs to the top of the wall just at the guards reach the base of the tree.

Swords strike at them as they pass from the tree to the wall, but they’re too far up and the blows are ineffective. Swinging over the wall, they drop down to the street below and James begins looking around for his backpack.

A small boy stands not two feet away with his back to them. He has the backpack and is rummaging through it.

James comes up behind him and grabs the boy by the shoulder.

Startled, the boy drops the backpack as he jumps a foot in the air. Turning, he sees James and Miko standing there. Before James can say a word, the boy bolts and disappears into the crowd.

James picks his backpack off the ground and turns to Miko, “Get us out of here!”

“This way,” Miko says then races off into the crowd with James close behind. The people around them continue going about their business, as if two men climbing over a wall were an everyday occurrence. James expected at least one of the bystanders would have tried to hinder their escape or at the very least to have shouted a warning to a constable that something odd was occurring. But no cry arises from anyone and they make it out of the area.

Finding a quiet alley, they duck inside and stop for a moment to catch their breath. “Do you think they’ll send the watch after us?” James asks. Standing at the mouth of the alley, he peers around the corner for any sign of pursuit.

“I don’t think we have to worry about the town watch getting involved,” replies Miko. “That was Lord Colerain’s estate we were in. In fact, it was Lord Colerain who was shouting out the window for the guards.”

“Why wouldn’t he call for the town watch?” he asks.

“He has his own guards and nobles like to take care of things themselves,” he replies. “It would be a loss of face if he were to come to the town watch for help. Since we didn’t take anything and there was no damage, it’s unlikely that he’ll do anything. Of course, if he comes across us, then he may seek revenge.”

“Alright,” says James. “Let’s just get back to the Flying Swan.”

Leading the way, Miko soon has them back at the inn. It’s a tribute to the lack of sanitation of this world that they can come into an inn from the sewers and no one says anything. James tells one of the workers that he’d like two tubs sent to his room, then he and Miko go on up.

“Two tubs?” Miko asks apprehensively as they begin climbing the stairs.

“Yes, two tubs,” answers James. “You smell like the sewer.”

“Actually, I wasn’t the one to fall in, remember?” he reminds him, smiling.

James replies, “Try it, you may never get another chance.”

“Alright, but I’m not going to like it.”

James empties out his backpack and lays the contents on the floor by the bed. A knock at the door heralds the arrival of two tubs carried in by four young boys. It doesn’t take the staff long to have them filled with steaming hot water. One servant brings in two small bowls of a powdery substance, setting one by each of the tubs. When James looks questioningly at it, he’s told that its soap and it’ll help to remove the grime. He tells one of the workers to come back in a few minutes to pick up his clothes and the backpack. That he wants to have them cleaned along with his other clothes they picked up earlier.

After the workers leave, he strips off his clothes and climbs into one of the tubs. The water is hot but not uncomfortable. Leaning back, he relaxes and lets the tensions of the day melt away. Settling in, he looks over to Miko and says, “Come on, it feels really good.” Reaching down, he scoops out some of the soap and proceeds to scrub the sewer gunk off.

Not looking convinced, Miko gets undressed and comes over to the tub hesitantly. He gingerly sticks one foot into the water and then pulls it out again fast, “It’s hot!” he says.

“Of course it’s hot,” he replies, slightly amused. “Being hot just makes it relax you more. Once you get in you’ll get use to it.”