Tahn. Wouldn’t get too close if I were you.”
Lorne glanced over at Tahn, but he wasn’t fazed by the bandit’s cruel taunt. “About two minutes now,” Tahn said calmly.
Burle scowled at him. “I hate to disappoint your pompous tail, but I’m not moving for you. The boys and I, we’re going to rob you. You’ve not but one with you, and you know he’s no match for none of us.”
Tahn’s expression did not change. “Lorne was a boy when you saw him last. He’s a man now.”
“He been with you all this time?” one of the others asked.
“Yes,” Tahn told the tall man to his right. “He’s been with me.”
“There’s not but two of them,” Burle pointed out again.
“Give us your bags, Tahn, and we’ll have no cause to hurt you.”
Tahn looked to all the men around him. “See my path clear in another minute, and I’ll not hurt any of you.”
“Blast you, Tahn!” Burle exclaimed. “I wasn’t wanting to do this the hard way!”
“I’d consider your options, then, if I were you.”
Lorne could see the anxiety in the men around them. Tahn had been the first man to defy Samis’s orders and live through it. He had survived against terrible odds and instilled in all the other warriors a depth of respect for his stamina and skill. He’d been feared, even, and it was still working to his benefit.
“We got no quarrel with them, Burle,” a younger man named Judson said. “They’ve got swords. It’d slow us down to be tending wounded.”
Several of the men were already backing up, but Burle hadn’t moved. “I reckon we know you can fight, Tahn,” he admitted. “We’ve got you with numbers, but you’d have some blood before we took you down.” He shook his head and sighed. “There’s no use working so hard for whatever you’ve got. Jud’s right that we’ve got no quarrel.” He turned to his men. “We’ll be going to get us some easier meat.”
But he turned back to Tahn. “I’m not afraid of you, though. If you give me cause for a quarrel, I’ll cut your throat myself, and anyone with you, no matter how charmed they say you are.” He started to turn his horse.
“You were boys once!” Tahn suddenly shouted to all the men. “You were hungry and afraid once! Do you really want to live this way, terrorizing the innocent? Don’t you remember what it was like? You’re strong men now. Why would you be bandits?”
But the men had turned their horses and were riding away. “Remember Samis!” Tahn shouted after them. “You could find an honorable path! Would you rather be hated as he was? And die unmourned?”
Burle’s band fled at a gallop. And when they were gone, Lorne turned to Tahn with a satisfied smile. It was a pleasure to see those warrior-bandits back down. Lorne expected Tahn to share his satisfaction, and he was surprised to see him bow his head.
“Why can’t they see it, Lorne?” he asked. “They could be free. They could do what you have done, what I have done, in choosing not to hurt anyone anymore. But they let us go because we’re strong. Who is to help the weak?”
Lorne looked at him a long time. “You’ll meet up with them again. I know you. You’ll not let it be this way.” He gazed up at the clouds and sighed.
“Do I worry you, Lorne?”
“You didn’t. Not until now, sir. But whatever we find in Alastair, there’ll be this to face.”
They rode on toward the town, stopping to drink and water the horses at the stream. When the first houses came into view, Tahn stopped again.
“What is it?” Lorne asked.
“Someone in this town might know better than I do who I am,” Tahn told him with a sigh. “I wonder that I didn’t come asking before.”
“You couldn’t. Some things wait till we’re ready. Like the rest of us should have left Samis before we did. But we couldn’t. Not till the old man was as good as dead. And this place was just as bad as him to you, I reckon.”
Tahn nodded. So clearly he remembered someone rushing
Lorne glanced over at Tahn, but he wasn’t fazed by the bandit’s cruel taunt. “About two minutes now,” Tahn said calmly.
Burle scowled at him. “I hate to disappoint your pompous tail, but I’m not moving for you. The boys and I, we’re going to rob you. You’ve not but one with you, and you know he’s no match for none of us.”
Tahn’s expression did not change. “Lorne was a boy when you saw him last. He’s a man now.”
“He been with you all this time?” one of the others asked.
“Yes,” Tahn told the tall man to his right. “He’s been with me.”
“There’s not but two of them,” Burle pointed out again.
“Give us your bags, Tahn, and we’ll have no cause to hurt you.”
Tahn looked to all the men around him. “See my path clear in another minute, and I’ll not hurt any of you.”
“Blast you, Tahn!” Burle exclaimed. “I wasn’t wanting to do this the hard way!”
“I’d consider your options, then, if I were you.”
Lorne could see the anxiety in the men around them. Tahn had been the first man to defy Samis’s orders and live through it. He had survived against terrible odds and instilled in all the other warriors a depth of respect for his stamina and skill. He’d been feared, even, and it was still working to his benefit.
“We got no quarrel with them, Burle,” a younger man named Judson said. “They’ve got swords. It’d slow us down to be tending wounded.”
Several of the men were already backing up, but Burle hadn’t moved. “I reckon we know you can fight, Tahn,” he admitted. “We’ve got you with numbers, but you’d have some blood before we took you down.” He shook his head and sighed. “There’s no use working so hard for whatever you’ve got. Jud’s right that we’ve got no quarrel.” He turned to his men. “We’ll be going to get us some easier meat.”
But he turned back to Tahn. “I’m not afraid of you, though. If you give me cause for a quarrel, I’ll cut your throat myself, and anyone with you, no matter how charmed they say you are.” He started to turn his horse.
“You were boys once!” Tahn suddenly shouted to all the men. “You were hungry and afraid once! Do you really want to live this way, terrorizing the innocent? Don’t you remember what it was like? You’re strong men now. Why would you be bandits?”
But the men had turned their horses and were riding away. “Remember Samis!” Tahn shouted after them. “You could find an honorable path! Would you rather be hated as he was? And die unmourned?”
Burle’s band fled at a gallop. And when they were gone, Lorne turned to Tahn with a satisfied smile. It was a pleasure to see those warrior-bandits back down. Lorne expected Tahn to share his satisfaction, and he was surprised to see him bow his head.
“Why can’t they see it, Lorne?” he asked. “They could be free. They could do what you have done, what I have done, in choosing not to hurt anyone anymore. But they let us go because we’re strong. Who is to help the weak?”
Lorne looked at him a long time. “You’ll meet up with them again. I know you. You’ll not let it be this way.” He gazed up at the clouds and sighed.
“Do I worry you, Lorne?”
“You didn’t. Not until now, sir. But whatever we find in Alastair, there’ll be this to face.”
They rode on toward the town, stopping to drink and water the horses at the stream. When the first houses came into view, Tahn stopped again.
“What is it?” Lorne asked.
“Someone in this town might know better than I do who I am,” Tahn told him with a sigh. “I wonder that I didn’t come asking before.”
“You couldn’t. Some things wait till we’re ready. Like the rest of us should have left Samis before we did. But we couldn’t. Not till the old man was as good as dead. And this place was just as bad as him to you, I reckon.”
Tahn nodded. So clearly he remembered someone rushing
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