p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"When the sun's rays began to stretch their way luxuriously across the twilight sky, Fynn kicked Will awake./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""Get up, Treaty, we can get a few more hours travel in before night fall," He said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Will rolled out of his cloak and sat up, shaking the sleep form his eyes. Tug and Fireheart were already both saddles and ready to go. Fynn was preparing to mount Fireheart./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""Alright, I'm ready," Will said, hopping on Tug./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"As they rode, slowly, keeping their eyes on the road and their ears alert, Will noticed Fynn's forced joviality of the previous day had gone entirely. He was focused intensely on his goal./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Several miles more, after a shared, quick breakfast of more dried meat and fruits, Tug and Fireheart perked their ears up, in the same direction and, as one, let out soft neighs, alerting their Rangers of the nearby presence of others. The dusty path on which they travelled trailed off into a vastly wooded area./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""Hold it!" Will warned./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Fynn looked about read to bolt headlong in the direction of the noise, but he jerked to a halt at Will's bark./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""Fynn, if you rush in there right now, you'll blow the only advantage we have. Have some sense, man!" Will said sternly./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Fynn seemed to recover his wits./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""Sorry," he murmured, shaking his head as though to clear it./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Will nodded, and folded his arms, mildly surveying the man, "Your call. What's our next move."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Fynn took a moment to steady himself, scanning their surroundings with a practiced, if somewhat absent, eye. Open road stretched behind them, and the darkening forest now stood ominously before them./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""I don't like it." He said at last, "If they're in there, it's easier for them to hide and ambush us. They might already know were here."span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""I highly doubt that" Will said, "If they knew I think we'd be sliced to bits by now."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Fynn chewed his lip, "I'm going in," he said, determination flooding his eyes, "I'll scout around and see what we're up against, and report back here within the hour."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"He dismounted and disappeared on foot. Will tried to keep him in his sight but after a while, he could barely see the man, as to be expected. Fynn's ranger cloak shieled him from any prying eyes./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Will waited patiently, stewing over his fear that Fynn's impatience had gotten the best of him, and he had attacked the bandit camp singlehandedly. He took comfort in the fact that he would most likely be able to hear anything that happened, and the forest was completely quiet. Too quiet, in fact. The absence of wildlife calls alerted him to the fact that a large group was populating the area./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Fyn reappeared out of thin air next to him./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""It's them," Fynn was whispering now, "Nearly a score of men and about ten or so girls. I think I saw her," he answered Will's unspoken question. His expression was dark, and he spoke through gritted teeth as though he could barely retrain himself./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""What kind of weapons did they have?" Will asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Fynn had been expecting the question, "They mostly had swords and a few bows."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""That could be a problem. Did they post any sentries?" Will asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""It seems they are too arrogant to think they need any." Fynn replied./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""That's good," Will said, "We want them to be overconfident. Makes for a sloppy opponent." Fynn nodded his agreement./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Will chewed his lip, "Does it look like they'll be there for a while? We could maybe send out for reinforcements…"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""You don't think we could take them together?" Fynn, understandably, looked slightly offended./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""I do, but I want to do this right. If any harm comes to a single one of those girls, or Ayra, we'll never forgive ourselves." Will said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""We need to rush them, Will, today, now, before they know were here. The longer we hang around, the more chance we have of being discovered."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Will held up a hand, "Fynn, I understand, really, I do, but let's not go rushing into things. We can scout out the area for a few hours and see what goes."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""I'm not waiting any longer than I have to. I'm getting my girl out of there as soon as possible." Fynn glowered at Will before hurrying off, saying over his shoulder, "Get the horses out of the way and catch up with me in a few."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Will stood quickly, loosened the girths on the two horses, and whispered commands for them to stay put until they returned, and hurried after the barely visible silhouette of his companion./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Will quickly caught up with his companion whom he found crouched in foliage about ten meters from the edge of a clearing that had been taken over completely by the bandit encampment./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"About a dozen filthy tents stood like sentinels, fencing off one side of the clearing. Small campfires peppered the clearing, and men sat around them, singing and laughing in raised, intoxicated voices./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"The two rangers ghosted their way through the foliage until they stood on the very edge of the campsite, unnoticed and unseen by the bandits or their captives within./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"One man, a scruffy, full bearded man, with an unkempt look about him, stood and stumbled to the edge of the forest to relieve himself. When he attempted to turn around, the man fell flat on his face and lay there snoozing. None of his fellows bothered to assist him. Fynn pulled a face at Will who shook his head in disgust./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Will pointed to the row of captives. In the middle, Ayra sat, bound hand and foot. Though she appeared terrified, she seemed alert and functioning./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Will noticed with a nauseating feeling of disgust that despite Ayra's youth, she was not the youngest girl in the mix. His eyes roved past her, toward the outer edge of the far side of the site, looking for a place of entry from that side, when he heard a sharp inhale from Fynn that caused him to jerk his head to look at his companion./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Fynn motioned to the row of captives and Will watched the scene that played out below./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanOne of the drunken men from a fire closest to the girls had gotten up and stumbled his way to them. He leered at one girl, nearly pitching into her when he got too close and swayed dangerously./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"The girl, no more than fourteen, sat in paralyzed terror, unable to move or cry out for help./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Fynn gritted his teeth and started forward, seeing red, "That's it." He hissed, grabbing for his Saxe./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Will grabbed his arm, "Fynn, not yet. Not unless we have to." Fynn glared back at Will, trying, and failing to free himself of the man's iron style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"A scream from one of the girls broke their identical glares. The drunken bandit lurched forward and seized the girl's elbow, dragging her into the middle of the camp./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""Let's 'ave some fun, you and I, shall we!" He snarled into her face. Her eyes squeezed tightly shut and she drew back, resisting and straining against him, but it was no use as he pulled her in close. Fynn tensed and Will was about to let go of him and pounce on the bastard himself weapons drawn, when their attention was drawn to a taught voice that pierced the air./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""Let her go, please! Take me instead, she's so young, please!" One of the other captives, perhaps eighteen, screamed at the man. The man stopped. He turned slowly as though trying to register from where the noise had come from. He threw his sobbing victim into the dirt at his feet and advanced upon the row of captives./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""Ya wanna to join the fun, now do ya?" He drawled, strutting up and down their ranks like a stern general./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Without warning, he pounced on Ayra./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"As one, Will and Fynn sprang forward into the clearing. Fynn slammed into the man, knocking him off balance, bludgeoning him mercilessly with the hilt of his Saxe knife, before driving it deep into the man's heart./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"It took a moment for the other bandits to realize what was happening and in the mayhem that followed, Will thrust his boot into the chest of a long-haired, woozy bandit as he rose from his seat, mouth wide open in shock, and pivoted on his heel to stab the tip of his arrow into the heart of another./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Fynn was on the ground beside Ayra, giving her a quick check as he unbound her./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""You ok?" he said tersely. She didn't respond immediately as she sat, dazedly, rubbing her sore arms and legs. Fynn grabbed her chin so their eyes were forced to meet, "Ayra, look at me. Are you ok?"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanDespite the intensity of the situation, he waited for Ayra's nod before standing to face the onslaught of the quickly organized bandits./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""Fynn!" Will warned./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanBy now their leader, a red faced, tattooed giant had rallied his group to a face the two men./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Fynn stood and dragged Ayra to her feet, Fynn grabbing his weapons. The girl groaned as her legs straightened after days of inactivity./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""I know, honey, but I can't leave you lying there. You'll get trampled." Fynn said apologetically./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Somehow, one of the girls, the one that had called to the bandit, had gotten hold of a knife and had succeeded in freeing herself and many of the others. Only a few remained bound by the thick cords and those were being dragged out of the clearing by their style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""Do you have a weapon?" Fynn asked Ayra frantically. Before she could respond, Will pressed his Saxe and Throwing knife into her hand./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""What about you?" Ayra asked, verging on hysteria./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""This'll do," Will hefted two short swords he had taken from the fallen bandits. He winked at Ayra and turned to the line of bandits, saying over his shoulder, "Keep close to Fynn and I, and keep your back to us. Don't let 'em get behind you."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"The young woman who had shouted raced up to their group. She no longer held the dagger with which she had cut her binds, and had replaced it with a long, sturdy branch, likely plucked from the forest floor./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""Don't even think of telling me to go hide," She said defiantly, when she saw Will meet her eyes and draw breath to speak./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""Wasn't going to," the ranger said mildly, "Thought you might like something a little more substantial, though." He handed her the longer of his two swords hilt first, "You know how to use that?" He asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"She nodded tightly, a small thank you./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"They formed a square formation, facing outward, backs protected by each other's presence behind them./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"The bandits came in a single wave and the three rangers defended themselves with relative ease, given the small number of bandits attacking them./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"One man, bolder than the rest, darted in stabbing wildly. Will caught him on the shoulder with the hilt of his blade and shoved the man back by his chest./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"The men did their best to shield the apprentice from the heavy attack, but another bandit got around to Ayra, pressing her hard. Her short blades were no match for the man's heavy, much longer broadsword./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Fynn broke the square fighting formation and circled to protect his young charge. He caught her attacker unawares, thrusting his Saxe heavily in the man's side, twisting and yanking it out, before kicking him away./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Will was caught up in an attack from the other side, fighting two men at the same time, thrusting, weaving, and kicking. There was a man between them, separating the three rangers and the young woman./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Fynn grabbed Ayra's shoulders, spun her around and planted her back firmly against the tree./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""Don't move," he said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"He trusted Will to look after himself and the girl and stationed himself on the other side of the tree trunk. Master and Apprentice battled the onslaught, still heavy, but thinning out due to Will's brutal, unrelenting fighting pace./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Fynn dispatched another bandit and peered around the trunk./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""Ayra, you alright?" He called, "Ahh!" He felt a sharp pain in his foot and then his side turned to molten lava, and he doubled over, gasping. A scruffy bandit, a boy, had come upon him out of nowhere and started stabbing wildly./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Fynn fell to his knees, gasping with pain, his eyes blurring. He heard Ayra shouting to Will and saw the ground inches from his face./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"The world turned black./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""Get up, Treaty, we can get a few more hours travel in before night fall," He said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Will rolled out of his cloak and sat up, shaking the sleep form his eyes. Tug and Fireheart were already both saddles and ready to go. Fynn was preparing to mount Fireheart./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""Alright, I'm ready," Will said, hopping on Tug./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"As they rode, slowly, keeping their eyes on the road and their ears alert, Will noticed Fynn's forced joviality of the previous day had gone entirely. He was focused intensely on his goal./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Several miles more, after a shared, quick breakfast of more dried meat and fruits, Tug and Fireheart perked their ears up, in the same direction and, as one, let out soft neighs, alerting their Rangers of the nearby presence of others. The dusty path on which they travelled trailed off into a vastly wooded area./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""Hold it!" Will warned./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Fynn looked about read to bolt headlong in the direction of the noise, but he jerked to a halt at Will's bark./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""Fynn, if you rush in there right now, you'll blow the only advantage we have. Have some sense, man!" Will said sternly./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Fynn seemed to recover his wits./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""Sorry," he murmured, shaking his head as though to clear it./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Will nodded, and folded his arms, mildly surveying the man, "Your call. What's our next move."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Fynn took a moment to steady himself, scanning their surroundings with a practiced, if somewhat absent, eye. Open road stretched behind them, and the darkening forest now stood ominously before them./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""I don't like it." He said at last, "If they're in there, it's easier for them to hide and ambush us. They might already know were here."span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""I highly doubt that" Will said, "If they knew I think we'd be sliced to bits by now."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Fynn chewed his lip, "I'm going in," he said, determination flooding his eyes, "I'll scout around and see what we're up against, and report back here within the hour."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"He dismounted and disappeared on foot. Will tried to keep him in his sight but after a while, he could barely see the man, as to be expected. Fynn's ranger cloak shieled him from any prying eyes./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Will waited patiently, stewing over his fear that Fynn's impatience had gotten the best of him, and he had attacked the bandit camp singlehandedly. He took comfort in the fact that he would most likely be able to hear anything that happened, and the forest was completely quiet. Too quiet, in fact. The absence of wildlife calls alerted him to the fact that a large group was populating the area./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Fyn reappeared out of thin air next to him./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""It's them," Fynn was whispering now, "Nearly a score of men and about ten or so girls. I think I saw her," he answered Will's unspoken question. His expression was dark, and he spoke through gritted teeth as though he could barely retrain himself./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""What kind of weapons did they have?" Will asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Fynn had been expecting the question, "They mostly had swords and a few bows."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""That could be a problem. Did they post any sentries?" Will asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""It seems they are too arrogant to think they need any." Fynn replied./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""That's good," Will said, "We want them to be overconfident. Makes for a sloppy opponent." Fynn nodded his agreement./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Will chewed his lip, "Does it look like they'll be there for a while? We could maybe send out for reinforcements…"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""You don't think we could take them together?" Fynn, understandably, looked slightly offended./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""I do, but I want to do this right. If any harm comes to a single one of those girls, or Ayra, we'll never forgive ourselves." Will said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""We need to rush them, Will, today, now, before they know were here. The longer we hang around, the more chance we have of being discovered."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Will held up a hand, "Fynn, I understand, really, I do, but let's not go rushing into things. We can scout out the area for a few hours and see what goes."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""I'm not waiting any longer than I have to. I'm getting my girl out of there as soon as possible." Fynn glowered at Will before hurrying off, saying over his shoulder, "Get the horses out of the way and catch up with me in a few."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Will stood quickly, loosened the girths on the two horses, and whispered commands for them to stay put until they returned, and hurried after the barely visible silhouette of his companion./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Will quickly caught up with his companion whom he found crouched in foliage about ten meters from the edge of a clearing that had been taken over completely by the bandit encampment./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"About a dozen filthy tents stood like sentinels, fencing off one side of the clearing. Small campfires peppered the clearing, and men sat around them, singing and laughing in raised, intoxicated voices./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"The two rangers ghosted their way through the foliage until they stood on the very edge of the campsite, unnoticed and unseen by the bandits or their captives within./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"One man, a scruffy, full bearded man, with an unkempt look about him, stood and stumbled to the edge of the forest to relieve himself. When he attempted to turn around, the man fell flat on his face and lay there snoozing. None of his fellows bothered to assist him. Fynn pulled a face at Will who shook his head in disgust./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Will pointed to the row of captives. In the middle, Ayra sat, bound hand and foot. Though she appeared terrified, she seemed alert and functioning./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Will noticed with a nauseating feeling of disgust that despite Ayra's youth, she was not the youngest girl in the mix. His eyes roved past her, toward the outer edge of the far side of the site, looking for a place of entry from that side, when he heard a sharp inhale from Fynn that caused him to jerk his head to look at his companion./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Fynn motioned to the row of captives and Will watched the scene that played out below./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanOne of the drunken men from a fire closest to the girls had gotten up and stumbled his way to them. He leered at one girl, nearly pitching into her when he got too close and swayed dangerously./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"The girl, no more than fourteen, sat in paralyzed terror, unable to move or cry out for help./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Fynn gritted his teeth and started forward, seeing red, "That's it." He hissed, grabbing for his Saxe./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Will grabbed his arm, "Fynn, not yet. Not unless we have to." Fynn glared back at Will, trying, and failing to free himself of the man's iron style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"A scream from one of the girls broke their identical glares. The drunken bandit lurched forward and seized the girl's elbow, dragging her into the middle of the camp./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""Let's 'ave some fun, you and I, shall we!" He snarled into her face. Her eyes squeezed tightly shut and she drew back, resisting and straining against him, but it was no use as he pulled her in close. Fynn tensed and Will was about to let go of him and pounce on the bastard himself weapons drawn, when their attention was drawn to a taught voice that pierced the air./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""Let her go, please! Take me instead, she's so young, please!" One of the other captives, perhaps eighteen, screamed at the man. The man stopped. He turned slowly as though trying to register from where the noise had come from. He threw his sobbing victim into the dirt at his feet and advanced upon the row of captives./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""Ya wanna to join the fun, now do ya?" He drawled, strutting up and down their ranks like a stern general./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Without warning, he pounced on Ayra./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"As one, Will and Fynn sprang forward into the clearing. Fynn slammed into the man, knocking him off balance, bludgeoning him mercilessly with the hilt of his Saxe knife, before driving it deep into the man's heart./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"It took a moment for the other bandits to realize what was happening and in the mayhem that followed, Will thrust his boot into the chest of a long-haired, woozy bandit as he rose from his seat, mouth wide open in shock, and pivoted on his heel to stab the tip of his arrow into the heart of another./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Fynn was on the ground beside Ayra, giving her a quick check as he unbound her./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""You ok?" he said tersely. She didn't respond immediately as she sat, dazedly, rubbing her sore arms and legs. Fynn grabbed her chin so their eyes were forced to meet, "Ayra, look at me. Are you ok?"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanDespite the intensity of the situation, he waited for Ayra's nod before standing to face the onslaught of the quickly organized bandits./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""Fynn!" Will warned./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanBy now their leader, a red faced, tattooed giant had rallied his group to a face the two men./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Fynn stood and dragged Ayra to her feet, Fynn grabbing his weapons. The girl groaned as her legs straightened after days of inactivity./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""I know, honey, but I can't leave you lying there. You'll get trampled." Fynn said apologetically./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Somehow, one of the girls, the one that had called to the bandit, had gotten hold of a knife and had succeeded in freeing herself and many of the others. Only a few remained bound by the thick cords and those were being dragged out of the clearing by their style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""Do you have a weapon?" Fynn asked Ayra frantically. Before she could respond, Will pressed his Saxe and Throwing knife into her hand./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""What about you?" Ayra asked, verging on hysteria./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""This'll do," Will hefted two short swords he had taken from the fallen bandits. He winked at Ayra and turned to the line of bandits, saying over his shoulder, "Keep close to Fynn and I, and keep your back to us. Don't let 'em get behind you."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"The young woman who had shouted raced up to their group. She no longer held the dagger with which she had cut her binds, and had replaced it with a long, sturdy branch, likely plucked from the forest floor./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""Don't even think of telling me to go hide," She said defiantly, when she saw Will meet her eyes and draw breath to speak./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""Wasn't going to," the ranger said mildly, "Thought you might like something a little more substantial, though." He handed her the longer of his two swords hilt first, "You know how to use that?" He asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"She nodded tightly, a small thank you./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"They formed a square formation, facing outward, backs protected by each other's presence behind them./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"The bandits came in a single wave and the three rangers defended themselves with relative ease, given the small number of bandits attacking them./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"One man, bolder than the rest, darted in stabbing wildly. Will caught him on the shoulder with the hilt of his blade and shoved the man back by his chest./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"The men did their best to shield the apprentice from the heavy attack, but another bandit got around to Ayra, pressing her hard. Her short blades were no match for the man's heavy, much longer broadsword./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Fynn broke the square fighting formation and circled to protect his young charge. He caught her attacker unawares, thrusting his Saxe heavily in the man's side, twisting and yanking it out, before kicking him away./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Will was caught up in an attack from the other side, fighting two men at the same time, thrusting, weaving, and kicking. There was a man between them, separating the three rangers and the young woman./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Fynn grabbed Ayra's shoulders, spun her around and planted her back firmly against the tree./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""Don't move," he said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"He trusted Will to look after himself and the girl and stationed himself on the other side of the tree trunk. Master and Apprentice battled the onslaught, still heavy, but thinning out due to Will's brutal, unrelenting fighting pace./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Fynn dispatched another bandit and peered around the trunk./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;""Ayra, you alright?" He called, "Ahh!" He felt a sharp pain in his foot and then his side turned to molten lava, and he doubled over, gasping. A scruffy bandit, a boy, had come upon him out of nowhere and started stabbing wildly./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"Fynn fell to his knees, gasping with pain, his eyes blurring. He heard Ayra shouting to Will and saw the ground inches from his face./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 115%;"The world turned black./p