Outremer III

by D. N. Carter

  “You bring my children down here where I can see them…pass them to Alisha and let them go, and I shall willingly come with you. That you have my word upon,” Paul replied and moved Adrastos even nearer. Paul wondered if he could get near enough to cut down Turansha and the man now stood holding the lit arrow. The snow blew in even harder making the flame flicker, almost blowing it out.

  “I know you are weighing up your chances of striking me, but that would be a mistake,” Turansha said and steadied his horse.

  Alisha frowned at Paul and moved her horse beside his.

  “You bring my children here and I shall go with you,” she explained.

  Paul looked at her, alarmed, as Turansha grinned. Quickly Paul withdrew his sword, Turansha’s men immediately lifting their small bows and drawing arrows ready to fire. Paul threw his sword slightly in the air and caught it by the top part of the blade, turned it so the handle faced Turansha and offered it to him.

  “You take this now…and I shall come with you…not Alisha,” Paul said loudly and then looked hard at Alisha.

  Turansha motioned with his head for the mounted horse archer nearest to him to take the sword. The man lowered his bow and reached forward to take the sword. Just as his hand was about to clasp the handle, a single large arrow zipped through the air past Paul and went straight through the man’s wrist pinning his arm against his chest as it continued on through his laminar armour. The horse reared up on its hind legs in panic throwing the man off backwards, who was dead before he even hit the ground. Turansha pulled his horse back and raised his hand.

  “Hold your fire!” he shouted as his men all aimed their bows at Alisha and Paul.

  Abi trotted out of the tree line into full view aiming another large arrow directly at Turansha. Paul pulled his targe shield around and clasped it in his left hand tightly and tried to position his horse between the archers and Alisha. He looked at Abi, confused.

  “You wave that flaming arrow to get those children down here now…,” she called out, the tension in her bow straining under the pressure as she held her aim at Turansha.

  “I think you will find you are somewhat outnumbered and out matched,” Turansha said confidently.

  “I think not,” Abi replied as Tenno, Brother Teric, Stewart, Nicholas and Upside pulled into view, swords drawn. “And should we all lose our lives this hour, you will be the first to go.”

  “You think so? I can kill you all and take the parchment and sword,” Turansha smirked again and motioned with his hand across his chest.

  Suddenly from out of the surrounding trees and from the tall grasses covered in snow, men stood up and stepped forwards, many armed with crossbows. They had been lying still in the freezing snow without moving, undetected. Now as they revealed themselves, they numbered nearly fifty men in total. Abi pulled the arrow back even further until the armour splitting arrow head met the bow. Alisha looked at Paul, panic beginning to register across her face. Turansha started to laugh. Suddenly a Muslim heavy cavalry horn sounded out to the east. All turned to look where the sound had come from but with the wind blowing and the snow falling, it was difficult to see exactly where it had come from. The sound of many horses started to drift down to them and the horn blew again. Then through the falling snow, the ghostly outline silhouettes of a Muslim cavalry squadron started to loom into view as they sped down the track toward them, the front four riders with their lances already lowered and held in the assault position closely followed by Balian and several of his men riding mixed within the ranks of Muslim heavy cavalry. Paul’s gaze fell back to Turansha just as he ordered the man with the flaming arrow to fire it upwards. As the man pulled back the string, aimed it skyward, Paul instinctively swung his sword up and threw it toward the man. Turansha was already turning his horse away as Abi loosed her arrow. He flung himself low across his horse just as the arrow flashed across his back slicing his cape as it went. The arrow continued and struck the rider’s horse beside him. As the horse screamed in agony and fell sideways, Turansha sped his horse through his men as they loosed off their arrows. An arrow hit Adrastos in the chest as he reared upwards. Paul raised his shield just in time as three arrows and a crossbow bolt slammed into it, the bolt penetrating through in a shower of wooden splinters. Paul’s sword struck the archer in the left side of his stomach and almost passed all the way through him. The archer fell to his knees as Paul jumped down from Adrastos and pulled Alisha forcibly down from her horse and pushed her to the floor as arrows cut through the air, one arrow glancing off his chain mail leggings as another thumped into his shield. Nicholas was already rushing directly into the men as Abi charged forwards on her horse drawing her sword. Paul saw Tenno and Taqi out of the corner of his eye already rushing into the other archers to his left side.

  “No!” Alisha yelled pointing at the injured archer still holding the flaming arrow. He steadied himself as he knelt in the snow, blood turning it red around him. He pulled the arrow back again, aimed it high and let it loose, just as Abi rode past him and slashed her sword down violently taking off his head instantly. Alisha and Paul watched in horror as the arrow rose into the darkened snow filled sky like a bright beacon glowing as it arched upwards. Without hesitation, Paul jumped to his feet, ran over to the dead archer, kicked his headless body over and withdrew his sword. Filled with panic and rage, he looked up toward the hill shrouded in falling snow and the silhouettes of trees. Snarling almost he started to run towards the summit knowing Arri and Ailia were there. He did not see Balian or the Muslim cavalry men enter the melee and start fighting Turansha’s men. Tenno dismounted and checked Alisha with Nicholas. Abi tried to get her horse to follow Paul but the ground was uneven and covered in stones and, with the covering of snow, her horse faltered. She jumped down as Tenno ran to her. Brother Teric and Upside engaged two of Turansha’s men as Nicholas stood over Alisha protectively. When Turansha’s men began to disperse and vanish into the falling snow, she pushed Nicholas aside, jumped to her feet and rushed off in the same direction Paul had gone. Abi reached out to grab her as she ran past but missed her. Alisha jumped over a small stone wall and began to push her way through the deep snow following Paul’s path. Abi and Tenno immediately started to follow her as Taqi helped Brother Teric, Upside and the Muslim cavalrymen deal with the remaining men from Turansha’s group, most having simply vanished out of sight into the driving snow.

  Arri opened his eyes wide as the faint glow from a flaming arrow arched its way across the darkened snow filled sky some distance away from them. But the signal was clear enough. Brother Matthew stood up straight and wiped his hand across his mouth shaking his head disbelievingly. He withdrew his sword and flounced around to look down at Arri as he moved his arms to shield Ailia.

  “Your father!” Brother Matthew shouted angrily. “Is he mad…does he not believe what Turansha said?” he demanded and flung his sword around him as he started to pace back and forth. “Why Lord…why curse me like this?” he called out, looking upwards, his arms outstretched, his sword pointing heavenward.

  “You do not have to do what you say you must do,” Arri spoke, his big eyes fixed on Brother Matthews’s sword.

  Brother Matthew turned around and looked at Arri then instantly ran toward him raising his sword high above his head. His face was full of rage as he swung the sword with both hands downward. Arri gently closed his eyes. There was nowhere he could run or move out of the way. He simply hoped it would not hurt.

  “Naaaahhhhh!” Brother Matthew screamed as he thrust the sword downward vertically.

  Above the noise of the wind, Paul heard Brother Matthew’s yell. He froze in alarm, his heart stopping as he looked toward the top of the rise, the snow blurring his vision. The snow was now up to his knees and made progress difficult. As the images from his dreams flashed through his mind, panic enveloped him completely. He looked back as Alisha called out for him, closely being followed by Abi and Tenno pushing their way through the snow. With tears welling in his eyes, he r
aised his sword and shield and began to push on through the snow as fast as he could, his face contorted with exertion and anger. He snarled, furious that he could not move faster as Alisha stumbled behind him.

  Arri heard the sword cut into the soil just in front of him and Brother Matthew snorting and sniffing like some wild animal in pain. Slowly Arri opened his eyes to see him knelt in front of him resting his two hands upon the pommel of the upright sword stuck in the ground. He was sobbing, spit drooling from his mouth as he shook his head, his eyes shut tight. Ailia moved behind Arri to look up through the blanket but he gently pushed her back behind him. He was shivering uncontrollably both from fear and the cold but he would not let Brother Matthew see this.

  “Please…you have a choice. As my father tells us, we always have a choice,” Arri said nervously.

  Brother Matthew looked up.

  “Your father. Saint bloody Paul no less…’tis because of your father that I am here…doing this. Do you not understand that?” he asked, his face twisted in anguish, which confused Arri.

  “He won’t hurt you, you know that do you not?” Arri asked, shivering again. His eyes began to feel heavy and he wanted to close them. Ailia fidgeted behind him but he held her back protectively. “My father would help you if bad men are making you do this.”

  “Ha…I am being lectured to by a child…I am the bad man.”

  “No you are not,” Arri said quietly. He stopped shivering but felt very sleepy. He shook his head to keep himself awake. He looked up at Brother Matthew, who had tears streaming down his face as he clutched the end of his sword, shaking his head from side to side.

  “You know nothing of me,” Brother Matthew blurted out and forced himself to stand. He pulled out the sword from the ground and held it up with both hands, the blade facing downward. “I have no choice on this deed I must fulfil…your father was wrong for sometimes we have no choice.”

  “Arri,” Ailia called out, her soft voice reaching Brother Matthew’s ears as he raised the sword up, the blade half obscuring his vision as it ran vertically down in front of his face. Arri tensed up and Ailia wrapped her little arms tightly around his waist. “Father will be here very soon,” she whispered.

  “Lord have mercy upon my soul!” Brother Matthew shouted, raised the sword even higher, hesitated for a moment, looked down momentarily with his eyes filled with tears and his hands shaking uncontrollably, then took a step forward.

  Paul fell forward in the deepening snow as if hit by some unknown force. Despite sweating beneath the heavy chain mail and fur cape, a cold deep chill ran bone deep through him and his hair stood on end. He shuddered and nearly vomited, just managing to swallow it down. His heart was beating fast as he fought to stand upright again. Through the snow fall he was just able to make out the faint outline of a person kneeling on the very top of the central mound of stones. Paul scurried over the outer wall of stones and slipped on the snow. Quickly he jumped to his feet, snow all over his body and head. He could vaguely hear Alisha calling out for him from behind but all his energy and effort was focused on reaching the figure ahead.

  “Father,” he heard Arri call out softly, his voice carried upon the wind just like in his dreams.

  Paul’s heart exploded and a surge of energy drove him on. This was his worst nightmare coming true. Alisha and Taqi called out again from behind him but he would not stop now. As he scrambled ever nearer the kneeling figure, he knew it was Brother Matthew. Finally after what seemed like an unbelievable amount of time, Paul started to run up the inner mound. He saw Brother Matthew kneeling, his hands upon his sword stuck vertically upright, his head drooped beside it not moving. Where were Arri and Ailia? Paul panicked. He ran and fell to his knees next to Brother Matthew and immediately saw the snow around him soaked in blood. He pulled up his head away from the sword. Brother Matthew’s eyes were closed but he was still breathing. Paul shook him until he half opened his eyes.

  “Where are my children?” Paul shouted and shook him again to keep him awake.

  “Paul…forgive me,” Brother Matthew whispered and blinked his eyes toward the hole a few feet away, the lanthorn throwing out enough light to illuminate the blood soaked ground. Paul’s eyes saw Brother Matthew’s footprints from the edge of the depression. As his eyes followed them he saw the snow covered blanket and Arri’s hand sticking out the side of it. Instantly he pushed Brother Matthew aside. As he fell onto his back, Paul threw his own sword and shield down and scrambled across the snow shaking his head.

  “No…no…no…no please dear Lord no!” he cried as he stopped and looked at the blood everywhere. Hesitantly, his hands shaking, he pulled the snow covered blanket up slightly to reveal Arri, his eyes closed, his face a ghostly white. Quickly he pulled the blanket up and threw it backwards. As he did, he looked down behind Arri to see Ailia sat perfectly still, her wide eyes open staring up at him, her arms still wrapped around Arri. She blinked and as the realisation it was her father, her bottom lip started to quiver with emotion.

  “I said you would come, Papa,” she whispered, her throat dry, and lifted her arms up toward him and started to cry.

  Paul leant down nearer and placed his right arm around her as her little arms wrapped tightly around his neck. He looked at Arri, who was not moving. Holding Ailia he used his left arm to gently shake Arri.

  “Arri…Arri, my son…please, Arri,” Paul said just as Alisha threw herself down beside them.

  “Arri dear…Arri. It is Mama here,” she said softly, tears streaming down her face.

  Paul looked across to Brother Matthew as Tenno and Abi stood over him. He blinked at Paul.

  “Mama,” Ailia said, hearing Alisha, and turned to look at her.

  “Oh my dear Ailia…what has happened here?” she asked, the snow beginning to ease off.

  Paul saw the covered lanthorn nearby and reached over for it. Quickly he opened the storm cover fully to light up the immediate area. There was a lot of blood. Abi stepped closer, shaking her head sadly as Taqi and Tenno kept an eye out for anyone else.

  “Mama…he was told to send us to heaven…but Arri stopped him,” Ailia explained.

  “Arri dear. Come on, wake up, please,” Alisha pleaded and tried to shake him awake.

  “Look…this is what he used,” Ailia said and leaned away from Paul and removed Alisha’s three pronged dagger from Arri’s right hand. It glistened in the light from the blood upon the blades. “When that man raised his sword, Arri stabbed him between his legs. He won’t get into trouble will he?”

  Her hand shaking uncontrollably, Alisha took the dagger. Paul wrapped the blanket around Arri, seeing how white and cold he was, his lips almost blue. It was then that he noticed the blood trail from the snow on the ground leading up to Arri’s leg then his cotton shirt. He realised in that instant he had given Ailia his jacket to keep her warm. But then he saw the blood from his neck. A small cut ran across his neck. Paul nearly threw up and he gulped.

  “What…what is it?” Alisha asked in alarm.

  Paul quickly stood up and passed Ailia to Abi.

  “Paul,” Brother Matthew called out. “I could not do it. Turansha has my family. If I did not carry out his orders, my family are to be executed…but I could not do it,” he coughed and leaned over, his face lying in the snow.

  “Arri,” Alisha said softly and pulled him close to her.

  Quickly Paul knelt down beside them and moved Arri so he was sat against Alisha on her lap. Shaking, Paul took out a blood swab from his belt case and placed it against Arri’s neck where it was cut. As he applied pressure, Alisha pulled the blanket around them both to try and warm him.

  “Arri, you must wake up and stay awake. Can you hear us?” Paul said as he pulled the fur cap around his face to help keep him warm.

  “How much blood has he lost?” Abi asked.

  Paul looked up at her and without saying a word, she knew what he was saying with his eyes.

  “No…come on, dear Arri. You must wake up,” A
lisha pleaded. “Look…I have Clip clop for you. He has missed you,” she said and quickly pulled out Clip clop and placed it in his cold little hand and tucked it back beneath the blanket. “Please, Arri, wake,” she cried.

  Ailia looked on concerned. Stewart rushed up out of breath and looked on, confused. He looked down at Brother Matthew as he blinked and clearly in pain. Abi handed Ailia over to Stewart and quickly knelt before Arri and checked his neck wound and felt his temperature.

  “We have no time to lose. We must get him warm. He has lost much blood and his body is too cold,” she said and went to pull him but as she gripped the blanket, Arri opened his eyes.

  “Father…we knew you would come for us,” he said weakly, his eyes nearly closing again. He smiled.

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  “Arri…you must stay awake, do you hear me?” Alisha said trying to remain calm but shaking all over.

  “I did not stab him,” Brother Matthew coughed in pain. “I could not do it….but he stabbed me and the sword fell upon him…”

  Alisha looked around at him in anger. She picked up the parchment tube beside her and threw it…it landed just short of him.

  “But you still took them and brought them here!” she shouted in anger. “This is still your doing!”

  “Mama…please do not shout,” Arri said and opened his eyes again. “Mama…am I going to heaven now as I can’t feel my body?…”

  “No, my dear, no, not if you want to stay here,” Alisha said, tears beginning to well in her eyes. Paul put his hand upon his little shoulder, unable to speak, tears filling his own eyes.

  “I can rest now I have Clip clop,” Arri whispered as he closed his eyes.

  Alisha quickly shook him.

  “No, Arri, you must stay awake,” she said and gently shook him again.

  Arri forced his eyes open again, smiled and looked at Paul then Alisha.