The World Above Page 9

  A hot white light exploded inside my head. “You can’t know that!” I cried out, all sense of caution forgotten. “You weren’t there. How can you say that when you can’t possibly know?”

  “Because he knows I can,” Steel replied. He got to his feet slowly, as if his body pained him. “Earlier you asked if I was called Steel because of my quickness with a blade. The truth is that it’s just the opposite. Sixteen years ago I wasn’t quick or clever enough with my sword. Duke Roland died because of it.”

  “For mercy’s sake,” Robin said, and for the first time I heard true passion in his voice. “How many times must we go over the same thing? You were barely a man. You can’t keep blaming yourself for—”

  Without warning, he stopped. In the sudden stillness, I heard an owl hoot four times, cease, then hoot four times more.

  “The scouts you sent out two days ago have returned,” Steel said. “That is Slowpoke’s call.”

  “Slowpoke?” I said before I could stop myself. “Wait, don’t tell me.” Robin’s people’s nicknames came in two varieties: those that were accurate descriptions of a trait, such as Trip, or those that were opposites, such as Mad Tom. But surely calling a scout Slowpoke could mean only one thing.

  “It’s because he’s the fastest runner.”

  Robin flashed a smile. Like the pain that had preceded it, this show of emotion was genuine and unguarded. I felt my own lips curving in answer even as my heart performed a strange and sudden lurch inside my chest.

  Oh, wait, I thought. Oh no.

  “You catch on,” Robin said. He turned to Steel. “Bring him,” he said simply. Steel spun and was gone.

  “Are you expecting trouble?” Shannon asked.

  “Always,” Robin answered. “Mostly from my father’s soldiers.”

  “Your father hunts you like a common outlaw?” I exclaimed.

  “Why wouldn’t he?” Robin asked bitterly. “It’s what I’ve become. Here they are.”

  Steel reappeared, accompanied by a man somewhere between his age and Robin’s. He was breathing hard.

  “How far are they?” Robin asked at once.

  Slowpoke sucked in a deep breath before he spoke.

  “At the Boundary Oak.”

  FIFTEEN

  Steel swore an oath.

  “What?” I asked. “What is the Boundary Oak?”

  “The marker for the boundary between what used to be your father’s lands and mine,” Robin replied. He placed a hand on Slowpoke’s shoulder, urging him to sit. Gratefully the scout sank down beside the fire. The rest of us remained on our feet. Shannon produced one of our waterskins and pressed it into the scout’s hands.

  “Please, drink this,” she urged.

  “Thank you,” Slowpoke said quietly. He drank deeply as Robin continued.

  “I’ve heard it said that the tree was planted by the founders of the houses of des Jardins and de Trabant as a token of eternal goodwill and trust. Determined as he is to hunt me down, my father has never sent soldiers beyond the Boundary Oak. Something must have happened. I wonder what.”

  “The duke’s men were definitely fired up about something,” Slowpoke said. He handed the waterskin back to Shannon with a smile. “But I couldn’t get close enough to find out why. I’m sorry, Robin. Perhaps I should have tried harder.”

  “You brought word of their presence swiftly,” Robin reassured him. “That is more than enough. Must we break camp tonight, do you think?”

  Slowpoke shook his head.

  “The soldiers are excited and full of themselves. And they make so much noise that even Trip could hear them coming and still have time to hide. I think there is no need tonight.”

  “I’m glad to hear that,” Robin said. “Thank you for your counsel. We’ll break camp at first light. Will you help Steel pass the word?”

  Slowpoke got to his feet. “I will, Robin.”

  “And be sure to get yourself some food,” Robin said. He clapped the other man on the shoulder. “Good work. I’ll not forget it.”

  As quickly as they had appeared, Steel and the scout vanished into the night, leaving Shannon and me alone with Robin.

  “I know it may not be your first choice,” he said. “But I think it will be safest for you to remain with us. You don’t want to encounter a group of my father’s soldiers on your own.”

  He hesitated then, the first time I’d seen him do so. “I would like to ask you something, if I may.”

  He is treating us as equals, I thought. I nodded my assent. As if I’d issued an invitation, Robin crouched down beside the fire. Only after Shannon and I were seated ourselves did I realize I’d just invited Robin to sit at his own campfire.

  “Is there any way my father could know about you?” Robin asked. “Any way that he could know you’re here in the World Above?”

  “About me, no,” I said. “But . . .” I paused and turned my head to look at Shannon.

  “It’s all right,” she said. “Tell him.”

  “I have a brother,” I said. “A twin named Jack. He came to the World Above nearly four weeks ago. He was trying to make his way to your father’s fortress with Shannon’s brother, Sean. They hadn’t returned in the period of time they’d hoped. That’s why I’ve come to the World Above, why Shannon and I were in the forest. We’re searching for our brothers.”

  “My father’s fortress,” Robin echoed. “But why? I would think that would be the last place a child of Duke Roland would wish to go, unless—”

  “No,” I said at once, cutting him off. “They did not go to cause your father harm. Jack was after the harp, the lyre.”

  “But that is madness!” Robin exclaimed. “Impossible. It’s the only thing in all the world my father truly loves. He’d destroy anyone who tried to take it from him.”

  At his words, Shannon cried out. She buried her face in her hands. Only a supreme act of will kept me from doing the same. Heaven help me, what will I tell Mama? I wondered.

  “You think they are dead, then,” I said.

  “I think,” Robin said, and I had the feeling he was choosing his words with great care, “that we should make no assumptions. Acting on what you fear instead of what you know is never a wise choice. Let us wait for morning. It may be that one of the other scouts has more information.”

  Robin got to his feet. “I will say good night now.”

  Shannon and I rose also. My body felt as if it was made of lead, but within my chest, my heart burned with a fierce and painful fire. However, though he was now standing, Robin made no move to go.

  “I hope your worst fears have not been realized,” he said in a tense voice. “If it lies within my power, I will save your brothers. In the meantime, I will protect you as I protect my own people. You have shown them kindness, and I am grateful for it.”

  “Thank you,” Shannon said softly.

  Robin turned to go. He took a few steps, then stopped short. I could not see his face. All I could see was a dark outline.

  “Gen des Jardins,” he said quietly.

  “I am listening,” I replied.

  “I hope your future in the World Above is brighter than you now have reason to believe it will be.”

  With that, he was gone.

  SIXTEEN

  We broke camp the following morning. In the daylight, I realized that Robin’s encampment was much larger than I had previously supposed. Yet it was being dismantled with efficiency. Everyone seemed to have an assigned task, even the youngest ones.

  Together Shannon and I figured out how to disassemble the tent. One of the women brought us each a rucksack. I folded the blankets and placed them inside. To this I added the remaining food from our saddlebags. I filled the waterskins at the river and added them, too.

  Well, I guess we’re as ready as we’ll ever be.

  Though I heard murmured discussion all around me, not once did I overhear grumbling about the need for our sudden departure. Aside from the woman who’d provided the rucksacks, no one appr
oached us. Robin’s people performed their tasks in determined silence, speaking only as was necessary to get the job done.

  Finally everyone was ready. Robin assembled us all by the riverside. He stood with his back to the rushing water. Steel was beside him. Shannon and I stood together a short distance from the others. Trip suddenly appeared at my side. With him was a woman I judged to be about ten years older than I was. She carried a young child, who was sleeping peacefully in her arms. Our eyes met, and she smiled.

  “You are Mad Tom’s wife,” I guessed aloud. The young woman nodded, her expression pleased. “What are you called?”

  “Brave Hannah,” she replied.

  I laughed. From the corner of my eye, I saw Robin’s head turn toward the sound.

  “Is your child feeling better?”

  “He is,” Brave Hannah said. She gazed down at the little one in her arms, the love clear in her eyes. “He ate that bread and broth. I told young Trip I wished to thank you in person. I hear you gave all of your bread to strangers. There aren’t many who’d have done a thing like that.”

  “Only every person here, or so I should imagine,” I replied. “You were all strangers once, weren’t you? But you aren’t anymore.”

  “So you understand the way things work,” she said.

  “I do,” I said. “At least I think so.”

  “I’ll wish you good luck, then,” Brave Hannah said.

  “And to you,” I answered. “Do you know where you will go?”

  “That’s up to Robin,” Brave Hannah said. “Look, he’s about to speak. I’d best be getting back to my husband now.”

  With another quick smile, she disappeared into the crowd. Trip stayed behind. Robin took a step forward, and just like that, the murmured conversations quieted.

  “My friends,” Robin said in a clear voice. “Thank you for making such quick work of your homes. We’ve had a lot of practice, haven’t we?”

  “That’s true,” I heard the people around me say. “What Robin says is true enough.”

  “I had hoped those days were coming to an end,” Robin continued. “But it appears I got ahead of myself. By now you know why we must break camp. Our scouts have sighted my father’s soldiers as far as the Boundary Oak. There’s no reason to believe that they’ll stop there. For safety, we must now split up.”

  “Why would they come so far, Robin?” a man’s voice asked. “Why now, when they never have before?”

  “I cannot say for certain,” Robin answered. For a fraction of a second, his eyes met mine. “But it may be a cause for us to hope. The dream so many of us have cherished for so long has come true. Duke Roland’s family survived. His heirs have returned.”

  Exclamations of astonishment spread through the crowd like lightning. I was feeling amazed myself. If I was truly understanding Robin’s words, my mother hadn’t been the only one telling stories. Someone had been spreading tales about Duke Roland’s heirs.

  Rowan, the old wise woman, I thought.

  “All of you know the way I feel,” Robin went on as he raised a hand for silence. “I have no quarrel with Duke Roland’s heirs. Nothing would give me greater joy than to see his lands in the hands of the rightful rulers once more.

  “My father is a usurper. His rule is unjust, not merely when it comes to Duke Roland’s subjects, but his own as well. All of you assembled here know this. You have all felt the pain of what my father calls justice.”

  A murmur of assent passed through the crowd.

  “But it may be that Duke Roland’s son is now my father’s prisoner,” Robin said. “Or he may have already forfeited his life. The only way to know for sure is for me to return to my father’s lands to discover the truth myself. I ask for a small group of volunteers to accompany me. No more than twenty or so. The rest of you, I ask to disperse among our other camps in the forest.

  “Be vigilant. Exercise care. Stay out of sight. When I know what must be done, I will send word to all of you about the parts that you can play. Brave Hannah has agreed to take charge of the women with children.”

  “For shame, Robin,” a woman’s voice suddenly called out. “Are we not strong fighters?”

  “You are, indeed,” Robin answered, his face lighting in an unexpected smile. “But not good listeners, it seems. I said women with children, not women and children.”

  From the quick laughter, I knew that this was an old argument.

  “It is good for us to laugh together,” Robin said. “It makes me glad to hear it, but make no mistake, those of you who choose to accompany me will be going into great danger. No one should come who does not clearly understand the risk. There is no shame in staying behind.”

  “Robin speaks the truth, as always,” Steel said. “We will need smart and able folk to stay behind—those you would trust to lead you should the worst befall us.”

  “But you’ll succeed,” a young man declared. “You’ll never fail. You’ll win and come back to us, Robin.”

  “I thank you for the faith you have in me,” Robin said. “I’ll do my best to deserve it. Now, quickly, all of you. I know many of you have already decided the paths you will take. Slowpoke and the other scouts have already agreed to follow me. Anyone else wishing to volunteer, come speak with Steel now.”

  Steel stepped aside, and a knot of men surrounded him. Robin moved through the crowd, bending low to speak to a child here and there, clasping hands of men and women both, gazing steadily into their eyes.

  So young, I thought. Not much older than Jack and me, and yet it was clear that Robin was a leader, one whose people loved him. He will make a fine duke one day, I thought, and wondered if we would ever see that day come.

  “He is very good at this, isn’t he?” Shannon observed quietly.

  “Funny you should say that,” I answered. “I was just thinking the same thing. I wonder if Duke Guy knows his son is no longer a boy. He is a force to be reckoned with, he and his followers.”

  “The two of you would make a fine pair,” she remarked.

  My heart gave a sudden jolt.

  “What?”

  “Well, it only makes good sense, doesn’t it?” she went on in a deceptively neutral voice. “Duke Guy’s son and Duke Roland’s daughter. You with your common sense and Robin with his charisma. It would make an elegant, yet simple, solution to a potential problem.”

  “You speak of practical considerations, then,” I said, and wondered why my heart refused to beat as normal. Instead it was racing as if on an adventure of its own. Shannon’s words had simply opened the door.

  “Well, of course I do,” Shannon replied, the slightest hint of mischief in her voice. “Did you think I was speaking of more?”

  “I think,” I said succinctly, “that I will box your ears if you keep this up.”

  “Just planting a seed,” she said lightly. “I’m good at that, you know. Oh, look. Here comes Steel. I think they must be done deciding.”

  “Robin proposes that the two of you come with us,” Steel said as he approached.

  “He wants to take us into danger, then?” I asked.

  “No,” Steel said with a swift shake of his head. “Just the opposite. But he did not think either of you would agree to stay behind.”

  “He’s right about that,” Shannon said.

  “It’s settled then,” Steel said. “We’re ready.”

  Robin’s people dispersed. Some families stayed together, others split up. But though I saw some sorrow and trepidation, I saw not an ounce of discontent.

  They do more than simply follow Robin, I realized. They make choices for themselves. Robin let his people choose their own fates, as much as the circumstances would allow.

  Definitely a force to be reckoned with, I thought, and recalled that I was pretty good at planting seeds myself. What might grow between Robin de Trabant and myself? Only time would show.

  SEVENTEEN

  We walked at a brisk pace set by Robin and Steel. As had been the case during our first jour
ney with them, Robin and his band moved purposefully yet quietly. Again, we did not move as a single group but in an ever-changing sequence of pairs, each following the other. Slowpoke and several of the other scouts ranged ahead on their own. Shannon quickly settled into step alongside Steel.

  I walked at Robin’s side.

  Whether this was by happenstance or choice on his part, I could not quite decide. For the first few hours, he didn’t speak at all, completely lost in thought. But he was not so lost to his surroundings that he failed to offer assistance: holding aside a branch for me to pass, touching my elbow to guide me around a patch of damp earth so that we’d leave behind no footsteps.

  For my part, I did my best not to distract Robin from his thoughts. I figured he was entitled to them. I had a few things to think about myself.

  Shortly before midday we came to a place where we would have to cross the river once more. The water moved quickly over a bed of stones. Several large, flat rocks protruded above the surface. They looked like stepping-stones.

  “That’s how we cross, isn’t it?” I asked, pointing. Without thinking, I laid my other hand on Robin’s arm. He started, and I backed up a step, hands in the air now to show I meant no harm. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I—”

  “No, don’t,” Robin said quickly. “It’s nothing. I was lost in my thoughts. You surprised me, that’s all.”

  He smiled suddenly, the expression lighting up his whole face. “I mean that as a compliment. You move well, quickly and silently as my own folk have learned to do. I forgot you haven’t been one of us for very long. But to answer your question, yes, that is how we cross. You’ll want to go carefully. The stones will be slick. I’ve taken an unintended dunking more than once.”

  He might as well have told me we were going to flap our arms and fly across the river for all the attention I paid to his advice. I was still stuck fast on the fact that he’d referred to me as “one of us.”