I asked as we galloped along, “do you think this is a good idea?” “What?” he said through gritted teeth. I felt his misery. My side still ached from my wound, though Tuck’s salves had made it considerably better. I knew how painful it was to ride a horse in such a condition. “Riding straight to Sherwood? Why don’t we hide out somewhere else?” “We could, but where would we go?” he countered. “In Sherwood, we have places to hide, the people are on our side, and we know the terrain far better than he does. It will give us a great advantage. Besides, we can’t leave my mother unprotected.” I supposed Robard was right, but I couldn’t help but worry. We had managed to make another powerful enemy, and I was sure, once the Shire Reeve put out news of us, that Sir Hugh would hear of our exploits here. He wouldn’t care a whit about Sherwood’s people or terrain or anything else. He would strike at us no matter where we decided to hide. We rode on in silence. There was nothing to say.
