William de Wendenal found a moment to steal away with him, still breathing heavily from the skirmish. “This is out of control.”

“We have to stay focused on why we’re here. War supplies,” Robin answered. “We found them. This? This is not our problem.”

William laughed, but his smile quickly faded. “So you think we should just leave? What about these people?”

“What about these people?” Robin turned the question around. “These people are criminals, and the Nottingham Guard will make short work of them. I don’t think they’ll be a problem for much longer.”

“That’s a little cold, don’t you think?”

“No, not cold. Look where we are, William.” He gestured to the soot and ruin. “This was my home, and there’s nothing left of it, because of these people. If this were anywhere else, we’d be happy for them to be handled by the law.”

“I don’t know.” William’s eyes were searching for something he could not find. “What’s the point, then? What’s the point in going back to a war if we can’t keep the peace here in our own land? What are we fighting for, then, what are we trying to protect?”

“That’s a bit grandiose.” Robin smiled. “We can’t cure the entirety of crime. We have responsibilities. To Richard. To fight for England.”

“Then let’s fight for her people! So they’re not subjected to what we see in the war! My God, think of the ambush in Acre, Robin. Do you remember how the people came to fight, old men and boys, armed with sticks, and our men just ran them through? That’s what’s going to happen here. The Sheriff’s Guard will tear through these farmers like they were nothing. That’s where this road leads.”

Robin didn’t flinch. “They know where this path leads. They still chose it.”

“Can you honestly let that kind of bloodshed happen here at home, knowing you could have stopped it? They don’t know any better. There can be a peace in Nottinghamshire. They simply need someone to show them how.”

Robin shook his head. “That’s not why we’re here.”

“We’re here to secure the supply route. If we don’t intervene, on both sides of this, I think it’s going to get worse. That is precisely why we are here.”

Robin hated it, but his friend—as always—was right. If these thieves didn’t get themselves killed promptly, as he predicted, then they stood to make life even worse for everyone. “So what, we split up again?”

William nodded. “I think I can make some headway with the Sheriff. What about you?”

“Oh, I have to stay here?”

“They’ll respect you. They respected your father.”

That was not a kind comparison. “I don’t think they’ll listen to me.”