"Then you'd better get my attention," I said. "I might invite you inside," I went on. "Or I might leave your head here, as a warning to every creep who'd think to get a jump on me."

"Alright, alright," he said, holding both arms toward me. "Bodrick intends to trick you."

"I figured as much," I said. "That's why I refused him."

"You did what?" Peg Leg screamed.

"Prying ears would certainly multiply now," I said after a sigh. "Get up!" I ordered.

The man looked at me with frightened eyes.

"Are you sure you're a notorious bounty hunter?" I asked. "You scare easy."

"You're holding a weapon against me," he said. "What do you think I should do? Dance?"

"That would make me laugh," I said. "Get up, we don't have time to waste around here."

I put my axe on the ground and helped the man to his feet. As soon as he got up, he found my knife against his throat again. "Don't try anything funny," I warned. "I still don't trust you."

"You got it," he said, reeking of alcohol.

"No move." I ordered him toward the dark forest beyond the village. The tavern was conveniently placed near the village's western exit. It was easy to access the woods from there. Only after we got a considerable distance away from the village, did I ask the bounty hunter to stop.

"What do you know of Bodrick's job for me?" I asked. I hadn't told Zoey about it, but I suspected Wanda to have told her. I needed to get the information from the horse's mouth though.

"I heard he asked you to meet him in his inn," I said.

Come to think of it, I might have also mentioned this to the mayor. That was perhaps why the lord didn't want to meet with me in the end. I sighed.

"Why did you say he wanted to trick me?" I asked.

"He's been having a lot of trouble with the merchant robber lately," he said. "My best guess, he wants to use you as bait."

I figured as much. I didn't need to be a genius to figure all this out anyway. Simple observations of the village and the number of men Bodrick kept at his side was enough to tell me something was amiss.

"How long has this thing been going for?" I asked.

"It started some three weeks ago," the man replied. "Why do you ask? Do you have an idea who the merchant robber is?"

"You're jumping to conclusions," I said. "Why are you chasing it anyway? You don't look like a bounty hunter to me."

"I had to become one," he said. "That thing stole from me too."

"And you're hoping to get back whatever was stolen by capturing it?" I scoffed.

"I have my reasons to believe it will work," Peg Leg answered, brooding.

"What do you know of this merchant robber?" I asked.

"It's a trade secret," he said. "Do you think I'll tell you all my secrets just because you asked?"

"How about I beat them out of you?" I asked. "Will that work?"

The bounty hunter fell silent. He glared at me, ready to fight back in case I tried to jump him. I didn't need to do anything though. The moment I got inside the words, I got in touch with Nag. I managed to reach him through psionic conversation and asked him to make sure we weren't followed.

Twigs snapped behind the bounty hunter and the latter jumped in fright. He turned around to see a nine foot tall creature approaching him, all muscles, glares and fangs. Nag growled at the bounty hunter who quickly retreated then b.u.mped into me.

"This is my friend, Nag," I said. "I'm sure you've heard of him too."

"What is this?" Nag asked me.

"I received a job offer from Lord Bodrick," I told him. Of course, I've already told him all about it before, but we had to make a good impression on this fellow. "This one here says Bodrick wants to trick me."

"How does he know this?" Nag said. "Does he work for him?"

"I don't work for him," Peg Leg blurted out. "I hate that narcissistic, greed driven a.s.shole!"

"It's a personal vendetta then", Nag said.

"as I told your friend here," Peg Leg said. "T-t-the darkness took something from me. I want it back."

"And how do you know it will give it back to you?" I asked.

"Well, it takes things," he replied. "But it never hurts others. It just takes. I'm sure it keeps them all somewhere. That's what Bodrick wants to do. Lure it out to rob you, then follow it."

"How do you know this if you don't work for him?" I asked.

Nag approached the bounty hunter and held him by the throat. He slammed him against a tree trunk and growled at him. "You'd better talk, soft skin," he warned.

"I'd do as he says," I suggested. "He gets irritated quickly. You don't want his hands to squeeze too tight."

"He-he," Peg Leg stammered. "He's done it to a foreigner last week in Merinsk," he said.

"And where's that foreigner now?" I asked. "I'd like to have a word with him, confirm what you say."

"You –" Nag squeezed a bit too tight and the bounty hunter started coughing. I urged my friend to let him go, catch a breath.

"I'm on your side," Peg Leg blurted out. "Why can't you see this?"

"I only see facts," I said. "The facts say you tried to get the jump on me. Facts tell me I don't know who you are or where you came from. Do you expect us to trust you just like that?"

"I know where the Darkness has its hideout," Peg Leg said. "Will that be enough to prove it?"

My eye squinted. This lad was too quick to talk. He was either a coward, or he had something to hide. Either way, what he said made me doubt him even more.

"Let's stick to the story of the foreigner first," I said. "We'll get to that later. Where's the foreigner Bodrick tricked?"

"Dead," Peg Leg answered. "You don't steal from Lord Bodrick and escape with impunity."

"Fail to deliver the object and you lose your head," I said. I was glad I asked for written proof. I guess that was why Lord Bodrick spared me. A morbid thought sprung up to my mind then.

"Where does this merchant robber, summoner of darkness, hide?" I asked.

"Somewhere in Merinsk," Peg Leg said. "I couldn't pinpoint it the last time the foreigner was used as bait. But I could at least confirm it was in Merinsk."

"Are you telling me that news of foreigners in this small hamlet has quickly reached Merinsk?" I asked.

"Why do you think the lord decided to come all the way here?" Peg Leg asked.

"Fool!" I yelled at the bounty hunter. "Do you know what you've done?"

"I-I-I have no idea what you're talking about," he said.

"What's happening M – Zedd?" Nag asked.

"Take this one somewhere safe," I said. "I have a bad feeling. Lord Bodrick accused me of killing his own men. He saw it fit to punish me by using me as bait, but I refused that. Now his son will have reported it. He will retaliate, punish everyone involved."

"How am I involved in all of this?" Peg Leg asked.

"I was told at the tavern that you were a bounty hunter, famous for a certain nickname I wouldn't tell you about. The fact is, you're famous, and you were asking questions about me in the tavern. You're a target, as well as everyone I ever knew in that village."

"Mr. Morrison…" Nag whispered.

"You won't come with me," I said. "You'll only make the situation worse. I'll try to do what I can to calm that n.o.ble man's anger. In the meantime, get that bounty hunter out of here, and get him to talk."

Nag nodded and led the bounty hunter away, despite his cries and protests.

I reached the village about half an hour later. I followed what I thought were the burning lanterns from the houses, but as I got closer, I realized the fire was brighter than just house lanterns. When I arrived, the barn was on fire, cries for help echoed in the dark, deserted village.

n.o.body came to extinguish the fire. I spotted Mr. Morrison by the tavern backdoor. He was made to kneel and watch his barn burn. Three guards stood behind him. One had a sword directed at his back. Wanda was crying out, screaming to save Mr. Morrison. One guard held her by the waist and dragged her inside.

Anger started building up. That poor old man did nothing but give us shelter.  There was no time to hesitate though. I ran toward the guards. There were but three of them. I could easily handle them. As I got closer, I noticed that one of them was holding my sword and staff. They searched the place after all.

The fire from the barn made it impossible for me to get closer without getting noticed. I had but one choice, face heavily armored men with a knife.

"Looking for me," I yelled at them.

Mr. Morrison turned to face me, horror stricken. "Why did you come back?" He asked.

"Shut up!" the guard with the sword screamed. He brought down his sword toward the old man's gullet.

"Stop!" I mumbled.

The world around me grew still. I had thirty seconds to act. That was more than I needed. I ran for the old man and pushed him away. I s.n.a.t.c.hed the sword away from the guard's hand and shoved it between his helmet and chest armor. I had but ten seconds left, during which I s.n.a.t.c.hed my sword and staff from the other guard.

I pulled the old man behind me as time resumed its usual ticking.

The two remaining guards looked at each other, then at their companion who was gurgling, battling to stay alive.

"What have you done?" one of them yelled at me.

"You don't hurt my friends," I said, holding my sword at them.

The guard who used to hold my weapons searched frantically about him, then looked incredulously at me.

"You," I randomly pointed at one guard. "Run to your master, tell him I'll take his offer," I said. "Hurt one of my friends, again, and you shall all pay dearly for it."

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I moved like lightning. I didn't give them the time to react. I didn't need the time stop spell to make an impression this time. I disarmed the first one and sliced through the other's helmet, cutting his head in half. The sword Nag had gifted me was amazing. It could easily cut through iron.

I turned to look at the other guard, who was shaking from head to toe now.

"Go!" I ordered.