“My name is James and I thank you for getting me out of there,” he tells them. “Exactly what is happening out there?” he asks.
“The Empire’s forces have completely taken over the City,” explains Jiron. “Most of the younger people are being rounded up and taken south to be sold as slaves. Anyone caught on the streets runs the risk of being killed or captured. Some of the older ones are being left alone, but anyone they think could cause them problems is being dealt with, one way or another.”
“How long have I been here?” he asks.
“We brought you here yesterday and you’ve been asleep ever since,” explains Delia, the older girl. “It’s now night again, so a little over a day.”
Miko! James thinks to himself. What happened to him? As he sits there in the cellar alone with the four kids, sadness comes over him as the possible fates of Miko run through his mind. Reaching into his backpack, he pulls out his compass and casts a spell to locate Miko.
As the spell is cast, the needle swivels and points the way. Then the needle begins to move slightly, indicating that Miko is on the move. “He’s alive!” James cries exuberantly.
“Who’s alive?” Jiron asks.
“A friend of mine who got separated from me during the attack,” he replies. “It looks like he is on the move somewhere.”
“If he was in the City last night and on the move now,” Jiron says, “then I would hate to think what that might mean.”
“What?” asks James apprehensively.
“He’s probably been taken captive and is being marched south to be sold as a slave,” he explains.
James thinks of the last thing he said to Miko, ‘Find someplace to hide, I’ll find you.’ With grim determination, he intends to do just that.