Chapter Five
Rhylen
Wyll sits near the fire, moaning about geese feathers and glue, while he repairs fletchings on new ash arrows. He sharpens the new broad heads he and Argus picked up in a different market. Ewan lounges while I sit near the pot of stew he barked at me to watch.
The Captain’s maiden dances in my head. There’s an allure to her that I haven’t figured out yet. Views of her riding through the forest, her in his arms, her naive smile as she looks up at him.
If he only knew how often I’ve seen their secret talks. I chuckle at his arrogance. He’s fighting a phantom he hasn’t met yet. His anger radiates at every gripe of my friends and I eluding him.
“Rhylen,” a voice calls out, trying to break through my daydreams of the captain and his maiden. “Rhylen. Hey! You’re burning the stew!”
Charred smoke pulls me from my thoughts as Argus shoves me away. “What is the matter with you?” He gripes.
I laugh, fanning the flames while the rest of the men look at me with confused looks. “You don’t take things serious enough,” Argus complains.
Rolling my eyes, I brush off the dirt on my clothes. Moving away from the camp, I look back over my shoulder at Argus. “Doesn’t matter, it’s time. We have introductions to make.”
We sit in the darkness among the trees, waiting, listening to the creaky wheels of carriages. Anticipation dances in my veins every time a heist is about to begin.
It’s thrilling, knowing we were dismantling the crown carriage by carriage. Ewan whistles to me across the path, telling me he’s heard something.
I close my eyes, relishing the breeze that gently blows in the trees, waiting for the soft hoof beats from a horse drawn carriage.
Prince Cailean is on his way to us; he just doesn’t know it yet.
Argus sits in the tree next to me and anxiously fiddles with his bow while we wait.
“I’m not sure about this Rhylen. This is drawing a line in the sand when it comes to robbing the rich. ”
“I’m not missing the opportunity to rob royalty and shoving it in their face.”
“This is our necks on the line,” Argus argues. I sigh. Looks like we’re choosing the pain in my ass option today.
“Do you want to be here or not?” I snap, having enough of it. “Your petulant whining is getting on my nerves.”
Argus sighs loudly. He wears a sour look on his face. “All I am saying is, if we do this, we don’t go back.”
“Perfect. I wasn’t going that way anyways.”
Argus opens his mouth to respond, but the sound of hoofbeats interrupts our argument. Perfect. Four men on horseback lead the Prince’s carriage. Two more carriages follow behind with supplies. Three guards take up the rear of the traveling party.
Finally, the intel surrounding the Prince is correct. I lift my eyes to the pitch black sky and whisper a quick thanks to the Fates. Such an easy, simple target for the kingdom’s cruelest company.
Ewan whistles another shrill bird call from across the path.
I straighten my spine, pull my bow to my face, and shoot an arrow.
The quick “pfft” of the arrow releasing from the bow was all that is heard when Irric, Wyll, Argus, and I fire.
Four grunts sound and the men fall from their horses. The parade of carriages halt.
Before the coachmen can announce anything, more arrows land in their chests. Ewan handles the last three guards in the rear. The sight of chaos before me brings a wide smile to my face.
“What is happening?” Captain Cahir sticks his head out of the carriage. Irric aims his bow at him, meeting him at the door.
“Out,” Irric motions him. “Your princey, too.”
Red floods the captain’s cheeks in anger. “I will have your head for this.” Irric cackles in response.
“Hard to do that from where you’re standing, innit Captain?”
Captain Cahir seethes as the prince strides out of the carriage. “You dare rob the Crown Prince?”
I seize the opportunity, jumping down from the trees. “Just like you dare rob the people of this kingdom.”
I wasn’t sure it was possible to see the prince any angrier than he is now. His skin is flushed with red. “You,” he says through gritted teeth.
I dip low in a mocking bow. “Pleasure to finally meet you, your grace.”
“I’ll have your head for this.”
“Among many other things, I’m sure.” I signal to Wyll to start going through their things. Bags are quickly dumped over and strewn about the forest floor.
“My, my, my,” Wyll cackles. “What pretty things you have.” He lifts jewel encrusted daggers from the Prince’s things.
Tucking them into his waistband, Wyll sifts through looking for coin.
Each bag thoroughly searched before they eventually move on to the next.
Wyll and Irric lift a heavy trunk out of the carriage. “Looky, looky.”
The trunk is filled with coin from the various villages the Prince has been prancing through. The coins rattle against each other, sending a thrill up my spine. Wyll howls with laughter as he fills bags and tosses me one. A wide smile stretches across my face again at the bounty.
“Not stealing, eh? What do you call this?” I ask, gesturing to the spoils around us. Cailean and his lovely captain glare at me. The anger pouring off their helpless bodies in waves.
“Coin taken from every villager owed. Nothing more, nothing less,” the Prince spits.
“Taken.”
“Rightfully given,” he snaps back.
“Strip,” I demand.
“Excuse me?” Captain Cahir lashes out. Somehow his face is twisted into a deeper shade of rage as he processes my demand.
“I said strip. The clothes. Take them off.”
“No.”
“Oh, I am sorry.” I twiddle with the dagger in my hand. “I didn’t realize you thought you had a choice in the matter.”
He vibrates with fury as he glares at me. Irric chuckles at the irate captain, his bow aimed at the captain and prince standing in front of us.
“You’re making a grave error, Hood,” the captain says through gritted teeth. Prince Cailean stands beside him, watching the entire exchange. What a fool he is. One who thinks he’s good enough, wise enough, smart enough to run this kingdom.
“You think you’ll get away with this, but you won’t. I promise you that. You think you’re making a difference, but the only thing you’re doing is making it worse. Remember that when more bodies pile at the gate of villages. You did this.”
I snarled. “Pretty words, prince, but false words. You’ll find out soon enough.”
“We’ll see.” Cailean stands straighter, jutting his chin out in obstinance. He threatens the lives of his kingdom, as if it will scare me into obedience. Little does he know, his threats fall on deaf ears.
“Do not make him ask again,” Irric threatens. He bobs the bow in a motion that signals they need to get moving. I know his strength was waning, holding the bow in a ready position as long as he did.
The prince is the first to move, pulling his ridiculous clothing off. “Mark my words Hood. I’m coming after you.”
“Okay, prince. Get up and sit at the coach. We’re almost done here and we’ll be on our way.”
Within a few minutes, the two idiots are sitting in the driver’s seat of the coach, completely naked, reins in hand.
I can’t stop the chuckle that escapes at the sight of them.
Irric, Wyll, Ewan, and Argus backs out and retreats to the trees.
I dip in a mocking bow. “We thank you for your contributions to the Hood.”
I back out, to the darkness of the thick woods. The snap of reins signal the coach to move on.