Unknown to the contingent, Iain and his one hundred and forty men were up higher still on the ridge above them. Leaving their horses and travelling on...foot, they quietly made their way down and watched them. It would be foolhardy to take them on, but Iain was prepared to lessen their forces when the time was right. Bows and arrows were readied, as they crept closer, coming within fifty feet behind them. Robert and his men were riding hard along the newly made road, eyes constantly looking up. " Yeah. Uh huh. Yep. I got it," I replied happily, holding up the slip of paper to no one in particular.I felt nervous. My toes and fingers felt numb and my throat was dry."Oh, ok. Great," she replied. "So, um, it's just a little dinner party. Nothing fancy. I was just thinking, uh, hey, why not send you an invite, too, ya know?"I was staring down at the note in my hand, staring at the smiley face she'd drawn, which caused me to smile in kind."Yeah," I said. "I'd like that. Thanks. Thank you.. ” He commanded.He handed her the phone and told her to call the power company. He told her to tell them her power was out. She argued that he had fixed it, but he told her to do as she was told.He allowed her to put on a short robe, but told her to let it fall open when she answered the door.Gary flipped the breaker off and hid in the pantry before they settled in to wait for the repairman to arrive.When the truck got there, she made her way to the door. She made sure her robe was just as Gary. ”“Does it still hurt?”He shrugged. “Not really.”“Liar. Can I see it?”“That’s kind of morbid, sis.”“Please?”Tank sighed and took another drink before setting the bottle down. “Fine, but don’t freak out, alright?” He lifted the edge of his shirt to his chest.“Lay back.” Kerri crawled over beside him and gently pushed at his shoulder. “Let me get a good look.”Tank did as instructed. His sister lay down beside him, resting her head on the one hand and stared at the play of shadow across his.