Chapter 7

The crossbow bolt struck Sultry between the shoulder blades and bounced off. That's not to say it didn't hurt ... it did ... it hurt like crazy. She went sprawling and landed face first in a fresh road apple.

"Fuck! that hurts. Who did that?"

"If I had to guess," said Cassie. "I'd have to say it's that big guy behind us ... the one with three fingers gone. He's trying his damnedest to cock that weapon again."

From her position on the road apple, Sultry, groaned, "Milo! Tall? Big arms? Eyes really close together?"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

"Milo! I should have killed him ten years ago. Do us a favor, love. Stick an arrow in his eye."

"Me?" She looked down the street, "He's got it cocked. He's digging in his belt for another bolt. I will say, Sultry, he's really awkward with just a finger and a thumb. Oh..." she ducked and the bolt whizzed past the top of her head. She shouted, "Here, now! Milo!"

Milo looked up from struggling to recock his crossbow. "Whatchuwant, bitch?" He shouted at her.

"Why did you shoot at me?" Cassie shouted back.

"You're with her, ain'tchu?" Milo shouted the question.

"Well, yes." It didn't seem reasonable.

"Good enough," Milo shouted.

"Oh! Well, in that case!" Cassie strung her bow, knocked an arrow, and took Sultry's advice.

She turned and looked at Sultry, still eating road apple ... well ... trying to spit it out, "Are they ALL like this?" She bent over to help Sultry to her feet.

A third bolt rent the air where her back had been mini-seconds ago.

"You fuckin' whore! That was my brother!"

"Pretty much. This one about 19, blond?"

Cassie looked back, "Yeah."

"Milo's little brother."

"He's not very little ... looking at him I'd say he was even bigger. Damn it all!" She knocked another arrow and loosed. It hit little brother in the right shoulder. He screamed and dropped the crossbow ... and, naturally, it spit the bolt in the mud street.

"Bitch, cunt, whore!"

Sultry was sitting now. The little bigger brother was trying to pull the arrow from his shoulder ... it was interfering with his aim.

Cassie was about to learn the lesson she had taught Jack seventeen years and lord knows how many adventures ago. She could teach ... could she do? Milo was a lesson learned. Would she be able to drop years and years of Nice Girl-Polite Girl- Lady and do the number one rule of Chaos? She pondered while The Big Little Brother worried that arrow out of his shoulder. He had it in both hands and broke it.

Arrows cost money. She drew her sword and ran at him. And ran him through ... Eew!

"It went in so easy," she told Sultry. "The light in his beady eyes slowly went out ... he coughed up gouts of blood ... Sultry ... It felt ... good! That bastard was trying to kill me. ME! With Milo, I was protecting you. I didn't think with Milo ... that's my job. With his brother ... it was personal. As I was running at him all I could think about was, 'You fucker! Try and kill me will you?' Running him through validated everything I had studied at home. Hey! Barkeep ... Another beer here!"