Ambush in the Forest

It is the hour of deepest night and, in a clearing surrounded by trees, an older, broad woman stands. Her hands are on her hips and the moon illuminates a slight frown on her face. An observant watcher might note that there is some rustling, some movement by the trees.

An observant and wary watcher there is indeed - and he's been around for hours, waiting quietly. Even almost dozing to pass the time. But some stirring brings the resting man alert.

Very carefully, Rhifaroth gets to his feet, his long bow already strung and ready to use. He's a bit off of the path and admid a dip in the land where a rocky creekbed would be in wetter, warmer weather. A dusting of snow has covered his cloak and hood.

Not yet certain if he had heard horse's hooves, the Dunadan looks carefully into the dimness around himself and towards the main route leading into quiet, sleeping Staddle. Is that a form standing there, waiting?

The sounds of an approaching horse can now be heard coming toward the clearing, the horse moving at a carefully paced walk. In between the trees, the moonlight might offer glimpses of a hooded figure riding, the rider on the small side. But just before they enter the clearing, the sounds of the horse stop, the rider possibly dismounting and leaving the horse somewhere off the path to graze.

Cautiously, Cordelia steps into the clearing.

"Are you there?" the rusty grating voice says as the woman stands in the clearing.

"Yes ma'am," comes the young woman's answer. Cordelia moves into the clearing, walking toward the voice, but slowly. "I wanted to talk to you about the dwarf. And what happened. And why."

Moving very carefully so that he can get closer to where he can hear and see better, Rhifaroth uses great caution and slow, patient movements with pauses. A hand carefully skims his hood back so as to clear his peripheral vision to any movement he might otherwise not detect to his sides.

When he judges that he is close enough to the clearing, but still within the trees, he comes to a stop and stands very quietly and very still. There isn't a lot of cover, but for the bare trees, low growing leafless scrub, and the darkness of night.

Long bow held in his left hand, the Dunadan's right hand has come to rest on the hilt of his long sword, ready to draw and move forward. But not yet. First he will listen for a bit and see if anyone else comes forth from the woods to join this older woman.

While the trees are bare, still a few men attempt to hide behind them. One fingers the hilt of a dagger as he leans against the tree.

Cordelia's cloak is open to the wind, the dagger at her belt openly worn tonight. "Treasure, yes, but not _the_ treasure that they spoke of. And your minions attacked me. On your order. I want to know why, Tamara." That could almost be a threat, but the woman is young and her voice can't hold much threat.

Listening, Cordelia's partner in this meeting remains where he has stopped. He is not yet aware that there is another man about.

Rhifaroth's eyes are well adjusted to the dimness as he watches the two women and listens for other sounds of movement in the forest around them.

Behind the man with the bow, behind another tree, the outline of a broad man with a club might be visible.

"Oh, be reasonable, Cordelia. Did you want your cover to be blown? This way it was not. This was the reason I gave the order. Does this not make sense to you?"� "You sent him _back_ to kill me again."

Cordelia hisses her words, angry. "The first attack nearly killed me as it is and _then_ you sent him back again. Don't tell me that was to just make sure my cover wasn't blown. I'm not stupid, Tamara."

"And yet you still live. Do you not think that if I wished you dead, you would not still be walking?" the told woman says, her voice even more grating than usual. "I was trained well. My targets stay dead."

No one else seems to be eager to step out into the darkness to try and nab Cordelia. So the man has been waiting. If Tamara is here alone, then he can take her. If she has help, he still might be able to but doesn't want to blunder in over his head. If there is too much help, then the best he can hope for is to get Cordelia back to the horse and out of there.

So, Rhifaroth is not being hasty. He is listening, watching, trying to decide what is going on here.

"Your entry? What do you have for me, Cordelia?" the woman's harsh voice gets a bit smoother as she talks. There is a faint hand gesture and the two thugs step out just enough to become visible in the moonlight.

Two men step out, and a third yet hidden in the trees. This is not good. Rhifaroth -might- be able to handle two thugs. Especially if Cordelia could keep Tamara occupied. But he doesn't know there are three and that makes the odds of getting out of this without serious harm much more difficult.

But there's no helping it. It is looking like a trap to get Cordelia. And possibly him, if they knew he was coming.

There is a piercing, sharp whistle from the trees near to Cordelia. Elfaron's head comes up and the horse at once turns and trots up as trained. The Dunadan draws his long blade and starts to move from the trees, "Cordy, take the horse and go!" It's a command, not a request.

"They won't hurt you, Cordelia. They were just here in case well..." Tamara smiles as the third man comes into view and the man comes towards her as her thugs move closer. "In case you brought someone I needed to take care of. How very naughty of you. I suspect I shall have to let the spymaster hear about this. Tell him to go."

Cordelia whirls around at the shout from Rhifaroth, rapidly taking in the man, his sword and the stallion. "I brought him!" she shouts at Tamara, pointing toward Rhifaroth. "He's my entry!"

Still, she's no fool and she's not about to stick around to see if Tamara believes her--as convincing as her shout might be. A second's hesitation, and then she is running full out to Elfaron, one leg up on the stirrup to try to mount the horse--made more difficult by her recently broken arm still.

"Let her go," Tamara says, a gesture and the gravelly words holding off the thugs. "Let's focus on him."

Long bow still in his left hand, long sword held ready in his right, Rhifaroth moves rapidly forward straight for the heavy set Tamara. If nothing else, before he makes any attempt to fight or escape, the man might end it here and now if he can kill Tamara!

With a direct assault, grey eyes intent upon the woman, the length of cold steel thrusts for the contact woman's heart with deadly intent...

The man's approach has given Tamara enough time to draw a sword of her own. She jumps back a bit from the man, but she is not particularly adept with a sword and the man's sword hits her arm, wounding her and drawing blood.

The thugs move closer. "I will take care of him," she says, panting, her voice gravelly. "Let me."

With noone hindering her, Cordelia is free to mount the horse and draw her dagger. But that's the only part of Rhifaroth's order that she follows. Instead of turning Elfaron back toward Bree, she turns the stallion into the fight. She is a decent rider, though she hasn't ridden a horse into battle--but she knows that this horse is meant for battle and so she sets him to try to charge Tamara's thugs, without quite knowing what or how to do it.

Even as Tamara pants out her last words, Rhifaroth lunges for the woman again - without waiting. In the dimness, it is his LEFT arm that reaches out to strike - with the long bow whipping out at Tamara's face! It is meant for a distraction, for the long sword comes in from low, thrusting upwards for the woman's belly as the tall man moves to close in. Some of his attention is upon the woman's own blade should he need to try and block with his bow.

The thugs are distracted by Cordelia on the horse and they lash out at the horse’s leg and the woman's stirrups.

The long bow smacks Tamara in the face. She swings out wildly with her sword as she's attacked and while the smack makes her stumble back a bit, Rhifaroth's sword still hits her, tearing her clothes and scratching her belly.

A dagger of one of the thugs skitters across the horse's flank, but the horse rears and kicks--likely to kick the thug in the head if the man doesn't watch out. Cordelia pulls the horse around sharply sideways when she can, trying to circle again and race toward the men to drive them off and back, away from the other fight.

The thug with the club focuses on Cordelia, leering. "Now, now liitle girl. Keep that horse under control." The one with the dagger leans so far back to avoid the hooves that he lands on his behind.

Tamara's wild swing in the dark catches cloak and studded leather jerkin - cloth and leather for certain of the man's uppper left arm and chest. But it wasn't a very solid hit and there is no telling in the darkness whether it bit into flesh or not.

The tattooed and scarred man doesn't dare hesitate for even an instant. He is in close now and almost too close to use his blade effectively. The long sword is dropped to face the tip downwards and the pommel brought up hard from down between them - a blow with the hard, blunt steel intended for the woman's underjaw. If it connects, it could break her jaw or stun her senseless!

Briefly, the long bow tangles with Tamara's own blade, perhaps momentarily fouling both in a tangle of wood, flax string, and steel. The pair are so close they surely can smell each other's sweat and even in this darkness, make eye contact easily.

The horse is not under control--or rather, Cordelia is letting him have his head. The fallen thug is ignored as she focuses on the thug with the club, some 800 pounds of horse flesh now pounding right for the man.

Rhifaroth says, "More like 1,200 lbs of horse. He's warmblood. :>"

Rhifaroth says, "1100 anyway :P"

The thug runs the opposite direction diagonally, trying to get away from the horse, his club held out defensively.

And the blow connects, breaking Tamara's jaw and leaving her crumpled on the ground.

The instant that the Dunadan sees that his hit is good and Tamara starts to fall, he shifts his weight and brings his blade's tip around to place it against the base of the prone woman's throat. Rhifaroth raises his head and glances about rapidly, raising his voice into a shout, "Give up! Your employer is down! Flee for your lives or she dies, and you are next!"

At the shout Cordelia reins Elfaron in, watching to see if the thugs flee--and looking also to see if there are other threats waiting for them in the woods.

The thug with the dagger has scrabbled to his feet and beguns to run away. The one with the club begins to back away but he is laughing. "You win this time, but next time, next time Cordelia, we will get you too.." and with that, the thug flees.

The man's threat to Cordelia, the thug with the club, isn't exactly reassuring. That hardly sounds like the words of a common, local, hired nobody. Rhifaroth frowns, considering going after the man - but already they are fading into the trees and it is dark. There are two of them and only one of him. And there is this woman to take care of...

A quick look to Cordelia, "Bring Elfaron over. I'll have to get her up and bind her. Then we can take her to the Breeguard in town." A moment, trying to look over both horse and young woman in the dimness, "Are you all right?"

The third man also melts into the background leaving the two of them alone with Tamara. The woman is crumpled on the ground, barely breathing.

"I'm all right. You?" Cordelia answers, her voice shaky now that the fight is over. She rides the horse over quickly and then slips out of the saddle. "I think Elfaron got hit in there somewhere, though. But he seems unhurt."

Yes, there is blood on the grey's pale flank. Rhifaroth makes a thin line of his mouth, not caring for that... but these things happen. He sheathes his long blade and removes the string from his bow. Taking up both of Tamara's hands, he quickly binds her wrists. Not so firmly as to cut off the blood flow, but snug enough. And flax string is made from linen so it is not going to stretch and loosen even in dampness.

"I'm fine." There is a spot of blood on his upper left arm in the darkness against his light colored shirt, but he pays it no mind as he bends to lift the prone woman's torso for her to sit up.

Getting his shoulder down in low, Rhifaroth bares his teeth and makes a great heave to lift up the large woman and get Tamara up... then he ducks in lower and hefts her over his shoulder! There is no doubt that the man called Seeker is strong to be able to lift Tamara. In a moment, the woman is roughly being shoved up to lay over the saddle, "Help me. Pull her over towards your side."

With a nod, Cordelia hurries to the other side of the horse and reaches with her right arm to try to pull Tamara over. She's certainly not as strong as the Dunadan, but manages something.

Shoved ignorably across the horse, the unconscious lady breathes shallowly.

It is too dark here to try and search the woman now for hidden weapons, poison, or anything else. Seeker comes around to Cordelia's side and takes off his belt - the one that holds his pants, not his blade. This he puts through the woman's bound wrists and then through the connecter between the front and back cinches on the saddle, tightening it up so that Tamara won't shift and fall from the saddle and onto her feet while the horse is moving, "Do you have anything to bind her feet to the other side? Even a bit of cloth? Don't want her falling off when we ascend Bree Hill."

"I..." the young woman starts, then stops. She pushes her cloak off her shoulders and then slips her sling over her head, handing it to the ranger. "Gonna come off in a few days anyhow. Might as well do it now." She stands and watches, pale.

The woman's legs are secured using the sling, "Good, I don't wish for her to come to anymore harm. She'll need to recover for questioning." And a stern look to Cordelia, "Let's go and take her back before her thugs get brave and try a second assault."

Taking Elfaron's reins, the archer picks up his bow and starts to lead the horse back towards Bree, "You did very well tonight, Cordelia." A bit of a smile for the young woman, "Very well, thank you."