The Greenwood Shadow (31 page)

He pursed his lips and poked at his stew.

"Come on. We've got plans to make." She tried to sound lighthearted, but it failed.

Back at the fire, no one spoke. Five people against Sir Guy, the king, and hundreds of knights. What chance did they have?

Finally, Evey couldn't stand the silence. "Alright, let's look at this one thing at a time. What is our main problem?"

"Sir Guy," David answered immediately.

"Right." She nodded. "So, Sir Guy is the problem. And we have to get rid of the problem somehow."

A cruel light shone from Will's eyes. "We take him out."

"No," Isaiah ordered. "Only as a last resort. We aren't assassins."

"We kidnap him?" Will amended.

"Take him out in the forest and rough him up," John added.

Evey shook her head. "He doesn't work like that. If he ever escaped, he'd just be more ambitious than ever. And more anxious to chase us down."

Another silence.

David suddenly looked very uncomfortable. "Kidnapping."

"I just said that won't work," Evey muttered.

"No, no. Just listen. I have the start of an idea, and I think you're absolutely going to hate it."

"Hate it?" Evey narrowed her eyes.

"Loathe it. But here it goes. I sneak John and Will into the grounds, place them in certain get-away points, and go on a walk with my father. We walk past John, who jumps out and binds him. John carries him to where Will has our saddled horses, and we ride."

"Well, it doesn't sound awful. Where do you want us?" Isaiah asked.

"That's why you're going to hate it."

Suddenly Evey did.

"We are not staying here."

"You promised we could help," Isaiah added in a calmer, but still forceful tone.

David waved his hands in a casual way. "You will. But let us look at how we stand. One: the more people we bring, the more likely that one of us gets caught. We only need three. Two: John is the only one who could carry my father. Three: A strange man is much less likely to be noticed than a strange girl."

"We could dress her up as a boy," Will suggested.

The others turned to stare at him.

"Will, I appreciate the attempt," Evey said. "I do want to help somehow. But you have got to be joking. There is no way on this green earth that I could ever pass as a boy."

The four men all turned deep red. Evey rolled her eyes as dramatically as she could. "Oh, please. Just get on with it, David."

"Reason number four: Marion, I've seen you shoot, and I hope I'm never one of your enemies. But your best skill is the longbow, and it's virtually impossible to hide a longbow and a quiver on a five foot tall person. Five: Robin is still injured. That brings it down to John, Will, and I."

Grudgingly, Evey accepted that his points were all valid.

"But what do we want to kidnap the king for?" Will asked.

David thought for a moment.

"Show him what I saw. That's where the two of you will be most useful. You know more and have seen more. You have the passion and dedication that will convince my father. And you two are the figureheads for this whole movement."

"I can live with that," Isaiah said.

Evey scowled, but didn't argue.

"So, when do we execute this plan of yours?" Will asked.

"Tomorrow night."

"That is the only part of this plan that I DO like," Evey said grumpily.

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

The next night seemed to come without warning, and Evey found herself sitting in a new campsite with nothing to do but worry. The plan would more than likely succeed. There wasn't much that would go wrong, but that didn't stop her from imagining everything that could.

"It was a real surprise, wasn't it?" Isaiah asked from across the fire. "I mean, we needed it to go quickly, but I never expected this."

Evey shrugged. She was still a little bitter about being left out.

"Come on, Marion. You're gonna do great. I want to take him out like you took me. Give him the real Robin Hood tour."

She chucked a rock into the fire and set a blaze of sparks flying. "If you're trying to make me feel better about sitting around and waiting, it isn't working."

Isaiah chucked his own rock. "It was worth a shot. Anyway, how much silver do we have?"

She rifled through her things. "We only got one bag from the last cart. And still have a bag and a half saved up."

Isaiah grunted. "I wish we had more. We haven't seen any of our families since we were arrested. But the harvest is about to start. That'll help."

"If the knights haven't gotten any worse. We don't really know how things are."

"Bright ray of sunshine, you are." He crossed the camp and sat on a log. "But if we succeed here, it will get better for everyone. And not just the few that we can see personally."

Evey turned away from him. "Do you really think this will work?"

"Of course it will."

"I'm not so sure. If it's not Sir Guy, it'll be someone else. Will any of this even matter?"

Isaiah lifted her chin. "What are you saying?"

"Nothing," she muttered.

"There are good people out there, Marion." He ran his thumb across her cheek. "They're not all like Sir Guy. Take my dad."

"I thought you hated him."

"No!" He moved from the log to the ground beside her. "No. I'm sorry I made it sound that way. We don't see eye to eye on anything, and he doesn't understand me. But he's still good."

Evey smiled a little. "I'm just worried. What if it doesn't work?"

"It will."

The hours passed by with agonizing slowness. Evey alternated between pacing, sitting restlessly, and chatting with Isaiah.

"We should sleep." Isaiah suggested eventually.

"I guess."

"They can wake us when they get back."

She shook her head. "It won't happen. Sleep, I mean. My brain's going too fast."

She heard Isaiah move closer to her. Then he dug his knuckles into her shoulders. At first it was horribly painful, but after a few seconds her muscles started to relax. She hadn't realized how tense she was. She closed her eyes, and let herself enjoy the few minutes of tranquility.

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself lying on the ground, with a blanket over her. The sun was well up. She sat upright in a panic. Isaiah slept nearby, but she saw no sign of any others.

"Isaiah!"

He groggily opened his eyes, and murmured.

"They're still not back."

"Who aren't?" he asked.

"David, John, and Will. They've been gone for eleven hours, at least."

Isaiah suddenly understood, and looked around for himself. They both stood and checked the camp thoroughly. Isaiah didn't try to calm her panic this time. He just said, "Worried?"

"Yeah."

"I think I'll worry with you."

Evey wanted to charge into the woods right away. She only allowed Isaiah to stop her because she had no clear plan. Once she did, though, she wasn't going to be found hanging around.

A sudden crashing through the trees distracted her. She had an arrow drawn before she realized what she was doing, and took a ready stance. Whatever made the noise was moving fast, and she had no time to wonder about it before she made out two figures coming through the forest. One was huge and misshapen. The other was slight, and wore an oversized cloak.

In another few seconds, she realized that the strangely shaped man was John, who carried a third man over his already broad shoulders. Gasping violently, the two of them staggered into the camp.

The third man was someone that she recognized only because of his being with the other two. In tattered clothes, with wild hair, the king looked nothing like he had at her execution. He was only semi-conscious, and moaned loudly on the ground. All three were ragged, bloody, and exhausted.

Evey stormed up to them. "Where WERE you? What happened?"

"Attacked," John answered.

Evey folded her arms. "Thank you. That clarifies everything."

Will gulped some water before he could speak. "Some off duty soldiers accidentally ran into us and sounded the alarm. It was just bad luck, really. We had to hide out for several hours. Lost the horses. Then we made a fight of it at the gates, overcame the few early morning guards, and ran."

The king started to come around then. Evey splashed some water over him to speed up the process. He spluttered for a few seconds while looking indignant.

"Your highness," she began. He perked up at being addressed, and immediately cut her off.

"I DEMAND that you take me to my castle at once! Fetch me a carriage, some real clothes, and a haunch of venison immediately!"

Evey just stared at him. She had intended to be polite and respectful, but she no longer had the will power to do it. Instead, she said nothing at all. The others in the camp had the same reaction. Seems the king didn't even notice. He just sat haughtily on the log sticking his nose up at them.

"We've got to move camp. Might as well go north. Robin and I want to show him some villages up that way." She addressed the others, but kept one eye on the king. In a stage whisper, she added, "Can't we just knock him out again? It would save us a lot of trouble."

John caught on immediately and grinned. Evey wasn't sure that he was faking it. Apparently the king wasn't either. He suddenly looked a little less confident.

It only took minutes to strike camp, but it seemed longer. The king himself was there. However this turned out, they had just gotten themselves into a LOT of trouble.

"Alright, your majesty," Evey said. "Here's the deal. We're not here to ransom you, kill you, or force you to give the crown to anyone. All we want is the chance to be heard. You'll either come along with us willingly, or we'll take you there tied in a sack. Either way, you're coming. And either way, you'll hear what we tell you. The manner of your travel is your choice."

"The audacity! I'll have you all hanged! To think that you would drag the ruler of this country through the woods and force him into mortal peril! I'll not move from this spot if it doesn't please me. You would do well to take me back now." He folded his arms stubbornly across his chest, and once again stuck his nose in the air.

"John, I think he chose the sack," Evey replied, and she turned to walk away.

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Wouldn't I?" John said in a low, threatening voice. He pulled a large sack from his pack, and took a step toward the king.

"I'd start walking if I were you," Isaiah added casually as he tied up a bundle of arrows. "Once John's got a hold of you..."

The dramatic insinuation had just the effect they needed, and the king hastily rose to his feet. He danced several steps away from John before assuming an unconcerned posture.

"Well, it just so happens that I fancy a walk at the moment," the king drawled in a heavy court accent.

Evey rolled her eyes. "I can't believe David actually tolerates that."

"Well, family, you know," Will said back.

"David? What has he got to do with anything? Where have you put him?" the king demanded.

Evey was surprised to hear that he sounded sincerely concerned about his son, despite the fact that David was the youngest of so many.

"That is a good question," Isaiah replied. "Where is he?"

"After the guards sprinted off to sound the alarm, David sent us away. He realized that it would be best to stay and try to smooth things over. He had to keep everyone from finding out that the king had been taken." Will explained.

Evey glanced back at the king. He looked disconcerted, and more confused than stubborn.

"David was part of this all along?"

Will nudged him forward. "Yes, your highness. But it isn't as bad as it sounds. He did this to help you."

"I don't understand. He's helped to kidnap me. I never would have thought that David, of all my sons..."

Evey grabbed her stuff and started walking. "Don't think badly of him just yet. You'll understand soon."

The king looked uncertain, but nodded his head and continued down the road. Although her first impression of him was not very flattering, Evey was pleased to see that there was more about him than food, drink, and money. His concern over David's welfare was much stronger than his earlier haughty attitude. There might be a good side in him somewhere, just as his son had claimed.

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO

They left Will and John at the main road where the path to their village split off. Evey had insisted that they take a few days to rest. John, especially, needed to see to his family. As soon as they had gone, Evey leaned over and whispered to Isaiah.

"Horses. Look at him. He'll never make it as far as the widow's place."

Isaiah eyed the man and nodded. "I can take care of it. I know a place nearby. Keep walking, and I'll meet you up the road."