Page 10 of Queen of Sherwood

We turned as one.

“Work together, aye? You’re brother and sister.”

“We’re aware, Uncle,” I drawled, feeling slightly embarrassed.

“Good. Then don’t get yourselves killed.”

“You too, old man.”

With our traditional farewell spoken, complete with grins from both of us, we left the Oak Boys camp.

I WAS DEAD TIRED ON my horse, riding through the wee hours of morning after getting no sleep. Emergencies couldn’t be planned, and the rushing blood of our anticipated arrival kept me alert and on the saddle.

“This couldn’t have waited ‘til morning, eh?” Tuck asked from his saddle, with a huge yawn following.

John said, “You know Will. Always ominous.”

Tuck laughed. “Ominous? Did you leave your brain in that prison cell, John? Will Scarlet is the least ominous person I’ve ever met. What you see is exactly what you get with him.”

“Then why the cryptic message?” John asked.

“Perhaps in case it got intercepted by soldiers en route to us,” I chirped from my saddle. I had to practically yell over the pounding of hooves rumbling the earth beneath us.

“Good thing we haven’t seen any soldiers in ages then,” John said.

“Even if it did get intercepted, all the pertinent information was right there: He’ll be in Ravenshead. The only ‘ominous’ part is not telling us what trouble he thinks is brewing,” Tuck said.

From my left, Robert added, “This Will Scarlet fellow seems like someone I certainly want to meet.”

“You might regret that statement, Robert,” Tuck said with a chuckle.

I glanced from my right to my left, where Robert rode abreast with me. “John is right, about us not running across soldiers in ages. Any idea, from a soldier’s perspective, why that might be?”

“Aside from it being winter the past three months, and snowing hell most the time?”

I scowled at him.

“I imagine news of the Siege of Acre hasn’t reached your camp yet,” Robert said after he’d stopped smiling.

I shook my head. “I don’t know what that is.”

“In the Holy Land, it’s a city near Jerusalem. King Richard and the other kings have been besieging it since the Crusade began three years ago. God, I can’t believe it’s been so long already.”

My brow furrowed. “What’s the significance?”

“Well, I’ve received word Acre has fallen. It’s a great victory.”

My eyes bulged. “How do you know that?”

Robert looked away, a hint of a smirk on his mischievous face. “I have my sources still in the army abroad, Robin. Just because you leave the army doesn’t mean it leaves you.”

“Does that mean we’ve won Jerusalem?”

He snorted. “Not by a long shot. It’s a step in the right direction, maybe.”

“What’s that got to do with the price of honey?” Tuck shot from my other side.

“Well, friar, there has been a large influx of soldiers sent back home—mostly injured and inept ones—replaced by new soldiers leaving for the Holy Land, too, as the war gets more intense. That could explain why the roads have been largely empty of mercenaries and soldiers in recent months.”

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