The Innkeeper

Chapter 9

Under the anger of horse and man, Ax Man trembled in his boots and ran. The other thieves were still celebrating and looked in surprise as their friend rejoined them. Then they realized that their captives were trying to escape and drew their weapons.

Samuel reared the mare around, ready to charge, but a wave of dizziness overwhelmed him and he fell off, much to his dismay. He landed on his back and groaned at the pain it caused his body. For a second he struggled to draw air back into his lungs. He needed a moment to recover. Or two. Or five.

"Sam? Sam? SAM!" Mavis yelled. "No. Please, no."

"I'm fine," Samuel said, raising his hand a few centimeters.

The bandits laughed and, knowing they were now safe, began advancing. The Ranger's horse gave an angry snort at them and a few angry kicks in their direction but had to dance out of the way of a blade. Then she retreated far enough to assess the situation. Samuel was amused by how she wanted to protect the Ranger and yet couldn't get close enough to inflict damage.

He closed his eyes, wishing he didn't have to admit defeat. He wasn't sure if he would be killed or worse, that his village would have to go without an innkeeper. And then he was struck by inspiration. He rolled over and dragged himself over towards the bow and quiver that had been the Ranger's before his shooting ability had been taken from him. 

Samuel nocked an arrow and shakily stood to test the weight. It was a comfort to hold a weapon in his hands and have it to literally lean on. The question was whether he could shoot it. Well, he wasn't seeing double vision, so he figured he had some chance. He squinted against the sun.

Ax Man laughed and swung his weapon over his shoulder in a casual gesture. "You think that's going to stop us?"

"It might," Samuel replied. He still had arm strength and drew the bow back until his thumb touched the edge of his mouth. Then he released. And the arrow bypassed all the bandits and hit a tree. He winced at the sound.

Ax Man laughed some more, but heard a sound and turned. Through the trees could be heard twigs snapping, leaves rustling, the heavy thuds of feet, and to seal the deal, a flock of birds flew away, the beat of their wings heard through the trees. It sounded like a small army marching in time.

Striker emerged with their attention on him and a sword from his smithy. This village, like Samuel's old home, had more than a hundred people in the general area and so was required to train their young men as archers. Striker had found an affinity for swords of all sorts, however, and even taught Samuel a thing or two in their limited spare time after the war. He had joined the infantry instead, and perhaps in another life with noble upbringing he would have been a knight.

Juniper ran into the clearing  as well and straight towards the mare, bumping his head into her side. She snorted at him but allowed it without too much complaint.

The bandits had turned to the bushes with the expectation that they would be facing a group of people, leaving their backsides exposed. Samuel didn't have the speed he had witnessed with Rangers, and didn't have the accuracy either, apparently, but he drew again, aiming for the middle of the group, and within the span of fifteen seconds had released three arrows that had caused enough confusion to leave the bandits wondering who to attack first.

For those unfortunate enough to be close to Striker but their attention on Samuel, the blacksmith lived up to his name and struck them down before they could react. Many, having gotten what they came for, left in a hurry. Samuel spotted one runner pocket a small object and just missed being thrust through himself. He tried to shoot the man and failed.

Ax Man ran in Samuel's direction and grabbed Mavis, holding him up in front as a shield, much like Samuel had been the other day. "Don't follow or I'll kill him."

Mavis had other ideas. He looked Samuel dead in the eye and told him: "Do it. I'm useless now and you need to get as many of these men as you can. Don't let him get away. It's all right."

The innkeeper drew in a breath to steady himself and brought his borrowed bow up. Then he brought it back down. He couldn't do it. Even with permission, he absolutely refused. His insides balked at the thought. In the war he had shot many of the enemy full of arrows, but they were far enough away that it was impersonal. And it helped that the enemy consisted of the inhuman Wargals.

Samuel knew that where Mavis was at was a dark place. Losing Bella had been like losing a limb. He understood completely. And he knew that the feeling would go away. Besides, Mavis wasn't useless. He was far from it. He had saved Samuel's life countless times, which gave him an idea. The bandit's leg was partially exposed and he could aim there. The only problem was that even with the bow familiar to him his aim wasn't as pinpoint as a Ranger's and he was bound to miss, especially with his awful aim lately. It was his only chance, though, so he figured he should take it.

If the bandit knew what he planned, he'd cover himself up better and get prepared, so Samuel imagined the shot in his mind, how his muscles would move. Then he quickly changed aim from chest height to the ground.

He shot, aiming as far away from Mavis's leg as he thought he could get away with. As he suspected, he couldn't pull off a miracle shot. However, the sudden shock of an arrow landing by his feet made the captor jump out of the way by instinct, leaving him exposed to arrows. Samuel made another shot on the much bigger target and hit, the body dropping with a satisfying thud.

Mavis stumbled forward, released from the only grip keeping him upright. Samuel caught him and held him close.

"It's going to be okay," he reassured the other man. "I'm going to get you help."

Striker finished his business and came over to access their health. "Are you okay?"

"Just peachy," Mavis muttered under his breath, leaning into Samuel for support. He wiped under his eyes with a cloak covered hand.

Samuel frowned. "We have to get Mavis into town. I have no idea how much blood he's lost."

"Of course! I'll take care of everything here that I can, get some others to help, I can walk back. Go," Striker ordered.

Samuel was overcome with gratefulness and brought his friend into an awkward side hug. Striker had come through for him unconditionally. "I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize. Mavis is your first priority."

Mavis was sat on his horse and Samuel mounted Juniper, and they rode towards the village at a trot. It was the fastest they could manage and it wasn't fast enough for Samuel's nerves. Luckily there were not many villagers around and they rode up the peaceful street without having to answer questions.

When they entered Viviane's office she greeted them with disdain. "I have other things on my mind then you getting out your anger at me. Do you think it would be worth it to move a couple kilometers down? There's a lovely little hamlet there."

Samuel was tempted to grab her by her clothes and fling her across the room. Yes he was angry, but she was the only healer in town who was worth her salt. He resisted for Mavis' sake.

"Get over yourself and fix Mavis, dammit! Can't you see he's injured?" he shouted, bringing his friend forward. Perhaps he had work to do on his resisting skills.

"I'm the enemy, though," she commented mildly.

"I don't care! Heal him or I will come after you for what you've done," Samuel threatened. Viviane took a better look at Mavis and rushed him into the deeper parts of her home. That didn't bode well.

Samuel hung around the front until Striker arrived and dragged him out of the building.

"No use for you in there. Have I shown you my latest design in horseshoes yet?" asked the blacksmith. "I got to experimenting, and I think Juniper might really like them."

"Quit trying to distract me," Samuel mumbled although he allowed himself to be pulled along. He was hoping for the best case scenario and that was all he could do for now. 

"If you want a distraction, let me tell you the way Juniper shot out of his stall when I went to ride him. It's like he sensed his girlfriend was in danger from some horse mindlink," Striker said. 

"They are close like that," Samuel replied with a weak smile.

His friend caught his eye and laid a firm hand on his shoulder. "It will be all right. You'll see."