Youre complaining? the leader shot back. The things youve done with boys as well?

Erin stood there, waiting. The fear was still there, and it had grown into a monstrous thing, a bear-sized thing that threatened to crush her into immobility. She shouldnt have come here. This wasnt a training bout, and she had never truly fought anyone before. She was just a young woman who was about to be killed, or worse…

No. Erin thought about that, thought about the woman from the village, and she forced the fear down, under the anger.

If you want to make this easy on yourself, youll hand over everything you have. The horse, your valuables, everything.

And take off those clothes, the other whod spoken said. It will save us getting blood on them.

Erin swallowed, thinking about what that might mean. No.

Well then, the leader said. Looks like we do this the hard way.

The one with the long knife came at Erin first, grabbing for her and slashing with it at her body. Erin broke the grip, but the blade slid through her clothing as easily as it might have through a milkmaids butter. The mans leer of triumph quickly turned to shock as the blade stopped, caught with the sound of metal on metal.

Taking off a coat of mail is hard work, Erin said.

She struck out with her staff, smashing the man in the face with the haft, causing him to stagger back. The leader came at her with his hatchet and, bringing her weapon across, she knocked it to one side. She struck out with the end, jabbing it into the mans throat so that he gurgled and stumbled away.

Bitch! the knifeman said.

Now Erin twisted the staff, drawing off the end to reveal the long blade beneath that ran almost half its length. The dappled light of the forest shone darkly from it. In the weird, calm space that followed, she spoke. No point in disguising anything now.

When I was young, my mother made me take sewing lessons, but the woman who taught us was nearly blind, and Nerra, my sister, used to cover for me while I ran out and fought the boys with sticks. When my mother found out, she was angry, but my father said that I might as well learn properly, and he was the king, so…

Your fathers the king? the leader said. Fear crossed his face, closely followed by greed. If they catch us, theyll kill us, but they would have done that anyway, and the ransom well get for someone like you…

Probably they would pay it. Although, given what Erin had overheard and the amount theyd been prepared to pay to get rid of her…