“Without hurting anyone,” I added.

Much nodded. “That I can manage. With John.”

John looked to me, and I felt his eyes on me. “You’d have to really protect her, Rob.”

“I’ll protect her with my life and bones, John, you know that.”

His words were fierce and he meant them, and I found myself staring. He flicked his eyes over my side and back.

“Got to keep you in shape enough to walk away from us, Scar,” he told me.

“We all protect each other. No one is getting hurt, pinched, or nothing,” I said.

“We have two days to get everything we need. We’ll go the night before the wedding,” Rob said.

“Why not the next night?” Much asked. “We’ve a lot to prepare.”

“We can’t risk it,” Robin said. “If anything goes wrong, if they anticipate us, we need the extra night to ensure that everyone gets out of there alive.”

Chapter Fifteen

Two days passed in a rush. I had checked the stream by the castle, but there weren’t so much as a drop of blood in it. If the prison grate led out, it weren’t to here. Sticking to our plan, we stood in the cave together, dressing for battle. I covered every bit of me with knives, and Rob had his big sword from the Crusades, knives, and a longbow besides. Much had his kattari and John his quarterstaff and sword. The boys had bits of armor we’d lifted, but nothing fit me right, so I were girded in heavy leathers. The mother cat were making rings round my ankles, and I told myself it were luck, like she were patterning me with old Celt magic.

John took my wrist and drew me outside, out of view of the others. He kissed me, a quick little one. I scowled and he said, “For luck” before I could holler. “And this is for luck too.”

He pushed cold metal into my hand, and I looked down. My favorite knife, the one that guard had broken, were reformed and perfect, down to the small red garnet in the handle. He’d tied my ribbon to the hilt like I liked.

“You have to stay safe, Scar. Maybe it’s your bits in a dress and maybe it’s just you, but I’m awful fond of something in there. So don’t get killed.”

I jumped a little to wrap my arms round his shoulders, and he held on, hugging me off the ground. “You too,” I told him. “And keep Much alive. I’m pretty fond of all you lads.”

He let me down. “No special fondness for me?”

“Don’t think it’s the kind you want, John.”

“Come on, Scar, we both know you like me.” He grinned at me, but I looked away. Much and Rob had appeared at the edge of the cave, and my eyes went sharp to Rob’s form.

John’s face folded into a scowl. “You do like me. But I disappear as soon as the noble Earl Huntingdon is around, isn’t that right?”

My eyes came back to him. “John—” I tried, but he shook his head, walking away from me.

I slid the knife to its rightful spot in my vest with a sigh. I hugged Much and then went to Rob, standing before him for what seemed like a whole life. “We’ll get them out, Rob. I swear it.”

“I know,” he told me. “You’re the only person I’d trust with this, woman or not.”

My heart swelled up. “You’re the only person I trust, Rob.”

His face jerked, like I’d slapped him. “I don’t want to hear that you trust me. You don’t trust me. You lied to me about everything.”

“I didn’t lie ’bout everything, Rob.”

“No? What’s something you told me the truth about? Your name? Your family? Your intended?”

I scowled. “I gave you more than anyone. Ever. No one knows ’bout Joanna. I’ve never told no one the things I’ve told you. I know you’re cross with me, and you’ve a right to be. But you said it yourself—you saw me, and you knew me, when I didn’t want anyone even taking a peek.”

He shook his head sharp. “And that’s the worst part, Scar! I thought I knew you better than anyone. I thought it meant something, that I could tell you these things shackled around my heart and trust you with them. That you could do the same with me. I was a fool to think—” He stopped short and shook his head again. “But I was wrong. You know me because I gave you me. But you were not your own to give, were you?”

“Rob,” I pleaded.

He put out a hand to stop me. “Don’t. We might die today, and of all the times that we’ve teetered on the edge of death, this is the first time it feels like there isn’t any kind of hope to come back to. So let’s just get the townspeople out and it will be done. Everything will be done.”

Rob’s thunderstorm eyes met mine and I felt water pull up in my eyes. His jaw worked, but he just stared at me till I nodded, and then he turned away.

We split off early, Rob and I first going to the tunnel and setting ropes for the people to climb down. Then we scaled the wall, jumping over in a gap in the guards and climbing down to the ground. I went and opened the door to the tunnel, then came back to him. We waited in the dark by the prison, shoulder to shoulder, my heart hammering a steady beat.

We heard the crackle of the fire being set, then the cries, and people started moving to the wall to see what were the matter. Then voices pitched higher and more people came out. It took a while for the guards to come up since they were underground, but when they did, and saw the fire, they didn’t hesitate. They took off at a run, heading for the main gate, one, two, three, four.