Chapter 17: A Step Closer

In the morning, the two groups breakfasted, and the rain having abated, Hastert prepared for departure. Robyn, upon receiving and counting the revised sum for her potions, gave a satchel to Hastert, stating, “As we agreed, once I’m reasonably sure I won’t be ambushed, I’ll send your man with the instructions. Expect them in an envelope sealed with this ring.” She held up her reversed wedding ring which had her initials engraved.

She approached the two Damsels, hugged them, and whispered, “It will be okay. A Hero is coming and you both will hold this baby again.” With that, she took Tina and handed her to Hester and said to Hastert, “I hope your word is good. If not, you’d better kill me before I kill you.” She turned her back, and Hastert led his party out where they mounted and departed.

When Hastert saw the results of the ambush at his former campsite, his anger caused him to dismount and stomp around, searching and cursing. He was at a conundrum, pursue the ambushers or wait for Stumpy. In reality it was a Hobson’s choice. He had to remain at the campsite so that Stumpy could find him in time to take his potion, returning to the town had the high likelihood that the healer would refuse to give him the instructions. If he threatened her, she might even poison him.

So, he split his forces.

Hastert sent two of his remaining ten men back to town to buy supplies and the horses needed to carry them. He sent five men after the marauders with instructions to find them and kill them if the bunch were small enough. If the group were too large, they were to trail them so that Hastert could deal with them later. He had the remaining men scavenge the area for dry firewood and start a large fire. He anticipated that the men sent to town would be several hours returning.

Water dripping from trees soaked by the previous day’s rain did nothing to improve his mood, and Hastert continued pacing and cursing while his cock burners huddled miserably by the fire.

Pēteris and Maggie had ridden hard and long to reach a place that looked good for an ambush. Pēteris had carefully chosen the ambush site far enough along that pursuers were sure to be tired and hopefully less watchful. He selected a site just past a tree-lined curve that limited visibility of the road ahead - one of many such that they had already passed up. Just around the curve, the rocky road transitioned to a surprising, dipping stretch of road that was very muddy, and the combination of trees and curve, also limited escape routes. If the pursuers were riding fast enough, he could hope for thrown riders and the resulting confusion. They expected between five and eight riders, and a pileup would really help even the odds.

The captured horses were led far up the road from their selected site and then along a stream to a meadow where they were unloaded, hobbled, and left near water and good grazing. They took time to bathe and wash the blood and sweat from each other - precedent you know - but play was limited. They left the washing and sorting of their new acquisitions for later. The amount of time they had was uncertain, and Pēteris needed to use the remaining daylight to return and survey the place he chose for them to attack their soon-to-follow pursuers.

The pair slept near the road in their now accustomed manner, cuddled together for warmth in the chill night. They woke at dawn, took care of morning needs, ate a cold breakfast, and returned to their blankets for a bit of a cuddle. Maggie wiggled!

Having seen that most of Hastert’s men wore only boiled leather armor, Pēteris armed Maggie with both their crossbows and yet another taken from the previous ambush. He chose his sling for himself. They decided to eat an early midday meal and keep water and jerky handy to assuage any need if the afternoon lengthened. After a trip to the bushes, they separated and stationed themselves for their coming fight.

Their results were much better than hoped for. Horses could be heard at some distance, and while no longer galloping, they were at a fast trot. Pēteris moved into the road some fifty paces from the end of the muddy stretch and ambled towards the oncoming riders.

As hoped, the first rider’s horse hit the thick mud, stumbled, screamed, and threw him - one down and out. The remaining four reigned in and looked in confusion at Pēteris approaching alone, swinging his arm. That he was using a sling never dawned, and he unseated two more horsemen while two twangs from crossbows took them from the rear. Neither of Pēteris’ victims was killed, but both of Maggie’s lay bleeding from the mouth and unmoving.

When Pēteris’ targets started to struggle to their feet, Maggie placed a bolt in the middle of one’s back, and Pēteris rode over and skewered the second villain with his sword. The first fallen had not moved, and they discovered that his neck had been broken by his tumble. His horse had a broken leg, and Pēteris put it down by opening an artery with his sheath knife.

They hauled their victims out of the mud, and Pēteris decided that it might be best to load them on their horses to take them to the meadow. There, bloody, muddy clothing could be washed in the stream along with that from the previous day’s fight, and if the bodies were that far from the road, it was unlikely that they would ever be discovered.

Because of the distance, they dragged the dead horse from the road, but left it. The broken leg and mercy-kill would obscure the real circumstances of its death. Iron was valuable, so Pēteris took the time to remove the shoes from the dead animal. Failing to do so would look suspicious.

When they arrived at the clearing, they began the dirty task of stripping the bodies and rinsing the clothing. When their loot was sorted, they stripped themselves and ran naked into the creek. Splashing and washing each other, they had a grand time.

At last, exhausted, Pēteris grabbed Maggie, kissed her soundly, and told her, “Daughter of my heart, I love you dearly. I promised you that we will find you a love and husband that appreciates what you offer.” Then, he looked into her deep brown, golden-flecked eyes and said, “But for now, if you wish, I’ll try to relieve some of your battle stress. Still no sexing, but I can lick you until you scream for mercy.”

Maggie reached up, grabbed his ears, and declared, “I so much wish, and then some.” So he did.

They now had a lot of horses and loot. Pēteris wanted no trail leading back to the farm, so the pair rode on to the next village. While Maggie waited in some woods outside the town, he rode a captured horse to the livery. There he managed to sell all but four of the captured horses with their tack. The leftovers he traded for a ‘fresh’ horse and a trio of mules to use for carrying the ‘requisitioned’ supplies and the loot that he couldn’t sell or trade. He had little time to devote to bargaining, so the proceeds weren’t particularly good, but the recognizable horses were gone.

Ridding himself of the weapons proved easier, less time consuming, and more profitable. He also managed to find someone at the general store willing to buy the surplus boots and clothing. He was left with the captured supplies and camping gear. They were much less recognizable, so he was happy to reload them on the mules and ride out to meet Maggie.

Once far enough towards the farm, he would make opportunities to sell the mules and likely release the horse to find its way back. When he finished with Hastert, he would shave off his current beard, clean up his scruffy appearance, and change to respectable clothes in order to transform back from ruffian to healer. When finished, he could reasonably expect that his trail would end back at the village - assuming that Hastert had any remaining desire and energy to check.

He met up with Maggie, and she insisted on a thorough kissing before they rode on to the next stage of Pēteris’ convoluted plan.

Had he been on Earth, Hastert would have subscribed to the proposition that lightning never strikes the same place twice. Lighting having struck his camp, he was certain the site was forever safe from lightning - especially since his men were chasing the lightning up the road.

He was wrong!

Pēteris’ attack was the culmination of the setup he had been planning all along. He was not subtle, but he wanted Hastert to live as a credible witness that a ‘cure’ existed for cock burners - alive, but so severely wounded that he could not personally pursue for months. He also wanted Hastert utterly convinced that his two cock burners were dead.

The guards were changed every three hours, with Hastert taking a turn. Maggie and Pēteris had watched them the first night to be sure. Then the night before Stumpy was to return, they acted.

When they were certain that Hastert and his remaining three men were asleep, Pēteris slipped behind one desultory watcher and used his sling in its secondary function - as a garrote. He slipped the rope around the guard’s neck, tightened, then he bent backwards to lift him so that his drumming feet wouldn’t make a sound in the dead leaves.

The second sentry, having dozed, woke with his throat already cut by Maggie’s razor sharp belt knife. She held her hand over his mouth; though with a slashed windpipe and rushing blood, it was very unlikely he would make a sound. Then she wiped his blood from her hands using his tunic.

Two down, three to go.

Maggie slipped in to the prisoners, cut their bonds, and whispered, “Damsels of Cassandra, in a little while, the Hero Pēteris is going to kill the guards. Then, he is going to fight Hastert and wound him - very severely and very painfully.”

“Just have him kill the bastard,” hissed Katja.

“Not this time, but he’ll suffer,” Maggie replied. “Now listen, when the fighting starts, it’s okay to yell and scream - in fact, do it. When Pēteris yells something like ‘cock burners, I’m going to kill them’ you need to scream like he really is. Then he’ll come over to you and motion to you to shriek and go silent. Got it?”