Shadows of Sherwood Read Online Free PDF Page A

right tools somehow and try. She had to hear the whole message and understand what Dad needed her to do. She couldn’t let him down.
    After a short while the terrain of the woods began to change. The trees thinned, the branches raised and straightened, and their leaves gave way to needles. The viny ground morphed into a carpet of brown needles. Robyn gazed around in wonder. She remembered coming into this part of the Notting Wood once, on the same class trip. The area was known as Sherwood Forest because the trees were evergreen and it bordered Sherwood County.
    For the first time in a while, Robyn felt the slightest bit hopeful. She kept walking. It wasn’t long before she heard voices among the pines.
    Â 
    CHAPTER SEVEN
    Voices in the Forest
    Robyn quickly tucked the map into her jeans pocket. She whirled this way and that, seeking the source of the voices. She saw nothing.
    She stood stock-still and cocked her head to one side, listening. She heard nothing more. Perhaps the wind was playing games. If she could only—
    Someone grabbed her from behind.
    Robyn screamed. She fought the strong hands that gripped her upper arm. She wrenched herself around to see who was holding her. All she caught was a glimpse of a crisp brown sleeve.
    A second man appeared in front of her, wearing the same uniform. A tall, hefty guy. “What have we here?” he said.
    â€œLet me go,” Robyn cried.
    The man smiled, but not to be nice. The smile revealed deep-set wrinkles. His skin was burnished gold from sunexposure, such that his thin blond mustache almost blended into his lip. His shirt was not simple brown, it turned out. It was camouflage-swirled and emblazoned with a large purple shield that read, Nott City Military Police.
    Police!
Robyn thought, flooded with relief. Someone who could help her. “Please,” she cried. “You have to help me. My parents—”
    â€œPlease,” the military policeman whimpered, in a mocking echo of Robyn’s plea. “Please help me,” he mimicked. Then in his own rough voice declared, “What do you think, I was born yesterday?”
    The other still held her fast by the arms. “Let’s go,” he said. “Haven’t you heard? The woods are off-limits.”
    â€œSince when?” Robyn demanded, outraged that they dared hold her so roughly. “Let me go this instant,” she insisted. But the grip on her did not lessen. Robyn’s outrage dissolved into fear. Were these the same men who had come after her parents? Nott City had a military, and it had police, but the two were supposed to be separate.
    They tugged her backpack off her shoulders.
No
, Robyn thought.
The gadget from Barclay. The envelope from Dad. The hologram!
    The MP in front of Robyn hefted the bag in his hand, testing the weight. It must have felt close to empty; he didn’t unzip it. “Planning to fill this with contraband, eh?”
    â€œI—I haven’t done anything wrong,” Robyn stammered. “Please—”
    â€œTrespassing,” he responded. “Resisting arrest.”
    The PalmTabs the MPs wore pinged in unison. A voice through the speakers mumbled something Robyn could not make out.
    The MP in front of her raised his hand to his mouth. “Negative. It’s just some girl from Sherwood.”
    Robyn struggled. “No!” she blurted. “I’m from Castle.”
    The two men laughed. “Sure,” said the one holding her. “You were just out for a twenty-five mile stroll.” Had she really walked that far?
    Robyn tried to fight off his grip. “Let me go. My father will—” She clamped her mouth shut. Best not to reveal who she was until she knew what was happening.
    Both MPs had their hands on her now. One at each arm, they carried her between them. Her feet barely touched the ground. They hustled her to a clearing where a small jeep sat waiting.

    The jeep burst out of the forest