"That's not the way it appeared to me," he said, motioning to the dead warlock with his pants around his ankles.
"What do we do now?" Clover said, sidestepping the pool of blood forming on the floor. "Shouldn't we inform the authorities? I mean, we just committed murder."
"It wasn't murder," Tara said. "It was self-defense. And the sooner we get out of here the better. We don't need any more unwanted attention in these parts. The warlock got what he deserved, and if we leave now, no one will be any the wiser. The only other person who knows what happened here is Jessop."
Clover peered at Jessop then back at Tara and sighed.
"You guys seem to live by a different moral code in this land. Where are you from, Jessop?"
"I was born in the Norseland but stowed away aboard a commercial sailing vessel. When it docked in a nearby port, I figured this was as good as any place to get off."
"You seem pretty handy with a sword," Clover said, appraising his sinewy figure under his tight-fitting clothes. "Especially for someone so young. Where did you learn those skills?"
"My father's a lord in the Kingdom of Stordalen. I’ve received fencing lessons since a young age."
"If your father is a lord, why did you feel the need to run away?" Tara said, still wary of the young man's intentions.
"I'm his only son. He expected me to take over the estate and look after the lands and vassals under his command. I grew tired of all the rules and responsibilities."
"You gave up all those riches and a cushy life for this?" Tara said, sweeping her hand around the warlock's modest abode.
"I guess I wanted to make my own way in the world," he said. "I don't like having someone else telling me what I can do or where I can go. I'm a bit of a free spirit."
"Welcome to the club," Clover chuckled. "It's funny how we three renegades bumped into each other."
"It's not so funny when someone gets killed," Tara said, glancing at the lifeless body of the warlock.
"So what do we do now?" Clover said.
"We get as far away from here as possible," Tara said. "As quickly as possible."
"What about Jessop?" Clover said.
"What about him?"
"He saved our lives!"
"He may have saved us from something," Tara nodded. "But he may have also ruined your best chance at getting back home."
"Do you really think that warlock was legit? Maybe this whole scheme was just a ruse to get into our pants."
"I guess we'll never know now, will we?"
"What about you, Jessop?" Clover said, peering back at the handsome drifter. "What are your plans now?"
"I don't really have any," he said. "I figured I'd just follow my nose and see what new adventures I might find along the way."
"Adventures seem to follow us everywhere we go. Why don't you tag along with us for a little while? It wouldn't hurt to have a man with your skills join us if you don't have anywhere else to go."
Clover glanced at Tara with puppy dog eyes.
"What do you think, Tara?"
Tara looked at the young swordsman then back at Clover, pausing.
"Maybe just for a little while. At least until we get far enough away from here to know it's safe. But don't get any frisky ideas, Romeo. The last thing we need is another randy joker trying to make a pass at us. I think we've had plenty enough of those kinds of distractions for a while."
"I wouldn't think of it," Jessop said, trying to keep his eyes from wandering down to soak up the two girls' sexy figures.