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married bitch.
Testing the edge of his blades with his thumb, Faerwald decided that they were
satisfactory, and slipped them back into their sheaths. He heard Lairgan
laughing as he emerged from his bedroom buckling them on.
Faerwald Davies and Lairgan Yates were a practical pair. Clennan paid them
well and most of it was banked for their old age. Faerwald always sold their
services to powerful myn who could shelter them from the wrath of the Bane
Shepherds. Renegades from a battle-clan, they moved on whenever the Shepherds
came nosing too heavily along their trail. Faerwald had a knack for
disappearing and emerging somewhere safe with a new patron. However, he had
staked a lot on Clennan. When the thane became regent, they would be safe from
the Shepherds.
He heard Lairgan laughing again and poked his head into his friend's room.
Lairgan sat in the middle of the floor with a heavy fishing net across his
lap, braiding spellcord through it from a pile beside him.
Faerwald sauntered into the room and toed the spellcord. Where'd you get all
that?"
"The manor's armory. I can't wait to see the look on that bitch's face when I
drop this over her."
Faerwald snickered at the image it conjured in his mind, and remembered the
brief humiliation he had endured when Thunder yanked his trousers down in the
tavern. I'm going to pull her trousers off and flash the town. Carry her bare
arsed all the way to the manor."
"The trolleymog deserves it."
The two of them completed the job and rolled the net up. Then they carried it
out to the stable and saddled their horses.
* * * *
The day started bright and early for Darcy. Wolffgard seemed like a city to
her; twice the size of any place she had ever been before, except for Hell's
Widow in Waejontor. When her cousin, Fergus, led the punitive invasion of
Hell's Widow last autumn, she had been impressed by the size of the place.
For the first time in her life, Darcy had friends who weren't part of her
extended family. That was another novel experience that she savored. She had
plans to meet Regina and Jenny at the Difficult Horse in the afternoon, and
decided to get in some shopping for solstice gifts ahead of that.
Darcy strolled down Locust Street with a burlap sack of purchases swung over
her shoulder. She had bought candy for the cubs at John Donegal's shop,
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scented creams for the bitches at Cahira's Potions and Notions, and new boots
for Finn who would soon be getting out of the wheel-chair and be about on
crutches. Finn's old boots had looked entirely too worn out for her taste. She
expected him to laugh when he got them and make remarks about the fact that,
while she was not the cubs and cookies type, she still managed to function
with a wifely attitude.
"Hello, Darcy."
She turned and saw the duelist who had threatened Todd standing there. What
do you want?"
"A full serving of payback for that little incident a few days ago. Faerwald
Davies leered at her.
Without stopping to think, Darcy swung her burlap sack of purchases in his
face.
Faerwald swayed aside, grabbed the sack, and jerked her forward. Apologies
can start with a kiss, I think."
His lips covered hers, and Darcy punched him in the stomach.
"Woof... Faerwald stepped backwards, gasping for air. His fist shot out and
connected with Darcy's face, bloodying her nose.
He eluded her responding jab, laughing between gasps.
"What the hell are you laughing at? Darcy snarled.
Lairgan Yates net sailed over her head. Startled, she pulled at it, trying to
get it off, and only became tangled worse.
Faerwald pinned her arms, dancing a bit as she tried to stomp on his feet.
Lairgan slid a rope around her, binding her arms to her sides. Faerwald
hoisted her over his shoulder, grabbed the top of her trousers, slashed the
lacings, and jerked them down around her knees.
"Payback is a three fingered whore. He slapped her buttocks. This spanking
was overdue."
"We've got some friendly weapons just itching for you. Lairgan chuckled.
Darcy let out a shriek of rage and indignation. Stupid buggering bastards!
You're cheating."
Faerwald gave her another series of quick swats.
"Put me down, you god-fecking cockwhores! Put me down!"
"When we're ready."
They headed for the alley where they had left their horses. A lycan stepped
from the alley mouth before they could get there, unclipped a crossbow from
his belt, and loaded it.
Lairgan's eyes widened. He paused and swiveled about. Trouble, Faer.
Lawgivers."
Ossian O'Reilly moved to intercept them, his crossbow leveled at Lairgan who
was closest to him. Put her down."
"I don't appreciate having that pointed at me. Lairgan's smile never wavered
as he stared past Faerwald at Ossian's two brothers coming up behind his
friend with their claymores ready. He scratched his nose, tapping it twice in
the process.
Faerwald caught the signal, and turned to see Waid and Ultan standing there.
He dumped Darcy into the muddy snow. Just a lark, Lawgiver. No harm done."
"Attempted kidnapping with intent to commit rape is punishable by fifty
lashes, Ossian stated.
"It's just a lark. Thought she deserved a spanking for bottling Lairgan in the
grapes."
"I heard about that. I still say it looks like a kidnapping."
Faerwald shrugged and held his hands out, palms up. We're just a pair of good
old dogs, Lawgiver. Just ask Thane Clennan of Heatherford. He'll tell you
we've never ever hurt a bitch in our lives."
"No one is above the law. What're your names?"
"I'm Faerwald Davies and that's my spiritbrother, Lairgan Yates. I'm captain
of Thane Clennan's bodyguards. We're law-abiding folks."
"I'll only give you one warning, Davies. I catch you doing something like this
again, and I'll have you flogged."
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"Does that mean we can go, Lawgiver?"
"Get out of here."
The two myn from Heatherford sauntered away, laughing.
Ossian relaxed the tension on the crossbow and hung it again from his belt. He
drew his knife, knelt, and began cutting Darcy loose.
Darcy fumed in silence. She should have known that Lairgan was about when she
saw Faerwald. No one had ever bested her before unless she counted her endless
childhood skirmishes with her cousin Fergus. Figuring that he was the one to
beat, she had gone after him hammer and tongs, swinging her fists fast and
hard. The outcome never changed, even when she faced off against him as an
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