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

Chapter 39 - Hunted

I will come back to you ...
Guy inched along the ledge, trying to stay close to the wall of the castle. He flattened himself against the wall and he closed his eyes when a stronger gust of wind threatened to throw him off balance.
He began to think that the words he addressed to Marian had been too optimistic: it would be extremely difficult to come back to her if he got smashed on the pavement of the courtyard after a fall from that height.
He forced himself to open his eyes and he tried to look only at his goal: the window that would allow him to enter the castle again. Should he look down, he would be stuck, he was sure, and he wouldn't be able to move a muscle anymore.
He moved a few centimeters, he took a deep breath and he moved again. He could not afford to panic and had to keep going: every second could mean the difference between the life and death of Marian, of the Sheriff and of everyone in Nottingham so he couldn't hesitate, even though he was terrified.
He didn't dare to turn around to look, but he knew that the eyes of Marian were fixed on him and that she had to be scared to death at the thought that he could fall.
Guy found himself smiling to himself, despite everything. The idea that she cared so much for him still seemed absurd, but at the same time it was a good feeling and he had not felt it in a long time, probably since before the death of his parents.
He was no longer used to being the center of the affection of someone and to feel loved made him incredibly happy and terribly scared at the same time.
Finally his fingers touched the edge of the window and Guy hastened to hang on to it and to climb over the ledge to return into the castle. He collapsed on the floor, panting and he allowed himself a moment to catch his breath before getting up.
He took the bow that he had kept on his back and he notched an arrow before leaving the room in which he had arrived. He silently looked in the corridor and at the end of it he saw Barret who, along with a group of soldiers, was still trying to break the door of the chapel.
Guy let out the arrow and then he immediately shot a second one, managing to hit two guards, then as soon as he saw Barret and the surviving soldiers moving to pursue him, he turned his back and ran down the corridor.

Marian had watched Guy, holding her breath until he had reached the other window, then she gave a brief sigh of relief when she saw him entering the castle again.
She knew that now for Gisborne would begin perhaps the most dangerous part of the whole plan.
He had to lure Barret away from the chapel, and Marian was worried for Guy, but she also knew that within minutes she would have to remove the concern for him from her mind and she had to make every effort to survive and to ensure that the sheriff would remain alive too.
She walked to the door, waiting, and soon she heard cries of pain and anger, and the sound of retreating footsteps running down the corridor, followed by complete silence.
Marian put the eye to a crack in the door and she saw that the corridor was empty.
She quickly moved one of the benches that they had used to barricade the door, while the sheriff deigned to drag the other one, then Marian cracked open the door and she looked out to see that there was no one, but they couldn't afford to waste time.
Marian took a sword and she held it in front of her as she left the chapel, followed by the sheriff.
Vaisey looked at her with an air of wicked fun.
"Do you really think you can scare someone just because you have a blade in your hand? In your comparison Gisborne could almost look like a brave warrior."
"Guy is risking his life to save yours, you should be grateful!"
"According to him, he's doing it for Nottingham. You really could besot him for good with your heroic ideals, there is no denying to it. Women! Lethal as leprosy, only capable of ruining a man!"
Marian was going to argue that if there was someone who had ruined Guy's life that was just the sheriff, but she didn't say it. It was useless to waste time arguing with him, because he wouldn't certainly change his attitude.
"Let's go." She said dryly. "We should look for a safer place."
"I know one." A voice behind them said and Marian and the Sheriff turned.
"Robin!" The girl exclaimed, relieved to see the outlaw.
"Hey, where is Giz?" Allan asked, looking at the girl, worried, and Marian returned an anxious glance to him.
"He lured Barret far from here. He made them to chase him, but if they should catch him..." Her voice broke with a sob and Marian looked at Robin, with pleading eyes. "Help him, please! I know I'm asking a lot, but don't let them to kill him!"
Robin stroked her cheek to wipe her tears with a tender gesture, but full of sadness.
"Do you really think I could stand by while they kill an innocent person just because he's my rival?" Robin asked with a sigh, then he turned to look back, hearin the approaching footsteps behind him and he smiled to see Will, Djaq, Little John and Much.
"Are you all right?" He asked, relieved to see that none of his companions seemed to have received more than a few superficial wounds. Then he turned to the three men "Take the sheriff in a safe place. Allan, give the keys to Much and then you, Marian and Djaq come with me."
Allan grinned guessing the intentions of Robin and took the dungeon's keys from his belt to hand them to Much.
The sheriff looked at him menacingly, sensing what he wanted to do.
"Don't you dare..."
Allan silenced him by hitting him with a punch in the face and he watched him fall to the ground, then he looked at the others, who looked surprised and he shrugged nonchalantly.
"Hey, he tried to hang me. It wasn't any fun." He said, then nodded in agreement at Little John who had bent to lift the sheriff unconscious to put him on his shoulders. "Put him in the smaller and dampest cell. It sure will be a very safe place..."
Little John gave him a half smile, then he turned and he walked toward the dungeon, followed by Will and Much.

Guy heard a hiss behind him and he ducked suddenly, just in time to avoid being hit by the dagger launched by one of Barret's men. The knife planted itself in a timber door, vibrating for the force of the impact and Guy preferred not to think of the damage that it would have done if it hit his back instead of the door.
Perhaps, he thought ironically, he had discovered one of the few advantages of having worked for the sheriff for so many years: when Vaisey was caught by one of his tantrums had a nasty habit of throwing against his subordinates any handy object and for Guy it had become instinctive to dodge to avoid being hit.
Passing near the knife, he grabbed the handle and pulled it off the wood without slowing down his run, then he held it by the blade, he turned to throw it back toward his pursuers and he kept running away without checking the outcome of the throw. A muffled scream and the thud of a body falling to the ground made him realize that his throw had hit the mark.
He glanced back and saw that unfortunately it wasn't Barret who had been hit, but in any case at least now there was one less person to chase him.
Guy slipped in a side passage hidden by a column and flattened himself against the wall, hiding in the shadows and holding his breath. It was a risk, but he was beginning to be short of breath and he felt that he couldn't run much longer without first resting for a while.
Barret and his men continued the pursuit along the main corridor and Guy waited until they had turned the corner before moving. He moved forward along the side passage without running and trying to move as quietly as possible.
He knew that it was a matter of minutes before Roger of Barrett was aware of his trick. They would come back to look for him and Guy had to take advantage of every second at his disposal to get away as much as possible and to try to disappear without a trace.
Weak and wounded as he was, he couldn't hope to defeat Barrett in a physical fight, the only advantage Guy had was a better knowledge of the castle and his only chance of survival was to be able to catch his opponents off guard.
The corridor ended near the kitchens and for a moment Gisborne thought he might take advantage of the same door that had allowed him to break into the castle to get out, but he immediately dismissed the idea: he couldn't run away, not while Barret was alive and until Marian and the Sheriff were still in the castle.
At that time in the kitchens there were only a few servants hanging around in front of the fire in the unlikely event that the sheriff wanted to eat something even though his meal had been served just hours before and one kitchen boy committed to wash pots and dishes in a tub. When Guy came in, they looked at him with terror: in their eyes he was a spectrum directly returned from the grave.
One of the girls fell to the ground unconscious, while the other two servants ran away screaming. Only the kitchen boy who was washing dishes stood in its place, trembling with fear.
Gisborne looked at him.
"Give me some water, immediately." He ordered the young man hurried to obey him, without daring to look him in the eyes. He brought him a cup full of fresh water and Guy drank quickly, immediately feeling a bit better.
"Do you want more water, sir?" The kitchen boy asked, shyly.
"Thank you, but no, I haven't enough time." Guy said, then he noticed a clay pot that was boiling in the fireplace, attached to a hook. "What is that?"
"The soup for tonight, it has to boil for a long time. Do you want some of it, sir Guy?"
Guy smiled.
"No, but I was planning to offer some of it to someone I know. Come on, help me move it."