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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

Wendenal waggled his jaw in a predictably naïve protest. “You can’t mutilate your prisoners,” he balked, “not if you want to keep the people on your side.”

“Do you have a better suggestion?” de Lacy asked, his eyes closed.

“Improve your record-keeping.”

“That cannot be done within the week.”

“Then isolate them, immediately.”

“They’re already in the only place we can hold them,” Guy said softly, with genuine regret. There was no pretending the gaols were prepared for this sort of crowding. They were already overflowing, and they’d have to start releasing men soon. There simply wasn’t enough time. “I wouldn’t bring it up if I had an obvious option. Unless you want to end that policy?”

The Sheriff closed his eyes. Guy knew what it meant. He had made this decision, which meant he had to be willing to live with its consequences if he wanted to see it through. Eventually he nodded, quite small, and looked to each of them, hoping for other solutions. His eyes, sunken and wrinkled, focused on the Earl of Warwick. “You’re the outsider here, Walerian. What do you say?”

“Do not use the brand,” the earl suggested, too quickly, and with a strange finality. “I would think the knife is better than the fire. Take the bottom of their left earlobe. Just the tip. Just this, what you can grab.”

He tugged on the floppy end of his own ear between his thumb and forefinger, yanking it around. All around the table did the same, consciously or not. Guy squeezed his own hard, but it barely hurt. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad.

Somewhere in the world, Jon Bassett was still in a hole.

Or he had deserted the Guard.

De Lacy alone did not move. “Is there anyone at the table who has a problem with this?”

“I have every problem with this,” Wendenal sputtered. “You’ve already turned this city upside down, terrified everyone, now you’re going to start cutting the ears off of innocent people? Do you honestly think this is a step in the right direction?”

Guy wanted to bite back, but the baron beat him to it. “You offer condemnation, Wendenal, but not alternatives.”

Wendenal breathed heavily, but did not say more. There was no other logical option. Everyone present looked at each other, a resigned camaraderie forged in those silent moments. How strange, Guy thought, that this would bring them some sort of unity. None of them liked it, but justice wasn’t meant to be liked. It was meant to serve the better good—and at this moment, the better good required a necessary cruelty.

“Very well. Have it done, Gisbourne.”

“Yes, Sheriff.”

They resumed their meal in silence. Roger plucked the bread from the honey and it slopped onto his plate. “It’s too sweet to eat now,” he growled.

INTERLUDE

WILL STUTELY

THORNEY VILLAGE
FRIDAY, 18TH DAY OF OCTOBER 1191

“STUTELY!”