Chapter 7

The morning came with a violence they had never believed possible. All three women were on their feet, eyes wide in terror, weapons out, backs to each other ready for battle. The only thing Aco saw was a very large rooster that had crowed right next to her head. As they tried to calm down, shaking and panting, a boy’s voice said, “One of these days I am going to cook that bastard.”

All three women stood there, naked, weapons out in shock as they tried to finish waking up He looked at them for a moment, seemed like he was going to say something when a woman in the house yelled, “Andrew, get back in here and leave ladies alone why don’t you.” The boy shrugged, smiled at them, and took off at a run before he got himself in any further trouble.

They packed up and began their morning exercises when both Lann and his wife came out to check on them. “That bird is a menace,” said Lann. “Andrew is correct in saying that the rooster will be cooked someday soon.” He pointed at his wife, “This is Lorna, my wife. If you like, you can rest here for a day or two.”

Aco spoke, “No, we need to be moving. There is a small party of bounty hunters a few days back. We don’t want to cause you any trouble.”

Lorna spoke, “Aco, there is no need to hide, your parents would never forgive us if we allowed you to be hurt while with us.”

“How do you know me, we have never met before,” said Aco.

“I saw the show your parents are part of when you passed through here early last spring before last. I met with them and they told me about you and what had happened.” He smiled at Aco, “All the former members of Merc’s have a standing agreement to assist each other and family members when the need arises. You are safe while here.”

“It isn’t them they are after ma’am,” said Robin, “The Bards want my head for working without their stupid cap.”

“Is that all?” said Lann. “I have something for you ladies since I see you are lacking a few must-have items for on the road.” The boy that had seen them earlier came around with a large cloth with poles. One of our old large camp tents.” he said. How is it you don’t have one?” he asked.

Betty answered now, “We did have one. A bear killed my pony before we could get out and then it shredded the tent cloth. It broke Aco’s small cart too.” Robin nudged her to shut up.

“Don’t worry, we don’t have a small horse to spare, nor a cart you could pull. We can spare this though, and a pack of fresh food and dried jerky,” said Lorna.

Lorna heard something, excused herself going back to the house in a hurry. “Ladies, I know we are making you uncomfortable, so pack the food and tent, top off your bags, and be on your way.” He looked at Aco, “We heard what happened to you Aco, and some of how you made a name for yourself in Tres, but be careful, dark things are moving.”

“I will sir.” She finished loading her portion of the food and took the tent since she had the lightest load, to begin with. They stopped at the water fixture and filled their bags and drank their fill. Without another word, they were back out to the road, walking quicker than they had previously.

Robin kept looking to the rear, feeling like the hunter was right behind her. As they went past the next farm, they saw a small family out working. They could see one of the daughters working, but also watching them as they went by. Nothing was said and nothing happened.

They made good progress over the next few days, camping by the stream that ran next to the road. When it turned away, they came to a major river. The water level was low enough they were able to ford it without trouble. They did stop for the rest of that day to dry out everything that got wet. The mold would ruin everything if they allowed it to set in.

That night, washed and clean, everything drying near the fire they had set up, they spent it pleasuring one-another for the first time in several weeks. Betty and Aco worked Robin over to the point she wasn’t able to move when they finished with her. She just lay on the ground cover, shivering and twitching as the orgasms continued the wash over her. Betty stroked Aco’s breast and they were quickly on each other until they both gave up as their muscles gave up and they passed out.

Morning came and the first thing all three women did was wash down again. They then stretched, ate a breakfast of dried fruit and jerky, then packed up for the next leg of the journey. They were able to refill their water and back on the road an hour after the sun had crested the horizon. In the late afternoon, they came to a crossroads village. The store had many items they could use, but their supply of coin was low. This is where Aco’s foresight paid off. She was able to trade the bear teeth and claws for enough food and several additional water bags and cutting wine to last them two full weeks. They stayed the night just outside of the village, then refilled their bags in the public well the following morning. The night had started out quietly enough, but as in all good things, trouble will happen.

Several of the older boys of this village decided that three women traveling without a man were fair game. They attempted to sneak up on the party right after sunset. One of the younger boys had hidden in a tree and watched them stretch and clean up for the night. He did get an eye-full when all three women stripped down nude and entered the tent Lann had sent with them. He had slipped away, thinking he had not been detected. The group of seven young men walked into the camp, not making any attempt at stealth, pulled open the flap of the tent and saw the tent was empty.

“Shit, the bitch’s are not here,” said the largest of the group. He turned to the boy that had reported what he had seen. “Are you sure they went inside?”

“Yeah, I watched them go in starkers. I waited and nobody came out so I got you and the others.”

A voice in the dark said, “Yes, he is reporting truly, but we knew he was watching and put on a small show for him.” The voice was low and rasping, with almost a hissing sound to it. The boys looked around and could see enough by the moonlight to know they were in serious trouble. The women had spread out around them. One had a sword, another a staff that she held at the ready, and the third, two things they had never seen before. They looked like three-pronged forks with short handles. They reflected the faint light in a most unpleasant manner. “No boys, you can sit down and be good, or we can leave you here for the scavengers.” All seven wisely sat.

“Good boys, now enjoy the show, Songbird?” said Aco.

Robin began with a simple tune that grew in complexity. When they heard movement to their right, they looked and saw a shadowy figure moving in the darkness. Betty added wood to the banked fire as well as a little oil she had left from cooking. The fire flared up and they could see the black figure moving in a complex dance all around them. It jumped, flipped, and danced, then would fade back into the darkness, only to reappear at another point around them. Aco stayed just at the edge of the light until she was ready to send them running in terror. She had put on the dragon mask for this little show. Had it been several adult men that had come to the camp, the fight would have been fast and brutal. Being as it was just boys, a lesson needed to be taught.

When she was ready, she flipped up and over the fire to land in the light. She growled and looked up at them, the mask gleaming in the flickering light. Four of the younger boys jumped and ran off into the night in absolute terror. The three largest and oldest sat rooted to the spot.

“It’s her, the dragon girl,” said the oldest. I saw the show a few years ago. He stayed still, knowing they were still in deep trouble for trying to sneak up on them.

“So I am, and you are still in trouble little boys,” said Aco. The boys began backing away. Rather than torment them further, Aco allowed them to scramble away into the night.

The next several weeks proved to be the easiest of the trip so far. The road was in good shape, the farmers were mostly willing to allow them to fill their water bags from wells, and enough towns and villages along the way to keep a supply of travel food on hand. Money was the only shortage they had. Robin and Aco would perform and bring in a few coins in the larger towns. That helped some, but even that in time would not be enough to keep them fed.

It was late in the third week when a few bandits tried to hold them up between towns. The four men and two women barely escaped with their lives. When Aco and Robin finished with them, they had gained a few coins to buy more jerked meat in the next village store. That proved to be the only excitement for that leg of the journey.

It was during the fifth week out from the Markenen farm they had their first encounter with a royal patrol. These men were polite and told them that there was something odd ahead about half a day’s walk. Camping in the area ahead was not encouraged. Other than that, they had about another two weeks of walking ahead of them before they arrived at Terin’s Crossing. They thanked the patrol leader and decided to stop where they were for the night. Since they didn’t have any real camping space, they set up along the road on the high side away from the drainage ditch. As they set up camp, carts, wagons, and foot traffic was steady at one or two hours. Nobody bothered them and they left the other travelers be in return. The night passed without incident.

The following morning they got an early start. They wanted to be through this area as quickly as possible. The oddity they came across was a strange scarecrow at a farm entrance.

“Ladies,” said Aco, “I do not like the looks of that thing, we need to keep moving.”

As they walked by, they saw the head was turning to follow them. They picked up their pace and didn’t stop to eat until near sundown.

“I have never seen anything like that before, That scarecrow was alive,” said Betty.

“Not alive, no,” said Robin, “An old enchantment of some sort, and not a good one either. I’m just glad we have gone outside its boundaries.”

“How can you tell that Robin, “asked Betty.

“I felt it, like a cold breeze fading away at a point a few miles back. We are safe here.”

“Good enough,” said Aco. She dropped her pack off and stretched. The day had been long and hard at the pace they had been going. They saw a cart with a family heading the way they came from. Robin warned them of the possible danger, but the father said they already knew about it and how to deal with it. He told them to just keep a bright fire burning all night and the old stick figure would leave them alone. They thanked him for the advice and settled in for the night, keeping a moderately bright fire going through the night.

Morning came and the sky had clouded up again. The clouds were low and heavy. They seemed to be looking for any excuse to open up and pour on the lands below. The excuse was the ladies moving away from camp and starting the day’s march. This rain didn’t bother to start light and ramp-up to heavy, it went straight to the water barrel has been over-turned on you heavy. They slogged on, soaked to the bone, hoping the covers on the packs would keep everything dry. The rain lasted until late afternoon, not breaking until sundown where it continued to drizzle on and off all night. They did have one stroke of luck, a farmer was willing to let them sleep in his barn. They checked their gear and found the upper half of all the packs had soaked through. They pulled everything out, strung a few lines across the supports of the barn, and hung all the wet cloths and items to dry overnight. The farmer did allow them to have a small fire for light and cooking.

They were not alone in the barn, they shared it with three oxen, four milk cows, and a horse. The animals didn’t mind the fire, they seemed to like the warmth it provided.

Betty grumbled, “That was just awful out there today.”

Robin nodded in agreement. She was working on stretching the skin on her drum so it wouldn’t crack the ring as it dried. “Water is fine for drinking and bathing, but walking in a waterfall all day is most definitely out.”

Aco was drying the last of her mask’s off. Water wouldn’t hurt them, but they would get stuck to one-another if she didn’t dry them off before putting them away. “Hopefully the weather will be drier in the morning. We still have a long way to go.” The other agreed. They ate, stretched, and prepared to sleep. The night was mostly quiet, only the noise of shuffling hooves disturbing the night.

Several days behind them, the hunters sat in misery. The damned bard had cost them most of their coin in a game of dice. The big man had used what they had left for travel rations, so they wouldn’t starve right away. They had tried to get the smart ass bard to perform for a few nights to earn more, but he refused, saying he was not contracted for that work, so he wasn’t going to freelance it. That earned him a broken nose, two lost teeth, and a possible broken arm. The two men figured they would end up just killing the worthless ass before much longer. After that, they would return to Plains Guard and see about work there.

The next day on the road was muddy but manageable. They didn’t make it as far as they wanted, but any distance was a good distance. They came across a road that came from the north at one point. That was a marker the guards told them to be on the lookout for. They only had a few more days to go, then they could rest, if, and it was a big if, they could earn the money to stay at an inn for a time.

The final leg of this part of the trip proved to be more interesting than they could have expected. That very evening, a man tried to hold them up by himself. He survived, barely because he refused to give up and just walk away while he had the chance. They learned from him they would be hit at least four more times before they reached the outer caravan yard. Aco had him hogtied and hanging from a tree and she wanted to leave him there when they left in the morning. Betty prevailed and Robin cut him down. When they released him, he promptly went to attack Aco and had to be knocked out. They left him secured to the same tree he had been hung from.

“That man is stupid as can be,” said Aco. “We gave him the chance to walk away and he just kept coming at us.”

Robin had remained silent for most of the last day, “There was something off about him. He felt ... I don’t know, just wrong to me, like he wasn’t the one running the body, but just along for the ride. He seemed fixated on you all the time Aco, did you notice that?”

Aco only nodded. She didn’t know the man and had no idea why he would come after her directly. They left him behind, wary of more attacks along the way. Strangely enough, the next attack came one hour before sunset again, just like the one the night before. This attack was harder and nastier. It was five attackers, all berserk-ed on getting to Aco. They ended up seriously injuring all of the attackers this time, one would not last the night, Betty was sure of that.

Aco pulled the leader to his feet and slammed him against a high rock that was one of many in this area. “Why are you after me?” she demanded.

He snorted, then spit at the face under the hood. “Three women traveling alone, and you have to ask that?”

“Foolish man,” whispered Aco, “We are anything but helpless as you have found out.” She moved closer and began to slowly pull the hood back. She had slipped the dragon mask on by reflex as soon as the fight began. As the face became visible to him, he went white. Do you know who I am little man?” she asked in a cold, dead whisper.

The only sound he made was a gagging sound as he struggled to break free from this monster. He knew of this one.

“I am the one known as the Claw,” she whispered into his face. The mask was now fully visible to him and the others on the ground. She noted that the entire group, even the one that was slowly bleeding out were trying to get away from her. “I see that you do remember me.” She let out a faint, hissing chuckle. It was not in the least bit friendly.

Betty tried to bind the bleeding on the dying man, but it was deep and an artery had been severed. When he stopped moving, she closed his eyes and whispered for the death goddess to see to his soul. Robin had stayed back, sword out keeping a close eye on those on the ground. She jumped a little when Aco tossed the man she had been terrorizing on the ground along with his compatriots. “What do we do with them,” she asked. “If we leave them alive, they will try to follow us and cause us further problems.”

Robin finally stepped into the light and looked at the would-be bandits. “If I can convince the Claw to release you, do plan to follow us?” She frowned and asked again, “Would you try to follow us?” She waited and nobody spoke, they all just lay in the dirt, staring in terror as Aco slowly circled them, weapons out, slowly spinning in her hands.

Aco finally said, “Answer her, now.”

One of the women spoke, “No ma’am, we will not follow her,” she said to Robin.

“Her, not her,” pointing at Betty, “Or myself?”

Realizing her mistake, “None of you, we will never follow any of you.” She was in tears, looking at the dead man and the man Aco had thrown so hard. He was groaning in pain, one arm bent slightly out of shape.

“I think we can let them go Aco, they are more afraid of us than they are of the Thieves or Assassins.” Robin began untying the ropes holding the women first. “No cutting the ropes please, we will have further need of it later I suspect.” The women did as they were told and soon the party of bandits was limping away, taking their one dead compatriot with them.

Betty asked, “Do you think they will try to attack us again?”

Aco switched to a mask she rarely used, it was a grin, but this one showed spiked, pointy teeth, eyes that looked demonic, and the color was tinted slightly red. “If they do, I will kill them all. They know me, they know I am trained and can and will if the need arises. I would much rather not have to kill though.”

Robin, on hearing the name Aco had used had become afraid. Claw was a terror from out of the West. If it was sent to you, you paid or else. ‘How can Aco be the Claw,’ Robin wondered, her heart finally slowing as she relaxed. This encounter could have been much worse. ‘I know she is trained as a fighter as well as an acrobatic dancer, but Claw?’ “Ok Aco, you have some explaining to do before we move one more inch west.” She was facing Aco, hand on the hilt of her sword, but not in an attack stance.

Aco saw this and knew the day would come when she would have to tell her travel companions the whole story of her past. “Grab a few water bags and food, then take a seat, this will take some time to tell.” When everything was set and they were comfortable as they could make themselves sitting around the small fire on the ground, Aco began.

In the year following the Acid attack, Aco had healed as well as she could. One thing she did was continue to learn the ways of her parent’s old skills. She had insisted that she be able to defend herself should another person try to take her or, more likely now, harm her. She had learned to hate mirrors. Seeing her destroyed face made her want to find others like the bastard that had hurt her and kill them all. She took to wearing deeply hooded cloaks, then added a cloth face mask when she couldn’t use a hood. Her preferred color was black. She trained and soon was able to stretch and bend in ways that even her mother couldn’t handle. Aco learned the acrobatics of the show and by the time she turned ten, she seemed almost to fly when she made leaps across the stage. She could climb the tower her father and brothers would make themselves into, go into a handstand, then begin tying herself into knots in the air. To finish the act, she would use her arms to launch herself from the tower and come down to land solidly on her feet, having untied herself in the air. Then she would run and do a tumbling act around the stage with her sisters and brothers.

This part of her life continued until she was twelve. The show had just arrived in Tres and was setting up when a strange man approached the show master and threatened him and all in the traveling band if they didn’t give up part of the daily take from the performance. At hearing this threat, Aco saw red, her heart began to hammer in her chest and a rage unlike any she had ever felt before consumed her. Her mother had been teaching her how to use a farming tool, Sia’s as weapons. Aco had been in the middle of her daily routine when this happened. She leaped at the stranger, grabbing his head and pulling him over as she passed. He was strong enough to resist her smaller size, so he did not die on the spot from a broken neck. He did, however, find he quickly grew half a dozen new holes in his body as this small creature attacked him.