“Do you know if Nele returned?” Robin asked again.
Ulli shrugged his shoulders.
Robin took her next few steps at a quicker pace, bringing her side by side with the older man who had been one of the first members of her small band. He was quiet and loyal, and Robin knew that he had been on the run from the law. But it had been many years since she had held the law in high regard.
“What is it?” she asked. “You are being too quiet. Even for you.”
“We need the coin, Robin,” Ulli said.
“What coin?” Robin said, looking up at him. “There was no coin there to be taken even if we had demanded it.”
“The whole point of this venture is to get the gold back so that we can lend it out again,” Ulli said.
“The whole point of this venture is to help the struggling people of Iseldis survive another season of erratic storms because their own king has not taken notice of their plight,” Robin replied.
Ulli did not reply, and they continued their walk in silence.
It was well after dark when the manor house came into view. Two soft lanterns hung over a low gate in front of the house, illuminating a fenced garden. To the left side of the house, another lantern hung from the front stables. The scene was small, unassuming, and peaceful. It was home.
Robin was looking forward to washing the final remnants of sticky debris from her face and falling into bed for a night of well-earned sleep.
With a wordless nod, Ulli left her at the gate, walking around the house to his own lodgings in the clearing behind the manor.
Robin made her way through the garden to the front door of the manor. She lifted the door a little as she opened it, knowing just how to avoid the rusted creak of the hinges. At this hour, the many inhabitants of the manor would all be sleeping, and she had no desire to disturb them.
Or be disturbed by them. She was exhausted from walking all day, and her bed was only a few short steps away.
She stepped inside the dark interior, silently closing the door behind her.
“Lady Robin,” a curt voice called from the main hall.
“Ilida,” Robin said. “You are still awake at this hour?” Robin slipped her feet out of her muddy boots as her dreams of immediately crawling into bed were dashed.
Ilida sat at the dying embers of a fire in the main hall. Wrapped in a large cloak that she was using like a blanket, the young woman looked ominous as the glowing coals lit her from behind. She balanced a ledger over her knee, but Robin was sure it was not light enough to read a single number on the page.
Robin stepped toward her, glad at least for the minimal warmth of the fire even if this was a conversation she had been hoping to avoid.
“Did you collect the coin from Lind?” Ilida asked, ignoring Robin’s earlier question.
“No,” Robin replied, sitting on a stool near the fire. “Of course not.”
“Robin,” Ilida said, her tired voice beyond exasperated. “We cannot go on like this. The Rodes girl is sick again, and we are out of tonic. The two new Majis you brought in are still sleepingin the cellar because there is no more room in the village. At least the cellar is empty because we are out of food. We need the coin, Robin.”
“I know,” Robin said, exasperation lacing her own voice. “I know. And more Chendas soldiers come through Iseldis every day, bleeding the villagers dry. The people are terrified of the Majis’ Return. We have not yet heard if Sol was successful on his venture. And King Frederich does not appear to be doing anything about any of this.” Aware that every room in the house around her was filled with sleeping inhabitants, Robin kept her voice low. “So, no. I am not going to demand gold from a destitute farmer whose husband is ill and who just lost her flock of chickens to greedy soldiers. What do you want from me?”
Ilida sighed, a long, sharp exhale of breath. The stewardess was barely older than Robin herself, and her face was lined with worry. “It is my responsibility to manage your house, and I cannot carry out that responsibility when your house is growing at an alarming rate.”
“Ilida,” Robin said, softening her voice. “You are a good steward, and I am sorry that I ask so much from you. I know you will figure it out and do the best you can. But I cannot, and will not, take coin from someone who literally does not have it to give. We still have plenty of room in here.” Robin gestured to the room around her.
“Fine, I will turn the main hall into a bedroom. The next stray you bring, though, is getting your bed.” Ilida stood. “The Rodes girl needs that tonic. And we have no coin.”
Robin stood as well, holding back a hiss of pain at the soreness in her muscles. “I have a plan.”
“You have a plan?” Ilida asked. Her voice was tired, but Robin could still hear a hint of intrigue. She and Ilida had grown up in Lockwood together, as Ilida’s father was the old steward.This would not be the first time—nor the last—that Robin pitched her an elaborate plan.
“We take up raiding again,” Robin whispered.
“You cannot go to Chendas right now,” Ilida said. “What if something happens here in Iseldis?”
