by Bob Blink
The trail through the thick woods offered multiple opportunities for ambushes, but none were quite right for what Kaler and Daria had in mind. They didn’t want to pick off a couple of the bandits, and have the others able to find cover in the woods, and possibly even slip away. Their plan called for elimination of this group, leaving no one to go back and warn those at the small farm they had scouted the night before. That was where the spot they had left the wagon came in. The bandits would see the wagon in the small clearing as they came over the hill, and want to sneak up on their suspected victims. Two options presented themselves for making a concealed approach to the camp where the wagon was parked. Either would work for what Daria and Kaler planned.
As midday approached it was clear the bandits would soon ‘discover’ the camp. She made a Doorway back to the wagon, and they left the horses in the small clearing where they could graze. Then they jumped to the point they had selected to wait for the bandits. The spot was well back from the camp where the wagon and horses now waited, and would allow them to follow behind the men whichever route they selected to approach the camp. Hopefully they wouldn’t split up, which would make it more difficult.
It was apparent the men had spotted the wagon as expected. They were suddenly quieter, and intent on the task at hand. They rode silently into the clearing as Kaler had suggested they would, and dismounted, tying their horse’s reins to the thick brush along the back of the small clearing. The approach plan must have been discussed as they rode toward the clearing, and as a group the six men started down the path on the right. Four drew their broadswords, while the remaining two slipped their bows off their shoulders, pulling arrows from their quivers. Bows and arrows were held loosely, but could be brought into action relatively swiftly should the need rise.
Kaler and Daria agreed on their targets, and set off behind the disappearing men. They could move much quicker and quieter than the men they followed, and quickly closed the gap. They knew where they wished the encounter to take place. Before long the gaps in the brush showed the backs of the men ahead. They were almost to the spot selected. Kaler had already cocked the crossbow, and now he slipped a bolt in place as he walked. Daria slipped an arrow out of her quiver, and placed the end in the bowstring. She would draw the string just before she was ready to shoot.
Daria and Kaler stopped just before they stepped into the clearing. They had timed it well. The six men were fanned out, making their way across the opening. At the far side of the small clearing, a final stand of trees separated the men from the wagon. Because of the bright colors, it could be seen faintly beyond the trees. The men were scanning the trees and the area ahead, their entire attention on where their victims might be. They had seen the wagon and spotted the grazing horses, but as yet hadn’t seen the man and woman they had come to kill.
Daria nodded to Kaler and he lifted the heavy crossbow. As he did, she swiftly raised her own bow and drew the string back to her ear, the fingers finding their familiar resting spot alongside her cheek. The shot would be easy. The men were only thirty-five paces away, moving slow and unaware of the danger. Daria felt no discomfort in the manner by which the first men would die. Animals like these deserved no consideration. They had plans to butcher herself and Kaler, and would without a second thought if they had been whom the men thought. Even as the thought passed through the back of her mind, the tip of her arrow settled on the target. Smoothly she released her shaft, hearing the soft twang of Kaler’s release at nearly the same time. Both arrows flew true over the short distance, and the two men carrying bows of their own grunted and collapsed as the shafts struck home.
There was no way the remaining four bandits could miss the distinctive sound of their fellows being struck. They turned as the two men were falling, quickly scanning the forest to locate the source of danger. They had already been starting to move toward the cover of the closest trees when they spotted Daria and Kaler. Both Kaler and Daria had laid down their bows after the arrows had been released, and now were armed with edged weapons. Both had known there wouldn’t be time for second shots before the men would be upon them. Daria might have been able to get off a second shot, but didn’t see the need to try. Kaler had drawn the Kellmore blade, and Daria held one of her fighting knives, this time one of those with a small, but serviceable handle.
Seeing Daria and Kaler standing behind them, and making the connection that these were probably the two individuals they sought, the four bandits stopped moving for cover, and almost as quickly charged toward them. The bows that had been used to kill their friends were visible on the ground. Now the situation was more straightforward. These two had been lucky and had been able to kill their friends from cover, but they would have no chance to do so again. The odds were very much in the bandits’ favor. Four to two. Four to one actually. None of them gave the slight woman much thought. She was small and had just a small hand knife for a weapon.
Daria and Kaler stepped out to meet the oncoming fighters, moving apart from one another to give each room to maneuver. Predictably, only one of the men made for Daria, the remaining three focused on Kaler’s large frame and flashing sword. The man making for Daria was suddenly surprised as a second blade appeared in the air, thrown by the woman’s left hand. The blade flashed toward him, and if not for his practiced reflexes, would have struck him in the face. He jerked his head to one side to avoid the knife, and felt it graze his cheek as it passed. As he recovered from the thrown blade, he snarled and looked for the small figure that had thrown it, intent on teaching her a thing or two. He was surprised to discover that she was no longer standing where she’d been, and as he scanned to see where she might have gone, he became aware of a cold discomfort in his gut. He glanced quickly down, and was appalled to see his innards were sliding out of his stomach and coiling around his feet. He bellowed his distress, which caught the attention of one of those converging on Kaler.
Kaler had already decided his first moves. He could tell as the men approached, they were only marginally skilled at this kind of thing. Kaler had fought professionals who better knew how to use their superior numbers against an enemy. The one with the light colored beard seemed to be the most capable. He would go down first, Kaler decided. As the men closed on him, one suddenly veered off. Kaler realized he had gone to deal with Daria, which must mean she had already dispatched the one who had been making for her. She usually drew blood before Kaler. He grinned. It was now two against one. Hardly fair. These men weren’t trained well enough to take him without more help.
The man who had turned toward Daria approached her far more warily than his now dead friend had done. He realized that there was more to this couple than they had assumed. Half of their number were now dead, and they had yet to draw blood. The young woman stood waiting, not appearing at all intimidated by his superior weapon and reach. The calm way she observed him made him suddenly nervous. He decided his reach would be his salvation, and came to a stop a few paces away. He moved in slowly, and when he was close enough to see the contempt in her eyes, he snapped his blade sharply, knowing the cut would take her by surprise. Except she wasn’t there when the blade passed through the space she’d been occupying a heartbeat before. He sensed movement off to his side, and forced the heavy blade around to counter what might be coming his way. At first he assumed there was a third member of their group, but then, as fire burned across his wrist, he saw it was just the woman. Her blade had cut deeply into the forearm of his sword hand, and he found he couldn’t hold the weapon properly. He watched aghast as the weapon slipped from his hand, which was now slippery with blood. His eyes shifted upward, away from the fallen sword to see a blur of motion, and then felt the cold steel as it cut across his throat. Suddenly the woman was standing several paces away, watching as his vision faded and he dropped first to his knees, and then fell on his face. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way, he thought briefly before everything went black.
Kaler’s opponents had thought to wear him down. The
two of them were fair swordsmen and could stay out of reach of his deadly blade while he was forced to defend from their coordinated attacks. Soon enough he would tire and then they could have their fun. Unfortunately, they had never encountered someone with Kaler’s skill and stamina. He didn’t tire as they expected, and actually pressed the attack. They both realized that this was more of a fight than they had expected, and that no mistakes were allowed. He who miscalculated would pay dearly. Unfortunately for the two men, there was no retreating. Turning away was a sure way to get killed. Then, one of the men missed a feint, and as he struggled to get his blade back in position to defend against the coming attack, Kaler showed him the penalty for inattention. As the man slid to the ground, Kaler smiled at the remaining swordsman. He could see that Daria was just finishing off the second of the bandits who had hoped to subdue her. He wouldn’t dispatch his own enemies first this time, but he wouldn’t be far behind.
Chapter 23
What would have been a long ride in years past was a matter of moments as Daria used her new skill to create a Doorway back to the hill behind the bandit’s farmhouse. They would go back for the horses and wagon when this was finished. Before coming here, they had stripped the saddles from the bandit’s horses and turned them loose. They would do well enough until someone found them wandering free. The bandits certainly wouldn’t need them anymore. Daria and Kaler had collected their spent arrows and the thrown knives, leaving nothing of their own behind.
Everything looked calm and normal down below. It should be. It was far too soon for those who had remained behind to be expecting their six companions to be returning. In the meantime, those still here were going about their day. They had guessed that another six might be inside, but over the next glass Kaler moved the assessment upwards.
“Seven or eight,” he said as another of the bandits walked outside and over to the water trough before returning back into the structure.
Daria thought eight, but the uncertainty was driven by a pair of individuals who were dressed similarly. Had it been one person, or two different individuals who had come outside separated by a few minutes?
“I think it’s about time,” she said finally. “Seven or eight, it doesn’t matter much. They aren’t expecting any trouble, and will be easily taken.”
The bandits weren’t completely lax. They had a guard posted atop the large, nearly flat, roof of the farmhouse. From there he could see in every direction for a considerable distance. The hill that Daria and Kaler had watched behind was the only one in the vicinity. The road back toward the village worked its way into the hills after a while, but in the other directions it was all flatlands. The group could expect to be warned well in advance if someone approached during the daylight hours. At night, they probably had several people on the roof, and more than likely made periodic patrols of the outside. Daria and Kaler hadn’t seen any patrols the previous night when they were here, but they hadn’t stayed that long either.
Their first action was to take care of the two men in the barn. They were working on an old wagon, repairing one of the wheels and making enough noise they wouldn’t have heard Daria and Kaler had they been careless. As silently as they moved, the two bandits weren’t aware they were in danger until it was too late. From the darkened entryway, they could still see the man on top of the roof. When he was facing the other way, Daria made another Doorway, and the two fighters stepped out of the sky behind the man. He died without knowing he’d been cut. The Doorway was an assassin’s dream. The safe and secure watch post was anything but when your enemy could appear without needing to cover the open ground you were relying on for protection. Daria couldn’t help but wonder what she could have done in years past with the ability she now possessed.
Three down. That left four or five below. Kaler knelt next to the ladder in the center of the roof and listened to the movement below. Silently Daria pointed to where the men below were located. It was five. One moved slowly and oddly, but they both knew where they all were. It was remotely possible that others were in a bedroom asleep, but that was unlikely this time of day. Indicating their respective targets by location, they prepared to make their sudden entry into the rooms below.
They didn’t know the layout, but a stealthy peek suggested a large room, with a kitchen off to one side. Four of the men were in the main room, and the fifth, the one who walked oddly, was in the kitchen.
“Don’t kill the leader,” Daria whispered softly and unnecessarily. Not only did she want to finish that one herself, she had a few questions to put to him before he died. Daria wanted to know what they had done with the stolen goods, and what had happened to the three young girls.
Going to the ladder would be too slow. They wouldn’t be partway down before someone realized it wasn’t their fellow bandit. Daria would go first. She moved like liquid smoke, and would be able to make the drop and roll. Depending on whether anyone happened to be looking, they might not even know she had entered the room. Kaler would drop down last. He had learned a great deal, but anyone of his size and bulk simply wasn’t going to be silent dropping from such a height. Daria would cover his entrance, and once both were down, they would deal with their respective targets.
Flashing Kaler an encouraging smile, Daria wrapped the veil around her face. Her hair was already covered, concealing both the length and color. Only her eyes showed at the moment. The day before, there had been no chance any of the men would live. Today, she could think of reasons where someone might survive. A message might be sent. Just in case, she had prepared herself so that any survivors would not be able to identify her. Everything in place, she stepped forward and dropped out of sight. Kaler gave her a three count and followed after her. Daria hit and rolled smoothly. Her roll took her partway across the floor ending up almost at the feet of one of the bandits who was sitting in a chair eating an apple. As she unwound, Daria buried the knife in her hand up to the hilt in the mans neck, giving it a sharp pull to ensure the appropriate items were severed.
The remaining residents noted what had happen and reacted remarkably swiftly. One picked up a chair with the intent of smashing it across Daria’s back, while two of the others dashed toward the wall where their swords were stashed. The last occupant, an older man with a long beard and a large wooden stump for one leg, grabbed a large carving knife and backed deeper into the kitchen. He wasn’t much of a fighter any longer as his vision was marginal, at best.
The man with the chair rethought his plan as Kaler thumped solidly to the floor behind him. Turning to deal with the new threat, he tried to swing the chair. Despite the thick hardwood from which it was made, the chair was no match for the magically enhanced Kellmore steel blade of Kaler’s weapon, especially when swung by someone with his strength and purpose. The blade passed through the wood and then on into the chest cavity of the man holding the chair. That quickly the number of adversaries was reduced to three, and Daria could see that the older man in the kitchen wasn’t going to be a problem.
Thus far Kaler and Daria had eliminated eleven of the troublesome bandits. That was a surprising number for just two of them, but they hadn’t fought fair. This wasn’t about fair. They had divided the group into smaller groups, used magic to be where they wouldn’t be expected to be, and had killed several from ambush. In each encounter, the odds had been considerably reduced. That was the case now. Only two adversaries remained that were of any concern. One, Daria wanted alive. The other was expendable. Both were now armed, but fighting inside a room, even a big one wasn’t the easiest thing to do. They tried to double team Kaler, but he was simply too much for them. He kicked aside furniture, and with powerful swings cut through anything that stood between himself and the two men. Daria made sure the older one stayed put, and waited for an opportunity.
Kaler pretended to slip backwards, and when one of the men lunged to take advantage, he quickly recovered and lopped off a hand. That left just the leader, who saw that this wasn’t going his way and turned and start
ed for the back door. The knife Daria buried in the door as he reached for it, was enough for him to turn and face the two fighters who were now both focused on him. He tossed aside his sword in hopes that might save him from the fate his men had suffered.
Some people think they won’t talk when forced to endure pain. They are always wrong. One didn’t have to be too messy if one was skillful enough. Daria knew just where to make her cuts, and before long after the screaming and crying ended she got her answers. The leader told her where the goods had been stored, something she had Kaler verify. Anything that was made from gold had long been sold, but a number of other items were still being stored in a cave not too far from the house. She also learned about the three woman. Always happy Bella was dead. She had been raped to death by the leader and his men, her body tossed down the large dry well out back. There were other bodies down there as well. Voni and Uleet had been sold. Daria had a name for the man who had purchased Voni, and a description and village where she would be likely to find the other. That would be her next task. It had been some weeks, but hopefully the others were still alive.
Daria stared at the blubbering man who had been behind the death of her wanderer friends, her stepfather, and the girl she remembered. He would never be the same after her attentions, but she could see no reason to let him live. This would be an execution, but it wouldn’t be the first by any means. She withdrew a blade from well back in her vest. Carefully she extracted the blade from the special sheath and made a final cut in the man’s chest. It wasn’t deep, and it wasn’t long, but it would be enough. Satisfied, she put the blade away.
