Chapter 17: Ch. 17: Bandits

After they'd parted with the couple, Kate and the brothers felt a bit on edge. Sethi brought his spear out from under his seat and kept it in his lap, and Kate found herself surveying the landscape with much the same diligence as the earlier merchant's guards.

But as the hours stretched on she grew bored. The noise and the constant rocking were making her queasy and she could feel the start of a headache. It soured her mood. Even Io seemed too lethargic to bother with any more lessons. Sethi tried to keep everyone entertained with stories, but Kate was only able to hear snippets of his words over the rattling wheels. She dozed when she could, but a jolt of the cart would always bring her around again. She had nothing to do but stare at the seemingly endless fields of grass, longing for the trip to be over with. They stopped for lunch, and she was glad to stretch her legs and take a break, but all too soon it was back in the cart. Sympathetic, Sethi let her sit up front so he could drowse in the back.

It helped for awhile; she was able to speak with Yasu more easily, at least. But her butt grew numb from the rocking seat, and she had to cling to the narrow wood rail on the side to keep from being bounced off. Eventually she traded places with Sethi again.

She grew hopeful that they would stop soon once the sun began to sink, but still Yasu rode on.

“We're hoping to find others to camp with,” Sethi explained when Kate leaned forward and begged for a stop.

It certainly seemed like the safer option, but Kate wasn't too hopeful. They'd only passed two other small groups on the road, both of them heading the opposite way. Perhaps news of the bandits was making the trip a risk too many people were unwilling to take. It didn't help that they were technically still in the middle of nowhere, King's Road or not.

It was nearly full dark when Yasu finally gave up the search.

He steered them off the road and brought them roughly half a mile out onto the prairie. “No fire tonight, I'm afraid,” he said as he got down to unhitch Bea. “It'll just give our position away. Kate, you sleep in the cart. You'll be protected from the wind by all the supplies. Sethi and I will take turns keeping watch.”

Kate nodded wordlessly and began tugging the blankets free. Sethi helped her down so she could walk in circles and stretch her legs for a few minutes, then the three of them huddled together slowly munching on bread and cold dried meat. Kate found herself craning her head to stare upwards. Without any light pollution, the sky above was breathtaking. Stars covered it like someone had dropped a bag of glitter. And the silence was immense. The only sounds were crickets and the three of them chewing. No cars in the distance, no sirens, no radio or TV from a neighbor. Nothing. She couldn't decide if it was amazing or a little frightening.

“Right, let's get to sleep. The earlier we get started in the morning, the better. I'll stash the buds somewhere just in case.” Yasu wiped his hands off on his pants and reached for his brother's spear. “I'll take first watch and wake you up in a bit, Seth.”

“What about me? I can keep watch,” Kate insisted. “Otherwise you'll both be exhausted tomorrow.”

“Have you ever kept watch before?”

“No, but--”

Sethi waved a hand. “Oh, it's fine. Wake her for second watch. She needs to learn how, anyway. Kate, when Yasu wakes you, just keep an eye and ear out for anything odd. And keep your Guardian out of sight, it might give us away. If you get spooked, wake us both up immediately. When you get too tired, just wake me up and I'll take over. Got it?”

“Got it,” she said, glad to feel useful. Yasu frowned, but didn't argue. She wondered belatedly if he'd just skip over her and wake Sethi instead. She would never know until morning.

She climbed back into the cart and wrapped herself up in her blanket. She was just settling her head onto a soft sack of wool when she remembered her earlier promise to herself. Pulling up her inventory, she hastily equipped her gauntlet. It was no sword, but with her increased Willpower stat, at least now it would hit a little harder than it had before.

The darkness was absolute, and for awhile she lay still, listening to Sethi's breathing slow as he drifted off and the rustle of grass as Yasu paced during his night watch. The crickets continued their endless song, and somewhere she heard an odd lilting bird call. Nothing will happen, she tried to reassure herself. And if it does, Yasu will wake me.

But it took her a very long time to fall asleep.

~*~

Yasu's yell of alarm yanked her out of a restless slumber some time late in the night. For several moments she lay frozen as her sleep-fogged brain tried to process what she was hearing.

There were sounds of a scuffle. A noise that sounded a bit too much like someone getting hit. Grunts. Muttered curses. Then Sethi's muffled yell--

“Kate, run!”

Kate sat bolt upright. She heard Bea give a moaning animal cry of distress from somewhere nearby.

Io burst out from under her collar and flared brightly, lighting up the scene. For one second, everyone froze, dazzled by the unexpected light. It was just enough time for Kate to see that they were surrounded by at least four tall figures. Then the one closest to the cart reached in and seized her arm in a painful grip.

“I got her--”

Fear flooded every inch of Kate's body. Before she could so much as scream, however, the man holding her made a strange noise of pain and released her as if she was hot to the touch.

“Shit! What was that?”

“Grab her, idiot!”

Io began flickering wildly in the nearest man's face, trying to blind him.

Kate was already moving. She got unsteadily to her feet, grabbed the opposite side of the cart, and hauled herself over. She hit the ground in a crouch, but only managed to get halfway up with the intent to flee. Someone else darted over and seized her. “No you don't-- GAHHH!”

Again she was released.

Kate realized what must be happening.

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The ring.

So it did work.

“What the hell are you doing?” someone yelled furiously. “Grab her before she gets away!”

“I can't, she--”

“Boss, it's like touching a live spell or something--”

“I said GRAB HER!”

The second man reached out, almost automatically, wrapping his fingers around her wrist when she tried to dart around him. This time his yell was high-pitched with pain, and he practically threw her away from him.

Damage ramps up by 1.5% for each successive touch, Kate mentally recited, feeling a grim flash of satisfaction. Enjoy, you bastard.

She ducked past him and ran. Almost immediately she stepped on the hem of her skirt and nearly went sprawling. Grabbing her skirt and bunching it up almost to her knees, she miraculously caught her balance and kept running. Damned skirt!

Io zipped down so it was soaring along by her ankle, lighting her way.

“No, don't,” she panted, running as fast as she could. She was belatedly realizing that running without being able to move her arms much-- fucking skirt! --was making it harder to catch her breath. “They'll be able to follow me.”

Io hurried back up and stuffed itself in her pocket, dimming its light as much as it was able. The moon and stars gave her just enough night vision to not feel completely blind. Keep running. Don't look back, Io urged.

She could hear someone giving chase, their feet swishing through the grass, and she put on a burst of speed, feeling like her lungs would explode. She was driven on by sheer terror. Desperately she searched for any spell or item that would allow her to attack. Nothing. All she had was her ring for defense and her gauntlet. She tightened her fist inside the metal glove. Well, it was better than nothing.

The man was catching up quickly. He couldn't see her, but he could hear her. Abruptly she dropped down to her hands and knees and rolled to the side. Hugging the earth, she lay still, trying to keep her frantic breathing as soft as possible.

The man ran past her blindly.

For a moment she felt hopeful, but then she heard him come to a halt. He stood still, listening. “Where'd you go, girl? Come out, I'm not gonna hurt ya,” he panted.

Do not move, Io urged.

No shit.

But as she lay struggling to get her heart rate to slow down to less rib-bruising speeds, she felt a flash of frightened guilt. Sethi and Yasu. She'd just left them behind.

“Yasu--” she breathed, barely audible.

No. Io's voice was firm. You must be logical about this. These bandits want what Yasu has, that's all. Many bandits aren't murderers. They'll subdue the brothers and take their valuables. You can find them later and heal whatever damage has been done. But if these men find you, things will go badly. Remember what this one warned you about. Being the personal captive healer of a pack of bandits is not a fate you want.

Kate gritted her teeth. She felt lousy about having to abandon the brothers, but Io had a point. Even with the ring to protect her, she couldn't risk it. Being a prisoner, forced to heal degenerates for god knows how long? No. She couldn't handle that. Besides that, one of them was sure to eventually figure out it was her ring that made her painful to touch. What if they forced her to take it off? She shuddered. Then they could hurt her in plenty of ways. She lay still as a mouse, waiting.

The bandit began circling the area slowly, searching for her. Paralyzed with fear, she only just managed not to gasp when she heard and felt his boots pass by inches from her face.

Another man came jogging up. “Well? Did you lose her?”

“She's gone,” the first one sounded disgusted. “What a waste.”

“Whatever. Good riddance. Did you see what happened to Jaki when he touched her? She's got some kind of spell on her or something, not worth the trouble.”

“A spell? You saw how small she was. And that light she had, I'll bet ten roses that was a Guardian. She was a Hero, I'm telling you. She'd have been good for a ransom.”

“Yeah, well, too bad. If you lost her, you lost her. The boss said to come back. There's a lot to nab and he wants us cleared out of here as soon as possible. Those two travelers didn't put up much of a fight once the girl was gone, so we knocked 'em out. We need to be gone before they wake up.”

They went back the way they had come, and Kate almost melted with relief. As her heart slowly began beating at a less frantic pace in her ears, she could hear the distant sounds of the bandits laughing and speaking to each other, and the thump of things being unloaded from the cart.

After awhile the noises faded. But Kate lay still, waiting. She didn't want to risk stumbling back into an ambush.

She lay prone for what felt ages, until she gradually became aware of the fact that she could finally see the faint outline of her gauntleted hand stretched out in the grass by her face. Dawn was coming. She waited a little longer, until the sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, then stiffly rose to her feet. It was easy to find her way back; the chase had left a clear path through the tall grass that she could follow.

When she spotted the cart up ahead, she broke into a jog. It took her a few moments to realize what was off about the scene. No Bea. They'd taken the tarras with them.

Moving more slowly, glancing around in case there were any bandits crouching nearby, she approached the nearly empty cart. She didn't see any bandits, but she did spot Yasu and Sethi. The brothers were tied together, back to back, heads sagging on their chests. She hurried over to them. They had clearly been knocked around some, judging by their bloodied mouths and bruised faces.

Dropping down into the dirt beside them, she struggled to untie them.

Yasu's head moved slightly, and he cracked open an eye to look at her. The other one remained mostly closed and puffy from a black eye. “Kate?” he mumbled.

“It's me. Hold on, let me get this rope off.” Her fingers were trembling, making it more difficult, but she finally managed to pick the knots free and pull the rope away. Sethi groaned, only half conscious, and nearly tipped over. Kate tried to maneuver him to lean up against one of the wheels, but he was too big. “Sethi. Sethi, wake up.” She patted him gently on the side of his neck, afraid of hurting the bruise on his cheek. His eyes fluttered open, unfocused.

“Get off me,” he grumbled. “I'll take you all on.”

“It's Kate, Seth,” Yasu said, wincing as he rubbed at the marks on his wrists from the ropes. “The bandits are gone.”

“I'm sorry I left you,” Kate said, hearing the tremor in her voice.

“I told you to run and I meant it.” Yasu seemed to be coming around faster than his brother. “It was smart of you to hide.” His mouth moved in a half-smile when he saw Io bob closer, then he winced as it pulled at his split lip.

Kate held her hand over Yasu's head. “Help.”

Yasu gasped softly in surprise as his wounds began to heal rapidly.

“I have to wait until the cooldown before I can heal Sethi,” she apologized. Rocking back on her heels, she looked at the cart in dismay. “They took nearly everything. I'm so sorry.”

“What are you apologizing for? This wasn't your fault. If anything, it's mine. I should've kept looking for someone to camp with.” Yasu got to his feet and stretched. He ran a hand carefully down his face as if to reassure himself the bruises were gone. “Thanks. That feels loads better.” He looked around and sighed heavily. “We knew robbery was a risk, but I'm damned mad they took Bea. She was a good tarras. And she'll be expensive to replace.”

“Bea?” Sethi blinked groggily and turned his head to search for the tarras. “Bastards took Bea? Gods damn them.”

“Hold still.” Kate pointed at him. “Help.”

He took in a sharp breath that turned into a laugh of relief. “Wow, that feels great. Thanks, kid.” He got to his feet a little unsteadily. Together the three of them stood and stared at the cart with regret.

Finally Yasu sighed. “Let's take inventory and see if there's anything we can salvage. Take only what you can carry; looks like we'll be walking to Ganstown.”