Getting back in proved to be as easy as getting out, and Jason felt an
unmistakable twinge of regret. His subconscious had obviously been
hoping that there would be a disturbance and he would have to retreat
to save himself, his subconscious obviously being very short on
interest in saving the slave girl and his nemesis, particularly at the
risk of his own skin. His subconscious was disappointed. He was in the
building where his quarters lay, trying to peek around the corner to
see if a guard was at the door. There was, and he seemed to be dozing,
but something jerked him awake. He had heard nothing but he sniffed
the air and wrinkled his nose; the powerful smell of water-of-power
from Jason's molotails had roused him and he spotted Jason before he
could pull back.
"Who is there?" he shouted and advanced at a lumbering run.
There was no quiet way out of this one so Jason leaped out with an
echoing shout and lunged. The blade went right under the man's
guard--he must never have seen a sword before--and the tip caught him
full in the throat. He expired with a bubbling wail that stirred
voices deeper in the building. Jason sprang over the corpse and tore
at the multifold bolts and locks that sealed the door. Footsteps were
running in the distance when he finally threw the door open and ran
in.
"Get out and quick we're escaping!" he shouted at them and pushed the
dazed Ijale towards the door and exacted a great deal of pleasure from
landing a tremendous kick that literally lifted Mikah through the
opening, where he collided with Edipon who had just run up waving a
club. Jason leaped over the tumbled forms, rapped Edipon behind the
ear with the hilt of his sword and dragged Mikah to his feet.
"Get out to the engine works," he ordered his still uncomprehending
companions. "I have a _caroj_ there that we can get away in." He
cursed them and they finally broke into clumsy motion. There were
shouts from behind him and an armed mob of D'zertanoj ran into view.
Jason pulled down the hall light, burning his hand on the hot base at
the same time, and applied its open flame to one of his molotails. The
wick caught with a roar of flame and he threw it at approaching
soldiers before it could burn his hand. It flew towards them, hit the
wall and broke, inflammable fuel spurted in every direction and the
flame went out.
Jason cursed and grappled for another molotail, because if they didn't
work he was dead. The D'zertanoj had hesitated a moment rather than
walk through the puddle of spilled water-of-power and in that instant
he hurled the second fire bomb. This one burst nicely too, and lived
up to its maker's expectations when it ignited the first molotail as
well and the passageway filled with a curtain of fire. Holding his
hand around the lamp flame so it wouldn't go out, Jason ran after the
others.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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