3. Laurel
LAUREL
When Baron and I returned to the others, the mood had shifted and not in our favor.
Father stood with his arms crossed, jaw set, the fire in his eyes matching the copper blaze of his hair.
I’d been told my whole life that my temper came from him.
He was usually quick with a grin and a joke, but when his patience snapped, there was nothing gentle about it.
“Answer one question for me,” Father said, his voice low and dangerous as he fixed Baron with a hard stare. “Why are you here?”
Baron straightened. “What do you mean?”
Father glanced at me, just once, before looking back at him. “Are you here because you believe in what we’re doing, or because you think my daughter wants you to be?”
“Father—” I began, but he cut me off with a sharp wave of his hand.
Baron said nothing.
“If you’re here to impress Laurel,” Father continued, each word biting, “then I suggest you leave now. Plenty of boys have tried that and failed. You’re already on probation for this very reason.
We don’t need admirers; we need fighters.
Anyone who folds at the first sign of trouble is a liability.
” His mouth thinned. “And liabilities are cowards.”
“Father!” I snapped. “Baron’s not a coward and he won’t be a liability.”
Will Scarlet stepped in before Father could respond. His tone was gentler, but no less firm. “It’s true, Laurel. If he’s only here because of you, it could ruin everything. He would hesitate the moment you’re in danger, and hesitation gets people killed. We can’t afford divided loyalties.”
I looked around at our motley band of outlaws. Every person here had already paid dearly for this cause. There had been family members and friends who passed away, and homes and fortunes given up to join the Merry Men. Would Baron be willing to pay the same price?
I glanced at him. His face was unreadable, as ever.
I didn’t want him in danger, but the truth was impossible to ignore: we needed Baron for our plan to have the best chance of success, and it was a risk to trust him when his allegiances had turned so recently.
But I also felt sure that if anyone could survive this, it was him.
A groan cut through the air.
Dale stirred on the forest floor, rolling onto his side and grimacing. I crouched beside him and laid a restraining hand on his shoulder. “Good to have you back among the living. I’m sorry about your arm.”
He squinted up at me. “You didn’t shoot me. Why are you apologizing?”
I grinned. “I pulled the arrow out of your arm then used it to shoot the sheriff.”
Dale’s eyes widened as he took in the clearing—and the still bodies lying nearby. “Well,” he said slowly, “a sore arm seems a fair trade. Well done.”
Lincoln dropped down beside him, already filling him in, while I stood and addressed the rest of the group. “We don’t have much time. We have to make a decision now.”
Father turned back to Baron. “We need your answer. Our plan will be dangerous, but it is a plan. You haven’t offered an alternative. If you have even a shred of doubt, it will ruin everything. I need to know—now.”
Baron met his gaze without blinking. “I’ll do it.” The words were steady and certain.
Father studied him for a long moment, then nodded. “Very well. Here’s how it will go.”
He moved quickly, then snapped into command and spoke in a low, rushed voice.
“Will Stutely, Alan, and I head for Vienna to free King Richard. On foot, it’ll take at least two weeks unless we steal horses along the way.
You won’t hear from us often. Little John stays in Sherwood to recover and keep things running at camp.
Will Scarlet, you and Dale get yourselves recruited into Philip’s army and start feeding us information.
” He eyed Dale’s arm. “Sorry about your arm, Dale, but we need you and you’ll heal faster than John. ”
Nods rippled through the group.
“Baron will go back to take Blackwell’s place and lead his platoon,” Father continued.
“Laurel will pose as a servant at Prince John’s castle and gather information.
” He stopped to fix Baron with a lethal stare.
“Betray us, and I will kill you, no matter what my daughter’s feelings are.
It isn’t just our lives at stake; this is for all of England. ”
I looked at Baron. He hadn’t flinched; death threats clearly held little novelty for him.
“That leaves Lincoln and James as messengers,” Father went on.
“James, you’re responsible for Laurel and Baron.
Check in on them regularly and you two, send in regular reports.
Lincoln, you handle Dale and Will Scarlet.
Reports to Little John once a week. Anyone injured or compromised returns to Sherwood immediately. Understood?”
Heads nodded.
Father clapped his hands together, a fierce grin breaking through at last. “Good. Now for the fun part.”