as
partners, the men linking elbows and dancing in circles when no
ladies were available.
Tira saw Sari
and Lena in the thick of it, laughing and whirling, dancing without
skill but with great enthusiasm. She smiled at the sight. The girls
had been through a rough time, and it was good to see them happy
and relaxed.
Yanil caught
her arm and dragged her toward the dancers, and she shrugged and
decided to give in. The more sober of the dwarves were doing a
traditional reel. Tira had done similar dances at home before the
wars, and she picked up the steps easily.
A loud cry went
up, and she turned her head. A couple of dwarven men were on a
table, elbows linked, each with a mug in his free hand. The crowd
around them clapped in time as they spun, nimbly avoiding the
plates and platters on the table.
She saw Tam
carrying Lena away from the group. Mikail followed, leading Sari by
the hand. Both girls were yawning helplessly, barely able to keep
their heads up. Tam led them toward the cart, and she smiled. There
was no need to tell him that she was hoping to sneak across the
bridge in the dead of night. He had figured it out, and he was
keeping the little ones close to the cart.
The animals
would be challenging. The dwarves had put them in a stable, and
even if no one was watching, getting Daisy to leave a warm stall in
the dead of night would be no small task. Tira wanted to grind her
teeth in frustration, even as she danced. These dwarves were
bandits with a thin veneer of respectability. Five crowns to cross
a bridge? What nerve!
A metallic
squeak caught her attention. The town gate was closed, but the
portcullis was up, and a guard was letting a human man in through a
small door set in the gate. He was far from the fire and poorly
lit, but he looked familiar, and Tira broke away from the other
dancers. Was he really that big, or was it just because he was
standing beside a dwarf?
He strode
forward, and the firelight gleamed on a jacket of red leather.
Tira's hand went to her hip, but her sword was with her bow in the
cart. She turned, walking toward the cart, watching the man from
the corner of her eye.
The mayor and a
couple of dwarves detached themselves from the crowd, moving to
intercept the man. He broke into a run, heading straight for Tira,
and shoved the mayor aside when she got in his way.
Tira started to
run, and a shout went up behind her. She heard voices, and cries of
outrage, and Tam's face appeared, looking around the side of the
cart. He hopped into the cart, and when she got there, he handed
her the bow. She strung it, and he passed her the quiver.
She slung the
quiver across her back and turned. The big man was surrounded by a
crowd of drunk, angry dwarves. His attention was focused on her,
and he tried to push past the dwarves, stopping only when someone
planted a shoulder in his stomach and shoved him back several
steps.
For a moment he
stood, staring at the dwarves around him. The side of his face was
marred by scabs in a thick line that started just below his eye and
stretched back to his ear. His face was filled with anger and
frustration, and she found herself hoping that he would let it go.
He could still walk away from her and continue his life.
It was not to
be. He planted his foot in the chest of the nearest dwarf and
shoved, sending the dwarf stumbling back. Then he drew his sword.
Tira could see a couple of guards behind him, running from the
front gate with swords in their hands, but the dwarves who
surrounded the man were armed with nothing more than belt
knives.
She could hear
the sound of steel on leather as knives came out, and the man, his
face twisted with anger and frustration, brought his sword arm back
to swing. The dwarves were blocking her line of sight, so she aimed
high, picking a spot six inches below his chin where the top button
of his jacket was done up. She let fly just as he started to swing,
his body turning so that the arrow went in sideways, hitting him
high on
partners, the men linking elbows and dancing in circles when no
ladies were available.
Tira saw Sari
and Lena in the thick of it, laughing and whirling, dancing without
skill but with great enthusiasm. She smiled at the sight. The girls
had been through a rough time, and it was good to see them happy
and relaxed.
Yanil caught
her arm and dragged her toward the dancers, and she shrugged and
decided to give in. The more sober of the dwarves were doing a
traditional reel. Tira had done similar dances at home before the
wars, and she picked up the steps easily.
A loud cry went
up, and she turned her head. A couple of dwarven men were on a
table, elbows linked, each with a mug in his free hand. The crowd
around them clapped in time as they spun, nimbly avoiding the
plates and platters on the table.
She saw Tam
carrying Lena away from the group. Mikail followed, leading Sari by
the hand. Both girls were yawning helplessly, barely able to keep
their heads up. Tam led them toward the cart, and she smiled. There
was no need to tell him that she was hoping to sneak across the
bridge in the dead of night. He had figured it out, and he was
keeping the little ones close to the cart.
The animals
would be challenging. The dwarves had put them in a stable, and
even if no one was watching, getting Daisy to leave a warm stall in
the dead of night would be no small task. Tira wanted to grind her
teeth in frustration, even as she danced. These dwarves were
bandits with a thin veneer of respectability. Five crowns to cross
a bridge? What nerve!
A metallic
squeak caught her attention. The town gate was closed, but the
portcullis was up, and a guard was letting a human man in through a
small door set in the gate. He was far from the fire and poorly
lit, but he looked familiar, and Tira broke away from the other
dancers. Was he really that big, or was it just because he was
standing beside a dwarf?
He strode
forward, and the firelight gleamed on a jacket of red leather.
Tira's hand went to her hip, but her sword was with her bow in the
cart. She turned, walking toward the cart, watching the man from
the corner of her eye.
The mayor and a
couple of dwarves detached themselves from the crowd, moving to
intercept the man. He broke into a run, heading straight for Tira,
and shoved the mayor aside when she got in his way.
Tira started to
run, and a shout went up behind her. She heard voices, and cries of
outrage, and Tam's face appeared, looking around the side of the
cart. He hopped into the cart, and when she got there, he handed
her the bow. She strung it, and he passed her the quiver.
She slung the
quiver across her back and turned. The big man was surrounded by a
crowd of drunk, angry dwarves. His attention was focused on her,
and he tried to push past the dwarves, stopping only when someone
planted a shoulder in his stomach and shoved him back several
steps.
For a moment he
stood, staring at the dwarves around him. The side of his face was
marred by scabs in a thick line that started just below his eye and
stretched back to his ear. His face was filled with anger and
frustration, and she found herself hoping that he would let it go.
He could still walk away from her and continue his life.
It was not to
be. He planted his foot in the chest of the nearest dwarf and
shoved, sending the dwarf stumbling back. Then he drew his sword.
Tira could see a couple of guards behind him, running from the
front gate with swords in their hands, but the dwarves who
surrounded the man were armed with nothing more than belt
knives.
She could hear
the sound of steel on leather as knives came out, and the man, his
face twisted with anger and frustration, brought his sword arm back
to swing. The dwarves were blocking her line of sight, so she aimed
high, picking a spot six inches below his chin where the top button
of his jacket was done up. She let fly just as he started to swing,
his body turning so that the arrow went in sideways, hitting him
high on
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