Arrowhead

'Yes?' coaxed the holy man.

'Unless The Hooded Man surrenders himself to the Sheriff.'

Robert had been expecting this. De Falaise was a chess player and this move was intended to draw his enemy right into the middle of the board.

'They have only till the weekend to live, then the Sheriff will begin executing them,' Mills blurted out, 'publicly, by hanging them in the grounds of the castle. Beginning at daybreak on Saturday.'

Jack whistled, and immediately apologised for his tactlessness.

'He can't do that,' Mary said, then turning to Robert, 'Tell me he can't do that.'

'Oh, he can,' Robert assured her, 'and he will. Unless I give myself up to him.'

'Now hold on there just a goddamn minute,' Jack said, 'if you do that, who'll be left to stand up for these people? The Frenchman will just walk all over them again.'

'Jack's right.' This from Bill. 'The whole thing'll start over again. Everything we fought for will have bin for nothin'.'

'And,' chipped in Granger, who had been standing silently in the crowd till then, 'the Frenchman is just going to kill the villagers anyway. The guy's a psycho.'

Robert stepped even closer. 'You say that they're doing this all over the region?'

Mills nodded.

'How many people do we have out there at the moment, delivering to villages?'

'Not that many, why?' Jack said.

'Why? Because they're in danger. More than they ever were before. The chances of our men and the Sheriff's men running into each other are much higher.'

'Oh no,' said Bill, standing upright.

Robert hobbled over. 'What is it?'

Bill gazed at him, wide-eyed. 'We have a team out deliverin' not far from Newstead today. They set off early this mornin'. Tony Saddler's leading it, you know, the ex TA bloke we recruited from Kersall.'

'Newstead? That's only a stone's throw from Ravenshead,' Robert said to himself. 'We have to radio and warn them.'

'That's not all.'

'Go on.' said Robert.

'Mark's wi' that team.'

Robert's mouth fell open. Mark. Snatches of the nightmare came back to him, glimpses of De Falaise clutching the boy, holding the gun to his head. 'How could you have let him go off like that?'

'How was I supposed to stop him? Lad's got a mind of his own. 'E wanted to help, an' I figured he'd be safe enough in Saddler's group.'

Robert said nothing, just stared at Bill in disbelief.

'Mark's bin lookin' after himsen for years. I thought it'd be all right. I didn't bloody well know about all this lot, did I?'

Robert turned to Jack. 'Get on the radio, find out their location. Warn them they might run into some company.'

'I didn't know…' Bill called out after him.

But Robert wasn't taking any notice, he was too busy following Jack as the big man took off his cap, placed a set of earphones on his head, and worked the radio he'd cannibalised from one of the stolen vehicles (as a kid shortwave had been one of his hobbies, and a way of keeping in touch with the world outside upstate New York). 'Come in Green Five, are you reading me? Over.' Jack listened intently, one hand on the left earphone. He repeated the message.

'Anything?' Robert asked after a few moments.

'Not yet. I'm having trouble raising them. It's just static on their wavelength. Could be that they're just in a black spot.'

'Or something else. Keep trying.'

'Hey, sure. I like the little squirt. He's my biggest fan.' Robert patted him on the shoulder and staggered back to the tent. Mary chased after him.

'I hope you're not thinking of doing what I think you're thinking of doing.'

Robert stopped, turned, was about to say something, then didn't bother. He reached inside, bringing out his bow and quiver.

'You're crazy,' she told him. 'Look at you. You can barely stand.'

'I can manage,' he assured her.

'Like hell!'

He began to walk away from her, but she raced around the front and stood in his way. 'Mary, please. I have to go. I have to try and warn them.'

Robert saw her checking his eyes for any sign of relenting. When she found none, she said, 'Right, well, you're going to need a driver then.'

'I said I can manage,' he told her, then missed a step and almost keeled over. He recovered before Mary could grab him.

'Either you let me drive or I'm going to fetch that sword. Right now. I mean it.'

Robert sighed again, then nodded. She fell in alongside him as they made their way out of the forest towards the confiscated jeeps.

Mary wasn't the only one who'd insisted on tagging along. Bill, who didn't come right out and say it, but was obviously feeling guilty about Mark, caught up with them as they were climbing into the vehicle. Robert didn't say anything. He just gestured for Mary to start the engine. She was well used to driving Land Rovers and the like, she told them, so this was no problem for her. In fact, Robert had to admit he was impressed with the way she guided the jeep over fields while he consulted the map – steering clear of the roads as much as possible in case they were seen.

They covered the distance cross-country quite quickly, keeping in touch with Jack to see if he'd been able to contact Green Five. Robert had personally okay'd their leader after witnessing how he handled himself when defending his own community against the Sheriff's men. Robert and his group had come in on the tail end of the fight, but when it was over and the invaders had decided to take flight, Robert asked Tony Saddler if he would consider joining them. 'We can always use someone with your expertise,' he'd told him. The chestnut-haired man had needed little persuasion to put his training to good use. He was an experienced soldier, who'd been serving in the Territorial Army when the virus hit. Mark should be in safe hands with Tony.

So why did Robert have such a nagging feeling that something had already gone disastrously wrong? Was it just the dream, or something else? The radio silence? Could be just out of range as Jack said, or even that the equipment at their end was broken. But Robert doubted it.

When they reached Green Five's last known location, Robert's worst fears were confirmed. As they made their way down one last dirt track, they saw the smoke rising above the trees, into the early evening sky. The village Saddler and his team had been delivering to was pretty much like any other in the region, and had no doubt once been beautiful in its heyday. Quaint cottages lined the roads even before they got to the main street, but now they were either in ruins or the walls were dotted with bullet holes.

It was even worse in the centre of the village. A truck had jackknifed, blocking off the road, though Robert couldn't tell if it was one of theirs or De Falaise's – seeing as they'd originally stolen their vehicles from him. Here and there were upturned motorbikes. And bodies, plenty of bodies.

'Judas Priest!' said Bill as they edged closer.

'Bring us in slowly, Mary – and keep your eyes peeled.' Robert glanced over and saw her take one hand off the steering wheel to pick up a Peacekeeper. He gripped his bow tightly, though there wasn't enough room to prime it. Mary braked gently when they arrived at the truck, bringing the jeep to a stop but not putting on the handbrake in case they needed to beat a hasty retreat.

'Wait here,' Robert said to Mary, 'Keep the engine running.' He opened the door and hopped down, still wobbly but feeling better for the fact that he could now use his bow. Bill joined him, shotgun at the ready. They advanced together.

It was no longer a peaceful British village in the countryside; now it resembled the streets of some foreign