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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

“What does it matter, Robin? You can’t kill me. If you kill me, the forest burns tomorrow. So what, then? We go our separate ways for now, just to do this again later? And again and again? How many more of my men have to die, how many of yours will you sacrifice before I inevitably catch you?”

Robin’s breaths were shallow, his eyes dead set on Guy. He didn’t move. He did not so much as blink.

“Just come with me, Robin. Your plans with Wendenal in Nottingham tomorrow are spoiled either way. We’ll find a peaceful way to settle this. If we don’t, we’ll keep on as we have. As animals. Butting our heads. We fought at Locksley Castle. We fought at Bernesdale. We fought here. We’ll fight at de Lacy’s funeral. We’ll fight at Lady Marion’s wedding, all for nothing.”

A flick of his hand and Robin Hood slid the tip, just the tip of his sword through Guy’s neck.

PART VIII

TWO RIVERS

FIFTY-THREE

ARABLE DE BUREL

SHERWOOD FOREST

IT SHOULD HAVE FELT good to watch him die.

Admittedly, it did feel good. But it should have felt better.

Instead, it was unfulfilling. It wasn’t that she felt bad for him, his throat cut open in the middle of nowhere, half-crawling through his own gore as his body twitched lifeless, no. It was not pity in her bones, but rage. Rage for the things she would never get to yell at him, rage for the things for which he would never be punished. At the end of his life, Guy of Gisbourne would never know how terrible a person he was. He had used her, he had threatened her, he had made her believe he was going to rape her. And he died thinking that was alright. It wasn’t enough that she had stabbed him in the back, because he escaped her now by dying. The coward.

She was only dimly aware of what else was happening. Robin Hood had not stopped with Gisbourne. He floated through the trees like a ghost, cutting down the remaining Guardsmen who were not fast enough to flee. One took Robin’s sword through the shoulder down to his heart. Another stumbled as he ran and was skewered from behind, Robin’s blade pierced his body like a potato. Arable could only watch with half her attention—the rest was memorizing Gisbourne’s final disappointing spasms.

It was better than nothing, she conceded. He was dying alone, in the cold, in an unknown place. There was that, at least. There was that.