by Griff Hosker
“The three of you will be the Earl’s armour until we reach Ourense. Come let us lift him up.”
Along with Peter and Henry we lifted the Earl. As we laid him down he woke. “Do you know who did it, Captain William?”
“I think so but I will need your father to judge for these are nobles. I will send to him…”
“No! We keep this here. No one should know what has happened to me!”
“But lord!”
“Listen William someone, de Vere probably, has paid men to do his bidding. I do not want him to have the satisfaction of knowing that he almost succeeded. Let us keep him in the dark. I owe you my life. Now help me to make it a longer one. Wait until we reach Ourense and I am on my feet again before you confront the killer.”
“Killers, lord, there are four, at least, involved. Of that I am certain.” While they made him comfortable I waved over Roger of Chester. “Our men at arms guard the Earl. Let no one approach.”
“Aye lord.”
“And watch for any man with a rondel dagger.”
We headed west and I watched the men I suspected, the two knights and their squires for I had the household knights in the van. All eight who had been behind the Earl were there but I knew which two were the guilty ones. Even as I had listened to the accounts of the two squires’, pieces began to fall into place. I remembered conversations which now made more sense. The attack in the castle became clearer once I knew who it was. Looking back always afforded perfect vision and I cursed myself for my blindness. I rode with the two captains and told them what the Earl had said.
“He is a brave man, William, but foolish.”
“He is young. He is entitled. Whatever he is we swear never to mention the attempt. He was wounded in battle. We leave it at that.”
“And the killers?”
“The Earl and I will deal with them in Ourense.”
We were weary when I finally called a halt to our progress. We made camp just twenty miles from Ourense. The town was close enough that had we just had our men at arms we would have pushed on but we had wounded and we had women. We had one in three men on guard and the Earl’s wagon had a wall of steel around it. The three Captains took a watch each. I had the first one and when I crawled beneath the Earl’s wagon I was weary beyond words.
I was woken by Stephen the Tracker when it was as black as coal. “Captain, two knights and their squires have fled. They killed two of the guards at the treasure wagon and they have fled.”
I knew who it was without asking but I needed confirmation. “Who?”
“Sir Jocelyn and his squire, Sir Humphrey and his squire.”
I nodded, “Get a horse and fetch your two best men. We hunt knights!”
Chapter 10
Captain Thomas was angry for one of his men had been killed. He wanted to go with me. “No, Captain. I have the best trackers and I can speak some of the language. More, I know this country. You two return with the Earl to Ourense. You will be there by morning and a healer can look at the Earl. We have spare horses. I will take my men and we will find them.”
“And bring them back?”
I shook my head, “We will find them and there will be an end to it.”
We did not tell the Earl. He was sleeping and I had heard that sleep was always the best medicine. Along with Stephen’s two archers, Lol and Silent David, I took Roger of Chester, Harold Four Fingers, Natty Longjack and David of Welshpool. We took four spare horses. The riders had, according to the sentries, ridden north. That made sense. If they could make A Coruña they could take ship and get to Ireland. The Earl of Oxford now ruled that island for the King. The four would not risk Ourense and would take smaller roads. We headed north and west looking for signs.
They had at least three hours start on us but had only taken one sumpter and that for the two chests which they took. They would not be able to travel as fast as we would. I also doubted that they had ever had to husband a horse. I had and knew that there was a fine line between making the most of a horse and killing it. I worked out that they would head for Lugo. We had avoided it on our way south. The two knights would have to travel on the east bank of the Minho river which ran all the way from Lugo to the sea. They could either cross it at Ourense or Lugo. We headed along the road to Lugo. Road was not the best description of the surface we travelled upon. It was stone but not cobbles and the dust, even in the dark, flew up. During the heat of the day it would be unbearable.
When dawn broke we found evidence that the knights and the squires had passed along the road. They had ridden close to an acacia bush and a piece of material from the dark blue cloak worn by Sir Jocelyn and his squire was clearly visible. The first dung we found was relatively cold. We stopped to change four of the horses after we had travelled twenty miles. We ate. I had not thought to bring food but my men had and we ate well. With horses refreshed we continued north and the sun began to beat down upon us. I dared not rest during the heat of the sun. We had to catch them before they disappeared into Lugo. When we found the warm dung, we knew we were closing and we changed horses again. This time we rode for two miles or so and then walked for a mile. It slowed our progress but kept it steady. We found the dying horse towards the middle of the afternoon. Stephen put the sumpter out of its misery. We saw the two empty chests. They had spread the treasure out between them. They were carrying it in their saddlebags and giving their mounts a heavier load.
Silent Dave rarely spoke and when he did it always came as a shock. He pointed to a hoof print just off the road. “The prints are deeper. The horses are struggling.”
Stephen said, “Captain, they cannot reach Lugo by dark. With laden horses and after the abuse they have given them they will be lucky if their horses survive another couple of miles.”
“Then let us continue to save our own.”
It was as we were walking that Lol pointed to the boot print. “Captain, they have begun to walk too. Their horses are not as laden.”
Roger of Chester suddenly darted to the side, “And they are fools. They have finished an ale skin and just tossed it away!”
“Then we are closing. I do not wish to lose them in the dark. We will walk too. Keep your eyes, ears and noses open. They may light a fire.”
We trudged along the road. Despite the fact that the sun was setting the day did not appear to be getting any cooler. It was an hour past sunset and I was contemplating resting when we smelled woodsmoke. We could not see the fire and that confused us. I let Stephen and his archers lead. He knew how to track. It was a short while later that he held up his hand. There was a tree nearby and he tied his horse there. He gestured for us to do the same. I trusted my men and we obeyed. He mimed taking off our helmets and we all did as he suggested. He pointed north. Slinging his bow on the saddle he drew his sword and led us off the road. I knew that there were animals out in the scrub. There would be rabbits and hares, foxes and wild cats. They had enormous spiders, lizards and geckoes out here. They were alien to men from England. I wondered how the four fugitives were coping.
Then we heard a scream. It was the scream of a woman or a girl. I sniffed the air. The smell of smoke was stronger. Had the fugitives found a house in which to shelter? The scream was replaced by the sound of laughter. We moved slowly towards the house for it was now obvious that it was a dwelling. A faint glow could be seen and we heard a horse neighing. Another stamped its hoof. I waved for Roger and Natty to go to my left and for David and Harold to go to my right. My three archers disappeared and I walked towards the house. I heard sobs. There was little point in trying to make any sense of what we could hear. I was now convinced that the men we pursued had stopped at this remote farm which lay off the main road. Perhaps they thought we would go galloping northwards. Then I stopped. They were not that foolish. They would leave someone on guard to watch and listen for our horses.
My four men at arms had also stopped when I did. Where had my archers gone? The noises in the farm suggested that the knights were behavi
ng badly. I do not know how long I waited but I realised we would have to move. If there was no guard then whatever was going on in the farm would get worse. I waved my arm and we moved. Suddenly there was a movement ahead. I heard a brief scuffle and then there was a sigh. Stephen the Tracker waved his arm. I almost tripped over the body of the squire who had been watching. It was Jack, Sir Jocelyn’s squire. He had been old for a squire and by all accounts a thoroughly unpleasant man. I saw Stephen shrug apologetically. He had not intended to kill him. The seven of us spread out. I had no idea how many entrances there were but I guessed more than one.
I waved David, Harold and Natty to go around the far side of the building. Fate intervened when we were less than ten paces from the door. It opened and the light from inside bathed us. Sir Jocelyn stood in the doorway. He was unfastening his hose. He was going to make water. He saw me and shouted, “Run!”
He threw something at Silent David. Whatever it was it caught my archer and he fell. Even as I glanced down Sir Jocelyn raced into the dark. “Lol see to David.” I ran after Sir Jocelyn. I had seen which direction he took. Behind me I heard the clash of steel on steel and shouts. My men would deal with Sir Humphrey and his squire. I concentrated on the man who had tried to murder Henry Bolingbroke the would be King of England. There were two dead men who would still be alive if I had acted sooner. My prevarication had been responsible. We were on a path which ran away from the road. It was not perfectly straight but appeared to run south to north. Would Sir Jocelyn leave the path and head left to the road? I debated second guessing him and running to the road first. I dismissed the thought as soon as it entered my head. Red Ralph had told me that over complicating things often made them worse.
I sheathed my sword. We might soon leave the path and be running across rough ground. I needed my balance. To the side of the path we were on lay the slopes of the valley in which this remote farm lay. This was mountainous rocky country with sudden drops and hidden rocks. I needed my balance. I wore my leather riding gauntlets. If I had to fend off a blade then they would have to do. I counted my steps to help me estimate how far we had come. When I reached eight hundred I heard, from ahead, the sound of slithering. Sir Jocelyn was scrambling on rougher ground. The noise came slightly from my right. Was he trying to run in a circle around me? I stopped. Where was the knight going? The simple answer was that he needed a horse and the horses were behind us. He did not know just one man pursued him. He thought to lead us into the night and then cut back and take a horse. He had seen just myself, David and Lol. I turned and listened. I could hear movement in the dark. It was the sound of a boot on stones. Chausse brushed against leaves. I turned and I followed the sound. I was still on the path and it was flat. More importantly it was without stones. I was silent. My feet had stopped pounding. Even if Sir Jocelyn was running the rougher ground would make him slower. A fast walk would keep pace with him and my boots would not make a sound.
We were moving back to the farm. I could see it in the distance. The door was open and a shaft of light shone out. The sounds to my left drew closer. Sir Jocelyn had seen the light and was returning to the path. I looked away from the firelight of the farm and into the dark. I kept moving. I was looking for shadows which moved. My hand went to my sword as I saw, just twenty paces from me, a shadow drawing closer to the path. It was at that moment that Roger of Chester chose to shout.
“Captain! Where are you?”
The shadow stopped. It confirmed that this was Sir Jocelyn. I drew my sword and slipped my ballock dagger into my left hand. Sir Jocelyn suddenly ran on to the path. He turned to look north and saw me. His hand went to his sword as I stepped forward and swung my own sword. I was under no illusions, Sir Jocelyn was more than a competent swordsman. I had seen him when he had practised with the other knights and he was the best. I had learned how to use a sword in battle. Sir Jocelyn had learned the tricks which would win him duels and tourneys.
He batted away my sword with his dagger. It was almost contemptuous. “You have crossed me for the last time, spawn of the gutter. When I have killed you those two men you brought with you will take but a moment to slay.”
He then spun his sword and lifted it to strike at my head. I had fought enough times to know how to spin and I did so. My foot slipped on a stone to the side of the path and I fell to my knee. Sir Jocelyn saw his chance and he seized it. He lunged with his dagger. I had something Sir Jocelyn did not have. I had survival instincts. My hands had learned to react to blows from a violent father when I had been a child. I did not even have to think and my sword came up instinctively to block the dagger. It was almost a punch which struck his left hand and the dagger flew into the air to strike a stone in the dark. I rose and lunged with my own dagger. His sword came around in an arc to deflect it but it gave me the opportunity to rise and to recover my balance.
His left hand slipped down to his boot and pulled a rondel dagger from it. My eyes were now accustomed to the dark and I saw that it was a long one. It was almost like the bodkin sailors and leather workers used. It was the weapon he had used on the Earl. I needed to end this. I brought my sword around in a long arc. It was a ploy. He knew it was coming and his dagger was already coming around to meet it. I was using the move to step close to him. I kept my own dagger out to the side as I stepped closer with my left leg. His dagger easily blocked the blow and his own sword came down diagonally to strike across my neck. My movement meant that even if I did not fully block the blow then he would hit me with the blade closest to the hilt. It would hurt but it would not break the skin. My dagger locked with his hilt and my face was almost level with his. I could smell the perfume on his oiled beard. I had taken him by surprise. His widening eyes told me that. I had stepped forward on my left leg and my right knee drove up between his legs. It was a trick I had learned when fighting in the camps. Growing up I had often had to fight bigger boys. The knee to the groin always brought me victory.
Sir Jocelyn grunted in pain and he stepped back. He was now off the path. He was hurt and I did not allow him any respite. I swung my sword. He was forced to bring across his own sword to block it and he did so without any strength. I drove his sword against his face. This time it was the blade next to the tip which struck him and that was sharp. His own sword sliced a line from his forehead to his cheek. Sir Jocelyn had ever been a vain man. The Earl had told me that. He became enraged and lunged with his dagger. My ballock dagger blocked the blow and I was able to turn the rondel dagger away and to strike upwards. I felt the blade slice through the surcoat and brigandine. When it reached his mail it was stopped and so I pushed hard. He slipped and began to fall.
From the direction of the farm I heard Stephen the Tracker shout, “Captain! We are coming!”
Even as his eyes flicked to the side I brought my sword down across his shoulders. He was over balancing and could not protect himself. My sword hit him hard enough to break the bone which lay beneath his mail. He swung his sword as he was falling and it caught my leg. I lost my footing and I fell. My dagger was still in my hand and my weight drove the dagger deep into his thigh beneath his hauberk. He screamed in pain. I pushed myself to my feet with my sword and looked down. The dagger had caused a mortal wound.
“Who is your master?”
He laughed and he closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them there was a fire within them, “You know nothing! You think I just have one master? There are many men who wish the line of the Plantagenets to end! When Bolingbroke and the foolish boy, Richard, are dead there will be a new dynasty ruling England!” He coughed and I saw that the black pool of blood was bigger. The light just went from his eyes and he was dead.
Roger of Chester and Stephen the Tracker ran up. “Captain, that was foolish. You should have waited for one of us.”
“And then we might have lost him. Fetch his body back and we will search him at the farm.” I picked up the rondel dagger and the knight’s sword as my two men lifted his body. “Are the others dead?”
&n
bsp; “Aye Captain. They gave us no opportunity to take them alive.”
“You have not searched them yet?”
“No, Captain.”
“And the family?”
“The farmer had been beaten and the wife… Sir Humphrey was about to defile her. The two children were terrified. I think they fear us too.”
“And I would not blame them.”
Roger of Chester shook his head, “They were fleeing for their lives and yet they took the time for that! I do not understand it.”
I nodded, “I do. They thought they had escaped us. There was no sign of pursuit and they were but a short ride from safety. They were arrogant men. They were traitors. Once you have contemplated treason and regicide then no crime is too great.”
“Regicide Captain?”
“Aye, it was not just the Earl who was in danger but King Richard, Roger. This plot was one to end the Plantagenet dynasty and it is bigger than I thought.”
We reached the farm and I saw that my men had tended to the farmer but the children and the wife looked terrified. My men laid Sir Jocelyn’s body on the ground next to the other four. I spoke Spanish to them. “I am sorry for what this knight did.” I reached down and took Sir Jocelyn’s purse from him. “This is for your trouble. With your permission we will sleep in your barn. I know that our presence might offend you. We will take the bodies and burn them.” Our time in Ourense had not been wasted entirely. My Spanish was much better.
The farmer, heavily bandaged about the head said, “Thank you, sir. We have such evil men in our land. I came to live here as it is such a poor piece of land that we thought no one would desire it. I can see that there are other dangers. Thank you for coming to our aid and burning this offal.” He handed me a skin of wine. “Here, sir, we have little food but we can offer this.” I nodded my thanks and he closed the door.
I turned to my men, “Take what you can from the bodies and place them over there. Silent David, fetch firewood and a brand. We will burn them first and then search their belongings.”