Assassin in the Greenwood

as much distance between themselves and Nottingham as possible. They ate what little food they had and drank from a brook. They, too, had glimpsed the fire arrows long before they stumbled on to the moonlit trackway which would lead them down to the Newark road. Their relief at being released soon died as they passed the gallows and followed the track through clumps of trees which seemed to crowd in on them from every side. They paused and cowered at the hoot of an owl or the sudden flurry of bracken as a hunting fox chased his quarry.
    'We should have stayed in the city,' Nym moaned.
    'Nonsense!' his companion muttered. 'The bastard sheriff may have changed his mind and Robin Hood has friends there.'
    'Stay clear of The Blue Boar,' Nym replied.
    They walked in single file. Nym glimpsed a break in the trees where the track met the Newark road. He breathed a sigh of relief which turned into a gasp of terror as six shadowy figures slipped from the trees, bows at the ready.
    'We are poor men!' Nym wailed.
    'You are traitors!' a voice called from the trees. 'Master Robin sends his salutations and finds you guilty of divers crimes. Firstly, you should not have robbed without his permission. Secondly, you should not have been caught. And, thirdly, you should not be slinking like rats along a moonlit trackway. What did you tell the sheriff and his friends?'
    Nym and his companion gasped in terror. 'We told them nothing!' 'Then, friend, walk on.'
    The bowmen stood aside. Nym and his comrade took one step and another, then forgetting their injuries, began to hobble fast towards the end of the trackway. Behind them bow strings twanged and steel-tipped death, eight arrows in all, caught them in the back. Both men groaned, flailing out their arms, and collapsed on to the dry sunburnt grass, choking out their life blood. Behind them the outlaws slipped back into the trees, leaving the corpses sprawled bloodily under the moonlight.

Chapter 8
    Corbett woke early, still sweating after his nightmare. He had been standing on a red, dusty plain under black, howling skies, surrounded by thick green forests. At the edge of this stood a huge manor house built entirely of iron. In his nightmare Corbett walked towards it, noticing a shutter banging. As he approached, this was suddenly flung open. A hooded figure peered out, the cowl was pulled back, and Corbett stared into the narrow, red-bearded face of his adversary, Amaury de Craon.
    'Welcome to Hell!' de Craon cried. 'What took you so long?'
    After he had woken, Corbett lay for a while, wondering what the dream meant. He felt agitated and slightly anxious. He hoped that all was well with Maeve at Leighton Manor then recalled the fire arrows the night before and became aware of the date and how time was passing whilst he floundered about in Nottingham. Across the chamber, Ranulf lay sprawled on his bed sleeping peacefully as a baby. Corbett groaned, got out of bed, washed, shaved and dressed. He remembered de Craon from his dream, wondered if the assassin Achitophel was in Nottingham. He clasped his sword belt round his waist. A distant bell began to sound for morning mass so Corbett went down to the small bleak chapel where Friar Thomas, dressed in a black and gold chasuble for the Mass of the Dead, greeted him.
    'I'm offering this for the souls of Sir Eustace and Lecroix.' He smiled at Corbett from the altar. 'May God take them to a place of light.'
    A few soldiers from the garrison joined them. Friar Thomas made the sign of the cross and began mass. The service was simple and after the final benediction, as was customary at a Requiem, Friar Thomas recited the Dona Eis three times. Corbett listened to the words. 'Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.'
    He remembered the friar's remark at the beginning of mass, about God taking the souls of the two dead men to a place of light, and thought of the three fire arrows he had glimpsed against the velvet night sky. Were those arrows a prayer for someone? Some form of tribute? Or a threat?
    Corbett left the chapel and went up to Sir Eustace's room which Ranulf had sealed with Corbett's own insignia. He broke these off and went into the musty chamber, took a sheet from the bed, collected a few items and, closing the door after him, went back to his chamber. He was surprised to see Ranulf up and dressed and sitting beside an aggrieved-looking Maltote.
    'So the messenger