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
A shape that could only be John Little was grappling with an unknowable Guardsman. Little’s staff was around the man’s back, held with both hands, trapping the Guardsman between the wood and Little’s chest. Little screamed, pulling the staff toward him, and even half-blinded Guy could see as the man’s back broke, limply collapsing into nothing. Guy had no idea who had just died, so close to his captain who was unable to help.
To another side, a crowd of blurry bodies was gathering, the way men rallied at the edges of a barfight. But the entire throng seemed to be involved, moving and undulating around something at its center, reacting as one. Through a hole between bodies, Guy caught a glimpse of the carnage. This had to be the assassin Will Scarlet, spinning like a top, a hurricane of death, blades in both hands. The wall of men shifted, blocking Guy’s view, spotty as it was. He told himself to move, to go and help, but his legs didn’t budge. He released the pressure from his eye and blinked away the pain, trying to focus. Again, the crowd groaned as one in horror. Another splash of Scarlet leapt from one man to another, then nothing. Guy’s vision faded black and foggy and back again, then another pop in his head exploded as before, and pain folded him over, a white hot lash.
When it passed, his vision was clearer but everything twinkled. He watched Scarlet slash down at a guard twice his size—Marshall Sutton—who caught both Scarlet’s wrists midair. It was like watching an eagle pluck a mouse from the earth. But Scarlet jumped up and kicked into Marshall’s stomach, and when his wrists were released he stabbed them both up—Good God—up through Marshall’s big ox face. Down to the hilt.
Guy’s body thundered. He ran in, not caring if it was the last thing his body would ever do.
Scarlet caught another man’s sword with one knife, rolled the other in his palm to reverse its grip and stabbed it down into the Guardsman’s chest. In the next breath, he twisted away and windmilled his arms through the air as he slapped a sword down with one strike and slashed through its owner’s shoulder with the next. Too many, Guy swore, finally close enough, unnoticed, and buried his longsword into Scarlet’s side.