Chapter 4: Return of the carpenter
That night Cassie was on guard. Taking a blanket and a hunk of bread she slipped out into the forest, breathing a sigh of relief as she escaped the camp. She was glad to get away from Allan's watchful gaze; his blue eyes were disarming enough at the best of times, but since he had kissed her…
Cassie was just praying he didn't try to follow her. She hadn't had a chance to try and work out what she felt about the whole situation, let alone what she was going to say to him. She needed a guard spot where he wouldn't find her, should he choose to look for her.
She headed a short way east of the camp and climbed into the lower branches of a tree. Not only did it conceal her somewhat, she found that perching in a tree was a good way to prevent herself from falling asleep whilst on guard duty. She was a lot more aware of her consciousness when losing it would mean a great fall to the forest floor.
Cassie settled down with her back against the tree trunk and draped the blanket over her lap. She closed her eyes, revelling in the peace and quiet that the forest granted her. Finally, time to think!
Trying to put off the making decisions about Allan, the thoughts that she knew were inevitable but did not want to encourage, she cast her mind back to the events at Nettlestone the previous day, and then the discovery she and John had made in the forest that morning.
She couldn't stop thinking about that glass she had found. No-one would leave something like that behind! It must have been expensive; Djaq had brought hers all the way from the Holy Land, and she had never seen anything like it in England. So why would someone just drop it in the forest?
She tried to think what would cause her to drop something important. She imagined carrying the necklace she owned, that had belonged to her mother. If she dropped it, what would cause her to run away and leave something so precious?
She would have to have been scared by something, she mused. She would have to be running away from something.
And then realisation hit her, with such clarity that she almost fell from her branch. Of course! Whoever had set the fire in the forest must have realised that they were being watched. If someone had spotted them, they would have run away to avoid being caught; and if they had dropped the glass on the floor as they ran they would not have dared stop to pick it up.
Cassie settled back against the tree trunk, her mind whirling. Someone had seen the arsonist. All she had to do was find the witness, and she'd know who had set the fire!
She groaned at the flaw in her plan. Sure, all she had to do was find the witness. Out of hundreds of people in Nottinghamshire, bearing in mind whoever it was was probably too scared to confess. A mission that would be made no easier by the fact that she was an outlaw, and not meant to be seen in public.
That dilemma at least partly solved, Cassie reluctantly turned her mind to Allan. She had tried so hard to forget the conversation they had had in the woods several weeks ago, but it was impossible.
She had been telling the truth; she did love Allan. She was furious at herself for it, furious at herself for never choosing the easy path in life, but she couldn't help it. She loved him, the lying, thieving scoundrel. But just as she couldn't ignore her feelings, she couldn't ignore the knowledge that he had been a traitor.
And then the cheeky git had gone and kissed her! Just kissed her, with no warning, no asking her permission. She couldn't help but smile at the memory; it had been quite romantic really, with the flames and the risk of death and all. And she had to admit she didn't even mind the fact that he had obviously had a lot of practise, as it had made the kiss a lot better. Quite amazing, really.
She was lost in her thoughts but a sound made her stiffen. Listening intently she heard another crack. There was someone walking through the forest, heading towards the camp. She knew there was a trap very close by and waited for the intruder to be caught in it, but after a few moments there was no sign of them having been caught.
Worried, Cassie dropped soundlessly from her branch, clutching her sword. Hurrying back to the camp she ducked inside and quickly closed the door.
The rest of the gang were in bed and she grabbed a pan and a wooden spoon, banging the spoon against the base of the pot. "Wake up!" she urged. "Get out of bed you lazy brutes!"
Robin sat up, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "What?" he mumbled intelligently.
"There's someone in the forest, heading for the camp."
"Calm down Cass, the traps'll get 'em," Much told her. "Now can we go back to sleep?"
"No!" She whacked him with the wooden spoon. "They haven't been caught in the traps, you great oaf, that's why I'm worried! They bypassed them!"
Robin, Much and John all sat up, immediately awake. Scrambling down from their bunks they reached for their weapons. Cassie glared at the pile of blankets that was Allan, and then impatiently threw the pot at the heap.
"OUCH!" came the bellow from underneath the blankets and an irate Allan emerged, rubbing his arm. "What did you do that for!"
"Get up," she ordered. Grumbling under his breath Allan followed instructions.
Robin led the way out of the camp, sneaking stealthily through the forest. The others, except Much, fanned out in a circle. Robin paused and the rest of the gang did the same. There was the rustle of leaves beneath booted feet mere yards away and Robin raised his bow.
"Stop right there," he ordered. "You're surrounded."
The sound of movement stopped, and Much came up behind Robin, holding a flaming torch aloft. He passed it to Robin who lifted it, spilling light across the area. The light revealed a dark, cloaked figure, standing in the shadow of a tree.
"Show yourself," Robin said firmly.
The figure slowly lowered their hood and there were four sharp gasps from the men surrounding him, followed by four simultaneous repetitions of the same word.
"Will!"
Author's Note: YAY he's back! Just to warn you this might be the last update for a few days...but we will see. Thanks for all the lovely reviews!