The Devil is Loose
Page 26
Marshal gazed at him and saw that he had once again adopted high-heeled boots and slipped new rings on his fingers. He did not answer the questions, but said, ‘Your mother told me she never found you so happy as during your last visit to Fontevrault. She said you spoke well of my teaching, and were elated at the chance to return to me. Is that true? It’s what you told her, but is it what you felt? Is it?’
‘Don’t snarl,’ John objected. ‘Don’t pester me, Marshal. I told her that to pacify her, why else? Now, I’ve answered your question; you answer mine. Did Richard find the treasure? We’ve all heard of its existence, and Sawale is desperate to know if Gaillard can be completed.’
‘Don’t you know? Haven’t your spies told you that the lure was successful?’
‘Listen,’ John said. ‘Southern air does not agree with you. What did happen, hmm? What lure?’
‘Then you do not know that your brother is dead?’
‘You come storming back, accuse me— What did you say? What did you say, Marshal? Richard is dead! His astonishment was faultless, the way he slumped against the half-built wall, the way his mouth sagged open and his arms hung limp, fingers fluttering. One could not accuse John Softsword of regicide, however likely it seemed.
‘Yes,’ Marshal told him, ‘King Richard is dead. He took a crossbow bolt at Chaluz, and died of the infection. Didn’t the message reach you? Your mother sent the rider on from Fontevrault. What happened to him, I wonder, between there and here?’ Then he drew his sword and, for no apparent reason, hurled it across the outer bailey of Gaillard. The long blade bent as it hit the ground, sprang straight and sent the weapon wheeling against the wall. Fifty men watched it bounce from the ashlar blocks and fall back into the yard. John stared as Marshal unsheathed his dagger and sent it spinning after the sword.
‘What is the matter with you? Is this your expression of grief, or have you resigned your office, or what?’
‘Neither. I just do not trust myself to be armed, at this time. It’s better for both of us. It makes it easier for me to tell you — you-are-to-be-crowned.’
His height and confidence restored by the leather wedges on his boots, John said, ‘Must you abandon your weapons and clench your teeth before you can call me king? That’ll be a handicap, won’t it?’
‘I haven’t called you king. I said you’re to be crowned. Only God knows if the two things will relate.
‘King John of England?’ And he pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth, sucking in the future.
About the Author
Graham Shelby was lauded as one of the great historical writers of his time. The Crusader Knights Cycle, originally published between 1969 and 1986, is a tour de force of high drama, gruesome battles, chivalry, and glory.
Next in The Crusader Knights Cycle:
The Wolf at the Door
The fifth fascinating instalment of The Crusader Knights Cycle is perfect for fans of David Gilman and Bernard Cornwell.
Find out more
First published in the United Kingdom in 1973 by William Collins
This edition published in the United Kingdom in 2018 by
Canelo Digital Publishing Limited
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United Kingdom
Copyright © Graham Shelby, 1973
The moral right of Graham Shelby to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 9781788632898
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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