Making her way back as best she could remember, Quiet came upon
a fallen tree and immediately drew, the arrow took the mailed man
in the face, where no armor protected him. The meaty 'shtock' drew
the witch's head around. It was then that the crone saw the hand.
Granite grated along bedrock and slurped at the churning topsoil.
Grass lay as if plowed by some huge tiller. Black lightning lashed
out at it, but the rock absorbed it all, swelling. The crone screamed
and redirected her power to Quiet and Lorry, forking blackness
from each hand. Quiet was thrown backwards, pain exploding her
wits -she was unconscious before she struck a thick tuft of grass.
Lorry cried out in agony as vile energy was absorbed by his system.
The granite hand surrounded the crone. She tried to climb up and
away but the hand came together in a slow, resolute grip. Her pelvic
bone and legs crunched into shards as blood spurted from between
rock cracks. The witch thrashed slower and slower, and then her
torso wilted over the thumb of the rock fist. Lorry blacked out,
system overloaded and shocked. The amulet glowed suddenly, and
like melting wax, Lorry's body sank into the earth.
Those set to guard the witch gaped in horror at the grisly scene.
The leader, more rational than the rest, took in his three remaining
men with a quick hiss. They could hear figures approaching calling
out unfamiliar names. The leader signaled for them to flee. They
did not look back as they ran, and none would ever return to these
parts for fear of the punishment they were sure awaited them. Gold
was gold - but life was life. Toady and Fingers made their way
carefully through the darkness under the trees. The former bore
a hooded lantern, just throwing enough light to find a huge granite
hand with the remains of the old woman clutched therein.
“I think I'm gonna be sick,” murmured Fingers. Even
in the darkness he looked pale. Toady shook his head.
“ Then go search over there. I will look in this area,” Toady
stepped carefully around a smoking crater, eyes wide in wonder.
The ground was torn up unlike anything he'd ever seen. He found
the body of the mailed brigand. “ Fingers! This be one of
Quiet's arrows! Give a good look Fingers! It came from near you.”
“Quiet!” hissed Fingers. He giggled at the humor
of it, post battle nerves getting to him. “Hey! Quiet! Lorry!
Anybody out here-” Fingers heard a faint moan. “Aw
shit! Get over here, Toady! She's hurt bad.”
“Presently! I-” Toady fell face first into the dirt. “Crap!
I-” He'd discovered he'd tripped over Lorry's body. Lorry
bore the signs of lots of bad road. His face was scarred up on
the left side and his tunic had a hole burned straight through
the chain links of his armor. The flesh beneath was pink and fresh
- Toady almost missed the strange amulet around his neck. It was
then that Lorry burst into consciousness like breaking the surface
of water. His eyes rounded out in surprise and fear.
“Easy my friend, 'tis I, Toady. You are safe for the present.
Relax, and we shall have you fixed in a jiffy! If I can only see
what is wrong with you.” He was searching for any wounds.
“I’m... fine. Where's Quiet? She saved my life.” He
started to get up. Toady placed a gentle hand on his chest to stay
him.
“Get off me! I got to get to her!” He threw Toady
back with such force that the other man stood there with mouth
agape. “ I say! Some thanks! Hmmph!”
Lorry ran to where Fingers held Quiet. Blood trickled from both
nose and mouth. A sucking, bubbly sound came with each breath.
Lorry bent to check her pulse. It was thready. Toady observed from
a safe distance.
“It would appear to be broken clavicle, broken ribs, collapsed
lung and-” The look from Lorry shut him down. Lorry looked
at Fingers, pain in his eyes.
“We can't do anything for her, brother,” Fingers
said gently. He looked down at Quiet's broken body, valiantly clinging
to life. She coughed feebly, blood dribbling between her lips.
Lorry took off his amulet and placed it around the woman's neck.
She twitched and both Fingers and Toady took a step forward. Lorry
turned to grab them both. He wrapped them into two iron strong
arms and would not let go. Quiet started to sink into the earth.
“Peace of the Goddess be on you, sister,” Lorry murmured
reverently. Toady some how got a knife loose, but could not move
enough to use the blade. Fingers was bellowing at the top of his
lungs.
“Knock it off you idiots! She'll be fine.”
“Fine? You call sinking into the earth fine?” Finger's
tone was reaching the higher octaves. He squirmed for all his might
but he could not break the grip. Lorry might as well have been
made of...stone. Finger's eyes widened. “You! You caused
that rock hand! You! Who are you?” The instant distrust pained
Lorry like no blade.
“We all have our pasts do we not, Baron?”
Toady quieted of a sudden. “I’ll kill you for letting
that slip. How did you discover me?”
“I have many unplumbed talents, but I think you should
wait until the end of our journey to become so thin-skinned. I
won't tell anyone apart from us three. Fingers will keep his mouth
shut, won't you?” With a pointed look that said I know your
secrets, too, Lorry held Finger's gaze until the smaller man nodded.
Lorry released the two suddenly. “I must prepare for Quiet's
return. You must go to others and tell them we will be along shortly.
Go.”
Toady and Fingers crept off, shocked and dazed. “We need
to talk to Aldon,” said Fingers.
“We will however be politic in our portrayal of the facts,
correct?” The unspoken threat sat heavy for a few steps.
“Agreed.”
The two made the clearing to find the horses being gathered and
the bodies searched. Aldon was nursing some fresh stitches compliments
of Bull.
“You sew like a hamfisted epileptic, Bull!” Bull
just glowered at the Daum.
“Deal with it,” he murmured. Teneil had been roused
and everyone seemed damaged, but none were down except Bobo.
“Find anything?” Aldon's voice was grim. If they
had, they'd have come back with something. “We thought we
heard a ruckus, but it was too quiet to be serious. Out with the
news!”
Quiet? Fingers had been yelling at the top of his lungs. Anyone
for miles should have heard him. Toady and he traded looks.
Aldon, already in a shitty mood, blew.
“Give over, godamnit, or I'll bust you both down! We've
already lost a good man, and I ain't in no mood to jerk around
with you two!” His eyes sparkled. Not with mirth.
“We, uh, discovered something strange. I - that is - we,
er,” Fingers just gave up and closed his mouth. Toady shook
his head and prepared himself. He took a deep breath thoughts already
clicking into place, when Ahren bolted up and sprinted for the
tree line. Fingers and Toady turned to see Lorry carrying the limp
form of Quiet out of the trees.
She clung feebly to his neck, but it was evident she was almost
fully healed. Toady and Fingers both sat down hard on the ground.
“Mum?”
“Agreed.”
Lorry brought Quiet onto the road as Ahren hovered around the
two.
“We’re fine, Ahren, go and gather the horses we must
be on our way. I'll carry Quiet for a time she just needs a while
to recoup.”
“From what?” Aldon took in the blood soaked, shredded
tunic and the dried blood flaking off her face. “And what
happened to you?” Aldon took in the hole in Lorry's armor.
“I’ll explain another time. For now, we must move,
for more forces are being marshaled against us. We must go quickly.”
Aldon mulled for a moment. “To horses! If you ain't patched
up, too bad, we'll have to do it on the fly.” Which of course
meant not at all. The group scattered for horses and mounted each
as best as they could. Quiet changed hands from Lorry to Bull then
back again as Lorry mounted.
“We rest for an hour in Kor! Enough to let the horses get
wind, and for that hamfisted seamstress to do some more patching.”
“Next time I'll use knitting needles, you ungrateful bastard!
Sir!” Bull chuckled evilly as he mounted and clucked his
horse up to speed. They passed around Kor, deciding at the last
minute instead to rest in Bale, three hours away.
