“He had a strong connection with a rock to the back of his head,” I sniggered.
“Ah, is that what happened?”
I snorted. “Like I would tell you. And you snore, by the way.” I idly kicked the heel of my boot backward into his shin.
As we journeyed southward again, Baron filled me in on what had happened at camp after I left. I suppose he was merely talking to fill the silence while I feigned indifference. Dorian was still nursing his leg and would hate me forever. No surprise there.
My father had been captured as all the guards rushed to rescue their dear sheriff, but while they were deciding who would be the one to guard the notorious Robin Hood, he seemed to mysteriously vanish into thin air and hadn’t been seen since. The sheriff was beside himself with fury.
“So don’t antagonize him when we get back, please,” Baron cautioned. “He’s in a particularly foul mood and we don’t want to make it worse.”
“Heaven forbid your prisoner doesn’t actually want to stay in captivity,” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “Yes, I should just skip right back to camp and tell everyone how much I want to be there. Why, it’s even better than being back home. I think maybe I will stay there forever. Chains look good on me anyway.”
“Speaking of chains, how did you manage to break out of those?” Baron asked. “I found the broken link. But even I can’t just snap a chain in two.”
“Ooh,” I mocked. “The big, fat man feels weaker than a little girl?”
There was a soft laugh from behind me. “Well, aren’t you just a little ray of sunshine.”
“You better believe it.”
CHAPTER 16
It took us a full day’s journey to return to the sheriff’s camp on horseback. Many travelers did a double take when they saw me with bound hands and a collar and chain around my neck. “Get Robin Hood!” I mouthed to each one, but the simple farmers seemed too shocked to do anything but gawp in amazement as we rode by.
Baron warned me that if I called out for help, he would have to bring along whoever I spoke to as prisoner as well. I debated calling out to everyone so Baron would have a trail of dozens of farmers traipsing across the country, but I’d met so many poor villagers in my work with my father that I knew better. Even one day of not working could devastate their families. Best let them continue in their day-to-day business.
And besides, if there was a long line of farmers traversing the countryside to attract attention, who would come and actually be able to best Baron in a duel so we would be able to escape? Before Baron, I’d had no trouble with any of the men I had to deal with, both at the sheriff’s camp and in my journeyings as a member of the Merry Men in the years prior. But Baron…with him, I had met my match. He was a worthy opponent. I gritted my teeth in frustration. I didn’t want a worthy opponent. Iwanted one of the men that I usually encountered, the ones that were easy to fool or overpower.
As expected,upon our arrival, the sheriff was livid. He raged on and on at me about all the trouble I was causing him, about how I was costing him guard after guard, and that he didn’t even know if I was worth all this effort, and it may be better to kill me now. He shouted that Robin Hood was within his grasp yet again and managed to elude him once more. All during his shouting, I listened with a self-satisfied smile in place as I observed the beautiful bruise I’d left on his jaw.
“It’s a family trait,” I told him smugly. “Locksleys can’t be contained by incompetent fools.”
Baron, standing sentry at the tent entrance, groaned quietly. The sheriff glowered at me and backhanded me hard across the face. Blood trickled from my lip and I knew I’d have a bruise to match his blossoming on my cheek. I laughed mockingly, “That’s all you’ve got? No wonder you can’t even keep a teenage girl under control. You’re old and weak.”
Baron clapped a hand over my mouth from behind, forcing my head back against his chest. “She didn’t mean that.”
If looks could kill, I would have died in that exact moment. The sheriff’s gaze was pure, undiluted hatred. “She did, but she’ll regret it,” he snarled. “Whatever food you were giving her before, cut her to quarter rations. And give her a good whipping—at least twenty lashes.”
“We should just let her go,” Baron said, and my heart leapt. “She isn’t worth keeping.”
“No,” the sheriff said, glaring at me. “I want to make her father water as I kill her. He came once. He’ll come again.”
I wished I had a way to hurt the sheriff. I wished I could snatch the dagger on his hip and slash his belt so his trousers dropped and he was publicly humiliated. But with Baron holding me, I couldn’t. I couldn’t do anything. If I mocked him again, I would get executed on the spot. I’d already antagonized him enough.
Men came in to snap a new handcuff onto Baron and reattach the remnants of the original chain, Baron holding me fast the whole time. The other men flinched and tried to stay as far away from me as possible. Whatever myths Sneeds had told must have sunk deep. Just like the knife in Dorian’s thigh, no doubt. Good. The more they feared me, the better.
While they clanked about, adjusting the chain and collar, the sheriff told Baron, “You are not to leave her sideever. Under no circumstance do you let her out of your sight.” He flashed me another deadly glare.
“Understood,” Baron said crisply.
“If you need sleep, I’ll post a dozen guards around her.” Beads of perspiration popped into existence on the sheriff’s red face. I reveled in the fact that I was causing him so much stress, but as much as I wanted to taunt him, I couldn’t. Baron’s hand was still over my mouth and I knew if I said a single word, it wasn’t just decreased rations or a whipping on the line, it was my head.
The sheriff pulled hard against each section of chain to ensure its durability. Since I had broken the chain in half last time, I now only had six feet of chain between myself and Baron. He would literally be by my side for the foreseeable future. Lucky me.
Once secured together again, Baron and I were told to leave. I was greatly amused to see the men hastily backtrack away from us and give me a wide berth as they all refused to meet my eye.
“Honestly, Laurel,” Baron vented as we trudged back to his tent. “You’re not doing yourself any favors.”
