Part 18 (1/2)

It were a large field, and ten men across it left s.p.a.ce by spades. The men started to form cl.u.s.ters of activity, mostly fighting round the edge as they started to challenge each other. Only one man went straight for Rob, and it were Wendeval, the big hulking fighter that trounced Th.o.r.esby. As he ran across the open field in full armor, I knew the brilliance of Rob's plana”Rob were as fresh as he could be and Wendeval were half to exhausted already.

He swung at Rob with his blunted sword, and Rob ducked easily and cut up with the s.h.i.+eld so that Wendeval dropped his sword and fell backward. I expected him to go for the sword straight, but Rob waited as Wendeval staggered up, and slammed him again with his s.h.i.+eld so Wendeval fell back, out cold and disqualified.

Rob took up the sword and waited.

A cl.u.s.ter of men were to the far left of the field, and Gisbourne finished dispatching two men before turning to Rob with a wicked smile. He stalked out to him slow, and without a helmet on his head, I could see him turn to me, staring at me as he went to fight Rob. Even across the field, his cruel laugh made me s.h.i.+ver.

Rob saw him coming and stood ready. If he were tired, it didn't show a lick. He were fierce and still and calm, waiting for his opponent. His opponent in the truest sense.

Gisbourne closed the gap and Rob made the first move, a hard strike with his sword that Gisbourne parried, with a smooth follow by Rob's s.h.i.+eld that cuffed Gisbourne hard. Rob snapped back to the ready.

I had never seen him fight with a s.h.i.+eld. It had to be something he learned at war; he used the defense as another weapon like he'd been doing it all his life.

Gisbourne charged him with flas.h.i.+ng swordplay, their heavy swords clas.h.i.+ng and spitting light in the winter sun.

”He's impressive,” Eleanor murmured to me.

I turned my head; I had forgotten her. In the same look I saw Isabel, gripping her chair, staring at Gisbourne.

”Which one?” I asked. It were a fair question; they were both beyond all comparison.

”Yours,” she said. Before I could ask more, she ducked her head a little and said, ”The one who should be yours, at least.”

”He's beyond compare,” I whispered, sinking back in my chair. With the pain numbed I felt so tired I could bare move. It felt wrong, to be confessing how I admired Rob to Eleanor, but I didn't have the strength to care.

Each sound their blows made rocked me, and they were fast and steady both. They turned slow, a foot with each hit, moving with each other, locked. Endless and eternal. They were too well matched; it was just a matter of how long they could stay moving.

Across the field another man took a knee rather than face down another blow, and it seemed the needed count was reached. A horn blared, and Rob and Gisbourne fought a few moments more before breaking free of each other.

I waited for them to leave the field, but no one did. Pages ran out onto the field with short fences and made a small ring in the middle of the field. The final players were herded in therea”five in all.

Only moments had pa.s.sed, and the fighters were still heaving with breath. Another horn sounded, and their weapons raised. I wanted to turn to Eleanor and accuse hera”there was no s.p.a.ce between these rounds, no time to see Rob at all.

But I couldn't. I just watched.

No one rushed forward. Gisbourne were talkinga”I could see his mouth movinga”but I couldn't much hear his words. Then the four moved closer to each other, and all set on Robin.

My nails dug into the wood of the chair.

Gisbourne were the first to strike, and Rob blocked it with his sword and swiveled to take another blow on his s.h.i.+eld. He ducked another and struck at Gisbourne, hitting his shoulder.

Rob moved fast, his feet trained for the forest where you could never trust the ground for long. I could hear their shouts of anger, bare loud over the shouts and cheers of the people.

The four were starting to get their timing better, and de Lacy struck a hard blow to Rob's s.h.i.+eld and Gisbourne swung hard for Rob's arm.

It were hard enough to make him stumble and drop his sword.

Prince John laughed.

Water p.r.i.c.ked at my eyes as they set upon him in true. He were good at using his s.h.i.+eld like a weapon, slamming them with it, twisting this way and that, but without his sword he couldn't survive. I wanted to shout at him to take a knee, take a knee, but if he ever heard, he wouldn't have done it. Surrender weren't in him.

Gisbourne swept out his feet, and he fell. They all managed to get a sickening blow in to his body before Gisbourne took the opening and heaved a blow at de Lacy, and they left Rob on the field.

It were Winchester who strode out to the ring and s.h.i.+fted one of the fences to pull Rob out. I watched him help Rob hobble off the field and wiped the tears off my face.

”Do you know where they'll go?” I asked Eleanor.

She gave a careful, queen-like sigh. ”I imagine the earl took him back to Robin's quarters. Robin was situated in a low room in the residences, in the small building,” she told me.

”Right next to the prison,” I realized.

”Yes,” she said. ”It was all I could do to talk my son out of that.”

I stood, tucking my hand and the half-melted snow purse inside my sling. My heart beat thick and heavy like it didn't have many beats left, but I turned from the n.o.bles and the Queen Mother didn't stop me none.

Chapter Eighteen.

The walk were a hundred times longer than it had been the day before. I stayed outside for as long as I could, but as soon as I stepped into the warmth I felt like I melted with it. I fell against the wall, breathing hard.

Sucking in a deep breath, I pushed off the wall and walked quick through, desperate to get to him. When I came to his hallway, I knew his room by the guards outside it.

But they weren't there to keep me out, only keep him in, and they didn't even look at me as I opened the door and entered.

I shut the door and slumped against it. It were a small room, and Winchester's wide, tall body were br.i.m.m.i.n.g it over. Rob sat on the bed. His s.h.i.+rt were stripped off in a sweaty heap on the floor with leathers and a tunic besides. His body were glowing red, his mouth drooling with blood, and he held a balled-up cloth to his face.

His eyes met mine, and the ball in his throat ran up and down. ”Scarlet,” he said, soft and rough.

Winchester turned, ducking his head to me. ”My lady,” he said. He glanced back to Rob. ”I shall leave him in your carea”my own healer should be along shortly.”

Winchester came closer, blocking my body from Rob's view. ”Perhaps,” he whispered, ”you should allow him to look at you as well.” His jaw worked. ”I regret that I feel I was protecting the wrong party last night.”

Without much knowing why, I were dangerous close to crying. I shook my head.

He nodded and opened the door. I could hear him telling the guardsa”his guards, I realizeda”to allow no one but his healer in.

”Rob,” I whispered. ”Are you a are you all right?”

He walked over to me slow, his eyes never leaving mine, and he stood just before me, holding his breath before he touched me. His fingertips touched the side of my mouth and slid back along my cheek, first one, then three, then four grazing along my skin. His thumb skidded over my lips, dragging my breath away with it.

My one hand slid up, doing the work for two as it ran slow over his chest, ridges and dips and smooth planes like the forest itself, beckoning me and tricking me and drawing me in deeper. The bit of hair furring over his chest licked at my fingers as I ran over it, phantom touches along my skin. I hit smooth skin again and pushed my fingers wide to curl over his shoulder and round his neck, drawing him closer to me.

”Scarlet,” he whispered, staring at me, his eyes checking my face. ”What happened last night? You look a you scared the h.e.l.l out of me when I saw you. You're wearing the same dress.”

”You first,” I said, shutting my eyes. I pulled him closer still, waiting until our faces touched, his forehead resting on mine.

”Scarlet,” he said. ”You know what happened to me. They're letting me compete. And by some miracle, they haven't been cruel to me. Which makes me think that cruelty has gone elsewhere.”