The Friar's Tale, стр. 18
His eyes drifted over them. They did not have anything worth stealing either, as far as he could tell, other than the horses and maybe their weapons. Traveling light and fast. Perhaps they were returning Crusaders, attempting to get home before they got too wet.
"Well, they won't be here much longer, at any case. You're lucky you're a friar...we're supposed to be pulling in any vagrants."
But they would not suspect...or touch...a man of the cloth. Relief flowed through him. He had never directly done anything. Robin had not, yet, asked him to fight for him. Only to watch and remember, and say Mass for those who cared for it.
"Well, I am a friar," he said, cheerfully. Of course, some of the vagrants would put on brown robes. If they were found out, they would be whipped or worse, but... "And I haven't seen any outlaws or any vagrants. They're probably all hiding from the rain."
The rider laughed again. "Like anyone with any sense. I think I'm going to head for shelter myself."
They rode on past Tuck. He shook his head. At least he knew they were out there, however. He could warn Robin. That mattered a lot, being able to give that warning. He kept moving along the road, however, determined not to leave it until he was sure the riders were out of sight. He could not risk being seen acting in a way they might consider suspicious.
Suspicious, ha. He still did not think of himself as an outlaw. He was a friar, and friars could get away with things normal men could not.
They were long gone and he ducked back off the road, following a deer path he knew would lead him to those he was starting to think of as his people.
7
"Four riders, you say?" Robin inquired. Nearby, Little John was fletching arrows with surprising dexterity, given the size of his hands.
Everyone in the band could fletch. Tuck was even starting to pick up the skill himself. The best feathers, of course, came from geese. Not always easy to find in the greenwood.
Clorinda had left earlier that day to acquire more. He was not going to ask how. The fact that she had not returned yet was no cause for concern. She had probably waited out the rain. "Four riders, on good garrons, armed."
"Not good," Robin mused. "They have the sense not to try and use full size war horses in the Greenwood."
Tuck laughed a bit, having seen what happened when knights tried that. It was one reason some sought to bring back Saracen horses. The other being their incredible endurance.
"It is not funny. We may have to move on to avoid this hunt...and I was hoping to winter here."
Tuck nodded. "What was funny was the image of a knight on a charger trying to get through here. Not them." He had often thought it was best to laugh at one's enemies. That it weakened their power.
He was not going to push, though. If Robin was worried, then there was reason to worry. He was not a man to do so often.
"Tuck. Could you please pass this all on to Will?" He vanished through the trees, presumably to tell others.
Tuck found Will hanging strips of venison for drying. Jerky was one of those essentials for this life, something without which they would be struggling to survive.
"We have trouble."
Will nodded, pointing to a stack of the strips. Trying not to roll his eyes, Tuck moved to help him. Surprisingly, though, hanging out with the outlaws had caused him to do the one thing he had thought impossible short of a starvation diet. Lose weight.
Not much weight, but there it was. They would not let a set of hands stay idle.
"What kind of trouble?" Will asked.
"Four armed riders, good garrons, they warned me about the outlaws and said they were going to get rid of all of them."
"If there's only four..."
"I am sure they are not so stupid as to think they can clean out the Greenwood with four riders. No, they're advance scouts for a much larger force. Robin thinks we may have to move on."
Will nodded. "Well. We've handled people hunting us before."
"Robin seemed worried." Tuck secured several pieces of venison to the rack. "If he's worried...."
"Then he knows something, likely. Put something together from what you said. Could it be Gisbourne back?"
"Gisbourne seemed determined to be Lord of Somewhere In the Desert. If he's back, I'd be surprised." Gisbourne cared little for his holdings except for expanding them. Of course, Richard had promised land in the Holy Land mostly to younger sons. Gisbourne would find a way to earn his share. Somehow.
"Doesn't mean he's not back. Perhaps not for long, though."
Perhaps Richard was back. Would that be a bad thing? Likely it would change nothing. "I still doubt it."
"Gisbourne would not stop until we were all dead. He would not stop, too, until the yeomen were so afraid that they would not breathe without permission."
Tuck thought that an accurate assessment. "I keep hoping to hear he caught a Saracen arrow."
"Not a very Christian sentiment."
"He's not a very Christian man."
Will laughed. "Well, if it is Gisbourne, we'll rob him blind, send his men on a wild goose chase and make him decide the Saracens are easier to deal with."
Remembering Robin's worried eyes, Tuck found it hard to share Will's sentiment. If the leader was concerned, then the men should also be concerned. "I hope so."
Will set another piece of jerky on the rack. "I know so."
"Where is Clorinda, by the way?"
"Still out foraging."
For some reason, Tuck felt a wave of concern. A certainty that something was wrong. "Well. I passed on the message."
He knew he should not look for her on his own, but he also knew that few men would follow another based off of a hunch. Even if that hunch was getting stronger with each moment. It