“I want that one,” said Erik, pointing at Culli. “I’m going to stake him out facedown over an anthill and watch him die screaming.”
De Loungville turned and struck Erik as hard across the face as he could. Erik staggered, fell to his knees, and could barely retain consciousness from the unexpected blow.
When his vision cleared, he saw de Loungville come up behind the first man. With an economy of motion he pulled his dagger, grabbed the man’s hair, and pulled back his head, cutting his throat with a single slice.
The other two tried to rise, but Biggo and Luis kept them under control. Before Erik could regain his feet, the other two men had been executed. Erik took one staggering step, then shook his head to clear it. He came to stand over the body of Culli and looked at de Loungville, who said, “See to the woman.” When Erik hesitated, he shouted, “Now!”
Erik and Roo moved to where Finia lay, eyes staring vacantly at the sky. When they knelt over her, her eyes seemed to focus for the first time. Recognizing Erik and Roo, she said in a whisper, “Is it over?”
Erik nodded, and Roo took off his cloak and used it to cover her. Erik helped the woman get to her feet, and she wobbled as she rose. Roo put his arm around her, to steady her, and she looked over at Embrisa. “I told her to do as they said. She scratched and bit them. She was screaming and crying, and her nose stuffed up; when they covered her mouth, she couldn’t breathe.”
Erik inclined his head to Roo to take her to where the horses were. He took off his own cloak and wrapped Embrisa in it. Lifting her, he carried her as if she were asleep. Softly he said, “Now you’ll never find that rich husband.”
Erik was the last to reach the horses, and found de Loungville holding his reins. He handed the girl’s body to the sergeant, mounted, then took the corpse as de Loungville handed her up to him. After the sergeant had mounted his own horse, Erik said, “You let them off easy.”
De Loungville said, “I know.”
“They should have died over a slow fire.”
“They deserved to suffer, but I’ll not visit that on any man.”
“Why? Why do you care what happens to scum like them?”
De Loungville moved his horse alongside Erik’s, so he was almost nose-to-nose with Erik when he answered. “I don’t care what happens to scum like them. You could cut off a piece at a time over a week and I wouldn’t give a whore’s promise for what it would do to them. But I do care what it would do to you, Erik.”
Without waiting for an answer, de Loungville moved away and shouted, “Let’s get back to the village. We’ve got a hell of a ride before we catch up with the Captain.”
Erik rode after him, not sure what de Loungville had meant, but feeling troubled by what he had said.
They reached Calis’s camp an hour after dark. As before, he had ordered a complete fortification dug, and as de Loungville and the others approached, a guard challenged them.
“Well done,” said a weary de Loungville. “Now, lower the gate or I’ll rip your ears from your head.”
No one in Calis’s company could fail to recognize that voice, so without a further remark the drop bridge was run out across the trench surrounding the camp. The horse’s hooves clattered on the wood and iron as the riders crossed, and when they reached the center of the camp, Calis stood waiting.
“Zila and the bandits joined up and fired the village. Most got away.” He glanced at Erik. “They killed a girl and we killed the five of them that did it.”
Calis nodded, motioning for de Loungville to join him in his command tent. Erik took the reins of de Loungville’s horse and led him with his own to where the remounts were waiting. It took him better than an hour to cool down the horses, clean hooves and saddle marks, and bedded them down with fresh fodder. By the time he was finished, he was aching to his bones, and he knew it was more than just the fatigue of the ride and fighting. The killing of the men had been so effortless.