“I am,” Baron said seriously.
“Very well.” Father turned to the group at large. “Let us all put our hands together for our newest member, Baron Blackwellson!”
We sent up a cheer so loud that it sent birds spiraling skyward from the forest surrounding the clearing. I beamed at Baron, and he grinned back. He had never looked so handsome.
CHAPTER 38
We were mostly packed up and ready to return to Sherwood Forest. The men had healed enough that we could travel with reasonable speed. The two Wills had returned to Prince John’s castle in disguise so they could “liberate” some gold to repay Sam and Tildy’s hospitality. Baron had been impressed with their creativity and laughed aloud when he saw them return. Will Scarlet had dressed as a curvy woman, and Will Stutely had posed as the woman’s elderly grandfather.
We all gathered to listen eagerly when the Wills told us about their latest adventure. It involved Will Stutely acting disoriented and confused, bumbling about while Will Scarlet used the distraction to pick the pocket of Prince John’s personal guard. All the guards we had overpowered the night of the rescue had been fired and sent away in disgrace for letting their prized prisoners escape. But otherwise, life was back to normal at the castle. Soldiers patrolled, maids cleaned, cooks yelled at their staff, and Prince John plotted and schemed.
My favorite part of their return was when they began emptying out all the loot they’d collected. Will Scarlet had many coins wedged into his stuffed bodice, a secret pouch of coins wastucked into his elaborate blond wig, and Will Stutely’s hollowed-out cane was stuffed full. They also produced silver coins from inside the lining of their cloak hoods and from their turned up sleeves.
Baron looked on in wonder. “How many hiding places do they have?”
We all laughed, and Lincoln began showing Baron all the hidden pockets he had cleverly sewn into the lining of the tunic and leggings worn by the rest of us.
Tildy was delighted to be showered with their newfound riches, but Sam shifted anxiously from foot to foot. “This ain’t wrong, is it, Tildy, darlin’? Us takin’ wha’ rightfullest belongs ta royalty? I means ta say, if they finds out we got it…”
“Then spend it on what you need, my dear man, and they will never know!” boomed Little John. He clapped Sam on the shoulder with enough force to send a cart horse flying. Sam’s knees buckled, and Little John caught him before he hit the ground. “But Sam, please believe us when we say that the royal pigs sitting up in that castle don’t have the slightest clue how to manage your hard-earned income that they have taxed so heavily.”
“And to that we say,” began Father, and all of the members of the Merry Men chorused loudly, “Rob the rich to feed the poor!”
Baron, too late, mumbled, “Oh, yeah.”
Father issued all the last-minute orders. Little John, Lincoln, and Will Scarlet were to finish packing supplies. James and Dale were charged with getting the last-minute rations from town, Baron and I were to survey the area ahead, and Father, Alan, and Will Stutely were to inspect and clean the weapons.
Baron and I left to do our assigned duty before we set out on the road. As usual, we saw and heard nothing out of the ordinary. It was the same charming countryside, free of soldiers. We chatted merrily. I was excited about the prospect of showingBaron around Sherwood Forest and told him all about our annual tournament and my favorite game, Escape and Evade.
We scouted ahead for a few miles but saw nothing, so we returned. On the way back, Baron began looking over his shoulder every few minutes.
“What is it?” I finally asked, a little unnerved by his unease.
Baron stared down the road behind us for a long time. “It feels like we’re being followed.”
My senses went into overdrive. I strained my ears for the slightest crack of a twig or the faintest rustling of a bush but heard nothing unusual. “You sure?” I breathed softly.
Baron’s face had gone oddly slack. He seemed not to be staring at anything in particular, almost like he was not mentally present.
“Baron?” I whispered.
“Shhh,” he responded. “Use your peripheral vision.”
I wasn’t a skilled tracker. I only knew the rudimentary basics, so I felt useless in comparison to him. Baron was keenly attuned to his surroundings and stood motionless for several minutes. It looked like he wasn’t even breathing.
I continued to scan our surroundings. All I saw was a beaten dirt path, trees, a few birds, and shrubbery. Nothing moved; I heard nothing alarming, and I saw nothing out of place.
Eventually, Baron began walking again. “Maybe it was only my imagination,” he said lightly. But his demeanor suggested otherwise. He was nervous. And if Baron had cause to be nervous, I was nervous as well. We took a few detours as a precaution, and still Baron continued to look back over his shoulder periodically.
Once we got close to Sam and Tildy’s cottage, Baron ushered me on. “You go tell everyone to hurry up so we can get out of here. The sooner we leave, the better. I’ll keep watch here.”
I did as he said and hurried back to inform the others. We all bade a quick farewell to our hosts and began jogging lightly back to where I had left Baron.
He was gone.
I double-checked my surroundings. Yes, this was the spot where we had parted ways. “Maybe he went back to see if we were followed?” I suggested to the rest of the band.
We jogged in a steady rhythm along the path. Still, nothing.
