The Space Between by Scott J Robinson Page B

calm assurance, it hardly seemed to matter.
    "What do you want now?"
    "Can assist me now? Can assist my
people?"
    "What?"
    Meledrin sighed, the first real sign of any
emotion Kim had seen from her. "My people being attacked by these
same creatures. Need help."
    Kim looked around. British soldiers were
advancing across the field. Some were already setting up defensive
positions as more bats circled overhead. If the strange creatures
really were aliens, then they seemed to be paying a lot of
attention to an insignificant place like Sherwood Forest. Unless it
was actually an important location. Unless.
    Kim couldn't dismiss what Meledrin was
saying out of hand. The armored alien had been in the tree long
before any of the others had turned up. Meledrin had asked for help
before they had turned up. How could Kim question anything without
checking the facts when she had just finished killing aliens with a
mace?
    "Okay. All right."
    There was a group of soldiers not far away
checking on injured people while they continued to scan their
surroundings. One of them was an officer.
    "Captain," Kim called.
    The man turned to look.
    "Can I have a lend of ten men?"
    "What? No."
    "Are you in charge?"
    "No."
    "Then who is?"
    He looked around. "The major is busy at the
moment."
    A group of men on the other side of the
field were setting up a mortar.
    "Kim, we do not have time," Meledrin
said.
    "How about one guy? He can come back in a
couple of minutes and tell you I'm an idiot, or he can come back
and get help."
    "Help?"
    "There may be more aliens in the
forest."
    "Aliens? Who says their aliens?"
    "Have you seen them?"
    "Nothing has landed in there." But the
captain chewed on his lip for a moment. "Manning, go see what the
hell she's talking about."
    A private rose quickly to his feet and
followed Kim as she, in turn, followed Meledrin.
    “ [Wait for me, woman.]”
Keeble was racing across the field, short legs pumping.
    "What's this all about?" Manning asked as
they hurried along the path. He was watching the woods, rifle held
ready.
    Kim shook her head, and then decided to
answer. "These two claim to be an elf and a dwarf. They claim they
didn't speak English an hour ago." She shrugged. "All I know is
they seemed to appear in the Major Oak as if by magic, and one of
the armored alien guys was following them. And this was well before
the bats arrived."
    "And that means?"
    Kim shrugged again. "Beats me. But I think
we should find out."
    Meledrin was leaning against the fence when
they started across the clearing towards the Major Oak.
    "Us wait for Keeble." Meledrin said when Kim
had joined her. "My people know defend selves, Kim, but not
warlike. Can get more warriors? Might be needed, still."
    "I can't get anyone else but Manning can if
he thinks it necessary."
    Meledrin glanced at the soldier, dismissed
him. "He just a man. You Warder. Have authority. "
    "A Warder?" Kim couldn't think straight. It
seemed to be contagious. "I'm not a Warder. I don't even know what
one is."
    "You only person when we arrived. You
tending to tree."
    "I wasn't tending to anything. I was
resting. Tending to be bored, maybe."
    "Yes, but..."
    Keeble came across the clearing, muttering
all the way. He reached the fence and clambered over. Meledrin
followed.
    "Are you come? Time is..." Meledrin searched
for a word, then shrugged. “[Short.]”
    Of course it was. People were dying. Strange
creatures and even stranger creatures were attacking Sherwood
Forest. "Sure it is." Kim climbed over the fence, but only went
half of the distance to the tree. She could see inside more clearly
now. Keeble had entered a moment ago, struggling through the gap,
but was nowhere to be seen.
    Manning stood beside her and looked nervous
for the first time. "Ah, where is he?"
    Meledrin looked over her shoulder. "Keeble
to Grovely. Come, we must go low."
    "Crawl?"
    "Yes. Crawl, I think. Go hands and..." She
tapped at her knee.
    "Knees."
    "Yes." The tall woman made her way into the
hollow