Free The Mists of Sorrow: The Morcyth Saga Book Seven by Brian S. Pratt Page A

“I’ll
give you each a copper if you can answer me a question.”
    “Sure,” says one. The other two nod as
well.
    “Beggerman,” he says. “Do you know who I’m
talking about?”
    “Sure do,” the first boy replies. Gesturing
back to the destroyed establishment he says, “The guy with only one
eye and missing half an ear, right?”
    “That’s him,” nods Scar. “Do you know if
he’s still alive?”
    The lead boy glances to the other two who
only shrug. Turning back to Scar he says, “We haven’t seen or heard
about him since the City fell.”
    Removing three coppers, he flips on to each
of the lads. “Thanks,” he says.
    “Sorry we couldn’t be of more help,” the
lead boy says. Then they’re off down the street on whatever errand
they were about before being stopped.
    “Remember that massive mace he use to keep
behind the bar?” Stig says. “He always said anyone who caused
problems would get real familiar with old ‘Ironhead’.”
    The others laugh at that. “Never once saw
him take it down,” Potbelly states.
    “I would think it came down when the City
fell,” Scar says more somberly. “He wasn’t one to run off when
trouble came calling.” Several of the others nod at that.
    They slowly continue to make their way
through town. Jiron leads them unerringly from street to street
toward the entrance of his hideout. Along the way, other places
that once held meaning to them are passed and James learns more
about the men who have chosen to travel with him.
    Finally Jiron says, “It’s not too much
further.”
    A green glow springs to life around Brother
Willim. James notices and asks, “Trouble?”
    Shaking his head, he says, “I don’t think
so. I can feel something here.”
    “What?” asks James.
    “I’m not sure,” he replies. “I think what
I’m feeling is the holiness of this place.” Glancing to Miko he
sees the odd look on his face. “You feel it too don’t you?”
    Nodding, Miko says, “I didn’t know what it
was.”
    The greenish glow disappears as Brother
Willim’s attention is turned back to James. “When a holy place
stands for a long time, the rocks, stones and at times the ground
itself resonate with the god’s power. The more holy the place, the
stronger it becomes.” Glancing around he adds, “And the longer it
remains.”
    “Why can’t I sense anything?” James asks.
Usually when magic is near his skin tingles.
    “It’s not active magic in the sense you are
referring to,” he explains. “More like a resonate signature that
marks the place as holy. Having once been the location for the High
Temple, I can understand why I can sense it even after the Temple
has been gone for so long.”
    James nods his head. He remembers one of the
early visits by Igor in which he took him to Disneyland. Igor
referred to Disneyland as a focal point. That to those who are
good, the place is like a beacon in the night. Perhaps it’s the
same principle.
    Jiron turns after a severely fire damaged
building and then enters a street with a large crater in the middle
of it. He remembers when they had originally been sneaking out and
Cassie had sneezed just when a column of enemy soldiers were
passing by. The hole is where James blasted a group of them to give
them time to return to the hideout.
    Rounding the corner of the building, they
enter what once use to be a park. When James first saw the place,
it was an area with trees and grass. Not very large, simply a place
where people could come to escape the bustle of the city for a
time. Now, mounds of dirt and piles of rocks litter the area. Its
former beauty almost completely lost.
    “Looks like they dug out the collapsed
tunnel,” comments Jiron.
    On the far side of the park where the
entrance to Jiron’s lair had been now gapes a large hole leading
down into the ground. After escaping back down into the hideout
they had to fight off enemy soldiers that followed after them.
James had to collapse the passage leading to