Catching the Bandit Gang

"Don't move, missy." I felt the tip of a sword press gently between my shoulder blades. The thin layer of my leather vest would do nothing to protect me from the weapon, and I knew I had no other choice. I froze.

"Now, put your weapons down."

I sighed resignedly, but complied. My bow went first as I set it down onto the mossy forest floor, then my arrows as I slowly shrugged my quiver off my shoulder. After a short pause, I slipped my belt knife out of its sheath and it joined my other weapons. Raising both hands above my head, I stood and turned around to face my captor.

It had seemed like such a perfect idea. The gang of bandits had moved into the area a few months ago, and had been preying on merchant caravans ever since. Not only had Guard forces proven unable to stop their depredations, they'd repeatedly failed to locate the bandit's camp. Things had gotten so bad that Lord Atrayan had finally issued a reward of 100 gold pieces to anyone who could tell his Guards where to find the bandits.

And that had sparked my idea on how to earn that reward money. I lived outside of a small village, where my father worked a poor farm. I helped with the farm work, true, but I also supplemented things by hunting in the forest and, at times, poaching in the Lord's private preserves. I was so good at tracking and hunting that I even provided meat for a few neighboring farms who were just as poor as we were. And I'd been doing so for the past four years, ever since I turned sixteen. Now twenty, I was a better tracker and hunter than I'd ever been.

The rest followed logically. I started by dressing in my well-worn forest leathers. While I would have preferred trousers, my father was a traditionalist when it came to girl's attire, so instead I wore soft leather panties and a leather skirt that reached mid-thigh. A loose-fitting cloth shirt followed, covered by a leather vest that did a fair job of accentuating my curves and highlighting my breasts. Once clothed and armed, I set out to track the bandits.

Logically, the best way to track them would be from the scene of the crime, so to speak. So, starting at the site of the last ambush, I circled outwards searching for sign. When I found it, the hunt began. It took me all of four hours of stealthy stalking before I noticed a glow from a campfire lighting the night sky in the distance. Using every scrap of caution and field-craft I've ever learned, I slowly approached the campsite.

Large campsite, major cooking fire, nine or ten roughly dressed men involved in various end-of-day tasks. It sure looked like a bandit camp, and as soon as I got back with the information, I'd be rich!

And that was when I felt the sword tip pressing into my back, and I knew I was in trouble.

My captor looked me over, looking for hidden weapons, then brusquely ordered me to turn and walk into the fire light. As I did so, with him following close behind, I expected alarm from the rest of the bandits. But while most of them stopped what they were doing and watched me being paraded towards the largest of the tents, I saw no sign of panic.

We stopped in front of the tent's entrance, and my captor stepped forward, flipped the tent flap aside, and went inside. I knew a chance for escape when I saw one, but I turned my head to look around before I made my move. Good thing I did, as standing right behind me was the biggest man I'd ever seen in my life. He was seven feet tall if he was an inch, and he positively rippled with muscles. I had no idea how he'd gotten so close without me hearing him, but I also had no doubt he'd catch me easily enough, so I abandoned my plans for escape. For now.

A third man emerged from the tree line, carrying the weapons I'd dropped in the forest. He headed for a small tent three over from this one, and I made a note of it. That was my favorite bow, and I had no intention of leaving it behind.

My captor emerged from the tent and faced me. "Wait here, girl." Then he turned, walked to the tree line, and disappeared into the darkness. He was obviously a sentry, and a damned good one. My muscular shadow remained with me, though, so I stood still and waited like the good, helpless girl that I fervently hoped they thought I was. If they saw me as a threat, I was as good as dead.

My wait was a short one, as the flap opened and the bandit chief walked out. He was a ruggedly handsome man, fit and trim, with a square-jawed face that immediately appealed to me. He wore a short sword on his left hip, and high-topped moccasins. He moved me closer to the firelight and then looked me over very carefully before he spoke.

"Well," he said, finally meeting my eyes, "and what have we here?"

Should I lie to him, or would he see right through it? I had a hunch he wouldn't buy the whole "just out hunting" excuse I'd prepared, though, so I needed to tread carefully.

"I'm a hunter." He quirked one eyebrow in question. "Tracker." That elicited a nod.

"Tracking us, obviously." He glanced at the big man over my shoulder, then back at me. "For whom?"

I hesitated, unsure if he'd believe me. "Uh... free-lance." I swallowed nervously, then continued. "There's a reward."

"Already? Well, this Lord of yours is an efficient fellow." He looked away for a moment, obviously thinking. "A very efficient fellow, indeed," he continued softly. "Damn him."

His gaze flicked back to my face. "So nobody knows you're here?"

THAT stupid I'm not. "I told my pa!"

His hand moved so quickly that I never saw it coming. The slap against my right cheek spun me around and had me spluttering with the indignity. "Don't lie to me, girl!"

I opened my mouth to repeat the lie, but knew it'd just bring me another slap. "Nobody," I finally muttered sullenly.

He smiled. "Good. Then there's no time pressure, and no need to kill you and run."

That close. I'd been that close to death. I shivered at the thought.

"We have time," he continued, "So maybe we can profit from you. Is there anyone who can pay a ransom for you, girl?"

I shook my head numbly. "No."

"Hmmm."

I was suddenly intensely aware that I was alone in a camp full of ruthless brigands, with no potential rescuers who knew where I was standing by to rescue me. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I forced myself not to fidget.

"What's your name, girl?"

I thought about it briefly. I mean, it couldn't matter that much, and it was definitely better than being called "girl" or "missy" all the time.

"Kendra."

He smiled. "Nice to meet you, Kendra. I'm Niels." He took a step closer to me, and I almost stepped back. "And you are a puzzle."

"What do you mean?" I tried to say that forcefully, demanding an answer, but it came out more as a tentative squeak.

His chuckle, deep and resonant, teased my ears. He was very easy to like. "We have two problems, here. The first is that you'll run straight to the guards with a report, claim your reward, and force us to move elsewhere. And we can't have that." He started to pace. "The second is that, well, we're bandits. We don't give things away."

He turned back to me, a serious expression on his face, and continued in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. "If we can't ransom you and get a profit that way, there's always the slave markets on the coast."

I felt tears welling up and forced them down. Sudden terror threatened to overwhelm me; my knees felt weak. I kept my chin up, though, and returned him stare for stare.

Finally he smiled again. "You stay with us a few days, try to think of a way we can get something in exchange for releasing you, okay?" He looked over my shoulder. "Kreiger, lock her in the shed. Give her time to think."

"Yes sir." The huge man behind me placed one meaty hand on my shoulder, gently but firmly, and guided me into the one wooden building in the clearing. It had a lock on it, and once inside I realized it was a cell, maybe ten feet on each side, that had been used before. The Chief's reference to the slave market obviously wasn't an idle threat.

The night passed uneventfully, and when I finally fell asleep, I slept well. It was a bit chilly, as my thin leathers were scant protection against the night air, but eventually I dropped off. The next day passed fairly uneventfully, with food provided when I got hungry, and a bucket for my wastes.

I spent the entire day thinking, trying to come up with some way for the bandits to reap their profit without sending me to be sold on the slave market. About midday I realized that Niels hadn't said what kind of "profit" was acceptable. That got me to thinking along different tracks, and eventually I had an idea that might work. It wasn't an agreement I was eager to make, but I thought I could live with it.

Then I waited. It wasn't until evening when Niels showed up again, unlocking the shed door and joining me inside. He closed the door and leaned against the wall.

"Well, Kendra?" He'd been doing some kind of manual labor, as his hair was slicked with sweat, and his muscles appeared particularly tight. "Have you thought of anyone who could ransom you?"

Now that the moment was here, butterflies the size of antelopes were rampaging in my stomach. I felt my cheeks flushing before I even began speaking.

"I can pay ransom for myself, I think."

"Really?" One eyebrow arched upwards. "How?"

I swallowed nervously. "I'll work it off."

He nodded slowly. "That might work. What did you have in mind? I'll warn you, it'll take a long time to earn your freedom by cooking and hunting."

I shook my head, allowing a small smile to spread across my face. "I think I can earn my freedom quicker than that."

"Really?" He looked surprised. "What will you use to buy your freedom?"

This was it, and I took a deep breath. "Me." He just looked at me, impassively, waiting for me to make myself clear. "I mean, my body." I pushed my chest out a little, and cocked one hip. It felt awkward as hell, and probably looked the same. But what the hell, it's not like I did this every day!

"Ahhh." He pursed his lips. "You will give your body to me?"

I nodded.

"To do with as I please?"

I blinked once, pushing down any doubts, and nodded again. With what I hoped was a smooth motion, I flipped my hair back over my shoulder.

He looked at me, this time raking his eyes from my legs all the way to my face, lingering along the way on my chest and hips. He walked behind me, and I felt his eyes on my ass. "For how long?"

"For..." My voice was squeaky, and I brought it under control. "For one night."

He continued around until he was in front of me once more, lifted my chin with his thumb and forefinger, and looked intently at my face, into my eyes. Then he nodded once, a short, swift motion. "So, the deal is that you will give your body to me, to do with as I please, from now until dawn. In return, we will release you tomorrow morning." He waited for my nod. "I realize that you will be 'turning us in', but know that we'll have moved camp long before the guards can get here. I mean, if you can find us, we're obviously not hidden well enough."

"That sounds good," I said, trying to appear cool. "Ummm... now?"

He shook his head. "No, not here. Out front by the campfire," he said, opening the door to the shed.

I was stunned. "What? Why?"

"Kendra," he said patiently, "the rest have to see that your debt is being paid. Otherwise, they'll push to sell you at the slave market."

I shook my head. "No." In public? Oh Gods, no! "Here or nowhere."

He looked at me consideringly, then nodded once more. "Nowhere, then." He turned to go. "Let me know if you have any other ideas on ransom."

"No, wait!" The words were out before I'd even decided to speak.

He stopped, but didn't turn around. "Yes?"

I hesitated, and eventually he sighed and put his hand on the door. "Ummm..." He stopped again. "Does it have to be out there?" My voice sounded whiney, even to me.

Now he did turn. "Of course." He light blue eyes seemed to look right through me. "My men do this for profit. If this is how you're going to pay for your freedom, then they have to know it. Otherwise, they may suspect me of cheating them."

Something about that rang a dim alarm bell in my mind, but I couldn't pin it down. Besides, it made a sort of sense. Kind of. I wasn't so sure about doing this in public, but if it had to be, then it had to be. "All right, let's do this." I flounced out to the campfire, then turned and looked at him challengingly. Most of the gang had gathered for their evening meal, and for the first time I knew how many men were in the gang. Eleven, plus the sentry who'd brought me in the previous night. And Niels. Cute, muscular, Niels.

And there I waited; waited for him to walk slowly to me, waited for him to take the lead. He paused next to me, caressed my right buttock tenderly, and then moved on. He spoke briefly to the lumbering Kreiger, who nodded and hurried away, and then beckoned to me to approach. I did so, diffidently, trying hard to bring back my bravado.

We stood, side by side, as he turned to the rest and clapped his hands together once, twice. The sound was surprisingly loud and sudden, and I jumped in spite of myself. Then I tried to look confident.

"You all know of Kendra," he announced in a loud, clear voice. "She came here to find us so that she could turn us in," he said with a wry grin. A couple of the men nodded, while others hardly looked up from the stew they were shoveling into their gobs. The rest just watched their leader, unblinking, intently.

"She has no one to ransom her." Murmurs arose from the bandits. "Another trip to the coast," one said. Another responded, "Good money, there." Similar sentiments were expressed, and Neils let them go for a short time.

"However, we will not be selling her." That got their attention. "Instead, she has pledged her body to me as payment, to use as I will for one night." He looked around as the bandits seemed to sit up straighter. They seemed more intent, more alert. "So you know that payment is being properly tendered, it will be tendered here. Now."

Kreiger reappeared, holding a stool of medium height, which he placed on the ground near the fire. Neils clapped him on the shoulder in thanks then turned, dropped his trews in one swift motion, and seated himself on the stool. The trews he kicked to one side, then looked at me.

They all looked at me.

I gulped as I looked back at him. He was just as cute as before, but my eyes were drawn to his crotch. His member looked semi-erect, and was surrounded by a thick mat of hair. His balls splayed grotesquely on the stool. He seemed larger than the Bumpoe's ranch hand, Egar, the only other cock I'd ever seen. I stepped forward.

Something landed on the ground next to the stool, a hide mat. I looked at it for a moment, then shot a questioning glance at Neils.

"For your knees." He pointed at the dirt in front of him, then spread his legs wider and grinned. He slid forward on the stool, so that his balls now hung down, his dick pointing vaguely in my direction.

That made sense. I took a moment to fold the hide, then laid it in front of the bandit chief. I put my hands on his knees, knelt in front of him, and looked him in the eyes. "One night." I felt I needed the confirmation.

"One night," he agreed, "and you do what I say."

"Agreed."

"Then begin repayment."

I reached out with one hand. As my fingers brushed his cock, it swelled erect immediately. Swaying in the firelight, it brought to mind a venomous cobra... It was dangerous, it swayed slowly from side to side, and it was hypnotizing. I wrapped my fingers around him, and began gently stroking. My other hand began fondling his balls. His eyes closed, his breathing quickening.

His dick was a good 8 inches long, though slender. He moved with me as I stroked him, and I enjoyed the feel of him, the sight of him. Egar had liked this, too, and he never lasted long.

Neils was made of sterner stuff. After a few moments he opened his eyes again and watched me as I jacked him. I smiled back, a knowing smile, hopefully seductive. "Do you like it?"

He chuckled for a moment. Then he reached out with his right hand and slid it behind my head. I felt him pull slightly.

"Suck it."

I'd done that, too. Once. But if that was the price for my freedom...

I leaned forward, and the pressure of his hand on my head slackened as he let me take the initiative. I stopped just above his cock, using my hand to point it at my mouth, and inhaled deeply. He smelled musky, manly, sweaty. He hadn't bathed in a while, that much was clear, and his scent was strong. Then I lowered my head further and inserted the tip of his cock in my mouth. I felt the mushroom cap of his cock slide into my mouth, and I ran my tongue around the head. I began slowly jacking his cock with one hand as I pushed forward, taking more of him in. As slender as he was, his cock forced my lips further apart, and I tasted his sweat and musk. The tip of his cock hit the back of my throat and I gagged, pulling back until just the tip remained in my mouth. His hand twitched against my head, then stilled.

I started again, bobbing my head up and down on his cock. I did my best to stop short of gagging, breathing noisily through my nose as I sucked him.

Then I heard a voice from one of the bandits behind me. "Neils, I have a question."

I stopped sucking him, and started to pull my head out of his lap, but his fingers tightened in my hair and pulled my face back into his crotch. I started to struggle, then realized that struggling wouldn't help. So I resumed sucking him, sucking hard and setting a steady rhythm. If I could bring him off quickly, this might be all I had to do.

"What is it, Lyle?"

My spit was drooling down his cock and over my hand as I sucked and jacked the bandit chief.

"Just want to make sure I understand." The man's voice held a thick, highland accent. "She is paying her ransom with her body?"

I stopped sucking again, but didn't pull back as I felt his fingers tighten slightly in my hair. Instead, I loosened my mouth as best I could. "For one night." At least, that's what I tried to say. It came out more like "Frr nnn ngggh."

Neils' fingers tapped me lightly on the back of the head. "Don't talk with your mouth full, darling." I took the hint and started bobbing up and down on his cock. "That's right, Lyle."

A different voice chimed in. "Wait a bloody minute." He sounded more belligerent than the first man, Lyle. "We're supposed to share profit equally. That's our way, always has been." Now the voice turned scornful. "'Ow do we get a share of you getting sucked off?"

I started to pull back again, but this time his fingers knotted in my hair and pulled down, keeping my face impaled on his cock. His dick hit the back of my throat and I gagged again. Eventually I managed to get it under control, but I was starting to get pissed. I couldn't get my mouth off his dick, and for damned sure this wasn't what I bargained for. I thought briefly of just biting his bloody pecker right off, but then I remembered all those other men with weapons. I wouldn't survive it.

But the bloody man didn't have to keep forcing my face into his lap.

"A point, Angus, a distinct point." His fingers drummed thoughtfully on the back of my head as he considered the issue. "But not an unsurmountable one." His fingers stopped drumming and laced themselves in my hair again. "You see, to pay her ransom, she pledged her body to me, to do with as I will, for one night." He raised his voice. "And Angus and Lyle are correct, we all share equally in what we take."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Hey, wait a minute," I tried to say, my words muffled by the cock in my mouth. I began trying to pull back again, but both hands were on my head now, moving it up and down, actually forcing me to service his dick.