Knight of the Empress

by Griff Hosker

  We cut their trail half a mile in and found that they were heading south west. It was a large pack. Aiden marked the tree where we crossed the trail so that we could back track and find the cubs. The tracks we followed were only adults. The threat needed elimination. Once we found the trail we mounted and I followed Aiden. It was such a large pack that even I could follow it. After a mile or so the forest petered out. We passed a farmstead and we halted there. I had visited this six days ago and Carl and his family had been fine. Now there was no smell of smoke and the door of the hut was open. When we found the bones we knew what had happened. The wolves had found this family first, when they were scouting. The dismembered, inedible parts of his animals lay discarded amongst the human bones. The easy meal had encouraged them. I had thought Carl was safe for he was close to both Norton and the Hart Burn. I had been wrong. I should have forced the family to safety. Now we knew why the wolves had chosen this route. There were no humans to stop them. There was just one farm between us and Wulfstan now and I prayed that it had been evacuated.

  When we reached it there was smoke and, although the door was closed the farmer, Robert of Trimdon had taken his family to safety. Suddenly Scout snorted and Aiden looked around. The wolves were close and my mount had smelled them. We saw that the tracks spread out. They were circling. As we were less than a mile from the two homes of Old Tom and Wulfstan we knew that they were following the smell of the humans. Old Tom and his son did not keep animals. I could not see the wolves hunting them. They would head for the smell of Wulfstan's pigs and sheep.

  I waved my hand to the left and the right. My men spread out to emulate the circle of the wolves. When we heard a shout in the distance and saw the flare of a torch we knew that the wolves had struck. All need for silence was gone and we spurred our horses on. We could hear the wolves as they howled and snarled at the defenders of the hall. The wolves had the advantage of a moonless night and dark coats. Wulfstan had had torches prepared and we could see them but a man cannot hold a torch and fight effectively. The best he can hope for is to keep the wolves at bay and there was a large pack.

  The memory of Carl and his family put steel in arm and anger in my heart. I pulled back my arm and punched into the spine of the young male which had failed to hear my approach. I twisted and pulled to remove the head of the spear. A second wolf launched itself at Scout. I jerked my reins around and stabbed with the spear. I caught the old wolf on the side but the weight of his body knocked me from my saddle and I fell to the ground. He was not dead, though dying and his teeth sought my throat. I pushed my left hand under his throat to push his jaws up and I sought my dagger. He was a powerful animal and his claws scratched at me as he did all that he could to kill me. I was beginning to fear he would win. His teeth were less than a hand span from my face when I found the dagger. I brought it round and rammed it through the wolf's eye and into his skull. I pushed his dead body from me and, drawing my sword, stood. It was over. Between Wulfstan's men and mine we had slain all but three who ran north.

  Wulfstan and Edward ran to my side, "Are you injured?"

  In the light of Wulfstan's torch I saw that I was covered in blood. I smiled, "It is the wolf's blood. He was a tough one. He took some killing. Did you lose any?"

  Wulfstan shook his head. "No but your arrival was timely. I learned that you cannot fight and wield a torch. Old Tom?"

  "They went nowhere near him but they killed Carl and his family."

  "I should have brought him in."

  "We have learned our lesson. Tomorrow we hunt the pack. Aiden marked the tree. Now let us divide up the carcasses. We eat well again, at least for a while."

  It seemed that we were in bed for moments only and then we had to head out again. I rested Scout and took another of our palfreys. As we left amid a sleet storm I wondered if the weather was improving. It was not; the sleet soon turned to snow again! We found the tree and Aiden saw the trail. The sleet and snow had made it a little hard to follow but when we did find it we made up the time. There were occasional patches of blood in the wet snow. One of the wolves had been injured. We found a large puddle close to the rocks where the pack had sheltered with their cubs. They had left. We found their trail heading towards the north west. They were heading for the high ground to the north west of Durham.

  Perhaps we were complacent for we failed to see the wounded wolf who waited at the small mound of rocks above the trail we were following. He leapt at my scout as he passed beneath him. He knocked Aiden from his horse. My falconer must have been winded for he lay there inertly. I threw my spear as the wolf's jaws opened, ready to bite. Although I hit the beast it was only in the haunches. It merely slowed down the movement of the mouth towards Aiden's throat. Miraculously Aiden opened his eyes and pushed his hands towards the wolf's throat as I had done the previous night. The wolf clamped his teeth around Aiden's left hand. I had drawn my sword and I leaned forward in the saddle to slice down across the back to the wolf's neck. As soon as my blade ripped through the spine it became still. I leapt from my horse and threw the carcass to one side.

  Wulfric joined and held Aiden's hand in his. He sighed, "The hand can be saved but the little finger has been lost." I saw that the little finger had been severed while the others showed teeth marks. In the driving sleet there was no chance of a fire and so Wulfric wrapped the hand in a piece of cloth. "My lord, I should take him back and heal this. If not he may lose all of his fingers."

  Aiden shook his head, "I will continue the hunt!"

  "You will do as your lord commands. Take him home."

  I led the rest of our men north. The trail was unerring. It kept going north east and I took a chance. I spurred on the horses. I would have to risk the pack moving from their course for we needed to catch them. If not they would return next year. The sleet was in our faces and I knew that they would not know of our approach. Their sense of smell was not as keen in winter. Although we kept going the pack was elusively always too far ahead of us. As night approached I knew we would have to give up the chase. The wounded wolf had bought the time to save the pack. It was the way of the wolf. We turned around and headed home. We were soaked to the skin and frozen by the time we reached Stockton. We felt we had failed for Aiden had been hurt and we had not caught the wolves.

  While the men went to fill their empty bellies I sought out Aiden. Adela and Wulfric were with him. "We have saved the other fingers of the hand, my lord but I am not certain if they will function as they once did."

  "I am sorry you were hurt, Aiden."

  He shrugged, "It was my own fault but I want to thank you, lord. But for your quick thinking I would be dead. I owe you my life. I was ever your man but now I will be your man unto death."

  I smiled. He meant every word. "You just get well. I am happy with all that you do."

  "And the pack?"

  "It escaped but I think they will find easier hunting grounds in the future.

  The sleet was a false sign of a change in the weather. The winds and blizzards returned and we had to clear the bailey and the town of snow again. However the slight rise in the temperature meant that the ice on the river melted a little and became thin where it remained. One of our boundaries was secure once more.

  As Candlemas came and went I began to fear for my people. Illness spread throughout the town. Wulfric was our only healer and he was just someone who could repair bodies injured by war. Faren had some remedies which helped some of those with the coughing sickness but a few of the old died. When I became distraught Adela explained that it was inevitable that the old would succumb in such a harsh winter. I took comfort from that. What I should have realised was that if we were suffering then there would be others in a far worse condition than my manor. We had plenty of cattle and we had prepared for this winter.

  I had just woken and was eating my frugal meal of porridge when I was summoned to the tower. I knew that my meal would not have been disturbed if it were not urgent. I ran. It was Roger of Lincoln who had
sent for me. "It is Norton, my lord. They have lit the beacon."

  We had put a brazier at the top of the tower we had built and it was there to summon help. "Rouse the men! We ride when we are armed."

  This would be the first opportunity I had had to try out Alf's new armour. As Harold helped to dress me I realised that I had not worn any armour since we had been at Hexham. Although it felt heavier than my old armour it was not uncomfortable. The new coif incorporated into the byrnie and the ring of mail around my forehead meant that I did not need to wear my helmet until I was actually going into combat; I had protection. I left six men at arms to guard my castle and sent a rider to warn Wulfstan. He could watch over my manor. I rode Scout for I wanted speed and not a war horse.

  We left Aiden in the castle. He wanted to be with us but Wulfric forbade it as did Adela. We rode quickly. As we neared the manor I saw smoke billowing from the walls. They were under attack. The walls were surrounded. Even as I donned my helmet I wondered where this warband had come from. I saw neither banners nor horses. It might not have knights but there were far greater numbers than my handful of warriors.

  "Form line!" My men knew what that entailed. With lances in one line my archers would cover us with their arrows.

  I lowered my lance and we galloped towards them. The ones at the back turned to face the new threat. There was no armour on many of them but they all wielded axes and old swords. Some even had shields. I pulled my arm back and punched forward to spear the axe wielding savage before me. I flicked my hand to the side and the weight of his body slid it from the lance. Two men clambered towards me from the ditch. I jabbed at one and hit him in the middle of his head and as the second swung his axe I pulled back on the reins so that Scout rose and clattered him in the head. The dead warrior slid from my lance and I edged Scout forward. I stood in my stirrups and stabbed at the back of a warrior trying to scale the walls. As he fell back he took the lance with him. I drew my sword as two men came at me. Although I swiped one man across the face, ripping it in two, the second swung his sword at my side. He hit my mail and Alf's fine work held. I stabbed him in the eye and pushed until the sword came out through the back.

  Although we had been outnumbered the force of our attack had thinned them somewhat. Dick and his archers now released arrows at all those who had reached the top of the walls. Osric and his men despatched the rest. As the warband fled I shouted, "Wulfric, Edward, after them. Archers, stay with me." I looked around and saw that Harold had survived. I no longer had to keep turning around to see if he was there. He had become an extension of me. He protected me from all attacks from behind.

  As my archers went amongst the warband killing those that survived I went to one warrior who had fallen from the walls. I could see from the unnatural way he lay that his back was broken and he would have to be put from his misery but I needed answers to my questions. I put my sword to his throat, "Your back is broken and you will take many hours to die. You are in pain and that pain will become worse. I will end it now if you answer my questions." I spoke in Saxon for he did not look Norman or Norse. If he had not answered then I would have assumed he was a Scot.

  "Ask what you will for the pain is unbearable."

  "Where are you from?"

  "South of the New Castle."

  "Then who leads you? Which lord?"

  "No lord. We were starving. The Scots attacked the New Castle and then crossed the frozen Tyne. They stole our cattle and animals. When our families began to starve we asked our lord for food but he said he had none. He said he had given our cattle to you and we came to reclaim them. "

  I nodded, "And you came because you wished to feed your families."

  He tried to nod but he could not move, "A real man cannot stand by while his bairns die of hunger and cold."

  "I know. Go to God."

  I slit his throat with my sword. Osric and Athelstan had joined us. Osric shook his head, "I am beginning to think that gaining cattle is more trouble than it is worth. It invites thieves."

  "This was poisonous seed planted by the treacherous William of Morpeth. It is as well we prepared our people well and provided food for them. Did you lose any men?"

  "Our men at arms were all on watch and they died raising the alarm. Had they not done so then we would be dead."

  I could not wait for spring. "I will base Edward and half of my men at arms here. Edward can be the lord of Norton."

  I looked in their faces for resentment but all that I saw was relief. "That is a wise decision, Alfraed." Osric clapped me on my back, "You speak true and do not spare feelings. It is what your father would have done. Edward is a good man and will make a fine lord of Norton. We will do all that we can to aid him."

  I went inside with them while my archers collected the bodies and made a pyre of them. There was little to be had from their emaciated bodies. Their weapons could be melted down and Alf could make ploughshares. We had been very fortunate and I knew it. Had these men been led by knights then there might have been a different outcome. My men at arms returned sometime later.

  Edward dismounted, "They fled rather than fight my lord. They were bandits."

  I shook my head, "There were men with starving families. William of Morpeth sent them here to reclaim the cattle."

  "Truly? Then we should go an teach him a lesson in manners."

  "There is little point. He will deny it and the men who could have gainsaid him are dead." I put my arm around his shoulders, "Edward I wish you to be lord of Norton and be based here."

  "But Osric and Athelstan…"

  "Are both happy about it. Chose six of the men at arms and six of the archers. Wulfric and Dick will be with me but you may choose your own. You know them as well as I."

  He nodded his acceptance, "We will come and get my war gear tomorrow."

  "I charge you with defending Norton. I know you have few men with which to do so but you have a soldier's eye for defence. I know you can make this plum hard to pick. When I am summoned by the King for service you, as will Wulfstan, shall be with me."

  "Aye my lord." He paused, "Thank you for the chance, my lord. Until I was hired by you in Northallerton I was doomed to wander the land hiring out my sword. I now have a home and it is thanks to you."

  As we knew it would the winter eventually ended. We had escaped remarkably well. We had lost farmers and a few warriors but having had the raid by the desperate men we knew that others had fared worse. Our animals, too, had survived. We put them out to pasture as soon as we could and were gratified when they put on weight and showed signs that they had young. When Olaf and his ship headed up the river then we knew that winter was finally over. We had survived. We had not beaten winter but we had shown him that he could not defeat us.

  Chapter 17

  The winter ended and the green land was slowly revealed as the snows melted and the frost ceased. Adela had the slaves and the servants begin to clean out the castle and the halls. Our extra guests had long since returned to their farms and the castle seemed emptier. This was exacerbated by the fact that Edward and half of my men now lived in Norton. I found I had more space in my own home now. I could sit and think without being disturbed.

  As it was coming up to Easter and all that that entailed I sat with John and went though the finances of the manor. It was coming up to the annual collection of taxes. My position as defender to the valley would mean nothing to the officials who would travel from York to scrutinise my accounts.

  "You are doing well my lord. There is a healthy surplus. The extra cattle and gold were unexpected and we can pay whatever taxes are demanded of us."

  "Can we afford more men at arms?"

  He frowned. He was a clerk and not a soldier, "It would be better if a knight came to serve you. It would incur less expense."

  I sighed, "I have told you before, John, knights are rare in these parts. We are the poorer end of the country. If I could induce a young landless knight to serve then I would. So, answer me, can we afford more
men at arms?"

  "Aye my lord we can."

  I smiled, "Good, then we shall hire some and can we make improvements to the castle and the town?

  He brightened a little, "The castle? Aye my lord. What have you in mind?"

  "We need a stable block. The animals did provide some warmth this winter but I fear the smell in the summer is a poor trade."

  "We could do that quite easily. We can fit one between the keep and the northern wall. You said the town, my lord; what improvements did you plan?"

  "The roads in the town were deadly this winter and now they are a quagmire. I would have stones laid. We need a stone jetty. The wooden piles are unsatisfactory. And we need a church."

  "I can see the need for a church, my lord, but that is expensive. If we built one then we would not be able to do the other things you wish."

  I knew he was right, "We need the improvements. They will encourage more people to come to live here and we will make more from taxes."

  "The town burghers should incur some of those costs my lord." He hesitated, "Perhaps a council?"

  "Perhaps. But in terms of the costs I can use some of the monies from the sessions to pay for civic improvements."

  "They are yours by right, my lord but it would be a source of revenue."

  "Good. Have notices prepared. We will have our first session of the year seven days after Easter. I will speak with Alf and Ethelred and see if they would wish to form a council."

  As I was preparing to leave Adela entered. "You are going out, my lord?"

  "Yes, my lady. I go to Stockton to speak with the people there."

  "I hoped that we could resume our weekly circuits of the town together now that winter has released his icy grip."

  "Of course but I warn you this may be boring for I will be speaking business with my tradesmen."

  "A walk with you, my lord, is never boring." She smiled, "And it is almost Easter."