“I’ll make a bargain with ye,” Adam said.
The first rider’s eyes glittered.“What kind o’ bargain?”
“Give us your horses, and I won’t kill the three o’ ye.”
The rider smirked.“Kill us?By yourself?”
“Ye can see what I did with your other five,” he said.“Oh, and by the way, this wasn’t all my doin’.The lady here’s the one who sent Dick to the Devil.”
Eve froze in disbelief at the lie, as astonished as the second rider, whose eyes rounded in horror.
Adam’s hostage knew it wasn’t true.But he certainly wasn’t going to argue with Adam’s version of the story, not with a blade at his throat.
Which meant she had to play along with whatever tale Adam invented.So as gruesome as it was, she swallowed hard, marched over to the deceased outlaw, and pulled the dagger from his throat with a bravado she didn’t feel.The sound of the blade leaving his flesh would haunt her forever, and the trickle of blood made her stomach roil.But in the moment, she had to steel herself and feign to be Lady Aillenn, ruthless murderer.
“So what’ll it be?”Adam asked.
The first rider scowled at her, as if measuring her ability to kill him.“One horse.”
“Both,” he countered.“I don’t want ye followin’ us.”
She could see hesitation in the rider’s eyes.He wouldn’t agree to that.If they took his horses, his outlaw operation would be crippled.He’d have no scouting ability.No fast escape in the event things went badly.
“Leave us both horses,” she offered, much to everyone’s surprise, “and I’ll give ye coin enough to buy two more.”
“What!”Adam clearly disapproved.
“’Tis the least we can do,” she explained, adding pointedly, “after I killed poor Dick.”
“Fine.Done,” the first rider said, dismounting before Adam could alter the terms.
While the men worked out the exchange, Eve dug in her satchel and plucked out five silvery coins.
When she tossed the coins onto the path, the outlaws’ eyes widened.Adam made a strangling sound in his throat, but said nothing, releasing Roger.
Adam helped her to mount the horse.Then he hauled himself up, and they headed down the road at a gallop.
When they’d gained enough distance to slow their mounts, Eve could feel waves of anger boiling off of Adam.But he said not a word.For a long while they didn’t speak at all.
Finally she could stand it no longer.When the road widened, she reined in beside him.
“They’re not all evil, ye know.Outlaws.”
He uttered a disgruntled growl.
“Some o’ them are just misguided,” she explained.“Maybe they had bad parents.Or no parents.Maybe they were raised by thieves and know no other way.Maybe they’ve ne’er heard the word o’ God and don’t know stealin’s a sin.Maybe they were robbin’ from the rich to give to—”
“Thoseoutlaws?”he said.“The ones who weren’t willin’ to trade two horses for their fellow outlaw?”
“But they did in the end.”
“Only after ye threw in enough silver to buy two new horses.And three new Rogers.”
She furrowed her brow.She doubted they’d be able to buy anything.Not with those coins.Still, that wasn’t the point.
“I gave them the coins in order to spare a man’s life,” she said.“’Twas the only thing I could think to do after…” She didn’t bother finishing.There was no need to remind him of what he’d done.
Adam knew what came after that “after.”
