by Jason Malone
Adalbert’s guests all gathered in the main hall after the sacrifice. Ecwyn and I made speeches, thanking everyone for joining us that Winterlow and wishing them well in the coming year. The servants brought out a large barrel of mead, which had been blessed and prepared before the feast.
The mead was used in the ritual passing of the cup, which, as on First Night, Ecwyn carried out. She passed the mead cup around the hall three times to Adalbert’s oathmen, followed by Lodulf, then me, and finally Adalbert. We all made toasts to our ancestors and the sovereign of winter, boasted of our deeds, and tossed insults at each other.
Once the third round had finished and the rite was over, Adalbert declared that all were now welcome to the mead, and the feast began. Men and women raced to the barrel to fill their cups, and within an hour, most of the guests were drunk. I admit, I was too.
The feast was glorious, as it always was on Last Night. The servants piled food onto the tables and then joined in with everyone else. As the night progressed, the tables emptied, so people were bringing in plates and bowls from the kitchen as they fancied. By midnight, twelve people had entered a state of vomiting and three had passed out. I even caught Adalbert smiling a few times.
Matilda also had more cups than she could handle. She spent most of the night flattering me and would not stop talking about things she had read or insects she had found, and she kept asking me to tell her about all the journeys I had been on, the places I had seen, and the women I had been with. Whenever I said something funny — and sometimes even when I said things that were not — she would start giggling and laughing and placing her hand on my arm or shoulder.
The mead ran dry very fast, and several hours after midnight Ecwyn locked the cellar to stop people bringing up more barrels of ale. Things calmed down in the early hours of the morning, but there was still fun and laughter flowing through the hall. Some of the men thought it would be amusing to get Philip drunk, so I had to keep checking on him whenever he went to be sick out in the courtyard. Whenever I returned to my seat, Matilda would be there waiting. She seemed to have no interest in anyone else.
Games and gambling took place once the food ran out. People played cards or draughts, and some wrestled or sparred out in the courtyard. Dughlas and Lud wrestled at one point in the night, and I placed bets on Dughlas. I lost that money.
Matilda challenged me to a fight too but said it should be in the forest so that no one would witness the humiliation of me losing to a lady. I rejected her challenge, of course, but she only laughed, called me a coward, and said that she would just go explore the forest instead. She jumped from her seat and bolted out the door.
That annoyed me. I did not think it was a good idea for people to be wandering the forest on Winterlow’s nights, because it was a wild and untamed place with many malevolent spirits whose presence would only be strengthened that day. I had visited the forest on some evenings since we arrived in Oldford, and I had sensed those Otherworldly beings. I knew how to deal with them, but Matilda certainly did not.
Though she knew that, which was how she knew I would have to chase her.
I ran after her as she disappeared into the woods. It was not too dark due to the stars and the moon, but among the trees that light was absent, and the fact that both Matilda’s hair and dress were black made her even harder to find. I went into the forest shortly after her, and although I could not see her, I could hear her giggling. I jogged through the trees, calling out to her. It was bitterly cold, and I was getting more and more frustrated with every step.
“Come find me!” she shouted, her voice echoing through the trees.
“Matilda, it’s dangerous out here,” I called back.
“You will just have to come find me then. Protect me from all the nasty spirits.”
I could not figure out which direction she called from. It sounded as though there were thousands of her, calling from all directions. Could that have been the lack of wind causing an echo, or was it the tricks of the forest?
Her giggling fell silent.
“Matilda?” I said. In my half-drunken state, I failed to realise how deep I had gone into the woods. But now I did. The trees around me were wild and untamed. Undergrowth covered the ground, and it was hard to move without snapping branches. Matilda did not respond. There was nothing but silence. “Matilda, it’s cold out here. Let’s go back inside.” Still nothing.
I turned sharply when I heard movement behind me. There was something in the bushes. Something heavy. I reached for my sword, but my heart dropped when my hand grabbed air. I had left the blade in the castle. There was more rustling, and a snarl. It was only a few feet away from me.
I backed away slowly. If this was a spirit, I would have sensed it long before I heard it. This had to be an animal of some kind. It growled again, the bushes hissed, and a shadow leaped from the trees. It threw itself at me, I yelled, and it pinned me to the ground. I prepared myself for death.
Then the beast began to giggle.
“Matilda,” I breathed.
“Did I scare you?”
“No.”
“I did. You are a liar,” she said and then poked my nose. She sat on my belly, straddling me, with her hands pinning my shoulders. Her hair fell loose over her face, and she was breathing heavily. My heart was racing, though no longer due to fear.
“Why did you make me come out here?” I asked. She shrugged, and I let out a laugh. “You sure love your drink, young lady.”
“I know,” she said. I just shook my head and grinned. “I found a pond just over there. We should go for a swim,” she said.
Before I could protest, she began to stand back up, but I grabbed her waist and pulled her back down. I rolled her over, laid her down on her back, and pinned her down as she had done to me. “No, it is freezing. We’ll die within minutes.”
She stared up at me, looking serious. Clouds of condensation puffed out of her mouth with every breath.
“I suppose,” she said. Her eyes were locked onto mine, and she shuffled a bit but did not struggle. She shook her head to get the hair off her face.
“You look cold,” I said.
Her eyes stared into mine, reflecting the light of the moon. “So do you.”
I looked into Matilda’s eyes, and in that moment I felt something strange. I must have had too much alcohol for one night.
I moved off her and sat down in the snow. “We should head back.”
Matilda lay there for several moments, staring at me, then closed her eyes and nodded.
“Yes, I miss the fire already,” she said. I stood up, brushed off snow, then helped Matilda stand. She brushed herself off, shook the cloak she was wearing, and I led her back through the dark woods to the castle. We had gone very deep. Fortunately, I could see the light of the castle, so we found our way back and returned to our seats to await the sunrise.
There were many hours left in that long night, but Matilda did not talk as much after that. She just kept sipping a tankard of water, seemingly lost in her own thoughts.
I left her alone and joined the men outside. We sparred to sober up and pass the time, and finally, after what seemed like forever, we began to see light appear in the east. We cheered, having successfully stayed up to witness the passing of the year, and soon the rest of the guests joined us all atop the castle’s eastern wall to greet the sun as it came up over the horizon.
Winterlow was over. The year was over. The days to come would grow warmer and longer, and the nights would get shorter — but had I known what the coming year would bring, I would not have greeted it with such enthusiasm.
8
Northward
Two days after Winterlow I left Oldford with Dughlas, Philip, and Matilda riding by my side. I told Matilda I wanted her to stay in Oldford under Adalbert’s protection, but she insisted on coming with us. She reminded me that she was a free noblewoman and had never promised me her obedience, but I had promised that I would show her the world.
; Lady Ecwyn bid us farewell that morning. Apparently, Adalbert woke with a fit of coughing and was told by his physician to remain in bed. Ecwyn gave us two more horses for the road, along with enough provisions to last us until we reached Everlynn, and sent us on our way. She and Matilda said warm farewells, and she made us promise that we would visit sometime soon and write to her regularly.
Once Ecwyn and Matilda had embraced and said goodbye more times than I could count, we headed off northward along the Royal Way. I sent Lud north a day earlier with my letter, telling him to look for me in the Capital once it was delivered. He would be travelling a lot faster than us, and it was unlikely we would catch up with him.
“So, we’re heading to the Capital?” Dughlas asked once we were on the road.
“Yes. I want to track down Ward, if he’s alive. We’ll start where he supposedly died.”
Dughlas nodded. “If you can get past the gates.”
“Why would Edward not get past the gates?” Matilda asked.
“You haven’t told her?” Dughlas said. I shrugged, and Dughlas tutted. “Two years ago — the last time Edward was in the Capital — King Stephan gave him one day to leave or be arrested for treason. How long were you banished for?”
“Eternally,” I said.
“That’s right. Forever and ever. Poor Edward.”
“Gods, what did you do?” Matilda asked.
“When Stephan was crowned, he summoned all lords and landowners to swear fealty to him,” I explained.
“And you did not?”
“I did not. I told him I would swear to Lord Adalbert, but never to a usurper’s son. Apparently that was not enough for him.”
“Splendid. I am travelling with a traitor.”
“I’m no traitor. It was not me who joined my father in revolt against King Edwin.”
“You are lucky you were not executed. So, how are we supposed to find Ward if we cannot enter the Capital?”
I thought about that for a while. I would probably just use an alias and hope no one recognised me. I had some fame in these parts of the kingdom, but in the north I was less known, so I could perhaps go unnoticed. Besides, the Capital was a big place. King Stephan was the least of my concerns.
Our more immediate concern was the men following us. We took no notice of them at first, but by midday it became clear that we were being tracked. I feared at first that it was Harold’s men, but it soon became clear that Ecwyn’s threats had worked. We would spy the occasional scout far behind us, riding a black horse and wearing a black cloak. I could not tell if it was one scout or many, nor could I tell how large his party was.
I thought it best to ignore him, or them, and judged based on the black clothes that they were the same men that had followed us from my home to Oldford weeks before. Had they been waiting all Winterlow for us to leave?
We rode all day, stopping infrequently with the hope that we could lose the men following us. Dughlas’s horse carried sacks of food Ecwyn had given us, which he passed round for us throughout the day. Philip was not used to riding, having only learnt during our stay in Oldford, and Gods did he complain on that first day. He was always sore and said he would rather walk, but I had to tell him that would only slow us down.
We passed the occasional patrol or merchant caravan. Some of the merchants were from the south, and Philip liked to shout insults at them in his own language as we passed, as was customary in their land, or so he told me. They would shout back, though I could not understand them.
The landscape was beautiful. We were surrounded by cool, trickling streams, wide pastures and tall hills, quaint little hamlets and villages, ancient monuments, and the odd roadside burial mound. We also passed three forts, two of which were garrisoned. Oldford Castle was once one of these ancient forts, but because of its location it became a political centre and the seat of power for the kings and queens of the old kingdom of Aedonn. The soldiers who patrolled the Royal Way would stay in these places, rotating their posts.
Sweyn, one of my oathmen who died during the assault on my home, worked as a road guard for a year before coming into my service. He told me all about this tedious and tiresome job. The soldiers did indeed look grim standing up on the fort walls wrapped in blankets or huddled around fires.
We stopped that night at a place called Hili’s Hamlet. It was a roadside inn, but the innkeeper owned the surrounding land, so the people living in the settlement that had popped up around the inn paid him rent. He earned a decent income from travellers and the rent his tenants paid.
The innkeeper’s name was not Hili, but his grandfather’s was, which was how the hamlet acquired its name. I had passed through many times before but never stayed, and I regretted that. Hili’s grandson gave us warm beds and warm food, and the bard that lived there sang beautifully.
We left at dawn and carried on north. The next few days were very much the same. On our fourth day of riding, we were caught in heavy snowfall. We brought blankets with us, and they helped keep us somewhat warm. I was glad of the snow that day, however, because although it slowed us, it also covered our tracks.
“This is a good chance to take the side roads,” Dughlas said.
“Aye, I agree.”
Around midday, once we were sure we were not being watched, the four of us turned right and headed onto one of the beaten paths that wound through the hills and valleys to the east of the Royal Way. While not impossible, it would be difficult to track us along these roads during snowfall.
We stayed the night in a sorry, neglected tavern, and headed out the next morning once the skies had cleared. It took us two more days of following the side roads north, but we eventually made our way to Everlynn Forest. There was no sign of the scouts behind us now.
Everlynn Forest stretched for miles from end to end. It was owned by Lord Odo of Everlynn, the ruler of the city on the north side of the forest. Odo was a wealthy noble, not only because his city sat along the Royal Way, but also because he charged an enormous toll for protection to the merchant caravans that travelled through his forest. The place was notorious for its bandits. We stopped at the edge of the forest as the road we followed turned into little more than an old hunting track.
“This looks… Is it not safer to travel through here along the Royal Way?” Matilda asked.
“Not unless you want to pay for Odo’s protection,” I said.
“How much will it cost?”
“More than I am willing to pay. The Royal Way is a few miles to the west, and this track runs more or less parallel to it. I have used it before. It is popular among hunters, vagabonds, and other folk who cannot afford the tax.”
“And bandits,” Dughlas said.
“Yes. And bandits. I hope you all prayed for luck this morning.”
I kicked my horse forward, and the others followed as I entered the snow-capped woods. I was hoping that whoever followed us assumed we would take the Royal Way, but I should have known better. The birds of the forest carried whispers of a larger group not far behind ours, and soon enough, after only several hours of riding through the woods, we spotted them.
“We’re being followed again,” Dughlas said to me.
“I know.”
They made no effort to hide themselves now, and they travelled as one group. There were eight of them, I counted, and as the day went on, the horsemen inched closer and closer. How had they found us? I had my suspicions but did not voice them to the others. I could tell they were warriors, too. Dughlas and I both knew it would be foolish to turn and confront them. We were outnumbered.
“What will we do when they reach us?” Dughlas asked me.
“If they attack, we kill them. If they want to talk, we talk.”
“If they wanted to talk, they would have done so already.”
“My thoughts exactly. I may have an idea.”
And so I told Dughlas my plan. The two of us could not possibly take on eight men, but perhaps we could take four at a time. He seemed to like my idea. Du
ghlas and I would ride off the path through the trees, while Matilda and Philip would ride hard northwards.
My hope was that their group would split. Dughlas and I would defeat those who chased after us, and then we would catch up to the others and defeat them before they could reach Matilda and Philip. Their horses were large and strong, but ours were nimble and better suited for the forest.
There was a chance this would work, but it would rely on my and Dughlas’s sword-skill and Matilda and Philip’s speed. Alternatively, our trackers could ignore Matilda and Philip and just follow me, but at least if that happened, the others would have a chance of escaping.
“On my command,” I said to the others. “You two will follow the path. Ride with as much haste as your horses can give.”
“Ride with us,” Matilda said.
“No. I believe they are hunting me. If we ride with you, they will continue to hunt you.”
“Let me fight with you. I can fight,” Philip said.
I smiled at him. “You’re right, you can fight. So, you need to protect Lady Matilda should she get into trouble.”
I drew my sword, and Dughlas did the same. Glancing back at the men following us, I noticed them also drawing their swords. “Go! Now,” I yelled. Matilda nodded and kicked her horse into a gallop, speeding off through the trees.
Philip hesitated. I nodded to him, and he shook his head, so I lifted my sword and slapped his horse’s rump with the flat of the blade, sending him off after Matilda. I looked at Dughlas, and he looked at me, then I glanced back at the warriors behind us. They had kicked their horses and were growing nearer by the second.
Dughlas and I rode east. We could not ride side by side because the trees were too dense, and we had to weave our way around them, ducking under branches and leaping over fallen trunks. I felt the air rush through my hair and heard the sound of hoofbeats and snapping sticks behind me.