Springing the Trap (2/2)

Writers: Estelle, Paula
Date Posted: 17th December 2018
Series: The Great Bandit Trial

Characters: Zandan, Lirena, Terren, Vargol, Tyelan
Description: Zandan and his men make their move against the holdless bandits.
Location: Emerald Falls Hold
Date: month 6, day 26 of Turn 9

Tyelan clutched his staff, seeing a man running directly towards him
with a drawn knife in his hand. For a moment, all his training seemed to
desert him, his gaze focused on the wicked gleam of metal in the
glowlight. Then, just in time, he raised the staff to deflect the blade
and brought it around, aiming for a blow to the bandit's head.

It would have been a good move, but the holdless man - Tyelan suddenly
realised he was the leader - was too fast. He ducked under the staff and
rushed the young guard again. A sharp, hot line of pain bit into
Tyelan's side, and then the man was past him.

"Stop!" He managed a few steps before his legs gave out and he dropped
to his knees, blood soaking his tunic, but he managed to point in the
direction of the escaping man. "He's getting away!" Dimly, he heard the
frenzied barking of canines.

Vargol's arrow found the bandit leader's chest. In the confusion, he
had aimed for the biggest part of the body, instead of trying to
crippling leg shot. Better safely dead than gotten away.

Zandan found the frozen cotholder. Terren was pushed to the ground face
down and his arms twisted behind his back. Zandan quickly used a piece
of a leather thong to tie his hands. He had several tucked under his
belt just for this use.

The guards were subduing the bandits quickly and professionally. Since
no one else seemed to be running away, Vargol left his spot and went
to check Tyelan. "Here now, lad, lemme see," he took off his scarf to
use it as emergency bandage.

The young man had his hands pressed to his side in an attempt to slow
the bleeding, his face pale and rigid with pain. Slowly, he let go so
that Vargol could see the wound. It was a deep slash, but had
fortunately caught him in the side rather than the belly, missing any
vital organs.

"Did you get him?" he asked in a low voice. The barking grew louder, as
the guards' hounds were answered by canines in the cothold's kennels. As
they watched, a light appeared first at one of the windows, and then
another. The shouts and sounds of fighting had woken the occupants.

"Yes, I got him, well and good," Vargol said grimly and then inspected
Tyelan's injury. He did his best to bandage it and stop the bleeding.
"You're lucky lad, you'll have a handsome scar to show off to ladies,"
he told the boy.

Zandan looked around. The fighting seem to have stopped. "Head count!
Did we get everyone? Did anybody get injured?" he barked out.

"They did," someone sniggered.

The head count wielded one dead bandit, one seriously wounded guard,
lot of smaller scrapes and injuries and seven prisoners including the
cot holder who had collaborate with the holdless.

"You there," Zandan pointed a random guard. "Fetch our runners and the
cart. We'll spend rest of the night at Galveden's hold and head back to
Emeralds Falls in the morning."

The guard saluted and ran off back down the road towards their camp,
while his uninjured comrades shared relieved grins and congratulated
each other. The operation had come off successfully and the band of
holdless thieves would trouble the Hold no more. There would be no more
complaints that the guards weren't doing their job after they brought
this lot back to face justice.

While some of them watched over the prisoners - not without a few
shoves, kicks and jeers - and others went over to encourage the wounded
guard, one man went in to check the barn. At first glance, it was just
an abandoned building filled with broken tools and rusting farm
equipment, but as he shone his glowbasket around, he noticed a heap of
objects covered with a heavy, weatherproof oilcloth. When he lifted the
edge of the cloth, he saw the edge of a fine piece of woven fabric
poking out from a bale, and some crates and sacks which looked far too
new to be stored in such a place.

"Captain!" he called. "Sir, come and take a look at this."

Zandan hurried over and whistled when he saw it. "Lovely, someone's
going to be so happy," he clapped the man's back. "Secure it, it's
evidence," he told him.

One of the guards were doing pat down to the prisoners, checking them
for concealed weapons. There was suddenly a shrill: "Hands off me, you
dimglow!"

"Captain, one of the holdless is a lass!"

There was a sudden scuffle as another of the holdless, unable to free
his hands, managed to strike the nearest guard in the chin with his head
and break away from the others. "Don't you touch my sister, you tunnel
snakes!"

The unlucky guard reeled back, dazed and spitting blood from where he'd
bitten his tongue, but one of the others quickly stepped in and hit the
man in the stomach with his staff, so he doubled over in pain. "Stay
back! Don't move!"

"Let's not get carried away," Zandan warned them, both the bandits and
his own guard. He memorized the brother's face, a man was more likely
to bargain if he thought he could protect his sister by doing so.
"Separate the girl from the rest and do keep your hands off her."

The guards obeyed, though the injured one gave the girl's brother a dark
look as he wiped blood from his lips. Shortly afterwards the rumbling of
wheels was heard on the road. The cart that slowly approached was no
ordinary trader wagon. It was equipped with sturdy metal bars to keep
prisoners confined inside.

There were now several more windows lit up at the cothold, and two
figures came hurrying down the path towards them. One, a woman, was
carrying a glowbasket and the other, a burly herdsman, had a heavy
cudgel and a canine at his heels. When he saw the uniforms of the Hold
guard, though, his mouth dropped open and he lowered his weapon.

"What's going on?" The woman raised her glowbasket and surveyed the
faces of the guards and the bound prisoners. "_Terren_?"

The cotholder found his voice at last. "I don't know! I thought I saw
lights out by the old barn, and came out to investigate. I haven't done
anything," he protested.

Zandan walked over to Terren. "We heard you talking with them. That
was not a cotholder asking what they were doing there," he said with
contemptuous sneer. He looked at the woman. "We're arresting a band of
holdless bandits. I recommend you go back in and lock the door. In
case they aren't all here."

"But he's my husband!" She gestured towards Terren. "He's not holdless.
He runs the farm..."

"Not any more," someone muttered with a sour laugh. In the dim light of
the glowbaskets, it was hard to tell whether it had been a bandit or a
guard.

The woman's lips tightened. She glanced briefly at Terren with a
hardness in her eyes which made him cringe, before turning back to
Zandan. "What's going to happen to him?"

"He's going to trial, accused of aiding criminals and hiding stolen
goods," Zandan replied. "I presume he'll got some time in mines." He
did feel sorry for the woman. It wasn't her fault her husband was a
scoundrel who had just ruined their lives.

Zandan bent to pick Terren up from the ground. "Was it really worth
the few extra marks," he asked with low hiss and pushed him towards
the cart.
"Load them up! I want hot klah and some sleep before head back home."

"Wait!" The reality of the situation was beginning to dawn on Terren,
and the mention of the mines had thrown him into a panic. He struggled
as one of the guards took hold of his arm and lifted him up into the
prison cart. "I didn't do anything! Let me go! I'm an honest holder.
Lirena, tell them..."

His wife watched silently as the other bandits were herded into the cart
with him, and the wounded guard was helped up onto the front. Whatever
she might have thought of her husband's claim to innocence, she knew
there was no point in arguing with the guards.

When all of the bandits were safely locked inside, she came closer and
spoke quietly to him. "Terren. Stay calm, do what the guards tell you
and don't speak to anyone unless you have to. I'll see you at the Hold."

"But..." Whatever else he might have said was lost in the rattle of cart
wheels and marching feet as they departed down the road towards
Galveden's farm, and beyond it, Emerald Falls.

Last updated on the January 21st 2019

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