Wondhip Pass.
She camped that night with the pass in view. This time she chose a protected spot with a clear view of approach and the defence of a natural cleft in the rock. Fighting her exhaustion she gathered some rocks of various shapes and sizes and prepared herself. Whether by creature or by man, she wouldn’t be taken unawares again.
~
THERE were eight men, dressed in a motley collection of leather and armour. Two of the men carried swords, one gripped a dull spear, and another tossed a rusty dagger from hand to hand. The rest were weapon-less, but their size was enough.
They’d sprung out suddenly from a place where Ella would have sworn there was no one.
Her heart in her throat, Ella continued to walk steadily towards the narrow walled path that was the Wondhip Pass.
She’d put on her green silk dress. Anyone who knew something about lore would know the designs on her dress weren’t there for decoration, but she hoped these men had no idea.
As she drew closer she realised some of the men were badly injured. One of them had his arm in a makeshift sling, the bone poking out at an awkward angle. Another held his arm around his chest, his breath wheezing.
Killian, Ella thought. She wondered if he’d sustained any wounds in return.
For the first time she wished that the silk of the dress wasn’t so sheer, so figure-hugging. It was the last impression she wished to create.
One of the swordsmen, a young man with a hooked nose and thin-face, whistled as she approached. He circled her, looking her up and down as he did. "My, my, my," he said. "Lovely, very lovely indeed. You make a fine change from the usual sort we get up here, princess."
The other swordsman stepped forward. He was much older, and everything about him was big. His hair was long and shaggy, like an animal’s pelt. His head sat squarely on his wide shoulders and his legs were each the size of Ella’s waist. "Enough, Rostram. Let’s see what she’s got first."
"Can’t you see what she’s got?" the young swordsman responded, his eyes still on Ella’s body. "Did you want to ask her, and maybe she’ll tell you?"
The other bandits laughed.
The big man’s expression blackened. "You think we’ll be able to buy food with what you’re talking about? What will that give us to get through the winter?"
"Maybe she’s got both money and pleasure for us, hey Blackall?" the man with the dagger called out.
The big man grunted. "Maybe." He turned to Ella. "Well? Got money?"
Ella probably had enough gilden to buy each man a small piece of cheese, with none for herself.
"No… No I don’t," she tried to keep her voice steady. Killian had come through these men, she could too.
Blackall came closer to her; his breath stank as he spoke for her ears alone. "Listen, girl. These men, if you can give them a decent bit of money I might be able to stop them doing what it is they want to do to you."
Hearing it spoken about so openly made Ella feel sick. Her heart was hammering in her chest, her throat closed up so it was difficult to breathe and even harder to speak. Every instinct told her to run. But her wits were telling her that to run was to die.
She had to confront them.
Rostram spoke from behind her, making her jump. "Whatever she’s got, it’s either in that bag, or in that dress. How about you search the bag, Blackall, while I search the dress?" he chuckled.
The bandits began to crowd in, eager to see her body revealed. Rostram reached in to rip the dress from her body.
Ella whispered the runes. Instantly the dress lit up like lightning.
"Argh!" Rostram screamed in pain. He pulled his hand away. The fingers were blackened like coal. He would be lucky to keep any of them.
"That dress, it’s enchanted!" yelled Blackall, drawing his sword. "Kill her — it’s worth a fortune to every man here!"
Ella lifted the hood of the dress, pulling it around her head. She continued to chant, the words coming in staccato syllables as she spoke one activation after another. The dress grew brighter and brighter until it was as bright as the sun, projecting a fierce heat. Ella was protected from it, even so, she could feel the scorching fire she was radiating. The men cried out in pain as they felt it. Blisters popped on their skin. Two of them ran off, their screams fading into the distance.
"Kill her!" Blackall lunged at Ella’s head, but as his sword made contact with the dress a fountain of sparks sprayed out and the steel shattered into metal filings.
Ella increased her chant still further.
She vanished.
One moment she was there, the next moment she was gone. Suddenly there was a flash of green silk and a bandit went down. Then a pale face hovered next to a hulking man, and he collapsed. One by one the bandits howled in pain and crumpled. Blackall just stood there, gaping.