As the Voodoo works, the man's shouts become fiercer and angrier, until he's just yelling incoherently.


Ruth starts to reply, then stops as both she and Greenleaf hear a faint crashing in the bushes. Someone is coming closer.


"Augh!" Jakob jumps as he feels the knife graze his side. He throws himself backward onto the ground, a boneless puddle of water again, and flings the knife away from him, sending it tumbling toward Anthony's head.

Zaljan's magic should keep the man alive, and incoherent yelling doesn't bother the voodoo man.

The knife grazes Anthony's cheek. At first, nothing happens. Then a small streak of blood appears on Anthony's face. For a minute, there is silence. Then Anthony speaks. "Trainings over. Now for payment." Anthony strides towards Emma and takes her by the arm. "Now Mr. Jakob, I hope yer new found skill elongates the life of you, yer wife and yer baby. Come along now Emma."

"No, thank you," Emma says, digging her heels into the ground. "I'm fine here."

"I'm sorry. You don't really have a choice in this matter." Anthony holds his knife menacingly at the girl. "I always get paid. One way or another." He looks over at Jakob. "Of course, maybe you have yer two cents to drop. Do ya?"

Greenleaf knows he's in a bad position, and silently chides himself for letting it happen. He gets between Ruth and the bushes, draws his bow, and calls out:

"Who's there? Show yourself or I'll shoot."

Without turning his head he whispers, "I may need you to run back to the others."

"My two cents?" Jakob sits up, looking wholly baffled. "If it's a question of money, I assure you, I have plenty back at camp."

"It's not that hard! Me: The Dashing Rogue. You: The Helpless Father. Yer Daughter: The Kidnapped Damsel. C'mon Emma." Anthony pulls a bit harder.

"Are you trying to make me fight you?" Jakob asks, bewildered. "And how much gold will it take to get you to change your mind about that?"

Anthony drags Emma to one of the ox carts. He grabs some rope and ties her up, lifting her onto the cart. "Can't be that far to Alache."

By the time Anthony has finished tying Emma up, he is surrounded by two dozen armed guards, some with crossbows, two beginning to chant a spell, and one handcuffed to Yala.

Jakob elbows his way to the front and points to Anthony. "After we escaped, he pretended to help rescue us just so he could kidnap my daughter again!"

"He would do that," Yala pipes up. "He's a terrible person."

Anthony claps and says, "Well, Mr. Jakob. Who needs gall and heroism when ya have armed men? The coward can have his daughter." He cuts the rope binding Emma. He then flips over the guards and yells, "Gentlemen, milady-" he nods at Emma, "and Jakob. You will always remember this day as the day you almost caught Anthony Wilson!" He then runs up a tree, and leaps from tree to tree. Maybe he'll find his party. Maybe.

Incoherent yelling does bother Punchy, who thumps the man on the head with a fist so he will be quiet a moment. Then he notices all the foolishness that Anthony (a prime troublemaker is ever there was one) and Sparrow (who is more trouble than the biggest bigjob ever in a wee small package) and the stranger bigjobs (including the lassie who is quite obviously sweet on th' galoot (not that he ever notices such a thing)) are all getting into.

"Calm down ye daft buggers or I'll thump each an' every one of ye just so I can get some peace an' quiet fer a change!"

Sparrow is still out cold from Zaljan's stone, lying on the ground not too far from Punchy. For the moment, he's remaining quiet, but this state of affairs will probably end as soon as he wakes up. He is also, very uncharacteristically, visible. He doesn't look like he can take even a very slight thumping.

Edric realizes that something unusual is happening, and it occurs to him that perhaps they haven't caught the perpetrator, after all. He sits down Indian-style, with his hat in his lap before him. "Okay, hat, I know you've been working hard today, but we aren't quite done yet. I want you to show me the person who put the original curse on this guy here. Remember to pretend there's light if there is none."