Guardian of the North (Descendants of Robin Hood, #1)

Chapter 8

Bancroft paced around me, his boots crunching on the forest floor. His graying hair was pulled back in a short ponytail to keep it from being blown by my Wind. The sun was bright today, streaming through the trees above. Up on the porch, Nick leaned against the railing, watching. Natanian sat back against a log a few feet away. I could smell Aunt Isabel's breakfast cooking inside the house.

"A Rangerian's powers are harder to control the stronger his emotions are," Bancroft explained. "Whenever you are angry, afraid, nervous, or even excited, they will surface with or without your will. Unless you know how to control them.You are True Born. The stronger your power is, the more difficult it is to harness, and the longer it takes for you to master it. So..." He stopped and turned to face me, raising his long sword. "How far are you willing to go to stay alive?"

I yawned. "Do I have to answer that now? Too philosophical for this early in the morning."

"Wrong answer. How far are you willing to go to stay alive?"

"Is this a test?"

"The answer's forty-two," Natanian whispered.

"Wow, thanks," I called back.

"You need to know your limits, Jackson." Bancroft took a step toward me. "The Hunters came for you. The Ealdra broke our peace. They captured Fort Calmier." He lowered his sword and sighed. "I believe this was all done from the inside."

It felt like someone had punched me in the gut.

"Whoa." Natanian sat back.

Nick straightened. "You mean... the spy."

"What?" I looked between Nick and Master Bancroft. "You think the spy is real?" Bancroft nodded. "And you knew about this?" I pointed an accusing sword at Nick.

Bancroft rested the tip of his blade on the ground. "Three weeks ago, a group of soldiers went missing the very night they left on a mission. The only ones who knew they'd left were inside Fort Calmier. Two weeks before that, there was an attempt on King Rehynall's life. In the middle of the day. The only way the assassin could have gotten in was through help from the inside. One of the court." He eyed me.

I swallowed. "You don't think it was me?"

I saw a flicker of trepidation in Natanian's eyes. "That's crazy," he said weakly.

"No, you aren't the spy." Nick shook his head. "If King Rehynall suspected you, do you think he would have stood up there with you during your Manifestation? When your power was most chaotic? Any strike could easily have been passed off as an accident."

My heart pounded in a cascade of shock. "Thought about this much, Nick?"

Nick shrugged, "It happened before. With King Balhuntingdon."

My heart jumped another beat.

"No one except the council knew about this," Bancroft said. "The king didn't want to raise tension. Announcing the presence of a spy would only turn the court against itself."

"So... what exactly does this have to do with me?"

"It can be no coincidence that the Sheriff infiltrated Fort Calmier and the Ealdra launched an attack on the very night of your Manifestation ceremony."

A cold chill ran down my spine. I hadn't thought of that. Of course. Everyone in the castle knew where I was at that moment. Any one of them could have tipped off the Ealdra. I might have to fight against one of my own court... one of my own friends. The Sheriff had teamed up with the Ealdra, and one of our Áccyn soldiers had let them in.

Nick's Thunder rumbled overhead and he rubbed his hands, calming his power. I wasn't just escaping from the Sheriff. I was fleeing an entire nation of Robin Hood's descendants.

"Breathe, Jackson," Bancroft murmured.

I exhaled. A cold chill was whistling through the trees, and my deep breath didn't do anything to calm it down.

"If anyone saw us leave, saw the direction we took, and knows you," Natanian said nervously, "we might not be safe."

"So." Bancroft regained my attention. "How far are you willing to go to stay alive?"

I took another deep breath. The truth was, I had no idea. Was I going to be able to fight someone from Fort Calmier? Possibly one of my own friends?

He lifted his sword from the ground and leveled the blade at me. "Controlling your power will not be easy. It takes work. Lots of work. And you do not have much time."

"I got it," I muttered. "Let's go. Let's get started. How tough can it be?" My hands had gone cold. I didn't want to be here. I didn't want to be running for my life from those people. If the spy did know where I had gone, I didn't want to put Aunt Isabel in danger.

Most of all, I didn't want to have to face a friend who wanted me dead.