“Deal.”
“And we do this my way until we get to the next town. I’m not letting a bandits’ spy infiltrate my group.”
“As long as she comes with us, that’s fine by me. Handle it whatever way you like. Now if there’s nothing else then I have a girl freezing to death to worry about. She needs some clothes.”
They walked back together and Dardanos gave his orders. “We’ve wasted enough time, we’re moving out. Tie her up and throw her in one of Cotiso’s wagons. The one with the lock.” He turned to Cotiso. “And that lock had better stay locked.”
Cotiso said in a hurry into one of the wagons. “Give me a blanket. No, no, get me a used one, it’s going to get dirty.”
“What’s going on?” His slave, Maria, looked out nervously.
“Nothing, don’t worry, it’s all worked out now.” He took the blanket she handed him and rushed towards the back of the convoy.
Maria’s long red hair danced with the cold wind as she pushed the cover aside and reached out her head to take a look.
“Cotiso, what’s going on? Why are we stopping?” Tati, one of the two other merchants accompanying him, poked his head from his wagon as well, but quickly retreated from the cold.