Chapter 10

I came down out of my 'warrior mind' to confront my recklessness. I had a 'clean sweep' here; I'd killed everybody who could ferret out the conspiracy and help me save the girl. Whoever she was!

I looked over at Tor, sitting incongruously in his chair with his head far back and throat, gaping killed so quickly, so thoughtlessly. My sensei tried to teach me "mind like water," a heightened perception and rational assessment in combat. So far, I did not impress myself. I knew sensei would have MUCH to say, little of it complimentary. I was going to die, here, in the mud, outsmarted by primitives because I quit using my brain! I bowed to sensei in apology, then knelt in contemplation.

Standing up, I studied the two bodies. Grimacing, I grabbed Jeremy by the ankles, dragging him out the door, followed by Tor. Leaving them next to the house, I walked across the lane, carefully looking and listening, but there was no sign of anyone else around. I lifted my pack and headed for the barn. There was one person left who might give me some answers - Donna.

I dropped my pack by the entryway to the barn, stopping to retrieve my light crystal. I was uncovering the crystal as I walked in. Donna grimaced, squinting in the sudden bright light. I greeted her calmly. "Hello again, Donna."

She yelped in surprise at my voice. Her eyes snapped full open staring at me in horror. I placed the crystal on the floor close to her before I threw open the big door just past the wagon she was shackled to.

I wandered around this corral, gathering wood just a few feet from the opening, even pulling a couple railings off the wooden fence. I had my back to Donna, so I used another Trioxane tab to start the fire. The unpainted, weathered railing blazed up into a blistering fire, hot enough that Donna flinched away.

I kicked her ankles apart as I stood towering over her, saying evenly, "Donna, I want you to tell me about your friends and the woman you would kill."

She was still gagged, shaking her head emphatically. Kneeling, I studied her until her eyes dropped again. Using just the pad of my thumb, I pressed on nerve bundles in her legs and arms. As the pressure became pain, her body writhed while Donna's breath whistled though the ring gag.

The metal circle of the ring gag in Donna's mouth fascinated me. I pushed my index finger deep in her mouth until she choked, unable to close her mouth or bite. She gulped and heaved, with her body convulsing as I withdrew my probing finger.

A flickering, brief vision of Natalie, vulnerable, in place of Donna, put me back on my heels. I had to be careful. With few limits on a hunter's behavior, my bitterness toward Natalie could spill over, with ugly results.

Crouching as I showed Donna my Tanto. In silence I held up my finger, she froze as I slipped the blade along her cheek under the gag strap with a tiny movement severed it. The gag fell away as Donna stared at me in shock. Showing her the dagger again, I said seriously: "You will tell me everything. I may not kill you, but you won't be pretty anymore."

At her hiss of indrawn breath, I walked out by the fire standing with my back to her. Turning and looking in the barn, I saw a piece of scrap iron hanging on the wall. She watched in trepidation as I shoved the end of that iron into the coals at the center of my fire.

Now I knelt next to her, saying quietly, "If I cut you here..." and as I gently touched her skin with my fingernail alternating with the intense 'acupressure'. Donna screamed, jerking her body away as far as the shackles allowed.

Her eyes were red from her tears, throat hoarse from screaming as I picked up the iron, glowing on the end, moving it inches from her face, saying softly, "This will hurt terribly and mark you forever."

Donna stared past the glow into my face, begging hoarsely, "WHO are you?"

I stopped, saying loudly, ""Please, who are you, sir?"

She shook her head as I waved the glowing metal, reclaiming her attention. In a defeated tone, she asked, "Who are you, please, sir?"

I nodded calmly as I said, "Someone who can do as he pleases."

Her eyes widened as with a shaky voice, she asked, "Am I your slave?"

I waved the hot iron in time as I corrected her, saying slowly, "Please sir, am I your slave"

Her head went down, then came up, as, resigned, Donna repeated, "Please, sir, who are you?"

I tossed the iron back into the fire as I answered: "Brock, a hunter."

She shook her head as she thought aloud, "Tor was right. Fucking Howard."

Now she looked at me saying all in a rush: "You're the crossbowman. Tor suspected a trap. He wanted to question you closely. He only risked it because we required a bowman, and we hoped you were already part of The Thistles with us. He'd have killed Howard and Alvis outright for even talking to you except for that possibility and because all were crucial to kill the Princess. Princess Veronica, King Oswald's daughter."

Donna stopped suddenly, her eyes big as she quickly added, "Sir."

I nodded in a distracted manner as I processed the information, asking her, "Who pulls the strings, Donna?"

Donna frowned prettily as she thought then replied, "Lord Chasseur delivers messages to us with instructions and information from Cinquedea; otherwise, Devlin or the spice merchant."

I smirked as I said, "Lord Chasseur is the man on the big black horse?"

Donna started as she replied, "You saw him arrive?"

I nodded. "Yes, I saw him. But Donna, the name 'Chasseur' is a fake. It's a word that means 'one who rides a horse'."

Donna started looking at me with an "O" of astonishment. I recalled an earlier comment of hers as I asked, "What did you mean, 'I might already be with you?' Don't you know all your gang members?"

She shook her head emphatically. "No, Brock, sir. We know only few of 'The Thistles', Clark the tavern keeper; Devlin the merchant in River town; and Saiful Haq, a spice peddler who travels the region by wagon. The rest identify themselves as we hoped you would. Tor thought it possible that Devlin might have sent you. Since you seemed so rude Alvis was convinced you came perhaps even from Cinquedea himself."

I nodded, as I asked quietly, "How might I have proved my bonafides, Donna?"

She smiled more calmly as she answered, "Showing a thistle plant or thistle blossom."

I nodded as she continued, "Identification by sign and countersign with the current words: Clover and Rapier."

Now I was confused as I repeated, "Clover and rapier?"

Donna was enthusiastic as she answered, "Oh yes, Brock sir. You might say 'the fields are filled with clover' with the countersign 'the rapier is sharp' and then you would know that person is one of The Thistles.

I shook my head, staring off into the distance, as I contemplated my continued health depending on not laughing during this childish secret word shit. I looked down at Donna as I asked, "So why didn't Alvis just ask me?"

Donna looked shocked at the question. "Tor would have killed him he'd so much as breathed the secret words in a tavern. Only Tor could put the questions."

I pondered how close I came to being found out and killed. Only Tor's distrust of his subordinates saved me. I knelt next to Donna unlocking the cuffs. At my gesture Donna brought her arms around in front of her and I relocked the cuffs in front of her. This gave me an opportunity to look Donna in the eye from close ranges as I asked an all-important question. "Why, Donna? Why are you telling me all these secrets?"

Donna looked back at me levelly as she answered calmly, "They are not here. Only you are here, Hunter Brock. Besides, you are different from them. Tor would have burned me without hesitation."

She nodded as she continued, "I will be honest with you in all things, doing anything and everything that you ask. Perhaps by that you can be persuaded to save me from 'the raising'."

Donna shuddered again at the thought of that barbaric hanging, looking in my eyes as she repeated in little more than a whisper, "Anything and everything, Brock sir."