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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

A man rushed him, his hands behind his back, hiding a weapon. No, his hands were bound, he was one of the raiders they’d already captured at the ale cask. Guy moved quickly, swinging his sword in for the man’s belly, but pivoted at the last moment to give the prisoner the pommel of his sword instead of the blade. It was unwise. It strained his wrist to do it, but the man would survive. The crunch of a broken rib was enough to put him down, keep him down.

Death was such a lazy way to end it all.

The sounds shifted, the fight was straying even farther away from him. He moved, as quickly as he could without being careless, back into the melee. To his relief he came first upon Eric of Felley, squared off against an outlaw, both of them holding their weapons out and screaming at the other to surrender.

Guy joined, but his presence spooked the thief into attacking—a swing at Eric’s shoulder that was easily deflected. Guy did not hesitate. He curled his longsword high and right, letting its weight fall down into the outlaw’s neck, splitting cloth and skin and bone. Nearly a full hands-length it buried down into the man’s chest, and Guy had to kick his foot on the dead man’s sternum to retrieve his sword again.

“Thanks, Captain,” Eric coughed.

“Stay sharp! Where’s Locksley?” Guy shouted. He hadn’t realized how loud it was until he needed to use his voice.

“That way!” Eric pointed to his left, and his mouth exploded with blood.

Guy lit with rage.

A brief flash from behind, a hand pulling the knife out from the base of Eric’s neck. It flew into the mist.

Guy grabbed Eric’s arms and held him up, but he dragged downward. Whatever bastard had done it was gone, fleeing as cowards do. Guy shifted Eric’s weight down to the ground, his mind detaching from the unimaginable grief that would come later.

“Fucking hell was that?” Eric sputtered blood between his missing teeth.

“Don’t talk,” Guy ordered him, torn between his need to return to the battle and the guilt of leaving Eric alone. Eric’s face contorted until Guy could barely recognize him. Screams ripped the air in two. There were others out there Guy might be able to save.

Eric’s mouth opened and closed in confusion, a fish gasping for water. His eyes were unfocused and wild, straining to understand how he could die like this. Like this.