When it was clear that the last of the rocks had fallen, William said, “Listen!”
In the distance they could hear the clash of arms and the shouts of men. They hurried toward the noise, and turned the corner that led to the city jail. As they ran toward the jail, another explosion ripped through the night and they were thrown to the ground. A tower of green fire again reached into the darkness, and James shouted, “Get under cover!”
Again they hugged the walls of a building as more stones rained down upon them. William shouted, “What is that? Quegan Fire?”
James shook his head, “No Quegan Fire I’ve ever seen was green.”
Jazhara said, “I think I know what it was.”
“Care to share that intelligence with us?” asked James.
“No,” she answered. “Not yet.”
As the clatter of falling stones quieted, James leapt up and they continued running toward the jail. They reached a junction with two other streets, and sprinted left. A short distance further on they came to another intersection, and it was there they saw what was left of the jail. A gaping hole in the wall stood where the wooden door had once been, a few flames could be seen inside, and smoke rose from the maw. Nearby, an overturned wagon served as cover for two guardsmen and Captain Garruth, commander of the city watch. James, William, and Jazhara approached the wagon in a running crouch, keeping the wagon between them and the opening, for crossbow bolts and arrows were flying from the hole at those behind the wagon.
Glancing back, Captain Garruth motioned for them to stay low. When James came alongside, the captain said, “Astalon rot their black hearts.” He nodded to the two young men he knew and said, “William. Squire James.” Without waiting for an introduction to Jazhara, the guard captain continued. “As you can see, we’ve a bit of a problem.”
“What happened?” asked James.
“Bloody brigands! They’ve blown out the back of the jail, and cut down half my squad.”
“Who are they?” asked William.
“Your guess is as good as mine, lad. The leader’s a giant of a man, bald, with a thick beard. He was wearing some sort of bone amulet, and he swung a mean sword.”
William said, “That’s the one, James.”
“Which one, boy?” asked the captain as another arrow slammed into the underside of the wagon.
James glanced at William. “The one that killed Talia, the barmaid at the Rainbow Parrot.”
Garruth let out a slow breath then said heavily, “Lucas’s girl.
She is . . . was . . . such a sweet thing.” He glanced at William. “My sympathies, Will.”
With cold anger, William replied, “I’ll have his heart, Captain. I swear I will.”
Garruth said, “Well, now’s your chance, lad. They’ve got us pinned down, but maybe the two of you can creep back down the way you came and circle behind the jail.”
“Where’s the sheriff?” asked James.
Garruth inclined his head toward the jail. “In there, I expect. I was due to meet with him when everything went to hell.”
James shook his head. He had little affection for Sheriff Wilfred Means, but he was a good and loyal servant of the Prince and his son Jonathan was one of James’s agents. He would discover if the younger Means was still alive later, he supposed.
“If the sheriff and his men were inside when the bastards blew up the jail, we won’t see help here from the palace for another ten or fifteen minutes,” said James.
Garruth said, “Aye, and that gives them time for whatever bloody work they’ve got in mind. Never seen anyone try to break into a jail before, so there must be something in there they want.”
James said, “No, there’s someone they want.”
William said, “You think Lucas went to the jail?”
“Maybe,” said James. “But we won’t know until we get inside.”
Garruth said, “You’d best leave the woman here until the palace guards arrive.”
Jazhara said, in a dry tone, “I appreciate your concern, but I can handle myself.”
The captain shrugged. “As you will.”
They crouched low and returned the way they had come, until they reached the big intersection, safely out of firing range of the jail. All three stood and began to run.
They quickly reached the rear wall of the jail, in which another gaping hole could be seen. “The second explosion?” asked William.
“The first,” said Jazhara. “They blew this one out to catch men eating and sleeping there” - she pointed through the hole to a table and overturned bunks - “then when those in the front of the jail ran back to aid their comrades, they set off the explosion on the other side, through which they almost certainly attacked, catching whoever was inside from the rear.”
James said, “We’ll not find the answer out here.”