31. Wilmot.

Maria struggled, but the more she did so the more entangled she became in the net.

"You shouldn’t struggle so." said Wilmot. "You will only succeed in tiring yourself out."

"You better hope I don’t get out." said Paul from the net he and Morag were in.

"Oh I don’t think I have to worry about you." said Wilmot.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a small ball. He threw it on the ground near Paul and Morag. It burst as it hit the ground and smoke rose from it to engulf the two. Maria heard the two coughing and then they were silent.

"What did you do?!" she growled.

"Oh don’t worry about your friend." said Wilmot. "It’s just a little something to put him to sleep. It is good to have an alchemist in your employ. They come up with all sorts of neat little potions and such."

The smoke cleared and Maria could see that both Paul and Morag were unharmed, but both of them were unconscious.

From out of the forest the thieves came. They stopped upon seeing Wilmot standing over the still bodies entangled in a net. Some looked like they wanted to turn around and pretend they didn’t see anything. But Eachann pushed through and started walking towards Wilmot. The others stayed their ground waiting to see what would transpire.

Wilmot stood unmoving, waiting for Eachann to reach him.

"Hello Eachann." he said when Eachann was close enough. "It seems I had to catch my prey myself anyway. So what exactly was I paying you to do again? Oh right, you told me this would be easier and would not cast suspicion upon me."

He looked around at Maria and then back to Paul before returning his gaze to Eachann.

"So now we have witnesses and I had to do everything anyway." he said. "Tell me why I shouldn’t kill you right now?"

Eachann looked angry but kept his voice civil as he answered.

"There were unforseen complications." he said.

"The reason I am this successful is that I try to make plans for unforseen events." said Wilmot. "Didn’t you have any sort of backup plan? How do you expect to become powerful without contingency plans?"

"I never wanted to be powerful." said Eachann. "Just rich and retired."

"Then let me put it another way." said Wilmot quietly. "How do you expect to continue living without a reserve plan."

Eachann visibly swallowed.

Wilmot sighed in the ensuing silence.

"Tell me what these unforseen circumstances were."

Eachann pointed to Maria.

"She showed up out of the blue. And claimed she new Morag’s brother Paayl, and insisted that she would look for the girl. So I made it so I would be near her and tried to lead her astray but that did not work."

He pointed to Paul’s unmoving body.

"And next thing I know, he shows up out of nowhere."

"I understood that he was still somewhere south of here, working for some Lord." said Wilmot.

"That’s what we all thought." said Eachann. "But apparently we were wrong. So you can see that it was a little surprising and not something easily handled."

Wilmot seemed to be contemplating the excuse that Eachann was providing.

"I don’t believe in coincidence." he said after a small silence.

He turned and walked to Maria. He knelt down in front of her and studied her for a while. He looked her up and down, but not in a leering lecherous manner as if appraising her form, but more calculating, as if he were sizing her up the way one does an opponent.

"I apologies for being so rude as to not properly introduce myself." he said. "My name is Wilmot Fionn mac Bunyan. What is your?"

Maria said nothing. Something about this man told her to be careful. He was the most dangerous man here. During her training her aunt had told her that you could tell who the most dangerous man in a room was by how they held themselves and walked. Wilmot gave off all the signs. She would rather take on the entire band of men then give this one anything he asked.

"Come, come." he said. "Don’t be rude. I am sure that anyone who tries to disguise herself can’t really get offended if I don’t treat her in a manner proper for a Lady."

Maria kept her face unmoving despite the surprising statement from Wilmot. Eachann on the other hand did not share the same skill.

His eyes widened and his jaw dropped as he blurted out.

"What do you mean disguised?’

Wilmot smiled at her as if to share the joke at Eachann’s expense.

"He is really losing his abilities in his old age." he whispered to her.

Out loud he said.

"This is not her natural hair colour, you fool."

He reached out and parted Maria’s hair near the scalp.

"Look." continued Wilmot. "She dyed her hair to make her look more like a local lass. Not a bad job. Take that and dirty up the face and give her proper clothing and you have someone who shouldn’t raise anyone’s suspicions."

Eachann looked stunned.

"Then she was here for a reason." he said.

"Yes." Said Wilmot. "Now the question is what was that reason?"

He turned to Eachann.

"I suspect she did not tell you her real name." he said. "But what name did she give?"

"She said her name was Moire Giomanach inghean Gormal." said Eachann.

Wilmot mulled the name over in his head.

"Hmmmm." was all he said.

"What?" asked Eachann.

"Oh. I was just thinking that she is more than she seems, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she was having a little joke with her name." said Wilmot.

"Oh, oh" said Theodore in Maria’s head. "He is starting to make me nervous."

"You aren’t the only one." said Maria.

"What about her name?" said Eachann. "Doesn’t sound very unusual to me."

"Maybe they should have named you Eachann Amhlair for dull witted instead of Neuwoyagh for plain."

"Your one to talk Wilmot Fionn." Eachann spit out the word. "Leader? Hah. I know you gave yourself that name. At least I came by mine in the usual manner of friends and family giving it to me."

Wilmot moved quickly catching Eachann off guard and striking him across the face.

Standing over the prone man Wilmot said.

"I may have given myself that name but at least the dimwitted fools like the ones who follow you believe it without doubt. You are what your name is Eachann Neuwoyagh. I chose to make my own name and be what I know I am."

Eachann said nothing, rubbing his face.

"Now why would she have the name Giomanach, eh?" continued Wilmot. "Why Hunter? What is it that she hunts? Rabbit? Deer? Wolf?.... Man?"

At that Eachann looked up at Wilmot and then over to Maria.

"I knew that was a terrible name when Paul suggested it." said Theodore.

"Shut up." said Maria.

"So what do we do now?" asked Eachann.

"I don’t know about you." said Wilmot. "But I am going to take what I came here for and you can take care of the rest."

He reached down and undid the net around Paul and Morag. He pick up Morag’s limp body and slung it across his horse.

He looked at Theodore who was still in the net tied to the pommel of his saddle. He undid the knot holding the net and unceremoniously dropped it, and Theodore along with it, on the ground.

"Ow!" she heard Theodore say. "If I get out of this I am going to give him such a bite."

"The word there is if." said Maria.

Wilmot mounted his horse and turning, with a huge smile, to Eachann said.

"Farewell. Here is the money I promised, and I hope I don’t ever meet you again."

He nodded to Maria and rode off.

When he was out of sight the other men came down out of the forest. They surrounded the three prisoners, just staring at them.

Finally Bowen turned to Eachann, whose eyes still stared at Maria, and said.

"What do we do with them?"

Eachann looked at him and said.

"We kill them."