Robyn and the Hoodettes (14 page)

Oh great. A comedian
.

“
I’m looking for the people of Loxley and
Littleton.”

“
There’s just me here. And the voices. There’s enough of them
to fill a village.”

If it didn’t promise to hurt so much, she might bang her head
against the wall in frustration.

In between cackles from the vagrant, Robyn’s ears strained
for sounds of others. If there were more people down here, the air
would feel different. It would smell like stale sweat and animal
skins and wool. It would smell like bodies and mingled breaths. But
the only smell Robyn could detect was her own body, and the
remnants of whoever had been in here before. Using the corner to
relieve themselves.

Oh please, let me get out of here before I have to use
that.

The wall chilled her as she leaned against it. The pressure
against her body offered little comfort. But soon, one wall wasn’t
enough security, so she squished herself into the corner–the
opposite one to the open latrine–to feel the comforting pressure on
two sides.

The floor was no doubt filthy, but it offered pressure from a
third side and she took it.

And lay there curled up for goodness knew how long, straining
her ears for noises.

No noises.

Nothing.

It’s a strange thing, nothing. Because it’s never
completely
nothing
. The more nothing she heard, the more the tiny movements
of her body sounded louder and more unbearable. Her pulse beating
in her neck. The scrape of her tunic against her skin when she
turned this way or that. Her fingers scratching her scalp whooshed
in her ears like the bellows at Marion’s forge.

The nothing amplified every tiny
something
.

When real noises eventually came her way, they nearly blew out
her eardrums.

Voices. Familiar and unwelcome, because they belonged to
Maudlin and–ears straining–yes, it was Roger of
Doncaster.

“
Put it in this one.” That voice belonged to Maudlin. Bossing
people round.

“
You’re sure nobody saw us?” That was Roger.

The walls amplified all sounds, making it impossible for Robyn
not to hear their every word.

“
Nobody saw us. But if it makes you feel any worse, the walls
have ears so be quiet.”

“
How many people are in the cells? I sent a girl down here
earlier.”

“
What for?” That was Maudlin’s annoyed tone. Or, to put it
another way, her default position.

“
For her own good,” Roger said with a wheeze, laughing at his
own joke.

“
Which means she can hear everything we say and do, so keep
talking if you want to dig your own grave. I know the girl is
listening. Aren’t you?”

Cold chills radiated through Robyn. How could she ignore them
when they were the only noise around?

“
Aren’t you?” Maudlin called out again.

A sigh of resignation from Robyn. “It’s pretty hard not
to.”

“
Show yourself,” Maudlin said as she stood on the other side of
the door and opened the inspection hatch.

“
I won’t look at either of you. Because I don’t know who you
are, which means I can’t tell anyone what I’ve heard because I
don’t know who’s doing the talking.”

“
Nice try,” Maudlin said, “Now take your hood off and show
yourself.”

Roger said, “Hood?”

The loony in the cell across the hall chose now of all times
to call out, “Hood, Hood!”

“
Come on girl, let me see your horrible face so I may feed my
nightmares,” Maudlin said with a coldness that only added to
Robyn’s misery.

“
Nightmares!” Came a cry from down the hall. The other
prisoner’s weird voice bounced around the walls.

“
OK then,” Robyn walked over to the inspection hatch and pulled
the hood off her head.

Maudlin cackled, “You! I should have known you’d end up in
here!”

Roger then took his turn looking at her. His jaw tightened but
he said nothing.

“
Come on, there’s more to be done,” Maudlin said.

The silence between Roger and Robyn spoke volumes. He knew who
she was now; the girl who’d assaulted them that night on the King’s
Road.

***

Gates clanged and the door groaned open. Robyn woke up to
find the giant turnkey had come to her cell. “Aren’t you a
favourite? You’ve got friends on the outside!”

Of course she had friends on the outside, fat lot of good they
were doing at the–

Whoa! Joan walked in and stood beside the turnkey. They could
have been sisters. They were the same height and colouring, give or
take a few layers of grime.

“
This is wonderful!” Robyn said throwing herself at the prison
guard, who made an ‘oomph’ noise from the impact.

“
We’ve paid Maudlin the fees and you’re free to go.” Joan
said.

Tears of shock and gratitude bubbled from Robyn. Then reality
poured in. “What, all of it?” They couldn’t have used all their
coins freeing her, had they? They’d have nothing left to give to
their villagers.

Whenever they found them.

Joan said, “What are you waiting for, let’s go.”

“
OK.” Robyn boggled for a bit as she saw just how similar her
friend and the turnkey were.

“
Are you all right?” Joan asked.

“
No,” Robyn said, even while a smile spread over her face. “Oh
wow, this is so great.”

Joan’s brows knitted together. So did the guard’s. Their
actions so similar Robyn wondered how the two of them couldn’t see
it.

“
I didn’t think we left you here long enough to go loopy . . .”
Joan started.

Robyn kept right on smiling and said, “I’m fine, really. But
Joan? Can’t you see? I think this woman’s your mother!”

A sledgehammer couldn’t have knocked these two giants over,
but Robyn’s simple words made them stagger. Then they looked at
each other as if for the first time.

The resemblance was uncanny.

How had they not seen it the moment they’d met? “You two need
to find a water trough and have a look at your
reflections.”

“
H-how old are you?” The turnkey asked, taking a step back to
get a better look.

Joan looked puzzled. “This summer will be my
seventeenth.”

Robyn grabbed Joan by the elbow. “Come out into the light, you
two, and you’ll see what I mean.”

All this time they’d left the cell door open, but she hadn’t
made a run for it.

“
By the way, where’s the rest of Loxley?”

“
In the tower,” The turnkey said, not doing a very good job of
guarding anyone.

“
My parents
–” Joan began, then she teared up and dragged her dirty
sleeve over her face, “They found me and called me
Joan.”

“
Hello Joan.” They stared at each other for a little while.
“I’m Georgia.”

So now the turnkey had a name.

Fuelled with renewed hope, Robyn took this as a sign from the
heavens that things would go their way. “Georgia, you’re with us.
Take us to the tower so we can free our people.”

But the two giant women paid her no mind, both collapsing into
tears and hugging one another. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Anything else Georgia said was smothered in a messy hug. The words
probably didn’t matter anyway. Just the sentiment, which was
overflowing.

Robyn tugged on Joan. “There’ll be plenty more time for that
later.”

Joan pulled back and swiped a fresh streak across her face.
“Stop bossing me around, Robyn. I’ve just found my mother. I mean,
my other mother. I have a lot to process right now.”

“
Righto,” Robyn shrugged and took to the corridor, looking for
any other prisoners. But there was only one other.

“
Leave me alone!” The weirdo in the other cell said.

“
Don’t you want to get out?” Robyn asked.

“
Oh yes! Let me out.” He changed his tune in a finger snap. “So
much to do, so little time.”

At which point Robyn figured she’d need the key, so she
went back to the crying giants to ask them for–

“
Oh, isn’t this lovely?”

There by the heavy doors stood Maudlin and on her shoulder the
all-seeing jackdaw.

“
Get back in your box!” Maudlin shouted as the jackdaw flew
straight for Robyn’s face.

Startled, Robyn ducked but the bird landed on her head, claws
digging into her scalp. “Get! Get!” Her voice ricocheted off the
walls, making her voice sharp, loud and panicky. Blindly she batted
at the bird. It jabbed its beak at her hands in
retaliation.

“
Ow!”

“
Stop it!” Joan shouted. Her voice did the rounds of the walls
as well. “Georgia, do something.”

“
I can’t!”

“
Is someone going to let me out?” The prisoner down the hallway
asked.

“
Get this bird off me!” Robyn cried out.

“
Please, Georgia?” Joan asked again.

“
Get back in your cell and Rook will leave you alone,”
Maudlin’s clipped tones jammed into Robyn’s ears.

Anything to get the marauding claws out of her scalp. Robyn
ran into her cell, but the bird refused to let go.

“
Robyn get out of there!” Joan said. “Maudlin you thief!
We’ve paid for her release, now let her go!”

“
Hush!” Georgia warned.

“
Get off!” Robyn’s echoed. The raven’s “caw, caw” noises
bounced around the walls like a drum beat.

Suddenly Robyn stopped fighting and remembered the last
time she’d been around that bird. Each clap cracked like a whip.
Down in the other cell, the prisoner clanked his tankard against
the bars.

In the cacophony of claps and clangs, the jackdaw hit the
wall and tumbled down. Robyn darted out the cell and pulled the
heavy door behind her.

“
You’ll hang for this!” Maudlin lunged for the cell
door.

“
Come on Joan!” Robyn made a dash for freedom.

The sound of heavy boots behind her meant Joan had to be
close. At least, she hoped the sounds belonged to Joan. No time to
turn and check. Another pair of boots joined them.

“
The tower!” Joan panted as they came to a
staircase.

Robyn heaved with relief that the person behind her were
allies not enemies.

Pain lanced her chest
as they took the stairs two at a time. Tightness
burned her thighs. Mouth-breathing all the way, Robyn kept running.
When they reached the top, they gulped for air. Joan and Robyn
leaned against the walls, their breathing loud and
messy.

Gasping for breath, Georgia came into view.

“
You two . . . are trouble.”

“
Sorry,” Joan shrugged.

Robyn couldn’t help smiling. “Can you get the tower door
open?”

Georgia waved her hand in the air and wheezed, “Can’t
breathe.”

They didn’t have time for luxuries like breathing. By now,
Maudlin must’ve got her bird back, and her temper up. She only had
to follow the direction of their noisy footsteps to know where
they’d gone.

And set more guards on them.

“
Georgia, how many guards does Maudlin have?”

Wheeze. Headshake. Joan splayed all four fingers and her
crooked thumb out. “Only three.”

Joan laughed, “Hey, my thumb’s crooked like that
too!”

Fresh tears made clean channels down Georgia’s face. “I’m
so sorry darling.”

They hugged again.

They
couldn’t stand around here wasting time, they had to keep
moving. Heartbeat still three times faster than normal, Robyn was
as recovered as she’d ever be. “Give me the keys. I’ll go to the
tower.”

With shaking hands, Georgia gave Robyn the keys from her
belt.

Instead of charging straight off, Robyn stopped and made
herself think. Made a plan. Once she found the tower, what then?
She knew Maudlin would be furious at what they’d done, but she
didn’t have that many guards to do anything about it.

Which meant Robyn and her gang had the numbers.

As long as they didn’t run into Roger of Doncaster. Then
again, if she didn’t get a move on, somebody would find them and
they’d all end up in the dungeons.

Another flight of stairs, this lot took her down again, which
felt like the wrong direction, but then she went up again, away
from Joan and Georgia and far away from Maudlin. She stopped by a
narrow gap in the wall where the wind howled through. Everything
was made of timber up here. Creaking timber that groaned as the
wind blew against it.

Timber that held within it the centuries-old smell of life and
death.