Lord of the Forest

by Kay Berrisford

  Robin clamped his dagger's hilt, his other fist balling at his side. "Save your damned riddles. I promised you a fight to the death should we ever meet again. And as last time you allowed me no weapon, this time I choose."

  "Such rules apply when I fight somebody who is my equal. I am a baron, and you—" Odo broke off, inhaling the loam-spiced air. Or was he striving to taste Robin's heady scent? Cal couldn't believe what he witnessed. Odo wet his lips and looked ready to rip Robin's clothes off. "Ah, mightiest of thieves, I concede to you and you alone."

  "We fight with staffs," said Robin. "Weapons of the forest."

  The previous fascinating exchange deserted Cal's mind. He only just restrained himself from leaping up and yelling, Are you mad? Having hesitated so long, justifying his position to Odo would be difficult as it was. He daren't run and draw attention, but he didn't want to witness Robin's death. Oh God, no.

  "Very well," said Odo. "We'd better make haste, my friend. The rest of my men are not far behind, and I wouldn't want to spoil this private moment."

  Odo dismounted and tethered his horse. He hacked a bough about as long as he was tall from a nearby tree and stripped the extraneous foliage. Robin did likewise, his movements slow and steady, reflecting the dour determination on his countenance. Cal remained transfixed. What history had passed between these two?

  Dear Lord, Odo all but drooled over Robin. Would this attraction be enough to stop Odo from killing? Somehow, Cal doubted it.

  Robin took his position facing Odo, each brandishing his bough. Both stood firm, feet planted on an uneven track of mud, flint, and meandering roots. They stared at each other, so intense that fire might have arced between them.

  "Ah, my lowborn friend," said Odo. "I don't wish to damage your fine body with such a crude weapon. Yield now, and you will know my mercy."

  "I already know your lies," said Robin. "I know the pleasure you take in pain."

  "You cannot blame me for that. You suffer so exquisitely." A hum of satisfaction escaped Odo's throat. "Surrender to my pleasures, and I'll spare you this time."

  Pleasures? What the hell?

  "I need no mercy from you." Robin sounded eerily calm. "This isn't about me. It's never been about me. It's about the hundreds of innocent people you've tortured. The thousands you've let starve. It's about my friend Daniel, whom your soldiers slaughtered."

  "You're wrong."

  Odo flashed the end of his staff toward Robin's chin more quickly than Cal's eyes could register. Robin's faculties proved faster. He blocked the staff with his, the crash followed swiftly by another, then another as they fenced each other's attacks. Cal covered his ears, wishing he could cover his eyes too.

  "Nobody will remember the mindless peasants," shouted Odo. "This story is about Robin Hood. It will always be that way."

  Had Robin and Odo been lovers? Given current hostilities, their affair must have ended badly, but if Robin craved the touch of a powerful warrior like Odo, Cal didn't hold much hope for his own charms. And what of all that talk of only bedding those you trust? Did Robin bend the rules for barons? And who the hell was Daniel? Another cherished "friend"? Sweet Jesus, Robin Hood seemed to have lain with more men than even Cal had.

  The blows echoed one another, as regular as the tapping of a woodpecker, and set Cal flinching, his dilemma mounting. The first few exchanges had been equal, but Odo, though more willowy, had a slight advantage in height and appeared to hit the harder. He drove Robin backward, inch by inch, toward a ditch at the verge of the track. If Robin fell, he'd suffer.

  Robin whirled his staff a full circle and jarred the wood into Odo's stomach. Odo staggered, and Robin launched forward, forcing Odo to retreat till his heels sank into the mud. Robin swung his staff toward Odo's head, but Odo sliced his weapon up, blocking Robin's blow with a splintering smash. Odo pounced, light as a hare, and crushed his staff against Robin's hand. Robin's hoarse scream tore through the woodlands. Birds flapped and screeched.

  Robin recovered quickly enough to defend against Odo's immediate offensive, but the force pushed him back.

  Cal floundered. He could choose but one side. The rest of the baron's party could be on them any moment, and Robin would never win this…alone.

  Cal pulled his hood low over his face, grabbed a rock, and jumped up. Facing him, Robin shook his head. Odo's next strike clipped Robin's jaw and sent him tumbling back. Cal made his move as the baron swung about. Three steps brought him close enough, and he smashed the rock against Odo's temple.

  White flashed up in Odo's eyes. He crumpled sideways into the mud. As Robin's gaze met Cal's, Cal dropped to his knees beside Odo.

  "Give me your knife," he demanded. Robin stared at him, cradling bruised fingers. "For pity's sake, give it to me now, or get this fat purse off him yourself. The rest of the party could be here any second."

  Robin nodded, wiping blood from his lip as he passed over the dagger. Cal's heart lifted, and he sliced the heavy leather bag—no doubt full of gold—from the stricken baron's belt. He tossed the purse to Robin, then offered the weapon back, handle first. When his stunned companion didn't take it, Cal placed one hand on his knee and dragged himself to his feet.

  Despite his rising fear, this felt new. He'd done something good, and he'd done it for Robin, all for Robin.

  "Thank you," said Robin. He rolled Odo over and snatched a pearl-handled blade from the baron's belt, then caught Cal's elbow to help him. They exchanged knives so Robin had his own. "But that was my battle, and—"

  "Let's argue about this later." Cal motioned to where a rider emerged around a curve in the track, a short gallop off. "Or do you want to fight them all… Agh!"

  Robin pushed him, a strong two-handed shove to the chest that flattened Cal to the dirt. An arrow cleaved the air where his head had been a heartbeat before. In the time it took for Robin to grab his staff from the ground, the leading rider was attacking, a knight with his visor down, though Cal knew his livery to be Sir Randolf's. Robin used Odo's staff to block an ill-aimed blow with a broadsword and then shoved the bulky knight from his steed.

  Cal got up, braced his back against Robin's, and raised the pearly dagger. A single thudding heartbeat seemed to resonate through them both. Their next assailant, Sir Vernon, bore down on them on his white horse. Robin parried Vernon's sword. Cal nearly tumbled forward as Robin reeled back under the force.

  After gathering himself, Cal turned and sent the dagger spinning through the air in the direction of Sir Vernon, who reared his mount, preparing for a second assault. Cal never saw where the knife hit, though he heard a shout. Robin grasped his hand and dragged him about. His hood falling back, Cal glimpsed another rider barrelling toward them. They plunged back into the undergrowth and ran as fast as the forest would allow.

  Chapter Nine

  As they pushed their way through the bracken, the sweat of Robin's palm mingled with Cal's.

  Robin's heart filled as they ploughed onward through the trees, ducking beneath rowan boughs hung with umbel-like fruit clusters. Cal had watched his back, maybe saved his life. Their pursuers' shouts echoed in his ears, winds stirred, and Cal dragged at his arm, struggling to keep pace. Robin had acted on instinct taking on Odo. He might have been a fool to do so, but it mattered not. Cal had stood by him.

  "We'll make it, I promise." Robin risked looking back, desperate to reassure Cal. Then the ground gave way beneath his feet, and his ankle buckled.

  He struggled for balance, pain shooting up his leg. Cal tightened his grip, bracing him. "We will if you look where you're going." He panted. "And don't get lost in a rabbit warren."

  They shared a breathless laugh. Robin placed weight on his foot, relieved by a sharp twinge, no bad strain. Cal quirked a hopeful smile, and a renewed surge of thrill dulled Robin's hurt. Together, they'd get away.

  They picked their way through tangles of bilberry root, choosing a narrow path carved by fleet-footed deer, forging ever farther from the road. Robin tracked to the east, then do
ubled back a short distance, confirming only the shimmer of birdsong trailed them. Certain he'd evaded the enemy, triumph mingled with joy. Then, wading deep in undergrowth, he tripped once more, this time dragging Cal down with him.

  Crushing the foliage beneath, Robin rolled flat on his back, his hand still tight about Cal's. They'd landed amid ground ivy and new-growth ferns, a softer cradle than the tough briar that surrounded them. Cal pressed his forehead beneath Robin's chin, and they gathered their strength.

  "We've lost them." Looking up, Cal pinched his bottom lip between his teeth. "You trust me now?"

  Robin's chest squeezed. Cal still wore the garb of the enemy, albeit torn to shreds, yet all men made mistakes. Robin had erred in his time, and so had his friends. He always forgave them.

  A single line creased Cal's brow, his gaze sharpened with hope. Their bodies pressed close, and Robin's blood jumped and heated.

  "I do," he said. "I'm sorry I doubted you before."

  "It's alright." Cal's sweet smile melted him. "I wouldn't have trusted me either, but now you know my choice. I'm your man, not Odo's, nor anyone else's."

  Robin cupped the nape of Cal's neck and pulled Cal down into the kiss he'd burned for.

  Their lips met, hard and wet, and flames scorched between them. Robin sprang to full arousal so fast the briar patch seemed to quake. The scent of crushed ivy dabbed at his senses but couldn't subdue the taste of Cal. Thirsting for more, he parted his lips and swirled his tongue about Cal's, kneading the lightly stubbled line of Cal's jaw with his thumbs. Hugging Robin tight, Cal worked the kiss with his entire being, moaning down Robin's throat, mouth and body flexing. Intertwined, they rolled over and grappled till the need to breathe forced them to break a kiss that might have otherwise lingered till nightfall.

  "So this is how it always was…with your friends?" asked Cal, gasping.

  An act of comradeship, of brothers in deed and body, the thrill of adventure surging in their veins.

  Robin could only nod as they bumped and ground together, every press more insistent and charged. Cal's knee skirted Robin's hip, and he jammed his rod of an erection flush against Robin's thigh. Robin rutted against him, friction mounting.

  Yes, this was how it had been with his friends. Or was it? Mayhap because his bond with Cal remained as delicate as a spring bud, he needed more than to frisk and spill his seed. He wanted to give everything he had, and he needed more back, but why and what? Oh Goddess, who knew?

  Cal nudged a hand beneath Robin's clothes and gently clasped him, pulling a feral cry from his throat. His carnal needs ratcheted up a notch. They cast their cloaks off. Robin helped remove Cal's tunic, then unlaced and stripped his own before enveloping Cal in the circle of a single arm. He rubbed his swollen shaft against Cal's sucked-in tummy. Cal scrubbed his prick against Robin's pelvis, his velvet foreskin slipping back so moisture trailed over coarse hair.

  "I never thought…it could be… Agh!" Cal threw his head back, gold threads sticking to his sweat-beaded brow. Robin wrapped both their shafts in his fist and began to pump. "Oh yes, yes! Together…like this."

  Their blending fluids greased Robin's touch. Already the base of his cock clenched tight, and each spasm of pleasure seized him stronger than the last. This was as it used to be, though he'd never fixated so deeply on the other man, nor experienced such a need to ensure the enjoyment was shared.

  Cal writhed, tiny leaves feathering his hair, caressing his pale skin. He threw his right arm above his head, stretching so his fingers wound through the ferns and interlaced with the creeping ground ivy. Lines etched his brow, as delicate as the veins of a petal, and the cut and thrust of flesh against flesh seemed suddenly inadequate. Robin needed—wanted—to be closer.

  With his free hand, he grasped Cal's, and then claimed Cal's parted lips. He relished Cal's sighs of pleasure, the jerk of Cal's member against his, and carnal requirements vanquished any spiralling thoughts. He brushed his thumb across their cockheads, squeezed, then lightened his touch. His rapture broke, and Cal's shaft convulsed in synch. Two jets of warm seed splashed Robin's fingers and both their stomachs, and the contentment buzzing from Cal stoked Robin's joy. When the sensation became too much, he freed their spent members. Floating in the afterglow of their harmony, he yearned to embrace Cal and never let him go. He pressed his cheek to Cal's blond locks.

  He needed to catch his breath, to regroup his wits and comprehend his feelings for Cal. But after mere moments of stillness, his mind stirred a tumult concerning all that had just passed. His anger with Odo simmered toward a boil, though it paled in the light of his other recent encounter.

  Sulis.

  One of the Goddess's spirits had come to him. She'd spoken his name and mentioned his mother, and he'd hardly known what to think or say. Part of him feared learning more. Nothing beyond pain could come from the details of his mother's death.

  But there were questions he wished he'd asked. Did Sulis possess knowledge of his father too? He exhaled sharply, frustration building. The Greenwood befuddled him more by the hour.

  "What is it?" Cal sounded worried, and guilt struck Robin. He'd much to ponder, but his attention should be on his new lover.

  When he moved, he discerned the snap of stems about his hand that clasped Cal's. Their fingers must have become entangled in the verdure. He leaned over Cal, compelled to lick Cal's drying lips. Then movement flashed in the corner of his vision, and he frowned.

  "What the hell?" Cal tugged his wrist, but the ground ivy held him fast. Somehow, while they'd been caught in the throes of carnal ecstasy, the forest floor had tethered him.

  *~*~*

  "Oh God, why me?"

  Cal wondered if he'd plummeted straight from heaven into the dungeons of purgatory. Narrow, hairless stems wrapped about his right arm, and when he tried to kick his legs, he discovered they were bound too. Though some of the plants broke, others refused to yield, and together they proved tough. It was more vile enchantment, and he'd been so swept away he'd not noticed.

  He tugged, cursing bitterly. "I wish this place would leave me alone!"

  "It's alright." Robin gently slid fingers up Cal's right arm, still stretched above his head. Robin's touch raised bumps on his flesh like those on the skin of a goose, and…damn it. Even this devilish forest couldn't spoil what had just passed within its wooden walls.

  "If this is some kind of magic," said Robin, "I don't think it was aimed just at you. I got tangled too. I think it bound us together, my wrist to yours."

  Cal curled his lip. "Some fetid weed sprite didn't want us making love near their briar patch."

  "Or they liked it a lot and wanted to keep us here." Robin grinned. "Your guess is as good as mine."

  He reached for his knife and started to slice Cal free. Sticky sap bled. Robin's brown eyes contained less melancholy than before, and Cal smiled.

  During the soulless sessions of fucking he'd endured before, nobody had looked at him like Robin just had. Desire had swept him and Robin onward like stampeding horses and reining either of them in had been impossible. Otherwise he'd have hollered for Robin to fuck him properly, demanded to feel Robin's flesh deep inside. But maybe Robin hadn't wanted to swive him. Perhaps that wasn't what outlaws did with friends.

  The flat of Robin's blade tickled the skin near Cal's ankle. Spurred by tingling nerves, Cal laughed and rolled free as soon as he could.

  "Odd." Robin brushed his palm over the stems he'd just severed. "The rest of the briar is brown and dying, but these shoots are new. For a forest that wants rid of you, it's doing its utmost to stop you from leaving."

  "Well, I can't get out of it fast enough." Cal fixed the cross-garters of his hose in the few places they'd still fasten. "That was amazing, though. You were damned right. It feels even better… when danger's near."

  "It's not the danger that makes it good, Cal."

  "Yeah, I know. It's about friendship. You told me a hundred times." All of a sudden irritated, he snapped, "but we're fri
ends now, right?"

  "Yes, of course we are."

  Robin flashed a grin, and Cal's world reeled. Robin had faith in him, Cal, the regent's spy, whore—no, none of that anymore. His past didn't seem to matter. Robin reached into his pack for a rag and wiped the sticky fluid from Cal's skin. Cal's breath caught. When Robin drew away to clean himself, Cal wanted to kneel before him, clasping his hands in entreaty.

  You can trust me with your life. I won't let you down, Robin. I'll be loyal and brave like those men you sang about, because you're the only true friend I've ever had.

  He'd have loved to shout those vows for every foul fiend and gnarled tree spirit to hear, yet he bit his tongue. Last time he'd espoused sentiments such as these, Robin had met them with disdain.

  What if Robin reacted like that now?

  Cal balked as if a fist struck his gut, then calmed himself.

  Why, truly, had he saved Robin Hood, then tumbled with him in the briar? To win Robin's trust, as well as time and opportunity. He must cling to that reasoning till he'd got out of this awful forest and could think straight.

  Having finished sorting his clothing, Robin glanced at the sun. "Damn."

  "What's wrong?" asked Cal, perceiving Robin's mood, like his, had shifted.

  "We're lost again, and we've got to get out of here by nightfall."

  "You hardly need to tell me that."

  Anger seared Robin's brow, and his clenched fists whitened.

  Cal hurried to his side. "Lord, what is it?"

  "That man. No. He's not worthy of the title man. That fiend."

  Robin had been thinking about Odo. Cal should have guessed.

  Robin addressed the dirt beneath him. "I've been a fool. I…I should have finished him."

  "You got closer to killing him than most men, I'd wager." Was that flattery? Cal didn't know.

  "I let him pick up where we left off." Robin ground his heel into the dirt. "I bowed down to his rules."