SORCERER'S CURSE by White Wolf

Chapter Four

The look on Herne's face was grave. He was staring at Robin. Herne walked straight toward his son. He didn't glance at anyone else. In fact, he acted like they weren't even there.

Herne approached Robin and bent down next to him. He reached out and put his hand on Robin's chest. "My son," he said. "I knew something was wrong. Your spirit was hidden from me." Barely above a whisper, he uttered a few words that none of the others could make out.

John had never seen Herne like this. He looked and sounded like any father who finds his son in trouble.

Will, for his part, fully expected that after Herne uttered those few words, he would help Robin to his feet. It wasn't happening, and Will couldn't understand why not. He came very close to coming out and demanding an explanation.

"I cannot break Gulnar's spell," the Lord of the Trees said, though his eyes never left Robin.

Much was bewildered. How could Herne not break the spell? He was a god, wasn't he? "Why?" he found himself asking the forest god.

"I cannot explain to you the workings of the Powers of Light and Darkness. For now, Gulnar has the upper hand, but it does not have to remain so. I will tell you what you must do."

Much still didn't understand. None of the others really did, either. They were certainly willing to listen to what Herne had to say.

"Tell us, and we'll do it," John said.

"You must offer Gulnar something he wants even more than he wants revenge against Robin."

"We already figured that out," Will said impatiently, then immediately regretted it, when Herne turned a withering gaze on him. Will almost looked around to see if there was a hole nearby large enough for him to fall into. "Sorry," he said, barely above a whisper.

"Gulnar already told us there's nothing he wants more than what he's doing to Robin," Tuck told Herne.

The Lord of the Trees looked evenly at the friar. "There is one thing."

Nasir gave a knowing nod. He knew exactly what Herne was referring to.

"You know," Herne said to the Saracen.

"The Silver Arrow."

"Of course," John said, snapping his fingers. "Gulnar would give anything for it." The big man frowned. "Surely, you won't let him have it?"

Herne didn't answer the question directly. Instead, he said, "He must free Robin, then he'll pay for what he's done."

Marion had never heard Herne speak with such anger. For the first time, she truly believed that Robin not just could be, but would be, saved.

Herne told them what they needed to do. He looked over at Robin. "He was not awake, yet. Now, he won't be until Gulnar comes. Robin won't suffer." With that a mist formed around Herne, and he vanished.

Marion looked down at Robin and was infinitely grateful that for the time being, he was at peace.

John, who smiled and nodded, felt a great relief sweep over him. They were far from succeeding, but with Herne helping them, he believed they would soon get the upper hand on that madman. He didn't allow himself to even consider the possibility that if it all went wrong, not only would Robin remain a captive but Gulnar would have the Silver Arrow. That, too, was a prospect too terrible to contemplate.

"So, who goes to tell Gulnar?" Tuck asked.

"Me," Will volunteered eagerly.

"No, it has to be someone Gulnar would believe," John told Will, who stared at him.

"Why wouldn't he believe me?" Will demanded. "I can be convincing."

"You can be a hothead, too," John reminded him. "One word to goad you, and you'd be off on him, get yourself killed, and Robin would still be trapped. We need someone who can beg without raising suspicion."

"That would be me," Marion said. Before anyone could object, she added, "Don't you dare say I can't do it because I'm a woman." Her tone was pure defiance.

"You know we think of you as an equal," John began. He got no further.

"Gulnar would believe me because he knows I love Robin, and it is perfectly natural that I would go to him and beg for Robin's release. A broken-hearted woman will offer anything to free the man she loves. Right? She would even offer the Silver Arrow." Marion had a triumphant look on her face. She was proud of her logical proposal. Even more important, she believed in it.

Tuck raised his eyebrows at John. "She's right." He couldn't argue with her reasoning. "She's the best one to pull this off."

"I know," John admitted reluctantly.

* * * * * * * * * *

An hour later, John said to Marion, "You have it all straight?"

"Yes, I know what I must do." She held the hand of each of her friends. "Be careful yourselves. I think I have the easiest part in all this."

"We'll be all right," Much assured her as she took his hand. "You be careful. Robin will never forgive us if anything happens to you." He spoke with the confidence of someone sure of success. Herne had completely turned his thinking around.

Marion smiled and turned to go.

Nasir accompanied her to the edge of Brighton Wood. They had given Pemberton a wide berth, not wanting to be delayed by small talk if they met someone from the village.

Nasir stopped short of entering the forest, afraid Gulnar might read into his presence something more than him just being an escort. They couldn't afford any mistakes at this point.

"You must go now and join the others," Marion told him. "I can make it from here."

The Saracen stood and watched as she disappeared into Brighton Wood. He turned and headed back the way they had come.

Nasir had told Marion how to negotiate the twisting trail to Old Bett's house. It didn't seem too difficult when he explained it, but now she saw how confusing it really was. She took several wrong turns and got lost. She stood, debating which way to go next, when she heard a voice to her left.

"It's this way," came an all too familiar, grating voice When Marion looked at Gulnar, he had a smirk on his face.

"You've come to beg for Robin's freedom," he told her condescendingly.

"No, not exactly. I don't think that would do any good. You have no capacity for sympathy," she told him frankly.

"So, why are you here?"

"To offer you something you want more than revenge against Robin."

"There's nothing I want that much," the sorcerer told her. He couldn't imagine what she had in mind, but she had come all this way, so she evidently believed it was important. He was willing to listen. It might prove amusing.

Marion steeled herself and looked at Gulnar evenly and, she hoped, bravely. It wasn't the way she felt inside. "The Silver Arrow," she stated flatly.

"The Silver Arrow," he repeated, trying hard not to betray his excitement. But, the glow in his eyes did betray him.

Marion had been watching closely for Gulnar's reaction, and when she saw his eyes light up, she told herself happily, 'We've got him.'

With disdain, Gulnar said, "You expect me to believe you would give me the Silver Arrow, Herne's pride and joy?"

"For Robin's life, yes. I'd give you anything." Marion measured her words carefully. She had to strike the perfect balance between the sincerity she actually felt and the lie she was telling. Hopefully, Gulnar's desire for the Silver Arrow would outweigh his instinctive suspicion.

Gulnar approached Marion. He leaned toward her until his face was only inches from hers. "And, just how do you plan to get the Silver Arrow from Herne?"

Marion held her ground, fighting the inner fear that began to seize her heart. "Herne trusts me. He trusts all of us. We can go to his cave and get close enough to steal it."

Gulnar's laughter split the air around them. "He's a god. He isn't going to be fooled by you. He'll know what you're after."

"Not if you disguise my purpose. You can do that, can't you?" Marion said it with a tone that she hoped would inflame the sorcerer's ego. It was a direct challenge to his powers.

The sorcerer's eyes narrowed. He clearly suspected something was going on beyond what Marion was telling him. He was also clearly intrigued. He ignored her question. "I could get the arrow and leave Robin as he is."

"To get the Silver Arrow you would have to release Robin first."

Gulnar paced up and down for several minutes. He debated back and forth between releasing Robin and getting the Silver Arrow and trying to get the arrow without freeing his enemy. Obviously, the latter would be preferable, but perhaps he could go ahead and do as Marion wished. It would be far easier, and then he could get his revenge on Robin later. More likely, this was some kind of trick. But, what? Herne couldn't free Robin from the spell. This Gulnar knew. If the plan was to capture him, how would that help the Hooded Man? He was sure above all else that saving Robin was the ultimate goal.

All the while this inner conflict was going on in the sorcerer's mind, Marion was standing calmly. It took the greatest force of will to appear that way. She had to remind herself to breathe.

The sorcerer adopted a friendly demeanor. "I know you suspect a trick from me just as I do from you. If we are each to get what we want, there will have to be a certain amount of trust between us."

Marion fully expected that he was lying to her. It was all too easy. The suspicion she felt was easily read on her face. She forced a smile. "You are the one with the power," Marion reminded him. "You can go back on your word, and there is nothing I can do about it. I have no power beyond the love I have for Robin. And, that will hardly make a difference to you."

"True," Gulnar acknowledged. "So, I ask, why are you so willing to betray Herne?"

"Robin will be free." She said it with such conviction that Gulnar had no doubt she was sincere. He knew right then that the Silver Arrow would soon be his. The prospect delighted him. To Marion he said, "Having Robin know I have the Silver Arrow, and knowing he can try all he wants to defeat me, and it will never happen, may be an even better revenge than where he is now. Having Herne know it, too, is a bonus." Gulnar clearly relished the thought.

Inwardly, Marion was willing Gulnar to accept the deal.

Finally, Gulnar came to a stop and faced Marion. "I will do as you wish. You can have Robin back, and I will have the Silver Arrow. I'm sure you won't agree, but I have far the better bargain." He turned away. "We'll go there now." If he expected Marion to hesitate, he was disappointed. She followed him obediently.

* * * * * * * * * *

Nasir, who had returned to the camp, and who was now hidden near the trail, saw Gulnar and Marion approaching. He quickly and quietly ran to the camp to tell the others. They were waiting when Marion and the sorcerer entered the clearing.

"Ah, the Outlaws of Sherwood Forest. I expected nothing less," Gulnar greeted.

Behind him, Marion was smiling and nodding, although Gulnar's very presence told them he had agreed to the deal.

Gulnar turned to Marion. "Yes, she's right. I have agreed to her heartfelt offer. It was very touching. She's quite the actress. You should have been there." The sarcasm fairly dripped from his tongue.

The outlaws, to a man, glared at the sorcerer.

Gulnar walked over to where Robin lay. There was a triumphant smile on his face. "I dearly love the thought of you being in your prison." He stood silently for a few minutes. He was unaware, of course, that Robin had never awakened thanks to Herne and thus, couldn't hear the sorcerer's gloating words.

No one else dared move. They barely even breathed.

Gulnar's eyes narrowed. "I will set you free," he told Robin, as he knelt down beside him. "But, I think you will find the prison you will soon experience far worse. You won't be able to help the people you came here to help. They will curse your helplessness. They will hate you. Very fitting, I think."

Will came close to ramming Gulnar in the back with his sword. Seeing that madman reach out and touch Robin made Will's skin crawl.

Gulnar had put his right hand on Robin's head and uttered several arcane words none of them understood. Then, he began a high-pitched chant.

The tension in the air was as taught as a drawn bowstring. All eyes were on Robin. Would ha really get up, or was this just another form of Gulnar's torture?

For several minutes, nothing happened. Will was just about to voice his displeasure when Robin began to stir.

Gulnar stood up and stepped back. There was a mixture of triumph that he was able to rouse Robin when no one else could, not even Herne the Hunter, and displeasure at having to release his hated enemy. For one brief second, he contemplated reversing the spell. It galled him to see Robin awakening. He reminded himself that soon he would have the Silver Arrow in his hands. Then, he could get his revenge on the Hooded Man, on all of them.

Marion ran past the sorcerer and fell to her knees. She put her arms around Robin the instant he sat up. "Oh, Robin," she said happily. She hugged him tightly. Realizing that she hadn't given him time to adjust, she pulled back. Her face glowed with pure joy.

Robin shook his head, trying to clear the mental cobwebs. He smiled at Marion. "My goodness, Tuck, that sleeping draught really knocked me out. I feel like I've been asleep for days."

Marion reached out and stroked his golden hair. "You'll be fine," she whispered.

"Help me up," Robin requested. Marion stood up and held her hand out to him. Robin grasped it and used it for leverage as he got to his feet. His balance hadn't quite returned, so Marion put her arms around his waist and held him.

The outlaws ran to him and shook his hand. Much was so excited he hugged Robin. John also gave him a big bear hug, slapping him on the back as he let go.

Gulnar was getting impatient with this display of affection. "Now, for the Silver Arrow."

"The Silver Arrow?" Robin asked puzzled. "What's he talking about? And, what's he doing here?" Robin glared at the sorcerer. "I thought you were dead."

"The Silver Arrow is the price to be paid for your release," Gulnar was happy to explain.

"No," Robin groaned as he made the connection. His friends were trading his release from the spell for the Silver Arrow. He looked at John. "My life isn't worth that."

"It is to us," Marion said.

"Herne..."

"Herne couldn't free you. We had no choice, Robin," John said with the proper amount of defeat to impress Gulnar, although he spoke the absolute truth.

"Herne knows the evil you would join to the power of the Silver Arrow."

Robin looked Gulnar in the eye. "He'll never give it to you."

"Not even to save his son?" Gulnar couldn't resist asking.

"Not even then." Robin squeezed Marion when he made the next statement. "He chose me after Loxley died. He can choose another after I'm gone." He resisted the urge to look at Marion and tell her he was sorry. He was sure she understood why he had to say what he did.

"The bargain's been struck," Gulnar informed the outlaw leader. "I can strike you down this instant, if I chose."

"No!" Marion and Much shouted at the same time. John's "no" was a split second behind theirs and made the word sound like an echo.

Impatience was growing in the sorcerer. "Let's get on with it, shall we?"

Marion let go of Robin and walked up to Gulnar. "You have to hide my purpose before I can go to Herne's cave."

"Marion, no, you can't." Robin insisted, realizing the full meaning of the bargain. "You can't deceive Herne like that. Not to steal the Silver Arrow." He walked up to her and turned her around to face him. "Please, don't do this."

"I have to," Marion told him. "I promised. We all promised." Her eyes looked deeply into his. "I left you to go to Halstead, because I couldn't face the possibility of losing you. I left Halstead because it was worse being without you. I won't let anything stop our life together."

"Delude yourself all you want," Robin said to Gulnar as he looked over Marion's head. "Herne will never let you have the arrow."

"We'll see," was all the sorcerer said. He tapped Marion on the shoulder, and before Robin could stop it, Gulnar waved his hand in front of Marion's face and uttered two words.

Marion blinked.

Robin turned her head toward him. He searched her face, but there was no hint of a trance. Her eyes were clear and full of love for him. There was also the fierce determination that he had always admired in her.

"I'm not bewitched," she assured him. "Herne just won't be able to read my intentions."

One more time, Robin implored her, "Don't do this, Marion. not to save me."

Marion hugged Robin and whispered in his ear, "Trust me." The words were so faint, Robin discerned their meaning more than he heard the actual words. When Marion turned and walked toward the trees, heading in the direction of Herne's cave, he didn't try to stop her.

"You won't succeed," he told Gulnar with the certainty he fully felt.

"You better hope I do."

The threat was very real, and Robin knew it, but it didn't matter. He still didn't want the plan to be successful. No matter how powerful Herne might be, Robin was shaken to think the sorcerer might somehow pull this off, and he hated to think of what the loss of the Silver Arrow would mean to Herne.

Before Marion had gone twenty feet, Gulnar yelled for her to stop. She turned around, fearful that Gulnar had decided to abandon that plan in favor of imprisoning Robin again. Gulnar motioned her to come back. "I've changed the plan a little," he fairly purred. He turned to Robin and pointed. "You're going in her place."

Robin regarded the sorcerer but didn't say anything. The truth was he half expected it. When Marion had started off, he thought maybe he had been wrong. He was pleased to see he hadn't been. He didn't like the idea that Marion was going to try to trick Herne and get away with the Silver Arrow. It wasn't Herne he feared, of course, it was the fact Gulnar may turn on her when she didn't succeed. His main reasoning was that Gulnar would enjoy the trick much more if Herne's son was the one to steal the arrow from the forest god.

Gulnar smiled. "You knew, didn't you?" he asked Robin. "You knew I wanted you to go."

"I thought you might. You want me to be the one to steal from Herne."

Gulnar's wicked smile confirmed Robin's reasoning. Gulnar held his hand out to Robin and crossed it in front of his face, as he had done to Marion. This time he spoke three words. The words he had said to Marion were gibberish, meaning nothing. These words were powerful.

Robin felt a strange, tingling sensation move through his body. It wasn't painful, but it did make him uncomfortable. Whether it was purely a physical feeling or whether is was indicative of something deeper, he wasn't sure. He suspected it was probably both. Could he disobey Gulnar, if he tried? Or, did the sorcerer cast another unbreakable spell over him. If he was Gulnar, he wouldn't trust anyone in this group. They were too much under the influence of the Lord of the Trees.

Robin kissed Marion and smiled. He looked over her head again, this time at John, who returned his look with one of concern. Robin tried to convey confidence. He turned and headed in the direction that would take him to the lake and Herne's cave.

No one had explained the plan to him. When Gulnar woke him up, there was no time. At first, he had been upset at what was happening, then he had gathered the rudiments of the plan by what was being revealed during the conversation. He was to go to Herne's cave, get the Silver Arrow, and hand it over to the sorcerer. Robin's intention would be hidden from the Lord of the Trees by the spell Gulnar had just put on him. At least, that was the plan as Robin saw it. Whether Herne could be fooled was another matter.

When he had tried to kill his friends, Robin hadn't been able to stop himself, but he had been able to verbally warn them. Maybe, he could do the same now. Then, the thought occurred to him that Herne must surely be in on the plan. He'd be waiting, knowing it was Robin who was coming. Wouldn't Gulnar know this, too? Wouldn't he have made provisions for that?

Robin knew that Herne was the more powerful of the two, so he had to believe that whatever the actual plan, he and his friends would be protected. The Powers of Light and Darkness were definitely stirring this day.

Robin arrived at Herne's cave and eagerly entered. He climbed out of the little boat and waited a minute, and when Herne didn't appear, he called out his name. Three was no answer. Robin looked around and found no evidence that the forest god was anywhere around. Robin called again. Still nothing. He had been sure Herne would be here and would then explain the plan in detail.

'Now what?' Robin asked himself. He knew Gulnar was an impatient man. If Robin took too long, there was no telling what the sorcerer might do.

After a while, Robin decided he would go out and see if he could find Herne. He couldn't understand why the forest god wouldn't be here for something this important. Robin shook his head. Sometimes Herne's whereabouts proved to be as much of a riddle as his enigmatic words.

As Robin started to leave, he glanced to his left. There, leaning against the cave wall, was a silver arrow. Was it the Silver Arrow? Surely, Herne didn't expect him to take the real one to a man who had the power to bring about the devastation he was sure the sorcerer would create in order to fulfill his dreams of domination.

Robin picked up the Silver Arrow and left Herne's cave. He fought the urge to shout for Herne to come and tell him what to do. Herne had left in his hands yet another puzzle he expected Robin to carry out on faith alone. "Well, I don't guess I have any choice but to do it," he muttered.

It was a little over half an hour back to camp. That's all the time he had to come up with some kind of answer. Stop Gulnar. Keep the Silver Arrow. Prevent Gulnar from wreaking revenge on them all. 'Simple enough,' Robin thought. Did he really need to come up with a plan of his own, or had Herne already taken care of it? Maybe, he was just supposed to be the instrument to deliver the sorcerer's destruction.

Robin stopped at the edge of the trees before entering the camp. He observed his friends quietly sitting around the fire. None of them were talking. Gulnar was pacing a few feet away. He was muttering to himself, impatience written all over his face. Robin could see the man was tightly wound and about ready to erupt.

'Just in time,' Robin told himself. With a sigh, he advanced into the clearing.

"Robin!" Much shouted as he looked up and saw his leader advancing on the group.

He was greeted with smiles and a big hug from Marion, who asked, "Did Herne suspect anything?"

Robin shook his head.

Gulnar's eyes had immediately gone to the Silver Arrow tucked in Robin's sword belt. "Let me have it," he demanded.

"I wouldn't have brought it, if I weren't concerned for my friends and what you would do to them if I didn't return with it," Robin informed Gulnar. There was a tinge of sadness in his voice. He wasn't sure if the sorcerer would really let them all go anyway. He had never been told what he should do. But, hadn't the arrow been there just waiting for him? Robin shook his head. It was far too late to be concerned about all that now.

Robin made no move to pull the arrow from his belt. "What do you intend on doing now?"

Gulnar's eyes fairly glowed as he stared at the arrow. "You'll have your miserable life and so will your friends. That's all you need to know. Give me the arrow," he demanded once again.

Robin gently pushed Marion away from him and pulled the arrow free. He held it in both hands and looked down at it. 'Please, Herne, let this be the right thing to do.' In answer to the mental plea, the words, 'So must it be,' whispered in his mind. With total confidence, Robin handed the Silver Arrow to Gulnar.

Greedily, the sorcerer grabbed it. He held it in both hands the same way Robin just had. His eyes glowed with the inner fire of his evil power. The horrible sound of his laughter rose and swelled.

The laughter turned to an ear-splitting scream as a sudden flash of light exploded around the sorcerer. The light was so bright, the outlaws had to turn away. When they looked back, Gulnar was gone. Gray smoke swirled where he had just stood. As it cleared, they saw the Silver Arrow standing alone, its point embedded in the earth amid a pile of ashes, some of which were still floating lazily to the ground.

"What happened?" John asked in shock. "Where's Gulnar?"

Robin smiled. "Destroyed. I have the feeling it's for good this time."

"How?" Tuck asked equally as shocked as John was, as they all were.

"In this case, the Power of Light defeated the Power of Darkness," Robin replied.

Off to the left, another flash of light appeared. Herne stood there in his stag persona. "Gulnar and his evil are gone. You are free of him forever." Robin retrieved the Silver Arrow and placed it in Herne's outstretched hands. "Well done, my children, my son." Then Herne and the arrow vanished in another flash of light.

The Silver Arrow was back where it belonged, and the outlaws of Sherwood were once more free to continue their fight for justice.

~End~