Of Heists and Hexes by Prater S. L

Author:Prater, S. L.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: S. L. Prater
Published: 2022-04-19T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

When Noah awoke, the sun was higher in the sky and his trousers were missing, bare legs chilling in the air blowing in off the lake. Robin had left him in his tunic, belt, and undergarments. No boots. He sat up and worked his arms and legs. They were stiff but mobile once more.

Thinking about riding into Bolwerk in nothing but his drawers had his face heating. Then Noah found a piece of paper pinned to his tunic through a buttonhole. He tore it free and opened it.

It was a page from his notebook. Under his drawing of Robin fishing and smoking a pipe by the river was a scrawled message.

Be glad I let you keep some of your clothes. I might not next time. - RH

He wanted to laugh and rip his hair out in the same breath. The only positive note to his current state was that he no longer felt guilty for trying to arrest her.

The gauntlet had been thrown down.

* * *

Each morning for the next week, during his usual patrols, Noah searched the best fishing locations along Sherwood River, unsuccessful in finding even a hint of Robin. As he passed through the forest, masked witches peered at him from the safety of the trees, usually the horned rabbit or the red fox. He visited the cave by the lake, only to find that it had been emptied.

Miss Pauly adamantly refused to give him another clue about Robin’s whereabouts. He visited twice, helped stock shelves and pass out goods both times, but earned no news of his outlaw. Wishing to help his sister make more friends, he brought Marian with him to the village. It was good for her, he reasoned, to help deliver goods to the needy people of Arm, and if it helped her connect with someone, even better.

During their second visit, he caught her watching the children playing chase games in the alleyways between the buildings. He joined her beside the recently emptied cart outside the general store.

“Go and introduce yourself,” he said, nudging her, an empty box in his hands.

“What for?” she said, leaning around the cart to watch the collection of children as they vanished around the side of the tenement building.

Noah sat the box on the back of the cart. “To make some friends.”

“I have friends,” Marian said. “I have you and Nan and Jack . . .”

Noah flinched at the reference to her imaginary friend. “I’d like you to have real friends.”

Her auburn brow furrowed. “They are real friends.”

Not wanting to push her too hard, he let the matter drop. She kept to his side and watched them play. Some of the locals had started to call him by his first name instead of “Red Sheriff” or “Sheriff Nottingham”.

Marian was instantly fond of the witch shopkeeper. Miss Pauly’s first name was Ella, Marian learned for him. When Noah went on his patrols, Marian stayed to play assistant. Miss Pauly was grateful for her. The child was more able-bodied than Ella’s other help and very smart.

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