at Season
again. “I think we’ll take the girl, though.”
Two of the bandits grabbed her by the arms as she fought them.
The leader walked over and slapped her across the face hard.
Stunned, she became silent.
“ I told you, she’s just a servant. She’ll not bring much,”
Royla said. “I assure you she’s used.”
“ I don’t believe ya, merchant.”
Royla charged at the leader’s back as he turned away. The
fourth bandit tripped him and then put his foot on the merchant’s
neck.
“ Here, wait.” Thomas stepped between the leader and Royla and
pulled his pouch of coins from his shoulder bag. “I’ll buy her,
here, I have gold.”
The leader took that bag also. “Look boys, more gold. We’re
doin’ good today.” The men laughed. “I think we’ll still take the
girl.”
Thomas swung at the leader only to be blocked and hit in the
stomach. Doubling over, he fell. Next came a swift kick and Thomas
drew in painful breaths.
The gaudy leader looked at both men. “I’ll tell you what, you
be back here in ten days, with the weight of these two bags in more
gold, and I’ll let you have her back.” He smiled, showing yellow
teeth. “She may even be untouched.”
The bandits left, leaving the two men in the dirt and joking
about it.
Thomas struggled to his feet, still gasping. He stumbled to
kneel beside the merchant.
“ I can’t get that gold, Thomas,” Royla said, crying into the
red dirt. “That was three months’ worth of work in that
bag.”
“ I’m going after her, friend,” said Thomas.
“ Get her back, Thomas! Please, get her back!”
* * *
*
He followed the bandits, keeping just out of sight. Following
them proved rather easy as they behaved as if they thought
themselves safe. When they entered a cave, Thomas settled behind a
boulder.
“ Now,” he said to himself. “How do I get in there?”
“ Oh, you don’t have to worry about getting in.” He heard
laughter coming from both sides.
* * *
*
Pushed to the floor, Thomas landed on his face. Lying there
with his hands tied behind his back, he could smell the unpleasant
aroma of what had to be a good many unwashed bodies.
“ Look what we found, boys and girls,” said one of the men who
found him outside.
“ Look here girl. You’ve got a knight in shining armor.” The
words of the gaudy leader sparked a bit of laughter. He came and
lifted Thomas’s head by the hair. “You don’t even have a weapon,
knight.”
Thomas remained silent as he looked into the face with the “w”
brand. He remembered what that “w” meant now; it meant thief in the
southern lands. Big surprise.
“ Take ’im to the cage boys. The girl, too. Maybe we can have
some sport with ’im later. And don’t touch the girl, I’m gonna
retire on the gold we get for her.”
Two pairs of hands grabbed Thomas by the arms and pulled him
to his knees. In a glance, he saw about fifteen people, men and
women, all in rather dirty, worn clothing. Lifting him to his feet,
the two men half-dragged him for a few minutes through several
twists and turns, deeper into the bowels of the mountain, before
throwing him to the ground again inside a cage. Another thump
beside him, and a curse about the sexual habits of their mothers,
told him Season lay next to him. He looked around in the light of
the single torch they carried and saw the cage consisted of thick
branches tied together with leather cords.
Season sat up when they removed the rag from her eyes and
kicked futilely at one of them. Laughing, they shut the cage door
and locked it with a heavy chain and large padlock.
They lit another torch wedged into a crack in the chamber wall
and left.
Season’s hair displayed none of the brushing and washing of
earlier that morning and a large hole had been ripped in her dress
at the bottom.
“ So, my would-be rescuer, are you all right?” she
asked.
“ Yeah, just my pride’s hurt.”
* * *
*
Noises of people coming from the only entrance to the
again. “I think we’ll take the girl, though.”
Two of the bandits grabbed her by the arms as she fought them.
The leader walked over and slapped her across the face hard.
Stunned, she became silent.
“ I told you, she’s just a servant. She’ll not bring much,”
Royla said. “I assure you she’s used.”
“ I don’t believe ya, merchant.”
Royla charged at the leader’s back as he turned away. The
fourth bandit tripped him and then put his foot on the merchant’s
neck.
“ Here, wait.” Thomas stepped between the leader and Royla and
pulled his pouch of coins from his shoulder bag. “I’ll buy her,
here, I have gold.”
The leader took that bag also. “Look boys, more gold. We’re
doin’ good today.” The men laughed. “I think we’ll still take the
girl.”
Thomas swung at the leader only to be blocked and hit in the
stomach. Doubling over, he fell. Next came a swift kick and Thomas
drew in painful breaths.
The gaudy leader looked at both men. “I’ll tell you what, you
be back here in ten days, with the weight of these two bags in more
gold, and I’ll let you have her back.” He smiled, showing yellow
teeth. “She may even be untouched.”
The bandits left, leaving the two men in the dirt and joking
about it.
Thomas struggled to his feet, still gasping. He stumbled to
kneel beside the merchant.
“ I can’t get that gold, Thomas,” Royla said, crying into the
red dirt. “That was three months’ worth of work in that
bag.”
“ I’m going after her, friend,” said Thomas.
“ Get her back, Thomas! Please, get her back!”
* * *
*
He followed the bandits, keeping just out of sight. Following
them proved rather easy as they behaved as if they thought
themselves safe. When they entered a cave, Thomas settled behind a
boulder.
“ Now,” he said to himself. “How do I get in there?”
“ Oh, you don’t have to worry about getting in.” He heard
laughter coming from both sides.
* * *
*
Pushed to the floor, Thomas landed on his face. Lying there
with his hands tied behind his back, he could smell the unpleasant
aroma of what had to be a good many unwashed bodies.
“ Look what we found, boys and girls,” said one of the men who
found him outside.
“ Look here girl. You’ve got a knight in shining armor.” The
words of the gaudy leader sparked a bit of laughter. He came and
lifted Thomas’s head by the hair. “You don’t even have a weapon,
knight.”
Thomas remained silent as he looked into the face with the “w”
brand. He remembered what that “w” meant now; it meant thief in the
southern lands. Big surprise.
“ Take ’im to the cage boys. The girl, too. Maybe we can have
some sport with ’im later. And don’t touch the girl, I’m gonna
retire on the gold we get for her.”
Two pairs of hands grabbed Thomas by the arms and pulled him
to his knees. In a glance, he saw about fifteen people, men and
women, all in rather dirty, worn clothing. Lifting him to his feet,
the two men half-dragged him for a few minutes through several
twists and turns, deeper into the bowels of the mountain, before
throwing him to the ground again inside a cage. Another thump
beside him, and a curse about the sexual habits of their mothers,
told him Season lay next to him. He looked around in the light of
the single torch they carried and saw the cage consisted of thick
branches tied together with leather cords.
Season sat up when they removed the rag from her eyes and
kicked futilely at one of them. Laughing, they shut the cage door
and locked it with a heavy chain and large padlock.
They lit another torch wedged into a crack in the chamber wall
and left.
Season’s hair displayed none of the brushing and washing of
earlier that morning and a large hole had been ripped in her dress
at the bottom.
“ So, my would-be rescuer, are you all right?” she
asked.
“ Yeah, just my pride’s hurt.”
* * *
*
Noises of people coming from the only entrance to the
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