I got up to leave, but his failing voice caught me before I started down the corridor.
"One more thing, leave me a knife if you would be so kind."
I glanced questioningly at him.
"I ashore you Sir that I'm not the suicidal type, except for perhaps staying in the game longer than I should have. If I am to die here in this place there is someone that I very much want to take along with me." He said with a raspy chuckle that abruptly caused him to gasp with pain.
Wordlessly I pulled a small sharp dagger out from my left boot and handed it to him through the bars.
"Thank you again, Sir! Tell me what name are you called by?"
"I'm Roric." I replied simply.
"Ahh I knew it! There was something about you that reminded me of my old friend. I'm glad to know that your grandfather found you at long last! I am at peace now, assured as possibly as I can be of my son's safety, while in your care! Your father was one of the greatest warriors the Vallian people have ever had. All you Ta'lonts are forces of nature! It can only help our fight for freedom to have another Ta'lont in the field of battle with us!"
Ta'lont? Was that my real last name? I wanted to ask this man so many things. He had known my father in a way I had never known, but there was simply no time to ask what I desired to. I moved quietly out into the cool still grayness of the early morning.
I heard him saying something before I was out of earshot, "Dear Lord, it looks like my time is nearly up here. Protect my boy and keep him safe. I love him so much. His mother and I have………"
The rest of what he said was lost to me as I was out of earshot now.
I had scouted out the city yesterday and I remembered the street intersection the spy had spoken of. It wasn't far from here.
The streets were empty of life other than that of the night critters that dug in the alleyways in search of scraps that had been thrown there from the day before. Reaching the intersection I saw a row of large planter pots going up Rassian St just as the spy had said there would be. The report was in a false bottom of one of these pots the spy had said. I came up alongside of the first pot and tapped the porcelain outer shell of the flower pot near the bottom with the butt of a knife, but no echo resounded from it. I continued up the row of pots, with no luck at finding the hollow bottomed pot.