Chapter 9

I settled back, sipping my ale. They were looking at me expectantly, so I finally offered,

"When I'm hungry, taking what I need from some rich bastard who never earned it and has too much anyway, aint really stealing is it?"

Goddamn, where the fuck did that come from? But Alvis and Howard were wreathed in smiles. Howard nodded as Alvis said, "Just so. You gotta take care of yourself. Make your own way. Otherwise there's the debtor's collar..."

They both winced earnestly at the mention of that collar. Howard leaned forward conspiratorially. "This is all a secret, but we will take you to meet our chieftain..."

I put up my hand rather emphatically, and Howard mumbled to a halt. I looked around the room carefully, then back at the two of them. I took a deep breath, saying slowly and carefully, "It can't be too much of a secret, with you two drunk idiots talking about it in a tavern. I go nowhere after dark with anyone, certainly with neither of you. I meet your leader here tomorrow night. If I find something else for work, I won't be back. Don't follow me."

Alvis laughed, as Howard looked aggrieved. "No need to go on like that. We're not drunk and we aint idiots."

Alvis then asked with a snarky tone, "Where the fuck you gonna find work? Decided to take up hunting?"

They both laughed uproariously at the idea. Alvis grinned. "Tomorrow, then. If nothing else, we buy you a meal."

I nodded tightly. Standing up, I knocked out my pipe, emptying the bowl in Alvis's ale mug. I scooped up my crossbow and was out the door, into the night.

Moving swiftly away from the tavern, I jumped over a low stone wall on the edge of a field and stood in the weeds, observing the entrance. Alvis, the ferret, had a discreet wrist sheathe on his right arm. He might be a lefty, making him ambidextrous as a practical matter. Despite his tolerance of my antics, he might very well be competent and that plus ambidextrous and quick would be bad things, perhaps very bad things.

I eased away from the road about two hundred yards, and started back the way I'd come. My eyes were soon accustomed to the darkness, and I made very good time to the muddy lane. I was presently standing in the grove, across from the robber's nest. I dug out my telescope, and made a discovery. It was magicked to be a night glass. Through it, I could see the farmhouse clear as noon, despite the overcast and lack of moonlight.

I sat, well hidden, observing the house. There was little to pique my interest. About midnight, the sound of hooves at a gallop brought me out of my reverie.

A charger came dashing up the path, spraying mud in all directions. The horse had no sooner skidded to a stop, than the rider was out of the saddle, pounding on the farmstead door demanding admittance. I got an excellent look at his face as the open door illuminated him.

The ground tied horse was standing quietly, and I had just decided to take a closer look when the meeting broke up. The door was jerked open, and the horseman stomped out into the yard. Tor accompanied him out the door, and the horseman jerked the saddlebags off his mount and tossed them to him.

The horseman shook his finger in Tor's face and admonished him loudly, "Just get it done, and no fucking excuses. She dies or you're all forfeit."

After a hard eyed look he leapt up on the horse and without a backward glance cruelly spurred his mount. Two jumps; they were out of sight down the narrow road. Tor gazed down the empty lane for a long time then his shoulders slumped as he carried that bag into the house.

Okay, I definitely wanted that look-see now.

With my crossbow in hand and Katana loosened, I moved across the lane and close to the farmhouse. I was once again standing an arm's length back from the gaps in the kitchen shutters, listening to an altogether subdued group as Tor and Donna (his 'woman' turned out to be named Donna) stacked coins on the table, while Jeremy whined about the peremptory nature of their orders.

Tor couldn't get angry; he seemed resigned as he told Jeremy, "It doesn't matter. None of it matters. Not even how many guards and outriders. We must kill her when her coach rolls through the forest on the way to the Port City or we have to flee for our lives."

Jeremy droned on, "Couldn't have been a worse time to lose Giant and Henry."

Donna looked at him incredulously as she barked, "When's a good time to have your friends killed, you dumb fuck?"

Tor was shaking his head; he looked like he had quite a headache. Finally he looked over at Jeremy, asking, "Where the fuck are Harold, Howard and Harvey? And Alvis? Of all the nights for them to be off getting drunk and whoring."

Donna looked over, saying in exasperation, "You paid them, what do you expect when they got coppers rubbing together in their pockets?"

Tor finally roused himself. He looked over at Jeremy, and, in a tone that brooked no argument, he said, "Find them. Get out there right now and find them, sober them up and have them here. No fucking excuses. Not a word, Jeremy. All of them here at dusk for that meeting; then we go to the forest, set the ambush and kill her."

Tor stared malevolently at Jeremy, who slowly rose with great show of unconcern, donned his cloak, and walked out the door and down the muddy lane without a backward glance.

Jeremy was no sooner out of earshot, than Donna started her own entreaty, asking Tor to grab all the loose gold and silver coins, load them in the horse cart, and they'd run for it!

Tor ignored her as he went to a cabinet, brought out a gallon stoneware jug, and shambled dejectedly out of my sight. Donna sat silently at the table with her head in her hands.

I eased away from the farmstead moving back to my vantage in the grove thinking about what I'd seen and heard.

The robbers weren't just thieves, but also had a more nefarious purpose as assassins and likely spies. Their robberies a perfect cover for these tasks. Somebody big and important, with a long, deadly reach, pulled at least some of the highwaymen's strings. In exchange, of course, he fingered fat scores for them. It was a perfect partnership until now.

Today a female, somebody rich with a coach and outriders was their target. This somebody so important that the puppet master was pulling strings HARD prepared to wipe out his carefully constructed crew if necessary in order to execute her.

Was it Nadia? Somehow I did not think so. After all, she just left the bullseye. The puppet master had a chance and did not take it. No, this was clearly about somebody else.

Funny; I'd already come to my decision. Must have happened while I was outside the farmhouse. I counted up the people involved and discovered that it did not matter. I was committed.

I moved back in the grove until I found a deadfall. I rolled up in my cloak and rain cape, lying against the big fallen log, and went to sleep. My last thought as my eyes closed were of that buxom blonde in the farmhouse

My eyes opened in this dark before the dawn. I lay unmoving listening questing with every sense and nerve. Slowly raising my head over the log I looked around carefully but there was no one.

I sat up stretching as the sky lightened. The farmstead was silent as I peered through my telescope. Moving back deeper into the grove, I decided that I'd risk lighting my Optimus stove in order to have some hot tea. While I waited for water to boil, I stood in a clear space and performed kata with my Sai daggers.