the three forms that got out were pretty clearly all men. It was tempting to move closer, not knowing what was going on, but she had her orders. Besides, for all she knew these men were just there to chat with Clark or the ship's Captain.
That didn't seem too likely, since less than a minute later one of the men vanished.
She'd been watching the scene and as far as she could tell he was just gone. She got it long before they did, whoever they were. It was so eerie she nearly thought of ghosts before she realized that Clark had gone in that direction. A moment later a second one did the same thing, going from visible to gone faster than she could really track in the dark.
The last man let out a scared squeak and ran away from the carriage and the fire, toward her after a fashion, even if it wasn't perfectly in line with where she was. Without pausing to think, she threw the rock in her hand as the man got close, not standing up to do it, which made it more of a hard toss than a good powerful blow. He screamed when it bumped him anyway.
"God! Help!"
Then she stood, holding her right hand like she held something, which she didn't, not able to find a second rock yet.
"Get on the ground and place your hands over your head. That's all the help I can give you right now. Do it or the thing following you will kill you!" Pran waited, ready to... run away actually. Or maybe fight, but if it was possible she decided to avoid that one. After all, she didn't really know how, so it made sense to not try until someone showed her a trick or two.
"Quick, he's coming closer, I can hear him. I can try and beg for your life, but... Hurry !" Its urgency was so great that she nearly believed it herself. That was what good acting was about after all. The man in front of her, thankfully, seemed to think so as well.
"God." It was whispered this time, not screamed. He went to the ground, a set of muffled grunts as he went to his stomach.
Then all was silent for a while, too long maybe. Just as the man made a noise like he might try to get up and run, Pran found a second rock and worked to dig it out, speaking slowly as she did.
"Careful... don't make too much noise. He'll hear you. We do not want that."
That earned her another few minutes, which meant that the man was still on his belly when Clark finally came over, just appearing alongside the fellow somehow.
"Good. Caught two in one night." In a few very deft moves that didn't seem like movement at all, the man on the ground was restrained.
"Now, please tell me where the Judge and the Guardian are. You have one half minute to do this. I don't have time to play. My charge is gone and that does not make me happy. Tell me what happened to her. Now."
The man on the ground laughed, a half panicked sound that didn't make sense.
"Or what, you'll kill me? I'm ready to die. You took my brother. You had no right."
Pran walked forward herself, but stayed a good ten feet back.
"Wait, who's your brother?" She had a feeling that it wasn't going to be Paul the wagon driver.
"Yarl. Some trumped up claim he raped some bitch in town. We stole the carriage from in front of the Doctor's house and came here to get him back. You have no right. He's a good man."
"What?" Pran knew she shouldn't speak, but her nerves were too far gone to care about what was right anymore. At least for the time being.
"We caught a man in the act of raping the woman. Beating her at the same time... That isn't what a good person does. I'm also pretty sure that trying to break him out is also a bad idea. Shouldn't you have waited for morning, and, oh, I don't know, gone to the trial and tried to find out what actually happened first?"
The response wasn't what she expected, which was a reprimand from Clark for running her mouth. Instead it was just cursing from the man on the ground.
"Well, we should get these men in a cell then and go back into town to pick up the others. Can you drive a wagon or carriage?"
"No. I've never
That didn't seem too likely, since less than a minute later one of the men vanished.
She'd been watching the scene and as far as she could tell he was just gone. She got it long before they did, whoever they were. It was so eerie she nearly thought of ghosts before she realized that Clark had gone in that direction. A moment later a second one did the same thing, going from visible to gone faster than she could really track in the dark.
The last man let out a scared squeak and ran away from the carriage and the fire, toward her after a fashion, even if it wasn't perfectly in line with where she was. Without pausing to think, she threw the rock in her hand as the man got close, not standing up to do it, which made it more of a hard toss than a good powerful blow. He screamed when it bumped him anyway.
"God! Help!"
Then she stood, holding her right hand like she held something, which she didn't, not able to find a second rock yet.
"Get on the ground and place your hands over your head. That's all the help I can give you right now. Do it or the thing following you will kill you!" Pran waited, ready to... run away actually. Or maybe fight, but if it was possible she decided to avoid that one. After all, she didn't really know how, so it made sense to not try until someone showed her a trick or two.
"Quick, he's coming closer, I can hear him. I can try and beg for your life, but... Hurry !" Its urgency was so great that she nearly believed it herself. That was what good acting was about after all. The man in front of her, thankfully, seemed to think so as well.
"God." It was whispered this time, not screamed. He went to the ground, a set of muffled grunts as he went to his stomach.
Then all was silent for a while, too long maybe. Just as the man made a noise like he might try to get up and run, Pran found a second rock and worked to dig it out, speaking slowly as she did.
"Careful... don't make too much noise. He'll hear you. We do not want that."
That earned her another few minutes, which meant that the man was still on his belly when Clark finally came over, just appearing alongside the fellow somehow.
"Good. Caught two in one night." In a few very deft moves that didn't seem like movement at all, the man on the ground was restrained.
"Now, please tell me where the Judge and the Guardian are. You have one half minute to do this. I don't have time to play. My charge is gone and that does not make me happy. Tell me what happened to her. Now."
The man on the ground laughed, a half panicked sound that didn't make sense.
"Or what, you'll kill me? I'm ready to die. You took my brother. You had no right."
Pran walked forward herself, but stayed a good ten feet back.
"Wait, who's your brother?" She had a feeling that it wasn't going to be Paul the wagon driver.
"Yarl. Some trumped up claim he raped some bitch in town. We stole the carriage from in front of the Doctor's house and came here to get him back. You have no right. He's a good man."
"What?" Pran knew she shouldn't speak, but her nerves were too far gone to care about what was right anymore. At least for the time being.
"We caught a man in the act of raping the woman. Beating her at the same time... That isn't what a good person does. I'm also pretty sure that trying to break him out is also a bad idea. Shouldn't you have waited for morning, and, oh, I don't know, gone to the trial and tried to find out what actually happened first?"
The response wasn't what she expected, which was a reprimand from Clark for running her mouth. Instead it was just cursing from the man on the ground.
"Well, we should get these men in a cell then and go back into town to pick up the others. Can you drive a wagon or carriage?"
"No. I've never
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