A World That Will Not Turn to Ash (English)(From Ashes Vol.1)

Chapter 4 - Dead and Alive

Tuck led the donkey to the cave and tied him to one of the bushes growing near the entrance to allow him to graze the leaves while waiting for his return.
Finding that shelter had been a lucky chance: the cave was hidden deep in the forest so it was safe, and it was also dry and small enough to be heated with a simple fireplace. That refuge would allow him to rest for a few days, to replenish stocks of herbs and to smoke more meat or fish before resuming his journey.
The friar scratched the donkey's head between the ears before leaving him alone. He wouldn't be gone long, just long enough to take some water from the river, and he didn't think that any thief could find his mount before his return.
As he approached the river, the cawing of many crows made him understand that the corpse of some animal, or worse, must be somewhere near. He glanced from behind the bushes and sighed: the river had washed ashore the bodies of two men, leaving them stranded on the sandy beach and hungry birds were preparing to make havoc of them.
The friar ran toward them, waving his hands and the crows flew away, cawing their displeasure.
Tuck looked at the nearest of the two bodies and sighed, making the sign of the cross: the man was definitely dead, his neck broken and his head bent at an impossible angle.
The friar took off his coat to cover the corpse, he would bury it later, and walked over to the other body.
Tuck shook his head as he bent down to check, he was sure he would find another dead body: the man's back was covered in blood and the friar could see the hilt of a dagger planted in his chest.
When he touched his neck to determine the death, the man let out a soft moan of pain that startled Tuck.
He recovered quickly from his surprise and he immediately began trying to help the wounded stranger. He looked briefly at the wounds on his back, definitely signs of lashes, and he decided to ignore them: they bled a lot and the greatest danger would be that of an infection, but for the moment they could wait.
The dagger wound worried him a lot more: if the blade had touched the heart or the lungs, he couldn't do much to help the man.
The hilt was tilted, a sign that the blade had entered in diagonal: perhaps it struck a rib and had slid along it without going too deep, but he couldn't know if the tip of the dagger had pierced the lung if he didn't pull it out first.
He tore a piece of the robe he was wearing to obtain a swab, then he pulled the knife from the wound, trying to be fast, but delicate.
He watched the blood that began to flow immediately from the wound: it was copious, but it remained fluid without foaming or making air bubbles. For the first time since he had seen the bodies on the bank of the river, Tuck allowed himself to a smile.

Marian took an apple from the fruit basket and began to listlessly peel it. It was Guy who brought her that basket only the night before and that kind act caused that absurd chain of misunderstandings that had put her in a difficult situation.
The girl looked at the sky outside the window: now it was dark and the first stars were beginning to appear, but Gisborne had not returned to the castle yet.
Marian wondered if he had decided to avoid her. Perhaps her silence had hurt him more than she had imagined and Guy had returned directly to Locksley not to see her.
The door of her room was opened abruptly and Marian was not surprised to see the sheriff who entered without asking for her permission. The ubiquitous armed guards came behind him, and Allan, who seemed uneasy for some reason, was the last to enter the room.
"Ah. I don't see him. Weird." The sheriff said, irritated, looking at the bed. "Tell us, Lady Marian, where is Gisborne?"
"Why should I know?"
"Because when that idiot tends to disappear, I usually find him around you trying to get under your skirts. Oh. Maybe now that he succeeded he lost interest, isn't it?"
Marian stopped just in time from throwing the bitten apple in his face and she just looked at him with disgust.
"Perhaps Sir Guy preferred to return to Locksley tonight."
"If he had, I would know." The sheriff said, then he gestured imperiously to the guards and left.
Marian cast a worried look at Allan and the young man shrugged because he had no idea of where Guy was.