stared at him, stunned, then she furiously drew the other dagger and lunged at him. Finn trapped her wrist, then using her arm as a lever against her, he casually flipped her. She fell flat on her back. The other merry men stared at him with their jaws hanging open. It was the first time in their lives they had ever seen a demonstration of the Oriental martial arts.
Marion got up slowly, rubbing her hip. 'Where did you learn that trick?' she said, no longer angry.
Finn shrugged. 'It's no great feat,' he said. 'It is a way of fighting they have in the East. It was taught to me and Robin by a knight returned from the Crusades.'
'A knight! Why would a knight bother with a Saxon outlaw?'
'This was a Saxon knight,' said Bobby. 'We met him at the tournament. He was much impressed with the way I handle a longbow and offered to teach me and John some of the art of this foreign way of fighting in return for instructing him in archery.'
' You taught a knight the longbow?' she said, astonished.
'Well, it was not completely foreign to him, being a Saxon,' Bobby said. 'And he already had some skill with a crossbow.'
' You taught him? You?'
'John, I don't think she believes me,' Bobby said.
Finn shrugged. 'Show her.'
Bobby strung his bow. He looked at Marion and grinned. 'What shall we shoot at?'
'I think you're starting to believe your own fantastic boasts,' she said. 'You could never beat me.'
'Ah, but that was before I gave up drinking,' Bobby said.
Marion strung her own bow. 'I see it's time to put you in your place again,' she said. 'Very well.' She nocked an arrow and, choosing a stout oak tree on the far side of the camp, she drew her bow back and let fly. The arrow sailed across the camp, narrowly missing one of the men who had just exited his hut. He yelped and dove back inside. The arrow struck the tree trunk and stuck there.
'Right,' said Marion. 'Let's see how close you can place your shaft to mine. Perhaps you'll even split it as you did Hubert's.' She laughed, mockingly.
Bobby removed his quiver from his shoulder, handing it to John.
'Hold that for me, will you, Little John?'
Finn winked at Bobby as Bobby drew out a black arrow. With Bobby standing between him and Marion, Finn reached into the quiver and drew out the little black box.
'A black arrow?' Marion said.
'A new idea of mine,' said Bobby. 'I thought to have all the merry men use black arrows.'
'Why?'
'To strike fear into the hearts of our enemies, to mark that the arrow comes from one of Robin Hood's merry men.'
'Ah, I see,' said Marion, with mock gravity. 'Perhaps we should all wear some sort of crest upon our chests, as well? Crossed black arrows upon a cask of ale?'
By way of an answer, Bobby nocked the arrow, first taking care to quickly disarm it, drew the bow back to his ear, and let it fly. The black box did the rest. Marion's arrow was neatly split.
The merry men cheered, throwing their caps into the air and pounding one another on the back. Marion stared at him with total disbelief.
'I could not believe that story about your winning the tournament,' she said, 'yet now I see it with my own two eyes! You really can shoot!'
'And you doubted me,' said Bobby.
Marion unstrung her bow, then swung it with both hands. It whistled through the air and struck Bobby on the side of his head.
'Jesus!' He clapped his hand to his left ear, wincing with pain. 'Are you crazy?'
'All this time, you could shoot so well, and yet you deprived me of such marksmanship by being a drunkard!' She grabbed him by the hair and shook his head furiously. ' If I ever see you touch a drop of drink again, God be my judge, you 'II live out the remainder of your life a gelding!'
She shoved him away from her, then turned to face the merry men, who all instantly grew silent.
'Tomorrow, we start to learn these new tricks of fighting,' she said. 'And from this moment on, any man who cannot hold his drink will be hung up by his thumbs! Neither are you excluded, Tuck, holy friar or not.' She stalked off to her lean-to, but paused and turned around before entering. 'One more thing,' she said. 'From now on, we use black arrows.'
The merry men glared balefully at Finn and Bobby.
'Well, how about that?' said Bobby.
'She sure is some kind of lady,' Finn said.
'What kind is that?'
Finn grinned. 'I guess you'll find out tonight.'
'I have a feeling we're not very popular around here right this minute,' Bobby said.
Finn nodded. 'We'll be even less popular tomorrow morning, when I start in on these rampant specimens of manhood.'
'We may have some desertions,' Bobby said.
Finn shook his head. 'I don't think so.'
'Why not?'
'Because the only alternative to us is honest work.'
'Good point.'
'Robin!'
'I think the lady's calling you.'
'Robin!'
Bobby sighed. 'Lousy army.'
Finn chuckled. 'It's a living.'
Cedric didn't make it easy.
Lucas was waiting for the right moment to confront him, but the old man began ranting about the 'Norman dogs' the moment they left the castle. There wasn't a pause in his tirade until they had reached the edge of the forest. By that time, he had commented extensively upon the ancestries of all the Normans present at the banquet, excluding Andre de la Croix, who, conceded Cedric, was at the very least a better mannered knight than the rest of 'those swine from Normandy.'
'That despicable Templar is the worst of their lot!' said Cedric, showing not the slightest sign of winding down. 'If I were a younger man, I would have it out with him upon the field of battle! Athelstane, you should have split his skull! No, no, it was well that you didn't. Never let it be said that a Saxon drew sword upon his host, no matter what the provocation! We must see to it that his skull is split at the very next opportunity, however. Would that the white knight had split it for him! Oh, how my heart sang when I saw how well he humbled them! Would that I knew who he was so I could hold a great feast in his honor!'
Seeing his chance, Lucas quickly said, 'I can tell you who this white knight is, my lord.'
'What, you know him?' Cedric reined in his horse and slipped a small golden bracelet off his wrist. 'Good palmer, I will give you this bracelet if you name him to me!'
'Keep your bracelet, my lord. I will proudly do you this service without payment. This white knight was a Saxon who had gone off to fight for the Holy Land with Coeur-de-Lion.'
'Ha! I knew he was a Saxon! I cannot say that I hold with any true Saxon going off to fight in foreign lands while his own nation is held hostage, but for the way he unhorsed those Norman bastards, I forgive him!'
'Then forgive your son, my lord,' said Lucas, 'for his nameis Ivanhoe.'
'No! It cannot be! I have no son!'
Lucas pulled back his cowl. 'I plead your forgiveness, Father. Can you find it in your heart to take your son back?'
'You!'
Rowena gave a small shriek and almost fell from her saddle. At that moment de la Croix attacked.
