[The deBurghs 07] - Reynold De Burgh: The Dark Knight

by Deborah Simmons

  ‘Is Julian our enemy? Surely not—’ Ursula began, but Peregrine held up a hand in the manner of his master and turned to Sabina. ‘Who is Julian Fabre?’

  Sabina hesitated to answer simply because she was unsure what to say, but Peregrine’s steady demeanour helped her gather her thoughts. Ignoring Ursula’s sputtering, she focused on the squire. ‘Julian is the son of the village blacksmith. He was always clever and ambitious, and well favoured among the villagers,’ she said, with a glance toward her attendant.

  ‘At first, he planned to follow in his father’s footsteps, but to work only upon armour. It was more prestigious to cater to knights, he claimed, but then that was not enough and he wanted to become a knight himself. And so he planned to join Edward’s crusade in the Holy Land.’

  Sabina paused, looking down at the fingers entwined in her lap. ‘It was then that Julian asked my father for my hand. We were both very young, but he agreed we could marry upon his return.’ It was an agreement Sabina now rued, but the Sextons saw few knights in Grim’s End and were impressed by the qualities required to join that select fraternity. Sabina, especially, was dazzled by the image of such a noble character, strong and dashing and honourable.

  But Julian Fabre had turned out to be none of those things. Perhaps he never had been and had hidden his true nature behind vaunted objectives, a glib tongue and a sheen of dazzling charm. And far away from Grim’s End in the wretched heat of foreign climes, he revealed himself.

  ‘But he did not return,’ Sabina simply said. ‘At first, his father claimed that he was missing, and we waited, but as the years went by, we lost hope.’ Sabina’s mouth twisted at the word. ‘And other stories began to trickle into Grim’s End that told, not of noble deeds, but of a newly sworn knight who fled, deserting his countrymen in the midst of battle.’

  But still Sabina held fast, refusing to believe such things about the man to whom she was pledged until one night he appeared in her bedchamber, hiding from his father, from her father, and from any who would call him traitor. ‘And then early this year, he came back,’ Sabina said.

  ‘When?’ Ursula asked. ‘You said nothing!’

  ‘And why would I speak of it?’ Sabina asked. ‘Offering no apology for his long silence, he dismissed the accusations against him with his usual ease and charm, focusing instead upon a gold coin he had found while hiding in the ruins near the mound. I told him that it could have been dropped by any passer-by, but he insisted it was just as the old stories said: the treasure lies beneath the grim.’

  Ursula ducked her head, obviously embarrassed by whatever part she had played, while Sabina continued. ‘I told him we had no fortune, that he of all people should know that. And when I refused to help him defile the dragon’s burial place or speak to my father about such a plan, he simply…disappeared.’

  Afterwards, Sabina tried to forget his very existence, especially since she neither heard nor saw any more of him. ‘As far as I know, he never approached his family, and his father began to say he was dead, for that was preferable to the rumours. I, too, declared him dead, rather than face the curiosity of the villagers.’

  Sabina had even forbade Ursula, who doted on Julian, to speak of him, but she shook her head now at such folly. ‘I might have convinced myself he was gone, but he stayed nearby, wreaking havoc on his own family, on the people he once called neighbors.’

  At Ursula’s curious look, Sabina spread her arm toward the steps. ‘Just now, upstairs, he called himself The Dragon! He is to blame for all this, the attacks on the people, the animals, my father…’ Sabina could not continue, while the residents of Grim’s End exclaimed in horror.

  Peregrine, alone, seemed unsurprised by her revelations. ‘He must have learned to send fire through the air in the Holy Land, just as Lord de Burgh guessed. And the other sound…You said he was a blacksmith? Perhaps that was the sound of a bellows.’

  ‘Surely not,’ Ursula protested.

  ‘It would have to be a large one, specially made,’ Alec said. ‘But, yes, that is what it sounded like sometimes, the roar of a bellows!’

  ‘He used the old legend against you, taking advantage of people’s fears,’ Peregrine said.

  Sabina nodded. ‘He thought we would all go, but when I did not, he set Urban to spy upon us.’

  ‘Urban! That coward,’ Ursula said, with a sniff of disgust. ‘I never liked him.’

  ‘Do you suppose this Dragon set Urban to digging on purpose, with the hope that we might do his searching for him?’ Peregrine asked.

  ‘Perhaps,’ Sabina said. ‘He bragged about us doing his work.’

  ‘Or else Urban grew impatient with the waiting and decided to have a look himself,’ Ursula said.

  ‘But if he knows we found nothing, why did he come here and accost you?’ Peregrine asked.

  Sabina shook her head. ‘He kept asking me where the treasure was even though I told him we had found nothing.’

  For a long moment, there was silence in the hall, then Peregrine spoke, his expression thoughtful. ‘He must think you know something.’

  ‘About what?’ Sabina asked.

  ‘About this legend of treasure or hoard of coins,’ Peregrine said. ‘That’s probably why he’s let you stay, in case he might need you to provide him with some secret information or lead him to it.’

  ‘To what?’ Sabina asked, exasperated. ‘We’ve already looked under the grim. Whether that means the dragon or Cyneric the Grim or some ancient ship, there still was nothing there. I don’t know anything else.’

  ‘Perhaps you do,’ Peregrine said. ‘Think.’

  Sabina shook her head, but she searched her memory, repeating again what they had already discussed. ‘As Ursula said, the treasure lies under the grim. That’s what she heard my grandfather say, and that’s what my father told me.’

  ‘What did your father say?’ Ursula asked, leaning forwards. ‘When was this?’

  ‘When he lay dying before his own manor, stricken by the man he would have taken in as a son…’ Sabina’s throat constricted, and she took a moment to compose herself. ‘He made me swear to hold the village together, to keep his home and his heritage. And he said, “If you have a need…look under the old grim.”’

  ‘The old grim,’ Peregrine repeated. He gave her a speculative glance. ‘You are certain he said old?’

  Sabina nodded, though she was impatient with such nonsense. ‘What is the difference? Of course the grim is old. Grim’s End was founded years and years ago.’

  Peregrine looked pensive. ‘Yes, but what if there are two dragons, one old and one new?’

  ‘There is only one mound,’ Alec said.

  ‘Yes, but the mound is not specified, just the word grim, which has been passed down by the Sextons throughout generations,’ Peregrine noted. ‘Where might there be another grim?’

  It was the mention of the Sextons that made Sabina draw in a sharp breath. ‘The church,’ she said. ‘The Sextons have always tended the churches, and the dragon decorated the side of both, the new church and the old one.’

  Ursula was on her feet in an instant. ‘It must be buried beneath the ruins, where Julian found his coin.’

  Alec, too, had risen and was headed toward the extra implements that they kept in the hall for working the mound. ‘Let’s go see!’

  Sabina glanced at Peregrine, unwilling to do anything without Lord de Burgh. ‘But you told us to remain here,’ she said.

  Unlike his master, who was always decisive, Peregrine appeared uncertain. ‘We can wait, or we could look now, while we know that your betrothed is well away.’

  ‘He is not my betrothed,’ Sabina said, rising from her chair. She wished now that she had kept her father’s message to herself, for she saw no point in any further digging. Whatever words had been repeated over the years were just that, words meant to comfort the living in the throes of grief, tales as fanciful as Gamel’s ramblings.

  But Ursula was already headed toward the doors, and Peregrine
, though much to be admired, was still enough of a boy to want to join Alec in the search. Sabina, alone, seemed reluctant, dreading the prospect of uncovering even more remains, this time in holy ground.

  ‘What about Lord de Burgh?’ Sabina asked. What if he returned to find them gone, or, worse yet, needed their help?

  Peregrine obviously did not share her concern, for he smiled in grim assurance. ‘Lord de Burgh can take care of himself.’

  Still, Sabina kept a watchful eye on the area as they left the manor. The others, except for Adele, seemed too eager, while each step towards the old church filled Sabina with a sense of doom. She might have halted them, but she didn’t know whether it was the fears that made her uneasy or legitimate worries. She had been stricken too often when faced with nothing to trust her instincts any longer.

  So she simply followed behind as Alec led the way, hopping over the crumbling side of one old wall with ease. He combed the inside, pushing aside tall grasses and pieces of old tiles, while wondering aloud about the best place to dig.

  ‘The dragon is over here, on the outside,’ Ursula said, pointing to the only wall that still stood mostly intact.

  Sabina shivered. Was there some significance to that fact? She had often thought that everything in Grim’s End might fall to dust, but the dragon would remain. Yet, there was no dragon, only an old ship and the bones of a dead man.

  ‘There’s a grim inside, too,’ Alec said, but Peregrine was already standing before the smaller carving.

  ‘Repent and Seek Your Reward,’ the squire read aloud. He turned to Sabina, as though the words held a meaning that only she could divine. ‘Perhaps this indicates where the treasure is hidden.’

  Sabina shook her head at what she had always viewed as sound religious advice. And yet, even to her, the word reward now seemed fraught with import. She drew in a sharp breath, and Peregrine, seeing her response, turned and began to dig below where the message was carved.

  Distancing herself from the others, Sabina sat upon an old stump, away from the ruins, and tried to contain her growing sense of dread. If only Lord de Burgh would return…But such thoughts invariably choked her, so Sabina concentrated only on the forms of the two boys, Peregrine and Alec, digging below the church wall.

  How long would they work before everyone agreed that there was no hoard of gold hidden in Grim’s End? Or would they simply move on to another spot? Sabina frowned, for surely they would decide the Marking Stone was next, full of some subtle meaning beyond denoting boundaries.

  Sabina distracted herself with such thoughts for a while, but it seemed that hardly any time had gone by when Alec gave a shout. Ursula and Adele crowded round Peregrine, and Sabina heard their gasps, yet was afraid to join them, for fear ’twas someone’s grave they had disturbed.

  But then they parted, looking to her as one, and Sabina finally rose and walked to where they all stood. She saw nothing upon the ground, but when she reached Peregrine, he held out a piece of jewellery, gold with some kind of gemstone blinking in the light of the lowering sun.

  Peregrine handed it to her, and Sabina clutched it tightly, her knees weak. She said nothing, but sank upon a fallen stone nearby to study the precious item more closely. It looked none the worst for having been entombed, and for how long? But Sabina knew that one piece of jewellery did not constitute a hoard. The item could have been lost here or gifted to the old church, though she knew of no one in Grim’s End who had ever possessed such a thing.

  ‘Twas not worth a fortune, but enough to help repay Lord de Burgh for all he had done for them, Sabina thought, as well as provide some money for the villagers. Now that she knew Julian had deliberately destroyed Grim’s End, Sabina did not know whether she could ever revive it. Even if she could, it would never be the same. She would never be the same…

  A shout from Alec dragged Sabina from her gloomy thoughts, but she had barely risen from her makeshift seat when he gave out another. And another. And soon there was no denying that they had found more than one valuable. In fact, the enormity of the discovery stole her breath.

  While Sabina watched, stunned, Peregrine spread the bounty upon the grass: other pieces of exotic jewellery, a purse containing the fabled gold coins, gold buckles, a set of silver dishes the like of which Sabina had never seen, a loose coin, a gold finger ring, a golden sceptre fit for a king, a lyre, and clasps of silver and gold. ’Twas indeed a treasure beyond anyone’s imagining.

  ‘But what is this? Why is it here?’ Sabina asked.

  Everyone looked down at the priceless hoard, as though struck dumb, but finally Alec spoke. ‘Gamel used to tell us tales of a great king, buried with all his wealth, so maybe this was all his.’

  ‘Buried beneath the church?’ Sabina asked, with a shudder.

  ‘Buried within the mound,’ Peregrine said. ‘I would guess that these are the king’s riches, but they were moved long ago, perhaps before they were even covered with earth.’

  ‘Are you saying my ancestors were grave robbers?’ Sabina asked, shocked.

  ‘I doubt a true thief would rebury these things and leave such record of his work,’ Peregrine said. ‘Perhaps the first church sexton did not approve of a pagan burial and put these valuables away for the future people of Grim’s End.’

  ‘Isn’t that a lovely tale?’

  At the sound of Julian’s voice, Sabina jerked, dropping the piece of jewellery she held in her hand. Turning, she saw him step out from behind a falling corner of the ruined building, his sword drawn.

  ‘It absolves the Sextons from any wrongdoing, while allowing those few residents left to claim all,’ Julian said, with a sneer. ‘But I’m afraid that I’ll be taking it, so you won’t have to worry over the question of ownership. Come, Sabina, and perhaps I’ll let you have some of your family’s ill-gotten gains. After all, you’ve waited long enough for them.’

  ‘I’m not going anywhere with you,’ Sabina said. ‘You are dead to me!’

  ‘Harsh words from my betrothed,’ Julian said. ‘’Twas only my wits that saved me from certain death in places you can’t even pronounce.’

  ‘They served you ill, then,’ Sabina said. ‘Better that you had died a noble death in the Holy Land, befitting a great knight, than break all your oaths and vows to honour none but yourself.’

  While Sabina spoke, Peregrine moved as if to draw his sword, but Julian stepped forwards with a warning for the squire. ‘Don’t provoke me, boy,’ he said. ‘I’m still smarting from your poke in my leg.’

  Peregrine’s mouth fell open. ‘You! You’re the one who attacked us on the road.’

  ‘And, if you remember, I’m not one to be trifled with,’ Julian said smugly.

  ‘My recollection is different, for I remember that Lord de Burgh routed you easily,’ Peregrine said, his expression one of contempt.

  ‘I could argue, but why bother?’ Julian asked, with a smirk. ‘Your precious knight isn’t here, is he?’

  ‘Oh, but you are mistaken.’

  Sabina swayed upon her feet as Lord de Burgh stepped out of the shadows of the wall that still stood, putting himself neatly between them and Julian. Still, Sabina had enough sense to pull at the others, backing away from Julian, lest he try to seize them to save himself.

  Once he saw what she was about, Peregrine urged them to shelter behind the low crumbling portion of one wall, while Julian and Lord de Burgh circled one another, swords drawn.

  ‘So we meet again,’ Julian said. ‘Let me introduce myself. I am The Dragon.’

  If he thought mere words would daunt his opponent, Julian was mistaken for Lord de Burgh showed not a flicker of surprise on his grim countenance.

  ‘And I am the wolf,’ Lord de Burgh said. ‘The dragon is showy and full of hot air, while the wolf is silent and deadly, an enemy to be reckoned with.’

  Sabina glanced at Peregrine.

  ‘The wolf is the de Burgh device,’ the boy whispered.

  Julian laughed, as though amused by Lord de Burgh’s s
peech. ‘I have no quarrel with you.’

  ‘But I have a quarrel with you, for you are responsible for the abandonment of Grim’s End,’ Lord de Burgh said.

  Julian nodded, as if in acknowledgement of praise. ‘I was hiding in the ruins for a few days, assessing my future, when it shone brightly before me in the form of a gold coin. Unfortunately, while borrowing some goods from the village, I ran into Urban. But the poor steward, discontented with his lot, was greedy enough…er, eager to share in the promised riches.’

  Sabina could see Julian slowly changing position while talking, and she wanted to shout an alarm to Lord de Burgh, but Peregrine squeezed her arm in warning. For Lord de Burgh was moving as well, unaffected by Julian’s chatter.

  ‘At first I used a bellows to scare them, easily enough for me to construct with materials borrowed from my father,’ Julian said. ‘Perhaps Sabina remembers when he complained of thievery, for I did not bother to make myself known.’

  And for good reason, Sabina thought, for John Fabre was a decent man. Hearing rumours was one thing, but facing the truth about his son would have broken his spirit.

  ‘I killed the animals or drove them off, with the help of Urban, who conveniently opened gates or alerted me to any unwelcome attention and whispered of the worm, urging all to hide. It was simple, really. The fools were easily led. Just a few choice words, a few grisly animal slayings, and they fled.’

  ‘But sooner or later, they would realise that no one had seen the beast,’ Lord de Burgh said.

  ‘Not really,’ Julian said. ‘There are always those who will lay claim to special knowledge—even a dragon sighting—in order to gain attention. But some people were tenacious, and that’s when I had to get creative. Luckily, I had learned something from my travels and was able to concoct some dragon fire to scare off the rest.’

  ‘You could have burned down the whole village,’ Lord de Burgh said, still matching his movements to Julian’s slow circling.

  ‘That might have been simpler.’

  ‘But there was something else you wanted,’ Lord de Burgh said.