Luminous

6 - The Name Deal

"Wait! I have a plan!"

The bandit held his sword. Thirty pairs of eyes pooled upon her. Meya tried in vain to stifle her shivers as she stared into those cold, ruthless eyes.

"You—you want nothing but the dowry, right?" She held up her hands, a sign of compromise, "We dun know where it is. We really dun't, but please dun kill us yet. We'll help you find it."

For a moment that seemed to stretch forever, the bandit locked his emotionless eyes with Meya, the tip of his sword hovering inches from the redheaded maid's bowels. Meya saw the calculations in his eyes. She willed hers to show nothing but confidence in her offer, even as she thought up each sentence as she went,

"We're only a day away from Hadrian Castle. And we have—" Meya cast a reluctant glance at the bloody corpses, "five—vacancies in our entourage. We'll take you into the castle disguised as our guards. That way, you can search every nook and cranny. If 'tis handed over at the wedding, you'll be there to see."

Another sickening pause, then the bandit lowered his sword and loosened his fist. The redheaded girl collapsed, coughing and sputtering. The other maids pulled her back into their enclave. They fell into each other's embraces, rocking with hushed sobs.

Eyes still on Meya, the bandit covered the distance between them with one stride and crouched on one knee. He drove his curved sword into the ground beside Meya, sending her jolting.

"Young maiden, are you suggesting five of us infiltrate Hadrian Castle and surround ourselves with Hadrian's men while we turn over every brick, instead of forcing the truth out of your Lady here and now?"

Turn over every brick? Meya frowned as she cowered. So, it wasn't gold or land. Must be something small. Something unusual. Something specific. Were they regular thieves? Or did someone hire them to steal something in particular?

"If Lady Arinel knew, she would've said something long since. What's more important here than her life? You're right, we may or may not have it. If you kill us and find it, then that's that. If you dun, then you've lost the one lead you're never meant to have. You just said you'll improvise, right?"

Meya fired out anything and everything that came to mind, caring nothing for coherence or meaning,

"If you can't find the dowry with us, you'll have to infiltrate Hadrian Castle anyway. You found one decoy. How can you be sure there isn't more? If I was Lord Crosset and the dowry was that dangerous, why send it with me daughter? I'd send out ten fake Lady Arinels and send the real thing with the pony post. What if it's already reached the castle? What if you kill us now and the Hadrians grow suspicious? Your best option is to go with us."

Meya barely felt her lips. The bandit pored into her glowing green eyes, so she pleaded through them. Had she been less desperate, Meya would know to avoid calling any attention to her eyes in such a delicate negotiation. But somehow, the bandit wasn't put off by her eyes. Rather, he seemed...sympathetic?

Meya peered into the bandit's eyes—dark, emerald green. The same color as her dimmed eyes when she put her collar on. Could it be?

"What is your name, young maiden?" The bandit finally asked. Meya blinked,

"Meya Hild." 

She went with honesty. Everyone here had seen her eyes with no collar on, anyway. Lying would be pointless at best and disastrous at worst.

The bandit frowned as if trying to recall something, then he seemed to give it up and nodded. His expression remained neutral, something that couldn't be said of any Crossetian upon hearing her name. Despite herself, Meya felt an unwitting drop of camaraderie towards the murderous bandit.