* * * * * * *
“Damn, I gotta take a wicked piss!” one of the men said, putting down Kat’s lute.
Morgan didn’t take his eyes off of his cards. “Don’t be long.”
He hurried off into the washroom and closed the door behind him.
Panic rose in Janelle’s gut as the man reached for the women’s privy door handle. He looked at the picture on the door of a woman in a dress, chuckled, and reached for the men’s privy door. Janelle sighed with relief. She slowly made her way along the rafter until she had a good view of his back.
“Ah,” he said as he began to relieve himself.
Janelle winced at the thought of what could happen. She pulled out her knife and swung her legs out, changing from a crawling position to a sitting one. She held her breath. She had to hit him just right. Counting to three, she slid off the rafter. The man stumbled forward as she crashed down onto his back. Quickly, Janelle covered his mouth with her left hand and drew the dagger across his throat. Blood and urine sprayed all over the privy wall as the man thrashed. Janelle held on, but she dropped her knife. As luck would have it, it landed in the hole on the small wooden bench. Finally, he expired.
“Damnit!” she said, looking down the dark hole. Sticking her hand down there was completely out of the question. She looked down at her shirt, which was stained in various places with blood. She stepped up on the bench, jumped, and grabbed a rafter and pulled herself back up. Four down.
“Three more games and it will be time to ask if they’ve reconsidered. If not, we kill another hostage,” Morgan said.
Janelle strapped on her quarterstaff and searched for the man not at the table. She found him washing his hands in the men’s bath. She quickly scooted so she was right over him. This was going to be risky, but she was quickly running out of time.
She grabbed the wooden beam, swung down, and kicked him with both feet as hard as she could. Fortunately, she caught him off balance and he landed face first in the tub with her on top. As fast as lightning, Janelle grabbed her quarterstaff and began smashing it on the back of his head. After the fourth hit he quit thrashing.
Janelle climbed out of the bathtub. Her leather pants and the bottom half of her shirt were soaked. She quickly removed both of her boots and emptied the water out of them. After putting them back on, she wrung out her blood-soaked shirt the best she could. She strapped on her quarterstaff, climbed on a bathtub, and pulled herself back up into the rafters. She quickly scooted across the beam and made her way back to the kitchen. She jumped down, startling Will.
Holle stared at the blood on her shirt. “I be guessin’ that ye got one?”
“I got two. There are only five left. They are about to kill another one of us, so it is time to end this. Kat, how do you close the flue on the chimney in the common room?”
“Pull the latch on the side up and it will close. Oh, if you are going to fill the room with smoke, you’ll need something.” Kat picked up two clean rags, dunked them in the water basin, wrung them out, and handed them to the girls.
Janelle nodded, tied the wet cloth in a knot behind her head, and pulled the front up over her nose and mouth. “Okay, Holle, last time.”
Holle boosted Janelle up into the rafters. She quickly made her way across the inn until she was next to the chimney. Pulling out the sewing thread, she made a loop at the end. She unrolled the thread from the spool and lowered the small loop. Sweat drops began to fall from her forehead as she tried to control the thread. Finally, she got it on the lever.
“Okay, Mitchell. Go gather everyone up. Watson, go get another hostage.”
Mitchell got up and went towards the baths.
“Which one?” Watson asked.
“Grab one of the women. That will let them know we are serious.”
“Morgan!” Mitchell yelled. He ran out of the bath. “Powell’s dead!”
“What?” Morgan roared. “Check every room! Check the privies!”
Janelle pulled on the thread and the flue snapped shut. Smoke began to fill the west side of the inn.
A man ran out of the washroom. “Two more dead!”
“And another,” said Mitchell, looking in the linen storage.
“Bring them all out of the kitchen, damn it! Now!”
Watson opened the kitchen door. He let out a blood curdling scream as Will threw the caustic soda mixture in his face. His scream was cut short as Holle shot him in the throat.
It was time. Janelle jumped down into the growing smoke, landing softly on the inn floor. She pulled out her quarterstaff.
“Now you all die!” she shouted.
Three men made their way towards her. She began spinning her quarterstaff, deflecting the clumsy stabs and slashes they made.
An arrow protruded through the neck of the man to the left. He dropped his sword and fell to his knees, gurgling.
Janelle continued to fight. She blocked one of Mitchell’s strikes and countered with a blow to the side of his head. There was a ‘thunk’, and an arrow appeared through his chest. He dropped his sword and tried to scream. Janelle kicked him in the stomach and he fell backwards.
Her final adversary charged in, making hard strikes aimed at ending the fight quickly. Janelle easily blocked his strikes. An arrow ripped through the side of his neck, went through, and hit the west wall. He turned, eyes wide, as blood began to spray from his wound. Dropping his weapon, he brought his hands up to cover the gaping holes. His eyes rolled back in his head and he lost consciousness.
Holle stepped out of the smoke, arrow nocked.
“Good shots, girl. That should just leave the leader. Have you seen him?”
“Nay!”
They began to move towards the kitchen. The smoke density now made it difficult to see more than two legs ahead of them. They walked slowly, as quietly as they could.
They heard Will scream.
“Shut up or I’ll slit your throat!” Morgan said.
Janelle and Holle stepped forward, their weapons at the ready. In front of the kitchen door, Morgan held Will around the chest, his knife at his throat. He was using him as a shield.
“Now listen, here’s how it’s going to be. I’m taking him, and I’m leaving. The watch will do anything to protect their friendly neighborhood brew master. And when Delaney hears what you have done, he’ll put a bounty on you two so big, you won’t…”
There was a loud ‘BONG’ and Morgan slumped over, tumbling to the ground with Will in tow.
In the doorway, Kat was holding a large cast iron frying pan. “No one touches my man but me!” She triumphantly tossed the pan aside and reached down to Will, whom she helped up. She enveloped him in a monstrous hug and began to cry softly. “Praise be to God nothing happened to you. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you.”
Will returned her hug. “I pray to God you never have to find out. May we leave this world together, hand in hand.”
Holle strapped her bow over her shoulder. “I’m gonna open th’ flue.” She disappeared into the smoke.
Kat released Will and hugged Janelle. “Thank you, my friend. Praise God you and Holle were here tonight.”
“Buy me a light ale and we’ll call it even,” Janelle said.
Kat waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, pish posh! You and Holle can eat and drink here for free until Gabriel and Eleenia return.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Brewer.”
Holle walked over out of the clearing smoke. “We’d best let th’ watch know it’s over.”
Janelle nodded. She walked over to the entrance, removed the bar, and opened the door. Two dozen drawn bows were pointing at her.
“Hold!” the captain of the guard yelled.
The men lowered their weapons.
“It’s over,” Janelle announced. “Nine are dead and the leader is unconscious.”
Holle walked up beside her.
The captain nodded t
o some men and they headed into the inn.
“Let me through! Damn ye, let me see me lass!” Douglas MacLeod, his red hair tied in a ponytail, wearing his yellow and black tartan, pushed his way through the guards. He got to Holle and hugged her tightly.
“I’m okay, da.”
The large highlander began to cry. “I’m so proud of ye, little girl. Wait ‘till I tell the lads at the pub! I was so worried.” He released her and hugged Janelle. “Thank ye, lass, for gettin’ me Holle through.”
“They work beautifully as a team,” Will said, stepping outside.
The captain came over to the two girls. “Excellent work, ladies. If either of you ever want to join the watch, say the word. Also, each one of the men had a bounty on their heads from the Royal Bank, which you will be awarded.”
Janelle smiled.
“I killed five. She killed four,” Holle said.
Janelle looked at her incredulously. “What? I did most of the work! And on that Saunders, you at least give me an assist!”
“Bah, he was dead before ye even touched ‘im!”
“What about the three in the common room! I fought all three at once!”
Holle scoffed. ‘T’was me arrow that killed ‘em. What were ye gonna do? Give one a splinter in his bum and hope it went septic?”
Janelle glared and slugged her on the arm.
“Thumpin’ on me won’t change th’ facts, m’friend! But no matter what, I say we be splittin’ the bounty three ways equally.”
Janelle’s gaze began to soften. “Agreed. Let’s go home.”
Holle rubbed her arm as the two walked away from the inn. “Ye bloody numpty. Ye know how easy I bruise.”
“Splinter in the bum? You deserve a good bruise for that.”
“At least we be havin’ a good story t’ tell Eleenia when she be getting’ home.”
* * * * * * *
For more adventures of Janelle Argos and Holle MacLeod, buy Blood Of The Righteous, Book 1 of the Ki Kalendeen Chronicles by J. E. Sandoval.
Special thanks to my proof reader, Erica Wheeler.
Also, special thanks to my editor, Jen Robb, who always helps me sand off the rough edges to my “push hard until it moves” writing style.
And special thanks to my grammar hammer, Susan Hawk! As she once said, “Let’s eat grandma” and “Let’s eat, grandma!” Proper punctuation saves lives.
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