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Chapters (76)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Notice
  3. Dedication
  4. PROLOGUE
  5. PART I
  6. ONE
  7. TWO
  8. THREE
  9. FOUR
  10. FIVE
  11. SIX
  12. SEVEN
  13. EIGHT
  14. NINE
  15. PART II
  16. TEN
  17. ELEVEN
  18. TWELVE
  19. THIRTEEN
  20. FOURTEEN
  21. FIFTEEN
  22. SIXTEEN
  23. SEVENTEEN
  24. EIGHTEEN
  25. NINETEEN
  26. PART III
  27. TWENTY
  28. TWENTY-ONE
  29. TWENTY-TWO
  30. TWENTY-THREE
  31. TWENTY-FOUR
  32. TWENTY-FIVE
  33. TWENTY-SIX
  34. INTERLUDE
  35. PART IV
  36. TWENTY-SEVEN
  37. TWENTY-EIGHT
  38. TWENTY-NINE
  39. THIRTY
  40. THIRTY-ONE
  41. THIRTY-TWO
  42. THIRTY-THREE
  43. THIRTY-FOUR
  44. INTERLUDE
  45. PART V
  46. THIRTY-FIVE
  47. THIRTY-SIX
  48. THIRTY-SEVEN
  49. THIRTY-EIGHT
  50. PART VI
  51. THIRTY-NINE
  52. FORTY
  53. FORTY-ONE
  54. FORTY-TWO
  55. FORTY-THREE
  56. FORTY-FOUR
  57. FORTY-FIVE
  58. INTERLUDE
  59. PART VII
  60. FORTY-SIX
  61. FORTY-SEVEN
  62. FORTY-EIGHT
  63. FORTY-NINE
  64. FIFTY
  65. FIFTY-ONE
  66. FIFTY-TWO
  67. PART VIII
  68. FIFTY-THREE
  69. FIFTY-FOUR
  70. FIFTY-FIVE
  71. FIFTY-SIX
  72. EPILOGUE
  73. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  74. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  75. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  76. Newsletter Sign-up

The two remaining thieves—the girl and Locksley—ran from the assault, but headed directly toward the approaching Sir Robert FitzOdo. Guy watched Locksley throw himself between the knight and the girl, drawing a sword as she fled out into the muddy field. At Guy’s command, Devon and Ferrers peeled off to the left to intercept her, while Guy continued forward to help FitzOdo against Locksley.

The shrill clash of their swords split the air, and Guy watched the silhouettes of the two men hack at each other. He leaned into Merciful, urging her harder as the ground leveled out, to close the final distance to the camp. Even though FitzOdo was bald, it was difficult to differentiate the two men as they rotated and swung wildly—but there was no mistaking the moment one man’s sword smashed through the other’s head, embedding itself as the victim toppled uselessly over. The sword stayed in its victim’s skull, wrenched from the attacker’s hands as the body dropped. It was eerie to see such violence from a distance. Guy hoped it was Locksley who had been felled. He did not want any of his men to face off against a man who could take down a knight like FitzOdo.

A sharp cry came from the left where the girl, who had not made it far, was wavering in place. A crossbow bolt was in her stomach. She looked down at it, her shoulders shaking. Elena took a few more steps and another quarrel punched through the middle of her chest, sprung from Bolt’s hiding spot. The woman dropped to a knee, wobbled, then went face first into the slop.

At last, Merciful arrived at the camp, and he reined her into a walk. Reginold was yelling at his prisoner, flicking the arrow in his leg to keep him from wiggling. But it was Eric of Felley’s voice that cut through everything else.

“What the hell is this?”

“I’m sorry,” came FitzOdo’s voice, and Guy was relieved to see the man stumble out of the shadow into the daylight, his head intact though splattered in blood. “This was the only way.”

“Who the hell are these people?” Eric asked furiously.

Guy realized he was missing something. His gut twisted. He slid down from Merciful, strode purposefully over to Reginold to see the faces of his two captives—and both were strangers. Guy did not recognize either of them from the fight at Thieves Den.

“Where’s Bassett?” he asked the prisoners, but he had the terrible empty feeling that he knew the answer.

“I don’t feel proud about using you like this,” FitzOdo was saying. “You’ve still done a good thing today, you know.”

Damnation.

“Who are they?” Eric spat again.