'See, red bird,' cooed Stag, 'this's our own pretty little clearing right here. No one's going to bother us.'
He started to tug her toward the back of the bar, and Drik stepped forward to take her other side.
As the second bandit closed, Feena reared back against Stag and kicked out at Drik with both feet. The blow connected, and Drik stumbled into Kor, who roared in frustration. When he whirled around, beer dripped from his face. He cuffed Drik hard with a meaty fist. Startled, Stag relaxed his hold on Feena. She twisted half free of him and leaned toward the corner of the bar.
'Noyle!' she shouted. 'Noyle!'
The old man looked up from his story. His eyebrows rose. Other people swung around as well, just as Stag grabbed for her again, trying to pull her back into his grasp. Drik was rising, too, an ugly look of rage burning on his face. He grabbed her free arm and used it as leverage to drive a punch against her chin. Feena's head snapped back.
'Torm and Helm!' Noyle gasped.
Through a brief wash of bright pain, Feena saw him start up from his chair and turn to face Stag. She started to pull herself away from the bandit
'She's the one who beat you down?' asked Noyle.
Feena froze. Stag's hand tightened on her right arm.
'She's the one,' the bandit said. 'Fights like a demon and twice as dirty.'
'Stag and me were lucky to get away,' Drik chimed in, seizing her left arm. 'She charmed us like fools with her country girl act, then turned on us faster than you could pick a pocket. That's probably what she had in mind for you too, Noyle.'
The old man flinched back. Drik twisted Feena's arm painfully.
She gasped and growled but Stag jabbed her hard under the ribs before she could say anything. The blow left her struggling to suck air into her lungs and would have doubled her over if the two bandits hadn't been holding her up.
'Got to be careful of her,' Stag said. 'She's got some kind of magic, too.'
Noyle pulled away in alarm and said, 'She's probably some kind of wild hedge mage.' He spat on the floor in her direction. 'Beshaba's arms hold you, bitch!'
Feena managed to get her breath back.
Moonmaiden's grace, Feena, she cursed, you picked a fine tavern to start poking around in, didn't you?
She fought back the rising fear that surged in her belly. Selune's magic wasn't going to help her. Drik and Stag would stop her at the first sign of a spell. Anywhere else, she might even have considered changing shapeher hybrid form was strong and fierce enough to take on four men or morebut in this place? If she revealed herself as a werewolf, she'd be facing an angry mob.
Stag and Drik couldn't have the entire tavern on their side, could they? Bright Lady of the Night favor me, she prayed.
She twisted around as best she could and screamed over her shoulder, 'Help me! Somebody help me!'
A few people looked up, startled, but friends held them back. Others glanced at her, then laughed.
'Now, didn't I say no one would bother us, red bird?' sneered Stag. 'You know, there's a reason people are afraid to come down here after dark.' He grinned at his partner. 'Hey Drik, let's show missus how alone she really is!'
Drik's face split in a horrid smile. 'Aye, Stag!' His voice rose. 'Dip's stagger!' he shouted out.
His call got more attention than Feena's scream. All around the tavern, people shouted back eagerly as they turned to face the bandits and their captive. Stag and Drik hauled roughly on Feena's arms.
'One!' they cried, swinging her back toward the crowd. Feena fought to stay on her feet.
'Two!' chanted the crowd in response.
The bandits pulled her forward.
'Three!'
Stag and Drik swung Feena back again and let go. Feena reeled free, arms flailing as she struggled for balance. She slammed straight into the big woman who had been arm-wrestling the dwarfand gasped as the woman shoved her away again.
'Dip!' the woman roared merrily.
Feena spun a few feet and hit someone else, a gap-toothed merchant.
'Stagger!' he yelled and pushed her as well.
'Dip!'
'Stagger!'
The crowd shifted and flowed around Feena, never allowing her more than a few steps before she hit or was caught by someone and sent staggering on her way. Beer splashed, drenching her. She didn't have a chance to catch her breath or recapture her balance. There was certainly no chance for a prayer. Even the wolf within her was whining in fearshe couldn't have changed form if she wanted to. Wild-eyed, she tried to drop, tried to dart between the legs of the crowd and make for the door. Stag's hands caught her.
'No, no, red bird!' he laughed and gave her a hard shove back into the chanting crowd. Other hands twirled her around and around, tossing her across the bar.
The dwarf whirled into her field of vision. Feena heard him guffaw over the tavern's din.
'Dip!' he bellowed and swung a shoulder against her hips.
Her torso kept going forward. Arms outstretched, she rolled helplessly over the dwarfs shoulder, bounced off a table, and landed hard in someone's lap. A goblet spun away with a ring and clash of cheap metal. Spilled wine pattered around her like rain.
She looked up at a man with light brown hair and a soft goatee. He was well dressed, though wine soaked his clothes. His face was younghe was easily ten years Feena's juniorbut there was a hardness to his eyes that aged him. His mouth was set in a thin line. He looked down at his stained clothes, then at herand up.
The crowd went silent. Feena blinked her eyes back into focus in time to see the tavern's patrons part to leave a clear space between the man who held her and Stag. The bandit's eyes were narrow.
'Give her here, Keph,' he growled.
'Why should I?' The young manKephcurled an arm around Feena's shoulders. 'I might just keep her.'
Drik snickered. The young man's gaze darted to him and the bandit fell silent. He moved to Stag's side, both men watching Keph.
'I hear you think you're a bad man now,' Stag said. 'You still look like a spoiled brat to me. Maybe you want to just step back before you get hurt.'
'And maybe when the two of you are finished taking on a farmer's wife, Stag,' Keph replied, 'you'll be ready to face a real opponent.'
Stag's face flushed. 'I'll take on both of you by myself!'
The crowd pulled back even farther, making a wide ring in the middle of the tavern. Keph glanced down at Feena.
'Do you mind a little help?' he drawled with mock courtesy.
'Not at all,' Feena replied. She pushed herself to her feet and bared her teeth. 'Watch out for Drik. He's not going to stay out of this.'
Keph's eyes betrayed surprise, as if he hadn't expected such rage to pour out of her, but he rose and stepped to her side. He wore a rapier on his hip, though he didn't draw it. Stag was already moving, strutting forward confidently but watching them both closely while Drik moved around to the side. The crowd began calling out to all four of them, taking sides and cheering. Feena took a step toward Stag, and so did Keph.
'Take care of Drik!' Feena hissed at him.
'You take care of Drik. Stag's mine.'
Keph circled around the bandit, hard eyes locked on him. Stag froze, not sure which opponent to focus on. Growling, Feena took the choice away from him. She dived past Keph to throw a punch at Stag.
He got an arm up and blocked her blow, then swung his other in a backhand that forced her to leap away.
'Hey!' snapped Keph. 'I said he's mine!'
He started to move in. Out of the corner of her eye, Feena caught movement and tried to shout a warning as Drik jumped into the fray, but she was too slow. The second bandit wrapped his arms around Keph's chest and
