Chapter 1
The vile waters swirled within.
Pale thin fingers stirred them once more and she stared intently at the images floating to the surface. The caldron came alive hissing and swirling as desperate voices rang out in pain and anguish around her. She ignored them and watched instead the images coming alive in the murky water. Six men and a girl, all sitting at a campfire. The youngest man playing a flute, the bearded man trying to grab it away from him. The other man laughing. She looked closer into the caldron hissing with desire, the other man.
"Scarlett," the voices hissed.
"Scarlett," she repeated. A slow cruel smile turned the corners of her lips.
She whispered the name over and over to herself as she stood alone in her massive castle.
~o~
"You don't mind him son, you keep playin," Will grinned over at Much. "He don't know what real music is,"
"I rue the day I ever made that whistle for him. Morning, noon and night he was playing that thing when we were tending sheep," John groused.
Much shrugged, "There was nothing else to do," he said.
"Nothing else to do, with all them sheep," Will muttered with a dirty grin.
Much put down his flute and looked to Will. "What do you mean Will, what can you do with sheep?"
That had them all laughing.
"Don't you mind them Much," Robin grinned. "Here have some more meat."
He threw a hunk of venison which the boy easily caught. Much had just started in on it when Will sprang to his feet and headed off through the trees. John got up to follow him. Much put the meat down and his eyes followed John as he left camp.
"Aye, aye, what's this," Tuck grinned up at them as they passed him.
"We'll be back," John told him.
"Don't do anything we wouldn't do," Robin grinned.
Once they were alone John rounded on Will. "So tell, what was she like."
Will couldn't keep the grin from his face. "I'm tellin ye nothing." He said. "It's between me and the lady,"
"Me and the lady, this is love. I've never heard you talk about any woman in those terms."
"Fuck off," Will grinned, his cheeks beginning to colour up.
"Come on, what's she like?"
"Shhh," Will put a hand to Johns sleeve to silence him and he stood listening. His wary eyes scanned the bushes where he heard the twig snap.
"Oh don't worry, it's just my shadow again." John told him.
With that John dived into the bushes and dragged the boy out.
"Much!" Will growled down at him.
"You went off, I was worried," Much looked to John.
"You have to stop this Much, we're talking private. We don't need you listening in," Will told him sternly.
"I weren't listening," Much shrugged.
"Well bugger off back to camp then," Will told him.
John was suddenly sorry for Much.
"Will, tell us about her, come on," he urged putting a hand to Much's shoulder.
"I'm not talking in front of him. He'll tell the whole camp."
"I won't," Much frowned.
"Yeah he will, he don't understand about such things."
John grinned. "He understands more than you know, you know big Bessie from Wicham,"
It was Much's turn to be embarrassed.
"Shut up John," he snapped bluntly, his face exploding with colour.
"Much spends all his time just staring at her."
"I don't look at her," Much cried desperately.
"Bessie with the big...oh Much. Shame on you," Will told him with a grin.
"I don't look at her, I don't. She just...gets in the way,"
Both men exploded laughing thoroughly enjoying Much's embarrassment. But Will soon called a halt to it.
"Seriously Much, don't look in that direction. Her husband will kill you, he's a big fucker he will literally rip off your head and spit in it," Will told him.
Much nodded looking a little scared.
"Much, What about Belle? She likes you," John asked.
"Belle is 15," Much frowned.
"And you're such a man of the world," Will nodded.
"She keeps wanting me to go to spring festival with her...and dance. I feel an idiot."
Will put a hand to his shoulder.
"Much, this is brother Will talkin to ye now. Sometimes, when it comes to women, you have to do idiot things. Get cleaned up, put a chain of flowers in your hair and dance like an idiot and some day son, you will get that roll in the hay."
Much smirked back at him. He loved Will.
Tuck came ambling towards them then.
"Robin wants us to start moving. He wants to make Sherwood before nightfall," he told them.
"Probably right, I'll fall asleep if I stay here much longer," Will nodded.
They headed back to camp and began gathering up their weapons and blankets. They had another two hour trek in front of them before they reached Sherwood but the evening sun was pleasant at their backs and with a good meal inside them they were in good form.
~o~
Nasir couldn't understand it. He had come this way so many times. How could they be lost. The sun had long since dipped over the horizon and a damp fog rose up chilling them to the bone and dampening their collective mood.
"Where the hell are we Nas," Will snapped, finally losing his temper.
Nasir ignored him, lost as he was in his task of getting them home.
"I don't like this," Much whimpered to no one in particular. He looked with scared eyes at the ancient trees around them, their knurled looking branches hideous in the light of the moon.
"Calm yourself Much, it's just a forest," Robin told him, though he found it unnerving himself.
"We must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. I think we're going to have to make camp for the night."
They were all in weary agreement until Tuck spotted something in the distance.
"Hay look," he grinned pointing to the lights in the distance. Even in the rising fog they could make out the many lights of a village.
With new strength they walked on towards the glowing beacons smiling in happy anticipation of their next meal.
Even as they approached they could hear the merry sounds of laughter as if the villagers had begun festival early. How strange then that one by one the lights went out. The outlaws hurried on as more lights were extinguished.
As they entered the village the last glowing light went out. A lonely wind whistled through the empty huts. A large wooden table remained in the centre of the village. Cups and empty bowls remained as if someone feasted there though the sand and grit covering the table told it had been many years ago.
"But I heard laughter," Much told the others.
"Shut up Much, there ain't nobody here," Will barked, trying to keep his own nerve.
"What do you make of it?" Robin asked John.
He shook his head. "I don't know, they couldn't have gone into hiding that quick."
On closer inspection the huts were all empty as if there had been no life here for many years.
Robin looked around. "I think we should bed down here for tonight. We won't get far in this fog. We can start afresh in the morning."
They all nodded their agreement, fatigue setting in. They threw off their packs and searched around for kindle to build a fire.
Tuck looked to the forest with anxious eyes.
"Please leave us in peace evil presence," he pleaded under his breath.
His dark eyes widened at the muted laughter that greeted his request.