The farmhouse has seen better days. One side of the roof sags in precariously and the front door sits slightly askew, with only the lower hinge still attaching it to the door frame. The ground surrounding the house is choked with weeds and appears not to have been tended by anyone for quite a while. Behind the house sits a barn which is in slightly better shape, though still bears the appearance of disuse.
Despite the look of abandonment, a small plume of smoke makes its way from the farmhouse’s chimney. The faint sound of horses can also be heard coming from the barn. James quickly returns back down the hill until he no longer casts a silhouette against the afternoon sky. He then keeps low as he carefully makes his way around the farm, doing his best not to be observed by anyone that may be in the house or barn. As he circles around the farmhouse, he keeps an eye on the compass. As he moves, so does the compass, continuously pointing toward the structure.
Satisfied that he knows where Perrilin is, he finds a place amidst tall grass from where he can keep an eye on the house yet remain unobserved should anyone be about. The sun is low in the sky, he hadn’t realized that his trek out here had taken so much time, but it seems that sunset is only an hour or so away. He settles into his hiding place and waits for the coming of dark. If Perrilin is in that farmhouse then it can only mean that he’s in trouble and when darkness comes he’ll see what he can do. Guards on business of the city would have taken him to the jail. The fact that he was taken here could only bode ill.
He keeps an eye on the farmhouse for the next hour until the sun sets and the light begins to fade. Just as the sun dips below the horizon, a man emerges through the front door of the farmhouse and makes his way toward the barn. This is no farmer! The man has the look of a street tough and carries a sword at his hip. James watches through the tall grass as the man crosses to, and then enters, the barn. Before James can make up his mind whether or not to investigate what the man is doing, the barn door swings open and the man heads back toward the farmhouse.
What is going on? he wonders. And should he even get involved? If it wasn’t for the need he felt to enter the Royal Archives, he would turn around and get out of there. But, he needed information and it appeared Perrilin may be his only avenue through which he could get it. Plus, he liked the bard. During the evening they spent together on the road he found him to be a friendly, and good-natured individual. He couldn’t leave without finding out what was going on, things did not feel right. Settling down in the grass once more, he waited for the coming of night at which time he would find out what was going on. Making himself comfortable, he waited.
The barn was quiet as he approached under the cover of darkness. Peering through an open window, he discovered six horses occupying the stalls. Except for the horses the barn was deserted, their owners must be within the farmhouse. Leaving the barn, he carefully makes his way to the side of the farmhouse, doing his best not to stumble over anything in the dark. Coming to one of the windows through which light was emerging, he carefully looks through.
On the other side he sees an empty room with a single doorway on the opposite wall. The light coming through the window originates from the room on the other side of the doorway. It looks to be the main room of the house. Four men are taking their ease on a couch and a couple of chairs. A fifth man stands in the middle of the room with his back to James.
The man stands there for several seconds before stepping to the side. James gasps in shock to discover the man had been standing in front of a chair. And bound to the chair is the object of his search. Perrilin.
The bard looks the worse for wear. His left eye is swollen shut and what’s left of his shirt is red with blood. James watches while the four men joke and laugh but can’t make out what is being said. The fifth man returns to stand before Perrilin and says something to him. Perrilin doesn’t respond, simply sits there and stares at him with a defiant look. The man says something else then strikes the bard across the face, snapping his head to the side.
Perrilin brings his head back up and continues staring defiantly back at his tormentor while blood drips from the corner of his mouth. The man who struck Perrilin walks over to the fireplace and pulls out a red hot poker lying amongst the coals. He then turns and walks back to stand in front of Perrilin where he holds the poker a few inches from the bard’s face. After giving Perrilin a moment to contemplate the implied threat the poker poses, the man begins speaking once more.
Not waiting to see more, James hurries to the front door and picks up several stones along the way. Steeling himself for what he plans to do, he pauses a moment as he reaches the door. Taking a few deep, calming breaths, he lays his hand upon the door. Words issue forth as he casts a spell, and at the utterance of the final word, the door explodes inward, shards of wood flying everywhere.
The men turn as one to see James standing framed within the doorway as pieces of the door fly about them. He casts another spell and two stones fly with magic induced speed, striking two of the captors in the chest before the men have time to react. Exploding out their backs in a grisly display, the stones embed themselves into the wall.
The one who had been questioning Perrilin reacts first and throws the hot poker at James. He then draws his sword and advances upon him. The remaining two break for other rooms of the house and are soon out of sight.
Jumping to the side to avoid the thrown poker, James takes his last stone and cast his spell as he throws it at the approaching man. By a stroke of ill fated luck, the man moves his sword at just the right time and the stone strikes the blade snapping it in two. Throwing his broken sword to the ground, the man draws his dagger and charges.
Not wanting to stay and withstand the charge of this bull of a man coming straight at him, James turns and runs back out into the dark. When he reaches a point where he is no longer illuminated by the light coming through the door, he turns abruptly and quickly makes his way back toward the side of the house.
He reaches the side of the house just as the man emerges at a run through the doorway. Glancing around, the man tries to determine where James has gone, but his eyes have yet to adjust to the dark. James’ breath freezes in his lungs as the man’s eyes rove over the very spot where he hides. Then the man abruptly turns in the opposite direction of where James stands motionless and runs around the side of the house.
Not able to believe his luck at not being seen, James begins backing away from the door, all the while keeping against the side of the house as he plans his next move. To cast a spell would require him to give away his position as he spoke the words. But he may not have much choice if he wants to survive this encounter.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps comes toward him from out of the dark. He holds still against the side of the house and remains absolutely quiet, hardly daring to breathe.
In the dark not more than a foot away, he discerns a shadow in the form of a man’s silhouette. The shadow slowly makes his way past where James hides in the dark, the light from the stars reflecting off the bare blade of the sword the shadow holds. The man comes to a stop, his head cocking first to one side and then the other as if he’s listening for something.
Then without warning the sword strikes. Dodging the blow, James jumps to the side as the blade comes to within inches of where his head had been but a split second before. Losing his balance, he hits the ground and rolls quickly away. The man turns toward the sound of him rolling on the ground and advances upon him quickly with sword poised to strike.