Two in a week, I think it's a personal record. I tried to make this
chapter longer and a bit more exciting. The location and some of the
characters belong to Tamora Pierce. Enjoy!
Stella had just finished grooming Pinecone for the night when she felt the knife against her neck. She looked down (very carefully) and saw-as she had surmised-that the knife had a hand attached to it, and the hand was attached to an arm. There was a large body right behind her, probably male.
Pinecone started sideways towards Stella and her opponent. Stella tried to turn her neck and get her hands up to push the knife away while she stepped down hard on where she thought the mans foot was. She missed his foot but she managed to get the knife a few inches off her neck. Stella kicked backwards sharply-this time she hit his shin, making him gasp. She kicked again, harder, all the while pushing at the knife. Finally, she managed to whirl around and thrust him away.
She darted around Pinecone and flung herself to the ground grasping for a stick. She found a large heavy stick and held it up to fend the man off with. He was huge, a good foot taller than Stella, not to mention about three times as wide. He had pale skin and dark, curly hair and beard. He was closing in on her with the dagger so she swung at him with her stick. He ducked. Meanwhile, Pinecone had gotten himself situated behind the man. Pinecone gave him a walloping kick in the rear. He turned slashing at Pinecone with the dagger; Stella struck him on the shoulder with her stick.
Despite his size, Pinecone and Stella could have disposed of him in just a few minutes. Unfortunately, he chose this moment to call reinforcements.
"Burly, Swift, Ugly, One-Eye get over here. I've got a disagreeable captive here." They had been nearby all along, they were there nearly instantaneously.
The one who must have been named One-Eye laughed and called out, "It's a girl, Big can't even catch a little girl; must be getting old." But, in the end, none of them were laughing. It took all five of them to tie up a defiant Stella and catch an angry Pinecone. Stella fought hard. She had barely had time to notice that Burly, Swift, and Ugly, were, well, burly, swift, and ugly respectively as they came at her; and to wonder why bandits couldn't come up with more original names before they came at her. She swung her stick at them and Pinecone kicked, but inevitably they tore the stick away from her. She still fought as they tried to tie her up, kicking, squirming, biting, scratching, and screaming words her aunt would never have approved of at them.
Stella was terrible outnumbered, and in the end she found herself hobbling along the round behind them, and being jerked forwards by the robe if she wasn't moving fast enough for their taste. Pinecone was being dragged along by Big, who had a huge bruise on his head.
"Tough little thing," said Ugly, who was rendered even uglier than usual by a black eye.
"Scrawny though," said Burly, who couldn't seem to walk straight.
"I dunno, kinda pretty if you aren't too particular," said One-Eye- who wasn't too particular-as he eyed her speculatively.
"Don't even think about it," cut in Big. "The boss'd roast you alive."
They were all quiet after that, which left Stella with ominous feelings about "The Boss". She began trying to consult with Pinecone about escaping, being abducting by outlaws hadn't been part of her original plan, not to mention they were going in the wrong direction. Pinecone was all for escaping but didn't want to leave without Stella. Stella didn't think that she had any chance of getting free-Ugly had a good grip on her rope and there was no way she could free her hands.
All too soon they arrived at the bandit's base camp. Stella discovered that "The Boss" was female-a fact for which she was grateful, as she assumed it had prevented the bandits from raping her. Their "Boss", leader really, was tiny. She was shorter than Stella, and wiry. She didn't look fragile though, she had a certain ruthless aura about her that kept people from thinking of her that way. The 20 or so bandits under her command absolutely worshipped her; probably because they were very afraid of her. She was not only ruthless, but fair too in an odd way, and she had her principles.
"What's this?," she asked, her voice was crisp and cold. Stella felt herself shiver; the woman's voice was the voice of a person capable of murder.
"Just a runaway, probly a minor noble," Big said. "Might be worth a bit in ransom, at least the horse is good stock." Stella realized they had made a huge mistake, but she wasn't sure if it was to her advantage or not. What would they do to her when they discovered she was a commoner?
Stella had just finished grooming Pinecone for the night when she felt the knife against her neck. She looked down (very carefully) and saw-as she had surmised-that the knife had a hand attached to it, and the hand was attached to an arm. There was a large body right behind her, probably male.
Pinecone started sideways towards Stella and her opponent. Stella tried to turn her neck and get her hands up to push the knife away while she stepped down hard on where she thought the mans foot was. She missed his foot but she managed to get the knife a few inches off her neck. Stella kicked backwards sharply-this time she hit his shin, making him gasp. She kicked again, harder, all the while pushing at the knife. Finally, she managed to whirl around and thrust him away.
She darted around Pinecone and flung herself to the ground grasping for a stick. She found a large heavy stick and held it up to fend the man off with. He was huge, a good foot taller than Stella, not to mention about three times as wide. He had pale skin and dark, curly hair and beard. He was closing in on her with the dagger so she swung at him with her stick. He ducked. Meanwhile, Pinecone had gotten himself situated behind the man. Pinecone gave him a walloping kick in the rear. He turned slashing at Pinecone with the dagger; Stella struck him on the shoulder with her stick.
Despite his size, Pinecone and Stella could have disposed of him in just a few minutes. Unfortunately, he chose this moment to call reinforcements.
"Burly, Swift, Ugly, One-Eye get over here. I've got a disagreeable captive here." They had been nearby all along, they were there nearly instantaneously.
The one who must have been named One-Eye laughed and called out, "It's a girl, Big can't even catch a little girl; must be getting old." But, in the end, none of them were laughing. It took all five of them to tie up a defiant Stella and catch an angry Pinecone. Stella fought hard. She had barely had time to notice that Burly, Swift, and Ugly, were, well, burly, swift, and ugly respectively as they came at her; and to wonder why bandits couldn't come up with more original names before they came at her. She swung her stick at them and Pinecone kicked, but inevitably they tore the stick away from her. She still fought as they tried to tie her up, kicking, squirming, biting, scratching, and screaming words her aunt would never have approved of at them.
Stella was terrible outnumbered, and in the end she found herself hobbling along the round behind them, and being jerked forwards by the robe if she wasn't moving fast enough for their taste. Pinecone was being dragged along by Big, who had a huge bruise on his head.
"Tough little thing," said Ugly, who was rendered even uglier than usual by a black eye.
"Scrawny though," said Burly, who couldn't seem to walk straight.
"I dunno, kinda pretty if you aren't too particular," said One-Eye- who wasn't too particular-as he eyed her speculatively.
"Don't even think about it," cut in Big. "The boss'd roast you alive."
They were all quiet after that, which left Stella with ominous feelings about "The Boss". She began trying to consult with Pinecone about escaping, being abducting by outlaws hadn't been part of her original plan, not to mention they were going in the wrong direction. Pinecone was all for escaping but didn't want to leave without Stella. Stella didn't think that she had any chance of getting free-Ugly had a good grip on her rope and there was no way she could free her hands.
All too soon they arrived at the bandit's base camp. Stella discovered that "The Boss" was female-a fact for which she was grateful, as she assumed it had prevented the bandits from raping her. Their "Boss", leader really, was tiny. She was shorter than Stella, and wiry. She didn't look fragile though, she had a certain ruthless aura about her that kept people from thinking of her that way. The 20 or so bandits under her command absolutely worshipped her; probably because they were very afraid of her. She was not only ruthless, but fair too in an odd way, and she had her principles.
"What's this?," she asked, her voice was crisp and cold. Stella felt herself shiver; the woman's voice was the voice of a person capable of murder.
"Just a runaway, probly a minor noble," Big said. "Might be worth a bit in ransom, at least the horse is good stock." Stella realized they had made a huge mistake, but she wasn't sure if it was to her advantage or not. What would they do to her when they discovered she was a commoner?