Scarlet

by A. C. Gaughen

  I grabbed her hand, settling my mind on Robin and John and Much. Even Tuck, with his wife that never minded him and always raised a ruckus, which he seemed to think of as endearing. “They all don’t. There are good men out there.”

  “There are poor men out there,” she told me. “And rich ones. Rich men never wait for nothing, so why would they be good? Good men are poor, because they have to count on others’ kindnesses. And my father said clear as morning that I’m for a rich man.”

  “Godfrey will kill you.”

  She shook her head. “Father wants him to protect us all. Godfrey deserves some rest from that task; I can carry this burden now.”

  Stupid, foolish, moron tears were in my eyes. Ravenna and me weren’t never kindred. It shouldn’t matter none who she tied herself to. “I can save you. Let me save you.”

  “I don’t need saving. It’s my choice. For once, something is my choice.”

  “It’s no choice when you think you’re saving your family, Ravenna.”

  She leaned back from me. “Leave, or I’ll call the guard in. If you see Godfrey, tell him what I’ve told you.”

  “I’ll stay close. If you change your mind, if he hurts you, I’ll stay close.”

  She swallowed but didn’t look at me. “Go.”

  I went. But I weren’t going far.

  I didn’t go back to the camp. I signaled Rob with two daggers, meaning I didn’t need help, and he left. I waited until he were long since gone and went down to collect the daggers, and then I slept in the tunnel. There were tears on my face, and I didn’t scrape them off. This were my fault, and I would be there when she needed me.

  There were a dark crook in the roof between two eaves, and when dark fell the next night I sat there, hidden, listening. I stayed close as quarters to her, just to make sure she were safe. It occurred to me that Rob and the others were fair worried ’bout me, but it didn’t matter. If I left, he might hurt her and I wouldn’t be there to save her.

  I didn’t let the time go full wasted, though. I started a little collection, nicking some gold and silver and jewels where I could. If I weren’t going to be on the road with a bare fortnight till tax day, I had to get enough to sell to make up for it. It weren’t as if I could walk into the armory, but guards left their weapons without a watchful eye fair often, and I nicked an armful of swords and a whole new set of knives. I kept a stockpile down in the tunnel.

  And I watched. I watched the way the guards moved round. I watched what they were guarding, and I watched what they weren’t. It were awful strange; during the night, guards and workmen were centering around the top bailey. There were only residences and a few workshops up there, but the men all clustered round the old guardhouse. They hadn’t used the guardhouse since they built a bigger one down in the middle bailey. What were they doing?

  I watched Gisbourne come in and out; I stayed by his window and listened. I were drawn to Gisbourne in a way that made me want to retch out my innards. He scared me, that were right sure, but when I were in the dark, I felt like I could look all I wanted, and part of me were nosier than a kitten. This were the man who had wrenched my life off to the side, and I were curious.

  He carried himself with the arrogance I first feared him for, and his face never changed. He had dark eyes that had hate in them, and everyone could see it. I thought of Rob’s eyes, deep like the water and quick to show how much people meant to him. How much I meant to him.

  The middle of my back shivered. It were getting colder. My legs felt stiff, and I couldn’t remember when I last moved. I stood to go for a walkabout, scaling the wall and walking the parapet. I got to the middle bailey and I caught a glimpse of metal in the woods. The sight grabbed at my heart like a hand would my arm, and I began to run. I launched from the parapet to the outer stonework that kept the portcullis, and from there I jumped to the ground in time to stop Godfrey with John Little behind him.

  “Move,” Godfrey snapped at the same time John pushed forward and grabbed me off the ground in a crushing hug.

  “Christ, Scar, you’re all right,” he said, his voice hot with breath and right next to my ear. His head turned a hair and I felt his lips on my cheek. “Where were you, Scar?” He let me loose a little and my feet hit the floor again, but he didn’t full let go.

  “Here. With Ravenna.”

  Godfrey pushed John off of me, and when he looked at me he swallowed and stepped back. I wondered what my face looked like. It were still fair sore and overtight. “Where is she? Why haven’t you got her out?”

  “She won’t come.”

  They both stared.

  “She’s marrying the sheriff.”

  Godfrey surged forward, drawing his sword. “Come off it! Where is she?”

  “She’s in there.” The truth were putting a shake in my bones. “Godfrey, she’s not a prisoner anymore, which means neither are you. She’s there of her free will. You can go to the gate and ask to see her. I reckon they’ll let you in.”

  He stepped forward again, and John pushed him back, stepping in front of me. “Why would she do that? Why marry him?”

  “She says she were to be married anyway. Sheriff will give her a position, and favor in the court besides.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “You don’t have to. Like I said, go to the gate. The sheriff will let you call on her. Your father knows already.”

  He looked to John, and then he lurched forward. John pulled me out of his way and let him go to the gate. He pounded the gate and the small door opened. He spoke to the guard, and his body lost its anger. The gate were opened and he were let in.

  “You weren’t lying,” John said soft.

  I turned to walk away.

  “Scarlet, where are you going?”

  “He’s with her now. I can go.”

  He grabbed my arm with a smile. “You’re coming with me, love. I never buy your tough act. Where would you even go?”

  “Wherever I damn well please, John Little.” I needed cold and quiet—and some good darkness. My head were full of Joanna and London and even a touch of Gisbourne, and it felt overfull.

  He pulled me against him. “Don’t go, Scar,” he said in that voice he used with Bess. “Come back with me. Much is frantic as to where you might’ve gone.”

  I didn’t know if he were or Robin were, but I were fair certain that John didn’t care if Much were worried for me. “He’ll last a day or two longer.”

  He nudged his nose against the side of my face, and I pulled away from it a hair. His hand came along my cheek and it tugged my face over to his. “Maybe, but I won’t.”

  His lips pressed against mine, strong like the rest of him and a little wet, pushing my lips into a fair good kiss. He caught me up ’bout the waist and kissed me deeper. I shut my eyes, and Rob’s face popped into my head.

  I pulled my head away, flushed and not sure what to do, or say, or think.

  His nose rubbed mine. “Scarlet.”

  It tickled and I sniffed. “What were that for?”

  He tilted his head a bit. “You.”

  “Why you kissing me?”

  “’Cause I like you, Scar.”

  I shook my head. “You like every girl, John.” I smiled a little. Something ’bout a kiss makes you feel silly, and a kiss from John somehow felt more silly than most. “I’ll be back in a day or two.”

  His arms went looser. “What does that mean?”

  I pulled away from him. “I’ll let you know. If you go to the tunnel, there’s a fair bit of loot.” I walked a few paces and stopped, looking back. “And thanks, you know, for the kiss.”

  He just stared so I kept walking. Might as well be polite.

  Chapter

  Nine

  I didn’t get far. I went east through Sherwood to Worksop and stayed there during the day, helping Much’s father and checking on Freddy Cooper. He stayed when the rest of his family went on to Dover, making what wages he could till they were settled. The miller were
at the grinding part of the harvest, and he always needed extra help, and Freddy were taking to it like a duck in water. Much’s father didn’t talk a lot. Freddy talked enough for the two of us, and that were a whole different kind of silence that my mind knocked around in. When night fell, Freddy and Much’s father wheedled and begged till I stayed for supper, and they set up a bed for me to sleep in. I nodded, because it were easier, and then when they went off, I left the house.

  I liked wandering the night. The animals were different. They talked to each other in soft twitters, little whistles, hoots, and such. They had a nighttime way of talking.

  There were an inn at the edge of the village that I liked. The innkeep were a woman, which were fair unusual. It used to be her husband’s, but he keeled over and she took it on. She were always good to me. Sometimes girls had troubles that boys weren’t meant to know nothing ’bout, and she helped me out once or twice.

  I went in and she nodded to me. I slid into a table in the back. She sent over an ale and I nodded to her again, settling into the corner to watch and listen. There were a few travelers eating their supper, but most were locals sitting for a drink. I recognized many of the men, most farmers and craftsmen, and a few farmhands.

  “Lena!” bellowed a gruff voice. Three of the sheriff’s personal men walked in, dressed all in the sheriff’s black and silver, like death and metal. I looked to Lena; she were smiling, but it weren’t one of her big wide smiles that I got. She sent one of her girls to get some drinks and ushered the men to a table. They sat and took the drinks, and the ringleader grabbed Lena’s wrist and dragged so she leaned hard over his shoulder. “You know that’s not why we’re here, Lena.”

  She shot a look to her muscle, a hulk of a lug everyone called Pea, but he were already on his way. He stood over the men and the ringleader let Lena’s wrist go. “I don’t have the money. I’ll have it next week.”

  “Sheriff doesn’t believe you. Sheriff thinks you’re holding out.”

  She flushed. “Well, what does he expect me to do? I don’t have any money. I can have it next week.”

  “Lena, the sheriff gave you meat for your customers when you needed it. He expects his investment returned.”

  She crossed her arms. “If I had known his ‘gift’ came with such a price, I wouldn’t have taken it. You’ll get your money when I have it.”

  “Sheriff’s cracking his whip, Lena.” His fellow took the candle from the middle of the table and held it underneath the wood table. The other two men grabbed Lena and Pea as she screamed at them.

  I whipped a knife at the candle, pushing it from his hand. The flame doused before it hit the ground, and the table were black but not burning. The ringleader whipped his head round to see who did it. “Someone bein’ a hero, then, eh?” he asked, drawing a knife and turning toward Lena. She screamed again, and as I drew another knife, a customer tackled the guard. The place split open into a brawl.

  Lena began yelling for people to get out, and sent one of the girls upstairs to warn the travelers. If they meant to burn the place, they wouldn’t stop there. I ran outside with a nasty feeling in the pit of me.

  Sure enough, I heard a horse’s scream and saw another set of guards lighting the barn on fire. They put a torch to the hay, and the animals started to fret something awful. I ran at them, taking five knives in my hands and starting to throw. I hit two guards with the hilt of a knife tossed to the back of their necks, which dropped them to the ground. The third turned to face me, which were a stupid move on his part.

  I jumped onto my hands and flipped to kick him square in the chest. He went down. I didn’t much care if they stayed down or not; I needed to get the horses free. The fire were spreading quick with so much hay, and they were kept in by ropes across their stalls.

  With a knife in each hand I sawed the ropes loose one by one, letting the panicked horses run out. I had two left to do when one of the guards pushed me hard against a stall wall. I grabbed the wood of the wall and slammed my head back, connecting with his nose—including the nosepiece, which set my head to ringing—and stepped hard on his foot. He scooted back enough for me to cut another rope and grab the last one. The horse were rearing on his hind legs, and I did my best to forget I might well be trampled soon as I loosed him.

  I ducked to miss a kicking hoof, sliced the rope, and curled off to the side. The horse bolted and the guard grabbed me by the throat, pulling me off the ground and ramming me against the wood. Black smoke were billowing and it swallowed the horse up whole. The whole barn were popping and cracking like a heaving giant.

  “And you must be the famous Will Scarlet,” he said, spittle flying at my face. “Sheriff’s been dying to meet you.”

  I sent the spit right back with a fair helping of my own. He cocked his arm back to throw a punch.

  An arm shot out and hooked the guard’s, sending him off me. Robin stepped out of the smoke like a god and delivered a sound punch to the guard’s face. Without a breath he turned, grabbed my hand, and ran out.

  The night were much, much colder than I remembered. Robin were holding my hand tight and I clutched at him like he were a handhold on a cliff and I were slipping off, like he were the difference between life and not.

  When the smoke let us go Rob dragged hard on my arm, enough for me to yelp and twist back, which landed me fair square against his chest. His arms latched round me like iron bands, and for a stupid second I shut my eyes and squished my head to his shoulder. His face pressed to the side of mine, and hard breaths huffed out over my hair. “Thanks, Rob,” I whispered.

  Guess it were the wrong thing to say. He pushed me back, pulling his heat away from me, and my shoulders hunched against the cold. He nodded.

  “Christ’s bones, you saved the inn, Scar!”

  I turned to see Lena fair flying at me, wrapping me up tight in her arms.

  I looked over her shoulder. It were still standing, not even scorched. “Sorry about the stables.”

  “Don’t, my girl,” she said soft. “You saved me and the horses.”

  “Here,” Rob said, pressing a purse to her hand. “Money for the sheriff. When those guards come to, just pay them.”

  Lena didn’t like charity, and her face showed all its wrinkles and age that weren’t there when she smiled. “Take a horse, Robin. I’ll tell them one ran off.”

  We looked to the travelers huddled in the grass, watching the barn burn. She turned to call them all back into the inn, and Robin held me tight by the waist as he steered me to a horse that had wandered behind the inn.

  “I can walk.”

  “I’m well aware. But right now, I don’t want you to walk away,” he said.

  That were fair enough. Right then, I didn’t have no clue what I wanted, so it worked fine. He mounted the horse and held an arm out, and I jumped on behind him, ringing my arms round his waist. I shivered, feeling like all the awful things in my head just left in one quick rush. He were like that. Rob could change anything in an instant.

  He didn’t take me to Major Oak but to Thoresby Lake. “You’re covered in soot and smoke,” he told me. “And a fair helping of dirt. Were you sleeping in the tunnel, then?”

  I nodded, jumping down off the horse. Rob came off as well and sat down on a rock facing away from the water.

  “You ain’t gonna turn round, right?”

  “Scar.”

  I took that as a yes and skinned out of my clothes real quick. The difficult bit were the muslin I wrapped around my bits in front. Once I got it off, I dove into the water. It were ice cold and I scrubbed hard before my hands went thick with the cold. I liked the cold. It made Joanna and Gisbourne seem farther away, and that were good.

  I scrubbed through my hair, and I remembered Joanna sitting up late with me, brushing out my hair. What a cabinet we could make together, she said. I thought she were gone madder than a marmot. You have rich mahogany and I have burnished gold; it would be a precious chest indeed. She braided our hair together to see the differ
ence. Good English hair, she told me. None of my Saxon color.

  I took her tie and banded our hair at the bottom, and I snuggled against her as we went to sleep. Those were the days when she started going out at night without me, making me feel littler for not knowing what were going on. Seemed to me then that Joanna and I were as distant and separate as our hair, and if I could only braid us together, we’d never part. I had fallen asleep thinking it were as easy as that.

  ’Course, I’d woken up alone in the bed, night fallen in full and the hair tie loose around my single tail, her gold hair gone.

  I pulled out of the water and twisted my hair up, tucking it under my cap with the good memories of Joanna. That’s where I liked to keep her, secret and safe.

  My clothes were sooty, but it were cold so I wriggled back into them and then came beside Rob. He had already taken his cloak off, and he put it on my shoulders. His arm dropped to the rock behind me so he were caging me.

  “I missed you.”

  I got that funny, twisted feeling in my stomach. ’Course he missed me. I were a member of the band and they didn’t work well without me. It weren’t nothing more he meant, and I were a ready fool to have my heart lurch with other hopes. “But you knew what I were ’bout.”

  “I knew that you were atoning to yourself, however you meant to do it.”

  “I stole things from the castle to sell,” I said.

  He smiled. “Never idle. John thought you’d been collared.”

  “You have more faith in me.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t, really. You scare the hell out of me.

  “Tonight were good timing,” I admitted.

  He nodded. “You would have gotten out anyway.”

  “How’d you know I hadn’t been collared?”

  He shrugged. “I’d have felt it. I’d have known.”

  Whether it were that strange idea or the cold, something lodged in my chest and my breath were gasping round it.

  “Let’s get you home.” He stood and looked out over the lake. “If you’re ready to come back.”