Robin walked, hood up, through the market place. The townspeople all swarmed past him, but he saw no sign of Allan.
He had been wandering for at least an hour now, and he could not go back without some sort of news.
"Dammit, Allan. Come on!" He swore, as he ducked out of sight of some patrolling guards.
"All right, all right, keep your shirt on!"
Robin whipped around. "Where'd you come from?"
"Just behind you. Had to shake off the guards, didn't I?"
"Right. What news?"
"Hate to tell you this, but they won't let me near that meeting. I tried, but Gisbourne slammed the door right in my face. All I can tell you is that it was a right scary looking man that walked past me into that room. His buddy's been hanging around the stables, glaring and heckling everyone he sees."
"Come on, then."
"Where to?"
"To the stables, of course."
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Robin and Allan flattened themselves against the wall on either side of a window into the stable, then carefully peered in.
A dirty looking man, with long, dark hair, and all kinds of piercings was seated on a stool, snarling at anyone that approached the stable.
A curved sword was at his side and in his hand he held a dagger that he flipped about, idly.
"Hope they're not all like him, or, I hate to say it, we're in for a bit of trouble."
"We're in for a lot more than a bit if we can't find out what they're plotting. If as many mercenaries as Marian claims are coming really are, we're going to have our hands full avoiding them all."
"How many'd she say?"
"At least a hundred that she knows of."
"You lot may have to leave for a while."
"We can not do that, Allan, and you know it. The people will need our protection. These mercenaries are more animals than people. They'll cause as much trouble as they can."
"All, I'm saying is, you won't be much help if you're dead."
"It's a risk we'll have to take."
With a parting glance at the mercenary, they ducked and bolted away from the stables.
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That night, around the campfire, Robin told them gang to take extra precautions in and around town.
"Allan was barred from the meeting, so we have no clues as to what's going on. But we can not stop what we are doing. The people depend on us." Robin stabbed a piece of rabbit with his dagger. "Things are going to be hard for some time."
"Nothing we can't handle." Will said softly.
"I hope so."
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