Den of Thieves

Standing still against the black horse with hand on the hilt Carr stares forward. Long minutes pass Carr surveys the area behind him. Wondering what to do, cross or pull back.

Unheard to Carr another twig breaks on the other side. Ebony’s ears perk up turning that way.

Straining to listen over the flowing river Carr closes eyes and faintly hears. “Stay quiet. Toad, go see if he’s still there or not.”

Nodding Carr presumes. Ah, highwaymen, waiting for a passer by. Feeling like out smarting them he walks Ebony back a few paces.

Taking her to the road’s edge Carr gets Ebony to lye down in the shadows beside a bush. Impressed with how easily the horse responded he strokes her neck.

Stealthily crawling away Carr hides at the bridge’s edge behind some tall weeds.

At the top of bridge’s apex, a cloaked silhouette creeps to the middle. It stops surveying the area ahead.

Carr swears the figure looked right at him. Glancing at Ebony can see her body move with each breath. Back to the cloaked figure Carr can’t tell what it sees.

The figure speaks low in a young husky voice, “I don’t see anything. It was ghost rider I tell you.”

Realizing young bandits are at hand makes Carr smile in some relief. More curiosity than patients keep him in place with eyes trained on the figure.

A second cloaked male comes up behind the first. “Ghosts? Toad you’re an idiot.”

Pushing the second male Toad warns, “shut up or I’ll dummy ya.”

Behind the second male a smaller silhouette can be seen stopping to lean against the bridge wall.

“Easy,” the second male suggests, “it was probably a mercenary headed to Monsteil.”

“Yah?” Toad points out. “How come we didn’t hear a horse trotting away, hmm?” He mumbles, “idiot?”

The third one quietly speaks, “he’s probably stealthy and is hiding nearby to see what we’re up to.”

“Hah, yah right,” the second utters, “you don’t know. Toad go over there and show this fool he ain’t right.”

Without thinking Toad agrees boldly walking to the end of the bridge. Carr hides his face and hands as Toad walks right past. Even looks at Carr but can’t see the rogue concealed in the shadows.

The second male asks, “well Toad what do you see?”

“Nothing,” Toad wanders, glancing at shadows.

“Stop,” the second male barks, jogging down to the bridge’s edge, “you’ll ruin any tracks.”

Toad looks down, “there ain’t no tracks. Cause it was a ghost ri…”

“There’s no ghosts,” frustrated the second male scans the ground.

The third male stays put shaking his head in disbelief at the pair.

Looking hard at the ground the second male walks past Carr over to Toad.

“There’s no tracks,” Toad doesn’t see them.

“That’s because you’ve trampled them,” irked the second kicks the ground.

A small stone is sent flying connecting with Ebony’s side. The horse snorts scaring they young bandits. They scream like little girls, which echoes up and down the river. Toad scurries back to the top of the bridge.

Startled more by Toad the second male gasps, clutching at his heart and clumsily backing up trying to draw a sword.

Trying not to laugh out loud Carr has a funny pain building in his stomach. Watching these young bandits cower beside the third. Not wanting to have to kill such obviously young thieves hopes he can talk his way through.

Purposely, standing quickly Carr frightens them again, “hello.”

“Ghost rider!” Toad yells out clutching the third’s sword arm.

“No,” Carr calmly states, “no ghosts here. Just a fellow thief looking for safe passage.”

The second close to screaming shakily speaks trying to assert him self, “I told you there was no ghost.” He speaks to Carr, “what makes you think we should let you pass?”

Walking backwards to Ebony, Carr remains calm and confident, “I can pay you a nice toll. I do have a few copper to give.”

Insulted by the gesture the second male crosses arms, “it’ll cost you more than a few copper. Where do you think you’re going? At night?”

“Relax good men,” Carr bends down to retrieve Ebony’s reins.

“Hey!” The second barks out, “what are you doing?”

Ebony struggles to stand but once upright the bandits are in awe that a horse was hidden in plain sight.

Totally surprised Toad suggests to his comrades, “he knows magic.”

“Ah,” the second scoffs, “that’s not magic.”

Carr confirms it, “no magic. Just using shadows to conceal a black horse.”

“Who are you?” The third squeaks out.

“Carr, the Daring. Perhaps you’ve heard of me.” Hearing daring, brings back Sandra the barmaid saying it. For a moment wonders again where he’d met her before.

The trio whisper amongst themselves as Carr knocks dirt and leaves off himself and horse.

Definitely their leader the second attempts to assess the situation, “We’ve never heard of you. You’re obviously not a member of our guild. So why should we let you pass? At all?”

Astonished they are guild members and haven’t heard his name Carr queries, “your guild members eh? Is it Marten’s Den you belong to?”

Toad utters, “yah. What of it?”

Grinning unnoticed Carr applies his plan, “I’ve been looking for a place to hide out.”

Untrusting, the leader asks. “Why would Marten allow you to stay there?”

Thinking this maybe quicker to resolve by the sword Carr brings up the Monsteil caper. “Marten will have an interest in my last job. Even if he doesn’t, he would remember my father.”

Just wanting to be heard Toad inquires, “who’s your father?”

“Your last job? What was your last job?” Curious only if there’s coin to be had does the second ask. To him thieves outside the guild are no concern.

Carr responds to Toad, “Alfred.”

Looking at each other the second bandit laughs, “Albert? Never heard of either of you. What kind of name is that for a thief?”

Insulted by their ignorance Carr seriously considers cutting them down. Restraining the impulse has hope they can aid entrance into Marten’s Den.

Recalling a story told by their guild master the third points out, “remember Marten was telling us about a Master thief he always wanted to join up.”

“Yah,” the second smugly states, “that master thief is dead. And he’s too young to be a master.”

Toad queries. “Are you a master thief?”

Annoyed by the pair Carr truthfully and boldly remarks, “don’t know about a master but I’m beyond any of your abilities.”

“What?” The leader shouts feeling as if he’s being called out to fight.

The third bandit continues, “Alfred was the name of that master thief. If he’s his son, he would’ve likely been training his whole life.”

Huffing away the leader eyes up Carr.

Sounding reasonable to Toad, “is that true?”

Carr exaggerates a response. “I could hide in shadows before I could crawl. I poisoned my nanny at the age of six for not letting me have a fourth bun. And I was picking chastity belts at the age of eleven.”

They stand unsure of what to say checking Carr over. The leader whispers with the smaller third bandit on what they should do.

Toad is curious, “ah, Curr. How did you make your horse look like a bush?”

Wondering about their intelligence and Toad’s memory Carr first corrects him, “it’s Carr. And you made it into a bush.”

The trio, simultaneously tilt their heads trying to figure out what he meant.

Completely lost Toad contemplates, “I did? How’d I do that? I didn’t know I had powers.”

Their leader teases, “powers of stink, maybe.”

The smallest understands pointing out, “Toad, that’s what you thought it was. I thought the horse at first was a big rock.”

“Exactly,” Carr explains, “it’s pretty dark out tonight. Both of you walked right past me while I was laying in the weeds.”

Slowly getting it Toad remarks, “Yah it is dark. I can’t even see Burt’s ear.”

Burt the leader pushes Toad, “shut the hell up.”

“What?” Toad thinks about saying his name out loud, “Oh, sorry.”

Feeling he’s got an upper hand on the young bandits Carr purposes, “if I might make a suggestion. There shouldn’t be any other travelers out tonight. Lead me to your camp. We can start a small fire and decide what to do without having to trade cuts and bruises.”

As Burt quietly debates the idea with the third, Toad speaks aloud, “it is getting cold. And there was a Dragon out last night.”

Burt dismisses him, “there was no Dragon.”

Carr sees Toad as an easy mark for information and backs him up, “it was a Dragon. And a big one at that.”

“I told yous,” Toad motions to his comrades, “you never believe I see anything.”

Dropping the hood on his cloak the third reveals his young teenage face, “I’m sure I caught a glimpse of it as well. Maybe we should go back and start a fire. Besides it may not be in our best interest to fight him tonight.”

Looking up to the sky Burt’s still hesitant, “yah, maybe.” Trying to make him self menacing to Carr, “maybe not tonight.”

Rolling unnoticed eyes Carr follows the trio of bandits. Toad leads the way; Burt and the third male wait at the top to get a better look at Carr.

Not worried about them Carr also wants to get a look at the young thieves. The youngest and smallest of the three is barely fourteen, with shoulder length brown hair. His ears eyes and nose wait for his head to grow. With a friendly smile Carr nods at the small young male.

The leader Burt is dark skinned and black hair with strong facial features. A long scar crosses Burt’s face from the left side of his forehead, across the bridge of his nose ending at the top of his right cheek. Both Burt and Carr are close in physical size and age. Carr bows slightly to Burt gesturing for him to go first, knowing he won’t.

Burt shakes his head no and stays a step behind Carr.

The younger thief walks beside Ebony, “this is a nice horse. Have you had him long?’

“Ebony,” Carr informs them rubbing her nose, “I’ve only had her a month. She responds great.”

The young male continues, “I was curious, how did you get her to lay down and keep still? I didn’t hear any more noise from her after you stepped onto the bridge.”

Not wanting to give too many tricks away Carr shrugs, “like I said the horse just responds well to me.”

Burt pipes up. “Where did you get the horse from?”

Carr toys with him, “I didn’t. One of my women got her for me. After finding out my favorite horse died.”

Not believing that Carr could have women Burt insinuates, “so you conned some woman into getting you a horse or did you just steal it from a farm?”

“Hey,” Carr tells them, “I lost a good horse in the mountains while King Darvel’s men were chasing me.”

“Down here,” Toad leads them into the trees.