Back at the inn, they take a quick moment to finish the search and then continue on to the next building. Hours go by and no one finds anything of note. They meet back by the horses periodically to check in, primarily making sure no one comes up missing.
Throughout the day people continue to pass through going either to the north or to the south. Though they take notice of James and the others wandering through Ironhold, they speak not a word to them, simply rush through as if they didn’t want to linger any longer there than necessary. Which they probably don’t.
During a search of an old tannery, Miko walks into its back room and a door begins to slowly open on its own. He stands there, fear rising as his feet stay frozen in place. Wanting to run but unable to, he’s only able to stand there and watch the door open. Suddenly from the other side, Jorry and Uther jump out and yell “Boo!”
Miko yells in fear as he jumps backward three feet, landing awkwardly. Losing his balance he falls to the floor.
Jorry and Uther laugh as they leave the room. Miko gets to his feet just as Jiron enters, the sound of the other’s laughter still can be heard from outside. “You okay?” he asks.
Miko glances to him, face red from being scared as he was. “Yeah,” he replies.
Jiron glances out a side window and sees the duo passing by. Jorry looks back and sees Jiron staring at him and gives him a grin. Face turning into a frown, he turns back to Miko and says, “How would you like to get them back?”
Brightening at the idea he replies, “Man, would I!”
“Alright then,” he says. “Come with me.” With Miko in tow he leaves the building through another exit and works his way to a point where he can keep an eye on the pair as they move along the street without being seen.
When they finally enter a building to begin searching, Jiron pauses and turns back to Miko, saying, “Okay, here’s what we do…”
“I don’t think there’s anything here to find,” Jorry complains to Uther. Other than the fun they had with Miko, so far Ironhold has just been a rather boring place.
“I know,” replies Uther. “Maybe we can get Miko again later.” Chuckling at the thought, he makes his way upstairs with Jorry right behind him. The building they find themselves in used to be an inn.
He and Jorry met shortly after the fall of the City of Light when they joined with Miller and his band. Both having gone through hardship and sorrow, they felt a bond between them almost from the beginning.
“It wouldn’t be so bad if there was something to find once in a while like coins or something,” he says. They have found some, but not nearly enough to satisfy his need for diversion.
Jorry stops at a door while Uther continues on to the next. Opening it, he walks into a room with several beds and over to the side is an upright wardrobe. He gives the room a casual once over and then moves to the wardrobe.
Just before his hand connects with the handle, the doors swing open and two figures leap out at him with a roar. Clothed in tattered remains with faces black as coal, they give him such a fright that he cries out and staggers backward. His leg hits one of the beds and he falls over, his back hitting the floor.
Getting to his feet quickly, he bolts for the door just as Uther comes running to see what the problem is. Bam! He runs right into Uther and they both collapse to the floor in a heap.
“What happened?” cries out Uther as he and Jorry quickly untangle themselves and get to their feet.
“Ghosts!” cries Jorry in fright.
Just then laughter can be heard coming from the room he just fled. “Ghosts huh?” Uther says as he draws his sword and approaches the room. Coming to the door, he glances through and there sitting on one of the beds are Jiron and Miko laughing hysterically. Turning back to his friend, he says, “It’s just Miko and Jiron.”
Jorry comes to stand in the doorway beside Uther and looks on them in anger. Miko sees his expression and doubles over in a more intense spasm of laughter.
“Payback huh?” Uther says, sheathing his sword.
Jiron grins at them with tears in his eyes. “You could say that,” he says.
From below the sound of feet running across the floor and then hitting the stairs comes to them. In a second, James appears at the top of the stairs, out of breath. He sees Jorry and Uther standing in the doorway and as he approaches sees Jiron and Miko sitting on the bed. He takes in the way Miko and Jiron are dressed, old tattered clothes and face blackened with what looks like soot. The fact that they’re just recovering from laughing tells him all he needs to know.
Putting the stone back into his pocket, he glares at them and says, “If you all are quite through, we have some serious searching to do.”
“Sorry James,” Jiron says from the room. Uther glances to him and sees he’s not sorry in the least.
To Jiron and Miko he says, “Get cleaned up. We still have a while before lunch and I would like to cover at least some of the city by then?”
“Okay,” replies Jiron as he gets off the bed.
“But they started it,” accuses Miko.
James glances from one pair to the other. Dave comes up the stairs behind him and stops as he takes in the situation. “I don’t care who started it,” he states. “I want it finished now. Understand?” Four heads nod affirmative. “Good.” Turning his back on them, he sees Dave there and rolls his eyes heavenward. With Dave beside him, he leaves the inn.
Once James and Dave are on the stairs and out of sight, Uther gives Miko and Jiron a look saying ‘This ain’t over yet’.
After another hour of searching, they meet back at the inn where they have lunch before setting out once more. The sun continues its path across the sky and begins to drop toward the mountain peaks to the west. When the sun is close to passing behind the peaks, they decide to go out once more before calling it a night.
“Maybe we should stop now?” suggests Miko. Eyeing the sun’s proximity to the top of the mountains he’s worried about being within Ironhold when the sun disappears.
“Just a quick search,” James tells everyone. “Check two more buildings and then return here. We’ll start in a different area tomorrow.”
“I don’t think you’re going to find anything here,” Dave grumbles.
Turning to his friend, James says, “There has to be something, Ellinwyrd wouldn’t have said to come here if there wasn’t.”
Fifer pauses on his way into town, turns back and says, “He could be mistaken. Everyone makes mistakes.”
“I’ve considered that,” he says and then stalks off. Dave has to hurry to keep from being left behind. Doubt has been creeping in ever since nothing was found right away. Maybe it’s just pride or stubbornness, but he feels to the core of his being that this is where he needs to be.
A half hour later after another fruitless search they reconvene by the horses. The sun by this time has dipped behind the peaks. Though the town is now in shadow, the peaks to the east still have the sun’s rays upon them.
Mounting, they move out and head to the edge of town. They follow the road for a mile or so before coming to a good spot where they can camp and still keep the town in sight. “Don’t you think we’re a bit close?” asks a nervous Miko.
Turning his gaze upon him, James puts his hands on his hips and vents the frustrations of the day. “I’m sick and tired of you whining about this and complaining about that! If you don’t want to stay here, then by all means you’re more than welcome to move further away. I am staying here.”
Miko’s eyes reveal the hurt he feels from the words his friend just spoke. “Didn’t mean that,” he says softly. He then turns away and moves across to the other side of the camp where he rolls out his bedroll and lies down.
“Kind of hard on him weren’t you?” Jiron asks.
Sighing, James says, “Probably. But there comes a time when a man has to grow up and stop being scared of everything. It was cute when he was younger, but now he needs to start facing his fears.”