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“I know,” she said thickly. “There are rules we cannot allow to be broken. What they did to Aiesha is one of them.”
* * *
Taran and Finnslipped silently through the thick woods. The scoundrels must have been overly cocky and confident, Taran considered as they paralleled their trail.
He and Finn had to be getting close. They’d been tracking for nearly three hours, and he figured neither Austin nor Cam were ambitious enough to travel too far from whatever comfort their camp might offer.
Hearing the faint sound of voices, Taran signaled Finn to slow down. They listened, waited and watched. A trap wasnae out of reason. Especially from people used to living in the woods.
Slowly, carefully, they crept closer, wary of any sounds that might alert the thieves of their presence. Taran held his old dirk in one hand, and a sizeable butcher knife in the other. Bless Finn for having some useful tools beyond hoes and shovels. Finn carried a knife as well as a small hatchet. His massive size aside, Taran kenned Finn could handle his own well enough. He certainly wouldnae want to be on the wrong side of him.
They moved toward the camp, one agonizing foot at a time. They heard laughing now, and an occasional word or two. But Taran wasnae ready to discount a trap or sentry set out to discourage visitors.
After a careful study, they crept close enough to see Austin and Cam tossing the stolen coins to one another, and hear them boasting of how easily conned the villagers were. Mayhap they considered themselves too smart, too intimidating, or just too much trouble for the villagers to dare pursuing.
Taran counted fourteen in the group and signaled that number to Finn. That left a half dozen or so unaccounted for. Some could be in the brush huts, but they couldnae take that for granted. Taran was surprised to see two women among them. One around Paige’s age and one a bit older. Did they, like Austin, rebel against the villager’s rules so strongly, they preferred this hard lifestyle?
“How hard did you hit her?” one of the Others asked, not nearly as amused as the rest. He looked to be close to Austin’s age, but with a bulkier build. And he seemed far more commanding. He appeared to be the only one who considered there might be consequences for last night’s actions. Their leader, mayhap?
“Not hard,” Cam laughed. “I just smashed one of her clay pots on her head when she tried to keep Austin from taking that gold-piece. If she’d have cooperated, she wouldn’t have been hurt. So, it’s her fault.” He shrugged and exchanged a chuckle with Austin. “Besides, have theyeverdone anything about anything we do? They’re sheep, right Austin?Baaaaaa,”he belted and laughed again.
“I should banish you both for the fools you are,” the leader snarled. “How anxious do you think they’re going to be to trade again?”
“Who cares,” Cam said jumping up, his face twisted. “We’ll just take what we want.”
“Stupidity!” the leader spat. “I’m surrounded by stupidity!”
Cam whirled and strode away. Austin, clearly caught in the middle, waited a few minutes before following.
Giving Finn the signal to circle to the right, Taran went left, eventually inserting themselves between Cam and Austin, and the camp, cutting them off.
Their leader was right, Taran grinned. These two operated on ego and stupidity. And it was about to play in his favor.
They followed as Austin trailed Cam to a stream a half mile away. Cam dropped onto a log and picked up a handful of small stones. Austin followed, mimicking every move.
Twasnae hard to sneak up behind them with all the bellyaching they were doing while peppering the stream with their stones.
Taran and Finn each tucked a weapon in their belts and hit at the same time. Finn pressed his hatchet tight against Cam’s throat while Taran held his old dirk to the rapidly beating pulse in Austin’s neck. If he moved an inch, ’twould be his last. “Afternoon, lads,” Taran said low. “Dinnae move, speak, or so much as swallow hard.”
He could feel Austin trembling beneath his hands. “Dinnae soil yerself, laddie.” He pulled Will’s dirk from Austin’s belt and tucked it in his own. “We’ve a bit o’ a walk back and I dinnae fancy smellin’ yer stink the whole way.”
“Hands behind yer back, boyo,” Finn ordered, pulling out some rope borrowed from the broken pots in Aiesha’s tepee.
“And ye,” Taran directed, doing the same. “Open up, now,” he said once he had Austin tied. “We cannae have ye blubberin’ like a wee lassie and scaring the wildlife.” Stuffing a rag into Austin’s mouth, Taran yanked him to his feet and, along with Finn and his prize, set a roundabout path back to the village.
“Pray, laddies,” Taran advised as they walked back. “According tae Old Man, the village abides by the ancient rules. Do untae others, etcetera, etcetera. And an eye for an eye. That’s my personal favorite. So, ye best pray Aiesha is still alive when we get there.”
Chapter Fifteen
Taran and Finn had barely reached the outer fields with their prisoners in tow when everyone working there stopped what they were doing and converged on the village center.
Sneers, curses and calls for justice rang out among the outraged gathering as someone placed three stools in the open area; one facing the other two from a short distance. Everyone automatically formed a wide circle around the stools. This obviously wasnae their firsttrial, if that’s what this was to be.
As Taran and Finn entered the circle and deposited their captives on the stools, Paige pushed her way through the crowd with Old Man right behind her. Taran had just removed Austin’s gag and was untying his hands when Paige stopped a short distance from her brother.
Austin wiggled his jaw and tried to spit on the ground, but nothing came out. “You must be enjoying this,” he snarled.
Cam tried to stand, and Finn shoved him back on the stool, leaving his hand clamped tightly to his shoulder.
