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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

She was on the ground again, in the ring, and the guards were worrying about Robin Hood. She had seen the chance, the same opportunity Much had taken, but she had hesitated. This time she didn’t. She rose and took the legs out from under a guard, and that was all it took to make a distraction. Much cut the captain in two and retreated. The rest of them rose, while a mob of villagers took to the courtyard, flooding it. Will vaulted off a quarterstaff and bludgeoned Gisbourne’s teeth in …

Gisbourne swung slowly, and Will easily met him with the center of the staff, again and again, driving forward or was he being driven back? until he snapped the staff around to the side of the captain’s head, then hooked the murderer around the neck, pulling him forward. Elena tried to rise, to help him, but her body would not obey. If Will had his twins he could have ended his fight, but another guard came at him and he had to abandon Gisbourne. He threw the staff at the new guard with both hands. The man caught it in front of him and Will smashed his nose in with a fist. Grabbing the staff again, Will spun and whipped the man to the ground where he punched his face a second and third time until the man went limp and released his hold.

Much popped out of the barrel on the cart, a few hours ago, smiling and laughing, and John took him in his giant arms and held him, and John was so big and Much was so small that you couldn’t even see him in there, and John could protect him from anything. Much asked, “What do you want me to do?” and John told him, “I want you to go home,” and this time he did.

There were four guards around Will, and one slashed in high and found only splinters in the staff, but another came from the side, and Will blocked it too late. The sword slapped against his forearm, and he couldn’t avoid another. Then a boot was in Will’s back and he went down, the staff rolling away from him. Elena screamed for him, only to find she was already screaming.

It was hours ago now, when she told Much they were leaving, when she mentioned the name of Bernesdale, when he drifted off into his own thoughts. “You should come,” she said, “hide in a barrel until it’s too late to turn back.” She had hoped he would confront his past, she had hoped to give him a victory.

“Don’t go!” she screamed this time, but the memory wouldn’t change.