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Back Nottingham Save as PDF
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

The stag was long gone, and Robin blinked away wetness in his eyes. A cloud had obscured the sun, the river water was black, the air cold. The Sherwood was just a collection of trees, and he had work to do. Retracing his steps was a simple thing, and they were best to be on their way as soon as possible. Upon arrival, he eased the weight off his leg and sat on the boulder again, letting his quiver and bow down by the saddlebags.

There was another noise in the woods. William re-emerged, trudging his way back down the path, at exactly the same moment Robin realized the horses were missing.

ELEVEN

WILLIAM DE WENDENAL

SHERWOOD FOREST

THE SCENE BEFORE WILLIAM looked very unlike the one he expected. Robin was there, but where once there had been two useful horses was now an emptiness that could only be described as horseless. Robin mimicked his baffled reaction, as if this sudden change in horse quantity was equally perplexing to him.

“Here’s the thing…”

“Oh the thing!” William moved closer. “I’m dying to hear the thing.”

“The thing is, those horses were wrongfully subjugated by the King.”

“Oh they were, were they?”

“Most certainly.” Robin presented the empty space proudly. “They hadn’t paid their taxes, you see, and the King took them into servitude as payment. I couldn’t bear the sight of their slavery. So I set them free, their families are quite happy about it, and I have been anointed the Horse Lord of England.”

“I don’t believe you. Not because it’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard—which it is—but because a real Horse Lord of England would have horses. Whilst you have just lost yours.”

“I didn’t lose the horses…”

“Well I certainly didn’t lose them!” William stuck his arrow in the ground, the small lizard he had skewered flopping down its shaft into the grass. He walked to the spot where, once upon a time, the horses had been. Their rope’s knot must have slipped, and the well-traveled road offered no help. He would have to pick a single direction to search, as Robin was in no condition to run after them.

Robin resigned himself. “We’ll get new horses in Clipstone.”

“You’ll get new horses in Clipstone.”

“I’ll get new horses in Clipstone. We could hike there in a few hours.”

Or longer, William thought, eyeing Robin’s leg. Locksley Castle was also only half a day’s travel away by foot, and the comforts of a family estate seemed a welcome alternative to begging for help in Clipstone. But that was Robin’s call to make. He’d undoubtedly prefer to avoid the embarrassment of a wounded and horseless homecoming.

“Clipstone it is.”

“And then we’ll get on to Nottingham.”

“And then we’ll get drunk.”

“Agreed, King William.” They bowed to each other.

“Agreed, King Robin.”