Chương 426: 421. Revenge - III

Tesyb's fist clenched around the hilt until his knuckles ached.

"I'm your death. Let her go right now and I'll make it painless." The bandit's mouth twisted into a grin.

"Fuck off and move back," he said.

"Or I'll kill this bitch." Tesyb's eyes flicked around the cabin, searching for an opening. The space was tight. If they rushed, the knife would cut before a sword could stop it. If they surrounded the bastard and went close, he would still have time to stab the woman. Tesyb thought quickly and raised a hand, palm out, as if he was giving up. He took a slow step back. The bandit's grin widened.

"Yeah!" he said.

"That's more like it. Now keep moving back." Tesyb stepped back out of the cabin slowly, keeping his hands where the bandit could see them. His sword stayed low, not raised, not threatening in a way that might make the man panic, and slowly moved back outside the door. For the few seconds he was out of the bandit's line of sight, he whispered a quick instruction to the other guards. Two guards moved at once, feet light in the mud, slipping away along the cabin wall.

One guard stayed beside Tesyb, close enough to move with him and to strike if the bandit lunged. Inside, the bandit kept the knife at the woman's throat and edged toward the doorway, gloating at his apparent victory. The woman's breathing was fast and shallow, and her shoulders trembled. The bandit's grip on her was tight, dragging her in front of him like she was a shield. Tesyb held his ground outside. The bandit reached the doorway and stopped there, knife still pressed against skin.

He leaned forward to look out, and for the first time Tesyb saw fear on his face. His eyes flicked from one side to the other, searching for threats in the open yard and between cabins, and seeing the carnage outside. Tesyb kept his voice low and steady.

"Last chance. Let the woman go, and I promise your death will be painless. Otherwise you'll regret being born. If you still doubt me, take a look outside. All of your men are already dead." The bandit didn't answer. He kept the knife close to the woman's throat, but he leaned farther outside, stretching his neck to look around the corner of the cabin. That was the opening Tesyb had been waiting for. He clenched his fist twice in quick succession. Immediately, a crossbow bolt came in from his left, fast and flat.

It struck the bandit on the side of his upper chest with a hard thud. The man jerked back, eyes wide. Blood spilled at once. His knife hand loosened as he clutched at the bolt, mouth working without words. Tesyb moved immediately. He rushed forward, grabbed the slave woman by the shoulder and upper arm, and pulled her back and away from the doorway. At the same time, the guard beside him stepped in and finished the bandit with a quick strike, driving steel into him before he could recover or lash out.

The bandit collapsed right in the middle of the doorway, knees folding, then falling sideways into the mud. The woman staggered, then dropped to her knees. She was crying, her breath broken. Tesyb crouched beside her and patted her back a few times.

"It's over," Tesyb whispered.

"You're safe." She looked up at him with a confused, frightened stare.

"We'll explain soon," Tesyb said.

"For now, just stay here. Don't run. Don't shout." She nodded, still shaking. Tesyb guided her to sit with her back against the cabin wall and then stood. He turned toward the next cabin, but Hudan was coming out of it already, sword in hand, moving with purpose. That meant it was clear. Tesyb saw a couple of guards at the doorway of the last cabin as well, checking inside and then stepping back out, shaking their heads. Empty. Hudan noticed Tesyb and motioned him over.

"Everything went well here," Hudan said, voice low but urgent.

"But we need to hurry and catch those at the clay mine." If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. He pointed with his sword toward two bandits writhing on the ground nearby. They were badly wounded, but alive for the moment, and pinned down with boots. A rope was being wrapped around their wrists.

"We caught two of those bastards alive," Hudan said.

"That'll be useful later." Tesyb nodded. His breathing was still fast, but his hands were steady.

"We'll need to tell a few men to stay here," Tesyb said, "to keep an eye on the slaves and the prisoners. Where's Feroy anyway?" Hudan pointed toward the western wall. Tesyb followed the gesture and saw the ex-mercenary outside the compound, standing at the tall pile of clay. Crossbowmen were still up there, and Feroy was giving them some instructions with short hand motions and quick words. Tesyb understood then. Feroy had positioned himself where he could see most of the yard and the gates at once.

That's why he wasn't in the middle of the fighting. He was keeping an eye on the whole battlefield. They didn't waste time after that. A few guards were sent to both gates. A couple of men held the north gate area while others took positions near the south. Two guards stayed close to the bound bandits, swords ready, eyes fixed on their hands and mouths. Somewhere above, the scout stayed in his perch, still watching the outside of the wall for any movement.

They also gathered the slaves into one open area where they could be seen and controlled. Most of them were terrified, eyes wide, shoulders hunched, hands raised as if they expected blows. A few had small wounds—cuts and bruises—likely from bandits grabbing them as shields or yanking them around during the first moments of the attack. But they were alive. Hudan kept his voice calm when he spoke to them.

"Stay here, and don't run. We're not here to hurt you. We'll explain everything soon." Some stared at him like they didn't believe it, but they didn't bolt. Before long, Tesyb and the others moved back out of the compound to join Feroy and the crossbowmen. Feroy repeated the instructions quickly, wasting no words.

"Teams of four. At least one crossbow in each team. If you spot a bandit, shoot first if you can. Don't close the distance unless you have to." Men broke into groups at once. Tesyb found himself with three others. Two of them carried crossbows, already loaded. The fourth was a swordsman, like himself. Feroy looked over them, then gave a short nod.

"We run north-northwest. Attack after the count of hundred. No whistles at the mine." They started moving. Tesyb ran with his group, boots thudding soft on damp ground, weaving between trees. The forest thinned ahead, and the ground began to slope down. The last cluster of trees stood like a line marking the edge of the worksite. Then the clay pit came into view. It was huge, wide and ugly, carved deep into the earth. The ground around it was churned and stained.

Carts waited near the edges, some already partly loaded. Slaves were down in the pit, bodies smeared with clay, working with shovels and hauling loads up the slope. Bandits stood in pairs around the site, spaced out so they could watch from different angles. A couple were down in the pit itself, shouting and gesturing at the workers to work harder. Feroy's earlier instruction came back to Tesyb as he watched: Spread out. Encircle.

Tesyb saw the groups moving into position just behind the tree line and around the edge of the pit, careful to keep cover until the moment they struck. Tesyb took his three men forward, stepping without rushing, staying behind a tree trunk and a low brush line until he was only a few dozen feet behind two bandits who stood with their backs partly turned, watching the pit. Tesyb continued counting silently. His eyes moved between the two bandits and the other pairs he could see.

His crossbowmen shifted their footing, setting their stance without making noise. He reached the count of hundred and raised his hand. A short downward motion. Now. The two crossbowmen stepped out from behind the tree at the same time and shot at the bandits. Both bolts hit high in the upper back. One bandit dropped immediately, legs folding. The other jerked, yelled once, and stumbled forward, trying to reach for his sword. Tesyb and the other swordsman charged. He reached the struggling bandit first.

Instead of going for his throat, he drove his sword into the man's arm, pinning it and ruining his grip. The bandit screamed, fell to his knees, and clawed at the steel with his free hand, but he couldn't lift his weapon. Tesyb yanked his blade free and stepped back, keeping the point aimed at the man's chest.

"Watch him," he ordered the other swordsman.

"Don't let him crawl off. Feroy will need him later." The guard nodded and moved in, sword ready, boot planted near the bandit's hip. Tesyb turned toward the pit. All around the clearing, the attack was unfolding at the same time. He saw other pairs of bandits drop under bolts. Some died without a sound. Some screamed and fell, hands grabbing at the shafts. A few tried to run, but the ring of men and the range of crossbows made it hard to find a clear way out.

Down in the pit, the bandits had noticed what was happening. One of them started running up the slope, shouting something Tesyb couldn't make out. The other spun in place, eyes wide, trying to understand where the attacks were coming from, when a bolt struck him in the chest. He fell backward into the clay, sliding a little as the soft clay gave way under his weight. The slaves working nearby screamed and dropped their shovels, hands flying up or to their heads.

A few crouched low, pressing themselves into the clay as if it could hide them. The bandit who ran up the slope was met by three guards near the top. He didn't stand a chance. He still tried to swing at the guards, then went down under the overwhelming number of blades. Tesyb scanned around for movement—any bandit still standing, any man trying to flank, any sign of a group breaking away into the trees.