Silence No More

24. Winner and Loser

The intensity of the glare Karim sent at the bandit could have seared holes into bedrock. Mine wasn't far behind, either.

"What," I squeezed out, "do you want?"

"Oh, there are many things I want, Mister," the bandit leader informed me with a smirk, half-hidden behind the bandana that covered his mouth and nose. Suddenly, I felt very glad I had come out here dressed in my male clothes. If I'd been in this situation as a woman... "So very many things. But, for now, why don't ye kiss the ground and call me 'My Lord'?"

So we're dealing with that kind of man, are we?

I ground my teeth, staying as silent as the grave. A simile that, soon, might be too apt for my liking.

"I said," the bandit leader repeated, raising a pistol to aim at me. "Why don't you kiss the ground and call me 'My Lord'?"

My fists clenched.

Calm down, Lilly. You have to stay calm. He's just a piece of scum with delusions of grandeur. The longer you can get him to indulge in his pathetic antics, the more time you have for reinforcements to get here.

That's what I told myself, at least. It didn't make what I was about to do any easier. Taking a deep breath, I forced my aching limbs to obey me and stood. Then, slowly, I started lowering myself into a kneeling posit—

That's about as far as I got when Wire launched himself into my field of view, his massive jaws clamping round the man's wounded leg.

"Ggaaarh!" the bandit bellowed, just before his one remaining leg gave way, and he toppled head-first into the pit.

"That's why," I couldn't resist commenting.

The bandit leader didn't answer. He was too busy howling as he fell—until he landed right in front of a certain turban-wearing behemoth, who seemed to be very eager to greet him.

"Why, hello." It was quite impressive how terrifying a simple greeting could be, when spoken by a big man with an even bigger sabre. I felt a smirk spread over my face. "What do we have here?"

Then, in a flash, his bulky arm wrapped around the man's throat, dragging him into a choke hold. Before any of the other bandits above had time to react, the big Mohammedan was in front me, holding up their leader as a human shield. Several grey-clad figures appeared on either side of him, also aiming their weapons at the bandit leader.

"Back!" Karim bellowed. "Back, the lot of you! Or I'll snap his neck right here, right now!"

The bandits froze.

Then, slowly, one of them raised a hand.

"Err...just 'cause I'm curious, but...why da hell should we care?"

Karim blinked. "What?"

"Oy, dat ain't fair," another bandit pointed out. "We should care!"

The first bandit considered that—then nodded. "Aye. If he's dead, we won't need ta pay him his share of da bounty no more. So, by all means, kill da bastard!"

"I don't think your plan is working," I hissed at the bodyguard out of the corner of my mouth.

"You don't say, Sahiba."

"So? What are we going to do now?"

"Hope for another three dozen dogs?"

I fought down the urge to whack him over the head. Now was not the time to quarrel amongst ourselves. Despite my irritation, a part of my mind was keen enough to have noticed the bandit's earlier words.