The confidence Red felt at the outset is rapidly diminishing when his cohorts begin dropping like flies and the man he’s facing with the two knives counters every attack he throws at him.
As the last of the other thugs falls, James asks Jiron, “Need any help?”
Laughing, Jiron replies, “Not with this.” Having taken Red’s measure, he launches a series of attacks. Red tries to defend himself but winds up leaving himself open and one of Jiron’s knives thrusts between two ribs and pierces his heart.
Staggering backward, Red falls to the ground and the light fades from his eyes as Jiron puts his foot against his chest and removes his knife.
Wiping his blade clean on the dead man’s shirt, he turns to find James over by the strong box in the corner. “What are you doing?” he asks. “We’ve got to get out of here!”
Lifting the lid, James reaches in and removes a bulging sack. After a quick glance within it, he tosses it to Jiron. “I was willing to be content with simply retrieving our possessions,” he says. Removing another pouch, he puts it into his shirt and says, “But after this, I’m not.” Tuning to Jiron he adds, “Consider this recompense for ‘pain and suffering’.”
The pounding upon the door continues and Jiron moves to the door leading into the main section of the tavern and glances out. Slamming the door shut, he presses his shoulder against it just as someone slams into it from the other side. “Not this way,” he says. “What do you plan to do?”
Coming over to the door Jiron is holding, he lays his hand against it and applies a holding spell. When he’s sure it is set properly, he has Jiron move away and the door continues to hold against the incessant beating from the other side.
The lantern one of the thugs had upon entering the office lies on the floor tipped to one side. James moves over and grabs it. Glancing to the ceiling, he gets an idea.
Climbing up onto the desk he reaches up and is able to touch the ceiling. With his hand pressed against the ceiling, he casts a spell and then gets down from the desk quickly. “Move back,” he warns Jiron who joins him in moving to the other side of the room. After a couple seconds the section of the ceiling he had touched suddenly explodes outward leaving a jagged hole roughly two foot in diameter.
“That’s not big enough for us to get through,” observes Jiron.
“Don’t be dense,” says James as he returns to the desk. Brushing aside the debris from the explosion he clears a spot for him to again stand upon the desk. Reaching up to the hole he takes hold of one of the blasted boards and pulls. With a creak and then a crack, the board breaks off, widening the hole.
Glancing back to Jiron he gives him a grin as he repeats the process again. When the hole is wide enough, he motions for Jiron to precede him through.
Climbing onto the desk, Jiron jumps up and manages to wriggle through the opening into the crawlspace above. Reaching down his hand, he says, “Take my hand.”
“Just a moment,” James says as he gets down from the desk. He glances over from one door to the other and can see they’re not about to last much longer. The doors themselves are surviving the impacts well but the walls around them are beginning to show signs of cracking. Taking the lantern he smashes it into the floor, the oil within catches fire as the flame begins to burn the pool of oil. He then removes papers and some of the debris from the desk and piles them on top of the flame.
As he climbs back onto the desk, the fire begins to burn fiercely and is starting to spread. “Do you think that was a good idea?” asks Jiron as he starts to choke from the smoke moving through the hole in the ceiling. It’s acting like a chimney and is funneling all the smoke right past them.
“Maybe not,” admits James as he takes Jiron’s hand and makes his way up into the crawlspace.
The crawlspace isn’t very large and they’re forced to move along on their hands and knees in order to make their way from the hole. Moving quickly, they traverse the length of the building and reach a vent in the side of the tavern leading outside. Jiron grabs hold of it and manages to pull it loose.
When the vent comes free, the opening accelerates the venting of the smoke which in turn causes the fire to burn hotter.
He glances outside and finds they’re in an area currently free of people. “I think we made it,” he says as he glances back to James.
Coughing from the effects of the choking smoke, James replies, “Just hurry.”
Turning around, Jiron exits through the vent feet first until he’s all the way through and hanging by his hands. Then he lets go and lands on the ground outside. Pulling a knife, he rubs his eyes with his other hand in an attempt to clear the tears the smoke had produced.
Glancing up, he sees James’ feet coming out and then shortly afterward he drops to the ground beside him.
“There they are!” a cry goes up and they turn to see men coming around the corner of the tavern. One has a crossbow and lets a bolt fly.
In reflex James brings up his barrier and the bolt is deflected. As they race away, light from the fire burning within the tavern silhouettes them as the others give chase.
“I’ll kill you both!” Orlander screams as he rounds the corner. Hate and rage radiate from the man as he and his cohorts race after the fleeing pair.
Crumph!
The street behind them erupts and slows their pursuers. Dodging down an alley, Jiron says, “Get to the inn and saddle the horses.”
“What are you going to do?” James asks.
“Give you time to do that,” he says. “Now get going!” With that he thrusts James further down the alleyway where he breaks into a run.
Jumping up onto a stack of old crates against one wall, he reaches up to the window ledge above. Pulling himself up, he gains the room on the other side of the window just as the mob enters the alley behind them.
They pause there just a moment when one catches sight of James running down the far end. “There they go!” one yells.
Jiron looks down and sees Orlander enter the alley. “Orlander you fat pig!” he shouts from the window. The mob down below pauses as they look up to see him illuminated by the lights from their lanterns. “Your mother was a whore and your father a mule!” he adds as he spits in Orlander’s direction. The spittle flies through the air and lands right between Orlander’s eyes.
“Get him!” he screams in rage as he points to Jiron in the window.
“What about that other guy?” another of the men below asks.
“I want him!” Orlander says with rage as he points to the smirking Jiron.
The men begin to immediately pound the door below and Jiron hears it crashing in. He turns from the window and comes to an immediate stop when he sees a man standing there in his nightclothes holding a sword at the ready.
“Stay right there,” the man says, his voice somewhat shaky.
Drawing his knives, Jiron advances upon him. A woman screams from the nearby bed as the man’s sword strikes out at him. Jiron easily deflects the blade and follows through with a punch to the side of the man’s face.
As the man stumbles out of the way, he races past and out of the bedroom. From downstairs the sound of many feet can be heard running up the stairs. Running along the hallway away from the stairs, he comes to the last door and smashes into it. The door bursts open and he rushes into the room, quickly closing it behind him.
He looks around for something to bar the way and realizes he’s stumbled into a nursery, over to one side of the room is a small child standing in a crib. Couldn’t be more than a year old, the child holds onto the side of his crib as he stares at Jiron. The pounding of feet toward him down the hallway tells him he doesn’t have much time.
Pulling a dresser over to in front of the door, he braces it with a couple chairs and then heads to the window next to the child. The child just stares at him curiously as he looks out. The street below appears to be empty.