Ch 4.
Drew had nearly reached the campfire by the time anyone noticed him. He had walked with such a purposeful stride that every one simply assumed he was supposed to be there. It was only when he pulled out a small hunting knife and threw it into the ground that everyone realized that he was not a member of their camp. The knife thudded itself into the ground, burying the blade almost to the hilt.
"Pathetic!" Drew declared in his loudest voice. "I have never seen a camp so poorly defended! Where is your leader?"
The men who had gathered near him drew back slightly as a tall, stocky man walked forwards.
"I am the leader here! Now, tell me who the hell you are and what the hell you are doing here, so I may at least know that much before I gut you!"
Drew grinned. His lady luck was smiling on him once more.
"Hrap? Hrap! You old son of a bitch! I should have known that only an old goat like you would be this organised out here in the wilds! How the hell are you?"
Hrap's face broke into a grin. "Drew! You're the last person I expected to see! What are you doing out here?" He slapped Drew on the shoulder, sending the other man staggering.
Drew grinned at the older man. "I was hunting just over that hill there and heard a hell of a racket." He shrugged. "I decided to find out what was going on."
Hrap looked at Drew for a long moment, a moment in which Drew's heart moved up into his mouth. The last time Drew had seen Hrap, Hrap had been a kind of captain of the mercenary fighters in one of the armies that Drew had fought with. He was not the smartest of men, but he knew how to give orders, and most of the mercenaries respected him. If he could not fool Hrap, then he was dead. The silence stretched on until Drew thought he would scream, but then he slapped Drew's shoulder again and grinned. "It must be your lucky day, Drew, for it is surely ours! We too have been hunting, and just look at what we snared!"
Hrap flung a companionable arm over Drew's shoulder and steered him towards where the woman sat. As they walked towards her, she raised her head. Even though her face was weary, her eyes shone with hatred, and she spat at the ground near their feet. Hrap casually backhanded her, and as her head flung to one side, Drew could see that the bruises ran from her forehead all the way down her neck. Obviously, she had not come quietly.
"A noblewoman?" Drew asked with some genuine curiosity. Hrap stared at him in disbelief, then, when he saw that Drew's question was genuine, he laughed aloud.
"Have you been living under a rock, Drew?" When Drew shook his head, Hrap laughed again. "I forgot - you never were one for politics. You were only ever interested in the coin. Well, Drew, may I introduce you to Lady Sarah, fiancée to King Jareth, and the woman who is about to make us very, very rich!"
If it was possible, the hatred in her eyes deepened.
"King Jareth? You mean, King of the Goblins, King Jareth?" Drew's jaw had dropped open in shock. "Are you insane? If he ever catches you, he will not only draw and quarter you, he will then drop the pieces in the Bog of Eternal Stench!"
Hrap laughed. "True, but we're not going to get caught!"
Drew shook his head. "I don't see how you are going to be able to pull this off, Hrap. I can't even think why you would want to kidnap her in the first place! Even if you ransom her back to the king, she will know your faces, and you will be hunted down."
Hrap threw his arm around Drew's shoulder and steered him away from the captive. He leant in close to Drew, and Drew almost choked as he smelt the rancidness of the other man's breath. "The thing is, she's not going to be alive to tell anyone what we look like. She'll be dead by tomorrow, and we will be wealthy."
Drew shook his head in confusion. "I don't understand!" He confessed to the older man. "How will she be worth more to you dead than alive?"
Hrap smiled at his confusion. "She is not worth anything to me, but rather, the man who we are working for." He shook his head at Drew's questioning glance. "No, I am not about to tell you anything more. But I will ask, are you looking for work? Because, as I remember, you are a good fighter, and I could do with a few more good fighters on my team. You will be paid very well for this job, and when you walk away at the end, you will not have to worry about any repercussions coming back on you. You may even be offered more work from this Lord!"
Drew's mind worked at a thousand miles an hour. Yes, he thought, this will be the best way. he nodded his assent to Hrap and nearly went flying as he was slapped forcibly on the shoulder again.
"Good!" Hrap chortled. "It is indeed luck that brought you our way. Although I am surprised that Bothe didn't stop you earlier on your way."
Oh, crap, Drew thought. Aloud, he said "Bothe? Was he the Lookout?" At Hrap's nod of assent, Drew thought quickly. "Well, if it was the man I saw up the road, he was as drunk as a skunk when I passed him. He tried to skewer me as I passed, so I headed up into the hills to hunt, rather than follow the gullies."
Hrap nodded thoughtfully. "We'll as long as he's still keeping an eye out." He looked around the camp. "Well, shove your stuff over there and unsaddle your horse, then go and help get some firewood. We will be setting out in the morning, but we should have plenty of time to relax this evening. Welcome to camp."
Drew had nearly reached the campfire by the time anyone noticed him. He had walked with such a purposeful stride that every one simply assumed he was supposed to be there. It was only when he pulled out a small hunting knife and threw it into the ground that everyone realized that he was not a member of their camp. The knife thudded itself into the ground, burying the blade almost to the hilt.
"Pathetic!" Drew declared in his loudest voice. "I have never seen a camp so poorly defended! Where is your leader?"
The men who had gathered near him drew back slightly as a tall, stocky man walked forwards.
"I am the leader here! Now, tell me who the hell you are and what the hell you are doing here, so I may at least know that much before I gut you!"
Drew grinned. His lady luck was smiling on him once more.
"Hrap? Hrap! You old son of a bitch! I should have known that only an old goat like you would be this organised out here in the wilds! How the hell are you?"
Hrap's face broke into a grin. "Drew! You're the last person I expected to see! What are you doing out here?" He slapped Drew on the shoulder, sending the other man staggering.
Drew grinned at the older man. "I was hunting just over that hill there and heard a hell of a racket." He shrugged. "I decided to find out what was going on."
Hrap looked at Drew for a long moment, a moment in which Drew's heart moved up into his mouth. The last time Drew had seen Hrap, Hrap had been a kind of captain of the mercenary fighters in one of the armies that Drew had fought with. He was not the smartest of men, but he knew how to give orders, and most of the mercenaries respected him. If he could not fool Hrap, then he was dead. The silence stretched on until Drew thought he would scream, but then he slapped Drew's shoulder again and grinned. "It must be your lucky day, Drew, for it is surely ours! We too have been hunting, and just look at what we snared!"
Hrap flung a companionable arm over Drew's shoulder and steered him towards where the woman sat. As they walked towards her, she raised her head. Even though her face was weary, her eyes shone with hatred, and she spat at the ground near their feet. Hrap casually backhanded her, and as her head flung to one side, Drew could see that the bruises ran from her forehead all the way down her neck. Obviously, she had not come quietly.
"A noblewoman?" Drew asked with some genuine curiosity. Hrap stared at him in disbelief, then, when he saw that Drew's question was genuine, he laughed aloud.
"Have you been living under a rock, Drew?" When Drew shook his head, Hrap laughed again. "I forgot - you never were one for politics. You were only ever interested in the coin. Well, Drew, may I introduce you to Lady Sarah, fiancée to King Jareth, and the woman who is about to make us very, very rich!"
If it was possible, the hatred in her eyes deepened.
"King Jareth? You mean, King of the Goblins, King Jareth?" Drew's jaw had dropped open in shock. "Are you insane? If he ever catches you, he will not only draw and quarter you, he will then drop the pieces in the Bog of Eternal Stench!"
Hrap laughed. "True, but we're not going to get caught!"
Drew shook his head. "I don't see how you are going to be able to pull this off, Hrap. I can't even think why you would want to kidnap her in the first place! Even if you ransom her back to the king, she will know your faces, and you will be hunted down."
Hrap threw his arm around Drew's shoulder and steered him away from the captive. He leant in close to Drew, and Drew almost choked as he smelt the rancidness of the other man's breath. "The thing is, she's not going to be alive to tell anyone what we look like. She'll be dead by tomorrow, and we will be wealthy."
Drew shook his head in confusion. "I don't understand!" He confessed to the older man. "How will she be worth more to you dead than alive?"
Hrap smiled at his confusion. "She is not worth anything to me, but rather, the man who we are working for." He shook his head at Drew's questioning glance. "No, I am not about to tell you anything more. But I will ask, are you looking for work? Because, as I remember, you are a good fighter, and I could do with a few more good fighters on my team. You will be paid very well for this job, and when you walk away at the end, you will not have to worry about any repercussions coming back on you. You may even be offered more work from this Lord!"
Drew's mind worked at a thousand miles an hour. Yes, he thought, this will be the best way. he nodded his assent to Hrap and nearly went flying as he was slapped forcibly on the shoulder again.
"Good!" Hrap chortled. "It is indeed luck that brought you our way. Although I am surprised that Bothe didn't stop you earlier on your way."
Oh, crap, Drew thought. Aloud, he said "Bothe? Was he the Lookout?" At Hrap's nod of assent, Drew thought quickly. "Well, if it was the man I saw up the road, he was as drunk as a skunk when I passed him. He tried to skewer me as I passed, so I headed up into the hills to hunt, rather than follow the gullies."
Hrap nodded thoughtfully. "We'll as long as he's still keeping an eye out." He looked around the camp. "Well, shove your stuff over there and unsaddle your horse, then go and help get some firewood. We will be setting out in the morning, but we should have plenty of time to relax this evening. Welcome to camp."