by Sara Ansted
Evey didn't reply.
"Is he good looking?"
Well, that was out of the blue. She spun on him.
"Why does that matter?"
He threw his hands up defensively. "It doesn't much. But even if everything else is terrible, it helps if he's nice to look at."
Evey deflated a little. "He's not, really. Sort of greasy. And he hasn't grown into his arms."
"Hopefully he will." Isaiah forced a chuckle.
Evey pulled out the last of her arrows and turned back toward camp. "What about your wife-to-be? Is she pretty?"
Isaiah laughed, but obviously not in disgust. It almost sounded like desperation.
"Beautiful," he said. "Gorgeous! I only ever saw her that once for just a few minutes, but she took my breath away. She's graceful and confidant. She has incredible skin that practically glows when the sunset hits it. She's a goddess."
As he spoke, Evey felt an irrational jealously bite through her. She imagined a tall, slender princess with waves of blonde hair cascading perfectly over her shoulders while the sun caught on her fair skin. Evey was nothing like that. Dark haired. Sun-tanned, and a little freckly. Usually covered in mud. No one would ever call her a goddess.
"Sounds like she's really something," Evey replied, trying to hide the bitterness in her tone.
The desperation returned to Isaiah's voice. "Yeah."
"But?"
"But she hates me. I want her to like me, but I don't know how. I'm just not the sort of guy that ladies like."
"Oh, come on. How could anyone hate you?"
He shrugged. "She's a lady. A lot of them are very proud."
"Maybe she doesn't know how to tell you what she thinks,"
"No. That's definitely not it." He started playing with the laces on his jerkin.
"How do you know?"
"The one time I saw her, she was yelling at her dad about me. She has no problem with making herself very clear." He sighed. "I'm not afraid to get married. I just wish I knew what to do to make her give me a fair chance."
Evey kicked at a twig near her foot. "You're making me feel guilty for being so judgmental. Maybe there's a brain behind all that stringy black hair. Though, I still don't want to marry him."
The sun was nearly gone. Golden rays hit the lower limbs of the oak, drawing out long shadows. The two of them sat there in silence, watching the patterns that the light made on the ground.
"Sorry I talked for so long."
Isaiah smiled and shrugged. "I'm not in any hurry. Besides, it's a lot more interesting than being at home. Business deals and escape plans. That's it. Boring as dust."
"Escape plans?"
"To look for Robin Hood," he explained. "My dad isn't nearly as understanding as your uncle about my disappearances. He sends people to track me down, and they always catch me. At least, they did until last time, when I met you."
"He seriously hunts you down?"
Her fingers itched for her bowstring as she asked. She barely knew Isaiah, and yet she would come to his defense without a moment's hesitation.
"I guess I can understand it," he said. "I mean, if your kid was missing, you'd want to find them, right?"
"Yeah," Evey grudgingly admitted. She knew without having to think that she'd be the sort of mother who'd take on whole armies just to protect her child. And woe betide those armies.
Isaiah sighed. "It's just that he knows by now that I haven't been kidnapped or killed or anything. He finds me so that he can "direct my future into a proper course", even if it's not what I want. I've tried to talk to him, and he just doesn't listen."
"I know a few people like that," Evey muttered.
"He's a good man, my dad. I know that. But he's also painfully frustrating. I wish I could do something to make him see."
Evey's hand had closed around her bow. She picked it up and said, "Maybe you can."
Isaiah wrinkled his forehead. "I'm not going to shoot him."
She dropped her bow in shock. "What? No! No. That's not... I would never..."
"I'm sorry!" he said, just as awkwardly. "I know you wouldn't. Just the way you were holding the bow, and everything. Please, forgive me for thinking that of you."
Evey waved the apology away. "What I meant was that there is a way to make sure he doesn't keep catching you. I am something of a specialist, after all."
Isaiah grinned widely.
"Know anything about shooting?" she asked.
"The basics. We all have to learn them. But beyond that, knights don't go in for archery much."
She grinned back. "Then we've got a lot of work to do. Can you find your way back to this tree?"
Isaiah looked around as if trying to memorize the place. "I think so, now you've helped me a few times."
"Good. We'll meet here in one week, around noon."
"I'll be here."
He surprised Evey by clasping her wrist. Not only had he just made a deal with a girl, but they'd closed it as equals. This young man was definitely something beyond the average.
CHAPTER TEN
For weeks they taught each other. Evey showed Isaiah everything she knew about shooting a bow and making arrows. She taught him several hunting, navigating, and silent movement skills. In return, Isaiah helped Evey with basic sword-fighting.
In those weeks, he became a fair shot. Never as fast or accurate as Evey, which would take years longer. But he could pull off a halfway decent shot, in a pinch. He was a good hunter, an alright navigator, and got to be exceptionally skilled at slipping silently though the landscape. What a change. He went from a lumbering elephant to a whisper through the trees.
Evey didn't pick up the sword skills quite so well. She had never even held a sword before. Though they practiced with sticks, she was so clumsy that she gave Isaiah a number of heavy bruises. It took eight weeks before she could defend herself properly, and twelve before she could put up any sort of decent attack routine.
That was just as well. She preferred the comfort of her bow. When she used it, she felt like she was one with the weapon. It responded to her like nothing else.
Together, they raided the tax men with abandon. Cart after cart fell prey to their teamwork. After the tax season ended, they turned to the king's personal convoys. The king had never lost so much gold and silver. As a result, the Robin Hood stories flared into infamy. They couldn't go anywhere, in any village, without hearing whispers of Robin's most recent exploits.
Isaiah was an intelligent guy, but Evey wondered at the fact that he had never connected their raids with the stories. It was so obvious. But then again, she had heard the very first Robin story. Puzzles always looked simpler after one found the answer.
Toward the end of July, Evey and Isaiah delivered a last bit of silver to an old man who lived alone in a shack by the river. As they left, she debated with herself, for about the fiftieth time, whether or not to tell Isaiah the rest of the truth about Robin Hood. At times it didn't seem to matter much, and at others she felt intense guilt at keeping secrets from him.
But keeping the secret was for his protection. He'd be safer this way.
"Look here!" Isaiah stood beside a large tree.
There was a piece of parchment nailed to the trunk.
Wanted: The outlaw known as Robin Hood
Reward: 500 gold, dead or alive
Seven feet tall.
Carries a long bow and black shafted arrows
Normally dressed as a common woodsman in shades of green.
Very Dangerous.
She couldn't believe her own eyes. "500 gold! I could feed my village for a year on that."
Before Isaiah could reply, the bell in the village center rang out. People gathered around a black clad knight who wore the king's crest. He carried copies of parchment identical to the one on the tree.
"Hear ye, hear ye!" he called, for those who couldn't read. "His majesty, the King, sends a proclamation throughout the land! Many of you are fa
miliar with the figure known as Robin Hood, the bandit, thief, and traitor to the crown. The king has long been silent, in hopes that this might be resolved peacefully, but he has suffered the indignity and personal humiliation long enough! Robin Hood is declared to be an outlaw! An official enemy to this great country!
"Any who know of his whereabouts will be rewarded for offering this information. The crown offers five hundred in gold if he is captured or killed! Be warned, this man is dangerous. He strikes men down with his bow while he stands safely at a distance. He does not hesitate to kill, regardless of innocence! If you value your country and respect your king, you will help us bring this outlaw to justice!"
The knight looked around, as if expecting some sort of applause. What he got instead was a jumble of confused whispers and scathing looks. Evey was almost as surprised. The people actually liked Robin Hood. He gave them hope, she supposed. That was an angle she never considered before.
The knight shifted uncomfortably under the pressure of the stares. Before continuing his announcement, he mounted his horse.
"He's a bold one, isn't he?" Isaiah commented dryly.
Evey huffed. "Personal humiliation indeed. I'll be a flying pig if the king's received hurt to anything but his coffers, and we all know those can easily spare a bit."
"Why does it bother you so much?" He raised an eyebrow playfully. "I thought you didn't believe in Robin Hood."
"It's not that," she said. "It's just that the king thinks he can do whatever he wants, doesn't he? He turns the good guy into an outlaw just because his precious purse is a little lighter. He deserves a good kick in the–"
Isaiah clapped a hand over her mouth.
"Not here! The castle knights are everywhere, and you're getting a little loud."
She turned on him with a glare that shot daggers.
"Look," he said. "As much as I might agree with you, I don't want to see you locked in the dungeons, or worse."
"Fine," she replied grudgingly. "I just wish–"
He cut her off. "Into the trees. Now."
He dragged her less than gently away from the town square, and past the tree line. All the while she struggled against his grip, but he was stronger than she was. Several minutes later, he released her arm. She glared at him again.
"What?" she shouted.
"Three months I've known you now, and I'm more than familiar with how easily your mouth can run away with you. I don't want to see you hurt." He pointed back toward the town square. "Plus, one of the knights was staring at your bow."
That simple statement completely deflated her. He was right. He usually was. She could have gotten herself into more than just a little trouble.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. It's what I lo... It's one thing I like about you." It was too obvious that he had changed his statement halfway through, and he covered this by adding hastily, "Just be careful though. What would I do if you got carted off to the gallows?"
Evey was speechless, which was a new sensation. She looked at Isaiah. Even with a brown mask on, his face was sincere and open. She felt nothing but guilt because of it. She had almost endangered him, and still he cared about her enough to steer her away from trouble.
She looked at the ground and softened her tone. "I really am sorry. Not about what I said, of course. But I'm sorry I don't think before I talk. Thanks for pulling me out of trouble."
"Any time," he said seriously. "But what do we do about this Robin Hood business?"
She tightened the grip on her bow. "What can we do? It's ridiculous anyway. The king is an overfed lout, who does nothing but count his money. If he really cared about his people like Robin Hood does, he wouldn't–"
An arrow whizzed past her head, thudding solidly into the tree in front of her. She turned to see a king's knight drawing closer to them. It was the same man who had made the speech in the square.
Isaiah cleared his throat. "Uh, I think someone heard you."
Evey rolled her eyes and let her head fall to the side in an unconcerned angle. "Oh dear. A knight. You think we can manage him?"
"Oh, I don't know. He looks awfully scary," Isaiah replied.
He drew his sword, and she nocked an arrow.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The knight spat on the ground, tossed away his crossbow, and drew his sword.
"Oh really?" Evey answered. "Does it look like I'm afraid of you?"
"Maybe you ought to be, little lady. Think you can pull that string back enough to send an arrow this far? The draw looks a little heavy."
Without hesitation, she drew and released. The arrow sailed through the air and planted itself in the knight's right thigh. He screamed and dropped his sword. In another moment she had drawn again. An arrow thudded into the saddle. The horse reared, knocking the knight to the ground.
She adopted a shocked expression. "Well, look at that. I guess I can."
The knight crawled toward his fallen sword, but Evey said, "I wouldn't do that, if I were you."
"I'll kill you myself, girl."
"Hey, now!" Isaiah stepped forward with his sword raised.
"Get out of the way," Evey said.
"But he just-"
"You're blocking my line of sight."
Isaiah took a hesitant step backward.
The injured knight tried to take advantage of the temporary distraction. He lunged for the sword, but Evey's arrow still reached it first and buried itself in the ground less than an inch from his hand. Immediately she had another arrow ready.
"I told you, leave it right where it is."
This time he seemed more convinced and pulled his hand away from the hilt. Evey began to back away slowly. Isaiah replaced his sword in its scabbard and followed her.
"Let's go," she said. "He can't follow with that leg."
"He can call for his men from here."
"Right." She looked around the area. "Well, they can't chase us if they can't find us. Split up and go silent. Zig zag your way back to the oak."
Isaiah pursed his lips. "Which one's the oak, again?"
"The one we camped at the first night we met." He nodded and turned to move off, but she stopped him. "Try not to wake the dead with your leaf crunching feet."
He smiled and nodded again. Then she sprinted in the opposite direction. As she made her way through the woods, she heard the distant sound of horses thundering through the trees. She laughed silently. No knight would ever find her here. The Greenwood belonged to her.
Just as she had expected, she reached the oak tree before Isaiah. To pass the time, she set about making camp. She strung her hammock, built a fire, and unrolled blankets for Isaiah. She even strayed from the area just far enough to spot a pheasant, which she promptly dropped with a single arrow.
Once she had plucked, cleaned, and spitted the pheasant, still with no sign of Isaiah, the worry set in. At first she figured he had gotten lost. That was silly, though. He still had a lot to learn about the forest, but he had come to this hideout several times without help. So where was he?
Maybe the knights had found him. Evey stood there holding the pheasant. Start it cooking, or go after her friend? If he had been captured, she had to leave right away. The longer she waited, the lower the chances of finding him. But how could she know? Maybe he was just slow. But maybe he wasn't.
She tied the pheasant to a stick, and tossed a rope across an overhanging a branch. Finding Isaiah was more important than dinner. If he wasn't captured, at least she'd know. And if he came back while she was gone and worried about her instead, it would serve him right.
Before she could do anything else, something moved behind her. She tensed and slowly lowered the pheasant to the sticks over the fire instead, trying not to show any sign that she was aware of another presence. She made a show of getting the placement just right as she waited for the hunter to come closer. Her bow was on the ground and useless, so she had to wait for knife range.
&nb
sp; Completely on instinct, she whirled around, grabbed the collar of the cloak, and spun her attacker to the ground with the knife at his throat. His head was only inches from the ground and his feet were uselessly splayed behind her.
"EASY! It's only me!" Isaiah lifted his empty hands in surrender. Evey's worry turned to relief and then anger. She dropped him hard to the ground.
"Don't DO that," she blustered. Secretly, relief flooded through her chest.
"OW! What? Don't try to practice what you taught me? You obviously knew I was there, so it's not like I surprised you."
She stared hard at him. "Don't take so long in getting here that I'm about to run off to save you. Again."
Isaiah's mouth curved into an 'o' of understanding.
"Sorry," he said genuinely. "But did you really have to drop me on my head?"
"Yes."
She went back to the pheasant over the fire.
"Remind me to never be your enemy," he groaned as he stood.
"Hey, Isaiah? Don't ever be my enemy."
"That's the best advice I've heard all week," he muttered, still rubbing his head. Then he smiled. "Did you see the look on that knight's face? He was furious."
She dropped the angry facade. "I'll say."
"I'm pretty sure they heard what you said about the king, though."
"Good. Someone needed to hear it." She sat back against a tree and obstinately folded her arms.
Isaiah sat next to her and rubbed his head again.
"It might be true and all, but try not to do it if there are knights around, okay?"
"That's exactly what lets him do whatever he wants! People are scared because they'll get knocked around by the tough guys with swords. I have half a mind to march straight up to him and tell him what I think."
"Well don't." Isaiah put a hand on her arm and gripped tightly. "You'd just get executed, and then where would we be? Something like that is too big for a couple of kids like us."
"I know," she grumbled. "But who else is going to do it?"
"Robin Hood." His eyes looked so confident in his words. "Someday things will be put right. He's smart and charismatic and well known. He'll stand up and get the people to listen. Someday it'll be better."
