Chapters (76)
- Title Page
- Copyright Notice
- Dedication
- PROLOGUE
- PART I
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- PART II
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- PART III
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- INTERLUDE
- PART IV
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- INTERLUDE
- PART V
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- PART VI
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-FOUR
- FORTY-FIVE
- INTERLUDE
- PART VII
- FORTY-SIX
- FORTY-SEVEN
- FORTY-EIGHT
- FORTY-NINE
- FIFTY
- FIFTY-ONE
- FIFTY-TWO
- PART VIII
- FIFTY-THREE
- FIFTY-FOUR
- FIFTY-FIVE
- FIFTY-SIX
- EPILOGUE
- AUTHOR’S NOTE
- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
- Newsletter Sign-up
Prince John slapped the wooden frame and cackled. “No, no, you’re supposed to ask what?”
“What?” Alan asked, because he was so perfectly lost.
“Yes, just so! I ask, Were you counting? Then you say, What? And I say, The number of times I asked you about your friends and family. Then you would, with some difficulty probably, come to the correct answer of Zero. Because I have a staggering lack of interest in meeting your friends and family. Meeting everyone sounds like the least pleasant way I could possibly spend an afternoon.”
Robin chuckled, hearing a familiar canter in John’s voice. “You remind me of your brother.”
“One of the dead ones? Or Richard?”
“Richard.”
“Ah. Well that’s odd.” The prince smirked. “I was going to say that you remind me of him. I’ll see you soon, I think.”
At John’s signal, the carriage eased to motion with no further fanfare. Its last remaining ribbon caught in its spokes until Robin stomped his foot down upon it, snapping the tether.
It was, by and far, the last way he could have possibly expected to spend his afternoon. The sky might have turned red, showered beets and carrots from the clouds, and still Robin would find it less strange than the time he chatted with the prince in the middle of the woods about starting rebellions.
“So what do we do?” Alan asked.
“I wasn’t lying. I’ll bring this up with the group.” Robin readjusted his belongings for the hike back to the Oak Camp. “But I’m not interested in his offer.”
“What’s wrong with it? Gold, powerful friends on our side…”
“Prince John has his own interests in mind, Alan. Not ours.” John didn’t simply want to help them, he wanted to redirect them. He wanted to finance and franchise them. John wanted to provide his own targets for them to hit, both to burglar and to kill. He wanted Robin to train new groups in neighboring counties, all at John’s discretion. In essence, he wanted to build his own secret army.
“He’s not allowed any military strength of his own,” Robin explained. “No castles, no armies, such were the stipulations of him being allowed back into England. Richard’s always been a bit paranoid of those closest to him.”
“Is that why he sent you away?” Alan asked.
Robin paused, having no answer.
Alan blew out his lips. “Well, it sounded like a good deal to me.”