Chapter 4

Terrified? Anxious? Excellent. Now you have an inkling of what life has been like under this prophecy. I see the trio are frightened for you. I believe I shall enjoy watching them writhe with worry. I shan't make a move... yet. But this situation may yet need a royal touch, shall we say?

*******

"I can't watch!" Agatha's clucking took on a hysterical tone. Her arms flew wildly about.

Without taking her eyes off the girl, Cece poked Remy in the ribs while whispering, "Do something."

Remy glanced over at Agatha and saw that she had leaned her wooden chair back onto two legs. With a quick sweep of her leg, Remy tilted the chair back onto one leg amidst cries of "OH! OH! OH!" from Agatha, kicked and swung the chair around until it faced away from the field. Then with her foot, she caught the seat of the chair before it fell too far back, and set the chair back down on four feet. "There, Agatha, don't watch."

"Remy, she's in real trouble down there. Damnit, that blow got in!" Cece wrung her hands in frustration. "What are the rules again? Can we stop this carnage?"

"Forget the rules!" Agatha, though heavy for her size, lept over the dais landing on three townsfolk. "Thank you boys." and she got up, brushing herself off. Striding purposefully between the crowds, she got to the fence seperating the field from the throng and turned back with a challengeful look. "Coming girls?"

Above on the dais, the other two shrugged and hopped down into the crowds. Amidst angry shouts from both the slavers and crowd, they shouldered their way to the front when three slavers barred their prorgress.

"A hand, Cece?" Remy was looking past the barrier of slavers.

Cece held out her hand, "Sure, Remy." Remy slipped the end of her always nearby whip into Cece's open palm. Grabbing it, Cece said, "How about two?" and she clasped both hands together in front of her to form a bridge.

Springing onto the clasped hands, Remy used it to propel herself over the heads of the astonished slavers. With a big jerk on the handle of the whip, she yelled out to the slavers, "Behind you!" All three whipped around to see Cece leaping at their heads, and all three ducked. Cece sailed over them with ease following the whip.

"Works every time!" Remy shouted as they sprinted after the huffing Agatha. "Amazing, the human psyche." agreed Cece.

Astonished kids stood still on the field. Slavers screeched at them to stop. Townsfolk murmured in the stands. Agatha reached the far corner, where the girl was still fending off two attackers while laying across what looked like an unconscious child. Apparently, none of the three noticed the intrusion.

"Halt!" Agatha spoke in a clear voice that carried throughout the field and into the stands. The two attackers stopped in mid-blow, then turned around looking at her with bewilderment. She merely asked them to stand aside.

The girl had her back to the unconscious boy on the ground. She leaned back on him and was apparently using her feet to fend off the attackers as well as an almost broken through board. Agatha did a quick assessment. Bleeding from the head, side, thigh and shoulder. Perhaps a broken bone or three from the way she was wincing. Behind her, she could hear the other two catching up with the head slaver not far behind.

"What In Srygo's name do you three think you're doing? You know how much copper I'll lose?" The head slaver was poking at Remy's chest hard, spraying spit all over her face. Without a word, Remy grabbed his hand, bent the finger back and twisted his arm arournd until he was kneeling on the ground.

Agatha knelt down, gently saying to the hurt and scared girl, "It's over now. We're taking you with us." She expected thanks, tears, bewilderment, but not this. The girl was shaking her head vehemently. "No. Tiny goes."

Cece's voice floated over Agatha's head, "Is that Tiny behind you?" and the girl nodded. "The rules say that a school can only take one. You understand that, right?" and the girl nodded, though her shoulders slumped.

Remy whispered in Cece's ear. "You know we all want the girl. She's perfect for us. She uses her head, she's got heart, and she's a fighter." A firm nod told Remy Cece agreed.

Cece leaned over to the yowling man. "Sir, what would make it worth your while for us to take both?" and she beamed a reconciliary smile. A nod of her head and Remy released the man. Cece threw an arm around the shorter man and walked off with him discussing terms.

"There," Agatha said softly to the girl, holding her hand out for the board that was still held firmly in front. "I need to see to your friend. Make sure he's nod badly hurt. I'm a healer." Agatha was relieved to see the girl hand her board over to Remy and move aside just enough to allow Agatha a better view.

Remy beckoned the girl over. "C'mere and let's take a look at what kind of trouble we've gotten ourselves into." A wry smile apparently comforted the child enough that she did come forth. "Bet that hurt." Remy pointed to the wound on the girl's side, aware that any movement towards the girl might send her off. The girl nodded, then glanced behind her to see what Agatha was doing.

Agatha was hunched over the boy, tenderly lifting up his head to see what was causing the blowflood. A large gash near the back plus a lump was oozing. She tore at her sleeve with her teeth and then pulled apart the tear to use as a bandange around the boy's head.

"And she wonders why she doesn't have nice clothes," smirked Remy. She got up to look around some of the fallen, quickly determining all of the rest were dead. Coming upon the boy with the board sticking out of his temple, she grimaced at the memory of the stricken look on the child's face when it happened. She looked back; the girl's gaze had followed her movements and she saw whom Remy was standing over. Partially wondering if she should go comfort the child, Remy turned and walked over to see the two attackers.

Cece finished her negotiations and strode back to the corner. Looking about, she saw Remy talking with two remaining slaves. Agatha was lifting the boy into her arms and the girl? Where was the girl? She finally spotted the girl hunched over a corpse. As she approached, she saw the girl take off her sackcloth covering and lay it on top of the corpse. Cece nodded in approval.

Agatha panted under the weight of the boy but she kept a firm grip. She had the absolute confidence that Cece had managed to somehow procure both children. Clucking, she went over the girl and knelt down beside the child. "He's going to be fine. Just a bad cut and bump on the head. He'll sleep for a while. Okay, this is what I want you to do. See that thread from my sleeve? Tug on it gently. Don't tug the wrong one or I'll be showing these people much more than they paid for." A giggle followed and relief drenched Agatha. Good, the child wasn't in shock - yet. "Okay, now pull off my sleeve and wrap it around yourself. We don't need runny noses on this trip."

After Remy left the attackers, she headed right for Agatha and took the boy from her, knowing that Agatha wouldn't last with the burden. She glanced over at Cece's approached and asked, "Well?"

Cece thought her grin would suffice but Remy jabbed her with an elbow.

"Remy's right. Details. What did you give them?" A cluck followed.

"Oh, just a couple of things. We bought the boy. Woodruff is his name but everyone calls him Tiny. We awarded the scholarship to this bleeding child. Her moniker is Tristan." Cece ignored their smirks at the term "moniker". "Plus, we promised never to grace their grusome presence again..." She paused.

"AND?" The other two squawked together and Agatha's arms flailed about, causing Remy to regret taking the boy from her hands.

"And, happy birthday, dear Agatha. I know it's a couple weeks early, but I couldn't resist." Suitably satisfied by the confusion on both their faces, she continued. "I told him in reparations for any financial burdens he may have received from our intrusion, I told him we'd heal any slaves he sent our way, for the next two years."

"Eeeee! Thank you!" Agatha flung herself at Cece ruffling Cece's carefully coifed hair. Remy nodded at Tristan and the two walked off the field amidst cries of "How did you know that's what I wanted?"

As Agatha and Cece followed, she turned back to the remaining children, scanned to make sure the ones remaining weren't ones she'd cry over, then gestured to them, saying "Go on. Continue." and she stalked off.