BooksBarbecue
Back Nottingham
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

Maybe Much would be fine. Maybe the friar could bandage him. If they got to him quickly, they could bandage it tight enough, but not so tight as to choke him. It would heal except for an impressive scar stretching from his clavicle to his chin, and later the girls would all ask him about it. Much would tell them how he’d been lanced through, and played dead, only to rise and strike down the man who’d tried to murder him, and all the girls would want to kiss his neck.

Elena’s hands clasped into a single fist and swung through a guard’s face, then her leg swung hard and snapped across the man’s chin when he tried to roll up. She tried to bring her boot down into the man’s teeth, but she was yanked backward and around. By a fool’s roll, she watched a fist miss her by an inch and she flung her own elbow in, finding the soft of the guard’s neck. Then there was steel, the screech of swords, even though there was no noise.

Time rolled backward. A minute ago, Much was hiding in the alley between the buildings. He must have swiped the sword from another storehouse, and was building up his bravery to make an attack. He made it softly and carefully, and the captain had his back to him, with no one between them. Much ran forward, screaming, and he plunged his sword into the captain’s back. Gisbourne fell, and the guards dropped everything and scattered for the trees, where a hundred hidden archers dropped them one by one, and Elena and John hoisted Much above their shoulders and shouted his name.

Elena was ducking under the reach of a long sword, and as she came up her knee found the belly of its wielder. There was a rock in her hand, and it smashed the man’s temple. Nearby, Will had found a sword, but was being beaten backward. Elena threw herself on his assailant’s arm, only to find herself leaping to the side as the thrusts came her way now. Something smashed against her face hard, too hard. Her vision blanked out, and it was only the pain that let her know she had not died. She was sliding back in the dirt and dust, her feet giving way, but when she could see again it was Will in front of her, standing over her, wielding John’s massive quarterstaff. Gisbourne was there, still over Much’s body, pointing at Will and yelling. Then the two of them flew at each other.