Page 27 of Arrows and Gems
“What were you talking about when you arrived?” Helena replied.
Adrien’s brown eyes studied her for a moment before he tipped his head toward the edge of the camp. “The horses. You were watching them, weren’t you?”
Nodding, she let her gaze drift that direction again. “You don’t plan to use them any longer?”
“We can’t feed them,” he replied sadly. “It was hard enough during the summer; now that winter is approaching, the forest grass can’t keep up. Farrell has already decided tree bark is an acceptable substitute.”
As Helena watched the gray- and white-speckled horse lip another branch, more people drifted over to the logs. A teenager with his black hair pulled back in a leather tie made no effort to disguise his curiosity as he plopped down across from her, but the young man next to him leaned his forearms on his knees, eyeing her with suspicion.
“So tell me, Margit,” Adrien said as a young woman with his eyes joined them. “Why did you follow our Cap home?”
Le Capuchon chose that moment to appear, his hood still drawn low over his face. Helena’s eyes followed him as he found a seat. Even with his band, he hid? “Curiosity,” she smoothly lied. “Everyone from my c—my friend to one of General Valentin’s guards speaks well of Le Capuchon. Is he more than a bandit? I wanted to see for myself,”
“You seemed pretty convinced before,” Rouge scoffed. Lifting two wooden bowls, she handed them to Jean-haut, whostood next to her. “Accusing us of stealing your things.”
“And…you did.” Helena raised a challenging eyebrow, dropping her claim of neutrality. “I traveled to Marielle’s estate on a borrowed horse because I had nothing but the clothes on my back.”
“Wait, you’re that woman who took a shot at Cap?” the black-haired teenager interrupted. His face gleamed with fascination. “I still can’t believe you tried, but you must be fast! No one catches him by surprise!”
Speaking of being surprised…
Helena stared at him while Rouge growled, “It is not impressive, Tucker! We should be thankful—”
“That her aim is worse than her speed. I know,” Tucker finished with a roll of his eyes. “So you’ve said.”
“There is nothing wrong with my aim.” Helena’s shock disappeared at the slur to her skill. Adding her glare to Rouge’s, she snapped, “He dismissed me like a child. I decided to prove my worth. How many archers do you know who can remove a man’s hood? On purpose?”
“Cap could do it,” Tucker grinned, accepting a bowl from Jean-haut, who was watching the argument with bright eyes. “Don’t know I’d trust anyone else to try, though.”
Rouge passed another set of bowls. “A likely story,” she mumbled.
“Give me my bow, and I’ll prove it.” Straightening, Helena shifted her gaze to Le Capuchon. “I still want to see his face. Don’t the rest of you?”
The group’s leader finally acknowledged her. “They’ve seen it. And I’m not giving you a bow.”
“Smart choice, Cap,” the suspicious man said. His eyes narrowed. “We shouldn’t trust her.”
“Peace, Laurent.” Le Capuchon waved Jean-haut toward Helena. “If I gave her a bow now, she would hurt herself.” Heturned his face toward her. “But I also don’t trust her.”
She bristled. “And I don’t trust you, so we’re even. Need I remind youwhya draw would hurt me?”
“Need I remindyouwhy I took my shot?” His voice remained annoyingly calm. “If you don’t trust me, why did you follow me?”
“I—”
She couldn’t flee and had no means of defense. Admitting her plans to betray him to General Valentin was a bad idea.
Raising her chin, Helena said, “Like I said, I was curious. I may not trust you, but Marielle does. I want to know why.”
There – not a complete lie.
Shrouded by his hood, his expression was unreadable. Helena discovered she was strangely irked by her inability to rile him. Not that she had been trying…yet.
Smiling sweetly, she batted her eyes and continued, “But I suppose I’ve already found out. I didn’t picture you as the type, given your reputation as a great archer.” His head tipped a little to one side, and she imagined a wrinkle between his eyebrows. “Rouge told me about your concern for wounded creatures. Tell me, what kind do you bring home? Bunny rabbits? Puppies?”
The circle was silent, many people looking down while some, like Adrien, watched their leader with a fond smile. Le Capuchon turned away as Jean-haut handed him the final bowl. Picking up a piece of dried meat, he bit off a chunk, then slowly chewed and swallowed before answering. “People.”
Helena glanced around the circle. “People?” she echoed.
