“Because ye’ll stay within the ring of guards. Where it’s safe.”
“Safe?” she snapped. “Nothing about this is safe! And if I’m going to be facing thieves or hooligans, I’d prefer doing it with a weapon in my hand, thank you very much.” She glared at him, refusing to back down. And in that moment she looked fierce. Beautiful.
Finally, he reached beneath his cloak, withdrew a small sheathed knife, and held it out.
“Do ye even know how to use that?” he asked gruffly. “Actually, dinna answer that. Just stay close to the wagons and dinna do anything stupid.”
“Same to you,” she shot back.
Duncan’s voice cut through the morning air. “Hold!”
The caravan rolled to a stop.
The riders on both sides began to descend the slopes toward them.
Evan stepped forward instinctively, placing himself between Ruby and the threat. The guards closed in, forming a ring of steel around the wagons. The first group of riders approached, while the second group hung back. Their leader rode ahead, a broad-shouldered brute with scarred knuckles and a smug smirk.
From their rough clothing, mismatched weapons, and greasy hair, it was clear these men had been living in the wild for some time. Bandits then, not MacInnes’ men. Evan should have felt relief at that, but he didn’t. These men were desperate and desperation made people unpredictable. Dangerous.
The leader halted a few paces away and called out, “Good morning to ye, friends! Roads are dangerous these days. Fortunate for ye we’re here to offer protection, eh?”
“Get out of our way,” Duncan called. “We aren’t interested in yer protection.”
The bandit grinned. “Ah, but ye havenae heard the terms yet.”
“And nor do I need to.”
“That so?” The man’s smile widened. “How strange. We’ve taken payments from this caravan before. I thought ye knew the rules.”
Duncan squinted at the man and his lips twisted in distaste. “Talbot. I didnae recognize yer ugly face for a minute. I thought ye’d been hanged.”
Talbot gave an elaborate bow. “As ye can see, tales of my demise have been greatly exaggerated.”
Evan walked forward and stopped a few paces from Talbot. “Ye should leave now,” he said softly. “This is not a good idea.”
The bandits bristled and he heard the sound of weapons being drawn. But he didn’t take his gaze from Talbot.
The bandit leader snorted and swung down from his horse, swaggering toward Evan. “Listen here, pretty boy—”
He never finished the sentence. Evan moved, drawing twin blades. Steel flashed. Two quick strikes—clean, precise, and Talbot collapsed with a scream as both hamstrings gave way, blood spilling into the dust.
“I willnae say it again,” Evan hissed. “Leave. Now.”
The bandits, overconfident just a moment before, now looked at each other warily. They had clearly thought this would be easy: collect coin from a merchant unwilling to risk a fight and be on their way with no blood spilled.
Evan could see them quickly reassessing the situation: the number of guards, whether the gain was worth the risk of askirmish. With their leader already down, they seemed to decide it wasn’t.
Two men dismounted and dragged their screaming leader away, slinging him into his saddle. Then the men spurred their horses and within seconds, the entire group was fleeing back toward the ridge.
Around Evan, the guards murmured at his display and Duncan gave a grunt of appreciation. “Are ye sure ye dinna want to hire on as a guard? We could use someone with those skills.”
Evan didn’t reply. He turned to find Ruby watching him, gripping her knife with white-knuckled force,
“Are you...are you all right?” she asked.
“Fine,” he replied, stooping to wipe his bloodied blades on the grass. “I dinna think they’ll come back now they’ve learned we are no easy pickings.”
She nodded, her shoulders sagging, and held out the knife he’d given her.
“Keep it,” he said. “And mayhap I’ll teach ye how to use it.”
She blinked in surprise. “Really? Okay. I’d like that.”
He nodded once and strode away to check the wagons.
