Gisburne had never thought that he might one day be glad to be walking at dusk in a cold forest with outlaws and de Rainault for sole company, but he could not deny it was still better than to be kept prisoner in a cave, in the middle of Sherwood. At least, now he was doing something to find a way out of his current predicament, even if that meant walking side to side with Robin Hood. Although walking side to side, at that very moment, was more a figure of speech than anything else, since Gisburne had the Saracen on his left and Scarlet on his right. He did not mind too much being with Nasir ; at least the man was silent and did not stare - contrary to Scarlet. However, having a nearly insane man next to him was quite taxing for Gisburne's nerves, when himself was weaponless - how he missed his sword and dagger...
A little further ahead, the other outlaws and the Sheriff followed a Robin Hood who seemed to know perfectly well where he was going. Gisburne had given up long ago trying to figure out where they were, each bush, tree or stump very much the same in his opinion, but suddenly it seemed to him that his surroundings were actually familiar, more so than they ought to. After a little while, he understood why ; Robin Hood had led the party almost straight to the castle, and was now taking them round the walls. Eventually he stopped, for a reason that remained mysterious in the steward's opinion. Yet, it did not seem to be mysterious for the Sheriff, who now looked angrier than he had been in a very long time. Gisburne strained his ears, trying to make out what was being said.
"...I had this passage closed !" was hissing de Rainault, looking accusingly at Robin Hood. The outlaw glanced stolidly back, and shrugged.
"Please, Sheriff. You could not show us this passage and expect us not to use it - that's why you closed it in the first place, is it not ? Not our fault the job was only half done."
Gisburne had to admire the Sheriff's steely grip on his nerves ; the short man seemed to be on the verge of apoplexy, but still managed to grimace a toothy smile.
"I shall not be so careless in the future."
"Come now, don't make us regret having showed you this", Robin retorted, as though scolding a child.
Gisburne very sincerely expected the Sheriff to blow up, but was disappointed for de Rainault merely snarled and fell silent, and the steward felt that it was very important for his future safety that he pretend not having witnessed the scene.
Everybody gathered around the entrance of the passage, which had been closed by a door some time ago ; but now, the two halves of the door hardly stood together, and they were quickly removed to let the passage open. Gisburne realized that it must be the castle's secret way to escape - for some reason, de Rainault had always refused to tell him where the external entrance was, and the steward now felt a mean satisfaction at the idea of knowing eventually.
"All right", Robin said, "this passage leads in the guards' room, so we'll have to be careful and silent. We'll split up at the end of the passage and continue according to the plan. As soon as each group is done, they'll get immediately back to Sherwood, no waiting for one another here, understood ?"
The outlaws murmured their assent, while their two temporary allies made it a point to purse their lips and keep silent ; to little avail, since nobody paid them any attention - they were obviously not expected to answer from the start.
"Go now", Robin concluded, "I'll bring up the rear."
One after the other, the outlaws and the Sheriff disappeared in the pitch darkness of the passage, and Gisburne heard a rat squeak, then a curse - Little John's voice. He was last, and did not believe for a moment it was by pure chance. And, indeed, as he was about to get inside the passage behind Nasir (Scarlet having adamently refused to have the steward in his back), the lord wolfshead stopped him.
"You know the castle better than Nasir and Will, Gisburne, but remember - if they are caught, your life is forfeit as well." Robin's blue eyes were icy. "And if the King does not kill you then, rest assured I will."
"Oh, I have no doubt you would", the steward retorted bitterly. "But you better keep your part of the bargain. I need the Sheriff alive."
Gisburne knew all too well how tempting it was to leave the Sheriff behind, and he was used to it, contrary to the outlaws. And, without the Sheriff, he had little chance of ever getting back his position as a steward...
"How touching", Robin said dryly. "Now, hurry. They're waiting."
Fortunately, the two men had kept their voices low enough so that nobody could make out what they said, and no comment was made when they caught up with the rest of the group and Robin took back the lead. They resumed walking, or rather stumbling, in the dark. Nobody had remembered to bring a torch, so they were progressing blindly, surrounded by rats, and squelching ; it had rained a lot in the past few days, and the dirt at their feet had turned to a thick, stinking mud. Under such circumstances, Gisburne's height was a hindrance more than an asset, for he regularly forgot to lean forward and bumped his head every now and then on the roof. A half dozen curses followed inevitably, and the outlaws' sniggers did not help in the least, nor the Sheriff's irritated sighs.
After what felt like forever, at last, the small group arrived at the end of the tunnel.
"I need Gisburne and Little John, here", the lord wolfshead whispered.
A few curses and yelps of pain later, the two tallest men of the group came behind Robin.
"Feel that paving stone up there ?" the young man asked.
"Yes", Little John said.
"No", Gisburne grumbled at the same moment.
He heard an exasperated sigh, and then cold fingers closed around his wrist. Through sheer reflex, he shook himself free, violently, and Robin blurt out a hiss of pain.
"Stop playing the fool, you idiot", the wolfshead growled. "I'm just showing you where the paving stone is !"
Gisburne probably should be used to being called names - the Sheriff called him an idiot fifteen times a day, at the very least. When he was in a good mood. But the Sheriff was his lord, and Robin Hood was not, and the steward had had a very bad day. Almost by themselves, his hands found the wolfshead's throat and closed around it.
"Don't... call... me..." he managed through gritted teeth, but then Robin Hood yanked himself free and took a step backward.
"What the hell is wrong with you ?" the leader outlaw said furiously.
"Robin, what's going on ?" Marion asked at the same time.
In the dark, nobody had seen what had happened between the two men. Gisburne realized he was breathing heavily, and tried to calm himself, to little avail. He half expected to be killed on the spot - but of course, the wolfshead would not. The man's arrogance had always astonished him, the steward thought in a strangely detached manner.
"Nothing", Robin said in a normal, if a little hoarse voice. "The paving stone is right above your head, Gisburne."
Raising his arms above his head, the steward felt indeed a cold stone under his fingers.
"Ready ? Then push, the both of you, and don't make a sound if you care about your life."
Gisburne obeyed, and he felt that Little John was doing his share at the same moment. Together, they laid the heavy paving stone on the side, and some light filtered down in the tunnel. Robin Hood was right under the newly formed hole, and with a certain satisfaction Gisburne saw red marks on his neck, half hidden by his longish blond hair.
"Alright, I'll go up there first", the leader outlaw announced, "then each of you will follow me. John, help me climb..."
A second later, he was up there. It was rather unpleasant to see him in a dominant position, and Gisburne hurried to climb behind him. Little John followed, and then the Sheriff, Much and Marion. Tuck proved to be a little more trouble - more than he was worth, in Gisburne's opinion - for he was just a little too fat to get through the hole easily. After much pulling and hauling and dragging, and the sacrifice of a little skin, he was brought up. Gisburne tried not to think about what it would look like if the friar had to go through that hole again in a hurry, if the outlaws' presence in the castle came to be known. The imagined result was, in all sincerity, highly amusing, and he must not have been the only one thinking about it if the small smile on the faces of Marion and Robin, and the Sheriff's sneer, were any indication.
"Good, now, down to the cells", Robin murmured. "And heed what I said, no waiting each other."
"Time to be on our own, hey, Gisburne", Scarlet said in a sinister voice. "Lead the way, and remember - I have a sword, and ye don't."
As though he could forget it, the steward thought bitterly. But he only gave a curt nod in acknowledgement.
"There will be guards", he warned, feeling a little guilty to be the one to kill or harm his men, this time. But these were the very same men who would have hanged him without an hesitation had the King had time to give the order, so that put the situation in a new light altogether.
"Nasir can deal with them. Could do it with his two hands tied behind his back. Good try, but don't expect me to take my eyes off ye", Scarlet sniggered.
Gisburne had seen the Saracen in action, and he knew that the outlaw was saying the truth. Heaving an inaudible sigh, he nodded and took the lead. He recognized perfectly the room they were in ; unused most of the time, it was very close to the guards' room, but it was possible to avoid most of the aforementioned guards. The steward knew everything there was to know about the guards of the castle and their positions at night, having chosen them himself. Thanks to his intimate knowledge of the layout of the castle, Nasir had only to knock out three guards, and he killed the fourth with cold-blooded ruthlessness and efficiency. With less emotion than he would have thought, Gisburne watched the now lifeless body fall limply to the ground, but he was surprised to see that Scarlet seemed actually moved. Did the man have a conscience, after all ?
"How much farther ?" he asked in a subdued voice.
"Not too far", Gisburne replied.
"That's what you said the three last times I asked you the question."
"It would help if you did not ask it every two minutes", the steward retorted with something akin to exasperation.
The three men continued in silence. They had now reached the guests' quarters, and the tricky part was naturally to remember where Aceline's room was exactly, without killing more guards than necessary - someone was bound to discover the bodies, sooner or later. Gisburne stopped for a moment, trying to find his bearings, and Scarlet impatiently nudged him with the tip of his dagger.
"No tricks, Gisburne !"
"Quiet !" the steward hissed back. "I'm trying to remember where the girl's room is."
He was pretty sure that the third door on the right was the earl of Derby's room, so presumably his daughter's room would have to be either the second or the fourth on the right. Unless it was the one across the corridor ? Gisburne's memory, usually excellent, seemed to be failing him at the worst possible moment.
"Hurry !"
And Scarlet's prompts were not exactly helping. He did his best to ignore them and focused on the corridor. The door on the left was the earl of Warwick's suite, if he remembered correctly. And the first door on the right was Leicester's. Now, where was Aceline's ? Most likely, the fourth door on the right, he decided eventually, and said as much to his two companions.
"You sure ?" Scarlet asked threateningly.
"As much as I can be", Gisburne said with a glare.
"You better be, or you'll be the first to die."
"Enough", Nasir cut them, without anger but very firmly.
The matter settled, the three men moved silently along the corridor, until they reached the door, and Scarlet motioned for Gisburne to open it. The thick and old panel of wood creaked horribly and Gisburne winced, half-expecting a dozen guards to show up, but no other sound could be heard, apart from Scarlet's raspy breath. The steward slipped into the dark room, carefully treading to the bed where the girl was resting peacefully. Her face, glowing white in the moonlight, was strangely more attractive than he remembered. Gisburne had never looked like that at a sleeping woman, not even the ones he had occasionally slept with, and the scene felt strangely indecent.
Scarlet was moved by no such feeling as he pushed the steward aside to stand by the young lady's bed, yet his hand was gentle when he shook her awake. Aceline mumbled, then opened sleepy eyes, and for a second she looked blankly at the man who had roused her. The sight of a badly-shaved Saxon was so unexpected and unbelievable that it took her a moment to react. When the reality of what she was seeing finally struck her, her eyes widened and she opened her mouth to scream, but she did not have time as Scarlet's hand pressed against her lips.
"Not a sound", he ordered savagely, and she could do nothing but stare at him fearfully.
Then, determination replaced fear in her eyes, and Scarlet yelped in pain, removing his hand from the girl's mouth with a curse. Obviously, she had bitten him, and in spite of the incongruousness of the situation, Gisburne had to fight to keep back a laugh. Served the outlaw right. Yet, his life was on the line too, and he could hardly afford to let Aceline go. At the same time, she saw him, and her astonishment left her voiceless. That was fortunate, for had she shouted for help, the castle would have been roaming with guards in a moment.
Gisburne stepped forward and lift a hand to Aceline's mouth, careful not to make the same mistake as Scarlet.
"Don't scream", he warned softly.
Casting a sidelong glance at Scarlet, who had still his dagger in hand, she nodded dumbly.
"Behave, and no harm will come to you", Gisburne said. That was as much comfort as he could give.
"What... what do you intend to do to me ?" she asked, her voice quivering. She looked again at Scarlet, and another kind of fear crept in her eyes. "You're not going to..."
It took Gisburne a full minute to understand what she meant. Obviously, she overestimated her own charms. "Oh, for the love of Christ", he muttered. "No, of course not ! Nothing like that, girl. Now, come along, and keep silent."
She came out of the bed and stood there, shivering in the cold air of the bedroom. "I... I can't go out in my night clothes..." she protested weakly.
Gisburne looked at the two others, hoping for some help. Scarlet shrugged. Nasir stared. All right, no help then. Sighing, he grabbed Aceline's dressing gown, which was neatly folded on a chair, and threw it at her. She hardly looked satisfied, but it would be far more mortifying if she had to change in front of three men, so the dressing gown would have to do. Gisburne did not feel very patient while she struggled with the piece of clothing, but if she cooperated at least a little it would make their task all the easier, so he was willing to indulge her, to a certain extent.
Being finally done, she looked up at the steward. "Why are you doing this to me ?" she asked plaintively.
That was all Gisburne could do not to strike her. That she dared to ask such a question, after the lies she had said... His fingers closed on her upper arm, and he did not answer. "Move", was all he said.
They went out of the bedroom, with Nasir and Scarlet on both sides. Gisburne wondered whether they were guarding Aceline or him. Both, more likely. He felt the young lady shake, but whether that was out of fear or out of cold, he could not tell - nor was he very interested in the answer.
However, the four of them had hardly gone a hundred feet, when suddenly they heard the noise of footsteps and frantic shouts. The alarm had been raised. Scarlet and Nasir shared a concerned look, then turned to Gisburne. Scarlet waved his dagger under the steward's nose.
"All right, you know the place. You get us out of here. No games."
Nasir stretched out his hand and forcefully lowered the dagger.
"He has as much to lose as we do", the Saracen said quietly. He looked at the steward. "Lead the way."
Nasir did not speak much, but when he did it was with a deep, commanding voice - the voice of a man expecting to be obeyed. For a second, Gisburne wondered if the Saracen had been a nobleman in his country, then pushed the thought aside as irrelevant to the current situation.
"This way", he said, and still holding Aceline's arm, he strode forward.
A soft sob informed him that the girl was crying, but he could hardly have cared less, and did not slow his pace. He knew the castle well enough, and thankfully the commotion seemed to have drifted in the direction of the gaols, farther from the small group. Gisburne had a nasty suspicion that the Sheriff and his b... Robin Hood were in trouble. Unless one of the guards Scarlet had knocked out had been found. But in any case, the underground way out was definitely impossible to reach. There was no other way out, and he told his companions as much.
"So what can we do ?" Nasir asked.
"Hide", Gisburne said. "And wait for an occasion to get out."
"Hide where ?"
"In the Lord Abbot's quarters", Gisburne said with a certain amount of dark satisfaction. That was one of his best ideas yet.
"What, in Hugo's bedroom ?" Scarlet muttered jubilantly. "Is he there ?"
"I don't know. The Abbot seldom informs me of his intentions in advance", the steward replied sarcastically.
He crept closer to the wall and prudently glanced around the corner. No guards in sight.
"Please let me go", Aceline murmured. He ignored her and, walking to Hugo's door, opened it and slid inside, followed by the two outlaws. The room was plunged in the dark, but a soft snoring told him it had an occupant. So Hugo was there, unfortunately. Behind Gisburne, Nasir closed the door, and the click of the lock was loud enough to make the steward wince ; the snoring stopped. Gisburne's eyes were getting used to the almost complete darkness, but there was not enough light for him to see the occupant of the bed ; however, he heard a ruffle of sheets as the man moved.
"Whuzzat ?" asked a sleepy voice. Yes, definitely Hugo. Upon hearing no answer, he asked again, sounding more awake this time. Gisburne had no choice but to answer.
"It's me, my lord. Sir Guy."
He felt Scarlet tense behind him. "You idiot !" the outlaw hissed. "Why did you answer ?!"
"We don't really have a choice", Gisburne snapped back. He did not care much anymore if Scarlet had a dagger and not him ; he had enough of this impudent Saxon's behaviour. Besides, Scarlet could hardly afford to kill him now.
"Gisburne ?" Hugo's voice revealed his astonishment. "What the devil are you doing here at this time of the night ? Is my brother with you ?"
"He's in the castle", Gisburne replied. That was not much of a secret anymore, anyway, if, as he suspected, the Sheriff had been caught. "We came to find proof of our innocence."
"Innocence, my foot", Hugo snorted with one of these fit of vulgarity that overtook him sometimes.
"That's the truth, my lord !" Gisburne protested. "Would I lie to you ?"
"Without a second's hesitation", the abbot replied instantly. "But I might believe you are saying the truth, if only because I know you and Robert well enough to be sure you would never let Robin Hood escape, let alone help him." As usual, the younger de Rainault said the name of the notorious outlaw as though spitting an insult. "Which does not explain what you are doing here."
Without awaiting an answer, the abbot rose and walked to the fireplace to revive the fire. He added some more logs, and after a moment, yellow flames began to lick the wood, spreading a much welcome light and warmth. When Hugo saw who was accompanying Gisburne, his eyes widened in disbelief, but he said nothing, merely waiting for the steward to inform him. He had this compelling look that made people want to confess, which arguably was not out of character for an abbot. Gisburne looked at him nervously, unsure how to best explain the situation.
Eventually, the abbot got tired of waiting. "Gisburne, I will not ask again. What the devil are you doing in my bedroom, in the middle of the night, with two outlaws and some wretched girl from God knows where ?"
Unsurprisingly, he had not recognized Aceline in her night clothes and dressing gown. The abbot rarely payed any attention to girls, and Gisburne was not entirely sure that was only due to his vows, though naturally that was beneath him to even listen to gossip.
"The lord Sheriff has a temporary agreement with these outlaws", he explained reluctantly. "And the girl might be able to help exonerating us."
"Robert, an agreement with outlaws ?" Hugo asked incredulously. "Ha, why am I even surprised ?"
Gisburne decided the question was rhetorical and abstained from answering. The abbot did not seem to be expecting a reply anyway.
"You place me in a difficult position, Gisburne", Hugo continued. "I'm not sure the best solution would not be to surrender you to the King."
Nasir moved quietly, but with deadly speed. His sword was drawn and at the abbot's neck before anyone else had had time to move. "I think", the Saracen said, "that if you want to live, you will reconsider."
The lord abbot was arguably not a coward, but braver men would have been awed by the sinister light in Nasir's dark, unfathomable eyes. Hugo swallowed and bowed slightly his head in agreement, though he looked speculatively at his unwanted guests through slitted eyes. He was a cunning man, Gisburne knew that, and if he really wanted to betray them to the king, he would find a way. The question was, did he really want to ?
"Lower your sword, Saracen", Gisburne said.
He had almost - but not quite entirely - forgotten the presence of Scarlet in his back, but was strongly reminded of it when the outlaw leaned toward him and he felt the man's breath on his neck. "You're not in a position to give orders, pretty boy", the outlaw said.
Gisburne's eyes widened in indignation at the surname. How did that filthy scum even dare... his hand shot towards Scarlet's wrist and his finger closed around it in a steely grip. "You will address me with the proper respect", the steward hissed.
"That's hardly the time for your ego to take precedence", Hugo said with irritation. "The sooner you are out of my room, the better. And where the devil is my brother ?"
For a holy man, the abbot cursed a lot.
"He was to free Huntingdon", Gisburne said automatically, before he had time to catch himself. He was so used to obeying Hugo, when he used that commanding tone...
"This is ridiculous", the abbot muttered. "But it is in my best interest to see to it my brother is exonerated, fortunately for you."
"Does that mean you are going to help ?" asked Nasir, sheathing his sword before he even heard the answer. He probably did not see Hugo as much of a danger ; and as much as the abbot was a wily and ruthless man, it was nevertheless undeniable that he was no good with a sword. Then again, with a dagger he could hold his own... and Gisburne would have bet his favourite horse that Hugo did have a dagger hidden about him. Apparently, the abbot chose not to use it.
"I have obviously no choice", the abbot said, gratifying the Saracen with a glare. "since you are threatening to kill me and the girl if I don't."
Nasir nodded his understanding.
"We will need to stay here till morning", Gisburne said. "In the morning, we can devise a way to escape. But we'll have to move early, before the girl's disappearance is noticed."
"I don't want to know about it", Hugo retorted. "I'm going back to bed."
The floor was cold and hard, but nobody even suggested to share the abbot's bed.
Actually, the Sheriff had not been captured. As a matter of fact, Robin's group had been doing quite well, up to a point. There had been no major problem to get to the gaols ; there were guards, but they were easily knocked out by Little John. So easily, in fact, that de Rainault decided that his first act when he got back his title of Sheriff would be to replace them. With this resolution in mind, that was without a shred of pity that he watched Little John knock yet another one of them senseless, raising up the count to a half-dozen. This man was a beautiful specimen of Saxon serfhood, de Rainault decided. Not excessively clever - not that intelligence was a redeeming quality for any Saxon - and a little too rebellious, but strong as a pair of oxen. He would have to tell Gisburne to hire a few men similar to that one.
The way to the gaols was now guard-free, and the small group entered. Locating Huntingdon was not difficult, for he was the only prisoner, apart from the old fool who had been there longer than anyone could remember. De Rainault bit back a smile ; he was probably one of the last men alive to know that this old lunatic had once been, long ago, the Sheriff of Nottingham. He did not even remember what the man had done to end up with a lifelong sentence in jail, but freeing him now would be completely useless now. One thing was for sure ; de Rainault would find a way not to finish his life in the same fashion.
Huntingdon looked up when his son called him, and anguish appeared on his face. "Robert, you should not have come."
Not a word of thanks. Well, now at least it was obvious who had taught Robin Hood his bad manners.
"Father, you know I could not leave you here !"
The scene was litteraly festering with good sentiment and lacrimation. Thoroughly disgusted, de Rainault looked away. These exhibition of filial love were more than he could bear.
"You have to, Robert."
Anytime now somebody was going to burst into tears. The Sheriff's mouth quirked in distaste.
"What do you mean, father ?"
"I can't go with you. I am a loyal subject to the King. No matter what his decision be, I will accept it. His law is my law."
Incredulity, as well as hurt now appeared on Robin Hood's face, while the other outlaws exchanged helpless glances. De Rainault was beginning to enjoy himself, or he would have if each passing second had not put his life in more jeopardy.
"But you freed me ! How's that any different ?"
So Huntingdon had indeed assisted Robin Hood in his escape ! Now that was interesting. And demoralizing. How the devil could it be possible to exonerate de Rainault, Gisburne and Huntingdon, if the latter had indeed committed treason ? Would the whole venture prove to be more of a waste of time than it already was ?
A ghostly smile passed on the earl's lips. "That's not the same thing. You are my son. My blood." He looked strangely pained as he said the last words, and so did Robin Hood, as though they shared a secret no one else knew, and these words held more than their obvious meaning.
"Father, we can argue about it later. For now we have to escape ! You are innocent ! I know you did not plot against the King."
"That may be so", Huntingdon acknowledged, "but I did commit treason when I freed you. I am guilty of that, if not of the crime I am accused of. Everything has a cost, son. It is time you learnt that lesson."
"You have to..." Robin began, but the earl interrupted him in mid-sentence, his voice full of unshakeable determination.
"Leave, Robert. There is nothing you can do for me."
That was too much for... well, for Much. The half-wit fell to his knees near the metallic grid that closed the filthy hole in which Huntingdon was locked. "He risked his life to come and get you ! You have to come !"
Huntingdon simply sat back down on the thick, brittle straw covering the ground, and Robin Hood swore under his breath.
"All right", he said, "we'll have to take him by force."
That was shocking enough to get Huntingdon to react. The earl stared at his son. "You wouldn't dare !"
"Try me", Robin retorted. "I am an outlaw, remember ?"
"And I am your father ! Will you stop arguing and obey me for once ?"
"No. John, open that thing, will you ?"
The tall man acknowledged the order and went to work on the metallic grid with the bunch of keys he had taken to one of the guards. But he had not quite found the right key yet when the alarm was raised. Somebody must have stumbled upon one of the unconscious guards, unless one of said guards had regained consciousness. The how and why hardly mattered for the moment.
"There is no time", Tuck murmured. "Robin, we have to leave now !"
De Rainault agreed wholeheartedly, but he doubted anybody would heed his advice. He glanced at the door ; perhaps he would better slip out discreetly while everybody was busy with this pigheaded earl.
"Hurry, John !" Robin Hood said through clenched teeth, having seemingly not heard the chaplain's muffled comment.
But Tuck cared about his skin just as much as the next man, and he could be as stubborn, too. He laid a hand on Robin's shoulder. "We must go. It's too late. We'll come back."
If they did, that would be without the Sheriff, but he decided it was wiser to let them know that only later.
"We can't leave my father behind !" Robin protested, his voice betraying his distress.
"If we don't go now, we'll join him", de Rainault commented, as obviously the outlawed leader needed a shove in the right direction. "Needless to say, that will accomplish nothing."
Robin Hood's features contorted in anger, but he had to acknowledge the truth in the Sheriff's statement. Sighing in defeat and frustration, he nodded curtly. "All right. Let's go."
Grimly, he took the lead. De Rainault was only too happy to follow, but Robin Hood's reluctance to leave might have been enough to cut their only way out. Guards were coming that way, and closer by the second. They appeared as the outlaws engaged the corridor leading to the secret passage, and Little John, who was bringing up the rear, stopped.
"Go !" he shouted. "I'll hold them back !"
What an idiot, the Sheriff thought angrily. If the guards had had any doubt as to the location of they preys, that was no longer the case. Did this great oaf really need to shout so loud ? Yet, the guards did look somewhat intimidated by the outlaw's height and bulk, and they hesitated to go into action.
You have crossbows, you bunch of idiots ! Use them ! de Rainault nearly shouted, before remembering whose side he was on. With an angry growl, he ran.
The trapdoor leading to the underground passage was only meters further. By the time everybody had reached it, Little John had retreated to the doorstep and was holding his own against an unknown number of men. Robin Hood got into the passage, then Much, then Tuck, who miraculously managed to get his bulk through the tight entrance without losing too much skin. De Rainault slid down behind them, and a moment later heard a heavy thud as Little John jumped down as well. There was no time to close the passage, but anyway it would have been impossible to use it again, so that hardly mattered.
If he survived this insane ordeal, de Rainault would have this stupid tunnel destroyed. It had brought him nothing but unpleasant surprises. If he knew who had ordered the construction of that thing, he would gladly kill him. And torture him.
Bah ! Chanced were the man in question had been dead for centuries, anyway.
De Rainault found himself running in the pitch-darkness of the underground passage, doing his best not to slip in the soft and thick mud, result of decades of neglect and lack of maintenance.
But a secret passage would hardly be secret anymore if servants were sent there every morning to clean up. That led to an unpleasant choice between hygiene and secrecy. The lesser of two evil...
De Rainault cast aside this fruitless line of thought as, at last, he felt a cold, pure breeze from outdoors hit his face, and he inhaled deeply. As much as he was able to after such a run. He would have given much to be allowed to rest a little, and he was not the only one if the heavy respiration of the outlaws were any indication, but Robin Hood did not see it that way.
"Quickly, to the forest !" the outlaw urged. "They're bound to send people after us."
The frenzied run resumed, and Robin Hood allowed them only two halts before they reached the safety of the woods. De Rainault would not have believed it possible, only two days ago, if someone had told him he would feel safe in Sherwood.
The rest of the way to the outlaws' cave passed in a blur, and the Sheriff was only too glad when it stopped and he was able to slump down and catch his breath.
"The others are not here yet", Robin said, sounding concerned.
He was probably trying not to think about his father. Do-gooders such as him were so predictable.
"They will not be able to get out through the tunnel", Tuck said, stating the obvious.
De Rainault frowned, feeling an unpleasant sensation creep up his spine. Not that he cared about Gisburne, but without the girl and without Huntingdon, it would be hard to prove his innocence...
"Where is Marion ?" Much suddenly asked.
A very loud silence followed the question, as everyone looked around, and had to submit to the facts ; the young lady was nowhere in sight.
Nothing had been accomplished, Marion had been lost, as had Gisburne and the ones accompanying him. This expedition had not just been a waste of time ; it had been an utter, total, complete disaster.
How had ever Robin Hood managed to be so much of a nuisance with such dismal skills ?
