Binky McFearsome's Arc

Chapter 2 of 4

The masked man climbed down from the tower and walked straight at Binky. Binky's stomach dropped. This was the stranger who had seen him smash the post, the one who could tell the tournament masters everything. Binky raised both huge fists. "You gonna talk?" he asked. "Tell 'em what I did?" The man pulled off his carved wooden mask. Underneath was a young face, hard-eyed and calm. "I'm Davan Sole," he said. "I don't want to turn you in, dwarf. I want to ride with you." He tapped the leather package under his arm. "I deliver by day. At night I take back what corrupt guards steal. I've watched you. You can take any hit. Together we could do real good on the road." Binky blinked. Nobody had ever asked to stand beside him. His fists dropped. "You mean—like a hero partner?" His face split into a grin. "I always wanted one of them." Davan almost smiled. "Then we leave now, before the masters come sniffing. The tournament's a long ride. We help folks on the way." He held out a hand. Binky shook it and nearly lifted the smaller man off his boots. They traveled for two days. On the third morning, they heard a shriek in the woods. Binky and Davan crashed through the brush to a stream. A giant bunny crouched at the water's edge, soft brown fur trembling, drinking in slow, calm gulps. It was bigger than a horse. Two men circled it with ropes and long knives. One was tall and skinny, a mean grin on his face. The other was short and bald, gray beard swinging as he barked orders. "Get the rope on its neck, Silas!" the bald one snapped. "I'm trying, Griggs!" the tall one hissed back. Binky's kind heart lurched. The bunny had done nothing. "Leave it alone!" he shouted, stepping into the open. Griggs Skinner spun and threw his knife. It struck Binky square in the chest and bounced off like it had hit stone. Binky looked down, then up. "That tickled," he said. Silas Crowe lunged with his own blade. Binky caught the tall poacher's wrist and squeezed. The knife dropped. Davan darted in low, hooked Griggs's ankle, and dumped the bald man in the mud. The two poachers scrambled up and ran, leaving their ropes behind. Binky knelt by the giant bunny. It nosed his red hair and did not flinch. "You're safe now," he whispered. Davan picked up a dropped rope and frowned. A brass tag hung from it, stamped with a mark Binky didn't know. "These two work for someone," Davan said. "Poachers don't carry guild tags. Someone paid them to take this animal alive." He looked down the road toward the far mountains. "And whoever it is will send more." Binky had won his first fight as a hero. But now he had a creature to protect, two enemies who'd fled, and a hidden master he'd never met.