CHAPTER 21
Helena
Where did he keep the blasted arrows? He must have more than the quiver-full on his hip.
Rouge had given her a break, and Helena wanted to spend some quality time with her bow now that she had her bowstring. Unfortunately, Cap hadn’t given her arrows yet. And he thought she needed a day of rest after her first three arrows in weeks.
Helena disagreed.
It was difficult to be sneaky when hobbling about with a cane, so she didn’t try.
Pretending she was simply wandering the camp, she eased her way closer to Cap.
He was talking to Jean-haut and had his back to her.
His cloak hung over the quiver, but his occasional gestures exposed it for a few moments at a time.
Jean-haut lifted a hand in greeting and gave her a broad smile. “Good morning, Margit. What are you up to?”
Cap stepped back, wordlessly including her in the conversation. His shaggy hair fluttered in the light breeze, but it was his hazel eyes that drew a smile from her.
“It’s so nice to see your face, Cap,” she teased. “Is this a concession? Or prevention?”
“Neither.” Reading him wasn’t much easier than before; he displayed about as much emotion as Tobias. “As I no longer believe you to be a liability, I have no more reason to hide.”
She smirked. “And I saw your face yesterday, so there would be no point anyway.”
“I’d like to hear the full story on that,” Jean-haut piped up. “Tucker made it sound like I missed some exciting details, but Cap hasn’t been very forthcoming.” He looked up at his friend expectantly.
“There’s nothing to tell,” Cap replied calmly. “She shot well enough to convince me of her story, she wanted to see my face, and she saw it.”
Helena kept her smile simple as she gauged the situation. She couldn’t sneak an arrow with both of them watching. She needed a distraction.
“It was that quick?” The short man laughed. “It sounds awfully dramatic for you to announce that you trust her and then whip off your hood.”
A hand on the arm had worked with a few guards, but Cap would probably bolt. Especially after yesterday.
“I never said I whipped off my hood or announced anything.” Cap’s head angled toward his friend. “I simply stated the important points of the story.”
“You need lessons on storytelling,” Jean-haut shot back. “If my version isn’t accurate, then give me one that is.”
Or perhaps her greeting had provided distraction enough.
Hopping a little closer, Helena waited for an opportune moment. She wasn’t sure if the two men were arguing or if this was a normal conversation for them, but either would do. As long as…
Cap put his hands on his waist, pulling his cloak to the side. Maintaining her amused expression and keeping her face pointed toward them as if listening, she inched her hand toward the quiver. Closer…closer…her fingers brushed the fletching of the closest arrow…
A large hand wrapped around her wrist. “We aren’t thieves, Margit. Nor should a lady be.”
“Are you sure it’s wise to hold me like that?” she replied, arching an eyebrow. “You do remember how that worked out the last time, don’t you?”
“Is this part of the story?” Jean-haut inserted cheerfully.
Helena kept her eyes on Cap, watching the slight changes in his expression. A crinkle next to his eyes, a tiny lift to one eyebrow. Amusement?
“One hand,” he said. “Not two.”
Grinning, she wobbled on one foot for a moment before dropping her cane and darting her right hand forward. He caught it with his other hand, but before she could try anything else, he pulled her arms together and locked both wrists in one strong hand.
“Problem solved.”
Helena struggled against his hold, but his grip kept her from pulling her arms apart. When she tugged away, he simply extended his arm to stay with her. She spun, but he lifted his arm to let her pass under and maintained his hold.
“How is this fair?” she grunted, annoyed that her sleeves wouldn’t even slip out of his glove.
Cap snorted. “I missed the part where ‘fair’ had anything to do with it.”
“I really think I need to hear the full story now,” Jean-haut laughed. “Your game has clearly reached new levels.”
His words froze Helena just as Cap locked her against his chest to stop her twisting. Cap likewise stopped, his arm loosening around her. “Game?” she echoed. “What game?”
Jean-haut gestured between them. “Trying to pull off his hood, now trying to steal an arrow. Handy excuses to be…handsy.”
“Handsy?” Dropping Helena’s wrists, Cap stepped back and stared at his friend. “You think this is an excuse? I’m defending myself.”
“Tell yourself whatever you have to,” Jean-haut said with a grin. He slapped Cap on the back. “And tell me what happened yesterday after archery.”
“I already told you,” Cap growled back.
Taking advantage of his misplaced focus, Helena slowly slipped an arrow out of his quiver and tucked it under her arm. She carefully set her right foot on the ground and bent down to pick up her cane.
“Margit.” Cap’s hand reached toward her as she straightened, but it stopped a few inches away. She clamped her left arm a little closer to her side; if he wanted it back, he would have to take it.
Instead of replying, Helena simply raised her eyebrows and smiled politely.
“I hope I did not make you uncomfortable.” His brows twitched toward each other, but otherwise his expression did little to support the concern in his voice. “I was only…”
Having as much fun as she had been?
She let her smile soften into something friendlier. “Es macht mich froh, mit dir zu tanzen.” It made me happy to dance with you. “Don’t worry about it; it was my fault for starting it. I’ll let you two finish your conversation.”
He nodded, watched her for a few moments, and then turned back to Jean-haut.
Helena sauntered away as well as she could with a cane and a healing ankle.
Rouge’s narrowed eyes followed her as she meandered through the camp, but Helena pretended not to notice, letting her gaze wander about the surrounding trees.
Once she was sure no one was paying attention, she disappeared into the forest. A few days ago, she’d noticed the perfect spot for shooting and fetching her own arrows. The underbrush and fallen limbs were sparse, and it was far enough from camp to spare her from discovery.
Helena strung her bow with a happy smile. Just her and her bow, and no overbearing outlaws trying to take care of her.
She paused in the act of picking up the arrow. Not that she minded the idea in general. People didn’t take care of people they wished would go away.
But Cap couldn’t help it. He had decided to believe her, but that didn’t mean he wanted to keep her.
Her arrow buried itself in a branch, and she began the trek toward her target. Dry leaves crunched under her feet, but the slope was bearable and there were no shrubs to fight through.
She grabbed the shaft with one hand and placed the other on the tree trunk. This might be interesting when she couldn’t brace with both feet.
Her mind wandered back to Cap. As he’d told Jean-haut, he’d been defending himself against her attempted thievery. But he could have been more forceful and less playful. It had felt more like a game than a true means of restraint.
She shook her head at herself, a tender smile playing around her lips. Had she really told him it made her happy to dance with him?
At least he hadn’t understood it.
She shot the arrow many more times before deciding to take a break. Cap might – might – have a point about her shoulder. It would be wise to not push too hard, and she’d refrained from taking left-hand shots.
The woods were surprisingly quiet as she neared the camp.
The little band of outlaws didn’t make a lot of noise, but she should have heard something by now.
Quiet voices, a tent flap being pulled aside.
The ring of swords if someone was sparring.
But all she heard was the occasional call of a winter bird.
She twisted her head, checking her position. It was easy to get lost in the woods, but she was certain that she was on the correct trail. Had something happened?
The trees thinned. The clearing opened ahead of her, just as she expected. It looked just as she expected.
Except that it was abandoned.
Hurrying forward, she turned in a quick circle, almost upsetting her precarious balance. But they were gone. Every tent, the bag of supplies. Even the table at which she had made bread that morning had disappeared.
She might have believed it was some other clearing that just looked like theirs. But the ashes in the fire pit still carried a slight trace of warmth.
Helena dropped onto her familiar log, almost missing it in her shock. She had no supplies, no shelter. She couldn’t travel quickly on her own.
A familiar ache opened in her chest. Why had Cap and his friends left her behind? She’d thought they were coming to accept her. To enjoy her company.
But the why didn’t really matter. All that mattered was that she was alone again. Even after Cap’s claims that he wouldn’t leave her behind.
Unwanted. Abandoned. Alone.
Her hands shook with grief and anger, but she made herself stand up.
It was no good moping; if she wanted to survive, she needed to start moving.
She didn’t know where the nearest road was, but she knew that the Lancée family owned the valley at the base of the mountain.
That meant people who might give her food and a place to stay while she decided her next course of action.
Whatever that might be. Convincing strangers to give her the help she needed might require revealing her identity. They might find it hard to believe, but surely something in her satchel would—
The thought ended abruptly when she realized she didn’t have it. Frantic, she turned toward the place where she’d shared a tent with Rouge, but it was empty.
They hadn’t even left her things.
A hard emotion pulsed through her chest. And to think, she’d begun to believe that she had friends here!