From Ashes, Through the Fire (English) (From Ashes Vol.3)

Chapter 29 - Nightwatchmen

Guy crawled to the window of the warehouse of Clun's tavern to look out: the street was empty and no one had noticed the wagon tied there.

He leaned forward a little to let the sack he had filled with food fall on the the wagon, then he began to fill another one, this time choosing any object that could have some value. He had already been there with Robin some time before, when they had freed the villagers imprisoned by the sheriff and sentenced to be sent to the mines, but now the Nightwatchman had to act alone in a much more dangerous situation. Clun had been occupied by those mysterious soldiers and Guy had no doubt that if they should see him, they wouldn't hesitate to kill.

He dropped the second bag onto the wagon, then he climbed over the window sill and clung to it with his hands, letting himself dangle in the void before letting go. The impact with the ground caused him a twinge of pain in his injured leg, but Guy didn't stop to catch his breath. He took the horse by the bridle and moved the wagon, taking it to the edges of the village and hiding it in the bushes.

He ran back to the houses of the village, this time with the intent of taking away the most precious objects left behind by the inhabitants, before the soldiers could take possession of them.

Guy could do nothing to return the houses to those who had lost them, but at least he could try to recover some of the things they had been forced to leave behind.

He entered a house through the window, taking care not to wake the drunken soldiers who slept in the hall and he began to explore the rooms, putting coins, jewels and silverware into the sack.

Gisborne went from one house to another, returning from time to time to the wagon to empty the bag, without allowing himself a moment of rest. The wound ached after such a prolonged effort, but it did not hinder him in his movements, so Guy simply ignored it and endured the pain.

When he saw that the sky was beginning to brighten, he decided it was time to fill his bag for the last time and then move away from Clun. He took the sack, adjusted his mask and returned to the village.

Marian held her breath at the sound of approaching footsteps and she wondered with concern whether it was a patrol of the soldiers who had occupied the village.

The girl tied the piece of cloth she had made into a mask to her face, and she prepared to defend herself, holding in her hand the curved dagger that once she used to keep hidden in her hair when it was longer.

She listened for a moment and she realized that anyone who was wandering around the houses had to be alone. Perhaps, she thought, she had some hope.

If that man should approach further, he would surely see her: Marian didn't have time to find a hiding place and she had just tried to hide in the shadow cast by the wall of a house. Perhaps she could catch him by surprise and neutralize him before he could give the alarm.

She swallowed nervously: the thought of having to be forced to kill a man made her sick, but if she couldn't stun him with a single blow, she would have to do it.

When she had snuck out of Locksley to reach Clun as the Nightwatchman, she had not imagined that the situation could be so dangerous. Her intention had been to see the situation with her own eyes and perhaps recover something from the village houses, but she had not imagined to find so many soldiers.

Fortunately, the men seemed to have ransacked the tavern's wine supplies and most of them slept soundly in the houses they had occupied.

Marian tightened her grip on the knife: by now the steps were getting closer and closer, she would have to act quickly.