The Lady Katherine Chronicles, Number 14

Lady Katherine And The Deadly Game

By Sazzy

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Codes:	uber J/7
Rating :	NC-17
Setting:	May 1192, Nottinghamshire, England
Thanks:	MercyCroft, Jay, Solise and MF for beta reading this for me :)
Disclaimer:	This is a work of fan fiction but uses characters that bear a striking resemblance to those that are copyright of Paramount Pictures.  No infringement on their copyright is intended by the author in any way, shape or form - this is just a bit of fun. This story includes an all female relationship, so if you don’t like that then look away now.

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Lady Katherine picked up the dice from the edge of the ale-stained table and sized up her opponents. Though they probably didn’t know it, each of them was a veritable open book to her – as easy to read as one written on parchment. If you knew where to look, each small eye or hand movement was a dead giveaway of intentions. Her ability to discern their tactics gave her the distinct advantage in the game. It also helped that she’d kept track of each of their throws. They might have considered it cheating in some way if they’d realised, but she merely thought of it as using her capabilities to her best advantage.

The tavern was reasonably busy, even though it was only midday, and Katherine had plenty of time to watch her opponents as the various distractions of a busy inn took their attention away from the gaming table. The latest was a young woman who had just entered from the bright street outside. She was wearing an exceedingly low cut top that displayed her ample assets to best effect. All three of the other players shamelessly ogled her as she crossed to the bar while Katherine just sipped quietly at her drink. She had been careful to make sure the single ale lasted for the entire game, getting drunk was a sure fire way of losing and she didn’t like to lose.

“Are you going to roll or what?”

Slowly, Katherine raised her eyes from her mug, eyeing the man who had spoken over the rim with disdain. His name was Arthur and he had been holding out for two sixes for the last three rounds.

“Yeah, get on with it, darling.”

Katherine favoured the second man with a withering look for the colloquial address. She was most certainly not his darling. She couldn’t imagine he had one at all since he had a bad case of rotten breath. He was in need of a full-farkle to win.

“Come on guys, give the lady a chance.”

The final member of the game was the hardest to read. He was younger than the other two and Katherine couldn’t quite tell if his cocky bravado was all an act or he really was as stupid as he made out. The fact that he still needed a pair of threes and a gamut of twos made her think it was the latter.

Katherine placed her mug down and jiggled the dice in her hand for a second. “Now, now, boys, you should never rush anything important.” She gave the dice one final lucky blow and dispatched them out over the specially rimmed table. The five small pieces of antler bone clattered into the lip and settled at the far end. “I believe that’s farkle to me,” she said nonchalantly as the three men merely stared stupidly at the dice.

Without waiting for confirmation, she picked up her winnings from the side of the table. “It was nice playing with you, maybe we can have another game next time I’m in town?”

Arthur muttered something about being busy. The other two grunted unintelligibly to themselves as they went in search of a consolation drink. Some people could be such bad losers. Katherine started counting her winnings which consisted of a pile of miscellaneous coins. Not that she needed the money, but the game was an interesting diversion, especially since Anne was still asleep upstairs.

Katherine smiled to herself as she thought of the young woman. Anne hadn’t shown the slightest inclination of stirring when Katherine had gotten up and come down to the main room of the inn. That was despite the fact that Katherine had tripped over the clothes discarded across the floor, accidentally clanged Anne’s sword against the bedstead and basically made an almighty racket as she tried to sneak out. Obviously the night’s activities had worn her out. The two of them were certainly having a lot more fun on the trip home from Stratford than they had on the way there or while at the manor house.

They were halfway through their return trip and had decided to treat themselves to a night under a proper roof when they’d reached Leicester. The town was large enough and far enough away from Nottingham or Markham that neither of them was likely to be recognised amongst the crowds. The inn was hardly the lap of luxury, but it was warm and possessed a bed in their room. After several nights sleeping out under the stars that was comfort enough. They hadn’t received a second glance when they’d requested a single room for the pair of them; it was quite common for travellers to share a bed in order to save expense. Not that saving money had been foremost on their minds. Katherine’s smile spread further and she had to take another sip of her drink to cool herself down.

“Would ye be liking another one of those?”

Katherine noted the accent was of Irish origin before she had turned to see who it belonged to. That was revealed to be a sturdy, dark-haired man. He had a rugged face with a smattering of stubble that was broken by a lop-sided smile. She recognised him as the bartender.

“Do you normally provide table service for your customers?”

His smile broadened and she could swear he was trying to wink at her. “Only the pretty ones.”

She held back from rolling her eyes; the flirting was exceedingly unsubtle. She pondered that once upon a time the barkeep might have been what she considered her ‘type’. However, that was before she’d come to the conclusion that her type was actually tall, blond and female.

“In that case I’ll have another ale, please,” she requested, supposing she might as well make some use of having attracted his attention.

He dipped his head and disappeared back to the bar where he was immediately swamped by a dozen other clamouring hands. It looked like she might have to wait a while for her drink after all. Katherine sat down at the table and went back to watching the other clientele, fascinated by their interaction. She rarely got the chance to sit somewhere so anonymously, just blending in with the common people. Needing to remain inconspicuous, she was wearing her plain travelling clothes which consisted of a pale shirt and trousers with a leather jerkin over the top that was secured in place with a thick belt. She didn’t wear any outward weaponry, but had made sure to slip a dagger in her boot; you never could tell who or what you might run into in such a place.

“Would you like another game?”

Katherine looked up to her questioner, finding it was another woman. Not that such a thing was particularly unusual in taverns – the peasant women liked a gamble and a drink as much as the men. However, the women that frequented such establishments tended to be of a certain sort. Katherine supposed even those types of women might like to indulge in the odd alternative form of recreation besides the horizontal kind.

As Katherine looked at the woman more closely she got the distinct impression they had met before, though for the life of her she couldn’t place where. The woman was fairly non-descript, having shortish brown hair and greeny-brown eyes. Katherine dismissed the idea, thinking instead that it was probably just someone back at Markham the woman reminded her of.

Katherine realised the woman was still waiting expectantly for an answer. “Is it just you?” There were three other women lingering and talking amongst themselves.

The first woman spun round to address them. “Oi, Amelia, Janie, Carol! Any of you slappers want to play too?”

It was the oldest one who replied in a raspy voice. “Nah, whore, you go ahead.”

Katherine winced at the colourful language, though she was getting used to it having been in the bar for an hour already.

The first woman turned back to her. “Looks like it’s just me then. The name’s Sasha by the way.”

Katherine saw a hand extended in her direction and reluctantly took it. The woman’s fingers were sweaty and Katherine dreaded to think what else might be mingled in the grimy palm.

Having disentangled herself and made a sneaky wipe of her hand on the thigh of her thick trousers, Katherine picked up the five dice once more. “Is Farkle all right by you?”

“Yes, that’s great.” The woman seemed slightly nervous and Katherine thought it was going to be easy reading her.

That assessment proved accurate as the game progressed. By the time they were halfway through, Katherine was pretty confident she was going to win. The tiny bead of sweat on the other woman’s forehead indicated she had a good idea of the impending outcome too. One of her companions brought a drink over; it was the older one who had spoken before. She stopped to watch the game for a moment before addressing her friend.

“How you doing, whore? Lost your shirt yet? Or should that be your knickers? I know you have trouble holding onto them.”

When Katherine made a small snigger the older woman eyed her suspiciously. Again Katherine got the strangest feeling of having met the woman before and it didn’t seem she was the only one. The woman’s brow creased for a moment and then she turned to the one called Sasha. “Hey, isn’t she that woman from that other tavern…you know the one in Cotgrave?”

The pair of them seemed to have forgotten Katherine was at the table with them, talking in voices that were easily loud enough for her to hear.

“You’ve got some cheek!” cried Sasha, “You implied I was crazy for suggesting that blond we saw at the Markham Spring Fair was one of them. And here we are even further afield and now you’re at it. Anyway, I don’t think it’s her, her hair is too short.”

“Oh, you made a note of it last time did you?”

“I might have done.”

Katherine made a small cough to get their attention. As fascinating as it was hearing a critique of her hairstyle, the game was waiting. She supposed she could have put them out of their misery and confessed she was the woman they were referring to. It was now clear why she’d had the vague sense of having seen them before. It was probably vague because she had been rather drunk at the time.

“It’s your roll,” she reminded Sasha.

The other woman sent the dice flying onto the table. Sasha watched their course expectantly, before letting out a groan when she saw the way they fell. Katherine kept an even expression on her face as she gathered them back up, though she knew it only needed one good roll and the game would be hers. She went through her elongated routine of rolling the dice deliberately around in her hand first. It only served to heighten the look of despair on the other woman’s face. Katherine supposed it was mean of her to prolong the agony, so she finally launched the dice onto the table to complete her farkle and win.

Sasha’s head fell into her hands for a moment before she graciously managed to shake Katherine’s hand and take her leave. Katherine was adding the coins to her existing winnings when she sensed a presence by her side. She didn’t need to look up to know who it was.

“Fleecing the locals are you?”

Katherine grinned as she turned her head up to Anne, just about holding back from the urge to lean in and kiss her. Out of the corner of her eye, Katherine could see Sasha and her friends almost having a fit as they pointed animatedly at Anne and her. It appeared they had finally deduced they might have been right about the tavern in Cotgrave.

Anne studied the table and dice. She picked one up and turned it over in her fingers. Katherine found herself watching the delicate way Anne played with it, reminded all too vividly of other places those fingers had explored the night before.

“Where did you learn to play?” asked Anne, “It’s hardly a game for the aristocracy?”

Katherine fixed her eyes on Anne’s to stop herself staring at the young woman’s hands. “I wouldn’t be so sure – most of them are inveterate gamblers. But it was Nicholas who taught me, last year when I was at the outlaw camp.”

“Ah, I might have known.” Anne took in the coins in Katherine’s hand. “It appears he taught you a little too well. I expect he was hoping to be the one conning you out of some money.”

Katherine had to smile again as she recalled those games with the jovial outlaw. “In the end he refused to play with me.”

Anne chuckled at the revelation and again Katherine had the strongest desire to close the distance between them. Yet she knew she couldn’t in such a public place, even if half those present were far too drunk to care. She decided that perhaps they should go back upstairs again and make use of their bed before it was time to leave. Before she could suggest it, someone loomed at her side. For a moment she thought it was the bartender, finally back with her drink, but one look confirmed it was someone else entirely. The man was as tall as the bartender, but where the Irishman’s face was warm and open, this man looked deadly serious.

He gestured to the dice table. “Care to try your hand with someone else?” The man’s voice was gruff and he spoke in a thick Scottish accent that Katherine had trouble understanding.

Something in his demeanour was telling her to say no. “Why not?” Sometimes her mouth was just a bit too quick for her mind.

Anne obviously shared her concern. As the man sorted out his coins, she leant in to whisper to the older woman. “Katherine, I’m not sure this is a good idea – Scotsman are notoriously bad losers, especially when there’s money involved.”

“It’ll be fine. Surely he wouldn’t make a scene with a woman?”

Anne rolled her eyes at the over-confidence. “I think I’ll stay close by, just in case.”

The game started fairly evenly, the Scotsman keeping up with Katherine’s scoring. Katherine realised this game was going to be much more of a challenge, one she found she was relishing. She actually undid the cuffs on her shirt and rolled them up in a show that she was taking this one seriously. She hardly noticed when the bartender eventually did reappear with her drink.

“Sorry it took so long.”

Katherine favoured him with a quick thank you nod, though she didn’t want to take her eyes off her opponent for any length of time.

“When you’ve finished, perhaps we could have a quiet drink somewhere else?”

Katherine caught the tiny derisive snort from Anne at her side. Katherine had the dice in her hand, so she thought it was safe to turn to the bartender to answer. “I’m afraid we’ll be leaving straight after,” she said, indicating Anne with her eyes, “But thank you.”

The bartender gazed at her for a second as if he couldn’t quite comprehend he had been turned down. Then his eyes shifted to Anne. Katherine could see the look the young woman was giving him. It was one that was enough to make grown men turn and flee. Quite possibly with dirtier trousers than they had started with. The realisation on the bartender’s face was plain to see.

“Ah, right,” he was quickly backing away, “Maybe next time then.”

He almost tripped over a table as he continued backwards. Katherine chuckled to herself while Anne whispered in her ear.

“Bloody hell, do men throw themselves at you everywhere we go? I don’t get anywhere near that much attention.”

When Katherine turned her head, Anne was so close she would only have had to move a fraction and their lips would have been together. The temptation was maddening, especially as she could feel each of Anne’s hot breaths fluttering out over her face. “Perhaps it’s something to do with that vibe you give off?” suggested Katherine.

“What vibe?”

“The one that says – ‘come near me and you’ll soon be wearing your balls as a necklace’.”

A loud cough prevented any further comment from either of them. The Scotsman didn’t look particularly amused by the interruption to the game. His thick arms were crossed over his chest and his face was set in a look of annoyance. It seemed Anne wasn’t the only one practised in the art of deathly stares. The impatience of the man only made Katherine want to beat him all the more. A couple of more rounds and she was well on her way to doing that. Katherine could see the Scotsman’s expression darkening with each throw and common sense was telling her that maybe she ought to just deliberately lose the game. However, her pride wouldn’t allow that thought to progress much further.

With a final flourish she won the game. “Farkle!”

The man looked in consternation at the dice then fixed his eyes back on her. “You cheated!”

Katherine picked up the dice to show him they were as they should be. “I assure you I did not.”

He angrily slapped them from her palm, the five small pieces of bone flying across the room and clattering onto the floor. As he made to come towards her Anne was in between them in a flash. Her hands were up to stop the irate man.

“Come on, she won fair and square.”

The sneer was obvious on his face as he looked Anne up and down. “And who the hell are you, her bodyguard?”

Katherine winced internally at the comment. The man had no idea who he was dealing with. Anne managed to restrain herself, though when she spoke, Katherine could hear the deadliness in the tone. “No, just someone who thinks there’s more important things than starting a fight over a game.”

Anne swung briefly round to Katherine. “Let’s get out of here, quick.”

Katherine nodded. “I think you might be right.” She moved round Anne to pick up her coins. “I’ll just take my winnings…”

The Scotsman’s huge hand thumped down over Katherine’s on the table. “Not so fast, cheat!”

Katherine went to retort only to find the man’s other hand slamming right into her face. She staggered backwards, crashing into and upending a table before she hit the floor. Her vision was blurred, but she was dimly aware of Anne punching the man in return. Then all sorts of other people leapt into the fray and it was hard to make out anything.

Katherine carefully crawled across the grubby floor, making her way though the legs of the brawlers to a safe spot near the bar. Once there she propped herself against it and made a quick check of her nose. It made her eyes water, though thankfully the bones appeared to be all in one piece. The bodies were tumbling and crashing round the room thick and fast now, and Katherine blinked a few times as she tried to locate Anne amongst the melee. She spotted the younger woman standing on a table and kicking one of the other fighters in the face. Then she deftly leapt from one tabletop to another before she came thumping down next to Katherine, her boots sending up a cloud of dust.

“Now can we get out of here?” asked Anne, reaching down to help Katherine up. “And don’t you dare mention your winnings!” she added as Katherine made to speak.

They negotiated their way through the battling mass of humanity to the stairs, dodging flying bottles, chairs and other personal items on the way. Katherine was sure she even saw a goat sailing past at one point. She considered that maybe she’d been hit a bit harder than she’d realised. They snuck out the back door and up the steps to the upper level of the inn.

Once they got to the relative safety of their room, Katherine started waggling the bridge of her nose again, just to make sure it wasn’t broken. Meanwhile Anne was already shoving her clothes into a bag in readiness for a hasty getaway. She favoured Katherine with a quick reproachful glance as she poked her tender flesh.

“Can’t we ever go in a tavern and just have a drink?”

Katherine shrugged. “Maybe next time I should stick to chess – it’s much more refined.”

Anne looked doubtful. “I’m sure you could turn that to competitive gambling too, if the way you play against me is anything to go by.”

Katherine frowned slightly – she was sure Anne was exaggerating. She wasn’t that competitive, she just didn’t like losing. After all, she’d only remained in a bad mood for a couple of hours the last time Anne had beaten her at chess. The sound of shouts and breaking wood filtered up through the floorboards and Katherine supposed she ought to start getting her stuff together too. She haphazardly shoved her things into her small bag. Anne was bending over and putting the last of her belongings in her own one. The stance offered a fine view of a shapely backside. As Anne stood, Katherine slipped nearer and wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her close.

Anne could immediately see the seductive look she was receiving from the smaller woman, all big eyes and pouting lips. “You are incorrigible! We’re being chased out of town again and you want to tarry longer?”

Katherine ran a single finger down Anne’s arm. “There’s always time for this…”

Before Anne could raise any more objections, Katherine captured her lips in a full-blooded kiss. Something about the hint of impending danger only added to the thrill. They were still locked together when the door to the room flew open. Katherine broke away, though Anne’s arms still encircled her, hands hovering somewhere about her bottom.

At the door was the irate Scotsman, looking even angrier now he had seen what they were doing. If that wasn’t dangerous enough, he also held a very sharp looking sword.

His eyes swept over Katherine in disgust. “Not only are you a cheat, but you’re a disgusting heretic too!”

Anne finally removed her hands from Katherine’s body, and the older woman could see she was trying to sidle over towards the bed where her sword sat on the covers. Katherine realised it was up to her to try and stall the man.

“This is silly,” she attempted in an amiable voice. She moved forwards to obscure the bed. “How about we go back downstairs and talk about this over a drink?”

“I don’t want a drink with you, scum!”

Luckily Anne had reached her target and the noise of a sword being drawn sounded out in the small room. She stepped round Katherine and held the weapon out towards him. “Then I guess we have a problem.”

The stand-off lasted only a moment before the sound of more footfalls came from the corridor, preceding the appearance of three other men at the door, all also holding weapons of varying degrees of deadliness.

“No,” said the original Scotsman, looking rather smug now, “I would say you have the problem.”

Katherine quickly weighed up the situation - Anne versus four large, but slightly drunk men. She thought the odds were probably slightly in Anne’s favour. However, the enclosed space could make things awkward. There was also the possibility that the Scotsman had more friends just waiting to join in any fight. Considering all that, staying and fighting wasn’t really a viable option and the window behind them looked a much better bet.

Katherine snatched up her bag and managed to catch Anne’s eye in the process. The young woman obviously understood what she was intending from the brief look and gave a tiny nod as she kept her sword outstretched until the last moment.

Katherine addressed the four men as she started to back up. “I would say it’s been a pleasure gentlemen, but I don’t like to lie.”

They were still stupidly trying to decipher her meaning as she turned and ran for the window. Anne was immediately behind her and Katherine vaulted straight through the opening into the fresh air. The short fall was broken by a pile of rotting vegetables. It wasn’t the most fragrant of landings, but at least it was soft. Luckily Katherine had sized up all exit routes as soon as they’d got to the tavern, knowing their propensity for getting into trouble.

Their pursuers appeared at the window, seemingly unsure whether to follow. That gave Katherine and Anne plenty of time to sprint round to the stables, retrieve Delta and make good their escape. The horse sped down the road out of town with Anne holding tight to Katherine as she swerved in and out of the pedestrians.

Anne’s head rested on Katherine’s shoulder, so she could speak into her right ear. “It looks like we can add that tavern to the ever-growing list of ones we’re not welcome in anymore.”

Katherine made a shrug as she steered Delta around a particularly slow woman dragging a reticent cow along. “Oh, well, I wasn’t that keen on it anyway,” said Katherine, “The bar staff were a touch too smarmy for my liking.”

“You’re not tempted by the thought of a dalliance with an Irishman then?”

“God no, I’ve met a few before and they always want you to play with their rings, whatever the hell that means.”

Anne made a small choking noise and Katherine glanced back at her. “What?”

“Never mind. It’s probably best you didn’t accept.”

Katherine frowned, but decided she really didn’t want to know since it was obviously something dirty. Instead she focussed on the way ahead to guide them out onto the road north. Once out of the confines of the town, the countryside opened out into a patchwork of fields which subsequently gave way to more open ground and clumps of woodland. There were a few other carts and horses dotted along the trail and Anne waited until they were on a stretch alone before she leant forward to speak again.

“Can we stop now?”

“Something you need to do?”

“Something we both need to do!” Katherine regarded her quizzically until she elaborated. “In case you hadn’t noticed we both smell worse than Nicholas’ week old stew after rolling around in those stinking vegetables.”

Katherine made a testing sniff of her arm, recoiling in horror at the stench. “Christ! We need a river, or a lake or even just a puddle would do!”

A short distance on they spied a river bubbling through a nearby wheat field and Katherine pulled Delta up and dismounted. The sun was out now and it was a pleasantly warm May afternoon as they made their way through the growing stalks to the water. At the water’s edge, they realised they weren’t actually visible from the road and that it was safe to start removing their smelly clothes without fear of onlookers. Katherine started peeling hers delicately off but found it just prolonged the stinking agony. So instead she quickly whipped off the remainder and flung herself into the water.

“Bugger me!” She quickly stood again as the coldness of the water hit her. She jiggled about on the spot for a moment trying to get used to it.

Meanwhile Anne was still on the bank, chuckling to herself as she continued to take her clothes off and place them in a neat pile. Katherine thought even Delta looked like he was smiling at her predicament. At least being first in gave her the opportunity to watch Anne as she eased long, toned legs from her black trousers. Suddenly the water didn’t seem that cold. In fact Katherine wouldn’t have been surprised to see some steam coming off it around her body.

Finally Anne was undressed and testing the water with a tentative toe. Katherine swam closer now she was used to the temperature. That or her body had just gone so numb she didn’t notice it anymore. “Some hardened outlaw you are,” she noted with a grin.

Her eyes drifted languidly over Anne’s body, the heat building inside her with each second. She wondered if it was normal to be quite this aroused, especially given the fact that they had only made love the night before. Yet her desire for Anne seemed to show no signs of abating, even after over a year of being together. If anything it seemed to increase with time. She would never have dreamed of making love in such a public place when she was with any of her former lovers, yet now she couldn’t get her mind off the tantalising prospect.

Anne was still hovering at the edge. “It’s bloody freezing!”

“And you smell, so just get in here!”

Anne made a pouting face and then suddenly she was running into the water and flinging herself at Katherine. They both crashed under the surface for a second before emerging in a spray of fine drops.

“Christ, that’s cold!”

Katherine slid up against Anne’s body. “Then obviously you need to be warmed up.”

“There really is no controlling you, is there?” Anne obligingly wrapped her arms around Katherine’s smaller frame. “Anyone would think you’d been celibate for thirty-eight years before you met me.”

“Ah, but this is a whole new world,” reasoned Katherine. Her hand reached up to brush away the drops sliding down Anne’s cheek from her wet hair. “Which means I have a lot of time to make up for…”

She used her fingers to guide Anne’s face forwards into a lingering kiss as their bodies swirled round in the slow flowing water. Katherine slipped her hands down onto Anne’s bottom and gently lifted her up off the river bed. This was probably the only time she would be able to accomplish such a thing, since she would never be able to pick up the taller woman normally. Anne overcame an initial moment of surprise to wrap her legs around Katherine’s waist. Her breasts pressed hard into Katherine as her arms went round the older woman’s neck. A few drops trickled down off Anne’s hair and onto Katherine’s upturned face. They hovered there for a moment, Katherine revelling in the illusion of physical power as she held Anne aloft. Then Anne had dipped her head and they were hungrily kissing. Katherine staggered backwards as the desire shot up and overwhelmed her. Their lips were still locked together as she tumbled back into the water, carrying Anne with her.

Katherine’s head was back to the surface first, a cascade of droplets smattering across the water as she shook her wet hair. She was alone and she was just wondering where Anne was, when she felt a warm touch between her legs. Katherine gasped as Anne’s tongue slipped up onto her clitoris, flicking, probing.

Then suddenly the touch was gone. Anne’s head shot up to the surface, spectacularly breaking upwards in a shower of water. She was still panting as Katherine cleared the water from her eyes.

“Sorry about that,” said Anne, “But even I can’t hold me breath for that long!”

“I’m impressed you could find anything under the water,” noted Katherine.

Anne smiled as she slipped closer again, her white shoulders gliding easily through the river. “I just went by touch.” Her hand glided down between them. “It’s usually pretty accurate.” The young woman’s fingers found the spot where her tongue had been moments before and Katherine let out an involuntary gasp again.

“I would say it is,” she agreed breathlessly. “But what about my sense of touch?”

She dropped her own hand in between them, seeking out the same spot on Anne’s body. It was hard to focus as Anne continued to gently tease with her fingers. Finally she managed to concentrate enough to find it. Anne’s eyes widened, but she didn’t let up her own fondling. Katherine merely smiled back at the faintly surprised look as her fingers slipped through soft flesh. It was a small battle of wills to see who would succumb first, and have to cease and allow themselves to fall under the arousing touch of the other. Their eyes remained locked on one another as probing fingers explored and caressed. A couple of times Katherine was almost lost as Anne flicked a digit across her achingly sensitive flesh. Yet she wouldn’t let up, she had to keep touching Anne. She didn’t want to lose that connection. She wanted to feel her, all of her. Katherine could hear Anne’s breathing was getting shallower, faster, until she was almost panting to get a breath.

Then suddenly Anne’s hands were off Katherine’s sex and clutching at her shoulders, digging in for purchase. Finally the eye contact was lost as her head tipped back, panting silent benedictions up to the open sky. Katherine could only watch in awe and wonder at the erotic sight. A few odd droplets of water were still tumbling freely down Anne’s skin, down across her exposed jawline and on down her neck to mingle back into the swirling water.

Katherine held her tight as the trembling started. Anne in turn clutched onto Katherine as a cry bubbled up in her throat and echoed out across the water. Fortunately there was no one to hear the ecstatic shout, save a few startled sparrows. They had settled back down to peck at the dry earth as Anne’s head came to flop down onto Katherine’s shoulder. Katherine could hear her ragged breathing, feel it brushing out hot over her skin. She was glad they were in the cooling water now, else she might have overheated long ago.

“I would say,” said Anne between gulps of air, “That your sense of touch is just fine too.”

Katherine laughed. It was suddenly cut off and turned into a gasp when she felt the intimate caress of her own engorged flesh. Anne had surreptitiously slipped her fingers back down between them and Katherine felt first one, then another push inside her, meeting no resistance from the arousal slick walls. Now it was Katherine’s turn to cling tight to Anne’s body as the young woman pressed close, hard breasts sliding up against her. Katherine raked her fingers down Anne’s taut back and sought out her lips, hungrily latching onto them as her arousal shot through her entire body.

She was so close to the edge already, that Anne barely had to touch her. She could have merely placed a single finger on Katherine and she would have been having an orgasm on the spot. As it was it took only a few gentle thrusts and then Katherine’s muscles were clenching, gripping Anne’s fingers tight, deep within her. Anne was holding her up in the river, which was a good thing otherwise Katherine might have sunk below the surface and happily drowned in her moment of bliss.

………

Anne lay on the bank of the river, gazing up at the few odd clouds making their lazy way across the blue sky. On a day like today it was almost possible to forget about evil syndicates and murderous clerics. The only thing that might have made the moment all that more perfect was if she could have felt the rhythms of nature around her like she once could. Anne’s fingers slipped through the grass beneath her. It was damp from where she had dripped on it, but other than that she got no special sense of anything from the stroking.

Sighing to herself she turned on her side to watch Katherine. Her eyes had drifted shut, and Anne was able to gaze at her relaxed profile without fear of being caught. She was still gloriously naked like Anne, and the young woman made an effort to keep her eyes about Katherine’s face and not let them drift to the nipples that stood stiff in the faint breeze. It looked like there was a vague smile twitching at Katherine’s lips as she dozed, and Anne suddenly felt herself filled with something much better than the ambience of nature. It started somewhere deep inside her stomach and filtered up through her heart to the rest of her body. There was a smile on her own face by the time it had run its course. This was the warm glow of love.

Anne was still basking in the effects when Katherine’s eyes flicked open and spied the staring woman. Anne made a quick show of looking at her pile of clothes instead, though the blush creeping up her cheeks was evidence enough of her actions.

“I suppose we better clean these too,” Anne picked warily at her shirt, “No good us smelling great if our clothes still stink.”

Anne didn’t look, but she could tell Katherine was smiling to herself and well aware of the diversion tactic. Continuing to inspect her clothes, Anne carefully pulled out the pages from the friar’s book on the syndicate. She had ripped them out to bring with her. Once they were safely to one side, she shuffled down the bank so she was near enough to dip the clothes in and start scrubbing. She resolutely kept her eyes off Katherine until her blush had fully subsided. She felt rather foolish for the embarrassment, yet Katherine seemed to have that effect on her. Anne could handle herself in a fight, knew how to hit a moving target at hundred paces, could build a shelter from nothing more than sticks and leaves and yet one look from Katherine and she was a stuttering idiot.

Meanwhile, Katherine was still lazing behind her, sliding over to pick up the pages. “I’m surprised you haven’t memorised those yet.”

Anne risked a quick backwards glance. “I have as it happens, but I thought it best to keep them, just in case.”

“Maybe you should explain the algorithm to me too, just in case.”

Anne frowned slightly. “Planning on getting rid of me?”

Katherine made a slight tutting noise. “Hardly. I just thought it might be prudent. How do you match the words from the page to those on the objects?”

Anne stopped her cleaning and turned fully to Katherine. “You need to use a combination of prime numbers and the another sequence of numbers studied by Jain philosophers known as the ‘maatraameru’ or ‘Mountain of Cadence’. Using these in tandem you can take the letters from the object and find their corresponding alternative one in the text,” explained Anne, “It’s all complicated by the fact that the combination to use depends on the number of the word and position of the letter in that word.” Anne started making some scribblings in the dirt as an illustration. “So for example if the first word on the object is ‘code’, then for the first letter of the first word you take the first prime number, which is two, the number of that letter in the alphabet, three, multiple those together, six. That gives you the letter number. Then because we’re dealing with the first word of the inscription we use the first cadence number to give us the line, that’s one. So on the page from the book we look at the sixth letter on the first line, in this case ‘g’. Of course for some of the later letters in the alphabet you’re looking at quite a large multiplication, especially if it’s a long word! Then you’re actually going over the lines too. For example…”

“All right!” Katherine held up her hands. “My head’s beginning to hurt! Maybe I’ll leave the complex algebra to you. Where did you learn such things anyway?”

“I used to read a lot,” said Anne matter of factly.

“Well hopefully we might get a chance to put that memory of yours to the test soon.”

Anne regarded her with interest. “You have some idea what or where the remaining two objects or the key are then?”

Anne was referring to the objects that they knew would lead them to a powerful weapon – one that they had to find before it fell into the hands of a sinister group known as the Ares Syndicate. They already had three of the items and enough knowledge to determine there were two more plus a key that completed the puzzle. Each object had part of a riddle inscribed on it. When it was all put together they were assuming it would give them the location of the weapon. As yet they had no clue as to what the weapon was, only that they had to prevent it falling into the hands of the syndicate. Katherine had received a letter from beyond the grave from her father intimating as much. She pulled out the letter now, along with the diagram he had left her. It was supposed to gives clues to the objects and their whereabouts.

“I’ve got a little further deciphering it,” she said as she laid it out on the ground. “See this here,” she waited for Anne to nod, “I think this is supposed to indicate a church and this,” again the young woman confirmed she saw, “I believe this is a candlestick.”

Anne arched both her eyebrows doubtfully. “So we’re looking for a candlestick in a church? I don’t suppose you know which church of the hundreds in this country?”

“Unfortunately not,” conceded Katherine, “If I can’t work it out, we can always start visiting them one by one.”

Anne looked aghast. “By the time we find this weapon we’ll be old and grey! If the Syndicate is having as much trouble as us, we’ve got nothing to worry about.”

“Maybe, but we have no idea what other information they have,” pointed out Katherine, “They might already know what each of the objects are, maybe even have some of them. Or they might know where to take them or what the weapon is.”

“If that’s the case then why haven’t they just taken the three we have off us and gone to get it?”

Katherine considered it. “Good point. Perhaps they are stumbling around blindly like us too. We can only really speculate until we actually manage to capture one of them without him taking his life first. All we can do for now is keep on with our search and hope we get their first.”

“I suppose so, though I don’t like not knowing what they’re up to. Anyway, that’s the fourth object, what about the fifth?”

“I think that one’s something else connected with writing.” Katherine indicated the picture again. “See this mass of symbols here near those that represent the inkpot we already have?”

Anne peered at them. “But you don’t know what they mean?”

“No, it could be some ink for the well that we need, or maybe a quill to write with, or some paper or a book to write in. I’m just not sure.”

Anne started cleaning her clothes again as she considered the information. “That seems to suggest the objects are related in some way. The friar’s book did suggest they needed to be combined to release the weapon as well as guiding us to it.”

Katherine had joined Anne on the edge of the water now, dipping her own clothes into the gently bubbling river. “Though what connects a goblet, an inkpot, a knife and a candlestick I’m not sure!”

“Me either,” agreed Anne, “What about the location of the fifth item? Any pointers to that?”

Katherine ruefully shook her head. “Not as yet I’m afraid.”

“Just as long as it’s not back at Stratford.”

Katherine couldn’t fail to notice the edge in Anne’s voice as she mentioned the manor house. “I can’t say as I’m in any hurry to get back there either,” Katherine agreed, “It seems Robert has quite the problem with Syndicate members in his midst.”

“It makes you wonder…”

Anne had trailed off but the meaning was perfectly clear to both of them. Katherine rolled her eyes. “You’re not going on about him being involved again are you?”

Anne just couldn’t seem to help herself where Robert was concerned. She knew the vision of him kissing Katherine had merely been a delusion of her fevered mind, and yet it had been so real she found it hard to forget.

“I’m just saying,” she attempted to make her argument sound reasonable, “Where there’s smoke there’s fire.”

Katherine didn’t look convinced. “And where there’s a jealous woman there’s a lack of judgement.”

“Like you’re so impartial!” Anne didn’t like her paranoia being exposed.

Katherine looked like she was holding back with some effort. “Can we not argue about this again?” she eventually said, “I’ve already explained that we sorted that whole silly misunderstanding out. In case you’d forgotten he was all for helping me out in my search. He’d hardly be doing that if he was part of the syndicate would he? In fact he’s going to keep me posted of his hunt for more of them in and around Stratford.”

“And how much did you tell him about our search exactly?”

“Don’t worry, I kept it to the minimum,” Katherine reassured her, “He just knows to keep a lookout for anyone with the tattoo. I didn’t tell him anything specific about the objects, or the riddle or the weapon. I just said these people were out to stop us finding something that we needed to find first.”

Anne knew she was being unreasonable where Robert was concerned, but there was just something about him she didn’t like. Then again the fact that he obviously still had feelings for Katherine, kiss or no kiss, was a large negative factor in her assessment of his character. “Well, good, we don’t want everyone knowing,” she grudgingly conceded.

Katherine actually laughed and Anne supposed it was lucky she could see the funny side. “It’s good to be suspicious in this instance,” said Katherine, “But I’m pretty sure we can trust him.”

“I hope so too.”

……………

The next few days proved much less eventful as Katherine and Anne continued their journey northwards. They made good time and soon they were on the south edge of Sherwood Forest, a day or two’s ride from home. The road through the forest was quiet as usual since not many travellers or merchants liked to use it for fear of ambush.

The gentle rocking motion of the horse was soothing as he cantered along the track, and Anne soon felt her eyes beginning to droop in the quiet forest and the warm afternoon air. She rested her head against Katherine’s back and allowed them to slide shut, safe in the knowledge that Katherine would guide them onwards.

Anne’s mind slipped into the hinterland somewhere on the verge of sleep, when suddenly she heard it – a soft chattering somewhere in the back of her mind. She jerked awake and immediately it was gone.

“Something wrong?” Katherine had obviously noticed the sudden movement behind her.

Anne’s eyes warily scanned the forest but there was nothing to be seen save trees, bushes and a few insects flitting lazily between them. Anne shook her head. “No, nothing, I was just dozing off.”

“Well, snooze away, it’s not as if we both need to stay awake.”

Anne snuggled up to Katherine again. She assumed the odd noises must just have been her sliding into the beginnings of a dream. Delta dutifully trotted on and Anne’s mind began to drift once more. When the sound came this time she kept her eyes closed and tried to let it simply wash over her, rather than concentrating too hard on it. It was a technique she had mastered under the tutelage of her parents, but not one she’d thought she was ever going to need again. Yet the thrumming chatter built until there was no mistaking it – it was the sound of the forest itself talking to her.

Anne had to hold back the urge to open her eyes and cry out in joy at the sensation. She somehow knew the link was tenuous and that at any moment it could be gone. That thought filled her with more dread than she might have imagined. For years she had ignored her innate abilities to communicate with nature. Only when they’d gone did she realise how much a part of her they were and how much she missed them. Now it appeared they might be returning, she didn’t want to lose them again.

She almost didn’t dare believe they were returning. Supposedly she had sacrificed them completely to return to the land of the living and yet it was definitely that same feeling as before. It was much fainter than it had been, but she could still sense the heart and soul of the forest and all the living creatures within it. She could feel the heartbeat of the hawk circling high above, sense the steps of the deer in the undergrowth, hear the chattering of the squirrels as they gathered their nuts in a nearby tree. Could it be that it was just a dream? Would she wake to find it had been her mind playing tricks on her?

Suddenly the voices changed. They were becoming agitated, trying to warn her of something. Anne’s eyes flew open and the link was abruptly severed. However, she didn’t have time to worry about that now.

“Go!” she yelled to Katherine.

The other woman glanced back at her in confusion. “What?”

“Just go! Now!”

Anne kicked her own heels into Delta’s flank and he jolted forwards. Katherine gripped the reins tightly as he whinnied in protest. “What the…?”

Katherine’s question was cut off by an arrow whistling close by her head.

“That’s what!” exclaimed Anne, “Now let’s go!”

Katherine didn’t need to be asked again. She turned to the front and spurred Delta into a full gallop. Anne looked back to see their previously hidden attackers leaping from the forest and sending a hail of arrows after them. Luckily they fell short of Delta’s speeding hooves, but their escape was fleeting. A crashing in the undergrowth heralded the arrival of three more horses on the road immediately behind them. Each one carried two men – a rider and an archer. One of the archers loosed a shot at the two women and Anne had to duck down and push Katherine down against Delta’s neck too before she was impaled.

“Keep going,” Anne instructed the other woman, “I’m going to try and do something about our pursuers.”

Two more arrows fizzed by as Anne manoeuvred herself round on the horse so that her back was to Katherine and she was facing the chasing outlaws. The position was precarious since all she had to keep her on the back of the bounding horse was the strength on her own thighs as they gripped Delta’s flanks. Reaching down, Anne unhooked her bow from the saddle and quickly notched an arrow. Aiming proved difficult as she was jolted this way and that, and her first shot flew harmlessly past the chasing group.

Anne took her time with the second one. The smooth wood of the bow nestled in her left hand and Anne was glad she had thought to put her fingerless leather glove on that morning. The flesh on her palm was still somewhat delicate after having been damaged by the outlaw Alan several weeks before, and the glove served to protect it. Meanwhile her right hand eased back the string until it was taut by her cheek. She waited to gauge the rhythm of Delta’s gallop and then released it. The arrow sailed straight and true, right into the chest of the first rider. He was catapulted off his horse, knocking his passenger off in the process.

An arrow whizzed by close to Anne in return; it seemed their attackers were finding their range too. Suddenly Delta’s rear bucked up into the air and Anne was flung up with it. She had to frantically grab for her bow as it shot out of her hand, using the other one to clutch at the back of the saddle.

“Sorry!” called back Katherine, “Fallen tree in the road!”

Seeing the other horses were negotiating the obstacle, Anne quickly placed another arrow in her bow. This one flew into the second horseman. However, the last horse was close now, too close for Anne to have time to notch another arrow. So she took the end of her bow and swung that instead. It broke in two over the left arm of the rider and dislodged him from his saddle. The rear archer managed to cling on though. Then he completely surprised Anne by flinging himself across the gap between the horses at her. He latched onto her belt and they both tumbled off the back of Delta onto the dusty road.

Anne rolled once and was then up on her feet, quickly taking in the situation. Delta’s speed had carried him and Katherine on a good distance before she had realised what had happened and pulled him up. She was now in the process of turning him to come back. Back down the track in the other direction the remaining men Anne hadn’t put out of commission had remounted or were running to catch up. Closest to her was the one that had knocked her from Delta. He had already drawn a sword and was charging at her.

Anne swiftly pulled out her own weapon to parry his blow. The man’s attack was amateurish and it only took Anne two more strokes to down him. She glanced up and down the track and came to the grim conclusion that the man’s colleagues were going to reach her before Katherine. Turning for the other woman she started sprinting.

“Turn around! Go get help!” she yelled as she ran. If Katherine heard she ignored the instructions. Anne supposed she shouldn’t really have expected anything else.

The pounding hooves behind her were close now and she risked a backwards glance. There were three of the men left on two horses. Anne kept running but she could see them gaining with every stride. When they got close enough one of them leapt down and tackled her to the ground. Anne made sure to keep hold of her sword as she thumped into the dirt. The man was rather rotund and it took a moment for her to manage to push him off her and get in a standing position. The delay had given the other two time to dismount to face her too. Not only that, but she could also see movement deep in the forest, suggesting more of the outlaws were on their way.

Out of the corner of her eye she could see Katherine still galloping towards them. Their only chance was if Anne could deal with the three in front of her quick enough so they could get away before the rest of the group arrived. Without any preamble she slashed at the nearest man. He was completely unprepared for the attack and tumbled to the floor as blood spurted from the wound on his arm.

The other two lunged at her in unison but she parried both blows with some deft swordplay. The men weren’t stupid though. They circled her separately and as she fended off one, the other was attacking from behind. She blocked them a couple of times and even got in an attack on one. Her sword slipped through his defences to spear into his thigh. He let out an anguished wail but Anne had no time to be satisfied. Something hard hit her in the side of the head and she was back down in the dirt once more. Her ears were ringing and her head was pounding. The pounding seemed to be getting louder as she scrabbled to get back hold of her sword. The constant drum echoed her racing heart and provided a countdown to the inevitable next blow from her attacker. She could sense he was right behind her and braced herself for it. Then she realised the pounding wasn’t in her head at all, it was horse hooves.

The sound of a heavy object impacting soft flesh came, but there was no corresponding pain for Anne. Instead the sound was quickly followed by her assailant hitting the ground by her side. Then there was a hand clutching onto her, trying desperately to haul her to her feet.

“Come on, we need to get out of here.”

Anne’s head was still spinning as Katherine pulled at her. She understood the urgency but couldn’t quite seem to coordinate her limbs to accommodate it. She blinked a few times to steady herself and finally managed to stagger to her feet. Katherine had stopped her insistent tugging now, though, and it took Anne a moment to fully clear her head and see why.

There was an armed man standing between them and Delta and he was not alone. He had roughly a dozen other compatriots with him, the men surrounding them on all sides. Anne resolutely gripped her sword and swung it around in a wide arc to keep them at bay. There were far too many of them, but she would go down fighting. If nothing else she might be able to buy some time for Katherine to escape.

However, it seemed Katherine had other ideas. Anne felt the older woman’s hand on her arm, encouraging her to lower it. Anne looked to her in consternation.

“At least this way we might live to fight another day.”

“Or they just might kill us here and now.”

“We’ll be dead anyway if we stand and fight.”

Anne gazed into Katherine’s pale blue eyes. Every fibre of her being was screaming at her to just launch herself at the men. She really didn’t care what happened to her as long as Katherine was safe. However, even if she did manage to deal with some of them, what then for Katherine? She had a sword, but she was hardly going to be able to take on this many men.

Katherine’s imploring gaze was joined by a small squeeze to the elbow. “Trust me.”

The words were simple, but spoken with such total confidence and authority that Anne was unable to resist them. She never could. Slowly she lowered her sword before dropping it on the ground. Immediately the men were upon them, grabbing onto both women. A foot jabbed into the back of Anne’s knee and she was forced down onto the ground with her face jammed into the dirt. Someone roughly yanked her hands behind her back and started tying them together. It took all Anne’s willpower not to fight back.

As she was dragged back to her feet, Anne could see Katherine was receiving similarly rough treatment. She was still on the ground with one of the men kneeling on her back as he finished off trussing her up. Anger flared hot inside Anne at the sight, but it was too late now, she was helpless. The outlaw dealt an unnecessary blow to Katherine’s ribs on pulling her to her feet. The cry of pain from the other woman shot straight into Anne’s heart and exploded out from there into a blinding rage.

She wrenched herself free of her captor and flung herself bodily at the one holding Katherine. The suddenness of the attack was enough to allow her to knock him over. She managed one kick into his body before pain flared in the back of her head. Then the ground was rushing up fast before she smacked into it and unconsciousness enveloped her.

……………….

The next thing Anne knew was the feel of cold water slapping hard into her face. She gagged at the torrent, and shook her head to clear away the remaining droplets. A loose lock of blond hair flopped in her face and she went to move it. Only she couldn’t move her hands. They were still secured behind her back with thick rope. She attempted to blow the hair away instead so she could see the person responsible for her rude awakening.

She found herself slumped in an ungainly sprawl on the ground while a man towered above her holding a bucket. He was about six feet tall, with shaggy brown hair and a matching beard. He was clothed in typical woodsman’s clothing consisting of forest colours, though the sword at his belt indicated he was not the friendly sort of woodsman who might be out cutting down trees. The look on his face confirmed that assumption. He was regarding Anne with an expression that was halfway between a leer and a grotesque sneer. Unfortunately for Anne she didn’t need the assessment of her eyes to discern his intentions. She knew the man all too well.

“Barton.”

“Hello, Seven, it’s nice of you to drop in.”

He was well aware of who she was too, at least in her capacity as one of Robin Hood’s outlaw band. That was hardly surprising, given the fact that Barton was the chief of the main rival group to Robin’s within Sherwood Forest. However, where Robin’s men were generally honest peasants down on their luck, Barton’s group were a notorious bunch of lowlives and career criminals. Anne made a quick sweep of her surroundings, looking for someone in particular amongst them. She tried not to let the encroaching fear consume her when she couldn’t immediately see Katherine anywhere in the outlaw camp. Anne shifted slightly into a proper sitting position to get a better look. There was a faint tingling in her arms, the limbs having gone numb where she had been lying awkwardly on them. As she scouted around there was still no sign of the familiar auburn head.

“Looking for someone?”

Anne knew it was imperative she not show too much open concern for Katherine, now she realised who she was dealing with. It could prove dangerous for them both if Barton became aware how close they were. Barton and Robin had a well-known and bitter rivalry, which extended to those in their respective groups. Barton would be crowing at having captured someone so close to Robin. However, the threat to Anne was nothing compared to the one to Katherine if Barton learnt or recognised who she herself was. Anne just prayed the outlaw chief had never been close enough to Markham to realise he had the lady of the manor herself in his midst. That was presuming she was there somewhere and hadn’t been left for dead on the road. That thought clutched icily at her heart.

“After your travelling companion maybe?”

Anne tried to keep her expression even, with perhaps just a hint of nonchalant indifference. It was amazing she could even speak given her inner anxiety. “Just curious where she went – she owes me some money.”

Barton laughed loudly, some of his men joining dutifully in as they all regarded her with beady eyes. There had to be at least twenty of them having a good look at their captured rival. Suddenly the laughter stopped and Barton was kneeling down in front of her, his face right up in her own. Any sign of joviality was gone as his eyes bored darkly into her. She knew he was unstable and unpredictable, the manic edge to his gaze hinting at it.

“And you owe me several men.”

She considered there were two ways she could go with this. Either she could stand up to him, and try and brazen it out or she could go the apologetic route. Somehow she didn’t think the latter would garner much ground or respect.

“You could see it as me doing you a favour,” she said cockily, “They obviously weren’t up to the task if they couldn’t even beat two women.”

Barton didn’t immediately answer and for a second Anne feared she’d pitched it wrong. Then suddenly he was laughing again and Anne allowed herself a small sigh of relief. Perhaps there was some way she might talk her way out of this yet, or at least give herself a fighting chance. If nothing else the fact that he hadn’t killed her on the spot gave her a flicker of hope.

“True, true,” he agreed, “Though you do seem to have a nasty habit of ‘helping me out’ in that way. I seem to recall you relieving me of two men last year too.”

A sudden sickness lurched in the pit of Anne’s stomach. She’d forgotten about that incident when she had rescued Katherine from three of Barton’s men who were chasing her through the woods. Would the one that got away still be in Barton’s band? Would he recognise Katherine?

“Perhaps I should take that fine horse of yours in payment for a start,” he added, “Which begs the question, just where did you come by such a thoroughbred?”

Anne quickly thought of a lie. “I won him in a game of dice.”

“Really? Off who exactly, the Sheriff of Nottingham?”

Anne’s quick wits deserted her for a second as thoughts of Delta brought her back to Katherine. The momentary hesitation was enough to annoy Barton.

“Not feeling talkative? Then perhaps we’ll get some answers elsewhere.”

He stood up and made a gesture towards the back of the group. There was the sound of scuffling as someone was dragged to the front against their will. Once there, they were bodily hurled down next to Anne. The small form was achingly familiar as it sprawled amongst the leaves and Anne found her heart beating erratically in her chest as Katherine struggled to turn herself over without the use of her hands. The only consolation was that Katherine was very much alive. Finally the other woman managed to right herself, casting an indignant look back at the man who had thrown her down. When Barton turned his attention to Katherine the cold tendrils of fear slid ever deeper inside Anne.

………..

Katherine looked balefully up at the sniggering faces of the men, trying to maintain an air of righteous indignation at the rough treatment. It served as a good way to control her fear which had grown ever more apparent on seeing Anne bound before the outlaw group. At least Anne seemed to be all right. When she had been thumped on the head back on the road Katherine’s heart had been in her mouth along with her dinner.

One of the men stepped forward and knelt down before Katherine. She caught a faint waft of stale body odour but resisted the urge to recoil at it. She presumed he was the leader of the surrounding group. If she had thought some of Robin’s men were a little rough around the edges, then they had nothing on the swarthy, leering band before her now. She got the impression they wouldn’t think twice about slitting either of their throats if there was something in it for them. That meant they had to give a good reason to keep them alive.

The man sized her up for a couple of seconds in an exceedingly penetrating way. “So, Seven here I know,” he finally said, “But who might you be?”

Anne jumped in with an answer before Katherine could get a single word past her lips. “She’s just one of the village women, from Oxton.”

The leader’s reaction was equally as instant. His arm shot out and he backhanded Anne right across the face. The loud slap rang out round the forest. “Did I ask you?”

Katherine fought back the combination of sickness and fury brewing in her stomach. She didn’t like violence at the best of times, and especially not when directed so wantonly at the one she loved. Katherine could already tell this situation was dangerous, recognising it wasn’t a time for impassioned outbursts.

The large man’s eyes darted back to her. “Can’t you speak for yourself? Or are you Oxton women too stupid?”

Katherine’s gaze drifted to Anne who was back up and making frantic eye contact with her. Something told Katherine it wouldn’t be wise to answer with the truth about her identity. However, she needed to keep it pretty close for ease of remembrance. “It’s Katherine,” she stated. The name was common enough, even amongst the lower classes.

“Ooo, Katherine is it?” he teased, making fun of her refined accent, “Do we have ideas above our station, Katherine?”

She forced a touch more commonness into her voice this time. “No, just above yours.”

His hand flew up as if to hit her but something stayed his hand. Next to her she could see the way Anne had tensed at the sudden movement. The retort had just slipped out. Katherine already knew she didn’t like the man and wasn’t going to back down in the face of his bullying.

“So was it you who wanted the horse to go with your posh accent?”

Katherine’s mind worked quickly as she tried to deduce what might have come before in the conversation. Obviously he was talking about Delta, but what had Anne already said about the horse? Without thinking her eyes slid ever-so-slightly in the young woman’s direction.

Suddenly the leader’s hand was on Katherine’s face, squeezing it tightly as he made sure she focussed on him. “Don’t look at her! I asked you a question!”

The man’s fingers dug painfully into her cheeks but Katherine spoke with determination. “Wouldn’t you want such a fine animal?” The answer was broad and non-commital enough.

The leader grunted and released his hold, shoving her backwards in the process. Katherine’s arms twisted under her as she hit the forest floor but she refused to cry out. As the man got back to his feet Katherine took the opportunity to cast a fleeting glance at Anne. Her pale blue eyes seemed to be offering silent encouragement and support even though they couldn’t say anything to each other.

The outlaw was pacing in front of them now. “I’m not sure I believe either of you. If you’re some common peasant woman from Oxton what are you doing hanging about with outlaws?”

Katherine remembered her lowly accent as she replied this time. “I don’t. She was just giving me a ride back from Nottingham. She saw me there and recognised me from the village.”

“Funny that it was you who was riding the horse then.”

Katherine wasn’t sure of the best way to answer that, so didn’t.

“You don’t know Seven at all then?” he pressed, “She just got really upset when my men first cornered you because you’re some random person off the street she gave a ride to?”

Katherine realised she had to avoid answering with the truth even if the man was becoming annoyed with her evasion. Obviously he knew who Anne was, or at least her alter ego as an outlaw. It was equally obvious he was fishing for something on her. “I can’t speak for her motives.”

“Uh-huh, so if I say did this…”

The man suddenly punched Katherine hard in the stomach.

“…She wouldn’t be bothered in the slightest.”

There were a few involuntary tears in Katherine’s eyes as she fixed a defiant gaze back on him. She daren’t look at Anne, knowing the young woman would already be finding it hard enough to watch.

“Only if she had a hint of compassion,” said Katherine through gritted teeth. Despite herself, she couldn’t resist adding something further. “Unlike you.”

The blow this time was to her face. It cannoned into her cheekbone and made her head spin as it whacked onto the dry leaves.

Anne’s voice rang out now. “Leave her alone!” she implored the outlaw. Katherine could tell she was struggling to rein in her emotions. “She’s telling the truth. She’s just a villager! It’s me you’ve got the problem with, why don’t you let her go?”

The outlaw was becoming more irate by the second though. “You’re lying!” he snapped at Anne before yanking Katherine up into sitting again. The rope round her wrists bit painfully into her skin and her face was still burning from the earlier blow. “Who are you?”

Katherine decided now was the time for some fake fear. Not that she had to try that hard. “Please, please don’t hurt me,” she begged pitifully, “I’m only a simple peasant woman. I don’t know nothing of outlaws and suchlike. I didn’t want to say nothing because of why I was in Nottingham.”

The outlaw chief seemed intrigued by the tale. “And that was because?”

Katherine allowed herself to tremble a bit for good effect. “I was seeing a gentleman. He pays well and we have many mouths to feed. Please, I don’t want my husband to find out.”

“Ah, now it all becomes clear – you’re nothing more than a cheap whore.”

Katherine could take the scornful words if it helped their cause, though the way Anne was bristling next to her suggested she was finding it harder to hear the remarks. Again Katherine had to force herself not to look at the other woman for fear of letting something slip. It was blindingly apparent that the man would use any sort of connection between them as a weapon.

Whether he was hoping for such ammunition as he slipped closer to her, she wasn’t sure. Certainly the fact that Anne was practically shaking with fury as his hand slid down Katherine’s face was coming close to revealing all. “And how much do you charge this ‘gentleman’?” he asked suggestively.

Katherine was beginning to regret her choice of cover story, especially as she had no idea of the going rate for such things. She picked a likely figure. “Twenty pennies.”

He sucked in his breath. “Twenty pennies, eh? You must be good! Not that I should have to pay since you’re my prisoners after all.” His hand slipped onto her shoulder and started to tease at the material of her shirt.

Again Anne couldn’t help stepping in. Her voice was laced with a slight panic now, though one that was probably only detectable to Katherine. To everyone else it more then likely came across as arrogant bravado. “Why don’t you just stop arsing around and tell us what you want, Barton. Or else just get on with it and kill us.”

Katherine flinched as the man known as Barton slapped Anne again. She could see now that he was highly unstable and liable to fly off the cuff at the slightest thing. He peered darkly back at Katherine.

“You ought to be careful who you spend time with,” he noted menacingly, “She’s a dangerous woman you know,” he added in reference to Anne, “She’d kill you as soon as look at you. You’d be much better off with us.”

Katherine jutted her chin out slightly as she met his stare. “I’ll take my chances, thanks.”

Barton shrugged his shoulders and straightened back up. He poked out a boot to sho