The Robber Knight's Love

09. Surprise, Surprise

Sir Luca DeLombardi woke up and noticed that there was a blade of a knife pressed to his throat.

“I could kill you now,” a low and powerful voice growled into his ear, “but that wouldn't be any fun at all.”

Sir Luca couldn't help but agree with the voice. In fact, there wasn't anything he would have considered less fun.

“If I were to kill you now, the Margrave would just send another puppy to direct his army,” the voice mused. “Killing you would be of no use.”

It was amazing, contemplated Sir Luca, how much he and the voice coincided, considering its owner was near to cutting his jugular at this very moment. He himself definitely was also of the opinion that killing him would be not be a good idea. Not at all.

“Besides,” purred the deep voice, “I want to kill you where everybody can see you die, and I want to kill your entire army right along with you. And I haven't got time for that right now. I have a delivery to make.”

Sir Luca had to admit that his views and those of the voice were slowly beginning to diverge. He didn't want to be killed, whether in front of other people or alone. However, he didn't feel like disagreeing openly with the voice. There was still the blade at his throat to consider.

“Get up,” the voice commanded.

Sir Luca slowly rose into a sitting position, the knife moving along with him all the while. Then, he slowly slid his legs down from the cot. The stranger moved behind him and forced him to sit more erect than he had ever done in his life. The blade was pressed so tightly against his skin that he did not even dare to swallow for fear of decapitating himself.

“By the way, it just occurred to me to ask, you are Sir Luca DeLombardi?” the stranger asked in a conversational tone of voice. “It would be so annoying if, after all the trouble I took sneaking into your camp, I actually picked the wrong tent. Are you Sir Luca? Raise your right hand for yes, your left hand for no. I would imagine you have slight difficulties with nodding at the moment...”

Hmm... This stranger seemed to be after him personally. Maybe if he pretended to be someone else, that would solve the problem.

Sir Luca raised his left hand.

The stranger sighed. “Oh, how unfortunate. Then I will just have to kill you so you won't alert the guards. Before I do, be so kind as to tell me which is Sir Luca's tent?”

By the time the stranger was finished with speaking, Sir Luca was frantically waving with his right hand.

“Ah, I see. I thought as much.” The stranger sounded amused. “Now tell me, where do you keep your horses?”

A frown crept on Sir Luca's face. Had he heard right? Horses?

The blade pressed a little harder against his Adam's apple.

“The horses!” the voice demanded, getting a little sharper, though not nearly as sharp as the blade against his throat. “Or I swear by Satan's hairy ass I will cut off your ears and feed them to the crows!”

That was definitely something to avoid. Sir Luca liked his ears just like they were: firmly attached to both sides of his head. He opened his mouth and tried to speak, but couldn't squeeze a single syllable past the blade of the knife. So instead, he raised his hand and pointed in the direction of the stables.

“Having difficulties speaking, are you?”

He raised his right hand.

“Well, I'm sure we can alleviate that. Be so good as to not make a sound, or I would have to cut out your tongue. I don't wish to get blood on my tunic. I have to see a lady later on.”