A World That Will Not Turn to Ash (English)(From Ashes Vol.1)

Chapter 17 - Just Go

Djaq walked away in silence from the camp: the other outlaws were in a deep sleep after such a heavy day, but she couldn't sleep.
She walked away from them and stopped a few meters from the tree where they had tied Gisborne, hiding behind another tree to secretly watch him.
He had been tied up, hands raised above his head, his back against the trunk of the tree and he had been gagged with a piece of cloth.
Surely even he wouldn't be able to sleep in that awkward position, Djaq thought with a bitter smile, thinking of her own insomnia.
When she closed her eyes, she could still see all too clearly the hand of Roger of Barrett that slaughtered that innocent woman. She was killed and the outlaws couldn't save her. That memory brought Djaq back to the Holy Land, at the time when she saw her twin brother die and she lose the only surviving member of her family.
She tried to send those memories away and she looked back at Gisborne.
His behavior had intrigued Djaq and she wondered what had driven him to search for his enemies' camp. Hadn't he thought that he could have been killed even before he had a chance to talk?
If he hadn't had his face hidden by the cloak and he had been recognized, Djaq had the impression that some of the other outlaw would have pierced him with an arrow from a distance without even allow him to open his mouth.
Not that his current situation was much better.
It was unlikely they would let him go. As Will had said, now Gisborne knew the location of the camp.
The girl looked back at the tied man, with pity, and she noticed that his position was not just uncomfortable, but it seemed to cause him a real suffering.
Djaq got little nearer, and she understood she hadn't been mistaken: the face of Gisborne was drenched in sweat and contracted in a grimace of pain, while his body was leaning to the ropes as if he hadn't the strength to stand.
"Hey..." Djaq whispered and Gisborne winced, then he opened his eyes to look at her.
Djaq made a few more steps forward to be seen in the light of the full moon, then she approached cautiously to Guy, took away the gag with a quick move and she stepped back again.
Gisborne looked at her without saying anything, surprised by her gesture.
"Are you hurt?"
"Why do you ask?"
"I studied medical arts in my country, I don't like to see people suffering, even if they are enemies."
Gisborne weakly smiled.
"Don't lose any sleep for me, tomorrow I'll be dead, anyway. For real, this time."
"If what you said is true, Robin will not kill you." Said Djaq, but in reality she wasn't entirely sure of her words.
"No offense, but I doubt it. And if he won't do it, I'm sure another one of your friends will."
"Why did you come here? You knew what was going to happen, right?"
"I did not have many other options."
"Well, coming here and getting yourself killed doesn't seem like the best one, I would say."
Guy chuckled and she looked at him as if he were crazy.
"Do you find it funny?"
"Allan said exactly the same thing."
"Then maybe for once Allan was right. Coming to the camp wasn't the best choice."
"Not for me, maybe. But it is for Marian. Now that you know the situation, Hood will rescue her."
Djaq looked at him for a moment without saying anything, then she walked over to him.
"Can I trust your word? If I loosen those ropes and let you find a more comfortable posture, do you promise that you won't try to attack me?"
Guy looked at her, puzzled.
"Why would you do that?"
"I told you, I do not like to see people suffer. So, can I trust you or not?"
Gisborne nodded briefly.
"Although everybody seem to think so, I'm not a rabid dog. I won't touch you."
Djaq began to loosen the ropes, then she took an instinctive decision and she cut them.
Gisborne, no longer supported by them, fell to the ground and he let out a groan of pain.
The young saracen bent down to help him, but Guy was able to sit up by himself and he held up a hand to stop her.
"Wait, please." He gasped. "Just give me a moment before you tie me up again."
He closed his eyes, trying to slow his breathing and to control pain. After being tied to that tree for hours, his back had begun to hurt a lot and he felt weak and exhausted.
Djaq crouched beside him and tried to put a hand on his shoulder. Guy escaped contact with a start.
"Do not touch me!"
She lowered her hand, but she didn't move away.
"Let me see your wounds."
"Why?"
"I untied you, I trusted in your word. Now it's your turn to trust me, come close to the fire and let me look."
Guy wondered what the intentions of the girl were. He didn't like the idea of showing his weakness to a member of the gang of Robin Hood, but the saracen girl had been kind to him and she untied him even if it would have been more prudent for her not to do so.
He gave her a nod and he followed her to the fire without making a sound. Djaq motioned for him to sit in a place illuminated by the flames and Guy obeyed. He undid the clasps of his jacket, removed it and stood there, waiting for Djaq to examine his wounds.
She examined at first the cut on his chest, now healed, then she looked closely at the wounds left by the lashes, and she held her breath.
"I understand why you didn't want me to touch you." The girl whispered. "Will you let me treat your wounds? I will just graze them and I'll try not to hurt you."
Guy glanced at the outlaws who were sleeping not very far from them.
"Why do you care so much? Your comrades certainly wouldn't approve."
Djaq shrugged.
"It isn't necessary that they know it. Now hold still, this will relieve your pain a little and it will help the skin to heal faster."
The girl quickly rubbed an ointment on his back, trying to touch him as little as possible then she motioned that he could put his jacket on.
"Now drink and then come with me." Djaq handed him a bowl of water and Guy hesitated for a moment, then he thought that if she had wanted to poison him, she would not have bothered to treat his wounds. He tasted a sip: it was fresh, clean water, and only then Guy realized that he was really thirsty. He quickly emptied the bowl and he handed it back to Djaq.
"Thanks."
She motioned for him to follow her and they walked away from the fire. When they got to the tree where he had been tied, Guy was surprised to see that Djaq was keeping to walk.
"Hey, shouldn't you tie me up again before they wake up? Soon the sun will rise."
She shook her head.
"No. Take your horse and go."
Gisborne looked at her.
"Would you let me go? Even if I know where your camp is?"
Djaq sighed.
"I don't want you to be killed. There have already been enough deaths."
Guy smiled.
"Thanks, but I'll stay. If I should run away now, they would blame you, and believe me, I'm tired of ruining other people's lives."
"But you will die!"
Gisborne returned to the tree and he sat down near the trunk, next to the cut ropes. Djaq probably would refuse to tie him again, but he wouldn't move from there.
"Maybe it's better that way." He said softly.
"Go away!"
"No."
An arrow planted in the trunk of the tree, a few centimeters from Gisborne's head.
Djaq jumped, startled, while Guy just looked up in the direction of Robin Hood.
"Hood. Since when were you spying us?"
Robin got near with the bow pointed at him.
"For enough time to be able to state that if your answer had been different, the arrow would not have missed the mark. Djaq, would you really have let him to get away?"
"Do not blame her, she only showed compassion to the wrong person."
Robin Hood pretended to be surprised.
"Gisborne, you almost talk like a human being, I'm shocked!"
Guy glared at him, but he didn't respond to the provocation.
Robin threw down his bow and grabbed his arm. Guy tried to get free, but Robin yanked him.
"Get up!"
"What do you want to do?" Djaq asked, worried.
"Please, go back to the camp and wait there." Robin said to her, more gently, then he pushed Gisborne forward. "Come on!"
The girl watched them go away through the trees and she wondered if she should follow them, then she took a decision and ran to the camp to wake up the others.