Chapter Twenty-Seven 

Melinda woke to the sound of the men moving about.

"Don't y'all leave without me."

"You should remain here, lady."

"If you think I'm staying here while you go and look for James, you're out of your ever-loving mind."

Melinda put her hands on her hips, glaring at Renly and the rest of James' men.

The captain of the guard threw up his hands.

"As the lady wishes. You must try not to make noise or talk."

Melinda followed the good captain and his men into the forest. She didn't have a clue how they could figure out where to go, but one of James' men was supposed to be able to track anyone or anything.

The men were ballerinas and she was a hippo wearing a tutu. That was what she felt like as the men glided through the woods. No matter where Melinda stepped, a branch cracked or something rustled. She really did try to be quiet, but every step made her sound like a herd of small children as they made their way deeper into the wood. Heck, forget a herd of kids—she made enough noise for an entire army.

Talk about creepy. With every step, she felt as if something or someone was watching. She'd always laughed at the expression "the woods have eyes"…never again.

Stepping over a branch, Melinda wished she'd worn her old clothes. The dark green dress was beautiful, made her feel like she belonged, but it was terrible for traveling. Getting on and off a horse, hiking, and walking through the wood, it was totally impractical.

The tracker looked to be about her size. Maybe she could swipe a pair of his hose. They were kind of like leggings.

The smell of a wood-burning fire wafted through the trees. She inhaled deeply. Melinda loved that smell. It reminded her of cold nights, hot chocolate, and staying up all night with her sisters talking and laughing.

The sound of voices carried through the wood. The men stopped, listening. They started to fan out while she stayed behind Renly.

"Stay close to me. James will take my head if you are hurt."

"Consider me glued to you." She had every intention of staying close. The woods spooked her. Who knew what they were walking into?

The trees gave way to a clearing and what looked like a tiny village plopped down in the middle of the forest. Straight out of a fairytale. If she saw a cottage made of candy, she was out of here. The witch wouldn't eat James. He was all muscle and sinew, but she had a bit of plumpness. Great. Now she thought fairytales were real. You time-traveled. Why can't fairytales be real? The voice in her head was so not helping.

She heard the clear sound of steel ringing across the trees. Renly unsheathed his sword and chaos erupted. There was a sword propped against a tree looking lonely. Melinda picked it up with a grunt and slung it up on her shoulder just like she'd seen James do so many times.

"Yikes. These things are heavier than they look."

Renly put a hand to his mouth.

"Don't you dare laugh."

He coughed and turned his back for a moment, shoulders shaking. She narrowed her eyes. He was laughing. Before she could fuss at him, a man appeared.

"Renly, look. It's Robin Hood."

"Nay, lady. 'Tis the leader of the outlaws."

Well, he was wearing a mask and had blond hair. Didn't Robin Hood have blond hair?

The leader jerked his head and James walked forward, a man on either side of him. He wasn't tied up, but by the number of swords out and ready, she had no doubt he was being held against his will.

Before Renly spoke, Melinda brandished the sword in front of her, prayed her arms wouldn't fall off, and stepped forward.

"Let him go or I will run you through."

The man looked at her for a full count of ten. She knew. She counted. Instead of killing her, he threw back his head and laughed. Laughed until he doubled over. It wasn't that funny. She could stick him with the sword. She eyed the end. It looked sharp enough to do damage.

His men laughed with him, which only made her madder. Had she said the wrong thing? No, "run you through" was what she'd heard the men say before they did away with bandits.

She imagined a string pulling her head to the sky, making her stand up straight.

"I will not ask you again, sir. Release Lord Falconburg now."