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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

It was over. John Little was on his back with his hands in the air, Alan and Arthur on their knees with their heads down, Tuck was curled in a ball clutching his arm. Much’s lifeless pile was still where it had fallen. A dozen guards surrounded them. Four, then five stood over Will, their swords leveled low, and Will had nothing. There was a hole in their circle. She could run now if she wanted to, but she’d be leaving Will to the mercy of what came next.

Elena closed her eyes and tried to think of the first time she’d seen him but the memory was black.

She ran.

THIRTY-SIX

GUY OF GISBOURNE

BERNESDALE

IT WAS WRONG THAT the sun could rise. It was wrong that light should shine on this. It should be kept in the dark, the world should swallow it up rather than let anyone see what happened here. Guy’s forearm was just a muscle, a chunk of meat stretched over his skeleton, and he despised it. It quivered, and every twitch reminded him of his grip on the knife, how easily it held the blade and the entirety of the boy’s body. He did not need to look to know exactly where the boy lay. He could feel it in his soul. It was a tiny hole that had opened up and broken everything.

God damn you, Guy breathed, because they were the only true words left. God damn all of you.

He heard his own voice say the words. There was blood on his lips, still warm, but he would not wipe it away. He didn’t know if the blood was his or the boy’s. A chill rippled through his spine that he hoped would never end. He never wanted to be over this. He never wanted to be better.

What do we do, Captain? someone asked, and Guy’s mouth answered on its own. He did not know what he said. He did not know how he was still standing, he did not know how a man could be expected to do anything now. They had brought a child. The horror was too much to bear. They had trained a child to kill.

“You brought this on yourselves.” Those words were his, his eyes were focused on the group of thieves in front of him. “There’s not hell enough for you.”