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The sky was blanketed by clouds as Olivia waited by the manor house door. She and Casey had stayed up talking till late, long after Casey's father had retired, but when the red head almost fell asleep in her wine Olivia all but ordered her to bed. Amanda and Elliot had returned not soon after, their money distributed amongst the surrounding villages. Elliot was happy to sleep in a proper bed, if only for one night, and went straight up the stairs with a heavy tread Olivia was sure would wake the whole house. Amanda expressed concern for Munch, left alone in the forest, but Olivia assured her that he knew Casey and would half be expecting not to see them till tomorrow morning. Amanda, though not entirely convinced, was bone tired and let her heavy limbs carry her to the kitchen where a pallet had been laid for her in front of the fire; for though the biggest house in the village the manor still only contained three rooms.

Finn had yet to return, and so Olivia was waiting in the door frame, one cold hand rubbing the rough wood, breath streaming in the cold. She wasn't worried, she knew Finn knew what he was doing and that he would return when he was good and ready. Her trust was soon reward for in the still night air the sound of hoof beats could be heard. Wrapped tightly in his cloak Finn came trotting round the corner before dismounting and leading his horse to the stables behind the house.

'Aldershot gave me some bother, but took the money in the end.' He said when he returned, pushing past Olivia and into the relative warmth of the house.

'Bother? We were giving them their taxes back, giving them money to feed their children, no one's ever been bothered by that before.' Olivia answered slightly surprised and though she wouldn't admit it, angry at the village's ingratitude.

'They said that a Sheriff's man had been there not the week before. Told them that any who fraternised with criminals, in any way, would be treated as conspirators and taken to the castle for just punishment. They're scared Liv.'

'All they have to do is hide the money better and deny that we were ever there.'

'This is the fifth time we've done this, this year. The Sheriff must be getting low on funds by now and more angry because of it, maybe we should lay low, just till things settle a bit.'

Olivia understood Finn's concern, even agreed with bits of it, but her heart couldn't let her stop, not simply for their sake. It didn't matter the danger to them, they all accepted it as part of the job, but if people couldn't eat, couldn't care for their families because the crown was bleeding them dry, she couldn't just sit round and watch.

'Maybe,' she said in an unsure way, 'if things get worse and people are really scared then maybe we can pull back a little; but not now.'

Finn only nodded, he'd said his bit and it was up to Liv whether she agreed with it or not. He made his way quickly up the stairs, hours in the saddle not seeming to affect his legs, and into the room he was sharing with Elliot hoping the large man hadn't stolen all of the blankets. Liv followed him, though not before giving one more look at the sky and bolting the door behind her. Casey was curled in to a ball in the middle of the bed and Liv smiled to herself as she removed her green tunic and slipped in just her breeches between the sheets, Casey's perfume surrounding her.

A scream tore at the night. Olivia woke fast, use to sleeping lightly in the forest, but Casey emerged bleary eyed and confused from the sheets.

'What's going on, is someone screaming?' Before Olivia could answer Elliot came barrelling into the room, bare chest panting from panic.

'Soldiers! Surrounding the house.'

Casey still looked confused, as if she'd forgotten she was harbouring fugitives, but Olivia sprung from the mattress and threw her tunic back over her head. She went quickly to the window, as Casey left the room searching for her father. Black silhouetted soldiers stood in a circle around the house and one carried a burning brand, the fire illuminating his expressionless face. Liv and Elliot watched as Casey and her father emerged from the house, and started speaking to a tall figure atop a horse. They couldn't hear what was said, or see their faces in the dark but when two soldiers came and took them by the arms and dragged them away from the house they concluded it must not have been good.

'You're sure they've got the whole place surrounded?'

'Amanda saw them first, said she'd woken up for a drink of water and saw them creeping forward from the kitchen window. She was the one who screamed and came straight up to tell me a Finn. I came through to get you.'

Olivia nodded, as Finn and Amanda entered the room, carrying every one's weapons. She felt better with the weight of her short sword at the hip and the feel of her bow under her palm.

'At my count, I'd say there are about twenty. Five each, easy enough for us.' Finn said, an almost bored look on his face, as if he couldn't really be bothered with the hassle of escaping. Amanda nodded, eager to prove her worth and ability, especially since one of the men she'd spotted from the window was the one she was supposed to have killed in the raid.

Olivia sighed softly, she knew that staying wasn't a good idea, and now she was forced into a corner, made to kill to get out. But her mouth set in hard line all the same, and nodding at the others, she knocked an arrow to her bow.