Part 9
The three Brigands outside on guard duty were by and large not focused on what they were doing. The plan formed would see Eroforth circle around back and take one of them and Taala would make an attempt to bring other two down with her bow.
He gave her shoulder a quick squeeze, a soldier's gesture to a comrade then loped off around to the back of the house into the leafy darkness of the woods.
As luck would have it, one of their number took a desultory walk around back, looking at the forest with disinterest, clearly bored with his nominal guard duty, yawning, he turned to walk back around front. Eroforth gave chase silently, caught up with him, covered his mouth and drew his dagger across his throat, lowering the corpse to the base of the rough fieldstone wall.
“You takin' a piss there, Dag...” Eroforth had been sighted by the second guard, who then drew his sword and advanced toward him. The third bandit with the bow had also been alerted and was making his way around.
Appraising the situation, Taala sent an arrow into the third bandit, her arrow missing it's mark and only hitting his chest thanks to a branch whipping her in her face, nontheless, it rendered him to his knees. Eroforth crossed swords with the second bandit and with a slice to the abdomen relieved him of his intestines, causing him to fall on all fours and crawl towards the door.
Taala's next shots saw the end of guard 2 and finished off guard 3, but to make absolutely certain, Eroforth plunged his sword into both of them and then after dragging the corpses out of sight, they both took up a position beside the door hopeful that the alarm had not been raised. Peering into the window Eroforth signalled 3, possibly 4 were inside and all appeared to be asleep.
It was time to go inside...the door was unlocked...
In the first room, a man lay sleeping alone, and two others tangled together on the other side of the room. The remains of their supper and a heavy drinking session were still on the table. Eroforth crept up to the lone man, kneeled behind him, covered his mouth and sliced his throat, no sound nor protest made.
In unison they cut the throats of the other two, Eroforth the man, Taala the woman. A quick search of the woman found no locket.
Making their way to the back room in the house, they found a solitary figure lying on a low twin bed. The thin blankets had fallen from her, revealing her swollen belly. Eroforth turned, holding his palm toward Taala, a raised brow, his meaning clear, his word had been given on the matter...
Taala acknowledged him,...they would do all that they could to spare the woman, neither were without honour, but the night had been long, frustrations were mounting within Taala. A look exchanged between them would make it known, Eroforth would take the lead again, he was the less emotionally involved and less inclined to kill a woman it seemed...
