Betrayal (Shadow Hunters Trilogy #1) *COMPLETE*

Sanctuary

A twig snaps in the distance and Much's head snaps in the direction of the sound. Another twig snap and he unsheathes his sword and looks around, ready for a fight until he recognizes his fellow gang members. John rests his staff against a tree and takes a seat near the fire while the Isaac and Allan do the same. Much looks behind them and frowns. "Where's Robin? Is he—"

"Relax Much. He's fine. Him and Eva are on their way back." Allan replies. "Isaac here got the brilliant idea to steal a cart before we escaped. That's the only reason we got back as quickly as we did. Also, I think he ran over a couple guards while he was at it." He chuckles and Much gapes at Isaac who shrugs his shoulders with a grin.

"It was either me or them. I chose me." He says, cutting a piece of meat from where it was cooking on the fire. "Besides, I told them to get out of the way but they didn't listen."

"Yet you still managed to leave Robin alone with the same woman who was going to kill him." Much fumes. "I bet she'll try to kill him on the way and make up some story about an ambush or something." He mutters as he rotates the meat.

"I doubt that." Allan frowns. "Will told us she was injured before he rode off to Locksley to tell Djaq."

"She probably was hurt when the King found out she failed." Much sneers.

"Much." Isaac growls, staring him down. "Eva isn't the only one who was part of the betrayal. So was I. Eva isn't as bad as you make her sound. If you knew the whole story..."

"Even if I knew why she agreed to kill my master, it doesn't make her intentions less wrong." Annoyed, Much grabs his walking stick nearby and hobbles away in a huff, muttering something about a walk.

"Maybe we should take another break." Robin suggests as we trudge through the forest for what seems like forever. "I can tell that you're getting tired."

I shake my head. "No." I say stubbornly. "We should be back at the camp in about an hour. Once there, we'll rest, eat and make a plan."

"We're far from the castle and have been walking for a while now." He insists. "We can afford to take a break."

I look over at him. "If you're tired, we can stop. If not, I say we keep going."

He lets out a wary sigh. "Eva, I'm not the one who was shot with an arrow. Even though I would have been had you not stepped in front of me."

I shrug. "After all I've done, it was the least I could do." I meet his gaze and give him a weak smile. "Besides, you can't exactly lead your band of outlaws if you're dead, can you?"

"No I can't." He mutters.

With every step I take, I can feel myself growing weaker until I stop and lean against a tree. Robin continues to walk until he notices I am no longer by his side. He stops and looks back at me, frowning. "Let's take a break." He says as he jogs over to me.

Despite walking at relatively slow speed, it takes me a moment to catch my breath before I can reply. "I'm fine. A bit winded." I straighten and wince. "We should be almost there."

Robin let's out a frustrated sigh. "Eva. Stop."

I pause and look at him. "Why? We're almost there. We—"

"No." He takes a step forward. "You grow weaker by the second." He pauses and looks off into the distance.

"What?" I say following his gaze. "What is it?" My already fast heartbeat quickens as I fear for the worst. "Is somebody coming?"