Liberty's Heirs

Chapter 24

"Well, well well!  So we meet again," said the young man with long yellow hair as he sat on a wall adjacent to the road. "We hadn't expected to see you again so soon."

Blion could hear the footsteps of two other people emerge from the brush behind him.  He could hear one of them was limping on one leg.  Since Rob was in front of him, it had to be Giant Jon and Bill Scarlet behind him.  The thick stand of trees made it a good place for banditry.

"Since you refused my generous offer of joining our band," the yellow haired man continued, "I'll have to ask you to hand over your money."

Rob was a fitting English name for a thief, Blion chuckled to himself.

"No more of that funny business with your staff," said the Giant Jon.  "We have cross-bows this time."  The large, middle-aged man showed off the contraption.  It looked silly compared to a maser pistol which would might be held by an Attendant robot.  At least these people could make something far more sophisticated than the bows made by the hunt club.  Certainly the primitive device would be quite deadly at close range.  Rob and Bill had crossbows too.

"Certainly, sirs," said Blion, "I've come to find that getting more money hasn't been as hard for me as it is for most people."  He reached into his pocket and pulled out the six silver discs that Miss Boggens had given him as a parting gift.  "I hope it's enough."  He put his hand out to give Rob the money.

"Is this some kind of trick?" the green-eyed Bill Scarlet asked looking at Rob.

"Here," said Blion, "to show my sincerity, I will place these coins on the ground and walk backwards so you can take them safely."  Blion did just as he promised but nobody moved to take them.

"How do we know you don't have more money on you?" asked Giant Jon.

"Well," said Blion, "I'm afraid that wouldn't be possible to determine with certainty unless you have something like an induction-discriminator coil or millimeter-wave scanner."

"Don't talk to me with that jibber-jabber.  I know a much simpler way," said Rob with a smirk.  "I'll just shoot you and we can search your body.  It will be a delightful revenge for how you wounded my leg and Jon's pride." 

"Do you consider yourself a forgiving man?"  Blion asked.  Rob was silent for a moment, he must have known the question was a trap.  Blion decided to answer the question for him.  "I know you do.  You wouldn't have offered to let me join your little band after I injured you both last time. "  Blion nodded at Rob and Bill.  "In addition to my little bit of money, I'd like to offer you my sincerest apologies for injuring your leg and I'd like to provide you with any assistance that I can.  If I had I known then what I know now, I would have handed over the coins without question.  Better that you have them than your father."

"What's that?"  said Rob with surprise.

"You are the son of the Sheriff of Grimsby, are you not?"

Rob looked puzzled.  "How did you know that?"