They stepped into the clearing, a small grassy opening beneath an ancient sprawling oak.
Jette set the coated lantern on the ground, giving the area a subtle glow. She stepped toward Robin before they had fully materialized from the bushes.
“You saved the prince?” Jette asked, looking over Robin’s shoulder.
Robin gave a quick nod, not needing to waste her speech on an obvious reply. “No injuries?”
Jette shook her head. “I led a few of them on a quick chase going south from the road but lost them several minutes ago and backtracked here.”
“Did you know about this attack?” Ian asked, an edge to his voice.
“No,” Robin said emphatically, turning to include him in the conversation.
“Then how were you so prepared to react?” Ian asked.
“We always have a plan, and a backup plan, and a backup for the backup plan,” Robin replied. She looked beyond Ian, her eyes and ears focused on the forest behind him, the direction from which most everyone should be coming.
She was never the first to leave a fight, but instinct had driven her to act when Ian was clearly in danger. Only now she had to endure the uncomfortable wait to see who else would make it out alive.
All of them.
They would be fine.
She was sure of it.
They had done this before. They had done worse.
She trusted them.
An owl hooted in the darkness from the southeast. Lane. Robin exhaled in relief, then quickly drew in a breath to respond in kind.
Moments later, the energetic form of her friend broke into the circle of light. He was followed by one of Ian’s guards. The man looked pale, and his cloak was wrapped tightly around one arm.
Ian stepped forward to meet them. “Kiral, are you injured?” he asked.
Robin, stepping forward to greet Lane, said nearly the same thing at the same time. “Lane, are you injured?”
“Just a few scratches,” Lane said, answering Robin’s question but directing his attention to Kiral at his side.
“My arm,” the Iseldan guard answered Ian. He gingerly unwrapped the bunched cloak from his injured arm.
Robin moved past Lane to examine the wound. “Bleeding heavily. Jette!”
Her call was unnecessary, as Jette had already dropped one knee to the ground and was digging through her pack for a poultice and bandages.
Ian eased Kiral to the ground, helping him to sit so Jette could tend to him.
“How far behind are the others?” Robin asked, redirecting her attention to Lane.
Lane looked back into the forest. “I do not know. I saw the dark shield and heard his scream—” He gestured to Kiral. “So I made a run for it.”
Robin stood up on her toes, as if being taller would somehow give her better vision in the darkness. She danced on her toes for a moment, wanting to dash back into the forest and help save the others. She was the leader. They were her responsibility. She was going back in.
“I’m going back in for Erich,” Ian said, his words mimicking her thoughts. He moved past her, stepping into the forest.
“No!” Robin reached out, grabbing his arm. “I trust my band.” He did not need to know that she had been about to do the same thing.
Ian tried to push her hand off his arm, but she kept her grip strong.
