A bolt sped through the air, knocking the heavy crossbow from the hands of the carriage’s guardsman. The driver reined in the horses as the road was blocked by a felled tree. “Stand and deliver!” cried the flashily dressed woman holding a loaded crossbow standing astride the toppled tree.
“No one need be hurt,” she cried. “But you will leave here poorer if you wish to avoid harm.”
Highwayman’s Crossbow
These light crossbows are sturdily made and often decorated with trophies taken. The names of their owners is usually carved into the stock.