The making of a horse thief

Chu stared at the pair of restless horses tied some distance away in the fading light.

"The guards at the farm have sent out a messenger for the past two days. I suspect if they don't return by tomorrow, then a search party might probably set out. I think they have been spooked from the battle yesterday since we did hear faint noises floating across the grassland."

Jill said.

Chu nodded his head since it was understandable for these men to worry without receiving some sort of contact. The goblin rampage that night simply gobbled everything in its path. Apparently, no survivors escaped to tell the tale.

"We move tonight."

Wrapping up loose ends, especially the hazardous kind, had to be done. Although the Prickus clan leader met his end in the forest, Chu had no idea if the man ordered reinforcements, or mentioned this mission to a family member residing in Limerock city. The patriarch had remained tight-lipped on that matter, during Ming's time with him.

"Jim should join us tonight, bringing along some more helpers. It seems like everyone on the farm wants to live an exciting life..."

***

Late into the night, Ming woke him up from a light sleep. He rubbed his hands to ward off the chill. Lying under the twinkling heavens, on the soft grass out in the vast grasslands, gave him a surreal feeling. On earth, Chu would have never bothered taking the time to bond with nature, simply because he had no time.

What a pathetic excuse, which denied me a memory like this... he thought.

"They never changed the watch. The man has been sleeping since half the night. These men sure have guts."

Ming muttered.

Chu turned over and crawled out from behind a small patch of shrubs. Not too far away from the gate of the corral, a man played a tune in his sleep. He could only shake his head at the ignorance of some folk. This guard probably felt he was on vacation away from the conspiracies of the city.

Chu decided he had to liberate these ignorant fellows before the denizens of the forest swallowed them.

"Lucy, take him out while Ming and I deal with the horses."

He then mimicked the sound of a night-bird on the grassland and then moved on hearing the answering hoots.

Lucy crawled along the soft carpet and scanned the surroundings again before squeezing herself past the horizontal boards of the fence. Approaching the dreaming man who sat on a stump while leaning on the post, she sneaked up from behind and performed Chu's assassins strike.

A gloved hand reached around and covered the snoozing man's mouth, while her other hand buried a dagger with speed and power into his pulsing chest. The body convulsed for a moment and then slumped down limp in her hands. She gently rested the corpse against a post, so as not to spook the horses.

Chu nodded in satisfaction, scrambling up from beside the gate holding onto a readied crossbow. Lucy with her speed and explosive power truly had the making of an assassin. He lamented on his lack of time and experience in playing video games since he probably might have picked some more killer moves.

"Let's go, without a sound..."

Chu opened the gate as Ming sneaked into the corral. A couple of soft neighs after, the boy walked out leading a horse. The guards had removed the saddles, but like an experienced rustler, Chu walked with his own rope. He entered the corral and approached a horse with confidence and then patted the animal on the side to help calm it down.

By the time he placed the lead rope and walked out, Clod entered after him. Chu picked a path over the grassland, walking quite some distance under the light from the moon. Delivering his prize to the waiting Jim, he untangled another rope from in the wagon. Returning to the corral, he passed a line of horses, walking towards the wagon.

Lucy had remained on guard, scanning for any movement from the unsuspecting sleepers. Out in the open grassland, three small teams lay on the grass, surrounding the tower and the makeshift camp. Gripping their weapons in anticipation they waited.

This time Chu didn't enter the corral but lined up outside as Ming and Clod brought out the horses. With Clod's experience, the horses did not kick up a fuss and remained calm.

As calm as a hundred horses could ever be...

The previous training of riding and taking care of the horses on the farm bore fruit. There were teenaged girls, boys, men and women waiting for a free horse. The horses followed the line contentedly snaking away into the distance. At the wagon, Jim and two experienced young girls secured the horses around the wagons or nearby shrubs.

Chu had over half the farm members here, pulling out free horses. With more than twenty-five experienced hands, keen on this night adventure, Chu spent little time in emptying the packed enclosure. Out in the grasslands, a hundred horses neighed and remained tethered on hedges, trees and on the wagon.

"Job well done"

He patted Clod on the back as he led the last horse away.

"Surprise attack?"

Ming asked.

"Burn the tower, remember to keep your eyes open for archers."

Came the reply...

A man stepped out half asleep from the shed, stumbling towards the corner to relieve himself. As the sound of water trickled, he looked around only to find the empty enclosure. Exhaling a long sigh, his eyes closed in satisfaction. Seconds later, the eyelids sprang open as the neck swiveled in disbelief. Bulging eyes strained across the darkness while searching.

By the Nord Pass!

The yell never left his lips as a crossbolt popped into an eye and swiftly burrowed into his brain. Slumping lifeless, the twitching lips seemed to chew on a mouthful of dew-soaked grass.

Jim and the non-combatants slowly drifted away from the corral with the last of horses. As if on cue, a couple of fire arrows lit the sky and fell onto the wooden tower. Smoke, then fire, then shouts emanated and echoed out, as sleep deprived men stumbled out from the structure and hide-woven tents.

With the memories of recent dreams fresh in their minds, crossbolts whizzed into the confused group. In less than a minute the scene turned chaotic. Screams of agony drowned the scrambling and cursing during the hunt for weapons. A crossbow twanged as the user fired with hope into the darkness.

The fire blazed unrestricted while consuming the dry wood. The darkness shrouded the ambushers who targeted any guard holding a crossbow. Bolts whizzed and zipped from all directions, thwarting any attempts of countering the raid. The commander of the guards cursed his luck as he led a group of five men seeking to escape the ambuscade.

What the heck?

The horses had disappeared leaving them trapped at the mercy of the robbers.

As a reputable House in the city, they had been the victims of a daring horse thief out in the boonies. How shameful a thing was that?

A rolling sound like thunder became louder as a shadowy outline burst through the open gate. The driver made a tight turn on the steering wheel, sending the wagon skidding to a halt. Before the guard leader could bark a command, he glimpsed movement on the back of the wagon. A split second later, crossbolts zipped rapidly towards them in a never-ending stream.

Seeing the men fall twitching at his side he shouted in rage while raising his sword and running towards the assailants. Never in his life had he felt so ashamed and been disrespected. House Prickus had a reputation of retaliating with a heavy hand, bullying their way to earn a high standing in Limerock city.

The leader of the guards, collected three crossbolts for his intimidating charge, scattered over his body from his forehead to his chest. He twitched before falling to the ground, shaking and frothing. Clothed in his sleepwear, he had no armor to negate the bolts.

Bastards, shaming me to death with poison.

Within fifteen minutes, the defenders had succumbed to the raid.

"Please don't kill me. I can join your gang, but I need to rescue my wife and child from House Prickus. The nobles will kill them once the patriarch finds out about this."

Tears streamed down the guard's face, as he pledged allegiance to the bandits. Once he could rescue his family, he would return to join the troupe. Four injured men at his side held back their cries of pain from the attached crossbolts in anticipation.

"A true family man. We should let him go, I am sure he would never betray us."

Said a voice in the darkness.

"Yes, yes. Never, betray you. I will make an oath to return to serve you."

"I also agree. House Prickus is a powerful noble house in the city. They might even accept you. Think about the gains of having a noble patron."

"We also ask for release. Our house will not seek vengeance on you if you release us."

The guards clenched their teeth waiting for the silence to end. They didn't forget to hint on the House and power behind them.

"A patron, that would make us unstoppable in the grasslands."

Someone said.

"You, the family man. You're not injured, so we have a request. There is a farm just north of here that we are eyeing. We want to attack them tonight, will you be interested?"

Came the question from the apparent bandit leader.

"Yes I am willing, but can I ask a favor. There is a person who has hidden away in the farm after robbing from our House. If you help me capture him alive, not only will our Patriarch forgive you, but he will reward you handsomely."

The guard could not believe his stroke of luck. At the end of the grim path of misfortune, lay a flowery field of opportunity. His ranking in the House would soar on this achievement. He praised himself on being a dedicated family man.

"No problem, but what about the others, do you have any regret if we slaughter the men and rape the women?"

Asked Chu.

"None whatsoever, the only person my House needs is the young thief, since everything else belongs to you, bandit leader. The women and girls naturally belong to you."

Said the family man.

"We also agree, all our leader wants is the thief. If you do find some suitable women that might attract our Patriarch, I am sure he would reward you handsomely, oh owner of the grasslands."

The men replied and flattered.

A shadow moved and entered the light from the burning tower.

Chu slowly gazed around at the faces of Lucy, Miki, Doug and the others, and then locked his eyes with the man kneeling on the ground. He sighed as the face of a giggling baby replaced the carnage around him. Doubt fled from his cold and determined eyes.

"Kill them."

He said, turning the wishes plastered on everyone's faces into reality.

Blood once again dyed the grass.

***

"Where is Dyna?"

Chu asked while sitting on the wagon heading home. The dawn light chasing away the darkness of the night, helped them guide the horses home.

"She remained at the corral to guard Clod's group as they cleaned up the place. You do know what would happen if the horses smelled her right?"

Jill replied. She rode her horse alongside the wagon filled with saddles and bridles. Behind them trotted a line of horses, herded together by young girls, teens and older couples. The sleepiness had fled from these active riders since Chu had given them the preference to choose whichever horse they wanted.

"I can't believe you would be so bold as to actually steal horses. Normally even nobles would never dabble in such actions, because of the harsh consequences."

Chu who had made himself comfortable and ready to nap opened his eyes.

"What did you say?"

"Horses are considered as a lifeblood to their owners, much similar to owning a house. Since the dawn of the Empire, and probably long before that, stealing a horse has been considered a grave crime, punishable by death. That's one of the reasons even bandits tend to shy away from horses. You can kidnap a man and escape with a flogging, but stealing a horse leads to the gallows."

Jill drawled while picking her teeth with a fingernail. She further continued

"You have balls Boss, especially with all those adventurers and fresh eyes roaming about."

Chu looked at the large herd of horses following behind.

What the hell?

He broke down and cried.