"Drat. This means we've got a dangerous criminal free to roam Britannia?" Lenora
furiously mumbled, banging both fists on her desk.
Lora nodded quietly, tightly clenching a fist. "I'll get him."
"Thou wouldst do a good service to the land."
Lora nodded again, determined as ever.
"I assume thou hast no idea where to look, though."
"Thy assumption is incorrect." Lora snapped, raising her eyes to meet Lenora's.
When Lora arrived at the house east of Skara Brae, which she had come across
after her stay there, she crept up silently to the door. There were voices.
"I just hopes 'e gives us our part," said one, "or I'll mutiny on the spot!"
"So's I," the other replied, "but methinks 'e'll pay us. They needs us."
The discussion changed suddenly. "Oh, why don't we visit Skara Brae tonights? 'Tis
such a beautiful place!"
"Aye, good idea."
Lora was just behind the door, and she was thrown back as the two men in the house kicked it into her face. They had apparently noticed she was overhearing everything. "Say, dame, for how long has thou been here?" one of them asked with a horrible smile that revealed several missing teeth and a deadly breath. The other looked amusedly, with arms crossed, as his companion took care of the situation.
Lora reached for her head, half dizzy. Although she was wearing a magic helm,
the blow had also hit her face which was not protected. "I..."
"Shut up!" the man that questioned her punched her back down as she was making an
effort to get up. "We don' like spies, aye?" he looked firmly at his friend who
nodded conspiratorially.
Just as his face was turned, Lora, who was lying on the ground, lifted her legs and kicked him in the face, throwing him backwards into the house. His friend came to punch her, but she dodged his fist and forced hers into his stomach. The other man, who got up, was coming back out of the house when she slammed the door in his face and threw him back down.
The other bandit was behind her, and he did not hesitate to draw a dagger this time. As he came upon her, she kicked the dagger out of his hand so that it rose into the air, and tripped him forward. The dagger fell back down, and landed in the middle of his forehead.
Lora went into the house to interrogate the unconscious criminal who was still alive. She shook him and slapped his face until he came to, and then forced his arms behind his back while she questioned him. "Thou doth work with Michael, correct?" she asked. He ignored the question, and she pulled his arm, which was behind his back, upwards so that it really hurt. "Answer, fool!" she yelled.
"A.. agh... yes! Owww!" he answered, in pain. She loosened her pressure on his arm a little bit so that he struggled but stopped groaning. "Where did he go?" was her next question. He did not want to answer, but a little more torture on his arm soon made him change his mind. "Aaaagh! He's gone to Bonn! Aiieee... I mean... to Dagger Isle, to recruit the... ugh.. farmer, Bonn, that's right. Now leave my arm!"
"I'm the one who gives orders here!" she showed her authority by pressing his arm
even more, but then let go and pushed him on the floor. She sat on him to prevent
him from getting up, and continued interrogating him. "Why did he go to Dagger Isle?
Why would he need a farmer?"
"Michael is settin' up a community and'll need many people."
"A community, eh? Another criminal organisation?"
The bandit was silent.
"I bet Michael will take Jengar's place and found a new organisation. But what I don't
understand is... why does he need a farmer?"
"Bonn used ta be a pirate in earlier days. He's got tha mind for these things. But
oh damn, Mike'll kill me when 'e gets ta know I'm tellin' ya this!"
"If thou didst not tell me, I would have killed you myself anyway!" she grinned.
Lora tied the criminal and locked him on her ship, first making sure that it was secure and that he could not escape as Michael did. "Dagger Isle... if thou art lying, then I will have thine head served to Lord British for breakfast. But either way, we have to see. To Dagger Isle!"
© by Daniel D'Agostino 2002-2025