A colorful sunset was behind James as he gloomily trudged to the carriage, where Seth was already briefing the girls.
"Finally, someone sane!" Char said when he climbed in.
"I beg your pardon," Seth said indignantly.
"Yes, Char, I'm afraid you're under the false impression that one of us isn't completely crazy," James told her. Beth nodded.
"All right, Beth and Char, have you managed to come up with any supplies?" Seth asked, glaring at Char and James. Char pulled something—an apple—from a small pocket hidden in the folds of her skirt.
"That's hardly enough to sustain us for a week," Seth said disdainfully. Giving him a look that said 'idiot' quite clearly, the maid lifted a small loaf of bread, three more apples, three unfilled waterskins, a few hard biscuits, a number of the small packets of nuts and nonperishables the guards carried, and the book of pictures of edible plants one of the newer guards used to keep with him, out of the same pocket.
"That's not all the food; I just don't feel like putting everything away again," Char told them. Seth blinked a few times, while James squinted at her pocket. Beth winked at Char, who suppressed a smile.
"Weapons?" Beth prompted.
"Ah yes. It took the utmost care, and a great deal of patience, but I used my tremendous skill in fencing to get these," Seth said, displaying two short blunt knives, a fork, and a kitten. "How did that get in there?" Seth tossed the kitten aside. James climbed across the carriage to expertly catch the yowling kitty.
"Never throw a kitten! Evil, evil minstrel!" James's freckled face turned bright red with anger as he went on. "Cats can't fly! Birds can fly! Cats aren't birds! Can that penetrate your thick skull! Bad, bad, bad Seth! Poor little kitty; I'll name him Walnut. As for YOU, you—you—Char, I need a name for Seth—whoa. Thanks. I'll set Char on you!" Seth cowered before the skinny redhead with the little brown tabby kitten.
"Some fearless fencing master," Char muttered.
"Anyway," Beth interjected before Seth could reply. "James, do you have an idea for the diversion?"
"Seth and I could fight, across from where you'd be heading. Fights always attract attention," he told them with a savage grin.
Seth looked worried. "Um…"
"I wasn't serious. We can fight in private," James said. "As for the diversion, what do you think of me trying to train this cat to do tricks?"
"Assuming you could make it look interesting," Beth said, ignoring the fact that it was meant to be a joke.
And thus it came to pass that James and Walnut headed off, away from the carriage. All five of the guards, plus the minstrel, were once more gathered around the fire. James was sure this plan, that had seemed (if not perfectly plausible) at least possible in the carriage, would never work. Nevertheless, he bravely pressed on until he was a few yards away from the fire.
"Ready, Walnut?" One of the guards glance in his direction. He nudged the man next to him.
"Look at this," he murmured. "I think he's trying to do something with that cat." Those two, and soon all the rest of them, watched as James somehow had Walnut fetch sticks, sit on his shoulder, and perform a number of other un-catlike tricks. James himself was astonished. He wasn't telling, or even hinting, for the kitten to do anything. Well, it certainly made a good diversion. The guards stared at Walnut as Beth, Char, and Seth crept behind the carriage and into the forest, laden with a few small packages.
All the men around the fire were now gathered around the kitten. Not one noticed the various crackles and crunches of sticks made by the other three kids. They did notice, however, when the carriage driver dragged Seth and Char back into the carriage and barred the door from the outside. He returned to the forest to get Beth, who did not look at all pleased.
"You need to keep better track of these," the driver chided. Beth was locked in the carriage as well. "And we should probably put that one in, too." He was looking at James. The guards were a bit disappointed when Walnut followed him.
Char, Beth, Seth, James, and Walnut were held captive in the carriage for the remainder of the trip. Boredom struck at six o'clock. Char and Beth were dozing off in a corner, while Walnut snored slightly, and James and Seth were terribly bored on the bumpy carriage ride to Barnabas's. Seth poked Walnut's ear. It twitched. He poked it again. It twitched, and Walnut rolled over and continued snoring. James twiddled his thumbs. Seth poked Walnut's back. James hummed quietly, and Walnut shivered. Walnut's ears perked up and a faint plip-plopping could be heard on the roof of the carriage. The rain gradually grew louder and the storm was on its way. Walnut stood up, arched his back, mewed, and jumped from Seth's lap to James's. The kitten pawed around in a small circle before deciding to curl up and go back to sleep. James sighed and scratched the kitten behind his ears. Seth pouted, slightly jealous, and tugged Walnut's tail. Walnut mewed and went back to sleep. The thunder outside was loud and booming, demanding attention, but somehow everyone in the carriage ignored it, even Walnut. Seth yawned widely, and mussed his hair. James nodded off to sleep, and Seth was the only person, other than the driver, awake.
Seth watched outside his window, arms folded with his chin resting on top. The trees were drenched, and the dirt road was muddy, though the rain had stopped. Mourning doves cooed and robins chirped. Seth peeped out the window to see the driver. He had a few things to say to the man. At the next pause, when they were let out for a short break, Seth jumped onto the driver's seat and refused to budge. So with a muttered curse, the carriage driver plopped down next to him.
The guards rode thought the mud, joking with each other and ignoring everything else. It was easy to ignore Seth and the driver. They were completely silent, though Seth looked like he wanted to ask some questions. Finally he did.
"Who are you?" Seth was rarely accused of being tactful.
"The carriage driver."
"What's your name?"
"Will." Seth was starting to get impatient.
"How did you know we were running away last night?"
"Heard you."
"How? We didn't say anything."
"You stepped on twigs. Loudly." That was Will's first full sentence that day.
"Why weren't you paying attention to the kitten?"
"I was… Oiling the harness."
"You're a bad liar," Seth said, as blunt as ever. "What were you really doing?" Will glared at him, saying nothing.
"I'll just keep asking and asking until you get so fed up you just tell me." And that's what he did. Before long, Seth had found out that he belonged to the group of outlaws living in Barnesdale Forest (which happened to be only about 50 miles from Sherwood Forest), was led by Bernard, and had been reporting to him in the woods that night. Seth, of course, remembered the ballad of Bernard of Barnesdale. In it, he and his small group of outlaws were less skilled, meaner, and far stupider than the band of Robin Hood they roughly modeled themselves after. It was said that Bernard's people were the thieves, assassins, and law-breakers that weren't able to find Robin's hideout. Of course, such outlaws could be found throughout England, especially in the forests. What made the Barnesdale ones special was their apparel. Designed to look like Robin Hood's, they were, instead of Lincoln green, bright yellow. Bernard's idea. No one had any idea why. And wouldn't dare ask—he and his men were known for stuffing people in holes or stringing them upside-down form tree branches.
So when Seth heard Will's background, he was a bit alarmed. Who had hired him, anyway?