Sighing over the fools in the world, James turns to the innkeeper and with Reilin translating says, “We came in here to save them. We were too late for the man but managed to save the woman. Right now their child is being taken away to a life I don’t even want to imagine.” He glares a moment while Reilin finishes translating then continues. “Some of our comrades will remain here until our return to look after the woman. Two of them are priests. If it makes you feel any better, you can consider them as hostages until our return. But time is running out and we are going!”
When Reilin finishes the translation, the innkeeper glances at James, then to Miko who is carrying the unconscious woman. Nodding his head, he steps aside to allow James and Jiron to pass. As James steps forward with Jiron right behind, the others in the hallway move aside for them too.
Hitting the stairs at a run, they return to their rooms and take only a moment for them to put their boots on. Then they are back at the stairs and hit the common room at a run. Once out the front door, James pauses a moment and removes the cloth from his pouch and begins seeking the girl. He’s not sure that it will work, what with him never having seen her and all, but the cloth rises and becomes rigid as it points off to the right.
“This way,” he says. As they move to follow the direction indicated by the cloth, Shorty appears and reports no one is in the vicinity. About that time Scar and Potbelly come running around the corner of the inn to report the same.
“Stay close,” he says as he moves away from the inn, the others fall in behind.
Walking briskly, they pass by the rest of the buildings surrounding the inn and are soon out in the desert. The half moon above gives them sufficient light with which to see their immediate surroundings.
It isn’t long before they can hear the crying of a small child ahead of them. “That’s her,” says Scar.
“Jiron, go take a look,” suggests James.
Nodding in the dark, he moves toward the sound of the child’s crying. While James and the others wait for him, they hear a man yelling in anger and then the sound of someone being slapped hard. It must have been the child that was slapped for her cries increase tenfold.
“I can’t wait for Jiron,” says Shorty and moves to follow. James, Scar and Potbelly trail along behind.
From out of the distance ahead of them, a structure rises from the desert. From one window the light of a single candle shines dimly out. The sound of crying is coming from that direction. Suddenly, a form passes in front of the window and they see Jiron moving to look in.
Off to one side of the structure, which as it turns out is a farmhouse, a dozen horses stand in the dark. Beside them sits a covered wagon. From the back of the farmhouse, the sound of a goat can be heard as it calls out.
The sound of them moving to join Jiron causes him to turn from the window. “They have the child in the other room,” he whispers to them. “I saw two boys tied up in there with her.”
“Okay,” James says. He then squats on the ground under the window and signals for the others to do the same. “Jiron and I will go in and deal with their captors,” he says. Turning to Scar and Potbelly he adds, “You two get into the room with the children and protect them with your lives.”
“No problem,” Scar says. Potbelly nods.
“Shorty, you stay out here and keep anyone from leaving,” he replies. He then looks from one to the others and adds, “I don’t care if any of these child stealers survives or not.”
“That’ll make things simpler,” Shorty says as he draws one of his throwing knives.
To Scar and Potbelly he says, “We’ll give you a minute to maneuver around to the window of the room in which the children are being held. Don’t take too long getting in.”
“We won’t,” assures Scar.
As they leave to move around into position outside the children’s room, James and Jiron move to the front door. When he thinks Scar and Potbelly has had ample time to get set, a shield flashes into being around him and he glances to Jiron. Receiving an affirmative nod, he moves to the door and tries the handle. Surprised to find it unlocked, he readies a slug, opens the door and walks in.
Ten heads turn to see him enter through the door. Immediate pandemonium erupts as the men leap to their feet and draw swords. His slug flies to the nearest man and blasts its way through his chest.
Jiron flies around him, knives in hand as he moves to engage. A quick strike takes one through the side, dropping the man to the floor. His other knife flashes lightning quick and leaves a thin line spurting blood from where it severed the jugular of another.
From the back of the house, a crash can be heard as Scar and Potbelly gain the room with the children. Slugs fly and knives strike as the men in the front room fall quickly. When all but three men have been taken out, Scar appears in the doorway leading to the room with the children, bloody sword in hand. He gives James a nod saying all is well with the children. Seeing Jiron still facing off with three men, he exits the room and draws his second sword.
The three remaining men, after having seen their companions taken out so fast, lose heart for the battle. Throwing down their swords, they surrender. Jiron looks to James who nods that he should take their surrender. Wiping the blood off his knives on the shirt of a dead man, he then replaces them in their sheathes.
“Tie them up,” James says and then moves to the front door. “Shorty!” he hollers as he sticks his head out. No longer needed, he cancels his shield.
“Yeah?” comes the reply from the dark.
“It’s over,” he hollers. As Shorty approaches, James asks, “Did any make it outside?”
“Two were out with the horses,” he says. Then he points to two forms lying on the ground a little distance from the door. “They came running when you entered through the door.”
James nods then notices Scar beginning to go through the pockets of the dead men for anything of value. Leaving him to his work, he crosses the room and passes through the door leading into the room with the children.
Potbelly is there, already having untied them. Two bodies lie on the floor of the men who had been here when Scar and Potbelly made their appearance. Potbelly has bits and pieces of glass and wood in his hair, testament that he had been the one to smash through the window first. Most likely jumped through.
Turning to the children, he sees their eyes wide with fear. He gives them a big smile in an attempt to put them at ease but fails miserable. “Are you okay?” he asks them slowly.
None understand what he’s saying, they simply stare at him with fear. To Potbelly he says, “Stay here with them. Try to make them understand that we mean them no harm.”
“I’ll try,” he replies, though he’s dubious about his ability to do that when they don’t even speak his language.
“At least keep them in here until we’re ready to leave,” says James before he turns and makes his way back out to the front room.
“What should we do with them?” Shorty asks about their three prisoners when he returns.
“We’ll take them back to stand justice,” James tells him.
Jiron is at a table over in the corner, several dead bodies lie on the floor before it. “Hey look at what I found!” he exclaims. Turning around to the others with a grin, he holds up a bulging sack. Jingling it, they hear the unmistakable jingling of coins.
“Must be the stuff they stole from the people at the inn,” suggests James.
“Probably,” agrees Scar.
Jiron takes it over to the large dining table and upends the sack, spilling out coins, gems and other valuables onto its surface. He picks up several gems and tucks them into his pocket. When he sees James giving him a disapproving look he says, “For our trouble.”
“No,” says James. “Put them back with the others.”
Jiron frowns but does as bidden.
“That is going to go to the lady that was recently widowed,” James says with conviction. “Small enough consolation for losing a husband.”
“Perhaps,” pipes up Scar. “Unless he was a real piece of filth like my old man was.” Taking the items gleaned from the dead men, he adds them to the pile on the table.
“Whatever the case may be, it’s time we took the girl back to her mother.” James has Potbelly and Shorty begin getting the prisoners tied across the backs of horses in preparation for the trip back. Grabbing one off the floor, they take him outside to the waiting horses.
