Free Sherwood by S. E. Roberts Page A

chasing
them.
    "That was harsh!" Candor exclaimed,
exhaling and heaving in breaths. He leaned his body weight on a
great oak and held the captured flag to his chest.
    Harlow chuckled, looking at him as she
leaned up against a tree next to Candor's."It's a rush though,
isn't it?"
    Candor chuckled, saying nothing
more.
    Harlow turned her attention to Enders
as they hid away from the screams and shouts of the other men. "Are
you alright?"
    Enders' breathing was heavy and
labored. He simply nodded, looking out into the forest.
    A whistle rang out, signaling to the
three runners, that the coast was clear. Rawley had come up with
the idea, which Harlow admitted was brilliant.
    Harlow sighed, closing her eyes gently
before opening them again, exhaustion starting to take over her
body.
    Enders raised an eyebrow at
her, a small smile on his lips.
    Harlow
shrugged, the two having a mental conversation, as if he was asking
if she was alright. She
smiled, still tired as she did so. She found herself having trouble
getting up from the tree she leaned against.
    Noticing this, Enders
chuckled, walking to her and holding his hand out to help
her.
    Gratefully, she took his
hand in her own pulling herself up and letting out a quiet “Thank
you,” before trying her best to keep her wild heart beat under
control.
    Enders followed Harlow
toward the clearing. She quietly sighed, lifting one hand to her
forehead, making sure all of her hair was tucked neatly inside her
hat, before walking into the area where the archers were
stationed.
    “ Ready, men?”
Enders asked, looking at the two archers. His tone was oddly
serious and drained. He seemed so completely worn out.
    Harlow raised an eyebrow at
him. “Are you?” She was subtly asking if he was alright, if he
needed a break.
    “ Why wouldn't
I be?” Enders asked, an eyebrow again raised in her direction, a
persistent smile on his lips.
    Enders took the lead,
taking large steps, and making Harlow fight with her heart to keep
it from beating out of control.
     
    *~*~*
     
    The sound of feet pounding
on the dirt floor, legs burning with every jump, hop, and skip over
foliage that littered itself on the soil beneath, seemed to echo
loudly throughout the trees.
    This was one of those
moments that Harlow couldn't explain.
    How exactly had they failed
so miserably this time?
    The opposite team was
gaining on them with every step.
    Harlow was getting tired
and weak, just as Candor and Enders were. She could tell by the way
they dragged themselves through the forest that they were
exhausted.
    Candor looked back as he
ran, gripping the flag to his chest tightly.
    Harlow was sure they'd make
it back to their base before the other team caught them. Keeping
this in her mind, she pushed forward, watching Candor and the
flag.
    The trees seemed to become
a blur as she rushed past all the foliage in the forest. Her mind
was on one thing and one thing only: make it to the archers with
the flag.
    It wasn't much farther, she
noticed, passing a green piece of cloth that hung tied to a tree.
It was a marker Enders had put up to lead us to the
archers.
    Her relief was short lived,
though.
    A menacing figure stood in
the path before them, staring with his bow raised high, ready to
fire.
    Harlow faltered slightly,
feeling one man's fingertips graze her arm. She immediately yelped,
picking up the pace and breaking right, away from Enders and
Candor, who broke left.
    The other team didn't stop
chasing her, one of it's members following her while the rest
chased after Enders and Candor.
    Harlow glanced back, seeing
a somewhat taller, slim man chasing after her. Her eyes stared for
a second, while her feet tripped over themselves every other step,
but she wasn't finished yet. She was getting careless because of
her exhaustion, but she was hell-bent on not giving up.
    That's when she saw it: a
large oak with several low branches sticking out in different
directions. It was about five seconds away, and she knew what