The caravan stood still now that the guards had been drawn away from them by the bandit's distraction. Seraphina emerged from the shadows with the ragtag group of bandits trailing behind her, their grins were eager, some even salivating at the thought of easy spoils.
Seraphina's mind was heavy, yet she walked with firm steps to not show this hesitation outwardly.
She approached the wagons, her voice sharp and commanding as she addressed the merchants.
"Out. Now. Take your valuables with you."
The merchants hesitated, their fear evident in their wide eyes and trembling hands— they knew bandits were more commonly recently, that's why they hired so many guards, they just never thought it would happen to them.
No one does.
As she commanded, a middle-aged man, likely their leader, stepped forward, his voice wavering.
"Please... we're just traders. We have families—"
"Do what I said."
Seraphina cut him off before he could keep speaking, her tone cold and uncompromising.
"Now."
Her eyes flickered as the merchants scrambled to comply, gathering their goods and stepping out of the wagons. She knew that if she heard the man speak further she would feel pity towards him— increasing the burden she would carry.
Or worse, one of these idiots by her side might try to do something.
The merchant caravan consisted of three wagons: one carriage that carried the clients, and the others were just wagons with merchandise on them.
Inside the carriage was a woman and a man, with a child held tightly in the woman's grasp, tears falling from their terrified face. Seraphina avoided looking directly at them, her violet eyes fixed on the ground.
The bandits moved in, rifling through the wagons with greedy hands that grabbed anything they saw regardless of worth. They jeered and laughed as they pulled out crates of goods, bags of coins, and fine fabrics.
One of the bandits yanked a woman roughly from her seat inside the wagon, tossing her to the dirt— with the child falling out of her hands. She cried out in pain, clutching her arm as another bandit loomed over her, a knife glinting in his hand.
"Stop!"
Seraphina's voice rang out like a whip, freezing the bandit mid-motion.
She stepped forward, her gaze cold as she glared at him.
"Put it away. We're here to take their goods, not their lives."
The bandit sneered but since he was told to listen to her orders, he sheathed his knife, muttering under his breath.
She turned her attention back to the merchants, who had moved to a silent corner and stood in a huddled group, their eyes darting between her and the bandits.
They were too fearful to move, the bandits circling them like hungry predators.
"Nobody gets hurt if you do as you're told. Just... hand over what you have."
The words were foreign to her mouth, in her entire life she had never done such a thing, in fact, in both her lives she had never stooped as low as robbing the innocent.
Yet, she couldn't falter— not with the lives of Samuel and Edwin, not with her own survival at stake.
As the robbery continued, one of the younger bandits attempted to grab the woman by her arm, dragging her away from the group. She screamed, and Seraphina acted without hesitation.
She lunged forward, grabbing the bandit by his collar and yanking him back with ease, the bandit was merely a normal person after all.
"What did I say before?"
She hissed out in anger, shoving the man away..
The bandit stumbled, his bravado melting under her glare— he muttered something incoherent before retreating, leaving the girl unharmed.
Seraphina's heart raced as she turned back to the merchants, her voice carrying an edge of desperation.
"Stay together. Don't make this harder than it has to be."
The stolen goods were quickly piled into a single wagon, the bandits working with surprising efficiency. Seraphina moved among them, ensuring nothing got out of hand, and that neither the merchants nor the bandits did anything stupid.
By the time the merchants were tied up and left sitting in the dirt, quite some time had passed. Seraphina stood still, her eyes scanning the aftermath— she hated herself in that moment— hated the sight of their tear-streaked faces, their trembling forms.
She had become the very thing she despised, yet she couldn't find a way out.
The sound of footsteps drew her attention.
She turned to see the silver-haired knight emerging from the forest, his blade dripping with blood. His armor was splattered crimson, his expression calm as though slaughtering the guards had been nothing more than a routine task.
Seraphina's clinched her jaw, and a cold chill ran down her spine. She had suspected this outcome but had clung to a fragile hope that it wouldn't come to pass.
Yet here he was, the blood on his sword a grim confirmation of her worst fears.
The knight approached her, his voice steady and devoid of emotion.
"The guards are taken care of."
He said simply, his eyes meeting hers with a sharp intensity.
"Now, finish the job."
Her breath hitched as a thought appeared in her mind.
"What do you mean?"
He pointed to the group of merchants, tied and helpless, their eyes wide with fear.
His next words were cold and final.
"Kill them."
Seraphina froze, her heart thundering in her chest— her mind raced, searching for a way to respond, to defy him without sealing her own fate.
The merchants stared at her, their silent pleas cutting through her like a knife.