96. A 'Talk' with Nobility

Theren looked towards Abby and felt his heart hurt just a little. He hated that she had to do that but at the same time if she didn't she would always be under their control. "Evelyn, would you please take care of her. I still have a few things to take care of."

"Of course. Don't underestimate them. Greg the big guy is faster than he looks and his power is enough to worry even a giant. And the Baron is a cowardly little worm but he is also sneaky. While you are busy with Greg he will sneak up behind you in a heartbeat."

"Thanks for the heads up." Theren jerked his chin towards the woods and Svetlana darted into the woods ahead of him. And just like that his disappeared out of Evelyn's sight. He took what she said seriously but that was not the kind of fighting that he would do. He would fight from a distance and eliminate the threat before it got close. Even if it got close he highly doubted that the man was a match for Svetlana.

Theren found a spot where he could see the big man but was completely hidden from him and slowly pulled back an arrow. He had a bead locked on the man at full draw. He quickly stepped out from behind the bush and let the arrow fly. Before it made it to the big man he stepped back behind a bush and watched through a break in bush he was hiding behind.

The arrow hit the big man in the chest and he screamed out in pain. "Archer, we are under attack." The big man pulled out the arrow and then his big sword. The baron came stumbling out of his tent and was only partially dressed. Greg looked around and realized that it was only the two of them. He was not sure what happened but he knew that it was not good.

Greg was concentrating on the direction that the first arrow came from when he saw another arrow coming out of the dark. It was coming so fast that he could not do anything but grunt when the arrow hit him right beside the first one hit him. He knew that if this kept up he was going to be in trouble. He could not deal with an archer without the mage that was missing and he assumed dead. Greg started moving in the direction of the archer with his sword up in front of him to try and block any more arrows that might come towards him.

Theren watched the big man and was slightly impressed with him using the sword like a shield but unfortunately for him that would not hinder Theren at all. Theren quickly drew another bow and this time he was aiming at his chest but at the big man's legs. He took his time and timed his shot so that the arrow hit him in the knee just as he was putting his weight on the front leg.

Theren's aim was on point at the arrow went right through his kneecap and lodged into the joint. Greg screamed and dropped his sword as he fell to the ground holding his knee. Theren sent three more arrows in rapid succession at the source of the screaming and the second arrow silenced the shouting. Theren crept closer to make sure that Greg was not trying to lure him in and saw that the second arrow hit him right in the mouth.

Baron Ratcliff saw what was happening and knew that he would soon be the last one and when Greg dropped he knew that he was no match for the person that was hunting them. Without a second glace over his shoulder to check on Greg he grabbed his money pouch and ran towards where he assumed the giant would be coming from. He hoped that if he ran into the giant he could convince the giant to help him out with this fight as well.

Theren knew what the man was doing as soon as he realized the direction that the man was running. He thought about following him until he was exhausted and collapsed but he realized that a startled man could run a long ways before he gave up. It was the one way that people were like animals. "Lana be a dear and go send him back this way. I would rather not chase him."

Svetlana looked at him like a teenager but then trotted off after the man. It did not take her very long to get around him. She sat on the path and waited. When the man came around the corner and saw the huge cat sitting there he froze. Lana roared and the man turned and ran back towards his came as hard as he could. The only way to tell that he had been there was a small yellow puddle on the ground. Lana blew a breath out of her nose and walked around the puddle as she went after the man in no big hurry. It was obvious even to her that he would not quit running until he was back at the camp.

Theren heard the roar and then the scream and knew the man had not made it as far as he expected and he would be back in just a few moments. He sat down on a stump the group was using as a chair and lit his pipe. He had barely got the first puff off of the pipe when the young noble with the wet pants burst back into the clearing.

"Hello Baron. You and I need to have a little talk."

Baron Ratcliff pulled out his dagger and waved it back and forth in front of him a few times. "Get the hell away from me. What the hell do you want?"

"Well, you see I have a particular hatred for giants and it appears to me that you were trying to hire a giant and his two lackies for something."

"How did you know about that?" His eyes were darting all around, he was looking for the big cat as well as hoping that the giant might show up just in time.

"As I said I have a particular hatred for giants so when I stumbled across the three of them there was only one obvious outcome. They are rotting away, or being eaten by the local animals."

"But that does that have to do with me?"

"As fortune would have it when I killed the giants I found a note in its pocket that was a map to this location. I followed the map and the timeline that was on the map and ended up here."

"We just happened to stop here to resupply. You have no proof that I have anything to do with this." The baron was starting to get a little haughty, thinking that he had the elf in a bind.

"That is an excellent question. You not only did I follow the map to get here but I was here well before and your party arrived on site. You and Greg walked within a few feet of me and then sat right there on that log." He pointed towards the log that was across the fire from him. "Do you want to know what I heard why I was almost sitting beside you on that log?"

"It doesn't matter what you say that you heard. I am a baron and you are a nobody. You can't prove anything."

Theren took a puff off his pipe and laughed. "What do I have to prove? Who said that I was taking you anywhere? I do not have a lot of faith in the mortal justice system."

The color drained out of the young Baron's face. "You, you, you can't do anything to me."

"Well, that is yet to be determined. First things first though you and I are going to have a nice little chat about Baron Novum."

The little color that had started to come back to his face dropped all the way to his feet this time. "Baron Novum."

"Yes, that baron that you told Greg he could not take right before you pulled of your necklace that hides all of your scars. So, since the giant recruitment has failed what else can be expected?"

"After what that bastard did to me I would rather die than tell you anything."

"If that is what you want, okay." Theren got up and shrugged his shoulders in an indifferent manner and pulled out his dagger.

"Wait. If you promise not to kill me I will tell you everything."

"I give you my word that I will not kill you."

"My father is currently working on getting a few individuals embedded in his military and there is a group of mercenary barbarians from the north that he is in negotiations with."

"I am assuming that these two facts are known in the household to several members of the family and telling me this will not point back to you. So, what is something else that I need to know."

The baron hesitated and looked up to the sky trying to figure out if he was able to fool the man sitting across from him. Suddenly his leg burst into pain. He looked down and a dagger was sticking out of his leg. "Okay, my cousin is deeply embedded into the capitol's military, he is a captain that is in charge of the unit that will respond to Three Mines if it is attacked."

"What is his name?"

A tear rolled down his cheek. "Captain Cliff Stevens."

"Okay then. Anything else I need to know?"

"No, as of when I left that was the only things my father had arranged."

"Alright. Thank you for your cooperation." Theren got up and pulled his dagger out of the man's leg. "Lana, dinner."

Lana who was hiding in the bush pounced forward and snapped the man's neck before he could even protest his death. Theren looked at him as the light faded. "I told you I would not kill you not that I would save you."

Theren walked into the tent to start gathering everything of use including the bag of gold on his hip. This would be a good trip.