The Robin And The Kestrel

'_ suddenly the fire will flare! It will grow! You'll be unable to move as it swells and takes on a form, the form of a two-legged beast with fangs as long as your arm and talons like razors! You'll scream and scream, but no one will hear you! You'll try to escape, but you'll be frozen to your chair! You'll watch the demon tear out your heart, watch as it eats your heart still beating, and howl as it takes you down to hell!'

At the word 'hell,' a burst of flame appeared under his nose, cupped in the hand that was not holding the dagger.

A slow, spreading stain on the front of his pants and a distinctive smell betrayed just how frightened he was. The bully had wet his breeches with fear.

Kestrel let him go in disgust, and the man dropped to the ground, gibbering incoherently. Robin stepped back and smiled at him sweetly.

'Now,' she said, 'do you apologize for calling me a slut?'

He nodded frantically.

'Do you apologize for calling Rune a slut?'

His head bobbed so hard it practically came off his shoulders.

'Are you going to keep your filthy tongue off Rune and any other Free Bard? Are you going to take your two playmates and go away, and never say anything about this again?' She smiled, but it was not sweetly. 'Are you going to pretend all this never happened?'

'Yes!' the bully blubbered, through his tears. 'Yes! Oh, please _'

'You may go,' Robin said, coolly, sheathing her dagger so quickly it must have looked to the man as if she had made it vanish into thin air. He fled.

The other two were just getting to their feet, but they had heard and seen everything Robin had said and done. And they had been affected by her Bardic spell too, just not as profoundly or immediately as the first bully. The one Kestrel had kicked helped the one with the bloodied face to his feet, and the two of them supported each other, getting out of sight as quickly as possible.

Which was precisely what Kestrel had in mind, as well_getting away before some other variety of trouble found them! He jumped into the driver's seat and picked up the reins, giving Robin just enough time to scramble into the passenger's side before turning the mares, and heading out of the village at a brisk trot, thanking whatever deity might be listening for the thickening dusk that hid both them and their erstwhile attackers, and for the emptiness of the village square.

'Wh-why d-did you d-d-d-do that?' he asked, as Robin arranged her skirts with a self-satisfied little smile.

'What?' she asked, as if he had astonished her by asking the question. 'Why did I use the Bardic Magic? I wanted him to believe me! If I hadn't, he'd have gotten another dozen of his friends and come after us!'

'N-not using th-the B-Bardic M-Magic!' he scolded, guiding the mares around a tricky turn. 'M-making th-them th-think w-we w-were evil m-m-mages! R-remember wh-what the Ch-church has b-b-been saying ab-b-bout m- mages?'

'Oh, that,' she replied, indifferently. 'What difference does it make? He won't tell anyone anything now. He'll be sure that the moment he opens his mouth, a demon will come after him.'

'N-now,' Kestrel retorted. 'You kn-know the m-magic w-wears off! H-how l-long b- before he t-tells a P-p-p-priest?'

'So what? We're never coming back.' She had something cradled in her skirts; a moment later, he heard the distinctive clink of coins. 'Hah!' she said, in the next moment, as the wagon jounced a little. 'We actually came out ahead!'

'Wh-what?' he yelped. He knew exactly what that meant; she'd not only beaten and terrified those bullies, she'd picked their pockets. 'Y- you d-d-d-didn't!'

'Of course I did,' she said, calmly, taking the coins and pouring them into her belt-pouch. 'Why not? They deserved worse than that! Didn't you hear them? I'll bet those louts absolutely terrified Rune while she lived here! They should be grateful that I was in a good mood! I almost made the three of them eunuchs while I was at it!'

'B-but _' he protested. 'Th-that m-makes us n-no b-better th-than th-they are!'

'I don't think so.' She folded her arms stubbornly across her chest. 'I think we were simply the instrument of