Through the shadows of the flickering campfire, Kysoo could see the pirates eating and drinking. Their bursts of nasty laughter only intensified her fears. Thankfully, the leader had not made an appearance since their encounter in the hut and she gleaned a few tidbits of information from the noisy men.

Donnie, as the man was called, was apparently still too uncomfortable to move about; this was the source of great amusement to his men. Kysoo tensed suddenly as a silhouette, backlit by the fire and the breaking dawn, lumbered toward her. The man stopped, weaving slightly as he squatted down and shoved a plate of cooked meat toward her.

"You looks 'ungry then, sweetie. Let old Dan feed you some vittles." He took some of the meat in his fingers and shoved it against her mouth, laughing. Kysoo twisted her head away, spitting at the foul taste of the man's hand. "Not hungry then, dearie? Maybe it's company you're wantin'?" Kysoo struggled against her bonds, tears streaming down her swollen cheeks, as the man tossed the plate of food away and wiped his hands on his shirt.

He reached for her and paused, hearing a rustle of leaves behind him. "Away wi' yeh, scum. This'll be my prize tonight." He turned expecting to find one of his companions eager to join in but instead he saw a flash of light reflecting off the blade of the knife that caught his throat. With a wet gurgle, the man sagged limply onto his side, one hand flapping sporadically for a moment then falling still.

*****

Wyeth and Jak were only minutes away from the ambush site when the first scream reached their ears. A look of guilty worry passed between them and they agreed to ride a little further hoping to leave the sounds of Haito's justice behind. Dawn was breaking slowly when they awoke to the sound of voices. Haito and his men sat in a tight circle around a small fire eating and talking. Jak sat up in surprise. They hadn't even heard them arrive let alone build a fire. He nudged Wyeth and they both gathered up their gear and self-consciously joined them by the fire.

"We uh, didn't hear you."

Haito looked up and frowned. "Your compassion has weakened your survival senses, soldier Captain. That is now twice we could have killed you both without trouble." Jak clenched his jaw and held his tongue. Haito was right. For a soldier he had demonstrated distinctly unprofessional behaviour.

They watched Haito's scout as he stole down into the pirate encampment and dispatched the thug pestering Kysoo. Wyeth strained against Jak's hand as they watched the man molest the helpless girl, relaxing with a shudder when the man collapsed silently in the dirt, a dark puddle creeping away from his head and down the muddy incline.

The group had traveled all day and into the dusk, following the directions learned from Gaspar and his unfortunate crew, and now they studied the situation from a low hill above the camp. When the scout hid the pirate's body and returned with Kysoo over his shoulder, Wyeth jumped to his feet, calling her name. Haito immediately slapped him down, his glare murderous.

"Leave the boy." Jak said. "His concern bettered his judgment."

"I have yet to see judgment of any kind from either of you." Haito turned and scanned the camp below, searching to see if Wyeth's shout was heard then went to his daughter.

"Are you alright?" Jak helped the boy to his feet.

"I was only-"

"Never mind. We won't be right whatever we do with these people. They have a- a different attitude than we do."

"Is she hurt?"

"Not too badly, I don't think. I can hear her talking to her father."

Haito stood and returned to face Jak. "My daughter says that the leader is in the middle hut. She fought him and left him to dwell upon his actions." Jak looked puzzled. "His amorous intent was quelled with a well placed kick." Haito managed a small smile. "We will rest a while here then deal with the pirates."

"The same way you did with the others?"

Haito studied Jak for a moment before coming to a decision. "You can plan our assault on their camp, soldier Captain. My men will obey as if the order came from me. We shall see how you handle dealing with a band of murderous cutthroats."

Jak squared his shoulders and inhaled deeply. "I accept the challenge, but all the decisions are to be mine." The two men took one another's measure in silence then Haito gave a sharp nod and marched back to his men.

The group pulled back from the pirate camp and settled for the night, posting sentries according to Jak's orders. At first light, Jak divided the group of nine into two sections. Haito would take three of his best archers and circle around to the north side of the camp; Jak would lead the balance on a direct charge from the south.

The plan was to capture them between the two groups. Without a word of protest, Haito left with his men. Jak waited until he felt they were in position and then he waved his men toward the camp. After a night of noisy drinking and gambling, the pirates had slept more or less where they fell and with the exception of their leader, who was up and hobbling about, they slept still. Jak led the charge into the camp, aiming his gun at Donnie and shouting for him to get down on the ground.

Instinctively, Donnie drew his own pistol and fired off a round, nicking one of Haito's men. The shots and shouting roused the sleeping men to a flurry of disoriented action. Gunfire filled the air amid shouted orders and the pirates took refuge in the main hut.

Jak's failure to secure the camp immediately, left Haito's men exposed as they swooped down into the site with no place to take cover. Quickly, he ordered his men to lay down a barrage of arrows into the hut while he made a bold charge up the street and flung himself heavily against the side wall. Inside, Donnie's men were picking off Haito's group as they scrambled for safety, whooping and hollering with each hit. Jak crept to a corner window and peered in.

He could see that they were all concentrating on the front and without waiting, he yelled aloud, firing his pistol point blank into the nearest man then darted around to the front, sword drawn. At his signal, his men fired another round of bolts through the flimsy walls of the hut at close range, eliciting a few cries and shouts from within. The door burst open and two men rushed out, pistols blazing, only to be stopped short by Jak's sword.

Both dropped in a heap at his feet. Haito, his face as hard as stone scurried to the side of the hut with his one remaining man. A burst of gunfire from inside caught Jak high on the shoulder and through a vision of red rage, he charged inside wielding his sword in a deadly blur.

Donnie Hauspie was strung between the two saplings by his wrists and ankles. Each tree was bent toward the other almost to the breaking point. A hefty rope, tightly tied between the two, kept them from springing apart. Haito marched back and forth in front of him brandishing a sharp knife, carelessly tapping the rope with the blade as he asked his questions. Nothing Donnie said pleased his interrogator; he screamed and yelled, begging one minute, cursing the next.

Finally, after an hour of feeling his limbs threaten to explode and frantic over the gradual fraying of the rope where Haito tapped his knife, Donnie admitted that it was he who killed the woman called Nin Sang. Haito called for Kysoo to come to him, holding her arm while he made Donnie repeat his confession.

"And you are also the one who did this to my daughter." He pointed to Kysoo's face, watching Donnie nod in defeat. Haito handed his knife to Kysoo and growled a command. She turned to her father in horror, her eyes pleading to be excused but he snapped his command again and thrust her forward.

Looking up at the horror stricken pirate, Kysoo closed her eyes and began sawing at the rope. Donnie began screaming for mercy, yelling and shrieking until his voice broke along with the rope. A loud swish as the saplings sprang apart, followed by another shriek and the sound of bones cracking made Kysoo sink to her knees, clutching her ears with both hands.