This Novel currently consists of over 100 finished parts so I promise you will not be reading something that has no finale. Enjoy.
To Catch a Thief.
Earlier that very same evening back in Bennett's desert valley, life had changed little during the absence of the warriors. The few men remaining took their turns at the watch, and the slaves went about their daily labors. It was almost dark, the evening star appearing brightly as the last hint of rose faded into deep indigo in the west. Carlos sat up high staring out at the encroaching night, absently twisting the gold ring on his finger, and observing the quiet valley below him. He had healed fully, regaining his strength and vigor, and was impatient to be gone from this place.
For some time now Carlos had been aware of Bennett's absence from the valley, along with the majority of the men. Though he knew not the nature of Bennett's mission, and had for the few nights past, made ever more daring excursions into the camp to steal necessary supplies for his impending exodus. Carlos had done well, and all without being seen. Accumulating a good supply of food, a water canteen, a blanket, and some flint.
However his biggest risk would be undertaken this night. He would have to gain access to Bennett's cabin to get his boots, and although he did not expect it to be difficult he did not relish the prospect of going so far into the camp's interior. That accomplished, he would still have to steal a good serviceable knife. By far the most difficult task of all. Weapons were not just left lying around, requiring that he steal one from a sleeping or careless warrior. Understandably he was nervous about this.
He did not know when Bennett and his minions would return, however he was eager to be long gone before they did. Pushing his lengthy raven hair back over his shoulder he got to his feet, and hitching up his baggy army greens that hung loosely on his slender hips he went back to the interior of the cave. Selene cast her glare of mistrust his way as he entered, looking up from her work of gutting a rabbit through her mane of tangled dark hair. Carlos noting her hand was never far from her poisonous little bone weapon, and he had no desire to feel its bite again.
Since committing his impulsive act, which he now regretted, Selene's demeanor had changed toward him markedly, and Carlos was confused why she had elected to return and stay with him since that fateful night. Still he mused there was much he did not understand about his wild companion's motives.
He gave her a wide berth and went toward the stone ringed hearth in which the fire had burned low to embers, and squatted down removing his shirt, retrieving the coolest of the coals from its edges rubbing their blackness on to his skin. The soot made the perfect night camouflage, and he had little doubt he would need it and all the stealth he possessed to accomplish the task at hand.
Pig lay in his filthy crumpled furs close to the brightly blazing fire, one hand gripping a grimy tankard of alcohol and the other roughly kneading Sarah's exposed breasts. The vulnerable woman cried in pain at his not too gentle caress. The sweaty, dirty man cruelly persisted, oblivious to her discomfort and revulsion at his touch. Dwayne, lean and dark, sat close by, engaged in similar sport with Kate, he too partaking of the alcohol and plentiful food.
Bennett's lengthy absence had benefited them both, and they were wasting no time living it up to the full, as underlings often do when left in charge. Although Pig only possessed one eye, he was far from blind, and missed little being the opportunist he was, and he had noticed that during the last few nights that things had gone missing around the camp. Little things at first, a few items of clothing, some stores and such, and at first he had suspected it to be the work of the slaves.
He had enjoyed searching them, and their quarters thoroughly, and even more so pressuring them for a confession of guilt with his dreaded whip. Though he located none of the missing items.
Despite this he was still not satisfied, and the past two nights he had incarcerated all the slaves, except for Kate and Sarah in the cattle truck's cage. Yet each morning there had been thefts, and none of the men, even those on watch had sighted the perpetrator. Pig his force numbering few, was disturbed by this greatly, and even more concerned when Dwayne found the tracks yesterday morning. Bare footprints, too large and deep to be anything other than a man's, leading away up into the cliffs.
"It's not that feral little bitch then, or those troublesome cubs?" Pig stated, shaking his head, his stubby dirty hand scratching at his patchy, ragged beard, as he knelt down to peer with his one good eye more closely at the tracks in the sand.
"No way," answered Dwayne confidently. "That's a man."
"Perhaps she's in season, and has a mate?" Pig lewdly volunteered, always steering any conversation toward a sexual scenario. Dwayne laughed maniacally at Pig's suggestion, sounding like a cackling hyena.
"I'd like to catch her, she'd be a wild ride." Dwayne added, drooling at the thought, as he and Pig had often tried to capture the elusive Selene on many occasions before, always without result.
So as evening drew in the two of them sat in the cave waiting for the onset of darkness, sating their inexhaustible appetites for drink, food, and sex. All the while deliberating and congratulating one another over their cunning scheme to trap the unknown thief, this night.
It was dark now, the cold had crept in making him shiver, and Carlos felt he had waited long enough in the deep recesses of the rocky overhang, studying the activity within the camp. There was no one in sight, all was quiet and seemed normal, the only sign of life the faint glowing flicker of the fire burning deep within the great cave.
Cautiously he left his vantage point, taking great care to stay in the shadows of the ring of low scrub and brush that circled much of the encampment. He stayed to the east beyond the dump working his way in a wide arc in order to approach Bennett's cabin from behind. His progress was patient and slow, as he frequently stopped from time to time to listen, checking he had not been spotted by the watchers posted above, or overheard.
A large hare suddenly startled left the underbrush, Carlos hit the ground and froze, sure that anyone nearby could hear his heart thumping in his breast, as he fought to bring his edginess under control. Finally up ahead he could see his intended target, the black rectangular outline of Bennett's abode, with the door slightly ajar. On seeing this Carlos breathed a sigh of relief, surely within he was likely to get both of the items he sought.
He edged forward, ever careful on the tinder dry carpet of leaves and twigs not to make a sound. His every sense straining for the presence of a threat as he inched by slow degrees toward the hut. That was when his toes collided with something hard and uneven buried beneath the leaf litter, something that didn't feel quite right...
A split second later he was on his knees engulfed in searing pain, an involuntary cry escaping his lips as he clawed at his right foot frantically trying to make sense of what had happened to cause such sudden agony. His wild thrashing setting off the rest of the rabbit traps planted closely together on the path, their rusty metal teeth concealed beneath the leaves. His fingers in the inky dark desperately seeking to open the jaws of the trap, followed by movement behind him, and a solid blow to the head, sending him into a pit of darkness.
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