Era Rutendo sat in the high branches of a tree that lined the main road through Tebron. There were great grassy plains between the major cities, and this was one of the few areas where the road cut through a forest of any size. The men who fell the trees to create this shortcut probably never realized that they were creating an ideal place for an ambush.

Era’s skin was dark in complexion, he had long greasy black hair and both a mustache and beard that looked as if they had never been trimmed. He almost always had a big toothy grin, and a couple of his teeth were of gold, to match the gold rings, earrings and chains that he wore. His clothing looked new, a dark brown simple shirt and leather pants; but they did not look clean. He waved to his men who were concealed in the thick brush that lined a section of the road almost directly below him. He made motions to let them know that their prey was drawing near and to be ready to act. As the wagon train approached, he thought to himself what a lovely day it was.

A dozen heavy wagons, pulled by two horses each, formed a train heading for Goldport in the neighboring region of Rubina. Each wagon had a driver and a security man, and there was a mounted guard on each side of each wagon. There had been an increase in highway robbery recently, and Master Trader Genia King wanted to make sure that this shipment got to port. There were finished weapons, tools, and other metal items that had been fashioned at great expense. Furs, silks, spices and even hard currency were among the items being transported. Her consortium had entrusted her to deliver the goods to market and she was sparing no expense to do so.

As they approached a forest that stretched for many miles in each direction, her suspicions told her to be on guard. Riding forward from her position at the rear of the train, she pulled up next to the commander of the security detail. He was formerly a knight; but now without a noble house to serve, he was selling his services and the services of the men he had gathered to anyone needing security. Years ago, he had sold his plate armor for money to eat, now he wore leather armor and many of his men wore no armor at all, save for a helmet and shield. It wasn’t easy; but after waving at him, she got his attention. He slowly turned and looked over to see what it was that she wanted.

“Sir Gerald, I’m a little concerned about those woods up ahead.”, Genia said in low tones to the commander. “It seems that a thick wood like that would be an ideal location for an ambush.”

“Good observation, Madam.”, he replied to her, sitting up in his saddle and looking more alert. “Yes, you could be right. I’ll send out scouts to see if the way ahead is safe.” The commander whistled loudly, catching the attention of everyone in earshot. He waved over a couple of his outriders. “Scout ahead along the road, look for signs of a possible ambush.”

“Yes, Commander.”, the closest rider called out, saluting by holding his fist to his chest. Along with another rider, they went forward at a gallop and disappeared into the woods. The wagon train crawled forward at its leisurely pace till they were at the entrance to the woods.

“It seems that your men have not yet returned. What is your recommendation Commander?”, Genia demanded.

“Well Madam, I have to weigh the risk of there being an actual risk, against your need for expediency.”, he said, trying not to give weight to either option.

“I know the choices, I’m paying you to make the right one!”, she castigated him. The Commander’s face looked troubled, he knew that the wrong choice could cost him his life, or worse yet, he might not get paid.

“Obviously, I’d feel better if the scouts had returned already; but we haven’t really given them the time to get very deep into the woods.”, the older man started sweating under Genia King’s relentless stare. “I’ve brought along many good men, I think that even if we encounter some difficulty, we should be alright.”

“Alright.”, she stated flatly. “Lead us in Commander.” With that, she turned her horse and resumed her place at the rear of the column.

Deep in the heart of the forest, where the sun had the hardest time penetrating the canopy of treetops above and it was at its darkest, is where Era sprung his trap. He dropped from his perch a dozen feet above the ground to land directly in the path of the Commander and the lead wagon. Several of his men also made their presence known, popping up from their hiding places, arrows nocked and ready to fire. He grinned widely at his intended victims, especially at the Commander who he picked out as the one in charge.

“Good Sir, where are you about on this glorious day?”, he asked brightly.

The Commander stiffened up, looking as military as he could muster, “None of your concern, brigand!”, he bellowed. There were sounds of alarm all up and down the wagon train. “I know that it’s your intention to steal our cargo; but that’s not going to happen. I’ll give you the chance to leave with your lives, and that is the best offer you’ll get today!”, he blustered.

“You really cut to the chase, eh? Ok, we can go that way.”, the highwayman put his hand to his bearded chin in a thoughtful way. “I like property, especially when its someone else’s; and yet, I have no desire to harm anyone. I have enough boys in the trees here to wipe you out; but it doesn’t need to come to that. Surrender your loot and we’ll allow you all to leave our woods, un-killed.”

The commander looked over at aide, who on seeing his master’s sign, pulled a horn from his waist and gave it three sharp blasts. Then the commander turned to Era, “A most generous offer, I’ll counter by allowing you to run to your holes in the ground, pray to the Gods for forgiveness, and forever give up your lives of crime.”, he said calmly. “If you don’t, it’s very likely that none of you will survive to tell the tale.”

There was a crashing sound that came from not too far away and was very quickly upon them. Two dozen armed outriders came crashing through the woods to surround both the wagon train and the bandits. Era was alarmed, previous wagon trains had not had anywhere near this level of protection. Being very concerned with his own wellbeing, he dove into a thicket, and was headed towards the deepest part of the forest. The bandits found themselves exposed without proper leadership, one of the archers must have tired of pulling the bowstring and let his arrow fly. The arrow caught the commander between his ribs, burying itself deep in his torso. His expression was a mix of pain and displeasure. The riders immediately went into action. The archers were cut down without mercy, they then found another dozen men hiding nearby, and with their broadswords, cut them to pieces. They emerged from the thicket and onto the road with only a few surviving bandits in tow.

Reginia came up to the front of the procession in time to see the guards helping the Commander down from his mount. Pushed down on their knees, the captive bandits looked around fearing the worst. She looked over the scene with a satisfied grimace.

“Will you live Commander?”, she asked.

“Probably, I’ve endured worse.”, he said painfully.

“Good job on hiring the extra men. I doubted your cost estimate; but you were right. I will definitely use your services again.”, she said to the commander. Then she walked over to the prisoners.

“You men.”, she addressed the prisoners. “Who’s your leader, and how did you know that we were going to be here today?”

One of the men looked up her, with tears in his eyes, “I have a wife and child, mistress. Mercy! I beg you!”

“Depending on how cooperative you are, I may see my way to being lenient with you. Again, who is your leader. Who told you that a prize target would be in your woods today?”

“Era Rutendo is the leader of our band. He came to us a few days ago and said that anyone wanting to make a fist full of coin, should meet here at dawn. We’re always here wait’in for goods ta share, so it were no problem.”

“You’ll not be sharing my goods. My partners will see how I handle business and soon, these will be my woods.”, she boasted to the highwayman.

The Commander was being helped into the back of a wagon after having a bandage applied to his wound. Looking back in irritation, he turned to his second in command. “Neville, execute these men and get this wagon train moving again.”

Reginia looked shocked at the commander, the bandit’s faces went from miserable to absolutely crushed. “Miss! I thought that you’re going ta have mercy on us, fer being helpful and all!” the same bandit as before asked of her.

Reginia’s face looked troubled, then she dug her knees into her horse rode him back to the end of the queue. She shuddered as she heard the wailing and scream, then… silence. The woods were suddenly quiet except for the rustle of leaves far above, and a far-off bird was calling.