"Stop staring and move." Her voice made it clear she did not appreciate Ezzy's gaze.
Ezzy gave a smirk then turned her back on the strange woman and moved towards Nolan's still sleeping form. The woman might look tough, but Ezzy wasn't about to show her any fear. The bounty hunter had the advantage, but that could change in an instant. Plus, the bounty was for Ezzy alive, so the woman couldn't kill her. All she needed was one opportunity to catch her off guard.
Kneeling down, she reached into Nolan's tent and shook his foot until the man showed signs of waking.
"Wake up," she said loudly and in an overly sweet voice. "We have company."
"What?" he mumbled. "A merchant or something?"
"No, a particularly ugly bounty hunter."
Ezzy glanced back to see if her words had gotten a rise out of the woman. The bounty hunter smiled at her, showing even more of those two lower fangs. No matter. She was probably used to people calling her names.
"A what?" Nolan pushed the blankets off and sat up. As soon as his eyes found the woman, they widened. "What in the Abyss is that?"
"My name is Shayua Durluin, and I'm the person that will be collecting your bounty," she grunted at him. "Now get up and get your things ready to move."
Shayua lowered her bow as they started to move about the camp, but she kept an arrow nocked. Ezzy put the tents away and gathered their things as Nolan stretched. To Ezzy, he still looked weak. Whatever toll the re-bonding had on his body and mind, it clearly took a while to recover. He looked like he could topple over at any moment.
Once she had things packed, she took a step towards his walking stick. If Shayua wasn't going to let Paz anywhere near them, he at least needed the staff to move on his own.
A sharp twang was the only warning she had before an arrow buried itself right in front of her feet.
She hopped back unable to stop the small shriek from escaping her mouth.
"Do not even think about it," Shayua said. Another arrow was already notched.
"He needs it. He can barely stand as it is, walking without it will be impossible."
"Then let him pick it up. You can carry all of your supplies."
"My Vilathos can--"
"Stay far behind us. I don't want that thing within sprinting distance. You can carry the supplies. The added weight will keep you from trying anything foolish."
"If you say so."
Ezzy grabbed the two packs containing their things and stood glaring at the woman while Nolan limped over and picked up his staff. When everyone was set, Shayua motioned for them to start walking ahead of her. Ezzy watched from the corner of her eye as the woman walked over and pulled her arrow from the ground, returning it to the quiver on her back. Counting the one still ready to fire, the bounty hunter had fifteen or so arrows. Might come in handy to remember that.
Or it might not. Ezzy was just looking for anything she might use to get the upper hand at some point.
They moved in the opposite direction of the Unyielding Wall, Ezzy at the lead with Nolan close behind. Shayua kept her distance behind them, with the bow still ready to fire. They moved at a slow pace. Despite being in excellent shape, two packs were still a lot for Ezzy to lug around. She kept glancing back and each time the other woman's eyes were locked on her. This Shayua was all business. Escape would be a little more difficult than Ezzy had hoped.
"So," she said, glancing back at the towering woman. "Been a bounty hunter long?"
"You don't need to open your mouth to walk."
"That might not be entirely true," Nolan said under his breath.
Why did the man choose now to make jokes? Ezzy shot him a look but decided against commenting on what he said and instead offered, "I'm sure a little conversation won't magically help us escape. It might help the walk go a little faster."
Ezzy received a grunt for a reply. She took that as an opportunity to continue.
"I've never seen anyone that looks...like you. If you were part Taruun that would explain the height, but I've never seen anyone with your skin color before."
"Then I suppose you've never been very far south." Ezzy barely heard the words Shayua muttered. South? From Shade? The Wall was said to do strange things to people, but she had never heard of anything as dramatic as a drastic change in skin color. Certainly she didn't mean Rensen. Where else was there? She had heard of a new village that had been founded a few years ago on the southern end of Rensen forest. Did she mean there? If she meant further south, that would affirm that she had at least a little Umdaer in her.
"So where are you from?"
"Lurthalan."
"No, seriously."
"I was raised in Lurthalan, grew up in the temple of Avien'zia, and made my first kill when I was eleven. That's all you need to know."
"That doesn't explain your...uh, bizarre skin tone."
The woman was next to her in a heartbeat, and just as fast had a hand around Ezzy's throat and lifting her into the air. Ezzy's eyes bulged as she struggled to breathe. She beat at the woman's arms with her hands, but she might as well have been striking hardwood. Even the kicks she sent at the woman's stomach seemed to go unnoticed. And all the while she held Ezzy and her packs in the air.
"Stop it!" Nolan sounded scared, but things were becoming hazy to Ezzy. "You're killing her."
"Listen, little girl." Shayua's voice was low, but she could have been yelling for all Ezzy's oxygen-deprived brain could tell. "You will not mention my skin, or where I come from, or anything about my past. You are a bounty. Nothing more. Do I make myself clear?"
Ezzy tried to say yes, but it came out as a gurgle. She began to nod her head enthusiastically. Anything to be free of the woman's iron grip. Just as spots began to swim across her eyes, Shayua released her. Ezzy crumpled to the ground. The packs slid off her shoulders as she drew in deep, gasping breaths. A hand touched her shoulder, and she flinched but then relaxed as she realized it was Nolan.
"Are you alright?" The amount of concern painted across his face made the pain in her throat soften. A little.
"Yes."
"I don't think you should push her buttons anymore. She seems like the type to forget about money if she gets angry enough."
"I wasn't trying to set her off. I was just curious."
"Well, wherever she's from, they don't seem to like curious people."
"Agreed."
Ezzy let him help her up. Her first instinct was to glare at the other woman, but common sense won out and she instead turned her back to Shayua. Nolan was right, best to just avoid provoking the bounty hunter until they could figure out a way to escape. Speaking of which...
"Can I start my Vithalos moving yet?"
"Yes. But keep it far behind us."
The groan of a bowstring being stretched back was all the warning Ezzy needed to know what would happen if Paz got too close.
They walked on in silence for the rest of the day. In the beginning, Ezzy would glance back from time to time to check on their captor. The only change she noticed in the bounty hunter's demeanor was a deepening scowl that sunk each time their eyes met. It was doubtful they would be able to escape in the middle of the day anyway. Best to wait until night.
By the time they reached the cobblestone road that ran north towards Lurthalan and south towards Shade, the sun was just touching the tips of the Skyfall Mountains to the west. Shayua had them stop and set up camp a little ways off the road. As Ezzy and Nolan made a camp fire and spread out their sleeping bags, Shayua sat and watched them. She had slung her bow over her back, replacing it with a knife she twirled between her crimson fingers. The fact that the woman watched while Ezzy worked started to annoy her to no end. When Shayua told them not to bother with the tents, her annoyance bubbled over.
"I wonder," Ezzy said, not directing the words towards anyone in particular, "if she slipped and cut herself, would she even notice?"
"Ezzy..." Nolan warned.
"It was just a stray thought, Nolan. I mean, if she bled
could we even tell? Or is her blood a different color than ours?"
"Shall we compare?"
Shayua rose and started walking towards her, knife in hand. Ezzy tried to take a step back but the stronger woman grabbed her wrist. She yanked and strained, trying to get her arm free, until Shayua brought the knife right up to Ezzy's face.
"I bleed red." Shayua slid the blade across the back of her own hand, twisting it to show Ezzy while keeping an iron grip on her wrist. "Let's see if it's the same shade as yours."
"Stop this!" Nolan took a few steps forward but stopped as Shayua pointed the blade in his direction.
"I am simply answering her question. The spoiled girl needs to learn that she cannot always say whatever she wishes."
"Yes, I agree. It's a lesson I've been trying to teach her this past year. She is a difficult student."
"Maybe that is because you coddle her. I will not be that gentle."
Ezzy gave a squeak as the woman placed the edge of the blade against the back of her hand.
"Stop," Nolan pleaded. "Don't hurt her."
Shayua glanced back at him over her shoulder for a few moments, then grunted and released Ezzy's hand.
"Think of this as her last chance to watch her words. The bounty just says to bring her in alive, it says nothing about what condition she must be in."
"I understand. She will watch her tongue. You have my word on it."
He glared at Ezzy. She returned his look for a moment, then rolled her eyes and nodded. Shayua missed the gesture as her attention was focused on Nolan.
"Good." Shayua licked the blood off her hand. "I will hold you responsible for reminding her of what will happen if she steps out of line. To both of you."
"Understood."
"Get to work on our dinner. I expect you both to turn in as soon as we eat and the sun sets. We will be leaving as soon as the sun climbs over the wall."
"I don't think that's going to happen," Ezzy said. Shayua took a threatening step towards her, but Ezzy stopped her with one raised hand and pointed up the road with the other. "We have visitors."
Seven men were walking down the road. Each had a hand on a weapon.
"You two stay seated." Shayua already had her bow back in her hands and an arrow nocked. "I want them to come to us. Don't say a word."
The men were close enough now that Ezzy could make out their faces.
"I don't think talking is going to help."
The man leading the rest was the bounty hunter, Ben.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Fighting Over a Prize
"You're not going to be able to talk to them." Between the red-skinned bounty hunter and the ones she had beaten up and robbed, it was easy for Ezzy to decide whom she would rather have as a captor. "Those men are bounty hunters as well. We've run into them before."
"Then it won't be a problem," Shayua replied. Her bow remained drawn.
"You don't understand. The last time I saw the man leading them, I had my Vithalos toss him into the Melcoi River."
"After robbing him," Nolan chimed in.
"Well, he was rude."
"It doesn't matter what you did," Shayua barked. "If they are bounty hunters, they will follow the code. I'm the one that caught you, so your bounty is mine."
"I don't think this man cares about rules or codes or whatever you bounty hunters follow."
"You know nothing. The rules were set by the goddess Avien'zia herself. A true bounty hunter will not break them."
"If you say so. Then why do you still have an arrow aimed in their direction?"
"Just be quiet."
Ezzy did as she was told. It was difficult to just sit there with Ben's eyes locked on her as his group approached. He did not look happy. None of the men looked happy. Had any of the others been there that night? She hadn't paid them much attention.
"That's close enough," Shayua called out when the men were a stone's throw away. "What are your intentions?"
The group stopped. Most had a hand on their weapons, but none had drawn a blade. Except Ben. He had a knife in his hand as he took a few more steps forward. When he spoke, his voice was calm but firm.
"My name is Ben Karren. Those two sitting at your camp are my bounties. I plan on taking them back to Lurthalan."
"Unfortunately I have claimed them already."
Ben's eyes narrowed.
"I had already claimed them days ago. They--"
"You cannot claim them if you cannot hold on to them."
"This one had her Vithalos beat up my men. Then she robbed me and tossed me into the river. I'm not about to let--"
"None of this matters. By Avien'zia's Code, they are mine."
Ben's jaw dropped. His men shuffled about nervously behind him. Despite the situation she currently found herself in, Ezzy felt a smile creep its way onto her face. She had to admit she was starting to like Shayua's straight-forwardness. As long as it wasn't directed at her, of course.
"Now," Shayua continued, "if you wish, I can return whatever money they have on them to you.
"No, that's not good enough," Ben spluttered, finally able to find words. "I've suffered too many insults and put too much work into hunting these two down to let them go now."
"The Code states--"
"Damn the Code! They are mine, and I plan on teaching the girl some humility on the way back to Lurthalan."
"Watch what you say when it comes to the Code. You tread on dangerous ground." Shayua's voice had grown cold and her bow had come up slightly.
"No one follows the Code. Now stand aside before I decide--urk!"
To say Ben looked surprised as the arrow thudded into his right thigh would be an understatement. The impact was enough to stagger him backwards and twist him around, but to the man's credit he was able to stay on his feet. He gripped the arrow shaft with both hands and stared at it. His mouth worked but nothing came out. Shayua, on the other hand, already had another arrow ready to fly. Its point rapidly shifting directions to aim at each of the remaining six men in turn. Her eyes were narrowed, and her grimace let both of her lower incisors peek out of her lips.
"The Code is everything." A fire touched Shayua's voice. "Without the Code, we are nothing more than thugs and murderers. If you are either of those things, I will grind you all beneath my boots."
"You can't take us all." Ben replied through clenched teeth.
Ezzy marveled at the man's confidence. Even with an arrow in his leg, he still made demands. Despite the way the arrow was causing him to lean to one side, Ben raised his knife and seemed ready to fight.
"I can kill enough of you with my bow before you get close enough to have a fair chance against the rest in hand-to-hand combat. Are your men ready to risk their lives when a single arrow could kill them before they take a few steps?"
"You have no idea who you're dealing with. Men! Show her our colors."
Each man with Ben in turn pulled out an orange piece of cloth from their various pockets and bags and raised them to their heads. Seven men now stood before them with orange headbands.
"By the Abyss..." Nolan groaned.
"Should those pieces of cloth mean something to me?" Shayua looked at each man in turn. "Are the headbands magic of some kind?"
"Not magic," Ben grunted. "But they do bind us as brothers. You might not have heard of the Orange Hound gang in Lurthalan. But you will when we take your beaten body back there. We're going to make sure everyone knows our name. Just like they will know that one bounty hunter tried to stand against us and was put down like a fire-faced half-breed deserves."
The words were barely out of the man's mouth when he launched himself to the side, one of Shayua's arrows passing through the space where his head had been. With a shout, the rest of Ben's men charged. Two never made it more than a few steps as an arrow pierced their chest and a third was knocked off his feet as one of Shayua's arrows struck his shoulder. Then, the world became chaos.
Shayua tangled one man's weapon up in her bowstring a
nd threw him to the ground as he charged in, which disarmed them both. She twisted to avoid the thrust of a blade and caught a second man with a right cross that freed a few of his teeth. He hit the ground and remained in a crumpled heap. Then the other men overwhelmed her.
The last uninjured man discarded his weapon and tried to tackle Shayua. While she was trying to throw him off, Ben and the man who had been struck in the shoulder joined the fight, diving at her feet. Shayua was able to stay up for a moment, but when the one she had initially tossed joined the fight, she was strong-armed to the ground. Bodies flailed about as the four men wrestled to pin Shayua's arms and legs. She was strong, but the men had numbers as well as weight on their side and were quickly getting the upper hand.
The thought of escape flashed through Ezzy's mind, but only for a moment. There was flatland all around them and even though she might be able to get away, there was no way that Nolan could move very fast. Plus, something about seeing the woman at the mercy of those men didn't sit right with her.
"We should help!" Ezzy shouted, charging towards the melee.
"What? Wait!" Nolan's words were lost to her as she dove at the closest man.
She collided with the uninjured man, her momentum carrying him off of Shayua. The man smelled of tobacco and sweat. They rolled around on the grass, trying to jockey for position. The man ended up on top of her, both of his hands going for her neck. While his hands went to choke, hers struck instead, punching him directly in the throat. A sickening gurgle escaped his mouth as both of his hands left her neck and grasped at his own. With a twist of her hips she dislodged the man from on top of her. He fell onto his side and continued to struggle to take in his breath. Not wasting any time, Ezzy rose and planted a quick kick to the man's face. His gurgling and thrashing stopped. Ezzy spun to find her next target.
Shayua stood over two of the men, their bodies still and both of their necks at odd angles. She held Ben by the throat, his feet kicking in the air.
"You insult Avien'zia by claiming to be a hunter of men in her name. I should snap your fool neck and drop you at the gates of her temple."
Hunt for Justice Page 10