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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

“I understand,” she answered. “I’ll get you inside the castle, but I won’t go with you. William is dangerous, and out of control, but I couldn’t bear to see him hurt.” No one responded to that, and she knew why. She swallowed.

“One more question,” Robin asked with some hesitation. “Lady Marion Fitzwalter, she’s being held in the prisons. Do you know where?”

“Not in the prisons,” Arable answered. “She’s in the tower keep.”

Robin exchanged a look with his men, as if asking for permission, which they silently gave.

“How many are going?” she asked. “The fewer the better.”

“All of us,” Robin answered.

“No, she’s right.” Will dropped his head. “No more than two or three. Any more, and it would have been too difficult for us to get out. The same will be true for getting in. Besides, the rest of us need to see what we can do about stopping those fire brigades. We need to spread the word. We’ll need a lot of help, not just from our camp but from every village we can get to. We’ve got to start right now.”

Robin looked at Will in wonder. “You don’t want your shot at William?”

“I do,” Will said, choking on the words, looking anywhere but at Elena’s body. “But we need to do this right. You go to the castle, I’ll handle the fire brigades.” He raised his voice, “Any of you here who can, your help would be invaluable.”

“I have horses in Bernesdale,” came a voice from the crowd.

“Thank you.” Will turned now to John. “What do you think, John? Is it good?”

“Oh, Will,” John sighed. “You don’t need me to tell you it is.” He hollered at the man who had spoken. “You have a horse big enough for me?”

“Aye.”

“Then I’m going with you, Robin.”

They both smiled, something humble and genuine.

Robin reached out and clasped Will around the shoulders. “Good luck, Will.”

“Good luck, Robin. And thanks. We’ll reconvene here in the morning.”

They parted with precision, with drive. Robin paused to turn back and offer his hand. “Lady Arable?”

Whatever her trepidations about these people, she could not fault their desire to do what was asked of them. Even broken and scattered, weary from the battle that just happened, not a single one of them complained as Will Scarlet called out his orders, organizing them into groups, laying out the plans of what had to happen in the hours between now and dawn. Arable followed the horseman, along with John Little and Robin Hood, back into the woods to find their way to Bernesdale, and back—one last time—to Nottingham.

It was the last place she wanted to go, but they needed her.

It had been a profoundly long time since Arable de Burel had been on that side of need.

FIFTY-FOUR

MARION FITZWALTER

NOTTINGHAM CASTLE