Seven Arrows

Chapter 30 - Sharp Rain

2011-01-03T00:01:00.007-05:00

Six years had come and gone since the raid in Nottingham. 1216 was a busy year for the British crown. Will had made it a point to keep his men in relative obscurity, having them train day in and day out for their final move against the king. Throughout the kingdom, Barons had pushed back against the kingdom and King John had fought several battles against his own people on his own soil.

It was proving to be a miserable reign under his throne.

Will had sent several of his men to spread out in secret to the rebel land barons, using their movements and knowledge to add to his intelligence. He'd even used the knowledge to tip the sides of battle in one way or another, being sure to never let the king come in direct harm, guaranteeing that his attack would be the one that brought the king down.

Solomon had grown up in the school, a perk that had proven to be an incredible benefit in his upbringing. Tuck had been right about his totem. No one had mentioned it to him but Solomon had admitted to having dreams about an owl. However, he was not very forthcoming with the details, saying only that the owl demanded secrecy.

Will was proud that he could give his son the tools that the school offered. The students had adopted Solomon as a little brother and mascot, using him as a focus when pushed new students. The catchphrase "Solomon can do it, so can you," was a mantra recited to the students when faced with a challenge that seemed insurmountable.

Under sanctuary was alive with excitement. The underground school had grown in size through exhaustive digging and expansion into a nearby cave system. The green students all waited patiently as the elder students passed out the new red hoods. Several of the elder students now wore hoods and uniforms that were a deep blue. They were the elite and only Will, John, Layne, Smith and Tuck knew their exact numbers. Their uniforms obscured the features from the other students. They were used as spies and guards. The cave was crowded with around one hundred hooded individuals all standing at attention. Will took his place at the front of the large underground room and let the students change into their new hoods before giving his speech.

"It's been a long, hard road. We've been lucky and have lost only my father in this war. Unfortunately, the king must respond." He looked around at all the faces staring at him. "After our righteous victory at the castle, I suspect that more troops are on their way to secure Nottingham. Bruce, I'll need you to gather up thirty men of your choice and hold the castle. The rest of us will be following the king's route. We expect him to retreat from a French invasion force." Will's had men among the king's men. They would coax him to move where Will wanted.

Bruce took time selecting his team while Will conferred with John. "I want whatever men he doesn't select to leave tonight and head for Newark Castle. I want elite inside the castle. They should expect King John there in two days."

John understood his orders and dismissed himself.

Gwen came to Will's side. "Am I to expect the same ruse from you this time around?" she asked.

Will cracked a smile, "No, I'll need your skills. Solomon is going as well. I'm not hiding this from him. He needs to know that we Redgraves have a responsibility to our country."

Gwen didn't like putting Solomon in jeopardy, "Won't that be dangerous?"

"When I'm done there, the crown will be scrambling to keep things together," Will said. He was absolutely sure of his men's abilities. "Between the french, the rebels and us, it'll be a matter of disappearing again. I've worked very hard at making sure that there is less of a gamble than before. Would I leave anything up to chance?"

Gwen knew that he wouldn't.

"Solomon needs to understand the severity of this life that we lead," Will added. "There might come a day that he doesn't want to choose this path and its best that he has as much information to help in that process as possible. Besides, as I've planned it, he won't see any of the carnage."

She thought it made it sound so simple.

Bruce took his selected men and left for Nottingham with orders to create a disturbance that would get the attention of the battalions still in the area then evade capture.

The remaining men, roughly seventy in number, were broken into six groups and sent to Newark to be ready for the arrival of the king. A planned arrival that the king wasn't even aware of.

Will and John took four of the elite and his family and headed east to an area that Will had selected, called the Wash. The Wash was a natural bay on the North Sea. It was along the eastern shore and Will planned to separate the king from his crown jewels. A bit of insult to make the final attack all the more rewarding.

Simultaneously, Will and his men dug into a prepared outcrop while Bruce and his men began attacking the guards and soldiers in Nottingham. As planned, the caravan containing the king's baggage came up the coast on its way to Spaulding to rendezvous with the king.

Four wagons carried the goods toward where Will stood. His hood was up and his bow sat ready with an arrow notched. The caravan slowed upon seeing him enough for the soldiers that chaperoned to advance and clear the threat. Will looked up at them as they approached and pulled his bow up and aimed at the first man.

Without releasing his grip, an arrow struck the first man through the neck and he dropped from his horse, getting trampled by the following riders. Will aimed again and again an arrow seemed to hit its target without him firing, this time, the rider simply sagged in his saddle. Will aimed at the third as he slowed. The soldiers thought it was sorcery and halted their progression. Arrows came out of no where and found the drivers of each wagon.

"What sorcery is this?" the closest mounted soldier asked.

"The Hooded Demon demands payment for your transgressions against his ilk!" Will hollered.

The men all looked at each other. They'd heard of the Hooded Demon but believed that the man responsible was dead after being captured in Nottingham.

"The Hooded Demon is dead!" one of the men at the back said. Will aimed his bow and the man fell from his horse in a lifeless heap, a single arrow piercing under his arm, through his heart.

"You will speak of me to no one for they won't believe you," Will demanded, "and instead, you'll tell of the high tide and how it robbed you those wagons!"

The soldiers were afraid to move. They couldn't see where the arrows were fired from and weren't willing to chance that this demon wasn't somehow Thomas Redgrave, spat out of hell in a bid for righteous revenge.

"You may go!" Will said to the remaining soldiers.

They didn't waste time as they rode past him. He seemed unafraid of them. Will watched them ride off to the horizon. When he returned his gaze to the wagons, the four elite were in the driver's seats. They'd already cleared the dead into the Wash, removing the arrows and scattering prepared wagon wheels and debris. Will was proud of his elite.

In Nottingham, Bruce's men met much resistance. Bruce knew that a number of elite had been ordered to back him but he wasn't sure of the number or where they were. His men had taken the castle's courtyard and were holding off the English soldiers using tactics taught to them by Will. While a primary force drew attention, archers had hidden in the shops of the square, the villagers having been given ample time to make a hasty retreat. Will had paid them all in advance for any damages that might be done to their shops.

Bruce saw mounted troops and a garrison getting closer and the ambushers waited for the right moment.

"I want archers in the towers!" Bruce demanded and five of the twenty men inside the courtyard climbed the outside of the castle walls to get into windows and the parapets. He couldn't let too many men into the castle because the second part of the plan was a calculated retreat and leaving them inside would have left them easily captured.

As the mounted troops approached the courtyard walls, Bruce gave the signal and a wall of arrows shot out of the shops. The soldiers fell.

The garrison saw this and men broke from the primary group to flank the shops. Bruce ran across the village square, drawing fire from the garrison and soldiers as he ran to the shops. One arrow blurred passed his face and he spun, stabbing a soldier near him and resumed his sprint. "Fall back!" he yelled into the shops.

Arrows rained down from the towers onto the garrison but their heavy shields defended them. They were about one hundred yards away and closing.

Another volley of arrows came at Bruce and though he dodged a couple, one penetrated his arm and pinned it to his side, the arrow head piercing his right lung. Bruce fell in a spin. Two of his men inside the shops pulled him inside, provoking another volley of arrows.

The flanking garrison men made their way up to the back of the shops and kicked in the walls and doors using battle axes and brute strength. The red hoods were waiting and they shot the first group of men as the last bits of splintered wood fell.

The two that had Bruce tried to get him onto a horse but arrows skewered one of them.

Bruce could barely breath. He labored at talking. "Give the signal... to retreat," he said, coughing up blood. The remaining man near him lit an arrow and shot it into a nearby mound of hay. The dry October air let the fire swell into a brilliant blaze. The hooded men scattered.

Then the elite engaged the enemy.

Night was falling and they moved easily among the soldiers, gutting the survivors and leaving opening up the opportunity for the red hoods to escape.

One of the archers at the top of the tower climbed over the side to attempt his decent and was immediately pinned to it permanently.

The elite focused their attention on the advancing garrison. Their orders were clear: no prisoners. Like a black fog they weaved in and out of the guard, their numbers hidden by the night and speed. As the last of the garrison fell, the red hoods made for sanctuary, carrying their dead and dying with them.

One of the elite saw the dead red hood that was pinned to the top of the castle tower. Another garrison was approaching but the hoods didn't leave their dead behind. The lone elite entered the castle and hurried up to the parapet. It checked for life in the man pinned to the wall and when there was none, it pushed the lifeless body off of the arrows, letting it fall to the ground.

With blinding speed, the elite had the lifeless body on shoulder and heading for the woods where wagons and horses waited.

A day later, in Newark, the red hoods didn't wear their hoods just yet.. Instead they had spread out into six different areas that had views of the castle walls. Will had arrived and the group was waiting for the king's arrival. His agents had told him that the king was ill. Will didn't like this. He didn't want to lose his kill to failing health.

Solomon sat at a makeshift brick oven. It provided heat but didn't give their position away to prying eyes. He was watching the embers. Gwen came up on him while he poked the fire with a stick.

"Be careful," she said.

Solomon turned to his mother, smiling. "The owl says that tonight, papa will become a legend. That his name will be lost to time but that his actions will be the inspiration for good men for a long time."

Gwen had only heard of the owl but Will was careful about not saying what the owl said. To hear this surprised her. "What else does the owl say?" she asked.

Solomon became very serious, "I can't tell you that."

"Not even your mum?" she asked.

"Sorry, mum," Solomon apologized, "but I can't because the owl says that it can alter things to come. Just know that papa will be a legend."

The message was almost ominous but Solomon didn't seem at all worried.

The kings caravan pulled into the castle courtyard and the men all took positions with their bows and arrows at the ready. Will came out and waited for a signal he'd ordered his men to do. They couldn't see into the courtyard because of the high walls so they would be firing blind, essentially.

Suddenly torches lit on a castle wall. This was a marker as to where they should aim, using the torch's position as a reference. Then another torch lit. This one was on a wall adjacent to the first and showed how deep into the courtyard they should focus their fire. The men all aimed.

The torches went out. The final signal that the king was in the kill zone.

Will released his the red arrow with a broad head and it climbed and met with seventy other arrows. The other groups were told to fire three repeated volleys, putting 211 arrows in the air at once.

On the ground, the king didn't understand why the man that was walking with him suddenly walked off. Nor why the moonlight suddenly faded. When he looked up at the moon, all he could see was what looked like a rain cloud.

The cloud whispered.

Will watched as the arrows rained down into the courtyard. If all went as planned, a torch would be lit to mark a single kill.

He waited patiently. The torch suddenly sprung to life and collectively, the men all cheered.

Will turned to his wife. She smiled at him. They both knew that this was the start of something else. A new life that wasn't focused on revenge and instead, could be focused on rebuilding. The men all gathered their things and began the journey back to sanctuary.

The standing order was that the king died of dysentery. Will's men had infiltrated the empire for the single purpose of removing the cancer that had used the backs of the bruised to his own end.
In the courtyard, the arrows all landed within a twenty foot radius. Anything caught in that circle was doomed. In the middle of the circle lie the body of the king. His body a pin cushion. Among the black arrows, one stood out.

Buried deep in his chest was a single red arrow.

Will continued his school, focusing his teachings on democracy and the teachings that Roman scholars had to offer. They occasionally reacted to injustice when needed growing in branches and taking on many forms.

Solomon... well, his is a tale for another day.

Chapter 29 - At Peace

2010-12-27T00:01:00.000-05:00

Will and Tuck spent the day prepping Thomas' body for burial. It was heartbreaking and difficult for Will, finally letting go of that part of him that had hoped that his father's blood lust wouldn't end in his own death.

Tuck could tell how difficult it was. "In the end, maybe it's better for him to be at peace. I believe he's with your mother," Tuck had said, trying to console Will.

Will finished tying the bottom of the shroud that contained the body of his father. "It's not that he died that bothers me," Will started, "it's that so much of his life was dedicated to death. I understand that it was justice but when does one cross over into blind obsession?"

"I don't think your father was ever blindly obsessed," Tuck responded. "He did nothing while the pact was in place and only acted when it became inevitable that they were going to pick up the hunt against you and him. He was still just protecting his family."

It bothered Will that he didn't see it so clearly. Maybe he was too close to it all?

Tuck and Will loaded the body into a cart. Will wanted his father buried along side his grandfather. He gathered up firewood started a fire. He began boiling water and dropped Tork's head into it. John walked up while Will stood looking at the rolling boil.

"You're not gonna..." John started to ask.

"Lord, no," Will said cracking a smile. "I'm no monster. I'm just cleaning the skull. I need it to remind me."

"Of?" John asked.

Will looked up at John, "Sometimes, death brings balance. Sadly, not every problem has a peaceful solution."

"I thought you were training your men for such an undertaking, might makes right and whatnot?" John said.

Shaking his head, Will clarified, "No, just preparing them for the inevitable conflict. I'm preparing them not just for the physical threats but the mental and emotional ones. The threats that can do most harm don't always approach with weapons at the ready."

John was glad that Will wasn't falling into the same blood lust his father had been caught up in. "What's next?" he asked.

"The king," Will said flatly.

"You have a plan?" John asked.

"I will," Will said, "I just have to meet with someone."

John didn't pry as to who the someone was.

Tuck gathered the students. Thomas' funeral was to be the final lesson for the class. Will had developed several brilliant minds and had made a community of responsible individuals that looked out for each other but he had to show them that in the end, what matters is who's there to witness your departure from this world.

Gwen and Matty took turns carrying little Solomon as the procession made it's way down to where Will's grand father was buried. Only Will knew what to look for. The little clearing in the forest was in many ways where his first lesson was. Thomas had instilled in him the values of a man who desired peace but knew the need to defend it.

Matty began to tear up. She wasn't able to be with her father when he was so sick that death became a respite and now she watched as her nephew dug a hole next to her father's grave to place her brother. Gwen hugged her. Baby Solomon looked up at her. She thought about how he looked so much like her father. His little eyes so full of peace. In many ways, his awareness reminded her of an owl. He seemed to look around as if he understood the world around him and she somewhat believed that he did.

The men helped Will out of the pit. He had dug the hole by himself and had done it in about two hours. He hadn't taken a break but he wasn't showing signs of fatigue. They lowed Thomas' body and head into the grave and Will cast a handful of soil onto his shroud.

"As my students, you've followed my every command without hesitation," Will started. "My father put himself into situations that most men wouldn't. He did so without hesitation. He did so because he accepted that the outcome could be death but that still would be a better alternative. I need you all to understand that death is something you can't control. Not only is it going to happen to you but it's going to happen to those you love. Cherish those times with them but never let the fear of being without them cloud your judgement. Never let the fear of death decide for you. I've decided to pick up where my father left off. He had one more person on his list. One more target that demanded his attention. This next mission will be dangerous and will call attention to us in a way that we've avoided before. If you so choose not to follow me, I'll understand."

The group fell quiet. He let the weight of his words sink in so that his next sentence would be heard without fault.

"I plan on killing the king," Will announced.

Bruce was the first of his students to react. He stepped forward and pulled his red hood up then fell to one knee with his head bowed. "At your command, Sir," Bruce said. "We'll follow you into hell."

The other students all followed suit. Hoods up and on bended knee they pledged to follow him on whatever mission he chose.

John, Layne and Smith did the same.

Tuck looked around. "Well, if I don't, I'll look like an arse," he said with a smile.

They finished burying Thomas and Will returned the focus back to his father. "When I was a child, my father was a bit of a legend among the people of Loxley. In his youth, he'd faced off with a bear. He defended my sweet aunt who may very well not be here had her brother not loved her so. My father set the bar high but he never asked me to jump it. Just to set my own standards. To set my own goals. Father, you will be missed, dearly. May your soul find peace in death that it couldn't find in life. Also, give mum a hug and kiss for me. I've missed her so."

Will placed stones flush with the ground in a cross over his father's grave. The walk back to sanctuary was filled with Will and Matty remembering and sharing with the others, moments that they had with Thomas. When they reached sanctuary the group began to feast.

The encampment around sanctuary was alive with celebration. Food was passed around and shared as was drink and stories. Laughter echoed through the trees and as night fell, the autumn night came alive with dancing shadows and the sounds of festivities.

There was a burning in Will's coin purse. He'd been thinking about those two rings all day. He looked across the table at Gwen as she nursed Solomon. He loved that smile of hers. It was what drove his soul to brilliance. The men made merry and Will called their attention.

He came around the table and dropped to one knee, much like his students had done. He looked up at Gwen. "Much like my students have pledged their loyalty to me, I want to pledge my loyalty to you," he said. "Would you do me the honors of facing the world as my mate, partner and friend for forever and a day?"

"Of course," Gwen answered. She leaned down and kissed Will then he placed the ring on her hand.

John came over and sat next to Matty. She looked saddened by the happiness around her.

"There is still much breath in your bosom," John said. "No need to feel like you won't love again."

"How did you know I was...." Matty began to ask.

"When I went off to war, I left a love behind that promised to wait for me," he said. "I returned to an empty home and learned that she'd left with someone else. I spent many a day feeling the way you look."

Matty cocked her head at John, "There's more to you than muscle."

Tuck came over to Will and Gwen. He'd had much to drink. "I can marry you two right now and then you two can stop living in sin under my roof and for once there could be a positive story to tell around here aside from the birth of that sweet boy Solomon who by the way I think looks much like an owl in the night which I'm sure you've thought to yourselves but never thought that his totem is an owl which would make him both wise and able to fly not really but can you imagine one of you Redgraves being given the ability to fly like a bird I can't think of anything more terrifying but back to what I was saying I could marry you two tonight am I rambling I tend to ramble when I drink too much have I had too much are you two going to let me marry you or what?"

Gwen and Will agreed to the ceremonies. Tuck's rendition of wedding services were unique to say the least. He'd had more to drink so the only thing anyone could understand was the words: love, honor, cherish and death.

At the end of the night, Will placed Tork's cleaned and dried skull on the shelf next to his books. It served as a grim reminder of the cost of freedom.

He lay down next to his new wife and fell into a deep sleep.

There was a chessboard in his dream. Across from him the red fox looked down at the board. He nudged a pawn with his nose. "We've done much together," the fox said.

"We have," Will agreed as he moved another piece.

The fox nudged a bishop. "We've changed things," he said.

"We have," Will said as he slid his queen to his right. He'd created a protective corridor for his pieces to move up the board.

The fox saw this and began moving his pieces to counter.

"You've taught me well," Will said thankfully.

"You're an apt pupil," The fox said.

After the fox moved one last piece to protect the obvious attack, Will slid his queen back to the left side.

"Checkmate!" he exclaimed.

The fox looked at the board. The corridor was a ruse. It lured all of his good pieces to one side while opening the other up for attack. He smiled and said, "The teacher becomes the student."

Will reached over and pet him. "I will always be your student," he said to the fox.

The fox suddenly looked past him. Will turned to see what he was looking at.

Before him was a great red wolf with a scarred face. In his mouth was a single red arrow. He lay it in Will's lap then looked up at him and said, "Make it rain." The wolf then pressed his snout into Will's hand and Will pet him.

When Will woke up he quietly went down to where he lectured his students and dug at the ground where he normally stood. He pulled the seventh arrow from the soft earth and clenched it in his fist.

"I'll make things right, father."

Chapter 28 - A Show of Force

2010-12-20T00:01:00.004-05:00

Will's men took positions around the castle. He had ordered a group to monitor the windows and parapets. From his vantage point, he could see his father's body strung up like a prize and his head on a nearby pike. Will had another group of his men take secure posts around the grounds. They fanned out and spread into the streets, disappearing into the fog that began to roll into the town.

"I want Tork's head," Will told John. "We'll have to have him come out."

Will lit torches and calmly walked up to the wooden landing. Guards that were on alert didn't get a chance to call for backup as they were struck down with arrows unleashed with quiet snaps of the bow strings from high ground across from the castle. Will took the wooden pike from its place and pulled his father's head off of it. It looked so serene as he stuffed it into a bag. He tied the end up and tossed it to John.

The men were ordered not to attack Tork if they saw him. Instead, they were told to lull him into a sense of security. This was accomplished by the guards having been removed and replaced by several of the red hoods.

Thomas' body sagged as Will untied it from the framework they'd built around it. Will began singing the song of the wolf and fox. The volume of his voice slowly grew as he passed the body down to John.

There was movement inside the castle. The new guards were given the signal to sound the alarm and they did so without hesitation. Torches moved inside the castle and shortly, Tork appeared with a group of men around him. He smiled a wicked smile.

"What's this?" he asked.

Will stood on the landing alone. His hood was up and he was careful to move in a manner that kept his face in the shadows. Much of this was pageantry to create an aura of fear around him.

"I've come to take what's mine!" Will said.

"What's yours?" Tork said with a bit of surprise in his voice. "You're stealing property of the king."

Tork's men flanked Will on both sides of the landing, blocking his escape. Will paced nervously as he saw the men closing in. He flinched and with lighting speed loosed two of his daggers in opposite directions, hitting the first of the men on each side. The other eight men took defensive positions as their comrades fell lifeless down the wooden steps.

"The Redgraves are property of no one," Will announced.

Tork wasn't pleased. "Archers!" he yelled and the windows and parapet came alive with men armed with bows and arrows. They steadied their aim on Will.

Will smiled. He pulled back his hood to show the glee upon his face.

This was the signal his men waited for and they released their arrows into the castle's windows and the top of it's towers. Tork watched as the hail of arrows seemed to come out of the fog and night and into the castle. More of his men came out to stand around him.

"Good! Bring them all to their deaths! Bring them all!" Will taunted.

"Who are you bandit?" Tork inquired."

"Will Redgrave: son of Thomas Redgrave, the son of Solomon Redgrave," Will said proudly. "You pathetic nobles have awakened a plague of justice by disturbing us. My family only wished to live a meager life as farmers but you pushed your conflicts into our lives. Now you will suffer our wrath!"

The men on either side of Will moved up onto the landing. Will sprung forward over the wall, landing on the earth in front of Tork and his men. The guards that were actually red hoods put on their cowls and broke ranks and began attacking the men on the landing. Tork watched as chaos broke out in the courtyard.

He backed up as Will nonchalantly approached. The first of his men that got up the nerve to attack, found that Will wasn't where he had thrust his sword and instead, was on the outside of his thrust gripping his wrist and turning to deflect an attack from another of the men.

Tork realized that this was just a game to his adversary. He watched as a single unarmed man broke down his men like chess pieces.

Will let the men's weapons find each other and he sung the song louder, letting the noise act as a kind of background music to it. "The wolf though deadly wants only to be, left to his self and family. The wolf will kill those that disrupts his dreams, smiling at their delicious screams. The fox will wait for the perfect day, to hunt upon his pathetic prey. The Redgraves will be the plight of the king, be forewarned this song I sing."

The ten men were short work for Will. He enjoyed the exercise as he redirected their attacks into each other, timing the last two just right so that they stabbed each other at once.

"It really is unfair," he said to Tork, "which is why we wanted to be left alone. We didn't want to massacre you. There's no sport in it. It's like killing vermin with poison, there's no real hunt. No challenge."

Tork broke into a run into the castle. The gate closed behind him and he barricaded it.

Will looked at the wall. The stones were so irregular. He climbed them with much ease and soon came to the top of the tower. He pulled his hood up then reached into his boots for daggers and spun them in his hands as he stomped on the trap door that descended into the castle. The man inside thought it was the archer and opened the door without hesitation. Will let the man look around once before he reached around and cut the man's throat, listening to the gurgle of his escaping blood as he fell down the ladder. Will descended the ladder. Tuck had given him a detailed map of the castle long ago. He'd studied it often thinking that he might help his father infiltrate it.

Another man was at the bottom of the ladder and he looked up at Will and fumbled with his sword. Will dropped, his feet landed on the man's shoulders and there was a loud crunch as the bones broke and his arms pushed into his ribs. Will thought about how painful it sounded and how the man's moans could have been silenced with the edge of his dagger as he walked away.

His walk had the gate of a man that knew not just his destination but all the rest stops along the way. For instance, Will knew that there was a cove where a guard was stationed up ahead several yards. He calmly walked to it and was on top of the man before the man realized what had happened. Will's daggers pierced the man's under arms and then he spun him so that he could stab the man at the base of the neck, cutting his spine.

Will knew about the patrol sentry that would have been reassigned to the top of the steps once the castle was under siege. As Will came around the corner, he could see the man positioned at the end of the hall. So could the man see him. Will's daggers crossed the distance faster than the man could react and the buried themselves in the wood behind the man's neck, holding up his head as the rest of his body sagged.

With a few tugs, Will finished the decapitation and let the man's neck, empty onto the steps.

Then he waited.

He could hear Tork's boots on the steps. They seemed so sure as they made their way up the steps. So sure until they slipped in the blood. Tork couldn't see the color of liquid he was stepping in but he was pissed off that someone had left such a mess. As Tork reached the top of the steps the color rushed from his cheeks as he saw the headless body of the guard. He'd seen such carnage before but it seemed out of place here. This should be a safe haven. His focus should have been on the hooded figure standing to his left.

Will's punch knocked Tork off of his feet and his head into a wall.

When Tork woke up, he was on the parapet. When he looked down at the courtyard, he could see not only the hooded men that had overtaken the castle but the town's people. Will was standing behind him.

"You have a ring on your finger," Will said, "It's my father's."

Tork immediately removed the ring and tossed it to Will. "Just don't kill me," Tork begged.

"Where's the other ring? The one he wore around his neck?" Will asked.

"It's in my chambers, on the stand next to the bed," Tork answered. "Are you going to kill me?"

"You're a knight?" Will asked.

"Yes."

"How does a coward become a knight?" Will asked.

"I'm not a coward," Tork reasoned. "I'm just smart. I watched what you did to my men. You were toying with them."

Will looked at the ring and placed it on his finger. "Jump," he said quietly.

"What?" Tork asked.

"Jump," Will said again. "It's a simple word. Surely you've heard it before."

Tork looked down into the courtyard. It seemed so far down. "I could die," He said.

"Yes you could," Will said, "However, if you don't, you surely will. I'll kill you. Only one of us is taking that ladder back down. You can either jump and maybe die or stay and remove all doubt."

Tork climbed up on the wall of the parapet. Will watched as Tork looked about for the safest spot to land. He looked back at Will, pleading with his eyes.

"Jump already!" Will said and he stepped toward Tork.

Tork jumped. His fall was clumsy and he seemed to reach out to try to hold the air. He landed with a crunchy thud and didn't move. At least, he didn't move at first. He inhaled deeply, having knocked the wind out of himself and looked down at his broken legs before screaming in pain.

Will took his time going down through the castle. He stopped in Tork's chambers to get his mother's ring and an ax. When he came out into the courtyard, a group had come to see Tork as he begged for help. When they saw Will they dispersed. Will approached Tork with the ax resting on his shoulder and Tork looked up in disbelief.

"You... you said I might live," Tork said.

"No I never," Will said as he raised the ax over his head, "I just said that if you stayed up there I would definitely kill you up there and that the fall might kill you. I never said you might live. I never planned on letting you live."

The ax fell swiftly with great fury and removed any chance of Will having to listen to a rebuttal.

Will put Tork's head on the pike and he and his men evaporated into the night.

Chapter 27 - Legacy of Brutality

2010-12-13T00:01:00.003-05:00

Matty looked back once while riding through Sherwood. She didn't see Thomas. Figuring that he'd stopped to hold them off and then catch up later, she pressed on to sanctuary. At around dawn, she arrived. She was tired and sore but she made sure to wake up everyone. Will came down. He'd grown so much she hardly recognized him.

"Your father's killed Guy and the sheriff," she said excitedly. "He was supposed to be right behind me." She looked hard out into the woods but still saw no sign of Thomas.

"I knew he was going to do it but I didn't suspect so soon," Will said. He left her only for a moment to go and wake the others.

He returned with John in tow. Layne and Smith came down shortly followed by Tuck. They all surrounded Matty as she described what had happened. The battle in Guy's quarters. The dead that littered the grounds. Thomas had had a busy night.

"Do you think they captured him?" she asked Will.

Will looked to John, knowing the answer but not able to say it aloud. "We'll find out," Will declared. He turned to the others, "Gear up, full armor," he ordered. "We ride in an hour."

Will hugged his aunt tightly as Gwen came down. "Love?" she said to Will.

"My father's killed the sheriff. I have to go see if..." Will caught himself, emotions were running high, "I have to see if I can help him."

Gwen wasn't going to stay behind, "You're not going without me."

Will respected her decision, "Full armor. Ready for battle. We leave in two hours."

She dismissed herself to get ready.

Will looked down at his aunt, "You have to stay here," he said. When she looked like she was about to refuse he added, "To watch Solomon and keep Gwen from chasing after us."

"Solomon?" Matty asked.

Will smiled slightly, "Father always talked about grandfather like he was some sort of legend, I wanted to honor him by naming my first born after him." He smiled even deeper, "Luckily 'twas a boy."

Matty smiled. Will hurried off to get ready. He knew they'd have to leave sooner than an hour, so that Gwen wouldn't be ready to follow. He put on his uniform with red cowl and gathered his weapons then went and got John, Layne, Smith and Bruce.

The five of them left within a half hour of Matty's arrival and they rode hard through Sherwood toward Nottingham proper.

Gwen came down, fully suited in her uniform and saw that they had left. She looked disappointed. Matty put her arm around her. "I'm told I'm a great aunt," she said.

A smile grew on Gwen's face. "Yeah, he's but two months old." She looked back to the woods.

"He needs you here with Solomon," said Matty. "He needs that peace of mind."

Gwen looked at Matty, "He'll come back, right?"

"I sure hope so," Matty said. "Now where's this baby?"

On cue, Solomon's lungs forced a wail out of his mouth for his mother. When Matty leaned over his crib, she saw his eyes were a bright green and his faint hair was a brilliant red. He looked up at her and Gwen and quieted his cry. Matty thought he looked so aware of the world around him. She wondered if that was a blessing or a curse.

Across the forest, Thomas' body ached. He couldn't move without hearing and feeling his collar bone as it crunched in his chest. He couldn't sleep, the pain was unbearable. He looked up at the guard. One of Thomas' eyes had swollen shut.

"You look pathetic," the guard said.

"So do you," Thomas said audaciously. He knew there was no saving him, now. He'd played the game and his time was up. There was no point in pleading with this filth.

The guard opened the door to his cell and stepped in. "You killed my brother last night," the guard said. He kicked Thomas hard across the face and then stepped back out and locked the door.

"You sure it wasn't your sister?" Thomas edged him on. "They all fought like little girls. You kick like one!" Thomas spit blood from his mouth.

There was a commotion in the dungeon. Looking up, Thomas could barely make out the shapes that came down the hall to him. A man in armor peered into the cell.

He studied Thomas for a few moments before introducing himself. "Hello, Thomas. I'm Sir Francis Tork. I'm to be your executioner this afternoon."

Thomas shrugged.

The men with Tork entered the cell and unlocked Thomas. They roughly picked him up, showing little concern for his wounds. As they pushed him out of the cell they taunted him.

"Now, now men," Tork said. "There's no need to treat our prisoner so rudely."

The guards stopped their teasing. They hauled Thomas up the steps and out through the dank halls until he was in the sunlight. Thomas looked up. The sun was high and he could hear a crowd in the streets.

A platform was built up on the inside of the castle's yard. It was the same height as the wall. The men forced Thomas up it's crude wooden steps. Tork took center stage.

"What is this man to you?" the knight said. "Is he a hero? A saint? Does he do for you what you can't do yourselves?"

Thomas looked out into the crowd. The crowd seemed mixed. Of course he had sympathizers but he also knew that some people were too weak willed to back the actions of such a notorious man, even if his violent actions were justified. Thomas didn't struggle against the manacles that bound his wrists behind him. That action would have been fruitless. He was ready.

Tork continued his speech, "Thomas Redgrave, you are the last of your line. With you, this whole debacle will end and England can go back to the tedious daily activities that keeps it a country of order."

In the crowd, Thomas could see a group making their way to the front. It was Will and his men. Thomas knew that if they acted on his behalf, there would be much more death than just his own. He subtly shook his head to his son.

John leaned in to Will, "Did he just tell us no?"

"Yeah," Will answered. Will looked around, more guards had shown up at the edge of the crowd. The castle tower windows had archers in them as did the tops. Turning around, Will saw that guards were stationed in the buildings down in the square. It was a trap of sorts. They were counting on Thomas having allies and those allies aiding his escape. Will looked at his father and his father shook his head again.

Tork had the men position Thomas' neck on the chopping block. Will gripped his daggers but John's hand gripped his shoulder tight.

"They would kill more people in the crowd looking for us than not," John said.

Tork gripped the ax and checked it's edge. "Do you have any last words?" he asked Thomas.

Thomas took a deep breath so he could yell his words as loud as he could. The intake burned his chest. "I did what had to be done! I did what I had to do! I shall soon be with my family! But know this: You've cursed your kingdom!" Thomas thought for a moment that he could see Mary standing next to Will.

The men gripped Thomas tight and Tork brought the ax down in a wide arc. There was a loud thud as it wedged into the wood block. The crowd roared in a mix of excitement and disillusion. Their cries drowning out the cries of a boy who had watched his father die like the rest of his family, at the hands of a corrupt system that had seemed to have it out for him and his kin.

Thomas' head was placed on a pike and set into a hole in the makeshift stage. Its features seemed oddly serene.

John pulled Will away and the men dispersed with the crowd. Will looked back to watch his father's body be hoisted up and displayed as a warning to any who would oppose the status-quo.

The ride back to sanctuary was quiet and solemn. They all knew that Thomas' life would end abruptly and bloodily but it still seemed like a shock.

Upon their arrival at sanctuary, Matty was waiting. The absence of Thomas and the general malaise of the group told her that what she had feared most had come to pass. She fell to her knees and let the anger overcome her. Tears streamed down her face.

Will helped her to her feet and hugged her tightly.

"Where's his body, Will?," she asked between sobs.

Will quietly responded, "They've displayed it like a trophy."

She sobbed harder. The thought of her brother's body being used in such a way disgusted her.

"We're going to get it back," Will said.

John looked at him in disbelief, "Are you sure that's wise?"

Will's eyes shot at John, "No wiser than stirring a mob and then letting them run free armed only with the desire to destroy!"

"We'll follow into hell, Will," John said apologetically.

"This'll be a practice run for our official declaration," Will said.

Will left Matty's side and looked at the book shelf.

"What are you looking for, Will?" Tuck asked.

"Something my father said," Will started, "something he said and how he said it. It was a message."

Will found the copy of 'Beowulf' he and his father had read so many years ago. He opened it and a slip of paper fell out. It was addressed to Will. The letter was from his father.

It read:

Will,
If you're reading this, then I'm dead. I am suspecting it is a public execution. I also suspect that I've killed all but one on the list. The serpent's head. The king. I've left the final arrow buried in the floor of your school under where you teach from. Lead your men true to greatness and let them spread the responsibility of being a man far and wide. I'm more proud of you than words can describe. You've taught me much.
You're Father,
Thomas Redgrave

Will turned to his men. "Get the elder students ready," Will said, "Tonight we go into Nottingham and leave with my father's body and Tork's head."

Chapter 26 - Wake of Darkness

2010-12-06T00:01:00.003-05:00

After waiting a day, Thomas prepared to make entry into the castle. He'd taken time to trim his beard and hair so that his prey would recognize him. Security was light because of the pact and since de Lacy hadn't officially broken it, he felt there was no need to increase it just yet.

On the castle grounds were four sentries posted at the walls and two more at the gates. The gate guards wore breast plate. Inside the walls another four stood watch at the castle corners while a fifth walked the yard on patrol. Thomas knew that he'd have to take out all of them to get into the castle and once he did, the time he'd have to accomplish his goals would be limited.

He went to the back wall and watched the guards. One was fidgeting with the laces of his boots. The other was at attention and doing a fine job of keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. Thomas looked above the guards' head and noticed a branch from a tree that was about twenty feet away. The branch wasn't directly over the guard but Thomas figured he could clear the ten feet easier than the thirty feet away he was. He thought about throwing his daggers but the chance of them hitting the stone behind the guard or making any other type of noise in the night, was too great. He'd have to bury his blades by hand.

Thomas picked up a small stone and put it in his pocket then moved in an arc so that the guard couldn't see him as he approached behind the tree. He scaled it like he had done so many others, making no noise except for the stirring of leaves which was mild like that caused by wind. Thomas moved through the tree without error, making his way to the branch closest to the guard. He looked up the wall toward the guard at the front. Boredom had made that guard fidgety as well. Thomas hung from under the branch about twelve feet in the air. He tossed the stone, the noise of which caught the attention of the guard immediately in front of him. As the guard looked to the stone, Thomas dropped. The sound caught the guard's attention as well and as he turned, Thomas ran up, unsheathed his two daggers from his belt and stabbed downward piercing both of the man's lungs then across the man's throat in a single motion.

As the first guard fell, Thomas sprinted along the back wall toward the guard that was fiddling with his laces. The guard turned to look to his right, in the direction that Thomas was coming, just as Thomas rolled passed him. Thomas felt his dagger slow as it found its way between two vertebrates but the man's throat hung open like a pouch. His head fell forward, held on only by skin on the back of the neck.

Thomas didn't stop moving, he ran up to the front of the wall and slowed as he got closer to the guard there. He waited for the guard to look toward the road before he sprang up and wrapping his left arm around the man's throat to muffle him and pulled him back, stabbing him multiple times in the lower back and lungs. Thomas then sprinted around the back wall again. The guard had come around the side of the wall to relieve himself and fumbled to grab his sword when Thomas leaped on him, stabbing him down through his collar while his feet kicked the man in the abdomen. His daggers pierced both lungs and heart. Thomas knew that the noise was muffled but worried that it may have alerted the guards at the gates.

Thomas could hear one of the guards approaching. He quickly picked the fresh kill up and leaned it against the wall like he was relieving himself and crouched between the dead man and the wall in the shadow he created, to hold him up. The gate guard came around the corner. He looked for a moment that the man.

"Do you mind?" Thomas said in a whisper.

The guard turned away and said, "sorry."

As he turned, Thomas moved out from under the corpse and let it collapse. The shuffling noise the body made as it fell down the wall made the guard turn and when he did, Thomas stabbed his dagger into his neck and pulled him to the ground. Thomas put the guards helmet and breastplate on then draped the man's cloak around himself.

He calmly walked back to the man's post next to the other gate guard. He nodded at the other guard, when the guard turned to nod back at him, Thomas stabbed up under the man's chin, through his jaw and into his brain. The movement was a blur.

Thomas then opened the gate and backed in as the patrolling guard passed. The patrolling guard stopped to see why one of the guards was backing in and Thomas faked like he had lost his footing. The other guard reached over to catch him and Thomas gripped the man around the waist as he did. With his other hand, Thomas stabbed the man quickly in both of his lungs. The man was unable to breath or call out but was still alive and could walk. Thomas led him over to one of the sentries.

As the sentry saw the two approached, he thought something was wrong with one of them. He went to help and Thomas dropped the dying man and moved in on the guard. His daggers climbed up the man, stabbing first in the right leg, then the left abdomen, right lung, left lung and finally throat. The movement was a blur, again. Thomas moved both bodies against the wall then ran over to the post at the other corner.

He had dropped the breast plate and helmet while running and built enough speed to clear the last six feet between him and the surprised guard in a leap. Thomas could see the look of terror on the man's face as his head made contact on the stone wall. A muffled thud was followed by a crack as Thomas twisted the man's neck.

Thomas sprinted again, running along the outside wall of the castle he caught the second to last guard off guard and stabbed him through the back of his neck repeatedly while holding the man's hair. The man's body sagged and Thomas dropped it. He paused long enough to pinpoint where the last guard was in the night.

He could see the man standing under a torch. Thomas was less worried about noise now so he threw both of his daggers in quick succession, stabbing the man in the belly. When he approached and took out the daggers, he cut the man's throat.

Now he could get into the service entrance. Inside he expected one or two guards between him and Guy and a guard standing outside of de Lacy's quarters. Thomas spun his daggers in his hands so that they were reversed, pommels up near his thumbs.

He moved through the halls in a hurried walk. It was a determined step. As he made his way through the candle lit halls and rooms, he blew them out, leaving a wake of darkness. Each step brought him closer to his prey. He found the steps that wound up to Guy's quarters.

At the top was a guard. Thomas blew out the candles that lit the steps then tapped the wall with his dagger. The guard turned. He was straining to see where the noise came from, Thomas reached out and grabbed him quickly by the collar, pulling him down the winding steps. Thomas cut the man's throat and let go, listening as his limp body came to rest at the base of the stone stairs.

Thomas took a moment to check his bow and arrows. He brought two of the lethal red broad heads. He strung his bow then heard the soft footfalls from down the hall. He backed up into the shadows. A patrolling guard had come down and noticed the station sentry was missing. As he approached, a dagger shot out of the darkness and buried itself in his head. Thomas moved quickly across the floor, pulling his dagger free as he did. He sheathed them and readied his first arrow outside Guy's door.

There was noise from inside. People talking. Thomas recognized them both. Matty was asking Guy who had been sent to replace him.

"I don't know," Guy answered. "I suspect one of the nobles that de Lacy favors, has a promising son."

Thomas thought about what kind of people de Lacy must favor. He spat on the floor then knocked on the door.

Inside, Guy pointed to an area for Marian to hide. It wouldn't be prudent to have a hand-maiden in his quarters at this time.

Guy opened the door. His eyes widened as he peered at the broad head that tipped the arrow that was pointed directly at him. He tried to close the door but Thomas gave it a swift kick.

Guy ran for his sword where he had left it on the bed but it wasn't there. Where was it?!

Thomas moved in and Guy put himself between Thomas and Marian.

"Stay back, Marian," Guy warned. "Get behind me. This is Thomas Redgrave. He's the Hooded Demon of Loxley and the Wolf's Head of Sherwood. I won't let him harm you."

Thomas' eyes narrowed. "Harm her?" Thomas said.

"I've seen your brutality," Guy said. "You have no honor."

"Like the honor of taking over a family's home? Like the honor of taking a book from a child's hands? Like the honor of limiting when a boy can visit his own sister?" Thomas argued. "If that's honor, I'd rather lie down with hounds."

Guy looked around the room for his sword. He couldn't find it! Where was it?!

"You're family has been a plague on England long enough!" Guy said.

Her voice was small but piercing to the soul. Matty had held out hope that there would be a peaceful resolution. She said, "Do you mean that?"

Guy paused.

"He does, Matty," Thomas said.

"Matty?" Guy asked as he slowly turned. Marian was holding his sword up defensively. A single tear ran down her cheek.

"You're....," it came together so quickly for Guy that he stumbled over his words, "you're his sister?"

Matty nodded. "I watched you treat my family like they were dogs. I should have let Thomas kill you then."

Guy tried to rush Matty. It was unclear if it was to hold her or thrash her but Thomas didn't chance it. The broad head tore through Guy's shoulder and he spun.

Rage filled his eyes. He jumped at Thomas, knocking the bow away and began swinging his fists into Thomas' face. His right fist didn't land with the ferocity it could have because of the crippling wound but his left pummelled Thomas just the same. Thomas swung back, hearing the crunch of cartilage and bone as he broke Guy's nose.

Marian watched through tear blurred eyes as her brother and Guy fought with a savageness she'd never seen from either of them. Not even with Thomas saved her from the bear.

Thomas kicked at Guy's shin, knocking one leg out from under him but Guy spun to compensate and pulled Thomas with him. Their fists brutalized each others' face and blood soon ran freely. Thomas gripped the arrow in Guy's back and used it to spin guy face down on the floor. He punched the back of Guy's head, Guy's face smashing into the floor. He spat out teeth.

Thomas pulled his head up by his hair.

"Do it!" Guy pleaded. "The wench has already killed me!"

Hearing Guy say such about Matty caused Thomas to continually bash his head into the floor until it turned to pulp. He looked up at Matty. She was in tears.

"I'm sorry, Matty," Thomas said.

She shook her head. She knew this day was going to happen. Matty had hoped that she had prepared herself for it.

Thomas picked up the bow. After all the action in the yard, Guy smacking it aside cause it to snap.

"Get back to your quarters," Thomas said. "I have some more thirsty work ahead of me. I'll come get you after so we can leave this place."

Matty nodded and stepped over Guy. She sobbed and Thomas tried to hug her but she pulled away. Thomas understood.

The hallway was still empty when Matty and Thomas exited Guy's room. Thomas knew that de Lacy's room wasn't far. He drew the other broad head and dropped the quiver. He then drew his dagger and stumbled up the corridor. Around two corners and down a hall, Thomas saw a guard facing a door. The missing patrol must have caught his attention. Thomas moved slowly toward him. The door the guard was facing was de Lacy's and he was being given orders.

The man quickly hurried down the other end of the hall. Thomas figured he was waking the troops. Thomas moved up the wall to the door. The hallway was clear. He knocked.

De Lacy opened the door saying, "What do you want now?". Seeing Thomas made him go flush. "You... you...!"

"I am," Thomas said as he walked into de Lacy's room. "You planned on breaking the agreement. I'm here to collect."

De Lacy backed up. "You'll never leave this castle alive," he said.

"I don't intend to."

Thomas thrust the arrow up so hard and fast that it lifted de Lacy off of the floor. Half of the arrow stuck out of de Lacy's abdomen at a downward angle. The rest, by Thomas' best calculations, reached up and into de Lacy's heart. The noise he made as he realized what had happened was akin to a child having a toy taken from him. A slight whine. Thomas let de Lacy fall back on the bed and then he kicked the end of the shaft so that it buried even further.

Time was running out. Thomas had to get Matty out of the castle. A burst of energy overcame Thomas and he set out down the hall to the steps then down to the maids' quarters.

Matty was coming out of her room. "They've alerted the towers," she said, "we'll have to be quick."

Thomas grabbed her hand and ran down to the stables. With a quick look over, Thomas figured which horse was the fastest and second fastest. He put Matty on the fastest the mounted the other. He pulled his red hood up, knowing this would make him the primary target. At first they trotted slow, making it to just outside the wall before they heard the guards alarm.

"Ride hard!" Thomas ordered Matty, "Don't stop to look back until you get to sanctuary!"

Matty kicked her horse and took off, as did Thomas. Matty's horse was much faster and Thomas' hood drew fire. Matty was clear of the archers quickly but one arrow hit Thomas at about the same spot he'd hit Guy. More arrows pierced the ground around Thomas' speeding horse but two drove into the horse's neck, causing it to fall head first and role with Thomas on its back.

There was a loud crack as Thomas' collar bone snapped under the immense weight and the arrow in his shoulder twisted, snapping the shoulder joint. The horse continued to roll off of Thomas but it was now dead and lay motionless. Thomas looked back at the castle as men stormed down at him. He tried to pull a dagger but they were on top of him, swords out.

Thomas blacked out.

When he woke, he was shackled in the castle dungeon. His chest and shoulder burned. They'd dressed his wounds and removed the arrow but it all felt infected. Looking around, he was surrounded by rats and hay.

The guard outside the cell heard Thomas stir, he peeked in. "You're to be executed tomorrow," he said with a smile, "you poor bastard."

Thomas thought about how death would be a release from the burning pain that his body and soul was in.

Chapter 25 - United

2010-11-29T00:01:00.005-05:00

Guy had to push hard to get de Lacy to agree to Will's ultimatum. He left out that the other Redgrave was Thomas' own son and instead just said that the threat was of a nature they couldn't handle with brute force. This had been de Lacy's favorite tactic. In the end it took a threat to tell the nobles that de Lacy had a chance to appease the thief that had made their coffers his own and didn't act on it. The payment they'd settled upon had been an amount of gold set aside to hunt down Redgrave.

Guy created an attachment of men to do business with the farmers, paying premium for their goods and guaranteeing them protection from brigands and bandits.

Years had passed. Six Beltains had come and gone and Thomas' rage seemed to subside on the surface but beneath, he still boiled with a level of animosity that poisoned his thoughts with an almost distracting amount of fantasy in regards to dismantling Guy and de Lacy. He'd grown his hair and beard out and taken over duties from an ailing fruit merchant. Thomas' hair covered most of his scar but because he was so delightful to customers, no one bothered to ask about his rather uncouth hair. He'd taught himself to stutter and spoke with an Irish accent. Over the interim, Thomas gained many friends in Nottingham proper and often gave away pieces of fruit to people that seemed down on their luck. His life on the farm seemed so distant but there was always that angry part that witnessed his burnt out home cast shadows of doom across the soil that used to be his yard. He hadn't seen Will since that day in the woods but he had heard that the school had grown into a secret academy. Thomas was proud. He thought about how his son had created his own legacy through sheer will and had done so by gaining the respect of people far and wide.

Thomas still kept an eye on the goings on at the castle. He'd actually been inside on official business as he was often asked to deliver fresh produce to the kitchen for the castle's use. Several times he'd been in the same corridor with Guy and de Lacy, safe in the fact that he looked like little more than a wild man delivering fruit.

On these trips, Thomas had been able to see his sister several times. Even she hadn't recognize him at first until he called her Matty under his breath. Now she would meet him and give him information in regards to Guy and de Lacy. This is how he knew that they had made good on their deal with Will. The allotted gold left out of Nottingham the first Wednesday of each month and went to Loxley and the other villages to purchase grains, stock and crafted items among other things.

The quiet prosperity was enjoyed by most. Sheriff de Lacy was one of the few exceptions. He called Guy into his chambers.

"We've got a problem," de Lacy said to Guy as he entered. "Seems word of our prospering blackmailers has spread. Other counties are losing farmers if they don't meet the demands of this wretched bunch."

Guy hadn't thought about the effects the pact would have on the surrounding land holders. "How's that our problem? They can handle their own."

"Where do you think the snivelling vermin is migrating to?" de Lacy barked. "I've been given order by King John himself to eradicate the problem once and for all."

Guy began shaking his head. "You don't get it, do you?"

"Get what?"

"There isn't just one problem. Thomas was troublesome enough on his own. Now it's not just him but a group that conspires against us," Guy pointed at himself and de Lacy to punctuate the issue. "We are responsible for his need for vengeance."

De Lacy looked at Guy in disgust. "You sound like one of them," he said, "I've called for your replacement. I'll not have you working against me in this."

"I'm trying to warn you. If you break the treaty with the yeoman, the Redgraves will want blood," Guy's tongue slipped.

"Redgraves?" de Lacy asked. "There's more than one?"

Guy nodded.

"You've known this since when?" de Lacy asked.

"The treaty was Thomas' son's idea. He's more dangerous than Thomas," Guy was imploring de Lacy with reason. "One of them was impossible to track or even deal with when we got the drop on him. Two will prove to be a nightmare. His son wanted to stave off a war."

"I like a good fight," de Lacy muttered.

"They don't fight like we do," Guy reasoned further. "They fight like they see the future."

De Lacy arched his eyebrows at Guy, "you sound like a fan."

"They are brilliant," Guy couldn't deny what he thought. "They attack us without being seen unless they want to be seen in which case they instill fear in the men to the point that they break ranks."

"What?" de Lacy couldn't believe his ears.

"That day in the woods, Thomas' son killed several of my men before they knew he was there and the rest broke ranks and fled," Guy said. "The men see Thomas as demon made flesh. They won't want to fight two of them."

"Coward," de Lacy's tone was measured.

"Coward?" Guy couldn't believe his ears. "You've yet to meet them. You'll see how damned impossible it is to attack something that doesn't show itself."

Guy left de Lacy's chambers and went to see Marian. He was embittered and angry that he couldn't change what was to come.

In Marian's chambers Guy snapped, "how can he be so arrogant?"

"Who?" Marian implored.

Guy paused for a moment. "de Lacy. We've had a very peaceful six years and he wants to throw it all away because other counties are putting pressure on him."

Marian knew this was not good news. "Why are they putting pressure on him?"

Guy sat down. The worry lines on his face seemed to grow. "Farmers in the other counties are giving ultimatums and being met with force and are leaving and coming here. We don't have the funds nor the grounds to support more farmers." He looked up Marian. "He wants to break the treaty with the Redgraves and have them hunted."

As the night grew on, Marian pacified Guy by consoling him. Though Guy seemed more relaxed, inside he was a disheveled mess. He said goodnight to her and left her. She waited a while before venturing out into the square to the Wolf's Den.

Inside Thomas sat at the back of the tavern. When he saw her he stood up. He knew it couldn't be good news that brought her out of the castle like this.

"De Lacy is going to dissolve the pact and have you and Will hunted," Marian said. "Guy has tried to stop him but he's being replaced by week's end."

"Go back to the castle. I'll make sure de Lacy pays for wanting a conflict and breaking the pact," Thomas said.

Marian looked at Thomas. "Guy doesn't want a fight."

"The pact wasn't a stay of execution, just a postponement. He's still responsible for our loss."

Marian nodded slowly, "you're right. What about Will?"

Thomas got up from the table and helped his sister up, "I'll send a message to him. He'll be ready."

Marian headed back to the castle as Thomas went to find Bruce. Bruce had been the go between for Will and Thomas. He'd been a student and proven to be not just capable with Will's ideals and teachings but with a weapon and was also the fastest runner which made him the best for carrying messages. He'd run back and forth from the sanctuary to the inn, roughly three times a week and carry whatever news was pertinent. Thomas filled him in on de Lacy's goals and Bruce sped off. Thomas then went to his room and pulled his bow and arrows from under a loose board.

"It's been too long," he said to them.

By morning, Bruce had crossed the distance to sanctuary and now sat in the main room explaining to Will the vital message. Will was now eighteen and had grown into a stature similar to his father's. His red hair was pulled back into a tie. He wore the uniform for the school which was a deep crimson cowl and hood over a deep green tunic and leggings, knee high dark brown boots. Will called an emergency meeting.

At noon, the students came into the sanctuary. They crowded into the chamber under the sanctuary, waiting for Will's speech. There were thirty-two red hooded students and roughly twice as many green hooded. The green hooded were newer students that had been with the academy for less than four years. Many of the red hooded students were also teachers when Will was called away on some adventure or another.

Will held up his right hand, signaling the students to become quiet.

"I've just received word," Will began, "that after six wonderful years of peace, de Lacy has decided to reinstate the trophy on my father's and now my own head. We've always known that this day would come. We've prepared for this day. I had hoped that it wouldn't come to this. We must be ready for them."

He paused to let the students take in that information. The students all whispered to each other.

"They think there are only two of us. There are many! They think we are unskilled farmers. We are trained killers! They think we are ignorant and foolish. We are learned and crafty! We must show that we will not sit idly while they push into our homes and take what we've worked hard for. We must protect those that can't protect themselves. ."

The room was silent. All the students were focused on Will.

"Let us spend the rest of the day training. Elder students, divide the green into teams and continue the lessons. That is all."

The group filed out of the room in an orderly fashion. Will turned to John.

"Guy and de Lacy will be dead by week's end," Will said. "This will escalate."

"We're with you Will. We're all with you."

Chapter 24 - The Quiet Moments

2010-11-22T00:01:00.001-05:00

Months passed and Will spent much time with Gwen. She liked him even though he was much younger. He didn't act at all like any person she'd ever met. Gwen thought Will saw everyone equally, even if it was at a lower capacity or position than himself. Will saw it as natural order.

He'd spent several months developing relationships with the farmers of Loxley and had even become acquainted with the Brewsters, which had taken over the farm he'd once called home. They didn't know him as Will though. No one ever really met him as Will unless he was teaching. Most knew him as the Hooded Fox or even Robin Hood. They believed that he worked in conjunction with the Hooded Demon, helping to mend that which the Demon had damaged.

Gwen found this to be a very effective way of showing just how brilliant Will was because he was exploiting something negative and turning it into an opportunity for himself and the farmers. He'd returned hundreds of gold that he'd liberated from the coffers of many nobles to the pockets of the underclass in an attempt to destabilize the status quo. Suddenly, the direction of gold trickled up instead of down and it made the nobles and de Lacy uneasy.

Will and Gwen had been on their way to Loxley to meet with a struggling farmer. Will was planning on giving the farmer enough gold to buy supplies for the season and hire an extra hand. The trek from sanctuary, however, was interrupted. Gwen and Will could see up the trail that some of de Lacy's men had stopped a family on their way to sell their goods to shop keepers in Nottingham proper. Will watched patiently from cover and he motioned for Gwen to take their horses and go back up the trail.

As Gwen did as she was ordered, Will moved in closer. He could hear the soldiers questioning the family about the break-ins in town. The soldiers moved and Will could see clearly that Guy was amongst them. A quick head count established that Will was outnumbered twenty to one.

Guy sat atop his horse ordering his men to take the goods as payment to the king. As Will got closer he could see that Guy looked like he'd aged much in the interim since he last saw him. Sleepless nights and worry had drawn lines on his face and grayed his hair. Will thought long and hard about putting an arrow through Guy's throat but in the end he didn't want to take that small victory from his father. It then occurred to him, Guy had left the safety of the castle which meant Thomas wasn't far behind. Will looked up the road from where the soldiers had come but he couldn't see anything.

Will readied an arrow and targeted one of the men hauling a sack of grains from the family's cart. Immediately after he released the first arrow he drew and released a volley of four. The first arrow pierced it's target through the neck, causing him to drop the sack as quickly as his blood spilled to the ground. The four additional arrows met the chests of the four men immediately around Guy. The force of the arrows penetrating their armor thrust the men from their saddles and expelled their last breaths from their bodies.

Guy spun and looked in the direction of Will but couldn't see him. Will pulled his hood up and covered the lower half of his face with the red sash he'd added to his cowl. Guy's men pulled their bows to the ready and aimed in Will's direction but immediately broke ranks when arrows rained down from above.

Will looked up to the trees and glimpsed moss that moved. Guy ordered his men to stand and fight but Will launched two arrows that grazed his cheek and dropped two more of his precious soldiers.

"Stop this, now!" Guy demanded. His men ran off up the road screaming about the demon.

Will slipped from his hiding place and appeared on the trail for Guy to see. It was apparent that Will was too small to be Thomas. Will could see Thomas clearly in the tree above Guy. Thomas' body was covered in a suit made of moss and sticks. His thick beard was muddied and had twigs stuck in it.

Will approached Guy slowly.

"Who are you?" Guy demanded.

"What's more important is I'm not alone," Will teased.

"You aren't Thomas," Guy declared. "You're too small to be Thomas."

"You're too stupid to be a real threat to my father and I," Will said, purposely letting his identity go.

"The Redgrave boy?" Guy asked.

"It would seem that the nobles of Britain have declared war on the Redgraves. Today, you live only to get word back to the rest of your ilk. We don't fear you. You pose only a minor threat to us. You're in no position to hunt us or bully those we've aided. If you come into Sherwood, you'll die. If you meddle in Loxley, you'll die. We're closing in on you, restricting your movements like you so much want to restrict ours. We'll suffocate you where you feel safest. If you and your kind doesn't want me and mine infiltrating your homes anymore, then perhaps they'll pay to feel safe. A new tax is in order. A benefit to the backs your kind walks on. Charity from their coffers to the pockets lined with lint and dust and I'll stop my nightly raids on your homes and I won't rob every carriage that passes on the main road. You do us that and you'll have bought yourself some time," Will's demands were clear.

"You opportunistic swine," Guy started. "You sure are long winded for a boy."

"We'll be watching. Our numbers are greater than you can imagine. Give us reason to show it."

Will's threat was two-sided. First, he felt guilty for having put the farmers in a position that made them easy targets for de Lacy's hunts. Second, letting Guy know there was a rebel army waiting to dismantle the broken system may make Guy want to fix the situation. Giving the machine a chance to fix itself wouldn't just show leniency but also establish a foothold inside that would make an eventual confrontation easier to win.

Lightning flickered in the sky above and Guy tugged at his cloak as rain droplets began to fall. He looked up but could only see rain and trees. He knew Thomas was there. It pained him how they could hide in plain sight like that. When he looked back at the trail at Will, Will was gone. Thunder rolled. Guy looked at the family. He took his purse from his saddlebag and tossed it to the father. The noise that the coins made in the bag made the family smile.

"Sorry for the inconvenience," Guy muttered and then turned his horse to the road. He didn't doubt that they'd be watching. He knew they had spies inside the castle. He knew that their allies would give life and limb to protect them so hunting them was useless. He figured the only way to assure that they didn't kill him by the week's end was to implore de Lacy to consider the offer.

Thomas met Will further up the trail toward sanctuary.

"You took a gamble attacking his men like that," Thomas said.

"Not really," Will said, "Guy was out of his safe little hole so I figured you weren't far behind. Why haven't you killed him yet?"

Thomas smiled. "I'm enjoying the mental warfare."

"He's looking rough," Will said.

"I know," Thomas said proudly. "Your threat will add another twenty years."

"It wasn't an empty threat," Will said, "I've been stealing from the rich to fund the school and help regain the farmers trust."

Thomas smiled at Will. "I know, I've seen you."

"When?" Will asked.

"I've been staying in Nottingham right under their arses. They can't move without me knowing it. Nothing moves there, without me knowing. You're quite skilled at tumbling."

"Thanks," Will said as he looked up to his father.

Thomas stopped, "I have to head back."

"I understand," Will said.

Thomas hugged his son and kissed him on the forehead then turned and disappeared down the trail. Will hurried back to sanctuary and came upon John and a group of students headed in his direction.

"Gwen said there was trouble on the road," John said.

"Guy and his men were questioning a family of farmers," Will said.

"Guy is away from the castle?" John said. It was widely known that Guy and de Lacy didn't venture from the castle because of the death threats.

"Was away from the castle but won't be again for a long time," Will said, "he lost nearly half his guard before the rest broke ranks and fled. The mental trauma won't leave him soon either. He now knows that there was a second survivor of the Redgrave massacre. He couldn't deal with one, two will prove to be too much."

Will gathered his horse and Gwen accompanied him back down to Loxley. It was proving to be a long day.

He met with his intended appointment and gave ample gold to help. While he was in Loxley he found the family that was on the road. They had taken some of the gold for themselves but shared the rest. Will thought about how he had hoped that it was his example they were following.

"Thank you for helping us in the road," The father said. "We thought they were going to take our stocks and leave us in dire straits."

"It's important to look out for those around us. I trust my neighbors look out for me as I look out for them. It keeps us all safe," Will said. "I'm glad to see that you have shared the windfall with those around you."

"It's too much money for us to spend and would be unfair to horde it when it's so obviously needed elsewhere."

Will gave the family directions to the sanctuary. "If ever you need a safe haven or aid, you'll know where to find me."

Will and Gwen headed back to sanctuary late in the night. Their path was lit by the moon. Gwen fell asleep while pulling Will tight. It was moments like this that made all the work worthwhile to Will.

The quiet moments.

Chapter 23 - A Fire Burns

2010-11-15T12:01:00.000-05:00

The ride back to sanctuary was quiet. Gwen fell asleep with her head resting on Will's back. Will did his best to make the ride comfortable and quiet. Her hands fidgeted around his torso occasionally, reminding him that his first night out alone he not only relieved a noble of his gold but he saved a damsel in distress. The air was filled with all sorts of vibrant energy but he knew that Gwen would need a long time to acclimate herself to her new surroundings and forget about the horrors of her past.

She gripped him tighter as a memory exploded in a dream and she snapped awake.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"We're close to my home," Will said. "We need to talk."

"What about?" Gwen asked.

"I found you in the road being attacked," Will said.

"No you didn't," Gwen said, "you saved me from that monster's grip."

Will shook his head. "Regardless of what really happened, you can't ever tell anyone where I found you," he reinforced, "for your good and my own."

"Why?" she asked.

Will thought about how inquisitive she was. "My life is full of things that not everyone would understand, nor want to. You're welcome to stay with us but you can't ever tell anyone the truth about how we met."

"But I don't understand," she reasoned.

"And you won't," Will replied. "Not at first. If you trust me in any way, you'll do this for me."

She realized that she couldn't see a thing in the thick foliage. "Trust you?" she said, "You can't even see where you're going."

"I've been on this path too many times to not know where I'm at," Will said, "listen and you can hear a stream up on the right."

She listened. The trickle of the stream became apparent. Will seemed to be guiding the horse in pitch black but really, he saw the path clearly in his mind.

"I trust you, Will Scarlet," Gwen announced. "Will you always keep me safe?"

"I will or I'll die doing trying," Will's statement startled him. He hadn't put much thought in this woman. She was older than him by at least ten years but part of him desired never to let her out of his sight.

About fifteen minutes later Will saw sanctuary. He slowed the horse and made the horse take a few counted steps, pause, then another count. The hoof beats of the horse reached the sentry at sanctuary and two clicks were sent in response. The horse meandered into the small clearing at the opening of the tree and Tuck appeared and helped Gwen down from the saddle.

"A new place at the table," Tuck said.

"There's coin enough for her and a few dozen more," Will said as he slapped the saddle bags.

The noise perked up Tuck's ears and he smiled. "You've found a wealthy benefactor?"

"Of sorts," Will said as he pulled the bags down onto his shoulder. "Our coffers won't need replenished for a while." Will thought that regardless of how often they'd need money, he'd keep the pressure on the nobles. Destabilizing them was one of the primary functions of robbing them blind.

Once inside, Will showed Gwen to the second level and to a cove that she could have. The walls had been decorated with everything from military ethics and strategies to artwork Will had done when he wanted to clear his mind.

"What is this place?" Gwen asked.

"Sanctuary," Will said. "You're welcome to call it home."

While Thomas slowly poisoned Teague's men, Will found that Gwen's inquisitive behavior made her a very apt pupil. He spent the days after lessons helping her catch up and began showing her fighting techniques so she could defend herself and become more self reliant.

When Will's men came back with word of Teague's demise at the hands of a very calm and collected Thomas, Will thought about how he seemed more at peace with what he had to do. Instead of fighting out of anger, Thomas was fighting out of a sense of vengeance. A sense of balance. Will thought that maybe his mental state had stabilized, not completely but to a point that made him less dangerous to his allies.

Then Will's men said that Thomas was last seen headed toward Nottingham. Will sent them to see what his father might be up to. He feared that Thomas would act too soon and in doing so, bring down the wrath of the kingdom prematurely. Will's pupils weren't ready for the quiet war he was planning.

Thomas still planned on killing Guy, de Lacy and the king but he wanted to make sure that by doing so, the people of Nottingham would rejoice instead of wanting to bring in the guilty.

Once in Nottingham proper, Thomas found the inn called "Wolf's Den". He had to be careful not to draw attention to himself. His beard and long hair covered most of his face and so he didn't need to keep his tell tale hood up. All eyes fell on him. He suspected his red hair drew attention.

Thomas approached the counter and dropped a silver piece on it. "I'll have whatever passes for drink around here," Thomas said.

The inn keeper looked up at him. He saw the scar on his face and filled up a wooden mug with mead and set it on the counter. He then pushed the coin back toward Thomas. "Your money isn't good here," the inn keeper said. He nodded at two men at the back and they came and sat on either side of Thomas.

Thomas looked at them suspiciously. Then he looked at the bar keep and asked, "Why not?"

"The pack doesn't take coin from each other. Especially you," the inn keeper smiled. "Good to see you in here, finally." The innkeeper slid Thomas a key.

"What's this?" Thomas asked.

The inn keeper said flatly, "You'll need a place to work from, if you intend to kill Sir Guy and his keeper, the sheriff.

Thomas realized that Will's reach had grown far. He smiled. His son was amazing. "It's going to be a long hunt," Thomas admitted.

"Good thing we have access to half the town then, huh?" the inn keeper said proudly. "You'll be able to stay under their noses and bring nightmares to them that they won't easily shake."

After a few drinks, Thomas was led to a basement room. Behind a couple giant barrels of ale, was a door that Thomas' key fit. Inside was a bed and light furnishings.

"I don't think you'll be in here much," the inn keeper said, "since you'll be spending most of your time tracking your quarry."

Thomas nodded in agreement. He waited until after the inn closed up for the night before he went out and retrieved his bow and arrows from where he left them in a rotted tree trunk a little bit outside of Nottingham. Upon his return, he stopped to ask the inn keeper if he could pick him up some items.

"What ye be needin'? the inn keeper asked.

"I want to look like a local. I'll need a hat too," Thomas gave the man two gold. "Whoever you go to, pay to keep them loyal."

The inn keeper agreed.

Thomas woke the next morning to find the items outside his door. He put them on and carried only a couple daggers on his person. He pulled the hat down low on his head and ventured out into town. Quietly, Thomas made his way around the streets. He found a vendor that sold fruit and Thomas bought a few pieces making sure to overpay. "In case your fruit should rot before it's sold," he said.

Behind him, Will's men watched for a bit until mounting their steeds and riding back to sanctuary. When they reached their destination, they met with Will.

"He's accepted the room and said that it's going to be a long hunt," one of his men informed him.

"Good," Will answered.

Will had made plans for him and Gwen to go out to Loxley. Will took a saddle back with a third of the gold he found in his adventure. Gwen had never seen Loxley.

He took her past his old home, now run by a new family. He told her about the life he had growing up. The long days in the field and the warm home he had. He told her about how his father had taught him to hunt with the bow.

"What happened to it all?" Gwen asked.

"Foolish men, with foolish ideas burned it and my family to the ground," Will said. His voice cracked as he thought about his mother and uncles.

She hugged him tighter as he navigated the horse past the house.

Inside him, a fire burned.

Chapter 22 - The Fox Rises

2010-11-08T00:01:00.002-05:00

It saddened Will when he woke to find that his father had left without saying goodbye. Will had hoped to maybe have him around for a few more weeks. Realistically, though, he knew that his father had given himself over to the wolf. He'd embraced a killer within him that had wanted to stay buried underneath the family and farm and the loss of those two things, the family in particular, had forced his father to face what he really was.

It would be seven hundred years before they put a label on it.

Psychopath.

Will silently praised his father for hanging to the bit of humanity he'd held onto for so long. He also silently praised him on stirring up emotions in the local population. The environment led many people to search for a better way of handling their lives. This made it all the more easier to recruit into his school.

It was time for Will to implement another part of his plan. This portion of the plan would work in Will's favor in three very different but very important ways.

First was the stealth that Will knew he would learn by breaking into noble households and stealing any coinage he could get his hands on. He feared his first time out but trusted that as long as he kept a low profile, he'd be able to get into some of the more guarded houses in a few months without so much as exciting suspicions about the rash of theft that would befall the nobles. He counted on one thing to help this out. He suspected that the nobles wouldn't want to announce that they'd been robbed blindly out of fear that it would invite further attempts.

Another effect of this part of the plan was that Will could properly fund his school. What better way to pay for a quiet uprising than with funds taken from the enemy? That's exactly how Will saw the nobles. He would never admit it outwardly but his disdain for the blue bloods had been a key driving force for the school. He didn't want to preach revolution to his students so much as the importance of being responsible for your life and the decisions you make, even if that meant taking control of your life by force.

The last effect that Will wanted to bring about was a bit more personal. He planned on redistributing some of the looted money to the families that his father's wrath had affected. Will didn't want to inherit his father's sins and so it was best to make amends for them before it was too late.

Will packed light. He had made a kit that consisted of a few daggers, rope, dark clothes and a big purse for the loot he planned on hauling.

He gave his lessons that day as usual, while pulling the string of a bow taught. He'd taken in a few new students and he assigned elder students to them as mentors. It was important to Will that the students learn how to disseminate the information he shared with them. He even told them to do so in their daily lives. Not overtly but subversively, his students often altered whole conversations by dropping bits of information here and there. It really was more of an art form in Will's eyes and he had made several of his students very capable of altering people's opinions on topics very diverse in importance.

When the lessons were over, Will excused himself from the group. He didn't bother telling John or Tuck where he was headed because he knew they would admonish such actions as foolish and dangerous. John offered to accompany him and Will.

"I was wanted to concentrate on my survival skills," Will lied. "If you go with me, I won't be able to get the full effect."

John reasoned that Will knew what he was doing and let it go.

Will mounted a steed and headed out, being sure to not head in the direction of Nottingham. He rode hard to make up the time the ruse had cost him and came upon Nottingham just as the sun cast its last shadow of the day. This was the first time Will had acted alone. He prided himself on the exercise.

Will found a house near the edge of Nottingham proper and decided to focus his attempt on it. A few of the windows were still lit so Will left and found a place to tie his horse and change into the dark clothing. He pulled the dark hood over his head and it covered his face except for a hole cut for his eyes. Being dressed this way empowered Will.

Shortly Will found himself back near the house. This time only one light flickered inside and Will thought of how welcoming it looked. He encircled the house looking for the best entry and discovered that there was a decorative brick pattern in the wall that climbed to a second story window. It beckoned him. Will climbed it quietly and found that the finger and footholds were perfect for his feet. The Fox crept up the wall easily and found the window ajar. He paused and listened for noises inside the room before peeking in.

On a bed just beneath him lay a young boy. Will would have to get over the bed without touching it or making a noise. He looked around the room and his eyes fell upon the open door on the far side of the room. He listened for noises in the hall and heard nothing. Will climbed up so that his body stood in the frame of the window. His fingers gripped the frame tightly and he could feel the lip of ornate wood. He reached up and felt the lip of the frame above him. Then his eyes focused on the top of the walls of the room. There was a wood trim encircling it. The Fox faced the outside and gripped the frame of the window on the inside. He pulled himself up and then spread his feet against the jam of the frame to brace himself.

He reached up toward the trim but it was just out of reach. He bent his knees and then jumped up. His fingers clawed the trim and found a hold. Will looked down at the bed and the boy slept undisturbed.

Shortly, Will found himself on the wardrobe. He carefully climbed down and moved slowly down the hall finding the master bedroom and it's two occupants, fast asleep. He looked at the room and wondered where they kept their money. It wasn't long before he figured out that while most of the furniture all looked like it came from one maker, the wardrobe in this room looked different.

Will grabbed a candle from the nightstand and rubbed the end of it on the hinges of the wardrobe then opened it. The wax prevented any creaking the hinges may have made. Will pushed aside the clothes that were folded on the shelves and found a compartment in the back. The door slid aside easily. Will saw the gold gleam in the light but realized that if he filled his purse with it, the jingling would certainly wake the room's occupants.

Will got creative. He tossed some of the clothes from the wardrobe inside the large purse then gently placed the gold on top of the clothes. He then added another layer of clothes. When he picked up the sack, he was happy with how quiet it was. Will wasted no time getting back to the other room and he slung the satchel out the window. It made a low thud as it hit the soft earth two stories down.

The Fox returned to the hallway and then took a run toward the bed. He leapt at the last possible moment and soared over the bed flipping his body just like Layne had shown him and spinning so that his feet went out the window first and he was face down. He fingers caught the window frame and stopped his fall. Will took a moment to breathe a sigh of relief. He needed to be sure he could do such feats under duress and now he was sure. The climb down was easy and Will returned to the horse where he filled the saddlebags with his loot.

The excitement of the night and the success of the exercise gave Will a sense of joy. He looked around for another house that might be just as easy to enter.

Four houses down, Will spotted a similar brick work that lead to another enticing window. He smiled. Tonight the Fox walks away with enough loot to support the group for months.

He scaled the wall and again listened for any noise that might come from inside. All was quiet. He peeked in and was happy that the occupied bed wasn't directly beneath the window. The Fox entered the room slowly. On the bed lay a girl quietly dreaming. Will made his way down the hall and found the master bedroom. This time, the gold sat in a chest at the foot of the bed.

Will wondered if it was locked and tried to open it. No such luck. He looked at the bed and noticed that only one person lay in it. The other side had the blanket disturbed but vacant. Inside, Will panicked. His thoughts raced. He looked at the bed and it was obvious that the lady of the house was sleeping which meant it was her husband that was up and about.

But where?

Will tried to pick up the chest but it was attached to the floor. He looked around the room for a key to open the lock but no such luck and now he was worried that the lord would return.

As Will made his way down the hall, he thought he'd have to learn to get past locks. Then there was a noise.
It came from downstairs. The sound alarmed him not because it was a guy but because it sounded like a muffled girl.

There was another noise and Will had a shiver go up his spine. He could hear a girl sobbing. The Fox forgot about the chest. Suddenly, it sought another quarry. Will crept down the steps, being sure to let his feet only touch the outer most edges of the steps to lessen the noise.

The muffled sobs reached out for Will. Past the kitchen was the servants quarters and from inside Will could hear that the lord was having his way with the help and it was against her will. Will pulled two of his daggers. He stealthily entered the room and as the man raised up and threatened to hit the girl again, Will stabbed a dagger into each lung. The man tried to yell but his lungs wouldn't fill with air.

The servant girl didn't know what was going on. She couldn't see Will. All she could see was her attacker with a look of pain on his face and no noise coming from his lips.

The Fox the took both daggers and stabbed them into the man's armpits and used them to pull him away from her. He then pinned the man to the floor as he bled out. Will looked at her and then away because she was naked.

"Get dressed," Will whispered. The girl dressed quietly, still sobbing.

"He said if I told anyone..." She cried.

"It's okay," Will consoled her.

The man had a key tied around his neck. Will yanked it off. He told her to go wait outside under the window he came in and let her out the door, barring it behind her.

Will found the room where the man conducted his business and composed a note to the lady of the house. It read:

     To the lady of the house,

          I made entry into your home to steal from you the gold in the chest at the foot of your bed. You slept alone and I discovered that much like I aimed to steal gold from your family, the lord of the house was stealing the purity of your servant. I relieved him of his life. In doing so, I fear I've hindered your further income. I'm sorry for this. Perhaps you knew of his sins, in which case leaving you the gold makes me a fool but you don't live alone and I doubt your daughter knew of his sins. It would be best if you told authorities that you were robbed and your husband was killed in the struggle. Burn this note and make it look like more of a disturbance than it does. Make it look like an army stormed it. He died rather painlessly. I've left the key to the chest for you.

P.S. Don't tell your daughter what a monster your husband was. It is best she believes he was a good man who died while trying to do the right thing.

Will placed the note and key in the bed beside the woman then made his way to the window of the girls room. He felt bad for her having to lose her father but knew that it would only have done her more harm if he'd turned his tastes toward her.

The Fox descended the wall and met the girl. They hurried to the waiting horse.

"What can I call you?" Will asked the girl.

She quietly responded, "Gwen." Her eyes peered at him.

"You don't have to be so quiet, now," Will reassured her.

"What's your name?" she asked. She looked to Will like she was in her early twenties.

Will pulled his hood back. She was surprised by his youth. "I'm Will Scarlet," he proclaimed as he helped her up onto the horse.

He mounted and they headed to sanctuary.

She stared at him. "You're but a boy," she said over the horse's loud gallop.

"No," Will said, "I'm a fox pretending to be a boy."

Chapter 21 - God Hates a Coward

2010-11-01T00:01:00.005-04:00

Thomas spent the following two months with Will as he let his jaw heal. Will took the chance at helping his father learn how to read more than the little bit he did. It wasn't hard once Thomas read some of the more difficult words used on context. He learned to enjoy reading and found that it relaxed him, especially when he read the tales regarding old wars and warriors. Thomas had become enthralled with the tales of Beowulf.

"I luk thet he duz wet neds ta be dun," he had said to Will upon his first reading.

"Yeah," Will agreed, "I'm not sure he had all those abilities, though."

"Den't mettah," Thomas said through his teeth, his jaw was still tied shut, "he evently yoost hes wits."

Will thought that Grendel could have represented many different things and asked his father, "What do you think Grendel is?"

Thomas took a long moment to think it over. "He wes mebe ev eh peepl thet is neh lenger."

"Like a tribe?" Will clarified.

"Mebe." Thomas said.

Tuck came around to see how Thomas' jaw was healing up. Thomas had lost weight since he couldn't eat much but stuff strained through his teeth.

"Does it ache much?" Tuck asked.

"Neh," Thomas replied as Tuck untied the head strap.

Thomas opened his mouth slowly. He moved his jaw back and forth. It didn't hurt or click or sag.

"Say something," Tuck said.

"Like what?" Thomas asked.

"That'll do," Will interjected.

Thomas smiled at his brilliant son as he stood up to take the book back to its place on the shelf.

"Teague is still looking for you," Will said.

Thomas hated that name. He thought back on those days on the farm when Teague invaded his home with his "holier than thou" ways. "Your men have come across him?" Thomas asked.

"They give him wide birth," Will said. "Those are my orders. I don't want him coming round to sanctuary and stirring things up here."

"I understand," Thomas said. He knew how important the school was to Will. "How many strong is his group?"

"My men say it's twenty but I think it's dwindled to fifteen over the last month," will started, "De Lacy has reassigned some of the men to increase his personal guard. Guy has stepped up drills and posted not just a poster with your likeness but has also established that anyone aiding you would be put to death."

"Guy's a fool," Thomas retorted. "He couldn't find his nose on his face let alone usurpers and rebels."

Will laughed in agreement. They both hated Guy. Will hated that he had taken one of his favorite books. Thomas hated that he was too weak to control his own men and they both hated that he had tried to ingratiate himself to Matty.

John came in as rain began to fall outside. He brought with him news from Loxley.

"Teague has been making searches around Loxley within an ever growing circle," John stated, "I suspect within a month they will be close enough to sanctuary to smell."

"He'll be dead within two weeks," Thomas declared. "I won't have the school put at risk."

"How do you intend to take out him and fifteen of his men?" Will asked.

The question caught John's attention as he too wondered how such a feat would be accomplished.

"When the time is right," Thomas started, "I'll only be dealing with Teague."

The ominous threat made John and Will imagine a thousand ways that Thomas would remove the other fifteen men from the game board.

That night, Thomas quietly gathered his things. He sat at the table and quietly wrote out a note and inserted it into the book about Beowulf.

When morning came, Thomas was already high above the forest floor in a tree just outside of Loxley.

He watched as Teague and his men rode out shortly after day break. Thomas waited patiently in his tree as the party came back at mid day.

Much like they had done with Thomas, the group had imposed on civilians in Loxley. The men had moved into several of the homes. The thought of it all made Thomas sick with disgust.

Thomas had learned many things when growing up on the farm. Specifically about the precautions needed when cleaning up after horses.

That night Thomas crept down into Loxley and avoided the two sentries. He made his way to a stable and found what he had been looking for. His prize was a couple pieces of horse dung. He gathered it into a bundle and wrapped it in an apron he had found in the stable.

He then waited close by to one of the sentries. The one he chose had looked tired. Thomas figured the men were on rotation and that this one hadn't gotten a full rest. As he had suspected, the man had looked around to see if anyone was watching then he climbed into the bed of a wagon and shortly, his shallow snores could be heard from where Thomas had been hidden. Thomas quietly made his way over to the man and took the man's water skin. Thomas removed the lid and smeared some of the dung on the inside of it and closed it back.

Over the next two days Thomas had been able to do this to a total of nine of the men. He found that they separated themselves from their gear when they went into the local shops during their down time and he dosed the caps of their water skins and even their knives which he knew were often used for eating.

A week later, Thomas had tampered with all of the men's water and had started seeing the effect of the initial dosing. The water skins had proven a perfect habitat when the sun heated them mid day. The parasites and bacteria flourished in them. The men had been unable to hold down food and their evacuations had been the consistency of water.

By the end of the two weeks, Teague had stopped his searching and had ordered that the locals care for his men. He also ordered one of the farmers to ride into Nottingham with a note asking for help to be sent as some plague had slowly ravaged his men.

Thomas caught the man as he rode out of Loxley.

He stepped into the road and the man on the horse knew who he was by the red hood.

"Please don't kill me," the man begged.

"You aren't my quarry," Thomas said, "There's no pleasure in killing that which can't defend itself. Not unless it's put into a stew with carrots after."

Thomas knew the joke was unsettling.

"Please," the man begged again.

Thomas threw him a gold piece. "Perhaps you should go fishing, instead of riding all the way to Nottingham?"

The man came down from the horse. "Please don't kill us," he begged again.

"I promise to only kill one man this day," Thomas said and the man ran off down the road away from Loxley.

Thomas mounted the steed and went to where he had stashed his weapons so many months ago.

He then rode the horse so that he stood outside the residence that Teague had commandeered.

"Teague!" Thomas yelled.

Loxley got quiet as the villagers looked out to see who beckoned the man they had been tolerating. Fear gripped them when they saw it was the Hooded Demon.

"Teague, you coward! Get your arse out here!" Thomas yelled again. He didn't move from the horse.

Teague appeared at the door of the cottage. "Right now," Teague started, "there are a dozen men with their bows ready to kill you."

"You lie," Thomas challenged.

"All I have to do is give the command and..." Teague started but was interrupted by the sound of one of his men getting sick.

"You lie because your men are all sick. How do you suppose they got that way?" Thomas teased.

Teague stepped into the cottage again and returned. He was holding a young mother with a knife to her throat.

"You won't harm me for fear of harming another farmer, would you, Thomas?" Teague asked.

Thomas let Teague step out. "Where do you intend to go?" Thomas asked.

"You're going to..." Teague said but was interrupted when...

Thomas had only flinched and his dagger had cleaved Teagues hand off at the wrist. The dagger stuck out of his chest, missing all of his major organs. The girl ran into her home and shut the door.

"I'm going to listen to you beg me to spare you before I kill you in the most agonizing way I can imagine," the Hooded Demon announced.

Teague began to run but Thomas didn't give chase. Instead, he calmly strung his bow and aimed it at Teague's right knee as he ran from Loxley.

The snap the bow made was echoed by the noise of Teague's kneecap exploding as the head of the arrow penetrated it. Teague fell onto the ground, screaming in agony.

"I told you, Teague," Thomas said as he dismounted the horse, "there will be begging."

"P... please, Thomas!" Teague cried as Thomas walked up on him, "please be civil."

"You mean how you were civil to my family when you bullied your way into my home?" Thomas said.

"Be... be a better man than that," Teague begged, "I was following orders."

"Oh, I know," Thomas said, "I intend to kill the people that gave you those orders, too."

Thomas drew his sword. Teague tried to scurry away backwards but Thomas simply stepped on his damaged knee.

"Ahh! P... please!" Teague begged again. Tears ran down his cheeks as the pain became more unbearable.

"You know what's worse than a man that blindly takes orders?" Thomas said.

Teague mumbled, "Please..."

"No," Thomas begun, "A coward that takes orders."

Thomas calmly dipped his sword's tip into Teague's abdomen. Then he twisted and from the wound came not just blood but waste.

Teague wished that he would faint or pass out but he didn't. He could feel the poisons burning in his abdomen. He screamed in agony.

"You took food from the mouths of my family," Thomas said. His sword slashed at Teagues face tearing his cheeks and removing teeth. "You took away my ability to defend them," Thomas punctuated the sentence by chopping at Teague's shoulder until his arm was removed. "You took away my love," Thomas sword broke Teague's sternum as it made its way through Teague's heart and into the ground.

Teague lie there motionless. Thomas looked up and the people of Loxley had come out.

"He took from us, too," the woman that Teague had tried to use as a hostage said.

"I did this for me," the Hooded Demon said as he turned and faced them, "don't you dare think I would do this for you. Don't cheapen my revenge."

Thomas sheathed his sword and began walking toward Nottingham.

Chapter 20 - On Pain of Death

2010-10-25T00:01:00.001-04:00

Thomas guided the horse the best he could. As the adrenaline worked its way out of his system, he could feel a warm wetness on his shoulder and chest. He reached up and felt his chest was saturated with blood. He must not have ducked fast enough, he thought. The arrow clipped his shoulder and the struggle tore it open even further. He was feeling sluggish and his jaw sagged and the pain was excruciating. He leaned down onto the horse and fought the urge to sleep. He struggled so hard to keep his wits.

Then there was a voice carried on the wind to him. A voice so sweet and distant, like the promise of tomorrow.

"Thomas, you've hurt yourself."

"I'm sorry Mary, I know you worked so hard to sew this cowl."

"It's not the cowl I worry about, Thomas."

"I'm sorry," Thomas begged the air around him. The horse made its way along the path.

"Thomas, she's beautiful, I wish you could see her."

"She is?"

"Yeah, she's got your eyes. She sees the world like you do, I know it."

"What of her smile?"

"You remember when Will finished reading his first book?"

"How could I forget?" Thomas smiled at the thought of Will's smile. His beard barely moved.

"Hers is like that."

Thomas began to weep. He wanted so much to see his daughter's smile. "I should have been there that night," Thomas mumbled through tears.

"So no one would have been left to avenge us?"

"I could have fought them off."

"There were so many, Thomas," Mary's voice reasoned.

The horse galloped over a hill and jostled Thomas loose from the saddle. As he fell to the underbrush his body ached. Dirt and debris stuck to the wetness of his clothing where he'd bled profusely. He couldn't get his bearings.

He laid his head back. "I guess this is where I die," he surmised.

"You've more ahead of you," Mary's voice said.

Thomas drifted off to sleep.

Hours passed and a group of horses rode passed. It was Guy's men following the trail that was made by his horse. The couldn't see where Thomas lay motionless in the underbrush.

Thomas lay in the forest for another day. He woke to Will nudging him.

"Dad?" Will asked. "You okay?"

Thomas tried to talk but his jaw ached. It felt like it had started to heal uneven. "Wa em uh?" he asked.

"You're about four miles from sanctuary. We had to follow the route the soldier's horses took to find you," Will said.

"Hu de yu nu tu fun meh?" Thomas asked.

"Guy's men, this close to sanctuary could only mean they were looking for you. When there was no word on your capture or you back at sanctuary, I figured something was wrong. Can you stand?" Will explained.

Thomas tried to stand but the loss of blood and overall trauma had made it difficult. John helped him up and into a wagon. Tuck looked over his wounds.

"His jaw is healing crooked," Tuck said, "but the wound in his shoulder has pretty much closed."

"I'm sorry dad," Will said, then nodded at John.

John's heavy fist crashed into Thomas' sore jaw, snapping the newly fused bone and sending Thomas into unconsciousness again. Tuck came over and set Thomas' jaw and bandaged it in place.

When Thomas woke again, he was at sanctuary. His jaw hurt and he couldn't move it. He could hear people talking in and around sanctuary but no one came in to see him for a while. He sat there, thinking about his dream. Was it a dream?

When Will came in, he brought food that had been ground up and water.

Thomas sipped the mixture of ground meat and oats.

Will broke the silence, "That was close."

"Yeh."

"They weren't out looking for you," Will said, "at least not until after they discovered you."

Thomas looked at Will curiously.

"Guy was looking for aunt Matty," Will responded.

"He desiha ha," Thomas said through his teeth.

Will shrugged. "If he suspects that she's your sister, he may hurt her."

Thomas didn't want that. He'd have to kill Guy soon.

"There's one more thing," Will added, "He's assigned Teague a garrison of men to hunt you."

While Thomas lay in the underbrush, Guy was scolding Marian for returning late.

"With that killer out there, you can't just come and go as you please," Guy demanded.

"Guy, you're sweet. Really, but everyone knows that the Hooded Demon doesn't go after just anyone," she asserted. She continued nursing his wounds. She'd quietly wondered where he'd gotten them. His nose was broken and his eye was swollen shut.

"If he knew what you meant to me..." Guy didn't say anymore.

Marian looked at Guy. She knew that Thomas intended to kill him.

"We won't hear from him for a while now," Guy said.

"What do you mean?" Marian was puzzled. She had only just left Thomas a few hours before Guy arrived.

"We found him over near Loxley. I am sure I broke his jaw and he was bleeding."

Marian stayed her tongue. She feared that her brother was injured and laying somewhere.

"I've sent a group to track him... the bastard stole my horse. He likes doing that. Taking what isn't his."

Marian thought about how Guy's men descended onto her family's farm and took what wasn't theirs. Inside she hoped that Thomas would make him suffer.

"Captain Teague's men have been given special orders to find him at all costs. We suspect that he has allies throughout Nottingham.

Marian thought about how much Thomas loathed Teague. She thought about how Teague's men would be fodder for Thomas.

Chapter 19 - Punishment

2010-10-18T00:01:00.010-04:00

The cave beneath sanctuary was brightly lit. All of the students were in attendance, as was the couple that the two rogue students, Merick and Paul, attacked. Will paced the cavern floor. Part of him was saddened that he could be so easily betrayed but the other part of him had taken such actions into consideration. The two rogue students sat tied to chairs in front of the rest of the students.

"What we do here...," Will started, "what I am teaching you here is very important. These aren't lessons to be forgotten outside these walls. These are lessons to help better the world in which we live. I strive to show you that as much as we are responsible for ourselves, we are responsible for those that have no choice but to bear the burden of an unjust world." Will commanded the students' attention. "We cannot become part of the problem. To do so would negate everything we have worked so hard to uphold."

Will drew his sword. "I came upon Merick and Paul as they attacked a couple that couldn't defend themselves. They along with three others easily outnumbered the couple. Terrified the couple. Victimized the couple." Will began swinging his weapon, loosening up his arm as if preparing to use the weapon for attack. "Merick, Paul, what say you the reason for doing such actions that so blatantly conflict with my teachings? Have I not taught you to bear compassion in your heart?"

Paul and Merick looked at each other. Paul was the first to respond, "you told us we could be rich."

"Fool, I told you that what I had to offer would enrich your lives. I trained you in ways to defend yourself both mentally and physically against a world that would cut your throat just as soon as help you up." Will hated that his lessons were being twisted. "Did anyone else here believe that I was teaching you things that would bring you wealth," he said to the rest of the students.

None of them responded.

Will looked at the couple as they ate the meal that was provided to them. "How would you deal with these fools?" he asked them.

"We don't wish any further harm to come to anyone, we just want to be left in peace," the man said, his wife gripping his hand.

"You see that?" Will turned his attention back to his rogue students. "You brought them harm and they only wish to be left in peace. You could have learned something from them."

Will walked behind the two captive students and raised his sword high into the air. "I hope that what I do here today will prove to be the right thing. I hope you all learn a lesson from this."

His sword swung around in a U motion and the ropes that bound the two students dropped to the floor.

"Paul. Merick. My father and I have slain your cronies. I feel there has been more than enough death over this. For your betrayal to the school, you will return your uniforms. For what you've done to these people, you will now guard them with your life. Should anything happen to them, I will bring a wrath down upon you that will be both a lesson in brutality and become legendary." Will let those words sink in. "If at a later time, I feel you've redeemed yourselves, I will allow you to return to the school."

John looked down at Will in amazement. He certainly didn't share his father's blood lust.

Paul and Merick turned and knelt before Will as they offered up a thousand apologies.

"I'm not the only one you've wronged here, nor am I the most important," Will said.

The two men approached the couple and swore their allegiance to them.

"Any further actions taken against the school's teachings will be met with death," Will stated. "That goes for any of you. Betrayal to a family is a request to die."

Will left the students with that thought and went to the ground floor of sanctuary where he was met by Tuck.

"You teach benevolence while showing how to engage in a dance macabre, you are most certainly crazy," Tuck said with a smile.

"I teach war so that it is efficient and quick and a last resort," Will said.

Tuck admired the boy's idealistic views. "Be careful not to put too much on them, they are only human after all," Tuck said.

"I don't expect anything out of them that I wouldn't expect out of myself," Will responded.

"That's what I mean." Tuck quipped as he returned to the book he was reading.

As Will pondered over Tuck's comment, Thomas was making his way back from Nottingham. He had just departed from Matty and instead of heading back to sanctuary, he had decided to go see how the old farm was doing. He knew that it had taken in a new family and was curious as to how well they would work the land. He used the cover of night to walk in the open road. It would take him a couple of hours to walk the distance but he knew of several places where he could hide himself and get food. He had also left his cache of weapons hidden in a barn in Loxley, having been traveling lightly with only five daggers.

It was an hour into his trek that he heard the hoof beats on the road ahead. He paid little attention until they got closer. He could make out the silhouette of three of the castle's soldiers. He lowered his head and continued walking.

As the mounted soldiers closed on his position, they slowed their stride until pausing near him.

"What are you doing in the road after curfew?" said a man who's voice was familiar.

"Making my way home," Thomas said without looking up.

"Where is home?" Guy asked.

"Loxley," Thomas answered. In his mind, Loxley would always be home.

"Be on your way then," Guy ordered and Thomas trudged past them.

Guy and his two men steadily moved their horses further down the road. Guy then gave the signal for them to ready their bows and quietly pointed at the man they had just past.

Thomas could hear the break in the rhythm of the horses' hooves. He didn't change his pace.

Guy's men drew back on their bows.

The creak perked up Thomas' ears and he waited for the snap of the release, calculating their distance so he would know how much time he'd have before the arrows were upon him. He thought about how they should grease the sinews and bow with animal fat to make them silent like he does.

The snap was loud to Thomas and he dove to the ground and lay still.

"That was easy!" cried out one of the soldiers who was immediately silenced by Guy.

The three of them turned their horses about and rode over to check their fallen quarry. Guy dismounted and approached the man that lay face down in the road. He didn't see the arrows. Not a one. He used his booted foot to shove Thomas over on his back. As Thomas rolled he threw two daggers the pierced the throats of Guy's men. They fell from their horses, gurgling as blood filled their lungs and the road.

Guy began to draw his sword but Thomas swept his legs out from under him. Guy stayed focused. He'd had nightmares like this. Was this another? Thomas' boot kicked at his face. It was too real to be a nightmare.

Guy gripped Thomas' leg and kicked up at his abdomen, knocking the wind out of him. Thomas fell onto his back and Guy sprang to attack. He straddled Thomas chest and punched him in the face repeatedly. Thomas could feel his jaw break as the metal gauntlet connected repeatedly. Guy drew his sword but Thomas couldn't raise his arms to defend.

Thomas' legs kicked up and took advantage of Guy having to lean back to draw his weapon. He legs wrapped around Guy's shoulders and pulled him backward, smashing his head into the earth. Thomas took a moment to regain his senses. He could hear Guy doing the same. Thomas stood up slowly. His jaw sagged. He touched it and felt a break on the right side. Looking around, Thomas found one of the men and tore a sleeve from the man's uniform. He tied his jaw up tight. He could feel his face swelling. He ran over and kicked Guy in the chest then dropped onto him and leaned into his ear.

Through clenched teeth and pain Thomas announced, "I wunt kil you this tay. You ernt nex on mah liss."

Thomas then punched Guy hard in the forehead, knocking him out.

There was a moment where Thomas wanted to collapse on the spot but he struggled through it. He mounted Guy's horse and galloped off toward sanctuary.

Chapter 18 - Eyes of the Fox

2010-10-11T00:01:00.005-04:00

Will's arm burned. He'd been holding the bow drawn in a ready position for over an hour. John had told him that he may never hold the bow that long in actual combat but that building up that type of stamina would help to quicken his fire rate. It was true, Will's fire rate had improved greatly. He could unleash three arrows in rapid succession having all three of them in the air at the same time at the same target. He would often teach whole lessons, orating his knowledge while keeping a bow drawn.

Over the course of months, his upper body strength had increased and John had wanted to make sure that he exercised himself physically as much as he did mentally. There was no getting around that he was a swift learner and so John found himself being taught lessons by Will shortly after he'd teach Will a lesson..

For instance, he'd taught Will a parry and thrust maneuver. After leaving Will to experiment, he returned and Will showed him a different take on the move, instead of simply parrying, he moved sideways into a semi-crouched position then he gripped his opponents armed wrist and thrust upward with his sword, using his leg muscles to increase the speed of his blade. It was things like this that had established Will as not just a formidable mind in John's thoughts but as a formidable warrior. He could spot weaknesses like his father but he could also keep an eye on the strengths of his enemies.

Between Will's ability with the bow and arrow and his viciousness with a sword, John knew that he would grow into a leader worthy of followers.

Two springs had passed since the founding of sanctuary and Will had acquired fifteen students. Most were children of poor families who couldn't afford to send them to proper school but there were a few adults mixed in amongst his disciples. Mornings Will spent teaching principles and ethics to his students.

Will found that many of the books of knowledge he'd read were very infantile in their execution and he and Tuck had set out to make a manual for the students. It included everything from math to history and even religious concepts. Will thought it was important for every man to make up his own mind in that area and left the religious teaching to a minimum, covering only the general aspects of what most religions believed and leaving it at that.

There were whole sections dedicated to ethics and how the most government types abuse them or ignore them completely. Will taught a form of anarchy where every man was responsible for himself and his brethren when needed. Ideally, he wanted people to see each other as a type of family where every person pulled their own weight but were also looked after with compassion in times of need.

Tanner had made a type of uniform for the students. Upon reaching a certain point, the uniform was traded for a type of leather armor that hat iron reinforcements. Layne and Smith had worked feverishly to produce the platelets that were sewn into the armor. At this time, no one other than Layne, Smith, John and Tanner wore the armor. It's uniform deep red reflected their alliance with Will Scarlet and his ideals.

By the time Will celebrated his twelfth birthday, he'd been teaching for almost four years. Matilda was visiting for his birthday. She had visited twice before and on this visit she witnessed Will spar with John and Layne. She was worried when she first saw the spectacle but she saw instantly that Will could easily hold his own against the two grown men. After the practice, she sat with Will at dinner.

"You've got so much of your father in you," she said.

Will smiled as he tore into a steak with his bare hands.

"I should bring you some forks," Matilda offered.

"We'd only melt them down for the iron," Will admitted with a smile. "We all know how to use proper utensils but out here, no one minds. Besides, there's less to clean up after."

Matilda looked down at her plate. She was about to pick up the steak when Will offered her a knife and fork. "You'll always have these here," he said.

Matilda smiled at her nephew. He was so much like his father.

"Where is your father?" she asked.

"He's...," Will paused, "He isn't like he used to be. He keeps to himself most of the time. Occasionally we get a load of goods that he's stolen from passing nobles or a visit to see how I'm doing but he feels he does more damage by being around than being away."

Matilda was saddened by the news. "Why would he think that?"

"He's a lone wolf," Will said. "I find that killing is a dreadful option but he relishes it to the point that he feels he's not safe around people."

"Thomas is that bad off?" Matilda asked.

"Father has always been the wolf, it's just that before, he had Ma and the farm and the family to give him focus."

"What about you?" She asked.

"Like you said, I'm a lot like him," Will answered, "I needed family to keep my focus. Now my focus is this," Will motioned to the area around him. The group was noisily eating their meals. "He knows I don't need him. I want him here but..." Will looks around. "He makes them nervous."

She understood. It had been four years since she'd seen her brother face to face. The notes she left him were one way. He never responded with notes of his own. She knew that he'd become focused on his revenge and worried that it would devour him but she also knew that her brother was smart enough to stay alive however he needed.

After the meal, Will and John escorted Matilda back to Nottingham. About a mile away from sanctuary, Will felt like they were being watched.

"John," he said, "Aunt Matty and I will be alright from here on."

"As you wish," John said as he turned back toward sanctuary.

The two continued walking for a few minutes before Will stopped and broke the silence once again. "You comin' out or not?," he said out loud. From behind them came a rustling in the woods.

Thomas stepped out. His beard reached his chest and his hair came out of his hood in a matted mane. "Hello, Matty," He said.

Matilda could barely recognize him. He was so savage looking. His hood looked like it had been torn and restitched several times, along with the rest of his clothing.

"Oh Thomas," she said as she hugged him. He smiled. It wasn't the same blood thirsty smile that he'd grown accustomed to. It was the warm smile of his youth. Thomas felt alive again.

"How have you been?" she asked Thomas as the three began walking toward Nottingham.

Thomas was afraid to answer but he did. "You know I've done many wicked things."

"Nothing more wicked than what's been done to our family," she said, easing his thoughts. "You are only doing what you need."

For a moment Will felt like it was the old days when he and his family would visit his aunt. Then the thought slipped away as he heard something in the road up ahead.

"Bandits," Will said and he focused his gaze. They were victimizing two people on the road up ahead. Thomas and Will motioned for Matilda to stay behind but she quietly followed as they rapidly approached the disturbance. There were five bandits and they were holding a couple that they'd pulled down from a horse. Will flew into a rage.

"Will wait," Thomas said through his teeth but Will ran out into the road. The bandits turned and faced him.

As Thomas approached he could see Will had begun pacing in front of the men.

As Matilda approached she mumbled a curse under her breath. Thomas turned to her with a look of question on his face. "Two of them are wearing uniforms from the school," she said, "and they aren't the victims."

Will had regained composure. "What's the meaning of this?" he asked. He recognized the two men in uniform as two of his adult students.

His two students started to speak but he held his finger up and they silenced themselves quickly. "I wasn't speaking to you," he said as he went over and knelt in front of the couple that had been beaten badly. "Are you okay?"

The man looked up in a pleading manner, "Please help us," he begged, "they... they pulled us down from our horse and want to know where we live so they can rob us."

Will stood up and one of the men that wasn't in uniform moved in to attack him. Will let the man get close enough before he fired a lightning fast kick to the man's groin. He followed through after the man dropped to his knees by stabbing him in the side of the neck and cutting across, blood pouring down the man's front as he dropped to the ground.

His two students stepped back only to bump into Thomas.

Matilda couldn't believe her eyes, Thomas and Will seemed to think in unison. Will launched at one of the other bandits as he turned to run. He tackled his ankles and crawled up the back of his legs then rolled so that he sat on the man's shoulders and broke his neck. The other bandit tried to run but Thomas threw a dagger that stuck into his back and through the man's heart.

Will turned his attention on his students. It was obvious that he was incensed by the audacity of his students. To use their trained skill and knowledge to take advantage of those around them was unacceptible.

Will tied his students up as Matilda looked to the injured people in the road.

"What do you plan on doing with them?" Matilda asked.

"Bring them all back to sanctuary, " Will said, "they will be welcomed there for however long they want. I'll make an example of betraying my teachings out of these two," he said, motioning to his two ex students.

Will said bye to his father and aunt and he left them and guided the others back to his home using the point of his dagger to prod his two captives.

Thomas escorted Matilda to the edge of Nottingham.

"You should know something," she said, "your letter shook a lot of people up. They increased night patrols in the town proper and Guy has found sleepless nights more frequent. The king has had to set up drills to handle you if you try to breach the castle. The sheriff didn't like the king interfering but he had little say in it."

"Are you close with Guy?" Thomas asked.

"Somewhat," She answered, "You do what you must, though. I've kept him at a distance because I know he's on your list."

Thomas hugged his sister. He missed her hugs.

"I love you, Matty."

"I love you, Thomas. Be careful."

Thomas smiled that smile again.

Chapter 17 - Blood Money

2010-10-04T00:01:00.004-04:00

It had been a month since the massacre at the cabin and Thomas found himself in the middle of Nottingham proper, late at night. He was mapping the streets in his mind, paying less attention to the people than to the distances of the main roads and back alleys. The work was easy enough but Thomas had to keep a low profile, a fact reinforced when he happened upon a poster with his likeness on it.

In bold letters at the top was written "REWARD". Below that was two visages. One of a man with a hood pulled up over his head, obscuring the details of his face and the other of a man with a badly healed scar over the left side of his face. Thomas noticed the inaccuracies. The shape of the scar was wrong and Thomas hadn't shaved in months so he wasn't clean-shaven as depicted. Tonight, Thomas had opted for a bandanna instead of a hood and his long, red hair draped from under it and around his neck.

He tore down the poster then thought about how funny and unsettling it would be if by the following morning, none of the posters were up. Searching for the posters helped him find shortcuts around the town's roads and by sun up, he was sure that he'd seen every inch of it.

On two separate occasions, he'd stealthily tore down posters in plain view of guards. Once by pretending to be a drunkard and holding himself up with the wall, pulling the sheet down when he'd corrected himself. Another by looking at it as if interested in the reward. In that instance, he'd approached the guard and asked, "What price has been decided for this man's head?" Thomas' face was soiled all over which made the guard look at him only once and pass him off for a derelict.

"Believe it or not," the guard said, "rumor has it that the sum is more than one thousand."

"Silver?" Thomas asked.

"Gold," the guard answered, "you know anything."

"Not yet," Thomas said then coughed to add character to his role, "but if I see him, I'll surely bring him in."

"He's dangerous," the guard warned.

"How dangerous?"

"Dangerous enough that you won't see many guards going to hunt for him," the guard admitted. Thomas noted his cowardice. "Good luck."

Thomas meandered off. When he was out of sight of the town he pulled out his bounty of paper. Forty two sheets in all. He thought about how that number seemed perfect to him.

Hours later, Thomas made it to sanctuary. Inside, everyone seemed busy. Will was with John, practicing his hand to hand combat. Between teaching a couple of his first students, Will had spent time honing his body with rigorous training. Tuck was teaching writing to the students.

On the table, Thomas found a note to him. It was from his sister. He opened it.

It was in their code and Thomas took a moment to decipher it. To the naked eye, it seemed like a loving note from a sister to a brother. Talking about how wonderful her days were, spent in service to the nobles. Deeper though, there was a warning. The sheriff's personal page had gone to collect money from the king. Most of the money was to fund increasing the number of soldiers under the sheriff's command but there was money allotted to Thomas' capture. What's more, she suspected that this information was not kept guarded in an attempt to trap Thomas. She gave details on which road his carriage would likely take. She also noted that it would be heavily guarded and possibly armored.

Thomas had three days to prepare for the kill.

Thomas' brain began placing pieces for the trap. He'd need several things. Bear's urine, which he could probably get from one of the official hunters of Nottingham. He'd need red material cut into many pieces that were about one yard each. He'd need a saw.

Thomas wasted no time returning to Nottingham. He reached the town at nightfall and found the building that housed the supplies for the hunters. It was attached to the castle but was more like a barn than an actual building. Inside were many supplies. No actual weapons because all the hunters used their own. Some items had to be purchased from specialists from far away. Thomas had learned about this when he'd inquired about hunting to Captain Teague over dinner one night. The captain was very forth coming with information. It had made him feel like he was educating some savage.

There were bottles of urine collected from animal keepers all over the kingdom. Thomas grabbed every bottle that had a bear on it. There were also saws for creating blinds and such from trees in the wild. Thomas took a couple of them.

After pilfering the hunting supplies, he made his way over to the tailor. Breaking in was easy and the guard patrol was slow so Thomas could be in and out without notice. He found two rolls of red material and took both. They were heavy but Thomas hardly noticed that in comparison to how big and unwieldy they were. Once he got all the items secured to the horse, Thomas made off for the road that the carriage would most likely come down.

It was a big enough road for a heavy carriage which would have four horses pulling it instead of two because of the weight of the gold and armor. Thomas found the spot he wanted and bed down for the rest of the night. He slept until late in the afternoon then began cutting the strips of material.

He had found spots between fifty and two hundred yards from site where breezes seemed strongest and he tied the strips of material. Always within sight of each other but far enough away that you could only glimpse the red material as it moved with the wind.

Thomas returned to the site and cut down several trees with the saws. He arranged them on the ground in a way that made them interlock. The trees themselves were small so that he could move them easily but the entangled weave made them impassable and a terror to try and dismantle. He spent the rest of the day making a sheet of vines that he could wear while hiding up in the large tree near the road side. From far away, it looked like it was part of the tree, masking anything underneath.

As the time of their inevitable arrival drew nearer, Thomas soaked the ground around with the urine. He then took his horse to sanctuary and walked back on foot.

Scaling the tree was easy and Thomas' vine sheet covered him head to toe as he waited patiently. Hours passed and he could hear the dull gallop of a group of horses in the distance. As the horses drew closer, the bear urine made them jumpy, causing the men to slow the caravan. Thomas didn't want them to wreck into his roadblock and not get the chance to kill the page himself.

Eight mounted soldiers chaperoned the carriage. Four in the front and four in the rear. Thomas watched as they came to the road block. The men didn't talk. Instead, they gave each other signals, breaking into groups to spread out. Two of the soldiers tried to move the roadblock as the carriage driver calmed the horses. One of the men must have seen one of the pieces of material and signalled the others to follow. Thomas watched the carriage closely. He wasn't sure there was someone in it.

Matty was right. The carriage was armored but the linear thinking of the nobles had only armored the sides, front and back of the carriage. The top was left relatively exposed with only wood covering it. Thomas was still unsure if someone was in it.

Then a hand tossed a piece of eaten fruit from the window. Thomas' brain instantly filled in gaps. He could see the position the person inside was sitting in from the glimpse of his hand. Thomas aimed at the spot that the passenger's head most likely was in. He hoped that the arrow would align with the woods grain and split it as it penetrated.

The was a loud thud and the driver turned to see an arrow sticking out of the roof of his carriage. It wiggled as something inside moved against it, screaming. The driver looked up as Thomas dropped onto him, dagger stabbing into the man's face.

Thomas jumped over the side of the carriage and peered in through a thin window. His arrow had bore into the top of the page's skull, pinning him in place but not killing him. He screamed louder when he saw Thomas. Thomas immediately cut the horses from their fittings and slapped their hind quarters so they would run. Then he slipped under the carriage.

The eight soldiers returned to find chaos had befallen their charge. They dismounted and surrounded the carriage. Some looked up into the trees while others were trying to get the carriage door open. Thomas heard the door come open and he swung his sword out, on the opposite side, cleaving the feet from two of the soldiers.

He rolled out and to his feet, carving an arc that cut both of the fallen men's throats and coming up to block an attack by another. Thomas foot came up and kicked the man in the chest, throwing him back against another soldier and expelling the wind from his lungs.

One soldier came up from behind and swung, Thomas side stepped and spun. He dropped to his knee and thrust his sword up under the man's rib cage. It's point exited near the man's collar. In his head, things moved in slow motion. Panic had set in and the men scrambled to surround him. One thrust with his sword and Thomas side stepped, gripped the man's arm with his free hand and guided the tip of the sword into the face of another.

Blood seemed to rain down on the carnage and as Thomas turned to face the four that were left, they saw his face light up with a smile. The page screamed as he glimpsed the onslaught.

Thomas seemed to wait patiently as the men looked at each other, trying to regain control.

Then his patience was up.

He stepped in, closing ground between him and one of the men, chopping at the man's wrist, separating it and it fell to the ground still gripping it's weapon. Thomas spun again, this time backwards toward the two behind him, his sword arced and stabbed deep into one man's chest. Thomas let his sword go as the man fell lifeless to the ground.

The two remaining men thought this was their chance. A miscalculation Thomas had considered and counted on. As they approached, the tips of their blades missed him by fractions of an inch as he danced between them. He knew their tunnel vision would stay focused on him and their blades chased him until they stopped inside each other. The two men looked at each other, having disemboweled each other.

Thomas glanced at the man that still stood. Tears filled his eyes. He just saw his two friends gut each other. How did this demon trick them into such a feat?

"Please don't kill me," he begged.

"Stop that man from screaming," Thomas ordered.

Without hesitation, the guard pulled his dagger with his one good hand and slit the page's throat. Thomas went to the man's horse and pulled an ax from it's place on the saddle. He chopped at the roof of the carriage as the man sat in shock. Thomas severed the page's head and gave it to the soldier.

Thomas wrote on the back of one of the posters he'd collected in Nottingham. It was a note to Guy and the sheriff. It read:

     Sirs,
     A fine exercise indeed. Thank you for the gold. Maybe next time, just give me the gold and you can spare some of your men the terror. An open bounty on my head has made me feel
     quite special. Looking forward to meeting you in person.
     Hooded Devil
     P.S. Sleep well.

Thomas bandaged the man's wrist and put him on his horse. Thomas also slipped the man some gold. He figured it was the least he could do since the man could no longer be employed as a soldier.

As the man rode off, Thomas collected the gold into the separate saddlebags and divided the saddlebags between the horses. He then tied the horses to each other in a caravan then rode them back to sanctuary.

Chapter 16 - Message Delivered

2010-09-27T00:01:00.000-04:00

Guy was caressing Marion's cheek when the banging on his chamber door woke him from his dreams. He looked to the window and it was still night outside. The banging came again.

"This better be worth disturbing me," he muttered as he made his way to the door. When he opened it, he saw one of his men standing there, his skin a pale white.

"I'm sorry, m'lord, it's..." the soldier started, "it's..."

"It's what?" Guy asked.

"Tybalt's dead," the soldier responded.

"Tybalt is at the cabin for a hunt," Guy reassured.

"Sir... his hea..."

Guy didn't like how the messenger let the last sentence trail off. He followed the soldier to the courtyard. He kept thinking about how Tybalt was excited to spend a week at the hunting cabin. What could have befallen him? What could have happened to him in the day he's been gone?

At the courtyard, a crowd had gathered. Guy pushed his way to the center where he found Tybalt's friend, Tristan. Men were working to remove something from Tristan's grip.

"Move!" Guy commanded. When the men moved it was apparent what Tristan was holding. The ropes wound around his wrists and into the mouth of Tybalt's head then out of the neck. Guy didn't recoil. He'd seen such horrors on the battlefield before. He had the ropes cut.

"Who did this?" Guy asked Tristan. The arrow was still lodged through Tybalt's eye socket.

"The Hooded Demon," Tristan muttered. "He's cursed us all."

Guy didn't understand how Tybalt's death and the massacre at Loxley were related. Not until Tristan continued.

"The demon has sworn to bring death to the halls of castle Nottingham."

Guy thought about Thomas. He thought about how reserved he had acted in light of having his farm overrun with strangers.

Guy took the head to the sheriff. The disturbance was not welcome.

De Lacy looked down at the head. "Why have you bothered me with this?"

"Because it's a threat to you," Guy answered.

"In my position, threats are expected. Welcomed as well. It means people are paying attention to you."

"Few have the means or ability that this man has," Guy reasoned.

"You know this, how?" de Lacy asked.

"His patience. His ability to kill without remorse. His ability with a bow. I suspected that he was sloppy with the bow when witnesses said that his arrow missed Cornelius but I think he purposely nicked his throat so that he'd bleed out slower. That's not an easy shot."

De Lacy paced. "Who is this man?"

"I suspect Thomas Redgrave."

"The farmer?!" de Lacy said. He couldn't believe his ears.

Guy knew this was going to happen. He knew de Lacy would pass it off if he suspected Redgrave.

"I'm taking men and going out to the cabin," Guy declared. He wasn't waiting for orders.

De Lacy gave him a sideways look. "You really think he's that much of a threat?"

"I think that sending Tristan back alive to deliver Tybalt's head is a gutsy move that shouldn't be taken lightly."

After Guy left the sheriff's chambers, he headed to the stables. On his way, he passed off the head to be buried properly. He gathered seven other men and explained to them what they were to do.

"My squire has been murdered. He was at the hunting cabin in Sherwood. We are going to find out of there is any sign of who murdered him. I have my suspicions."

None of the men responded. They understood the drill and rallied behind Guy no matter what he chose to do.

As Guy rallied his men, Will's sanctuary was alive as John and his men worked to make furniture for Will's classroom in the cavern underneath the main tree of sanctuary. Benches were made from split logs.

Will was busy helping Tanner with his first lesson on democracy. Tanner had a hard time imagining a world where every man was responsible for himself and a share of society. The notion of it was alien to him but Will was patient and thorough in his lesson.

Tuck was above, preparing a meal, when Thomas strolled up with a wagon of goods. He'd cleaned himself up but his clothes were stained with blood. At first Tuck thought he was injured.

"Are you alright?" Tuck asked as he went out to meet Thomas.

"I'm fine. Help me with these supplies. You could make better use of them than I could." Thomas had not only ransacked the hunter's wagon but he'd pilfered the cabin as well. Anything that wasn't nailed down was taken. Several chairs were among the items. As well were two stuffed mattresses that dragged behind the wagon. One was tattered and torn. Thomas had used them to smudge his tracks.

Tuck and Thomas unloaded the wagon. It took them nearly half an hour and Thomas began looking exhausted.

"Why don't you come in and rest?" Tuck offered. "Will is down giving a lesson."

"Will's teaching, already?" Thomas asked. "I shouldn't be surprised. He's special."

"Yes. Will has shown time and again that he sees the world a bit differently." Tuck had been impressed with Will's comprehension of advanced materials. So much so, that it often frightened him to think about it.

"I don't want Will to see me like this," Thomas pointed at himself. Tuck had wondered up until that point if Thomas knew he looked like a busy butcher.

Thomas made some rations quickly then returned to the forest taking only a single horse. Tuck knew it was pointless to try and reason with him. Pointless and possibly dangerous.

Thomas knew that it was likely that Guy would send a group out to the cabin to investigate but he was too tired from all the savagery and heavy lifting to have a proper confrontation.

Instead, Thomas went in the opposite direction and made camp under a large oak.

When Guy and his men reached the cabin, it was apparent that something was wrong. The door was covered in a veneer of blood. It was close to dusk and Guy had to secure the cabin so they could stay for the night. The men circled the cabin but it was obvious that it was empty. Clint, their tracker, had noticed several wolf tracks leading in and out of the cabin.

"It looks like a pack of wolves... I'd say ten or so, made their way in and helped themselves to the bodies," Clint posited.

Guy entered the cabin. Only blood was left behind. "There has to be a trace of the Hooded Demon."

"The men in the barracks call him Robin Red Hood," Clint said.

"The men know about him?" Guy asked.

"They know that something killed those men in Loxley and that something sure had it's way with this cabin," Clint answered.

Four of the men gathered in the main room over the trap door. It creaked suddenly before collapsing. One man, who was nervous and had his sword at the ready, accidentally stabbed another during the fall. The wound was instantly fatal.

Guy approached the edged of the hole. "He did this," he said.

Clint and Guy helped the three survivors up out of the hole. They pulled the dead man out and Clint began looking through the debris. The wolf tracks were down there too. He followed them to a spot in the wall that had been cut and doctored.

Guy realized what had happened. "He knew they were coming," he said.

"How?" Clint asked.

"I don't know but this was a trap," Guy declared. "A giant trap waiting for Tybalt and his friends."

It then dawned on him that Thomas could be watching in the woods. He pulled his men into the cabin. The men took turns guarding the windows and entryways into the cabin. They kept watch all night.

Guy hardly slept a wink.

Chapter 15 - ...And Death Knocked Thrice

2010-09-20T00:01:00.003-04:00

William had spent several days helping the innkeeper change the sign outside his inn. He'd designed the sign to look like a normal sign under scrutiny but hid several messages in plain sight.

The first message was the background. It was the checkerboard pattern of a chess board with only the king's piece surrounded by pawns of the opposite color obviously having him in checkmate. The foreground broadcast the new title of the inn "The Den in Red". The word "red" was run through with an arrow. Above the inn's title were two glowing red eyes of a predatory animal.

John, Will and Harold the innkeeper carefully hung the new sign. They stood around admiring their hard work.

"I didn't know you were such an apt wood engraver, John," Will said.

"More a hobby than a skill," John replied, "but thank you."

"It's so much better than that ol' rubbish I had up there," said Harold. He rubbed Will's head, leaving Will's red hair a mess.

Will hated how Harold treated like a child but he understood that Harold didn't really understand his genius. He wondered if it was bad to claim genius? Is it wrong to claim any descriptor? Will pondered the ethics of self righteousness as he and the others went back into the inn.

It had been a week since they'd met in the inn's main hall but already Will had been introduced to some of the local people that were fed up with tyrannical rule. He'd shared a tome regarding the history of Rome and it's democracy. How the men had laughed at first, believing that such an idea as voting was humorous.

The men all sat around discussing an idealistic utopia. One in which every man was responsible for himself but wouldn't turn away someone if the ability to aid them was within their power.

"That's what you have to ask yourself," Will had posed to the little group of four men that had been listening to his history lesson that first week. "Do you have the ability to help yourself? Do you have the ability to help others?"

One man answered, "I hardly have the ability to dress myself."

Will smiled. "The first step to enlightenment is the admission that you know nothing."

The man responded, "Well, all I know is how to tan leather."

"Then let me show you how to use your skills for the betterment of society."

"How can tanning leather better anything?"

"Leather armor is light and easy to move in," Will had his first student in his grasp, he didn't want to let him go, "Let me show you how to reinforce it so that it will deflect a direct attack."

Tanner looked at Will with curious eyes. "You can teach me to do this?"

"I can teach you many things. I've read many books regarding the manufacture of armor and weapons. I've seen what works and what doesn't. I can also show you how to come to your own conclusions instead of relying on what is told to you." Will knew that this is what people really wanted. A freedom to discern the world around them.

Will set up to meet the men at the den first. If they passed certain tests, they would be invited back to sanctuary. Tanner was the first man given the riddle map.

Meanwhile, deep in Sherwood, Thomas had been patient. Tybalt and four other noble men had come to the cabin for their hunting trip. They didn't realize that they were already prey. Thomas watched as they unloaded their wagon with a weeks worth of supplies. Those supplies would last five times as long for Thomas. He smiled. The kill got better with every moment.

He waited for dusk and for the men to settle in. He knew that they didn't have a worry on their minds as they lit lanterns in the cabin, preparing for sleep so they could get up early the next day for their hunt.

Thomas aimed at the front door.

Each arrow arced as he had practiced, hitting the door in a rapid procession.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Shadows moved inside as one of the men opened the door. To Thomas' pleasure, it was Tybalt. The red arrow's path intersected Tybalt through the eye as he looked out to see who was at the door. The force of the arrow pinned his head to the door. His body kicked a few times before it hung motionless.

Thomas rushed around the side to his hidden door that lead under the floor of the cabin. He could see one man try to pull Tybalt's body free from the door, not to save him but because the door couldn't close with Tybalt's body in the way. Eventually, the man shoved Tybalt's body outside and slammed the door. The torches within the cabin went out.

Thomas crept into his hiding place under the floor. He could hear the men inside as their panicked mumbling and shouts to stay quiet gave way to the boards under their feet creaking. Thomas knew exactly where the men stood.

Two were beside the front window. They hadn't opened it but were trying to peek out through its cracks to see if the cabin was surrounded.

"Who's out there?" Thomas heard one man mutter.

"I don't see anything!" he heard another.

One man still stood by the front door and the last was pacing.

"It's the French!" said one man.

"Are you nuts? The French wouldn't attack this far inland!" Thomas enjoyed the panic he'd caused. He wondered if this was the noise inside the tavern as flames gutted it.

Thomas readied his knife as the man pacing crossed the floor. As the man stepped where two of the floor boards met, Thomas stabbed upward with his knife. The blade passed through the leather of the man's boot and through the flesh of his foot like a knife through warm butter. The man let out a scream as Thomas pushed the blade along the crevice of the floor boards, splitting the man's foot open.

The other men turned to see the man fall to the floor screaming. Thomas wasted no time as the man rolled across more cracks in the floor, Thomas stabbed. Blood began raining down through the floor. Again and again Thomas stabbed until the man screamed no more.

The men panicked even more. They hadn't seen Thomas' knife come up through the floor. They looked around the room to see if there was another opening.

"We're besieged by ghosts!" cried one man.

One of the men that was at the window ran over to the hiding spot in the wall but when he opened it he found there wasn't anything there. He panicked and ran back to one of the bedrooms and the other man that was at the window followed him.

As the one sitting near the door stood up and headed back with them, Thomas opened the trap door. He did so with such ferocity that the man screamed as if a wolf had pounced on him. Thomas grabbed the man and pulled him under the floor. The trapdoor was back in place when the other two men came into the main room.

Thomas slashed the man's throat open and the men could hear gurgling as he bled out. They couldn't figure out where the man went.

"What the hell just happened to him?" one man cried.

The men looked outside again. They began babbling to each other about what was stalking them. A ghost. A bogeyman. It wasn't until they suspected a demon that Thomas let it be known he was already in the room. He used their noisy banter to cover the sound of him creeping up through the floor.

"It's got to be that hooded demon," one man suggested.

"I like that nickname the more I hear it," Thomas said.

The men turned suddenly. One man's bladder released and the smell of urine filled the air.

"Please!" one begged.

"We haven't done nothing," said the other.

"It was in your power to do so much. You nobles look as us like we're so much fodder. Like we're the grain we raise, easily replaced." Thomas said.

Thomas was trying to figure out who he should let live when one man made a run for the door. He pulled on the handle but Tybalt's body acted as a wedge, preventing the door from opening far. Thomas knife spun through the air into the back of the man's skull.

"I guess it's you," Thomas said to the only man left.

He approached the man slowly. The front of Thomas was coated heavy in blood, the sight of which only made him more horrific.

"You're going to pass on a message for me," Thomas said as he cracked the man in the head with the pommel of his sword.

When the man awoke, he was tied to a horse. Tybalt's head was in his hands and it was tied in place. The arrow still in place in his skull.

"You tell your masters that death stalks them. Tell them that it's only a matter of time before I visit upon them what I visited up this cabin." Thomas slapped the rear end of the horse it galloped off back in the direction it had come.

He hoped that the man would be discovered by a patrol or that he would make it back to the castle. He also hoped that the man realized that he had the horse's reigns in his hands along with Tybalt's head.

Chapter 14 - Best Laid Plans

2010-09-13T00:01:00.001-04:00

Will and John had made several trips into Nottingham proper but this was the first that stranded them there because of a heavy storm. His aunt Matilda had seen to it that they had a place to stay at the inn while they waited for the weather to calm.

"Your father doesn't like us much," John said to Will as they sat at a table in the middle of the inn's dining room.

Will knew this. As sure as he knew his father, Will knew that Thomas resented John on some level. "He's not happy, anymore," he said. "His life and livelihood... our life and livelihood was stolen by a group of men upset at their lords and also by the lords who put us in peril. How would you feel if you were forced to ally with one of the men who helped to instigate such barbaric actions?"

John looked at Will and for the first time saw that Will held him partially responsible for the death of his family. "It wasn't I that set fire to your home, young Will," John said, attempting to reason with Will.

"No, instead you sparked men with weak minds to take action against a stronger lot of people with minds just as weak," Will said, "then acted surprised when violence erupted like a Vulcan furnace. The only difference between my father's view of you and mine is that I see how your loyalty can benefit me. I see how it's better to give you a chance to clear your conscious than to cast you down with the devils. Don't ever think for a minute that if my father decided to turn on you that I would take up arms against him in your defense."

John reacted in the only way a man can react when an eight year old tells you exactly how things really are, flabbergasted. After a few moments of not knowing what to say, John simply asked, "Do you hate me?"

"No. You're a good friend but you need to understand that things are far more complicated than just like and dislike. My family is gone. I've even lost my father now that his blood lust, which is something he's always dealt with his entire life, has been given purpose to be cut loose upon the bastard sons that call themselves nobles," Will dropped his boyish charm in an instant to clarify the magnitude of what had to be done for John to understand. "I plan on building strong minds, arming them with knowledge first and weapons second. They will understand the ramifications of a rebellion. Then they will pledge to make sure that no innocent people will be harmed in bringing down the monster that we've lived with for so long."

"You don't speak like a child," John said.

"I stopped being a child the moment my childhood home was used to set a flaming example."

Will had been looking around the room. He could hear words here and there that made his ears perk up. Words like: arrogant, bully, unjust, unstable and nobles. He was surrounded by people that were unhappy with their lot in life and were ripe for change. He pulled his knife out and began carving de Lacey's coat of arms.

"What are you doing?" John asked trying to cover Will's actions.

"Leaving a message," Will said.

After finishing the coat of arms, Will crossed it out. Underneath he wrote, "knowledge is power." It took him several minutes to deface the table but when he was done, he admired his own work.

"That ought to get their minds racing," he said as he covered the vandalism with his plate.

"If someone caught you doing that," John started but Will shot him a look.

"The time for surmising is over, it's time to act," Will began. "We need to start building our numbers if we are ever going to help my father kill the king."

Will and John waited for more patrons to enter the inn before getting up from their table and going to their room. They wanted there to be a bit of confusion about who made the mark on the table.

That night, Will listened from their room as the men let drink bolster their courage and guide their tongues. He could hear more clearly those key words along with new ones. Rebellion, treason, murder and war.

As sleep overcame him, Will and the fox played a game of chess. Will had never seen the game before but had read about it and understood the rules. He and the fox took turns, the fox often pointing out openings, showing where the vital strikes could come from any arrangement on the board.

"The best attack is the one that isn't seen," the fox said. "It isn't seen until after it's delivered it's lethal blow."

The following morning, Will and John went down to the main dining room. The inn keeper was frantically trying to scratch away the graffiti Will had put on the table.

"No breakfast this morning," he said to them without looking up, "I'm too busy trying to remove the work of some vandal."

Will and John noted that the inn keeper had supposed that a single person was responsible for the defacing of the table.

"Is it always so loud at night?" Will asked. "I could hear them, clear up to my room."

The inn keeper paused. "Not usually," he answered. "Last night this mess I'm cleaning up got the men into a fit. They think themselves rebels. They'll find that such ideas end at the chopping block."

"A man shouldn't be 'fraid to speak his mind," John reasoned.

"In a good world, you're right," the keeper offered, "but we live in a world where the only justice is one delivered by a lone man with a bow."

"What?" Will asked.

The inn keeper looked at John, "This isn't news for the young."

John looked down at Will. Will played his part and went outside.

The inn keeper continued his story, "Those men that the Red Wolf killed were the ones that razed all those farms in Loxley. You ask me, they should give the Red Wolf a seat near the throne. That man, the one that the Red Wolf let bleed to death in the streets, I suppose he was a warning. You don't let a man die in a pool of blood without it meaning something. You come in here with that boy and you seem to mind your own business but you should know, word is things happening. Things that won't be the same after. I suppose if you want to keep him safe, you should take your son and go to another county where things are calm."

"You feel that strongly about the Red Wolf?" John asked.

"I plan on changing the name of the inn from the 'Broken Yolk' to the 'Wolf's Den'," the inn keeper admitted. "He'll be welcome here anytime. Maybe he can kill the man who damaged my table."

The inn keeper went back to scratching out the graffiti that Will had done the night before.

Once outside, John informed Will, "He's right upset about what you did. He thinks the Red Wolf should hunt you down and kill you." John said the last bit with a smile.

Will smiled back. Perhaps the seed was already planted by the massacre at Loxley and all Will did with his impromptu artwork was galvanize the men. Now all there was to do was finding the strongest and invite him into the fold.

Will went back into the inn. He stood next to the inn keeper a moment before the keeper acknowledged him.

"What?" the inn keeper asked.

"I'm sorry," Will said as he took the abrasive stone from the inn keeper and took over cleaning the graffiti. "I'm sorry but the Red Wolf doesn't work alone and he's looking for volunteers."

The inn keeper stopped. He was stunned at Will's sudden revelation.

"Can he count on you?" Will asked.

"You bet," the inn keeper swore.

It had been several months since Thomas had killed Cornelius and the other men and it was the first bit of news regarding anyone from the list that Matilda had been able to share with him. She had learned that Guy's personal squire and page, Tybalt, had been given permission to use the hunting cabin deep in the forest. The information she had sent to Thomas simply stated Tybalt's name, rank and where he'd be via a map.

Thomas had found the cabin easily. He was a full week ahead of Tybalt's planned arrival and spent time perusing the cabin. It looked as if it were used often. Thomas found it easily entered with the use of a key he found hidden under a stone near the cabin's base.

The cabin was divided into three rooms. The main room was a common area and there were two smaller bedrooms immediately to the back. Thomas noted the walls ordained with trophy heads. He looked behind them and behind the head of a fox he discovered a hidden cubbyhole. In it was a knife and four gold pieces. Thomas took the items. He looked around the room some more and discovered a loose floor board. It wasn't a hiding spot but instead was simply a weak spot in the floor.

Thomas carefully pulled the board up. He reached his hand in to the hole and discovered that the ground was a full two feet down. He carefully pulled up several more boards, being sure to leave no mark on the sides that were visible. He dropped into the hole and crawled around the outside wall, looking for a weak spot. On the side of the cabin, the wood had slightly weakened due to rain. Thomas carefully pulled at it until it broke.

Thomas left and returned with bits off of his wagon. He used the spare wood to make a backing to the floor boards so that he could lift them out as one solid piece. He did the same to the lumber that made up the outside wall. Thomas left a knife, sword and some rope under the trap door.

After tidying up Thomas locked the front door back and replaced the key to its hiding spot.

Thomas then found a hill to practice his archery on. Over the next three days he took his time getting the rhythm right. He would take three of the blunt tipped arrows and quickly launch them so that they fell in a quick tapping rhythm at his target. From nearly fifty yards, Thomas could have all three hit within an area no bigger than a foot square. He timed them by launching the first one at a high arc and the other two in arcs of decreasing order so that his last arrow hit first and hardest and the first arrow shot, would hit last with least impact.

Thump, thump, thump. Thump, thump, thump.

Thomas thought it was very similar to a heartbeat. He thought that was quite poetic since it was the last sound someone was going to hear.

The wolf inside smiled deeply.

Chapter 13 - The Hooded Demon

2010-09-06T00:01:00.004-04:00

Thomas' appearance at the village of Loxley, his red hood, his compound bow, his bloody mess, all caused an uproar. The fire at the tavern burned out of control and when Guy arrived on the scene, the morning after Thomas' departure, there was very little he could surmise from the situation.

He had established that a demon of sorts had set upon Loxley's main square and destroyed it's tavern in a fit of rage so menacing that it left the farmers shaken. All the descriptions were the same. A man in a red hood, the color of a robin's breast, who's patient walk as he left the scene shook many of the innocent farmers to their core.

"'Twas like he didn't fear a thing," one witness had said, "Not even God Himself."

Guy had suspicions on who the man was but he couldn't believe that the man he had met on that farm some months back, Thomas Redgrave, and this rogue assailant could be one in the same. Thomas seemed so calm and reserved, to think that this could be his work would mean that there was much to Thomas that Guy couldn't pin point. The trouble was, Thomas couldn't be found anywhere. He vanished. No one knew of any place he would have or could have gone.

The sheriff had ordered Guy to oversee the repairs and station men in the Loxley square and by the week's end, a patrol of two dozen men resided at Loxley. Guy was also ordered to oversee bringing in help for the farmers and rebuilding the Redgrave farm. He had no trouble posting shifts of men to help with Loxley's farming needs but he didn't like the idea of sending men to the Redgrave farm. Tempting the anger of a man that may be capable of killing so many, so easily, meant playing with his own life and Guy didn't like putting himself or any of his men into that position. Orders were orders, though, and Guy did his best at having a work detail rebuild the cottage and re-dig the farm's burnt out fields. He also had his men re-dig the adjoining fields that the brigands had set fire to on that same night.

Thomas watched from the safety of the tree line. He had taught himself to quickly ascend and descend a rope anchored to a tree by grapple that he had fashioned from the broken end of a hoe. Twenty feet up, the cover was more dense and made it easier to conceal himself.

Though he had figured that the farm would be rebuilt, he didn't realize it would be so soon. Then he figured that the sheriff had lost a lot of farm land and work force for this area so every inch of soil became more valuable. Thomas smiled to himself.

He climbed down from the tree and made his way to where he had tied up his horse about a mile deeper into the woods. He rode back to sanctuary, having left early that morning to see the effect his vengeance had on the area and wanting to be back before nightfall.

Upon returning, Tuck met him outside. Will and the others had gone into the town proper to get supplies. Tuck had been waiting for Thomas' return so he could bring him up to speed on their plans for the school.

"We've already been feeling around," Tuck said happily, "we've been listening for the voice of descent and have picked up a bit of it here and there. I tell you, these people are ripe for a rebellion."

Thomas cared little about the school and the rebellion that Tuck was so excited about. "I'll be happy when I've seen my last arrow fly into the heart of it's target. I'll be able to sleep soundly knowing that my family is avenged."

Tuck knew that Thomas wasn't as excited as the others about the school. He'd voiced his opinion on more than one occasion about how a school had taken his sister from him and destroyed his family. Even though this was a different kind of school, Thomas had grown weary of any organization, no matter it's reason for existing.

He and Tuck cleaned the rabbits he'd killed on his way home and began cooking them when Will and the others returned.

"Papa," Will said excited, "they whispered about a hooded demon. They say the devil's come to Loxley."

John patted Thomas on the back lightly. "I don't know what you did there, but they have a dozen names for you. Red Hood. Red Devil. Hooded Demon.... Robin Hood... I think my favorite is The Infernal One! Some that know it was you have even called you The Wolf's Head. Did you really burn down the tavern with Cornelius in it?"

Thomas shrugged John's hand off his back. "No," he said calmly. "I burnt down the tavern with all the others in it. I let Cornelius bleed out in the road until he was pale as his ghost. I even told him I would visit a worse fate on his loved ones, knowing that he would die believing that they would soon follow."

Smith looked up, his face was a bit pale, "You... you killed his wife and daughter?"

"No," Thomas said, "but it brought a smile to my face when I saw the terror in his eyes, when he believed I would!"

The men all looked at each other in disbelief. Tuck came into the room and pulled Will away to begin studying. He feared what Will would think if he heard his father speak so matter-of-fact of death and killing.

John pulled Thomas aside and asked, "I thought you said you were just going to kill Cornelius?"

Thomas looked John square in his eyes. He could see that John was worried about the fate of all those men. The men he once led. Thomas wouldn't lie to him though, he respected him more than that.

"I only said I was going to kill Cornelius," Thomas answered, "I never said it was going to be just him. He may have ordered the death of my family, but I doubt that coward had the gall to set the fire himself. All of those men were just as guilty as he was. They applauded that murderer like he was a hero! A bloody hero! He and they got what they deserved."

John looked at Smith and Layne. They gripped their sword handles. Thomas could hear their sheaths reposition as they did.

"If they even think about attacking me, I'll gut you before you hit the floor," Thomas' statement was cold. He pulled his dagger and jabbed it into the place at the table near John's hand. "Don't you forget that I've spared you and them. If I ever feel that you're a threat to me or my son..." Thomas let the men's imaginations fill in the rest. They could see that in some ways, he was the wolf. He could kill without hesitation or provocation.

Thomas packed up some food. "Where are you going?" Layne asked.

"I don't feel like I'm part of this group. This isn't my pack." He pulled the dagger from the table. He walked into where Will was studying and kissed him on the forehead. "I have to go out for a while. I've got a lead. I'll be back in a couple of days." He kissed his son on the head again. Then gave the others a look as he walked toward the door. He pulled up his hood then paused long enough to utter, "I only wish I could have made them all die slower," before disappearing into the night.

John looked a little worried. Smith and Layne could see the consternation on John's face.

"What do you think he'll do?" Smith asked.

"To us?" John replied, "Nothing. To anyone that gets in his way? I imagine it's not something I'd want to know. I've seen a lot of killing and a lot of killers but I've ne'er seen one so built for that purpose."

Tuck interjected, "Matilda says that Thomas has no sense of fear. He reacts and does it in a very calculated manner. She also says that he often seemed like he was burying part of himself to be a farmer like his father. He could have been a soldier in the army. Hell, he could have been an officer with how he thinks but he wanted nothing more than to be with his family and farm. He truly is a wolf trying to be a sheep. Not to hide, but to avoid his nature." Tuck pulled the men in close. "I agree with him whole-heartedly that those men he killed deserved it, but that doesn't mean I don't get nervous thinking about how easily he can steal someone's life from them. It's better that he's an ally than an enemy, no?"

The men all nodded in agreement. John knew that as long as they didn't cross Thomas, they were all safe.

Thomas rode off into the night. He didn't really know where he was going, but he didn't want to be around the others. He started at full gallop but had slowed to a moderate pace by the time he hit the main road that passed through Sherwood.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the silver ring. A tear ran down his cheek as he gazed upon it. He didn't see his vengeance as murder, he saw it as justice and it sickened him to think that John and the others didn't see it that way.

Thomas knew that he couldn't go all the way to Loxley nor could he go to the castle or town. He took the horse off the road and let it meander east. Two hours later he found a clearing near a stream. He tied up the horse and let it drink, then fed it some oats he had.

Thomas laid down in the field and drifted off to sleep.

That night Thomas dreamt of the days on the farm. He dreamt of his wife and son. He dreamt that they had had a daughter.

When Thomas woke, the realization that it was a dream made him hang his head and cry.

Comics, "Alan Moore", "Captain America", "Robin Hood", "Ivanhoe", "Green Arrow", "Kevin Smith", "Tarzan",

Chapter 12 - The Long Hunt

2010-08-30T00:01:00.005-04:00

John explained that the place that all the farmers met, was at a tavern. "This is where Cornelius will more than likely be."

A week after getting his arrows, Thomas headed out on his hunt. The ride to the village was long and hard and once within walking distance, Thomas left the horse in the care of the Townsends. He paid them a silver to stable it, making sure to keep his hood up.

On his way to the tavern Thomas passed by the burnt out remains of his family farm. He felt a lump in his throat. Night had fallen and he climbed into the husk of a cottage. His mind's eye pictured it the way it was. He then pictured the events of the night of the fire. He looked around, fumbling in the dark. This was madness, he thought he might never let it go. Should he let it go? Should he forgive and forget?

No. The wolf demanded blood. His eyes focused in the dark. Bits of debris glinted in the moonlight. Then rain came. It was light at first, washing much of the ash away.

Thomas felt like crying. He missed his family so much so that it hurt to breathe.

There was a noise suddenly. Voices in the distance getting closer along with the sound of horses. He crouched quickly where he stood putting a hand down to balance himself. His fingers played with something hard in the soft soil. He picked it up and as the rain hit it, the moon showed its shape.

It was a silver ring.

The moonlight reflected off of its surface and caught the eye of the soldier that had come out to search the area for Thomas.

"Aye," he started, "who's that o'er there?"

Thomas could see that the other two soldiers were further down in his fields. He stood still but moved the ring so that it glinted.

The soldier took the bait and climbed down off of his horse. Thomas didn't move as the soldier made his way over to him, almost blindly. He reached down for the ring and found Thomas' hand. Thomas other fist swung at the man's throat, permanently silencing him. He gasped for air on the ground and Thomas stomped heavily on his face. Soon the sound of the stomp sounded more like stepping in mud rather than on someone's face. Thomas stopped.

He quietly dragged the man back to his horse and slipped one of his feet into the stirrup. He went back to the shadows of the burnt out cottage and threw a stone as hard as he could at the horse's hind end, causing it to rear up and gallop off. The other men saw it run down the trail and they broke into chase after it.

Thomas waited a moment then headed for the inner square of Loxley. He found a blind of sorts amongst the trees at the square's edge and slept for a couple of hours.

When morning came Thomas waited patiently. His eyes focused on the tavern and within a few hours, the man that fit Cornelius' description appeared and went in.

That first night, Thomas waited outside for Cornelius to leave and he followed him back to his cottage. There, Thomas saw Cornelius' family, comprised of a wife and young daughter. Thomas watched him from the safety of another treeline. Thomas thought about how he wanted to kill Cornelius in a manner that would warn the rest that mob law wouldn't be tolerated. He realized that the worst thing he could do would be to have Cornelius believe that Thomas intended a retribution that included his loving family.

The following morning, Thomas entered the tavern first thing. He kept his hood up, as it was still raining and no one would care. He sat at the back of the tavern and waited.

Mid-day, Cornelius came in and Thomas noted that they all noticed him. They kept very quiet but Thomas didn't care. He was paying more attention to the layout of the tavern and noting where the spirits and ale were being kept. Back wall, on the right, behind the counter. Thomas also noted the front window, which the keeper kept closed when he left and when they held their meetings.

Thomas left shortly. He would have to wait for the rain to stop to do what he planned. That was okay with Thomas. He could wait forever.

He stayed deep in the woods during the rain. He'd kill rabbits with the blunt arrows he had been carrying and had done so for more than a week when the rains finally stopped.

Thomas found a stable that was set up to shoe horses. Thomas took several of the nails and a hammer. Early in the morning, before dawn, he went by the tavern. Thomas looked around to see if anyone stirred and when he was comfortable in believing that all were still asleep, Thomas quickly nailed the front window shut. He lined up each of the nails with a single tap of the hammer then drove them in fully with another strike. Five of them and he figured the shutters would hold anyone inside from getting out.

Thomas went by a wagon and cut away part of it's covering. He cut it into small strips and wrapped several of his blunt arrows with them. He then went by a shed and dipped them all in oil before going back to his campfire deep in the woods and lighting one of the wrapped blunt arrows. Thomas wrote Cornelius' name on a rock with some of the rabbit's blood and went to the blind near the tavern.

There he waited and surely, Cornelius returned. A few more people arrived and Thomas realized that it was one of their rebel meetings. He smiled to himself.

Once he felt that no more people would go in, he lit an arrow and fired it at the door. He quickly lit and notched another. The door to the tavern opened and Thomas fired a burning arrow into the chest of the man who came to see what the noise at the door was. The man flew back in through the door.

Inside, those that hadn't panicked, put out the fire. They realized that someone was outside waiting for them to try to leave.

"It's the nobles," Cornelius declared, "they've discovered us."

The bar keep disagreed, "The nobles would have just come in and killed or arrested us."

The other men agreed that it wasn't the nobles.

A man went to the door and cracked it and tried to look out of it, using it as cover. Thomas saw the gap as a perfect opening. Thomas fired a third flaming arrow. This one hit a glass of spirits in front of a seated man and he caught fire as it spilled onto him. They tried to put him out but he panicked and went running out of the tavern. Falling to the ground in flames.

Thomas threw the rock with Cornelius' name on it, in through the open door.

The men all stared at the stone before one man picked it up. They passed it around until it got to Cornelius.

"Whoever it is, he wants you," the bar keep said.

The men all grabbed Cornelius as he began kicking and screaming. He begged them not to throw him out, not to throw him to the wolves but they did.

As the door opened, a single red arrow clips Cornelius' neck. Blood gushed out in an arc and coated the men around him. The suddenness of it all caused a panic and the men paused momentarily as three lit arrows passed them, one hit it's mark at the tankard of spirits on the back wall. The other two hit two men standing near the tankard. As they fell, they knocked over the tankard, breaking its wood body against the floor and sending its flaming contents across the floor of the tavern. The tavern erupted in fire. Two more arrows hit the man standing near Cornelius and he fell against the doors, pinning them shut.

A flaming man ran towards the window and attempted to leap but hit the closed shutters with a thud. The men tried to break the shutter with the tables and chairs. Another man on fire took a running jump at it and the shutter splintered as he fell through it. He landed on the jagged pieces of broken wood, tearing his abdomen open as he fell to the ground in a flaming pile of gore.

Thomas casually walked over to where Cornelius lay dying. Thomas pulled his hood back and uncovered his face so that Cornelius could see his death dealer.

"When I'm done here, I shall visit a worse fate on your wife and daughter," Thomas lied, "Something so gruesome that they'll name it after me."

Cornelius looked up with eyes that were already seeing the other side and asked, "Who are you?" Cornelius was afraid for his family.

"I'm Thomas Redgrave, the man whose family you razed for the sake of a statement. I'm the wolf without a pack."

Thomas pulled up his hood as the villagers all came out to see the fire. Life left Corneluis in a red stream.

Thomas walked casually past them, even seeing Cornelius' wife. Part of Thomas hated what he'd done. It hated that he'd cursed a whole village to slowly die since they no longer had men to work their fields.

The other part of him smiled deeply at his work. The wolf was satiated. For now.

Comics, "Alan Moore", "Captain America", "Robin Hood", "Ivanhoe", "Green Arrow", "Kevin Smith", "Tarzan",

Chapter 11 - Sanctuary

2010-08-23T00:01:00.004-04:00

Will's father had just left to break the horrible news to Matilda. It was quiet in the ground floor of their sanctuary. Will resumed his quiet sobbing. He didn't want the others to hear him. Will thought about his mother and grandmother. He thought about his uncles. He thought about his missed chance at being a big brother.

It was too quiet.

He wanted to concentrate on something else, take his mind off of his losses. He finished the tome in front of him. It was a religious text about Christ. Will found it to be fascinating. One man having influence over so many people even after his death.

He got up from his seat and fingered through some of the books. Many of them were religious. He began exploring the first floor. It was larger than the home he grew up in, spanning an area forty feet by forty feet. The central tree took up an area of about ten feet. Around it's base were arranged shelves and the ladder that ascended up it. Will circled it many times, trying to see how the second floor was supported. The boards of which were anchored to the thick branches of the tree.

Then Will noticed a spot above the shelves but below the ceiling. It was a nook. He couldn't reach it. He continued exploring the first floor. He admired how the branches that made up the encircling wall were grown in a living Celtic knot, woven together when they were still green.

His little brain began seeing a recurring pattern in the walls knot work. It was very ornate and beautiful. Will found some sheets of paper and a quill and he began drawing the design. It took him a few hours.

Tuck and the other woke long before Will finished his drawing. They came to see what he was working on. Tuck looked at the drawing. He'd seen it before but he couldn't place where. "What inspired this, young Will?" Tuck asked.

Will looked up and pointed at the wall. Tuck turned and, with a moment of concentration, he too could make out the detail of the knot. Then it dawned on him, where he'd seen the design. He rushed over to the shelf and searched until he found a book with the design on the cover. He placed it in front of Will. He explained, "This book is a collection of scrolls found here at the sanctuary. They aren't in any language I can read." He opened the book and showed the pages to Will.

Will glanced at the pages. The writing intrigued him. He continued working on the drawing until he had it completed then he turned his attention to the book. While looking through it, he said to Tuck, "There's a nook," pointing in the direction of the crevice.

John reached into the nook and pulled out a scroll. "It would seem young Will's eye for detail has led to the discovery of something that was overlooked before," he said. He gently unrolled it and saw that it had a rudimentary map drawn on it. It was really just a continuous line that started at one point, crossed itself a few times then ended on an ex. "A treasure map?" John asked.

Tuck looked at it. "It has no point of reference," he declared, tossing the map down next to Will.

The men all went out to hunt, leaving Will to his thoughts. He studied the strange book. His mind began letter substituting. He's not looking at it long before a word stands out to him. Beltain. Then another word. Samhain. He knows these words, they're festivals. Why are they in this book?

He knew that the festivals were all pagan traditions. His mother had taught him that their ancestors believed that the world around them was somehow divine and should be respected and even praised.

He needed a break from the book. As he sets the book down he picks up the map. He saw instantly it wasn't a map. He'd just drawn this shape even though it was hidden amongst other shapes. He saw it instantly. He looked at the "map" and his drawing and saw that it was a key. He noted the line of the knot that it depicted then went to the wall. He went down the wall from weave to weave trying to see if there was something different about one of the knots. To his surprise, there was. It was on the back wall. The portion of the knot that was notated in the "map" went to the floor.

Will crouched and dusted the dirt floor where the branch went in. The branch was buried a couple of inches underneath. Excited, Will began scraping up the dirt. The branch went a few feet away from the wall then went in a big arc, as if it was going around something.

"Tuck!" Will yelled."John, Layne, Smith!!! Come see this!"

The men came in and found Will digging around on the floor. John wasted no time. He knew that Will's mind was a gifted one and that if Will was excited about something, so should he. He began digging with him. Inches beneath their feet was a round stone with the knotted design on it.

"I can't believe it," Tuck said, amused. "The boy is here a day and he starts showing me around the place."

John, Layne and Smith worked at getting the stone moved. It eventually lifted out of it's nesting. Beneath was a deep, dark hole. Tuck grabbed a couple of candles and lit one with the oven fire that they had started for dinner. John dropped into the hole and Smith followed.

"What's down there?" Tuck asked. He seemed very anxious.

John waited a moment. He had found a torch and lit it. "It's a cave system. Looks like this tunnel was hand dug but it leads into a lower chamber."

Tuck and Will followed. The tunnel was lined with soil and reinforced by wood and stone. The ceiling was a mess of tangled roots. The men weren't sure which way to go until Will pointed out that there came a fresh breeze from one direction. They followed it.

Shortly they came into a large chamber. The walls were stone and Will could tell it was a natural cave system. He could hear a small stream and realized that this was where fresh water was obtained. He looked around at the walls. At some point this had been used a lot. He thought about all the people that may have lived in the sanctuary. They were all gone but had left behind an echo. One that he heard. "We should pay our respects and get some fresh water," Will uttered as he began to drink from the little stream.

He looked around the room again. He could make out a faint ledge that was long. Perhaps for seating. He strode over to it and sat then looked at the wall opposite. "It was a school," he said. "A secret school."

Tuck agreed, "Yeah, the pagans were rounded up and slaughtered by people who supposedly knew better. They would have had to teach their rites in secret."

Layne and John looked around with their torches. They followed the stream and saw that it went deeper into the cave. They went upstream and found a small opening where the water was coming in from.

John waded into the stream and looked out the opening. "This was a means of escape," he said.

Will and Tuck headed back up through the hole. Will got the book with the design on the cover and looked through it again. "It's in code," he said to Tuck.

"What do you mean?" Tuck asked.

"It's in an old language in code. See here?" Will showed the book to Tuck and showed him the words Beltain and Samhain.

"Can you read it?" Tuck asked excitedly.

"I can but I wouldn't know what I'm saying," Will said.

John and Layne came back up and closed the hole back over with the stone. John wasn't surprised to learn that Will had figured out how to read the book. Will didn't surprise him much with that brain of his.

Later that night, Will began reading the book aloud to Tuck. Tuck wrote down what Will said but he translated it so that Will could read it again and know what it was. After a couple hours, they finished.

Will made short work of reading the translation. It spoke of animal totems and Will silently noted the wolf and fox. Both of them were intelligent and cunning. The wolf, however, was also feared amongst the pagans for it's ability to kill and destroy for the sake of those it loved. In essence, burn everything around it in revenge. The fox on the other hand, was adaptive and was sought out as a teacher. Will made up his mind at that moment.

"We should share our knowledge with the others," he suggested to Tuck.

Tuck looked at him with a smile. "I like that. I think we should begin quickly. Start a new school. Shape new minds and let them see the world the way it really is."

Tuck and Will sat up discussing the school late into the night. John, Layne and Smith retired to the second floor.

The following morning, Will made his way to the top floor. It was a training area with straw filled mats lining the walls and a rack with old weapons. He picked up a sword and began swinging it.

John came up to see what he was up to and saw Will clumsily thrusting the sword about. "It's only partially strength," John said, startling Will. He showed him how to grip the sword and swing.

Will was a quick learner and his muscles memorized movements easily. There was hand to hand techniques that John showed him on that first day. They spent the day running through scenarios of combat. One on one. Two on one. Three or more on one. John explained that the more opponents wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes it meant that they were confusing each other in their attack and this could be exploited and even forced to happen. Feigning a weakness would force them all to attack a single spot giving the defender a point to attack from. Will realized that much of combat was mental and he enjoyed the figuring out of strategies.

As the day came to a close Will's father returned. He had a new horse and a new bow. It looked very fancy, being made out of wood, bone and leather. In the quiver, were seven red arrows. Will knew who they were for.

"Aunt Matilda is going to help us?" Will said.

Thomas crouched to get at eye level of his son, "I have to do this alone. I don't want to chance losing you."

Will understood and offered little protest. He showed his father the sanctuary's underground. The secret school where he and Tuck planned on showing the under-privileged how the world really was. Thomas liked this plan. He liked the idea of spreading knowledge like a plague, a plague that would destroy the machine.

John asked, "How do you plan on dealing with Cornelius?"

Thomas had been thinking about that the whole ride back to the sanctuary. "I'm going to visit a death on him that will make others think twice before choosing a sacrificial lamb out of another farmer."

Thomas relished that thought.

Comics, "Alan Moore", "Captain America", "Robin Hood", "Ivanhoe", "Green Arrow", "Kevin Smith", "Tarzan",

Chapter 10 - The List

2010-08-16T00:01:00.002-04:00

Thomas, Will and John's small group made their way to the hideaway deep in the woods. None of the men could believe their eyes. It was a tree... sort of. There was one large central tree but around it, were a cluster of smaller but still very large trees. The tallest and largest of these trees reached high above the canopy and the men could make out a landing that had been built into the tree's main trunk, about one hundred feet in the air.

Will was the first to note, "These trees must be the first ones of the forest."

John looked down at the boy. His men had been embarrassed by how he had single-handedly dropped both of them with blunt arrows. John saw a brilliance that was rare amongst people and even rarer amongst warriors. They had all been amazed that they followed a map that Will had memorized and when Thomas told John that he did it in seconds, it was all he could do to call his bluff. Here they were though, right at the heart of Sherwood.

"The pagans used this place as sacred ground before they were forgotten," said a voice from above them. Tuck was hidden amongst a weave of branches.

"Friar Tuck?" asked Thomas.

"Just Tuck," said Tuck, "I belong to no church that sequesters knowledge like it's a plague. They purposely breed ignorance to advance their own machinations. You must be the famous Thomas 'The Wolf' Redgrave and young Will. Your sister told me to expect you, though I must admit, I didn't think it would be so soon. The sanctuary is a bit of a mess. I have yet to put away all the books and I fear they clutter much of the tables and... Forgive me men, I am sure you're journey was long, I'll be right down to let you in."

Shortly, Tuck began undoing the many locks on the door which was made of a wheel of granite covered in a wood veneer. As the granite wheel rolled aside, the men could see just how well decorated the interior was. As John and his men stepped in, they were met with the tip of a sword.

"I was expecting two, not more," Tuck stated, "please explain my miscalculations."

Thomas intervened, "I'm sure you've hear of John's work. He was a soldier in the crusade and has recently led the farmers against unfair taxation."

"It's a sin," Tuck said, "taxing without proper representation. Someday, God will send a plague to the lot of inbred nobles and let the meek truly inherit the earth. Until such days," he lowered his sword, "let me educate you on how to survive in a world so unfair as to let John usurp King Richard."

John and his men all gave a blessing for Richard in unison. Tuck noticed. "You served under him?" he asked.

John and his men nodded silently. They look like they lost a friend when he died instead of losing a leader.

Will immediately began perusing the tomes that lay on the table. So much to read. His eyes smiled as they drank in the ornate bindings and calligraphy.

Thomas sat down. He was exhausted. Mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted. Tuck could see his burden. He could see that Will was burdened too but trying to cover it.

"What's the matter?" Tuck asked.

Thomas looked up. The red cowl around his neck framed his face as he did. He looked like a man ravaged by distress. Tuck noticed the famed scar on his face. It looked like the source of it had hurt very badly. Matilda swore to him that she never saw Thomas cry. Not when he faced the bear and not when the bear attacked him. Tuck waited patiently for Thomas to answer. He seemed to be trying to say something without screaming.

"They murdered my family," Thomas said calmly. His coldness was haunting. He said it like a man would say that a wild animal had trespassed in his land and he meant to destroy it.

"Who?" Tuck pried. He knew that sometimes just saying something aloud relieved burden.

"The sheriff by stationing his men at my farm. The knight, Guy, who hadn't the gall to tell the man that held his leash that it was a foolish notion. The coward of a captain that they left in charge of their dogs. All those that relayed the orders. Cornelius, whose small taste of power made him think that he had say over who should live and who should die," Thomas looked at all the men. "The pathetic fool we call a king. They all have my family's blood on their hands."

Tuck was expecting a quick answer, what he got was a list of people that Thomas felt deserved to have their lives shortened for their sins. Tuck didn't disagree. He'd seen the bureaucracy first hand. The man at the top cares little for the many beneath him.

There was a moment as the weight of the moment settled then Tuck rest his hand on Thomas' shoulder. "You'll plot revenge easier if you have a proper nights rest," Tuck said. "There are sleeping quarters above us. Go up and get some sleep. Will can help me put these books away and then when you get up, we can discuss your plans. I can see that you have plans."

Thomas got up slowly. He knew Tuck was right. A fresh mind would have a steady course. He ascended the latter to the upstairs and found a pallet.

He slept for a day. He dreamt of the wolf. It looked at him and said, "When we're done, the nobles will fear the masses again." Thomas pet the wolf. It had been his best friend without ever being real. He knew that the wolf and he were the same just as the fox and Will were the same. They were echoes of a belief system that was dying out. One that Thomas hadn't thought much about.

In the dream, Thomas fell asleep with the wolf keeping watch. When he woke, still in the dream, the wolf was gone. He understood. It meant that the time for peace had passed. He and the wolf were now truly one. The wolf was no more gone than he was.

When Thomas woke up, it was night. The men were all sleeping in the pallets around the upper floor. He noticed that Will wasn't among them. When he went to the first floor, he found Will huddled up next to a candle and reading. He looked up and smiled before putting a marker in the book and putting it down.

"They'll be looking for us," Will told his father, "They'll have the Redgrave name on everyone's ears. I was thinking I should go by another name if we have dealings in town."

Thomas looked at his son curiously. He thought so many steps ahead that it sometimes puzzled Thomas.

"Will Scarlet," Will said. "I have red hair and our cowls are red, it seemed fitting."

"It does," Thomas admitted. He would never change his own name. He wanted them to find him but he knew that the alias was a brilliant disguise for Will. "I have to see your aunt. I have to tell her what happened. Will you be okay here?"

Will nodded his head. "I want to read all of these," he said happily. "Tell Aunt Matty that I love her."

Thomas left the sanctuary and took one of the horses from the wagon. It would be a slow and painful trek because the horse had no saddle and it wasn't meant for riding but it was better than trying to foot it across the distance that he had to go.

Over trail, Thomas found the ride stimulating. He hadn't ridden horseback much but knew that the skill took some honing. The scenery passed faster without the wagon and he could feel the horses movements which he had taken for granted before. He'd taken so much for granted.

He arrived at the town with seven people set in his mind. It was morning and the craftsmen were just beginning to open their little shops. He found the bowyer and fletcher. When Thomas entered their dimly lit shop, he pulled the hood of his red cowl up. He didn't do it for the sake of his own identity so much as to give the men plausible deniability. They could just say a hooded man as opposed to the severely scarred man.

Each man ran his side of the shop separately. Thomas approached the fletcher. There were many arrows prepared but most were made for hunting small game.

"I need shafts," Thomas said. "I'm hunting bear."

Both men stopped what they were doing and looked at Thomas.

The fletcher was first to say what was obvious, "hunting bear in the King's woods is illegal unless you hunt for the sheriff and you don't look like the castle's hunter."

Thomas took a gold piece from his purse. He tossed it onto the bench that made for a small counter in the shop. The fletcher looked at it wide eyed before picking it up. He bit it and looked at the bowyer, nodding his head to signal the piece's authenticity.

"I need seven, thick shaft for big game," Thomas said calmly. "I need heads on them broad enough to take down the biggest stag in the Sherwood. Also, I'd like them painted red." Thomas thought about how the nobles deserved to at least be killed with exquisite pageantry.

He looked to the bowyer who now seemed eager to attend to him. "I need a new bow." Thomas hated to admit it but his longbow had seen better days. It's flex hadn't been as stiff as he'd want.

The bowyer said, "perhaps one of the new bows made out of different materials that I've been making. They seem to be popular with the sheriff's men."

"How much?" Thomas asked.

Clearing his throat, the bowyer thought about the gold piece in the fletcher's hand. "It'll cost more than the arrows."

Thomas took out two gold and tossed them to him. "We can't make change for this amount of coin," the fletcher said.

As Thomas left he said, "I never asked for change."

Thomas took the hood down as he made his way around the town. His sister was at the castle but he couldn't see her until their appointed day. He then thought about the servants that delivered goods to the castle. They had to have a way in. One that wasn't used by the nobles.

Circling the castle, Thomas found a door toward the back that was covered by foliage. He waited near, under the cover of bushes that were a short distance from the door.

He waited hours.

The sun was high in the sky when the door finally opened. Two women came carrying out a rug to beat. Thomas made a dash for the door quietly as they walked away, struggling with the over-sized and gaudy floor covering.

Thomas crept into the small corridor and meandered the labyrinthine passageways. He was getting hungry so he followed his nose to the kitchen. He watched the kitchen from a darkened hall and when it was clear, he ran in and grabbed a loaf of bread. He tore it and dipped it into a pot that was still cooking and ate it. He worried that someone might come in and recognize him for his scar so he pulled his hood up and finished his meal. He realized that it would be easier to move about if he were carrying something so he picked up a basket full of fresh vegetables and began walking the halls.

He figured that the living quarters would be the furthest away from where the day to day activity would be done so he immediately went up any steps he found until he came to a long hall. A smell filled the hall. It was flowery. A lady's perfume.

Thomas followed his nose again, this time to the source of the sweet smell. The door was made of thick oak and Thomas could hear his sister's voice on the other side. He was this close but he couldn't just knock.

He also couldn't just wait around outside the door with a basket of vegetables like a fool.

Suddenly, Thomas could hear the footfalls of someone coming down the hall. He counted on the nobles not looking at the help so he walked toward the sound with his head down. Guy walked past him, unassuming, and knocked on the door. Thomas ducked into the recess of another door to another room to listen. Guy was getting the nobles together for a feast with the king.

The king was here. Now. Thomas thought it over. His revenge would be best if he drew it out slow.

Thomas waited as Guy and Lady de Lacy walked past the darkened recess. He then walked around to the door and opened it. His sister stood with her back to the door, she was tidying up the lady's chambers.

"Matty," Thomas said quietly.

She spun. "Thomas?" she said, shocked, "What are you doing up here? If they catch you, you'll dangle at the end of a rope."

"No worse than what they've already done," Thomas said. "Mum, Mary and her brothers are all dead."

Matilda couldn't believe her ears. Winded, she sat on the lady's bed as Thomas explained it all to her. His hands shook with anger whenever he thought of any of the nobles. He told her about the sanctuary in the woods with Tuck and John, Layne and Smith.

She snuck him to another place where she kept money hidden. It was near the castle's stables. Matilda gave him two more gold.

"I have a list of people I need information on," Thomas said flatly. "I need to know when they'll be in Nottingham. I'll need to know what they like to do. I'll need to know, who they are closest to."

He told her the list, omitting Cornelius. She wouldn't be able to find information about him and besides, Thomas thought it would be fun to hunt him like wild rabbit.

Thomas began eyeing the horses. They looked much faster than the one he rode in on. She told him that she would get as much info as she could. She would send it to the tavern in the town. It would be in code. She had a book that Tuck had a copy of. It was a historical text about the Scottish isles.

"You be careful," she demanded. She'd been crying lightly. Matilda knew that if she returned to service while in this mood, she'd be questioned or disciplined. She kept a level head. "You be careful but make them all pay."

She thought about Guy. He was somewhat repulsive now.

They parted company and Thomas slipped out of the stable. He had noted the insides of the castle if he needed to use them again. He took his horse to the public stable and asked if they would buy it. They paid him two silver.

That night he slept under the stars in foliage just off the road.

When morning came he returned to the fletcher and bowyer. He put his hood up when he entered. The fletcher had finished the arrows and took great pride in how true they were.

"Best seven arrows I've ever made," he said. "Like the hand of our Lord guided me."

Thomas noted the arrows. They were very exquisite.

The bowyer had, that morning, stopped by one of his manufacturers and picked out the nicest composite bow he had. He had gone the extra step of painting red trim on the tips and belly of the bow.

"May your aim hold true," the bowyer said. They gave him a quiver and sheath for his items and Thomas bought another twenty blunt tipped arrows.

Before he left, he thanked the men. He made his way back to the stables of the castle and found one horse that had caught his eye the day before. He saddled it and grabbed a bag of oats and put it in the saddle bags. He walked the horse out and as he did, the stable hand came around the corner.

"Where are you going with the captain's steed?" he asked.

Thomas kept his head low. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the man's jaw. The punch was sudden and the crunch was the only evidence that it had happened. Teeth hit the dirt before the man did. Thomas noted his riding gloves and stole them. He mounted the horse and waited until he was on the town's edge before he kicked it into high speed, galloping across the road to Sherwood.

Now, he headed for sanctuary.

Comics, "Alan Moore", "Captain America", "Robin Hood", "Ivanhoe", "Green Arrow", "Kevin Smith", "Tarzan",

Chapter 9 - Broken and Bloodied

2010-08-09T00:01:00.009-04:00

His farm was on fire!

Thomas couldn't believe his eyes. Nor could Will. Both looked on in horror as they came closer to the farm. The heat was overwhelming.

As they came to the edge of the farm, they could see that the cottage was burnt down to embers. The stones that made up the walls had collapsed. Thomas and his son stepped down from the wagon. He broke into a run toward the front of the mass that used to be his home but he knew it was too little too late. Will screamed and cried behind him.

Thomas looked at the rubble. There seemed to be extra stuff in front of the front wall. A barricade. Whoever torched it had barricaded the front to trap his family inside.

His family...

Thomas dropped to his knees. His family was gone. His mother and wife. His unborn child. Gone. All gone along with his extended family and he wasn't here for them. Tears wet his cheeks. Will came over and hugged him and pulled him back from the heat of the fire.

They went back to the wagon. Everything they owned was now here. Thomas set Will on the wagon and took a moment to think. As he did, he could see that the farm was cluttered with dead. Soldiers mainly. It looked as if the farmers overran the men that were stationed here.

He looked around. There weren't as many soldiers as there were when he left. He got into the wagon and headed north and was met with more burning farms. He kept thinking to himself that this wasn't supposed to happen. This wasn't what the soldiers were sent here to do.

Thomas didn't know where to turn. His life was gone, all but Will. A thought kept going through his head, "Why did they have to pick my farm?"

Thomas turned the wagon around and headed back toward the middle of Loxley.

"What are we gonna do, papa?" Will asked, his voice wavered and tears still ran down his cheeks.

"We'll stable the horses," he said, "they've been worked hard. We'll find a place to stay until morning and then we'll go back up to see aunt Matilda."

As they passed back by their burning farm, rain began to fall. There was a scurrying sound in the brush next to the road and Thomas stopped the wagon. He pulled his bow and notched an arrow then aimed it at the noise.

"Come out, slowly," he said.

There was a brief pause and then Captain Teague stepped into the road.

"I advise you to point that elsewhere," Captain Teague demanded.

Thomas thought about taking out his eye with the blunt tip. His armor guarded the most vital portions of his body so a blunt tip wouldn't do much harm. He relaxed the bow. He didn't know how he felt about killing the coward.

"I'll need a ride to the castle, you're son can hop into the bed of the wagon," Captain Teague said as he started to climb up into the seat.

"No," Thomas said calmly as he punched him square in the jaw. He climbed down off the wagon and continued his assault. "Why didn't you protect my family?" He asked as he kicked the captain in the side. He bent down and got in his face. "You bring your war here and you do nothing to save the innocent. You're a coward." He punched the captain in the face repeatedly.

Will pleaded with his father, "papa, no! They'll take you from me too!"

Thomas final punch knocked the captain out cold. He dragged him back into the brush and climbed up into the wagon. He began devising a plan. He saw the big picture now. Much like he saw a moment's weakness and exploited it, he saw the kingdom for its weaknesses and knew what had to be done. A message had to be sent.

For too long his family was oppressed and taken advantage of. First the heavy taxes, then the occupation of his cottage and finally the destruction of everything he loved.

Will could see the fire still but it no longer burned in the fields as brightly as it burned in his father. Will could see that they had released something that was always there. A force that tried so vainly to bury itself and live a life that wasn't its nature. The wolf had been released and it wanted blood.

Thomas deviated from the road that led to the inner village and instead headed into Sherwood. He traveled for an hour before stopping and giving the horses and Will a break. They came to a small ravine that winded through the woods.

There they bedded down for the night, Thomas sleeping under the wagon and Will in it. He hadn't said anything to Will the entire time. Will knew it was because he was planning. He knew that given the right amount of time, his father could devise a way out of any situation.

That night, both dreamt. Thomas of the wolf. They had found the bears den and the bears would come and go without fear. Thomas and the wolf would wait for each one to be alone and unassuming, then strike with a vicious that seemed to echo throughout the woods. Thomas and the wolf reveled in the chaos that ensued the other bears. They didn't move quite so proudly.

Will's dream was of the fox. He and the fox hid amongst a pile of books. They watched from afar as a wolf destroyed a bear den. The red wolf would bring them scraps of meat to eat and books but the wolf constantly returned to the bears' den, driving them into a sort of anarchy.

When dawn came, Thomas and Will were awakened by someone moving about the woods. Will notched an arrow and aimed at the source. Thomas grabbed the knife and positioned himself by a large tree, with his back to it.

John, Layne and Smith stepped out near the ravine and Thomas grabbed him by the collar and thrust him into the tree. "They killed my family," Thomas shouted through clenched teeth at John and Layne tried to pull him off. The blunt tip of an arrow bounced off of Layne's skull. The force was just hard enough that he dropped like a sack of oats. "I know you led them," Thomas accused, "I know they looked up to you."

John couldn't breathe. Smith objected, "It was Cornelius." Thomas looked toward Smith, giving John the opportunity he had wanted. He grabbed Thomas' arm and lifted him by the collar with his other arm. He thrust and Thomas landed in the shallow water. John grabbed a fallen branch and Thomas threw the knife, the tip of which John caught in the branch. Thomas stood up and ran at him, he had thought that John was slow but the ability to catch a blade with a branch proved otherwise. Smith tried to intervene but a blunt arrow bounced off of his skull as well and he fell backward onto Layne.

As Thomas lunged, John tried to grab his collar. Thomas had counted on this and as John's grip tightened around the material, Thomas dropped. His hooded cowl came off in John's hands and Thomas repositioned behind him, gripped him by the waste and lifted the heavy man. He turned his body and fell, cracking John's head into the tree.

Hours had passed and John woke to find Thomas standing over him with his hand out, offering it to help him up. "Smith and Layne explained about Cornelius," he said. He offered no apology only his hand.

John gripped his and and got up. He looked around. The men were all eating rabbit that Will had hunted.

"I'm sorry," John offered. "After they burned down all the farms they set us free, thinking that we would be too afraid of being implicated to go to the king with our information. That's where we were headed."

Thomas shook his head. "No," he said calmly. "Cornelius is mine. So's every man that aided in allowing the soldiers to be placed on my farm."

John didn't understand. Why spare him? Why not kill him like he planned on killing everyone else? Thomas could read the question on his face. "Simply put," Thomas said, "you're a good man who only wanted something better for his people. You'll have to live the rest of your life knowing that my family died as a direct result. You never asked for the nobles to put people on my farm nor did you have a hand in the razing of my life."

John asked, "Where are you going to go to?"

"Will and I know of a hidden place," Thomas said, "you should come, too. You'll be sought after by everyone. I'm leaving Will there and I'm going Nottingham castle to see Matilda. I have to let her know what happened and see if she can help me."

"Help you what?" John asked.

"Kill'em all," Thomas said flatly.

Later that evening, a group of men found Captain Teague. He'd crawled up to the side of the road but couldn't go further due to broken ribs. They carried him back to the castle after searching the burnt out remains of the farm.

Once at the castle, Guy came to see him.

"What happened?" Guy asked.

"Those cursed farmers," the captain started, "they started torching the empty tents and overwhelmed my men. They barricaded the Redgrave family in and set fire to it."

Guy looked at the captain down his nose, "What did you do the whole time?"

"What could I have done? They outnumbered me."

"You could have stood your ground!" Guy accused.

The captain looked at him coldly, "There was no ground to stand on, besides, they were just farmers killing farmers. Wait a month and they'll be replaced."

Guy knew it was no use. The captain wouldn't have risked his life for serfs. "Who did this to you?" Guy asked.

The captain thought for a moment then answered, "It was a group of men led by that Thomas Redgrave. He did this to me."

Guy could see that it was an apparent lie but he didn't call him on it. What did it matter if it was one man or a hundred.

"Where did he go?" Guy asked.

"How should I know?" the captain answered, "Where do pathetic people come from and that's probably where they all go to."

Guy left the infirmary and reported the news to Sheriff de Lacy.

"Put a reward out for this... Thomas Redgrave." the sheriff ordered.

"Why?" Guy asked. Guy had figured that the attack on the captain was in retaliation of losing his farm.

Sheriff de Lacy looked at Guy, "Because he's obviously the ring leader of all these farmers. Because I said so. Because he made one of your men look like a fool. Pick one! Pick them all! Just do as you're told!"

Guy excused himself and sent a group of men to look for Thomas. He plans on leading the search himself.

As he mounted, his page brought him a bearskin cloak and draped it over his shoulders.

Comics, "Alan Moore", "Captain America", "Robin Hood", "Ivanhoe", "Green Arrow", "Kevin Smith", "Tarzan",

Chapter 8 - The Black Column

2010-08-02T00:01:00.002-04:00

Thomas and Will had to leave later in the day than usual to visit Matilda. They had been hunting together as a means of discussing the dreams. Thomas wanted Will's thoughts on what they meant. On this day, they had to hunt early and then leave so that the other's had fresh meat. Thomas thought that Will had the same gift of breaking down a moment like he had. The journey up to see Matilda was filled with them speculating on the meaning of the dreams.

Thomas knew that they held special meaning but it was Will that postulated, "maybe I'm the fox and you're the wolf?"

"Like, how?" Thomas asked. He noticed that Will had meticulously pulled the hood of his cowl so that it matched his father's.

"Mum says that her people believe that animals are guides in dreams," Will started. "What if it's us in the dreams? You are fearless, papa. Everyone knows that. They even call you the wolf."

Thomas thought about it. "You are very much like a fox, Will," he said. Thomas had witnessed his cunning ability when he deteriorated Sir Guy's questions about how he had gotten the book, into a make-believe scenario which credited a wily fox as the source of the book. Guy blew it off as a kid making up stories but Thomas saw the gears working. He knew that Will knew that Guy would blow it off. "Guy's a simpleton," Thomas let out, suddenly.

Will broke out into laughter. "Yeah," he giggled, "He isn't too smart."

They sung their song about the wolf and the fox. This time it took on a different meaning since they now believed the animals were merely representations of themselves.

They arrived at Castle Nottingham in the late afternoon. Matilda ran over to where they waited for her.

"Hello, Matty," Thomas said pleasantly.

Will ran up and hugged her, as usual. He liked that she smelled like flowers.

She had arranged for them to have a nice dinner and during the dinner she brought up the kings men occupying the family farm. "It came down from the king himself," she stated. "He gave his permission for them to use a farm in that area. It just happened to be yours."

Thomas wondered, "how did you find this out?"

She looked around, after Tuck had been removed from the abbey for distributing the property of the king, she had lost some sense of security. "They think that all maidens are just dumb, peasant girls," she said, "they let me into areas where reading and listening can get you all sorts of information. Even the lady has loose lips around her help."

Thomas realized that it didn't change the situation on the farm, just made it more apparent that they'd have to wait it all out.

Will, on the other hand, had noticed something, "If just one of those guys had said no or didn't follow orders, we would be working on the farm right now."

Thomas looked at Will. "What do you mean?"

Matilda explained it. Will and her had read about the chain of command and the use of messengers. All those gears working in tandem. If just one had delayed or didn't deliver their orders or just outright thought it was unfair or a bad idea and didn't come through, the machine would have fallen flat.

"How many people were involved in deciding that our farm was up for use?" Thomas asked.

Matilda took a moment then started at the top, "Well, first the king deems it okay and he sends his messenger to Sheriff de Lacy. Then the sheriff informed Sir Guy who in turn had his page deliver the order to Captain Teague. Six. Six people could have said no."

"But none of them after the king wouldn't," Thomas speculated, "they value might and think that that makes them right. They could have negotiated with the farmers but they would have felt like they were losing face."

Will added, "that would have meant certain death to any of them for treason."

Thomas looked over at Will, "you sure know an awful lot about this stuff."

Will smiled, "the book that they took back was about the royal history."

Matilda jumped. Will's mention of the book reminded her about something. "Tuck said that if you should want to read more," she started, "you should go here. He says it used to be a big old tree but a long time ago someone hollowed out the base and made it a home. It's not big but he has a handful of books he keeps there in secret."

She gave them a map. It lacked a proper drawing and instead listed markers to look for. Will looked at it once and then tore it up.

"What are you doing?" Matilda and Thomas both said in unison.

Will, with absolute precision, recited the contents of the map.

Matilda and Thomas looked at each other in shock. Neither of them knew he could do that.

Will smiled. "Is it really that surprising?" he asked.

Neither of them answered.

The sun was beginning to set and the ride home was long. They said goodbye to Matilda and climbed back into the wagon. Matilda noticed that it hadn't had any work done to it.

"I told you to get that old thing fixed," she groaned.

"If I came back to the farm suddenly, with a better wagon, the captain would want to know where I got the coin to do it," Thomas argued.

"So you left a bag of coins there for him to find?" she asked.

"No," Thomas said as he lifted the seat he was getting ready to sit on. Underneath was the bag of coins.

Matilda shook her head at the ingenious hiding place.

Will lifted his side and there was a knife and spare arrows.

Thomas and Will set off north. They immediately noticed a black column of smoke rising high into the dusky sky.

"Must be a big bonfire, papa," Will said.

"Yeah," Thomas agreed.

As the sun went down, they could see the horizon glowing just a bit, from the direction of the fire.

From the direction of their home.

Comics, "Alan Moore", "Captain America", "Robin Hood", "Ivanhoe", "Green Arrow", "Kevin Smith", "Tarzan",

Chapter 7 - A Perfect Storm

2010-07-26T00:01:00.003-04:00

John was a full head and a half taller than the other men in the tavern. Up until this point, they had all looked up to him and he had led them on several night raids on the occupied farm that lay south of them. What they were talking about tonight, though, made him weary.

It would seem that they too had been eager for a full on battle, much like the soldiers that were stationed on the Redgrave farm. They'd been cautious before but the night raids and addition of equipment had bolstered their bravery. How had John not seen this coming, he kept asking himself.

Cornelius had been one of the first to suggest burning down the farm. "We have to show them that we will do whatever it takes to be heard and treated fairly," his call to arms sounded rehearsed.

John and two other men knew that an outright conflict would result in the death of many of their own men and innocent people that have no choice but to be caught in the middle of it all.

"What your suggesting is murder," John decreed, "plain and simple."

Cornelius leaned against the bar and looked down at John where he sat. "For a man who's seen battle in the crusades," Cornelius taunted, "you seem awfully like a coward."

John hated that word. Coward. He hated a man like Cornelius calling someone a coward even more. He'd second guess the attack if he'd seen the blood and carnage John had. John fought the urge to take back the leadership by force but it wasn't his intention to lead a mob, only demand some basic rights.

He looked over at Smith, who'd gripped his cup tighter in an attempt to hold back a full on attack. John put his hand on his forearm to calm him. Layne sat patiently. On a word, he'd gut Cornelius and anyone else that stood in his way, if John so requested. He knew John had learned the quality of peace and words. They had all three seen combat but John had lost men and when you lose men, you sometimes lose the taste for blood.

John stood up. He smiled at Cornelius, "It's been my experience, that cowards are the first to call someone else a coward." John motioned to his men. "You want to die so damned bad, I won't stop you. Those raids were supposed to destabilize the soldiers but the sheriff will just keep sending them supplies until he's decided it's too expensive and then send the king's army down our throats. He won't stop with just killing us, he'll make an example out of our families." He turned to the rest of the group and raised his voice, "Go ahead and sign those death warrants for your wives and children because that's what'll come in your homes, should you open this door."

John and his men left the tavern. They each went back to their respected homes and gathered their belongings. They planned on leaving their lives behind and finding another place to carve out a living.

It wouldn't go as planned.

Cornelius had whipped the mob into a frenzy. "John's lost his drive to see this through," Cornelius had said. "We all knew that it would lead to this but he lied to himself. He thought that a few night raids and the kings men would turn tail and run. The king's men? They would blindly follow that fool to hell. Which is where we should send them. If we burn down that camp and every farm between here and there, we'll show them that we mean to be taken seriously. We'll damage their food supplies and morale. We can do this. I know it!"

It was Cornelius that was lying to himself. He believed that some untrained farmers could stand up to the might of a king who was already coming under fire from outside his kingdom. King John would demand respect from his subjects if it meant making an example of these few farmers that had gotten a taste for rebellious endeavor.

It mattered little to the angry mob of men. Now they wanted blood. On top of this, they feared that John might turn sides and they broke off into three groups to capture John and his two cohorts.

Several hours later and an overpowered John and his friends found themselves tied to wooden chairs and locked inside a stable. They had subdued him, like many cowards would, by coming to him, pretending that they needed him to come back and talk sense into Cornelius and then hitting him from behind. Waking up tied to a chair seemed preferable to being their first victim.

Layne had tried to wake him but they had knocked him out good. "They're going tonight. They are going to burn the Redgrave farm to the ground." John had just traded goods with Thomas. He knew that Thomas was an honest man trying to not be the squeaky wheel. He had even said that he didn't mind the high taxation so long as they let him work his land. John felt guilty. He strained against the heavy hemp ropes but he was too tired to make any headway.

"I've condemned a family," John said. "I've condemned a good man."

Smith had tried, without success, to reach his boot knife. The three of them had fought in foreign wars and seen a lot of chaos and now, they sat here, helpless.

They were beginning to smell smoke.

Meanwhile, while John had listened to Cornelius' rant, plans were changing at Castle Nottingham. The king was making his rounds and Sheriff de Lacy wanted to make sure things were perfect. He had sent word to have Sir Guy brought to his ready room.

When Guy appeared, he seemed to be in good spirits. The sheriff had heard the rumor about Guy consorting with the help. He wasn't the first to do so but he was the first to do it without trying to hide it.

"I see that you've been keeping yourself busy while you're here," de Lacy said teasingly. "Make sure she understands that she'll never be nobility and that you're only using her for her skills with sheets so she doesn't get the hopes of hand maidens everywhere up. They may all believe that some knight will come and magically make them better stock."

Guy hated the sheriff for saying things like that. Marian wasn't like anyone else.

"Now it's down to business," de Lacy continued. The king will be arriving in a week. I've sent word to bring in all but twenty of the men from the Redgrave farm. We will need them here. I want you to coordinate a rotation and a presentation of the men's ability."

Guy realized this would leave the Redgrave farm susceptible. "What about the uprising?" he asked.

De Lacy looked at Guy incredulously, "what harm can some farmers do? Besides, that's not your concern. Your concern is what I tell you."

Guy realized that he had to be careful. He'd questioned the sheriff's authority once too often and had overstepped his station. He'd been warned on more than one occasion.

"I'll begin exercises immediately," Guy said. "Is there anything else, Sir?"

De Lacy paused, "the wench, Marian, is it? How is she?"

Guy furrowed his eyebrows. "How do you mean?" he asked.

"With the sheets? I mean, within the sheets?"

"I wouldn't know, Sir," Guy answered.

De Lacy smiled, "You're dismissed."

Guy left the ready room. As he passed a window he saw Marian hurrying across the lawn of the courtyard. He knew she was on her way to visit her family. He thought for a moment of going down and introducing himself but he had too much to prepare for and also didn't want to bring anymore attention to his relationship with the Maid Marian.

As she ran across the lawn he thought she seemed so eager to see her family.

Comics, "Alan Moore", "Captain America", "Robin Hood", "Ivanhoe", "Green Arrow", "Kevin Smith", "Tarzan",

Chapter 6 - Amongst Devils

2010-07-19T00:01:00.029-04:00

Every morning, Thomas woke to the sound of Captain Teague passing through the cramped room of their side of the cottage to help himself to any leftovers by the hearth. He cared little that the Redgraves' were meager people that made it day to day on the sweat and blood that Thomas proudly payed along with Mary's brothers in the fields.

Beltain had come and gone and the soldiers hadn't seemed to have budged from their position on Thomas' fields. They had had several clashes with the farmers from the north. It mainly happened at night with small bands of angry serfs raiding the camp, causing there to be even more guards posted at night.

Thomas had been able to re-dig a small area where he grew a garden that was large enough to support his family. Captain Teague had liked the aroma of the cooking so much though, that they eventually had to include him in the plan for meals. This made it easy for Thomas to bring back enough rabbit to feed everyone. Mary noticed that he seemed to bring in enough rabbit easily.

"Your father never hunted with you when you would bring us what you caught, did he?" she asked.

"My father worked hard in the fields all day during the spring and summer. I felt terrible taking the small respite that winter offered to him," Thomas admitted. "I often hunted alone and was lucky enough to have killed enough to feed us all."

Mary hugged him. "You still do it today," she said, "that means it's not luck. I've seen you examine a moment and do it instantly. You've looked at all the possibilities and found the best course faster than most people can react to a question. Sometimes it scares me."

She didn't fear Thomas but she did fear his ability to dismantle a situation into its key components and figure out the weakest point and the strongest. Cold contemplation of situations like they were puzzles to be figured out. He sized up many situations instantly and she often wondered if he sized her up.

"Why are you scared?" he asked.

She waited a moment, wanting to put it into the right words so that he didn't take offense. "Do you ever do that with me?"

"All the time," he admitted. "I wouldn't have married you if I hadn't. None of the other possibilities of my life made me happy."

She smiled and Will came running in from outside. "There's a fight among the soldiers!" he shouted to his family.

Thomas and the captain went out to see what was going on. Thomas knew what it was. The men were soldiers and they were itching for a fight. He didn't blame them, he knew what it felt like to want something so bad but not be able to act on it. Like working his farm was to him.

Two of the men slugged it out over between the camp and Thomas' garden. He feared that it would be kicked asunder if they weren't careful.

Captain Teague called out, "I demand you both to stop." They either didn't hear him or chose not to.

Thomas didn't care either way. He simply didn't want them to destroy the tiny bit of land he'd been able to work and they were getting dangerously close. He grabbed a hoe from his small shed and ran over to the garden just as one man threw the other towards it. Thomas braced himself with the hoe and blocked the man before he trampled his hard work.

The captain just looked on. He wondered how his men would react to a farmer getting in their way.

The soldier that Thomas caught spun and swung wildly at him. Thomas backed up and said calmly, "Just stay off of my garden."

Without notice, the other threw a punch but Thomas had expected as much. Just like he had made his need to work the land come into fruition by making a little garden, these men intended to make their need for battle into a fight. Thomas blocked the first punch but the other soldier lunged at him, knocking him off of his feet. Thomas rolled and, still holding the hoe in his hands, pinned it under the chin of his assaulter.

Thomas could hear the heavy footfalls of the man running up on him so he rolled off of the first man and brought the hoe's flat end square with the chest of the man that ran at him. He pressed the handle end of the farm implement into the earth and the resulting thrust forced the man into a kind of vault over the other. The sound of ribs snapped as his full weight hit the iron end of the hoe could be heard just barely over the noise of air suddenly leaving his lungs. Thomas took the spectacle's sudden surprise and distraction as an opening to sucker punch the man that was already on the ground. His nose crunched under Thomas' heavy fist but before a second blow could be landed, men pulled the two apart.

"How dare you strike one of the king's men!" Captain Teague barked.

"I was only protecting the garden. My family eats from that garden. As do you," Thomas' argument was simple and to the point and played on the Captain's own gluttonous desires.

The captain redirected his anger. He realized that if he punished Thomas, there would be no fresh rabbit or vegetables so he instead scolded his men for acting unbecoming of a proper soldier.

Thomas knew this was the start of a time that would be thick with animosity but he figured that if the captain knew that he wasn't afraid of his men, it gave him very little else to threaten him with.

It had been a couple of weeks and Thomas was off on one of his hunts. He had bagged two rabbits and a bird. He had taken a moment to enjoy the cool air that seemed to permeate the wood, resting at the base of a large tree. His eyes closed for a moment and a nap overcame him.

He and the wolf were coming to the opening of the wolf's den and noticed that something had torn it open. A bear came tearing out, it's maul wet and matted with fresh blood. The wolf started to chase it off but turned and ran into the den. Thomas followed. The inside was awash in blood. The den was once so full of life, now it was hard to distinguish between cub and mate. The wolf looked for a sign of life. Any sign of life. It looked up at Thomas and whined, "Why?"

Thomas shook himself awake. He stood and got his bearings then broke into a full run through the heavy growth back toward his farm. The flight back seemed long to him. Longer than usual. When he exited the wood and came into the clearing of his farm, he turned the run into a brisk walk. He didn't want to draw attention from the soldiers.

When he opened the door of his cottage he saw Mary sewing a cowl for Will. She was startled to see Thomas home so early. Thomas looked into the other room, the captain's room, and saw that it was empty.

"He's out with his men," she said. "What's wrong?"

Thomas sat and calmly said, "they've been massacred."

"Who?" Mary said, worry and anxiety thick in her voice.

"The cubs... his mate," a tear ran down his cheek. "In the end, we couldn't stop the bear."

Mary understood. She and Thomas had talked at great length about the wolf in his dreams. She knew about the song he and Will sung about the wolf and the fox. Her family had long believed that such dreams were omens. The animals were a type of totem and Mary understood that both Thomas and Will had dreams that often revolved heavily around these two animals. One, the wolf, known for it's ability to hunt and fearlessness and the other, the fox, known for it's sly and calculating nature.

Thomas wiped the tear from his cheek.

"You couldn't stop the bear from killing the wolf's cubs," Mary started, "doesn't mean you still won't slay it."

Thomas' mother, Muriel, came in from outside. She had been playing with Will. She sensed that the room was tense. "Am I interrupting anything," she said.

"No, mother," Mary said. "Thomas was just relaying his hunting adventures to me."

Muriel took the rabbits and bird from Thomas and began cleaning them.

When Captain Teague came in, he noticed that the women were cooking and Thomas was sitting at the table. Captain Teague sat at the table with Thomas. "We have reason to believe that there may be a conclusion to all this shortly," the captain said. "we've learned that some of the farmers are gathering in number like they are preparing for a big raid. We'll be ready. We plan on stationing a few groups of men a little further north so that there is a buffer zone. More than likely, the show of force will scare them into turning over their leader."

Thomas looked up at him. "Isn't that what this was supposed to be?" he said. "wasn't being here supposed to scare them?"

Teague looked perturbed. Thomas was right but he wouldn't say that out loud. Instead he started with, "if we were dealing with intelligent people, they would have seen what kind of threat we posed. As it is, you farmers aren't smart enough to know when to back down."

Thomas knew the comment was directed at his statement just as much as it was meant to be about the serfs angry over the taxation of their hard work to the north. Thomas relented. To cause a ruckus with the captain would only put his family in peril.

That night, as Thomas tucked in Will, his son grabbed his arm tightly. He seemed troubled. "Papa," he said, it was painfully obvious to Thomas that Will was holding back tears, "the fox is lonely. His family is gone."

Comics, "Alan Moore", "Captain America", "Robin Hood", "Ivanhoe", "Green Arrow", "Kevin Smith", "Tarzan",