out what was going on.
“Nothing, Daniel, I just want to get to Telmar as soon as possible,” said Jalia, giving Daniel her most innocent look.
“That’s not it,” Daniel mused, and a thought occurred to him, “We wouldn’t be following the trail of those raiders, now would we?”
Jalia’s face flushed a little and Daniel knew he had guessed right.
“We’re hardly going to catch them with a wagon, are we? Their horses must have put them days ahead by now.”
“If they were on horseback that would be true, but they’re on foot,” Jalia said triumphantly, forgetting she had not yet admitted to Daniel she was following them.
“This is a bit much for petty revenge, isn’t it?”
“I do not regard being saddled with a baby as a petty matter, Daniel. Let alone those girls. These robbers are scum and deserve to die.”
“And when were you going to tell me? When I drove the wagon’s wheels over them? You take me and the children into danger and you say nothing.” Daniel’s anger mounted as he spoke.
Jalia looked a little embarrassed. “I didn’t want you frightening the children. You are hopeless at keeping secrets.”
“Why I ought to…” Daniel could not bring himself to complete the sentence. Jalia gave him a wicked grin.
“Spank me? You couldn’t do that in front of the children, now could you?”
“I suspect Maya would happily cut me a switch if she knew the danger you are putting her sisters into.”
Jalia shrugged.
“No matter, these robbers deserve to die and I intend to help them achieve that state.” She turned to go, but Daniel pulled her back. He held her by the shoulders and stared at this woman he loved.
“Didn’t you tell me that you were proud to be a thief?” he said, smiling warmly as he spoke.
“I’m a thief and not a robber.”
“What exactly is the difference?”
“I only steal from those who deserve it and can afford to lose it, and I don’t kill anybody while doing it… mostly.”
“So you steal from the rich and give to the poor?”
“There wouldn’t be much point in me stealing from anybody poorer than me.” Jalia lifted his hands from her shoulders and turned to go.
“When Gally Delbar stole your money belt, she was being a thief and not a robber?” Daniel shouted at Jalia’s retreating back
Jalia turned and smiled. Daniel felt a chill as it was not a normal smile, but the baring of teeth in the way a tiger might, “Gally Delbar is a thief, and I would not dream of killing her because of it.”
Jalia walked away and said so softly that Daniel missed it completely, “I couldn’t make her suffer long enough if I killed her.”
Daniel went back to tightening the straps on his donkeys’ packs. Maya appeared out of the tall grasses, which were taller than she was, and stared solemnly at Daniel. “I would cut a long thick switch if you were to ask me to.”
“Do you always listen to private conversations?”
“Only to those of people who might get me killed,” she said and vanished back into the sea of grass.
A few hours later it was time to make camp for the night. Jalia rode back to the wagon and pointed out a stand of trees in the distance.
“If we light a fire, we will be visible for miles and these robbers are very likely to come and attack us,” Daniel pointed out.
Jalia grinned. “I like to know where my enemy is and chasing people is boring.”
“Where will we hide the kids?”
“There’s a small hollow we can put the girls in. The baby will have to stay with us because if she starts crying the robbers will hear her.”
Later that night, Daniel squatted by the campfire while eating stew from a plate. He had built the fire high so he was easy to see. Jalia washed clothes in the small brook below the campsite. She wore one of the skirts she found in the wagon and looked like a farmer’s wife. There were no weapons visible.
Daniel and Jalia were acutely aware of the eyes watching them. After their last
“Nothing, Daniel, I just want to get to Telmar as soon as possible,” said Jalia, giving Daniel her most innocent look.
“That’s not it,” Daniel mused, and a thought occurred to him, “We wouldn’t be following the trail of those raiders, now would we?”
Jalia’s face flushed a little and Daniel knew he had guessed right.
“We’re hardly going to catch them with a wagon, are we? Their horses must have put them days ahead by now.”
“If they were on horseback that would be true, but they’re on foot,” Jalia said triumphantly, forgetting she had not yet admitted to Daniel she was following them.
“This is a bit much for petty revenge, isn’t it?”
“I do not regard being saddled with a baby as a petty matter, Daniel. Let alone those girls. These robbers are scum and deserve to die.”
“And when were you going to tell me? When I drove the wagon’s wheels over them? You take me and the children into danger and you say nothing.” Daniel’s anger mounted as he spoke.
Jalia looked a little embarrassed. “I didn’t want you frightening the children. You are hopeless at keeping secrets.”
“Why I ought to…” Daniel could not bring himself to complete the sentence. Jalia gave him a wicked grin.
“Spank me? You couldn’t do that in front of the children, now could you?”
“I suspect Maya would happily cut me a switch if she knew the danger you are putting her sisters into.”
Jalia shrugged.
“No matter, these robbers deserve to die and I intend to help them achieve that state.” She turned to go, but Daniel pulled her back. He held her by the shoulders and stared at this woman he loved.
“Didn’t you tell me that you were proud to be a thief?” he said, smiling warmly as he spoke.
“I’m a thief and not a robber.”
“What exactly is the difference?”
“I only steal from those who deserve it and can afford to lose it, and I don’t kill anybody while doing it… mostly.”
“So you steal from the rich and give to the poor?”
“There wouldn’t be much point in me stealing from anybody poorer than me.” Jalia lifted his hands from her shoulders and turned to go.
“When Gally Delbar stole your money belt, she was being a thief and not a robber?” Daniel shouted at Jalia’s retreating back
Jalia turned and smiled. Daniel felt a chill as it was not a normal smile, but the baring of teeth in the way a tiger might, “Gally Delbar is a thief, and I would not dream of killing her because of it.”
Jalia walked away and said so softly that Daniel missed it completely, “I couldn’t make her suffer long enough if I killed her.”
Daniel went back to tightening the straps on his donkeys’ packs. Maya appeared out of the tall grasses, which were taller than she was, and stared solemnly at Daniel. “I would cut a long thick switch if you were to ask me to.”
“Do you always listen to private conversations?”
“Only to those of people who might get me killed,” she said and vanished back into the sea of grass.
A few hours later it was time to make camp for the night. Jalia rode back to the wagon and pointed out a stand of trees in the distance.
“If we light a fire, we will be visible for miles and these robbers are very likely to come and attack us,” Daniel pointed out.
Jalia grinned. “I like to know where my enemy is and chasing people is boring.”
“Where will we hide the kids?”
“There’s a small hollow we can put the girls in. The baby will have to stay with us because if she starts crying the robbers will hear her.”
Later that night, Daniel squatted by the campfire while eating stew from a plate. He had built the fire high so he was easy to see. Jalia washed clothes in the small brook below the campsite. She wore one of the skirts she found in the wagon and looked like a farmer’s wife. There were no weapons visible.
Daniel and Jalia were acutely aware of the eyes watching them. After their last
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