Taking him to the gates Michael doesn’t even hesitate as he passes through. James follows close as he gazes at the way the castle was put together. There are many similarities between this one and the one he had the pleasure to experience in Lythylla during his time with Lord Pytherian.
Once past the gates, they enter the main courtyard of the castle and the page turns slightly to the right as he makes for an entryway on the far side. The hallway on the other side of the entryway leads deep into the castle. James notices several portcullises in the ceiling above which could be dropped to block the entrance in the event of an attack.
A hundred feet down, another corridor intersects with the one they’re in and the page turns down it to the right. Ahead of them, the corridor opens up onto a large room with many seats and couches. Half of the available seats are filled by other’s who are probably waiting their turn to appear before the Royal Court.
Guards are positioned around the room, a dozen in all. Four stand before an impressive set of double doors which must be the entrance to the Court. An officious looking man sees them enter and moves to intercept them.
The man glances to Michael who says, “Ellinwyrd asked me to escort this gentleman here.”
“Indeed?” he asks, now turning his attention to James. “And what business do you have here?”
Reaching into his pouch, he withdraws the summons and hands it to him.
Taking the letter, the man opens it and begins reading. After only a second, his eyes flick to James, really looks at him for the first time and then hands the letter back. “I shall let them know you’ve arrived,” he says. “You may wait here until they’re ready for you.”
“Very well,” replies James.
The man then turns and proceeds over to the double doors and passes through. James catches a brief glimpse of the room on the other side. A short hallway which opens up on a large audience hall, crowded with spectators. Before he can get a better look, the door shuts.
Glancing around the room, he finds a vacant chair over against the wall across from the doors and makes his way over. Sitting down, he leans back comfortably and takes in the people waiting in the room with him.
Several look like local business men while others appear to be of a higher social standing. One gentleman in particular is dressed in clothes of obvious superior quality and has what can only be called an ‘uppity’ attitude. James wonders what such a man is doing here.
“Excuse me?” a voice next to him brings him out of his reverie.
A man of low standing judging by the state of his clothes is standing next to him. “Yes?” he says.
“Wonder how long they’ll be in there?” the man asks.
Shrugging, James replies, “I don’t know. Probably as long as they want.”
“True,” agrees the man. He has a beat up hat in his hands which he is nervously fidgeting with.
“Nervous?” James asks.
“What?” the man asks, seeming to have spaced out for a moment. Coming back to the moment, he says, “A little.”
James wishes the man would just go bother someone else, he has way too much on his mind.
Just then, the doors to the audience chamber open and the officious looking man appears. “Farmer Tibbins?” he states loudly.
The man next to James suddenly drops his hat and his face turns pale. “H…here,” he stammers, voice cracking.
“The Royal Court is ready for you,” the man tells him.
Bending over to pick up his hat, James can see his hands are visibly shaking. “Relax,” he says quietly to farmer Tibbins.
The hat again in his hands, he glances at James and then makes his way to the double doors. After he’s passed through, the doors once more close shut.
One by one, the people who were there ahead of him are summoned through the double doors, none of which come back out. James figures there must be another exit for those with whom the Court is finished.
Most of the people are not nearly as nervous as farmer Tibbins had been, perhaps they’re simply petitioners for one thing or another. He sits there and wonders just what that farmer had done which would warrant such a reaction of nervousness. He may never know.
Over an hour after he initially arrived, the doors open up and the officious looking man announces, “The mage known as James.”
Getting up, he approaches the double doors. He can hear gasps from some of those who heard what the man had just said. Every eye in the room is on him as he makes his way across the room to the double doors.
As he reaches them, the officious man turns and leads him into the room. The double doors shut behind him with a resounding thud.
Chapter Six
“You’re full of it!” the boy says to Miko.
“Am not!” he asserts. “There are lizards bigger than all of us here put together way down south.”
Miko has accumulated quite a gathering of the local youths around himself. At first when he left the inn, he wasn’t sure just how to find out what James wants to learn. How he used to do it is no longer an option seeing as he’s more a man than boy now.
His first stop had been to a bakery where he bought a bag of tarts. To him, tarts are the best tasting delight he’s ever experienced. Shortly after the bakery, he was standing by a chandler’s shop when a youth walked by. For some reason he held out a tart and offered it to him.
At first the lad eyed him with suspicion. He completely understands how the lad is feeling, he’s been on the other side more times than he can count. Whenever a person offers someone from the street something, there’s usually a catch.
He took the tart hesitantly and bit into it. It wasn’t long before several more youths showed up and before he knew it, his bag of tarts was empty.
Better than almost anyone else, Miko knew what drove these kids, their needs and wants. Two things above all else were his greatest desires when he was one of them. The first was the finer things of life, such as tarts. As a street kid, you never got such unless you stole them. Any money you acquired had to be spent on more important things like food and at times, protection.
The second thing of paramount importance is diversion, to be taken away from their mundane and harsh existence, if only for a brief time. Tales and experiences, both real and imagined are hungered after by these, the more fantastic the better. So he began to regale them with tales of his experiences with James. He couldn’t think of tales any more fantastic than what he’s actually lived through thus far. And that’s how he came to be talking of rhino-lizards.
In the course of his narration, he notices James passing by but fails to break the mood he’s building with these kids by waving hello.
A dozen kids now encircle him as he continues his narration of the swamp. “Not only do you have to be careful not to attract the ferocious rhino-lizards, but you have to watch where you step. You don’t want to accidentally put your foot in the water.”
“Why not?” asks one girl of about ten who just joined the group.
“Because living within the water are small fish, no bigger than this,” he says as he uses his hands to illustrate their size. “With a mouth full of teeth that will rip you to shreds in no time at all!”
“You’re lyin’!” one kid exclaims.
“No he’s not,” another pipes up. “Old Fergus down on Vinet Street has some of them he keeps in a big glass jar. He showed them to me once.” Having the attention of his peers, he adds, “He caught a mouse and dropped it in with the fish and they tore the flesh from its bones fast.”
“Ooooo,” one girl says.
“The fish seemed to like the warmer water down in the Empire,” Miko explains. “I doubt if you’ll find them anywhere around here.”