— 5 —
Nelson stood up. The pain in his head was as bad as ever, and it seemed to be centered in the huge knot on the back of his skull. Other than that, though, he seemed okay.
He took a few shaky steps toward the fire in the center of the camp, stopped, and warmed himself for a moment. The men eyed him cautiously. Apparently they aren't used to trusting people, Nelson thought. There's probably a good reason for that: those who aren't trustworthy are often untrusting.
But this time they're right. Nelson smiled dryly.
Balquhor grunted and pointed to a larger lean-to beyond the immediate circle of the camp. Must be the head man's quarters, Nelson thought. Now, how do I get out of here?
He walked slowly toward Critos' lean-to, his hands buried inside his furs, feeling his own body. The bandits' search had been thorough: they'd found his hideout knife.
He stopped at the edge of the circle of lean-tos and rubbed his head again. His horse was tied nearby, stripped of saddle and bridle. He'd have to have the horse; this crew would track him down in no time if he tried to run on foot. The mule was by the horse; it, too, had been stripped. Have to give up the mule, he mused. No doubt the gold is already distributed. That leaves the weapons.
Nelson groaned, feigning worse pain than he felt. He stretched and rubbed his head yet again. The group began losing interest in him; as he continued to delay, only Balquhor really watched him.
If I want to escape without my weapons, he thought, now is the time. I can catch Balquhor by surprise with a good martial arts move. . . .
If Nelson decides to try to escape now, without his weapons, go to section 11.
If Nelson decides to wait and try to get his weapons back before escaping, go to section 9.