Chap. 76 Cellmates

Chap. 76  Cellmates

The four inmates were laying on their bunks when the Master at Arms entered. The guard, asleep as usual, jumped up, garbling his apology.

"Ach, you dumb lout, sleeping again?"

The guard smiled. 

"I know, can't hear a thing. No matter, long as you keep this lot in hand."

The four prisoners grinned, hoping to see their jailer punished.

But no.

"You…Beef Thief, aye, you. Hands out for chaining."

The original inmate jumped to his feet. 

"I'm out of here, lads!" he grinned at Betzil, Ear, and Arm.

"Aye, you are that, Beef. You go before Lord Dorn this morning. Now, hands out."

Beef  quickly stuck his wrists out between the bars in order for the master at arms to chain his wrists. Then, the master at Arms unlocked the door. Beef walked out, obediently centered himself between the two guards who'd come with the Master, and smiled.

"I'm a free man, lads!" he called, waving his chained hands in the air.

Hours later, after Betzil had moved into Beef's bunk, a woman entered the jail. She went over to the guard and took his arm, hugging him. The man mumbled something. "You're dumb as an ox," she said, smiling, 'but I like 'em that way…big and stupid." He haha'ed, apparently thinking she was complimenting him.

"He's none too bright, and he's deaf," Betzil said.

She turned. "I know that, you. I've been coming here for a while, helping my friend out. Gotta keep that big lug behind me guessing."

"What..what happened to him?"

"Who? This lug or my friend?"

"Your friend, the beef thief."

"Lord Dorn give him a year's hard labor, then he's free as long as he don't re-offend. If he re-offends, he's banished for life."

"That's IT?"

She walked up to the bars. "Give me his pack, don't let the guard see it."

Arm was quickest.

"What pack?"

Betzil and Ear suddenly caught on. They didn't want to let it go.

"I'm not as stupid as yon lout, you. You know what pack. It's his, he wants it back."

"No, please, said Arm, showing his hand, "it's got numbweed in it, my hand got all cut up and I need what's in it."

"Why should I let you keep it? T'aint yours," she said. 

Betzil started to plead. "Look, we need it. Can't you do for us what you did for him? Bring us food, and things?"

She narrowed her eyes.

"What's in it for me?"

"Look. I got money. I do. A LOT. It's hidden but it's safe and when I get out, you and me, we can go somewhere where they don't know anything."

"I'm not going with your friends, here. Not me, not atall."

"They're not coming. We're not friends, I’m just with them because..because, well, I'm the victim of a big misunderstanding. They're the ones who did the crimes," he whispered.

Arm and Ear both looked at him.

"EH?????? What did he say," Ear asked. His hearing wasn't the best.

"Says WE did all them bad things, he's just a victim."

Ear turned and approached Betzil.

"Not much of a partner, are you?" Arm said, "All of a sudden, we're not a team?"

Betzil laughed. "You're both as stupid as the lout. I didn't cut anyone up, and I never .."

"But you let us drag you out of the ocean, paid good money to a healer to fix you up and now you say you've got money. That doesn't sound like much of a partner, you and your 'we're a team" talk. 

Betzil scowled. "Got to survive. Every man for himself."

Ear and Arm both approached him. The woman motioned to the guard, who got up and grabbed the bars.

"I'm not going anywhere near YOU," the woman said to Betzil. "My friend, he told me you raped a girl. A little girl."

"It wasn't rape. She asked for it."

"A LITTLE GIRL? I don't think so. She was what, ten? Twelve?  You're a monster. If it were me, I'd have gelded you with a wooden spoon. Or maybe just cut off your head right at the start, but Lord Dorn, he's trying to go by the Charter now."

"You said she climbed into your bed!" Arm growled.

"A little GIRL? YOU said she was a full grown woman," Ear yelled. "Not a baby."

Betzil whirled.

"I didn't know she was a little girl. She looked grown. SHE ASKED FOR IT. She BEGGED me."

The woman said, "Don't matter. She were a little girl with no more sense than a kitten. You don't rape. Anybody."

Betzil lunged at her, but the bars intervened. She jumped back.

"Big man you are, raping children and attacking innocent women."

The guard growled, "Get back. Backs against the wall. Now." They were too heated to hear him. 

Turning to face the guard, she winked at him. "It's okay,' she said, with her hands as well as her voice. 

Ear said to her, "Call the master at arms. We don't want this rapist in with us. Otherwise, we'll kill him."

Betzil quailed.

"No, no! It's NOT like that!"

"Don't matter, like she said. Rape is rape. We might be robbers but we don't have no truck with rape. You didn't tell us it were rape. You said she climbed into bed with you."

"What does this bitch know about it? It's all lies. I’m innocent." Betzil said. Ear and Arm began to push him back into the corner of the cell.

"Whyn't you kill him," the woman said, "and I won't see a thing. Neither will lout. In fact, I'll take lout outside and you can kill him and I'll swear he attacked you and it was self-defense."

"Shouldn't take long, ma'am." Ear said, grinning a fiendish grin.

"NO! NO!" Betzil shrieked.

The Master at Arms was suddenly in the cellblock, with the two big men. Lout joined them.

"What's going on?"

Ear and Arm both said, "Get him out of here. He lied to us. He's a rapist. You don't get him out of here, we'll kill him."

"And then you both will be guilty of murder. Not that this pig doesn't have it coming."

Betzil stood, frozen. 

"You two, backs against the wall."

Arm and Ear obediently, almost gratefully, placed their backs against the back wall of their cell.

"YOU…" he pointed at Betzil. "Hands out for chaining."

"Where…where.."

"I'm putting you in a cell by yourself.  I'd just as soon give them two a cudgel each and let them kill you, it'd save me a lot of time. But we go by the Charter now, so you still get your 'day in court'. 

"Wait…"

He darted to the bunk Beef had vacated, and grasped the pack.

"Where did you get that?" the Master asked.

"She brought it, she gave it to me," he pointed to the woman.

"No, I didn't!" she shouted, "You're lying!"

"Fine. Chain up and bring it with you," the master said.

"NO!" Arm cried, "it were Beef's."

The Master sighed. "I'll sort this out later. Come on, Betzil, chain up." Betzil shouldered the pack and then stuck his hands through the bars. As his wrists were being chained, Betzil turned his head over his shoulder and stuck out his tongue at his erstwhile teammates. Then he was locked in the cell right next door, separated by a solid rock wall.

Arm and Ear prowled their cell, furious. They cursed him, making Betzil laugh.

"Ah," he said, for them to hear, "This is much nicer. Doesn't smell like it did with you. Oh, and look what's in this pack!"

He rifled through the pack. There wasn't much, but…Arm and Ear didn't know that.

"You two", he said, loud enough for them to hear him, 'you did me a favor. Beef was holding out on us. There's jam in here, some klah…oh, this is nice. Thank you both."

Arm said, 'Keep at it, rapist. One of these days you'll be out…and we'll be out for you."