Practice

Ethyn continued to practice as they stayed away from the river bank and inside the line of trees. Studying Silver's calm and near effortless pace, the boy began to improve his technique. Silver shifted with the land, taking advantage of its natural movement and blind spots. The Guardian reminded him of the large cats that sometimes roamed the forest.

Once when Ethyn was living out in the forest, he had been eating a cooked rabbit over a small fire. Out of nowhere, a cougar had appeared on the other side of the flames holding a large hare in her mouth.

The cougar had given him a derisive look as if to say, "That's how you eat your rabbit? Amateur!" The two creatures locked eyes for a number of moments. The boy was so in awe, he did not have the sense to be scared. The cougar, satisfied that she had made her point, surreptitiously vanished the same way she came with one long silent bound. Silver's movement was not bounding, but it was every bit as agile.

Stumbling again as he tried to remember every piece of information he'd received, Ethyn felt like an oaf. He made a small groan of frustration and then a gasp of surprise.

"It just takes practice," the man whispered, helping up his friend. The boy had not seen Silver approach him at all, another testament to his skill. "You will get better with time."

"If you say so," Ethyn whispered back uncertainly. When ever he focused on his task, his body did not seem to hurt, but as soon as his mind wandered, all the soreness creeped in. Ethyn bit the inside of his cheek, determined not to show his weakness. He had come too far to turn back now.

They moved on for another half hour in silence. Rounding a hidden bend in the stream, Silver held up his fist by his shoulder to signal his companion to stop. Ethyn sidled up beside the Guardian and peered out from between the trees.

Many people were working feverishly at the edges of the stream. Silver counted seven, but there could be more hidden further upstream. The spot they had chosen was wider than other parts, and as such was much shallower. This meant they did not have to start as deep to build a blockage. It was also well hidden on either side by blind bends in the water's flow. Any casual wanderer would be easily spotted. All in all, it was a perfect spot.

The crew had already built a temporary dam two horse-lengths up river from their current position. It was made of many small rocks and was held in place by ropes strung across and tied to large pegs on either bank. This did not stop the flow, but allowed the workers to conduct their final barrier without the full force of the water. They had gathered larger stones from the riverbed and were carefully stacking them.

Bits of brush and mud were filling in the cracks to create a seal. The stream was beginning to feel the push of the first dam, and its banks were slowly widening. Given enough time, the banks would give and the area would become flooded. Not that the brigands seemed to care. What they were building was sturdy and would last. He guessed that they would take the money that they extorted from the villagers and never return to release the water. While the villagers searched for a way to return the water's flow, the gang would have even more time to escape. It was brilliant and evil.

"Keep moving! We haven't got all day." A voice yelled. Silver assumed he must be their leader. Upon closer inspection he realized his previous assumption was incorrect. Their leader was in fact a woman. She stood proud on the banks, directing the other six members of the group in their task. She had a commanding presence. "You are nearly there. Do not stop now! Add stones just there. Yes," her instructions were firm but also motivating as she capably coordinated her crew.

Were her goal not to bilk the town out of their money and resources, Silver felt like she would be someone he would like to know. 'Might have made a good ally,' he thought bitterly. Silver whistled three times, the sound coming out like a warble of a bird. A single coo came in reply. Ethyn looked at his mentor curiously.

"Time to head downstream and meet up with Aiden and Conall," he mouthed.

Heading back around the bend and many paces beyond, the pair waited as Aiden and Conall crossed the river.

"You could have crossed that blasted river to us this time," Aiden complained as he pulled off his boots and emptied them.

Silver feigned innocence. "And risk this poor boy getting pneumonia? I thought you wanted him to come along." Silver placed his hand dramatically on Ethyn's shoulder. Conall rolled his eyes.

Wringing out his hat, which had fallen into the water halfway, Conall rolled his eyes. "Don't go, uh, using that boy as an excuse for your laziness. You've never had a mind to go swimming."

"And I will not turn over a new leaf today!" Silver snapped angrily with a flash of silver from his eyes. 'I have no Fate to save me this time if I drown.'

Holding up his hands, the mayor took a step back, almost falling backwards into the stream. "Ok, ok! Keep your cloak on. What are we going to do about those numbskulls upriver?" Conall asked.

"I would not call them numbskulls per se. They are very well organized, and the woman leading them seems quite competent. I counted seven." Silver glanced back toward the bend as he recalled what he saw.

Aiden nodded. "There were three more up in the trees on our side. It looked like they were getting ready to cut some timber."

"Hm, I see." Silver wondered why they would need wood when they were using stone for the dam, but realized that the riverbed may not have provided the amount of rocks they needed to complete the job. 'That would slow them down a little at least.' "We can't wait around for the cavalry to come riding in, we have got to deal with this soon," the Guardian announced. "Odds are they are trying to finish before the sun goes down to give the river time to dry out overnight."

"Can't we just break the dam when they are finished?" Aiden inquired.

"We can, but they will just do it again somewhere else. I don't feel good about letting them mess with people's water sources."

"You've got a lot of honor for a thief." Conall said with a smirk.

Silver shook his head to refute the claim. "Reformed thief. Ethyn has firmly set me on the straight and narrow. Made me promise not to steal anymore."

"Is that right?" Aiden was incredulous. "What about the extra taxes the Baron takes?"

"Reclaiming what the Baron illegally steals to feed the town is not the same as..." Silver waved his hand vaguely as if it proved his point. "I will have to iron out the details of my recovery later. Anyway, we are getting off the subject. We've got to round up these bandits before they do some real damage."

"We can wait till they come to town and capture them then," Conall suggested.

"I doubt the whole group will come to town. It will probably only be the woman and maybe one or two others. It's easier to threaten when the enemy has no idea of your numbers."

The mayor could see the sense in what he said. An unknown enemy was far more fearsome. It was why Silver always hid his face and sometimes even his whole body. "So what do you suggest?"

A flash of silver and a chuckle came from the man in black. "The plan is simple: divide and conquer."

"What does that mean?" Ethyn wanted to know.

Giving out orders, Silver's mind was already hard at work. "Aiden and Conall, can you take out the three in the woods—assuming they are still there—without too much trouble?"

"Shouldn't be too hard." Aiden responded confidently.

"Good. That will even the odds a little. Tie them up and gag them with this." The Guardian produced strips of cloth and sets of strange interlocking circles. Each set had two loops and was made of thick leather.

"What are these?" Aiden asked, motioning to the leather thongs.

"Each of these neat little things will hold their wrists or ankles. Pull here and they will tighten and the person bound will be unable to loose them."

"You are always a clever one," Conall said as he admired the device.

"I wish I could take credit for their invention. I just recreated something that was used on...a theif when he was caught stealing a wheelbarrow."

"What were you doing stealing a wheelbarrow? More importantly, how did you escape if these are so infallible?" Conall raised his eyebrows.

"None of that is important." The others' probing stares made the Guardian shift uncomfortably. "I needed it to carry the table and chairs. There was a woman who...It's a complicated story!" Silver regretted mentioning anything at all. He cleared his throat. "Ethyn and I will give you two a head start. When we meet up with the larger group, I will step out into the open and give them a chance to surrender."

"That's bold." Conall said putting a finger aside his nose.

"What happens if they don't?" Aiden queried.

Silver turned his gaze toward the boy. "Well, then it looks like Ethyn may get to see some action today after all."