Sherwood Read Online Free PDF Page B

Robin Hood. He
was being melodramatic. You're really good with those throwing
knives.”
    Harlow furrowed her
eyebrows at him. “Thank you.” Harlow said, smiling at
him.
    Enders nodded at her,
feeling discontent with the situation. To Harlow, it seemed he felt
responsible, although she couldn't figure out why. “Well,
goodnight.” He said as he stood up and walked across the room to
his cot.
    Harlow gave him one last
nod as he walked away. She furrowed her eyebrows as she laid down,
but exhaustion took over her and she was asleep before Enders made
it to his own cot.
     
    *~*~*
     
    “ Hold your sword steady, Henry. You'll take the
offensive stance.” Robin exclaimed as he walked in between groups
of recruits. Circles were made with wooden blocks to create several
small rings for training. Robin weaved behind Harlow, on the other
side of the circle as he examined her fighting.
    It had been four days since
Enders sent an arrow through Robin's shirt.
    Naturally, Robin had been
keeping a close eye at him, making sure he was stable and
trustworthy. Robin had told the recruits a day or so ago that in
the forest that you must trust the people around you, that if you
couldn't trust them, you may as well be fighting a war on your
own.
    Harlow noticed his eyes on
Enders every time the two were training, but by extension, Robin
would keep a close eye on her as well, often times congratulating
her on her stances and technique.
    “ Enders, you
try to block and maneuver. This is your defensive stance.” Robin
continued his exclamations.
    Enders paused for a moment
after Robin passed and wiped the sweat off his forehead. He tilted
his head and looked at Harlow.
    Harlow smiled a little bit
and shrugged.
    Robin turned to all the
other groups. “Follow this pattern, all of you! One person takes
the offensive, the other takes the defensive!” He shouted so
everyone could hear.
    Robin placed everyone in
partners of two, setting each group up based on their level of
expertise in swordplay, placing inexperienced people with similarly
inexperienced people and so on.
    He stepped back after a few
more explanatory words, making sure he could see everyone.
“Everybody ready?!” He shouted. A few Aye's rang out in the forest.
“Start!”
    Harlow looked at Enders,
holding her sword at her side, the tip digging into the ground.
“You ready to lose, Hode?”
    Enders smiled at her
sarcastically. “Not gonna happen, McBride.”
    Harlow chuckled a bit,
keeping him off guard before swinging her stick at him.
    Enders was quick, throwing
up his own stick to deflect the strike. The two pieces of carved
wood collided, causing an intense vibration to crawl down her arms.
“That's cheap, McBride.”
    Harlow grinned, trying to
cover up the slight thumping of her heart at the sight of his hair
swinging attractively just above his eyes, and the way he smiled
mischievously at her.
     
    *~*~*
     
    Harlow let out a loud
'Oof,' as her shoulder collided with the dirt. It didn't hurt at
first, but it frustrated her. She rolled her eyes and lifted
herself up to see Enders standing victoriously on the other end of
the circle. A smug grin plagued his lips, as he leaned against his
wooden sword which protruded from the ground. “Had enough?” He
asked, lifting the stick and directing his attention to the wooden
material in his hand.
    Harlow gritted her teeth,
rubbing her shoulder. “Not quite.” She hissed, lifting her stick
and preparing for battle.
    Enders lifted an eyebrow,
tapping the side of his lip twice, motioning for her to touch her
own.
    Harlow paused for a moment
to check herself. Enders was right, she was bleeding from the
inside of her cheek. It had been seeping out of her mouth as she
narrowed her eyes at Enders.
    He didn't look worried at
her blood. Instead, he looked even more confident. “You should
probably stop for now.”
    Harlow raised an eyebrow,
although angrily. “I'm fine, Hode. Are you getting too tired to
keep it up?”
    Enders