1)
The head highwayman stepped back into the cave hideout—and froze. There were half a dozen blades at his throat. With his fellow brigands of the road on the far ends of them.
He swallowed. “What’s this about, then?”#epic fantasy— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) July 17, 2018
2)
“We followed you, Aldric,” the tallest brigand rumbled grimly. “You met with the king’s sheriff, and talked over tankards.”
“We smell betrayal,” said another highwayman.
“Sing—and truth only, mind—or die,” snarled a third.#epic fantasy— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) July 17, 2018
3)
“Ever wonder why the king’s guards never come hunting for us? And escort only a few travelers, leaving the rest for us? Quotas, that’s why. We meet twice a season, the sheriff and I, to work out how many marks we can take.”#epic fantasy— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) July 17, 2018
4)
“The sheriff LETS us—does the KING know?”
“Of course. He calls it ‘keeping the statistics favourable.’ We take too many, he’ll hit us, all right. We take too few, and people start to think they don’t need his guards or laws…#epic fantasy— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) July 17, 2018
5)
…or taxes. Good governance, that is.”
There was silence for a moment, but the swords came down.
“So we’re an arm of government, we are,” said the tall highwayman.
A moment later, he spoke again. “Are there benefits?”#epic fantasy— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) July 17, 2018