The Sword Maiden

Finding Megidil

The streets were eerily silent.  Down in the market, all the vendors had apparently closed up shop.  Now they were standing around, talking to one another and milling about.  I wondered if, since the miners were taking a couple of months off, if the vendors would be as well?  

But I couldn't wonder about this any longer.  Daxton, on feet as light and quick as a mountain lion's, was heading like an arrow for the town Courthouse.  

He ducked into the first alley we'd gone into that morning.  I let him pick the path, because he would know where Megidil was likely to be.  

Not even bothering to check any of the other buildings, we scurried down behind them.  Then we came to end, where the alley branched out into a wide open space and the Courthouse was right in front of us.  

Here, behind the cover of the stable, Daxton crouched on the balls of his feet.  "Now we wait," he murmured.

"For what?"  I crouched down next to him. 

"For the message from the miners to come to the Mayor."  

Suddenly, a thought occurred to me.  "Daxton, did Mr. Lotcin ever mention this town having a council?" 

He glanced irritatingly at me.  "You don't need me to tell you that he didn't." 

I shrugged.  "Just checking."  

I pondered this as we waited there.  Most towns had a council, but Mr. Lotcin had never mentioned anything about it.  I wondered if it was part of the system the mysterious Ravagerian had suggested.  As it was, it appeared that the Mayor and the Sheriff with his few deputies, if he had any, were the only legal authorities in town.  

Bringing me back to the present, Daxton shifted his weight slightly.  I chided myself for not being more aware and focused on the Courthouse.  

It wasn't as nice, big, or ornate, as the ones in Terreth or Ladris had been.  But it was the biggest building in town, unless you counted the Clock Tower.  And the best one as well, the wood was shiny and dark, the windows completely clean.  It was the only building in town that had steps leading up to it, and two pillars on the porch, along with double doors.  

The air around us was still and quiet.  I almost felt that it was waiting with us.  

Because it was so still, the light pitter - pattering of foot steps was easy to hear.  We craned our necks around just in time to see a flash of the messenger through the gap between the stable and the other building.

The youth passed the stable, his hair blown back in his hurry.  His face was sparkling with breathless excitement.  There could be no doubt that this was the messenger.  

He bounded up the steps of the Courthouse without breaking stride.  Instead of going inside, he raised his clenched fists to the doors.  They shuddered as he threw all his strength into pounding on them.  Then he stopped and leaned forward, putting his ear to them.  After a moment, he smirked and turned to bound down the steps again. 

There, at the bottom of the steps, he stood and waited with arms crossed.  

Within a few moments, there was the sound of several pairs of footsteps in the Courthouse.  The doors creaked in the stillness as they were shoved open by two servants.  

Out walked Mayor Tale first, followed by the Sheriff, and the Sheriff by the man we sought.  Megidil had all four of his men with him.  I tensed at the sight of them, but Daxton made no move.

"What is the meaning of this?"  The Mayor snapped out.  We had no trouble hearing him.

"An urgent message, Mayor, from the miners."  The youth seemed to be barely containing a mixture of contempt and glee.