Chapter 5: Grenfell ... Part 3

There was a loud crash outside the inn which woke Dustin up. He flew out of the cot that served as his bed and grabbed his sword that felt alien in his hand at this ungodly hour. Sounds of men shouting at each other filled the early morning air and seeped through the thin pane of glass that served to keep the outside air, outside.

The whole town was up in arms; rioting in the streets to secure their safety. Guards were being trampled and every body was carrying torches and farming tools. Dustin raced down the two flights of stairs that separated his room from the ground level. At the bottom of the stairs Galen and Draven were waiting.

“Adam’s over at the guild with the other messengers” Draven stated. “This whole situation is bad!”

“Agreed,” Galen said. “Now how do we get over to the guild without being torn apart by the crowd?”

“Is there a back alley we could sneak out through?” Dustin asked.

“The inn keeper is not here,” Draven added. “I think he may be out with the rioters.”

“It’s just as well,” Galen said. “I couldn’t stand the food he served; it was almost as bad as this situation.”

“So how are we going to get to the guild?” Dustin asked.

“We’re going to have to find the back door and weave through some alleys to find it.” Draven said. “Galen, how well do you know this town?”

“Not as well as I want to right now,” Galen replied. “C’mon lets go.”

The three of them ran back through the kitchen and found the back door. On the other side of the door was the alleyway that ran parallel with the road filled with rioters. They would have to move quickly to avoid attracting any attention from the angry mobs. Galen kicked the door open and they all turned right following Galen’s lead.

The alley way was narrow, but not so narrow that they couldn’t run two wide. If they had been hemmed in it would be a problem, luckily everyone was in the street causing trouble. Anyone looking down the narrow alleyways between the houses would have seen them but they ran as fast as they could. Up ahead was a dead end, they would have to choose which way to go and make the right choice first. They could still hear the shouts coming from the streets and they got louder as they approached the end of the passageway.

“Right or Left” Dustin asked?

“Left” Galen shouted back at them.

The three barrelled around the corner into another alley that left them in plain view of the rioters. They were near the centre square of the town and could hear the shouts and loud crashes as various effects were damaged. The crowd wanted blood, and by the sounds of it they wanted the blood of their town’s leader, Stephen. He had been to slow in reacting to the news of Macote building an army. The whole town was full of fear and angst. The three messengers would have to get to the guild fast before the town turned on them.

Come back next week, part 3 continues...