I hope you found the last chapter a bit more exciting, Stella found
it a bit stressful. I know there is a problem with the spacing in some
chapters, I'm trying to fix it now. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed,
your comments really make my day. Of course, the location and some of the
characters belong to Tamora Pierce.
"Whose daughter are you?" asked the bandit leader. Stella tried to stare at nothing in particular and ignore her. This didn't work. She received a sharp kick to the kneecap from a booted foot.
"Who are you?" The Boss yelled this time. Interesting, Stella thought, powerful, but not much self-control. This time she was punched in the stomach. Stella decided that trying to ignore her wasn't working.
"I am Stella Groomsman." The leader narrowed her eyes.
"No noble's daughter then. How did you come by that horse?" The leader glared up at her, although Stella felt as if she were being glared down at. "Surely such a fine animal would be too expensive for the likes of you."
Stella faltered. Obviously this woman knew something about horses, enough to see through the dirt all over Pinecone. Did she know enough to tell where Pinecone came from? or enough to recognize Stella's last name?
"He doesn't belong to me; I'm just taking care of him." The words were true.
"Ah, there's something you don't see everyday, a horse thief with scruples about lying." The leader had a haughty tone now, as though proud to tell the world that she had no scruples about anything. "But scruples are easily cured with a little persuasion." The leader looked Stella up and down for a few long minutes. "Will you join us?" she asked Stella suddenly, "are last horse thief was killed in a most inconvenient accident." The way she said it told Stella that, from her point of view at least, the accident had been most convenient.
"Never," Stella said vehemently. All right, she thought to herself, I did borrow Pinecone without asking, but that was different I know Pinecone and he wanted to come; I'm no horse thief.
"May we dispose of her as we wish then?" asked Ugly eagerly.
"No, you may not," Boss snarled. "I will need time to decide what I wish to do with her, just because she doesn't wish to be a horse thief doesn't mean that she won't be one.
And, Stella thought, I just might become a horse thief after all. She was eyeing the poorly cared for and unhappy bandits' mounts. Hello, she greeted them.
Meanwhile the bandit queen went on giving orders. "Silent and Soundless," she called to two twins, "fix dinner."
"Big and Ugly see to the horses, and put her horse somewhere!" But Pinecone refused to go more than a few paces from Stella, and in the end they hobbled him and allowed him to follow her.
"Agile tie her up somewhere," she spoke to a tall and lean girl of about 17, or so. "Its your duty to watch her; make sure no one else comes near her." Agile swept up to Stella, grabbed her rope, and led her to a tree at the edge of the bandit camp. Pinecone came over and stood next to her. Anyone who tried to move him or remove his saddle bags-which the bandits had thrown back over him haphazardly-was given a kick that left them cursing and bruised; not many people tried.
~~
The bandits were bit rowdy that night, apparently they had stolen a barrel of ale from a trade wagon that day and were in a hurry to drink it up because it was difficult to transport. All of the bandits sang and laughed drunkenly as they ate stew and dried meat and drunk ale, all except for Fury and Agile. Fury must have been Agile's brother; they looked almost exactly alike, and they were only about two years apart in age. Fury was about two years younger than Agile. They both had facial features that resembled the Boss. Stella wondered if they were related to her; certainly, they couldn't be her children-the bandit queen was young and not at all the motherly type.
It grew dark quickly and a cold wind picked up, a reminder that winter was on the way. Stella felt terribly homesick. All she wanted was to be safe and warm with her father and brother, drinking a nice warm mug of spiced cider. Instead, she was freezing and growing stiff and uncomfortable, tied to a tree and watching bandits eat dinner while they didn't feed her anything. Her hunger was painful and pinching, she hadn't eaten much all day and now she felt light-headed and noxious. The bandits' faces looked evil and ghoulish by the light of the fire.
Suddenly, the leader jumped to her feet, crying, "Bring me the horse; I want to ride it." Stella glared at her defiantly but it was too dark for anyone to see. Feeling her outrage, Pinecone rose up onto his hind legs and whistled wildly. Big and Burly nervously approached Pinecone. He came down and backed towards Stella. Stella got an idea, Throw her off, she told him, break something if you can. Big lunged forwards and grabbed Pinecone's bridle; he unhobbled Pinecone as fast as he could. One-Eye held him still while the bandit queen mounted. They were all too drunk to wonder why Pinecone had suddenly started to cooperate. Stella grinned evilly. (Author's note: perhaps now is a good time for me to establish that Pinecone is distantly related to Peachblossom.)
Stella and Pinecone channeled their rage at the bandit queen. They hated her; they were not meant to be captured but to be free. They hated her; they would tear her to bits, they would kill her. Pinecone lurched and careened around in circles. He bucked and kicked out. He leaped and ran tight circles. The leader wouldn't have had a chance even if she had been sober, although if she had been sober she wouldn't have attempted to ride Pinecone in the first place. She was thrown into a tree trunk, a very solid tree trunk. Pinecone ran back to Stella and grabbed a clump of her hair in his teeth. The bandit queen didn't stir for a minute, and Stella had a few misgivings about what would happen to her if the leader was dead.
She needn't have worried. The leader sat up, groaned, and diligently work cursing Pinecone, Stella, their common ancestry-which Stella took as a compliment of sorts-and the tree she had crashed into. She was creative, Stella had to give her that much. She had broken her leg. She yelled at the bandits to bring her over to the fire. Big carried her much the same way that kindly inclined children carry kittens, concernedly but not carefully. She slapped him as he set her down.
Then, she sent everyone except for Fury, Agile, Silent, and Soundless to kidnap the nearest healer and bring him to camp. They were a bit reluctant to do this, the mage they had tried to capture the day before had been babbling hysterically about power and darkness, then the sky had gone black for a minute, and the bandits were superstitious. Stella couldn't believe her luck, she began searching for a sharp root or something to free her hands with. Agile made the leader an herbal tea for pain relief which seemed to make her sleepy. Even better, thought Stella. Agile and Fury had the first watch so Soundless and Silent banked the fire and curled beneath their blankets to get some sleep. Agile seated herself on a tree stump near Stella to guard her. Fury walked about the camp putting things in order. Then he walked to towards Agile. He held a whispered conversation with Agile, she nodded to him. He kept walking towards Stella. The moonlight glinted of something metal in his hand. It looked like a knife.
~~ Poor Stella, I always end up leaving her in suspenseful situations. Her nerves must be shot by now. Don't worry though, I can't kill her off yet, she still has to save Tortall.
"Whose daughter are you?" asked the bandit leader. Stella tried to stare at nothing in particular and ignore her. This didn't work. She received a sharp kick to the kneecap from a booted foot.
"Who are you?" The Boss yelled this time. Interesting, Stella thought, powerful, but not much self-control. This time she was punched in the stomach. Stella decided that trying to ignore her wasn't working.
"I am Stella Groomsman." The leader narrowed her eyes.
"No noble's daughter then. How did you come by that horse?" The leader glared up at her, although Stella felt as if she were being glared down at. "Surely such a fine animal would be too expensive for the likes of you."
Stella faltered. Obviously this woman knew something about horses, enough to see through the dirt all over Pinecone. Did she know enough to tell where Pinecone came from? or enough to recognize Stella's last name?
"He doesn't belong to me; I'm just taking care of him." The words were true.
"Ah, there's something you don't see everyday, a horse thief with scruples about lying." The leader had a haughty tone now, as though proud to tell the world that she had no scruples about anything. "But scruples are easily cured with a little persuasion." The leader looked Stella up and down for a few long minutes. "Will you join us?" she asked Stella suddenly, "are last horse thief was killed in a most inconvenient accident." The way she said it told Stella that, from her point of view at least, the accident had been most convenient.
"Never," Stella said vehemently. All right, she thought to herself, I did borrow Pinecone without asking, but that was different I know Pinecone and he wanted to come; I'm no horse thief.
"May we dispose of her as we wish then?" asked Ugly eagerly.
"No, you may not," Boss snarled. "I will need time to decide what I wish to do with her, just because she doesn't wish to be a horse thief doesn't mean that she won't be one.
And, Stella thought, I just might become a horse thief after all. She was eyeing the poorly cared for and unhappy bandits' mounts. Hello, she greeted them.
Meanwhile the bandit queen went on giving orders. "Silent and Soundless," she called to two twins, "fix dinner."
"Big and Ugly see to the horses, and put her horse somewhere!" But Pinecone refused to go more than a few paces from Stella, and in the end they hobbled him and allowed him to follow her.
"Agile tie her up somewhere," she spoke to a tall and lean girl of about 17, or so. "Its your duty to watch her; make sure no one else comes near her." Agile swept up to Stella, grabbed her rope, and led her to a tree at the edge of the bandit camp. Pinecone came over and stood next to her. Anyone who tried to move him or remove his saddle bags-which the bandits had thrown back over him haphazardly-was given a kick that left them cursing and bruised; not many people tried.
~~
The bandits were bit rowdy that night, apparently they had stolen a barrel of ale from a trade wagon that day and were in a hurry to drink it up because it was difficult to transport. All of the bandits sang and laughed drunkenly as they ate stew and dried meat and drunk ale, all except for Fury and Agile. Fury must have been Agile's brother; they looked almost exactly alike, and they were only about two years apart in age. Fury was about two years younger than Agile. They both had facial features that resembled the Boss. Stella wondered if they were related to her; certainly, they couldn't be her children-the bandit queen was young and not at all the motherly type.
It grew dark quickly and a cold wind picked up, a reminder that winter was on the way. Stella felt terribly homesick. All she wanted was to be safe and warm with her father and brother, drinking a nice warm mug of spiced cider. Instead, she was freezing and growing stiff and uncomfortable, tied to a tree and watching bandits eat dinner while they didn't feed her anything. Her hunger was painful and pinching, she hadn't eaten much all day and now she felt light-headed and noxious. The bandits' faces looked evil and ghoulish by the light of the fire.
Suddenly, the leader jumped to her feet, crying, "Bring me the horse; I want to ride it." Stella glared at her defiantly but it was too dark for anyone to see. Feeling her outrage, Pinecone rose up onto his hind legs and whistled wildly. Big and Burly nervously approached Pinecone. He came down and backed towards Stella. Stella got an idea, Throw her off, she told him, break something if you can. Big lunged forwards and grabbed Pinecone's bridle; he unhobbled Pinecone as fast as he could. One-Eye held him still while the bandit queen mounted. They were all too drunk to wonder why Pinecone had suddenly started to cooperate. Stella grinned evilly. (Author's note: perhaps now is a good time for me to establish that Pinecone is distantly related to Peachblossom.)
Stella and Pinecone channeled their rage at the bandit queen. They hated her; they were not meant to be captured but to be free. They hated her; they would tear her to bits, they would kill her. Pinecone lurched and careened around in circles. He bucked and kicked out. He leaped and ran tight circles. The leader wouldn't have had a chance even if she had been sober, although if she had been sober she wouldn't have attempted to ride Pinecone in the first place. She was thrown into a tree trunk, a very solid tree trunk. Pinecone ran back to Stella and grabbed a clump of her hair in his teeth. The bandit queen didn't stir for a minute, and Stella had a few misgivings about what would happen to her if the leader was dead.
She needn't have worried. The leader sat up, groaned, and diligently work cursing Pinecone, Stella, their common ancestry-which Stella took as a compliment of sorts-and the tree she had crashed into. She was creative, Stella had to give her that much. She had broken her leg. She yelled at the bandits to bring her over to the fire. Big carried her much the same way that kindly inclined children carry kittens, concernedly but not carefully. She slapped him as he set her down.
Then, she sent everyone except for Fury, Agile, Silent, and Soundless to kidnap the nearest healer and bring him to camp. They were a bit reluctant to do this, the mage they had tried to capture the day before had been babbling hysterically about power and darkness, then the sky had gone black for a minute, and the bandits were superstitious. Stella couldn't believe her luck, she began searching for a sharp root or something to free her hands with. Agile made the leader an herbal tea for pain relief which seemed to make her sleepy. Even better, thought Stella. Agile and Fury had the first watch so Soundless and Silent banked the fire and curled beneath their blankets to get some sleep. Agile seated herself on a tree stump near Stella to guard her. Fury walked about the camp putting things in order. Then he walked to towards Agile. He held a whispered conversation with Agile, she nodded to him. He kept walking towards Stella. The moonlight glinted of something metal in his hand. It looked like a knife.
~~ Poor Stella, I always end up leaving her in suspenseful situations. Her nerves must be shot by now. Don't worry though, I can't kill her off yet, she still has to save Tortall.