The bandit camp was large. Freya hadn’t been expecting it look so much like a small village made out of wood and she found that it took her breath away for a minute after she first saw it. They had cut down the trees in the area and had used the wood from them to construct huts of various sizes. She felt tired thinking about how much work that must have taken.
There were about seven huts scattered about the clearing. One of them was slightly larger than the others. It was about four horizonal logs tall and wide enough that almost three horse could have stood end to end along the wall of it. There were enough of the massive trees left around it to shield it from the rain or the harsh sunlight that was spitting through the forest.
It hadn’t taken them that long to reach the camp and considering they were on foot Freya deduced that this place must somehow exist right under her fathers nose without him noticing. Looking around at the huge men who were watching her, she didn’t imagine that they were very good a stealth or keeping quiet. They made more than enough noise just walking, each step was like someone dropping a hammer onto the forest floor.
The guard to her left held her sword. He clutched it to his chest like a baby and kept a close eye on her as they walked. If her hands hadn’t been tied she imagined she could have taken them. They might be strong but they were brutes. They had no skill to back up what nature had given them.
She looked at Elora. The girl was so focused on her leopard that she didn’t even noticed that Freya was trying to get her attention. Freya shook the rope that was tied around her hands but that attracted the guy on the horse, Axel, instead of Elora.
Freya cursed under her breath. She would need Elora’s help to get out of this mess. She knew how she felt. Watching your spirit animal in danger was like being dangled off the edge of a cliff. You could feel their fear and their need to be near you. Hell, she could feel it now from Buddy, who was in the clutches of the friend of the guy who had her sword.
She threw a look over at the spider who was squirming in the hand of his captor. Just hold on Buddy. I will get you.
She heard a chuckle from up ahead.
“Princess you can stop gazing at your spider. He will be fine once you behave.” Axel said.
Freya hadn’t even known that he was watching her. She was about to scream something along the lines of ordering him to let her go when Elora kicked her in the shin.
She looked at the other girl to complain but found that Elora was glaring at her. That was it, Freya thought, she doesn’t want me talking to them. She thinks I will embarrass us.
Freya took a moment to think. If she was going to talk to this guy and actually achieve something she needed to speak his language. She had never spoken to a bandit before on account of them being criminals and kidnappers (she could see the truth in those rumours now) so she would have to improvise. She had heard plenty of knights before and she was just going to have to bet that bandits were vulnerable to the same need to stroke their own male egos.
“I wasn’t looking at bu- the spider.” She praised herself on avoiding saying his name. it wasn’t an intimidating one after all. “I was looking at my sword.”
“Oh?” He sniggered.
“Yea” Freya took a short breath and tried to sound tough. “I was thinking about how many of you I could take out before you even had a weapon drawn.”
There was a round of annoyed grumbling from the guards around them and Elora shot Freya another glare. Freya tried to tell her with her eyes that she had this.
“I can think of better forms of entertainment than slaughtering our meal ticket.” Axel threw the remark over his shoulder and the men laughed again. Its like he has them trained to stroke his ego, Freya thought.
“I guess that means that your men couldn’t face me in a battle?” Freya forced herself to breathe normally as the men around her got more annoyed.
Axel pulled on the reins of his horse and came to a stop. Jumping off the horse he strode to Freya and looked her head to toe. His eyes were slits as he examined her. She didn’t squirm. He was smirking and Freya feared that she may have failed to rile them up enough. One of the men to her left coughed loudly and another spat at her.
Axel watched for another half second before he decided. “Alright men, teach her a lesson.” They jeered at her and started to untie her rope from the saddle. Freya scanned the crowd and noticed that the ones she had fought before were less keen that then others. They shuffled to the back of the crowds and looked anywhere but in her eyes.
Axel took slow steps away from her then spun on his heel, raising one finger. “But remember boys, no marks where they will be seen. Damaged goods sell for less.”
Freya’s stomach did a quick flip and she had to swallow some bile. “Do I get my sword?”
Axel shrugged. “Up to them.”
They laughed and the one with her sword held it behind his back.
Freya felt tears stinging at her eyes and she had to work hard to hold them back. “I don’t get any weapons?” She hadn’t meant for her voice to go up in desperation. It made the men around her even more smug.
“What kind of men fight someone without a weapon.” Elora pulled on her own restraints and cringed when the rope pushed against her skin.
“Who says it will be a fight?” The brute who was untying Freya’s wrists licked his bottom lip.
Freya felt panic crawling up her throat. she wouldn’t let it break out. She wouldn’t scram or cry and let them know she was scared. She focused on Elora, who was yanking without pause on her own rope, trying to reach Freya. She let out a roar of frustration and Azura moaned from behind Freya. Freya liked Elora a bit more for her efforts.
Closing her eyes Freya went into her own mind. She could do this. If they kissed her she could poison them using her spirit animal power. She wasn’t sure if she could do it if it came down to it though. She shivered at the thought of what would happen if she didn’t.
“If your men really want to prove their worth then they should at least give her a weapon!” Elora sounded angry and this made Freya smile.
She heard foot steps crushing leaves into the ground.
“You think they need to prove something?” Axel’s tone wasn’t threatening but almost curious.
Elora huffed out a breath. “Well so far I am not impressed.” A pause. “Maybe bandits aren’t all I thought they were.”
Axel chuckled, a sound that came from within his chest. “Give the woman a knife.”
Freya’s eyes shot open. For a moment she couldn’t function. The shock of his words had left her frozen with her mouth gaping.
Clearly his men felt the same. The one who spoke tired three times before he could get a word out. “B-b-b-Boss?”
Axel threw up his hands with a grin on his lips. “The lady is right. Who are we if we can’t disarm one girl?”
There was a round of nervous laughter and the man who had been standing too close to Freya moved a step back. Freya could smell the sweat off him.
Axel walked backwards to his horse, keeping his eyes on Elora the whole time. “While you are busy with her, I will take this one.”
Without thinking Freya flung herself towards Elora. Her feet were sore from all the walking and one of them slipped. She was about to fall on her face if one of the bandits hadn’t lunged and caught her. He thought he was holding her back.
“Leave her alone!” Freya knew that the words were pointless. Nobody in the history of the world ever left anyone alone because they were asked.
Elora’s face was steel. If she was scared Freya couldn’t see it.
“This woman obviously has a lot of pent up energy. Take her to the training area and let her have the battle she wanted.” Axel kicked his horse back into action and Freya watched Elora being dragged towards the largest hut. At least she knew where to find her if the plan worked. Now all she needed to do was find a way to fight the men enough to frighten them and gain the advantage. If she could get the chance, she thought she might be able to take on Axel and defeat him.
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