The Staff of Ramah
***
In the home of Seafas, Jirah and Rose were enjoying each a warm mug of cider that the kind man had prepared.
“You two relax in here fer a bit,” Seafas said, sending the ladies a warm smile, “I am going to bring some drink out fer Logan too eh.” As the door closed behind him, Rose winked at Jirah and took the opportunity to tease her a bit.
“Seafas seems like a very kind man,” she said, winking very deliberately to her sister.
“Yes he does Rose,” Jirah responded, furrowing her brow in suspicion. “What exactly are you getting at?”
“I think he likes you my dear,” Rose said firmly. “You have many of the qualities that single men find attractive.”
“I really doubt that Rose,” Jirah said, blushing slightly. “Besides, I have too much on my plate at the moment to think about romance.”
“Don’t sell yourself short Jirah,” Rose said with almost a scolding tone. “I just meant that you should not be surprised if single guys find you attractive, that’s all.”
Jirah laughed nervously and smiled her crooked grin before answering Rose, “I have enough to worry about with keeping you alive, thank you very much.”
No more was said on the subject as Seafas entered the house once again. He was a fairly quiet man, so very little of import was said between the three of them. He had a few questions for both the ladies but all of it was small talk.
The casual conversation was cut short by the sudden appearance of Logan bursting through the door with a worried look on his face.
“Jirah, I need you outside. Bring your bow.”
Everyone got up quickly, went outside and Seafas grabbed a large club that was hanging near the doorway as he went.
Logan was gesturing to them with a single finger up to his mouth warning them to keep quiet as they followed.
“I have discovered that we may have some hostile visitors arriving very soon,” Logan said in a low voice.
“Is it another triad?” Jirah asked. “How many of the three have you spotted?”
“I spotted two over that little hill,” Logan said pointing to a knoll that was just out of Jirah’s bow range.
“Rose, you should get in the house maybe. Seafas, you go with her and keep watch please.”
“If this is another triad, then there is still one other assassin out there somewhere,” Jirah warned the fisherman. Don’t let your guard down.”
“Understood,” Seafas said. “I got it covered.”
Rose moved quickly into the small fishing house with her new friend close behind.
“How should we do this sister?” Logan asked the huntress who already had an arrow notched in her long bow.
“I would think that you should not go crashing over there, first of all,” Jirah said to the armour clad knight. “They will know that they are no match for you in hand to hand combat and will just run away.”
“We do not want them dogging us for the rest of the journey so that is not an option,” Logan agreed. “We need to finish this now.”
“Maybe just stay here for now and let them see you,” Jirah suggested. “If you act like a clueless brute, they should keep trying to sneak in close.”
“Not too hard for me Jirah,” Logan said. “I am rather thick sometimes.”
Jirah rolled her eyes at the big man’s attempt at humour before responding, “I will hide just to the sea side of that small boat house and wait for them to come into bow range.”
Logan was more than a little impressed at Jirah’s ability to move along the shadows and stay out of sight. She was quickly hidden from the assassins view and the big knight began to pace in front of the house, hoping to draw their attention. He even sang an old battle hymn in a deep voice, doing his best to pretend that he was oblivious to the approaching threat. Jirah, still hidden from the attackers view, gestured for Logan to walk around the house. Quickly catching on to the sly woman’s plan, Logan continued with his singing and made his way around the house. This process continued for a few minutes. Jirah kept a sharp eye open and each time Logan rounded the house, the silent killers would move in a little closer.
Jirah’s first shot was a remarkable one. With a sharp twang, the arrow struck the closest man right in the neck and he went down with a grotesque gurgle sound coming from his gaping mouth. Seeing that his comrade had fallen, the remaining attacker moved swiftly towards the house. Jirah already had another arrow at the ready to down the man but he was moving too low to the ground to get a good kill shot. The stealthy killer was obviously making an attempt to get the jump on Logan, but the big man already had his twin blades at the ready when he rounded the house one final time. With a great heave, the skilful knight threw one of his swords and it struck the stunned man square in the chest. In a cry of painful dismay, the assassin fell backward at the front door of the house and Jirah relaxed her tense bow, seeing that Logan had finished the job rather quickly.
“I will go in and check on Rose,” the knight said, moving to pull his weapon from the would-be murderer’s dead body. “Keep an eye out for the third assassin.”
“I’m already on it brother,” Jirah said walking towards the house. “That was an amazing throw by the way.”
Logan just shrugged at the compliment as if it was nothing special and was about to respond in kind with a compliment to Jirah on her shooting skill when the third killer make his location known. A black robed figure leapt from the entrance to the boat house that Jirah had been using as a hiding spot and threw a dagger so swiftly that the huntress had no time to even notch an arrow.
Logan wasted little time in responding and deftly threw his remaining sword, striking the moving man in the stomach. Jirah was crying out in pain as the knight moved in to finish the kill by shoving his sword farther into the killer, severing his spine. As the big man moved swiftly over to his fallen comrade, he saw a dagger protruding from her shoulder.
“Don’t move sister,” he said urgently. “The dagger most likely has poison on it.”
Jirah knew very well that her pounding heart was pumping some form of deadly toxin into her body, so she did everything she could to calm herself. It was then that Seafas and Rose emerged from the house to help Logan deal with their wounded companion.
“O no, O no,” the fisherman cried out in dismay. “I am so sorry. I wanted to help, but I froze in terror when the attack came.” The poor man was overcome with guilt, but Logan was quick to assure him.
“You are not a fighter by trade good man,” Logan said firmly. “You did the right thing by staying in the house with Rose.”
“I feel like such a coward,” Seafas admitted with tears streaming down his cheeks. “I should have came out and helped.
The shock and dismay that the humble man felt was soon dwarfed by the reaction that came from Rose when she saw her dear sister lying on the ground with a dagger sticking out of her shoulder.
“Jirah, NO!” she screamed and quickly ran to fall on her knees before the wounded huntress.
“Rose,” Logan said firmly. “We have to get her into the house quickly. Back off for a minute please.”
“It will be fine dear,” Jirah said, doing her best to calm her distraught sister. “Let Seafas and Logan help me into the house and then we can deal with this wound.”
Rose did not want to move away from Jirah so Logan had to move in and pry her shaking hands from Jirah’s face.
Entering the home, they placed Jirah’s weakening body carefully on the table and Rose was at her side immediately, gently caressing her head.
“Hang on Jirah,” Rose spoke tenderly through the sobs. “I need you so much.”
While Jirah was looking into the loving eyes of Rose, Logan deftly pulled the dagger from her shoulder and quickly pressed a soft towel on the wound. Jirah cried out in pain and soon after passed out.
Rose’s mood was now hysterical, but Seafas was quick to reassure her.
“She has just passed out Rose,” he said cal
mly. “She is not yet dead.”
“What can we do Logan?”
“First, we will stay calm Rose. Jirah has always been with us to be one of your protectors. She would gladly die for you, but I do not think we have to worry about that happening right away.”
“I don’t want her to die for me,” Rose said simply, doing her best to calm her troubled spirit.
“None of us do sister. She is a tough old bird however, so let’s hold out hope, ok?”
“I can do that,” Rose said with a sigh, then kissed Jirah tenderly on the forehead.
“Whatever you do Rose, DO NOT try to heal her right now. Understand?” Logan said this in a very firm voice. “If you take this poison into yourself then all hope is lost.”
***