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.She wished she hadn't.It wasn't that he did anything to offend her, nor even gazed at herlasciviously.That was the trouble that he did not.He sat there as though he hadnot even noticed her, gazing off into space.Finally, exasperated, she rose with a stamp of her feet and marched away, aroundbehind him, and stood with her arms folded and her back to the men.She wouldnot violate her word of honor; she would not signal her bandits to come and bearher away; but she knew that, by her posture and attitude, they would infer that sheno longer wished the company of Geoffrey Gallowglass.Of course, that was anything but true.Still, he was obviously not interestedenough.If he were, he would have followed where she led, not the other wayaround.Minerva and Jory took the signal, sure enough.In minutes, dark forms bearingsteel and staves had surrounded the campfire.Quicksilver looked up to findherself facing Minerva."Do them no lasting hurt," she breathed.Minerva turned to look at Gregory with contempt."A fine sentry is he, to sleepwhile he wakes!" She looked up at Jory and nodded.The outlaws moved silently toward the two brothers.Cudgels swung up andsmashed down.And jarred to a halt.They didn't bounce, as though off an invisible shield; they slowed abruptly, thenstuck fast, as though in a mire of tar.Minerva and Jory both pulled back on theirweapons, but they would not come.They tugged harder, but both cudgelsresisted.Finally, in exasperation and almost in unison, they dropped their sticksand whipped out their swords."No!" Quicksilver cried, but too late the blades were already flashing down.And sticking.Tight.Not as though in tar, but as though they had chopped into avery hard wood, and would not now come loose again.Minerva and Jory tuggedas hard as they could, threw all their weight against their hilts, but they would notcome loose.aaTTnnssFFffooDDrrPPmmYYeeYYrrBB22.BBAAClick here to buyClick here to buywwmmwwoowwcc.AAYYBBYYBB r rThe bandits muttered with superstitious fear, but they raised their weapons."You must not harm them!" Quicksilver hissed.Finally, Gregory looked up fromhis trance."Do not fear, maiden.They cannot hurt us."Total shocked silence fell on the band; even Minerva and Jory froze."You have known all along what they did?" In her shock and, yes, fright,Quicksilver almost forgot to whisper."I have though it was not worth breaking my stream of thought.Your ownanguish, though, is.""My anguish? What know you of my anguish?" Then Quicksilver, glad to feeloutrage, demanded, "And how can you be sure I am a maiden?""Why, it is evident," Gregory told her."Evident! By what signs?"Gregory shrugged, with a trace of irritation."Too many to mention, too numerousto even register consciously.Like will to like.It takes one to know one.Whatmore need you know?"She stared at him, speechless.So did the rest of her band, men and women alike;they had never heard a male openly and willingly acknowledge the fact that he wasa virgin not unless he was a priest."Go back to your camp, now." Gregory turned slowly, taking in the entire band ash%4 spoke."You shall not prevail, for I shall not sleep, and while I am awake,your weapons shall not strike.I would not have you lose your rest to no purpose."He was so confoundedly gentle about it! So gentle, and so polite!"We shall not go without our chief," Minerva said nervously.Gregory turned to give Quicksilver a searching, and very thorough, look.It madeher skin writhe, for there was no admiration in it, nor even interest just aone-second examination to determine her state of existence."She is not chained,nor do I hold her caged," Gregory said, then to Quicksilver, "What holds you?""My word," she said.Gregory just gazed into her eyes a minute, with that look that seemed to see farmore and far less than it should.Then he nodded."Then you are bound far moretightly than any shackle could hold you.I can do nothing thereby.""Then we must steal her away!" Minerva insisted.Gregory considered thestatement, then shook his head."Geoffrey would not wish it.""Oh, would he not!" Minerva said angrily, and aloud.She ignored Quicksilver'sfrantic shushing motions and stepped up to seize her chief around the waist, to liftup.aaTTnnssFFffooDDrrPPmmYYeeYYrrBB22.BBAAClick here to buyClick here to buywwmmwwoowwcc.AAYYBBYYBB r rQuicksilver stuck fast.Jory saw and came running to throw his arms about his sister, too, and helppull.A dozen more of the bandits crowded around, male and female both, tuggingfrantically.Quicksilver bit her lip against a cry of pain.But Gregory heard her mind and said, not loudly, but with a voice everyone heardright next to his or her own ear, "Desist.You are hurting her."They dropped Quicksilver as though she were a hot rock and leaped back."Lether go!" Minerva said angrily."No," Geoffrey said simply.Enraged, Minerva spun away, seized a battle-axe from another bodyguard, andswung it down at Gregory's head."No!" Quicksilver screamed."No indeed," Gregory agreed, looking up at the whetted edge that was stuck fast inmid-air eighteen inches from his face.Behind it, Minerva struggled to pull it free,cursing furiously, red in the face."We have come back to where we began," Gregory said."It is fruitless.Go away.""Fruitless indeed!" Quicksilver snapped at him."How many men would it take toovercome you? A hundred? A thousand?""Too many," Geoffrey said."They could not all come at him at once, and I wouldchop them down from behind." Quicksilver whirled.He was leaning up on oneelbow, smiling, still under his blankets.He did not even think them enoughchallenge to get up and draw his sword!"Oh, there is no fairness in you, in any of you!" Quicksilver raged."There is nojustice, no equity, in fighting a Gallowglass, is there? For even if I should manageto work out a way to settle with one of you, the others would pile in and vanquishme utterly! No, you are unfair, unjust, you with your magic and yourthought-hearing and your skill at swords! There is no winning against aGallowglass, because Fate has endowed you with gifts denied to the rest of us! Noopponent has a chance against you, against any of you, for you will all come at usin a gang!""It is even so," Gregory said quietly."There are six of us, and we have yououtnumbered."She spun about, staring in fury but the look on his face was bland, even serious;if he had mocked her, he seemed unaware of it."I have never known him to use sarcasm," Geoffrey said, "nor to boast."Quicksilver turned her back on Gregory with a shudder."He is inhuman!""Now, that he is not!" Geoffrey was on his feet suddenly, fists clenched."He is agood man, one of the best, and he has done you no wrong save to keep you fromwronging me! Yet you have wronged him, who is the gentlest and best of boys!"aaTTnnssFFffooDDrrPPmmYYeeYYrrBB22.BBAAClick here to buyClick here to buywwmmwwoowwcc.AAYYBBYYBB r rQuicksilver stared at him, amazed at his anger.Then she spun about to Gregory,and saw the signs of hurt in his face.Even as she watched, he smoothed them out,hid them but now she knew they were there.Minerva stared, shocked.So did Jory, and all of them."It is you who havewronged him, Madam!" Geoffrey snapped
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