by Griff Hosker
I turned to Dick. "I think we have our two spies. Unless I miss my guess when Robert returns, Alan Squint Eye will visit York. It is clear now. The two spies allow our enemies to have two avenues of communication. I have no doubt now that Robert makes contact with Guisborough. We know the de Brus are traitors. There will also be a spy in York. I will send Philip of Selby to speak privately with the Archbishop."
Wulfric, who was now with us said, "And then do we question this fisherman?"
"When Alan Squint Eye has left for York, aye we will."
The fisherman returned two days later. Now that we were watching for him his movements became clear. He unloaded and sold his fish remarkably quickly. I could tell that he had not charged enough for his customers were delighted at the prices they had paid. He then went immediately to the church. Alan Squint Eye must have been watching for he followed him into the church. Now that we knew the conspirators their collusion was obvious. After the fisherman and Alan Squint Eye left the church Alan hurried in to speak with the priest.
"Wulfric, take three men at arms and get on the York road. When he gets to York then see whom he meets. Apprehend him on the way back. We know he will be going there and if you are before him then he will not be suspicious. Shadow him in York."
"And if he sees us lord?"
"Offer to escort him and tell him you have a letter for the Archbishop from me. He will be slower than you. I would wait at the inn in Easingwold until he has passed."
Wulfric quickly left and I saw him and his two men at arms on the ferry. They crossed, thereby giving them a lead over the spy. That would ensure a healthy gap between them and Alan Squint Eye. The spy emerged and led the poor sumpter he used to the ferry to wait. I found Father Henry tending his small herb garden. "Your servant is going somewhere, Father Henry?"
He nodded, "I have to keep in touch with the Archbishop. He needs a record of the births, deaths and marriages." He shrugged, "And he likes to keep in touch with the church here. We are part of the Diocese of Durham, lord."
"I know and I was not criticising. I merely wondered why he was going today."
"Ah, he reminded me that I needed some more candles for the church. We used our last one three days since."
"You should have said, I would have brought some back with me from Normandy. They make fine ones there."
"And I will do so for it is annoying when we run out. He is a good and hard working servant but sometimes he forgets to remind me of such needs. Still he is always happy to travel the long road to York for me."
After I had left him I felt guilty for deceiving him however if I was wrong I would have upset him for nothing. Meanwhile John, along with Erre and Sven the Rus had gone down to the river to fetch Robert of Whitby.
I waited for them in my hall. When he arrived he looked confused, "Have I done wrong, lord? Why have I been dragged from my boat by these two Vikings? I am an innocent man."
I smiled, "Then you are truly blessed. Erre are you an innocent man?"
He laughed, "Why no lord, I have done many things which I should not."
"And I know that I have committed crimes and sins but perhaps your frequent visits to the church means that you have absolution and that you are, truly, an innocent man. Is that it, Robert of Whitby?"
For the first time a look of doubt flickered across his face, "I do visit church regularly, lord. Is that a crime?"
"Of course not." I smiled, "You came to my town when I was in Normandy and I know you not. My men tell me you are a good fisherman but somewhat lonely."
"I am happy with my own company it is true."
"You seem to have a good friend in Alan Squint Eye."
"I know him but..."
"Did you know him before you came to my town?"
This time his eyes flickered. Whatever he said would be a lie. "No, lord."
"I am not satisfied, Robert of Whitby. I need to investigate more. Until then you shall be my guest."
He tried to rise but Sven the Rus' hand clamped on his shoulder. "My lord, I protest."
"Protest all you like until I am happy then you stay here. Sven take him to my dungeon. Have him watched." When they had gone I turned to John and Erre. "Well?"
Erre said, "He lies."
"I am not certain."
Erre shook his head, "The trouble is, Sir John, that you have not met many liars yet. I lived in Miklagård. I can smell a liar."
"Thank you both and now we wait for Wulfric."
I know that I was jumping at shadows but I liked not this conspiracy. I wondered if I should visit my wrath upon Guisborough. If there were enemies there I should rid myself of them. Why did Alan go there first and then speak with the church spy. It made no sense. Either way a message could not reach north of the border for many days. Dick and his archers had reported that the other suspects never left the town save on legitimate business. They would still be watched but as they had not risen to the bait then they were no longer such good candidates.
Wulfric and my men returned three days later with a very unhappy spy. He looked to have been knocked about. Father Henry happened to be in his garden when Alan Squint Eye was brought to my gate. "Wulfric, what are you doing with my servant?"
I stepped forward, "He is obeying my orders, Father. I pray you join us and listen to what Wulfric says before you judge us."
He knew me well enough to agree and he followed his servant.
Once in my hall Father Henry and I sat. I said, "Wulfric tell me what you saw."
"We followed this man when he went to York. He did not go to the Archbishop's palace. He went directly to the 'Blind Beggar', the inn by the river and sat there for an hour until the captain of a small merchant ship docked and came to speak with him. They spoke for an hour. This man gave the sailor a document and then he left and went to the Archbishop. The merchant ship left straightaway. They unloaded nothing else. The ship arrived just to meet with this man."
Father Henry frowned. Until that moment I believe he thought we had lost our mind.
Alan Squint Eye said, none too convincingly, "It is a lie."
"Why did you not go directly to the Archbishop as I asked?" Father Henry spoke calmly. I knew he was looking for a reasonable explanation.
He said nothing and Wulfric put the final nail in his coffin, "When I delivered the letter to the Archbishop I asked his clerk about Alan Squint Eye here. He said he never stayed long and often left before the Archbishop could see if a return message was needed."
Silence hung in my hall like some heavy weight. I spoke quietly. "The fact that you had no reason to speak with this captain who came just to speak with you strikes me as damning evidence. Your defence is to call Wulfric a liar. Even I would not do that. He speaks the truth. We know about the messages passed to you by Robert of Whitby. I need to know who is your master and why you use such a complicated method." The spy remained obstinately silent. I let silence hang in my hall and then delivered the killer blow. "Robert of Whitby lies in my dungeon."
There was fear in the spy's eyes. What did we know?
He appealed to Father Henry. "I had to do it Father."
"Speak the truth, my son and I shall absolve you of your sins. There is little point in deception any longer. The Earl knows your perfidy and treachery."
"And if I tell you the truth, what then?"
"You will be sentenced to labour in the borough for ten years."
"Ten years! That is a lifetime!"
"No, the punishment if you do not tell the truth is death, that is a lifetime."
He suddenly became defiant. "Your town will not last ten years! Baron Skipton will have taken your town before the year is out."
"Why did your fellow spy have to sail to the mouth of the river and back?"
Father Henry said, "Speak. Hard labour is better than death."
"There is a lookout on Eston Nab. The men of Guisborough keep a watch there. They look for the arrival and departures of your ship. When Robert sails and he wants to tell
them we have news then he hangs two lights from his stern. A message is sent to Whitby and then a ship sails to York. I meet the Captain and tell him what we know." He shrugged, "We thought it foolproof for you cannot land a ship in the swamp between the river and the hills. I had plenty of excuses to go to York and to give the message. They were spoken so that none could trace them or intercept them."
I nodded, "And the Baron will attack soon."
He looked afraid, "I am not certain, lord. I believe so. Your new gate means they will find it harder to attack."
"You seem knowledgeable."
"We were both men at arms who served the Baron. When my eye was injured I could not fight as well as once I had and Robert had the coughing sickness. He is my brother."
I nodded, "Take him and put the brothers together." Once they had gone I said, "I am sorry Father but I could not tell you until I had proof."
"I understand. And now we will be attacked again?"
"I fear so. We could not stop the message being sent and when they hear that we are making our gate stronger they will attack sooner rather than later."
Wulfric said, "Aye lord and now we know that they are watching for our ship they will find out that we are being reinforced."
"Then tomorrow we ride and destroy this tower. Have the men prepare to ride before dawn."
I prayed that they would wait until we had the harvest in before they attacked. If not it would be a long and hungry winter.
Chapter 17
It was an hour after dawn as we made our way up the southern side of Eston Nab. There looked to have been an ancient fort here. It had long gone but the lords of Guisborough had built a tower of stone in the centre of the mound of lumps and bumps. We spied the castle from some way away. It looked, even from a distance, to have been crudely built. We dismounted and made our way towards it. I guessed that they would keep watch on the river rather than the land to the south. We used the natural cover which was to the landward side, De Brus land. I saw hoof prints as we moved across the scrubland which was covered with stunted trees and hardy bushes. I saw a horse tethered to a post at the bottom of the tower.
The stone tower was thirty feet high and newly built. The mortar was bright and lichen had yet to colonise it. The tower itself reminded me of the tower at Otterburn. As we drew closer I saw more of its features. There was a door which was ten feet or so from the ground. Obviously they had a ladder which they lowered. I had brought twenty men at arms and eight archers along with Sir John and Gilles. I had deemed that to be more than enough. I planned on destroying it the way I had the keep in Normandy. I would burn it to the ground. Hopefully the sentries would give in first but one way or another I would destroy it.
The door opened and a ladder dropped to the ground. As the sentry began to descend he saw us. He raced back up the ladder. There was little point in hiding. "Run!"
We ran towards the tower. The ladder was pulled up and the door slammed before we could reach it. The problem would be setting fire to the door. It was too high for us to build a fire next to it. Crossbow bolts flew from the top of the tower. They were ineffective against our shields. Dick's archers let loose with the bows. Hiding behind a wall of shields held by our men at arms they were able to rain arrows at the top of the tower. A warrior, still clutching his crossbow, fell to earth. His neck was transfixed by a goose feathered shaft.
We ran to take shelter next to the walls of the tower. They could do us no harm there. With my archers watching for movement on the top there was stalemate. I went to the door and shouted, "This is the Earl of Cleveland! Surrender and you shall live. Fight and you will die."
A voice from inside said, "Do your worst. When our relief comes they will bring help from the castle."
I turned to Sir John, "Take four men at arms and ride towards the castle, ambush the relief."
Wulfric and Leopold of Durstein were with me. I said quietly, "He is right. We cannot winkle them out."
Wulfric knelt down and rubbed his axe along the lime mortar about three stones up from the ground. The mortar came away. He went to the dead crossbowman and took the man's short sword and dagger. He handed the dagger to Leopold. "Scrape away the mortar. They have done a poor job of building. This was not done by a mason." As the two of them began to scrape I saw what he meant. They had not used finished stone. They had taken whatever lay about. The result was that the courses were uneven. A mason would have ensured that the foundation levels were solid and well laid.
I went to the crossbow man and took some of his bolts. I waved over Alan of Osmotherley and Gurth. "Here do as Wulfric is doing to the next stone along." I did the same on the other side.
Soon we were loosening three stones in a row. Wulfric and Leopold finished first and they used the short sword and dagger to lever out the stone. They began work on the one above. Having levered one out Alan and Gurth made short work of the second stone. Mine took longer by which time Wulfric was ready to take out the next one. A small crack appeared above the large gap we had made.
"Now the level below. We make it unstable, my lord."
The men inside raced to the top of the tower when they heard us working and peered down but were driven back by my archers. They could hear us but I doubted they knew what we were doing. The more stones we took the easier it became. The gaps meant we only had three sides of each stone to chip away. When the next three stones came out the crack lengthened.
"Fetch kindling. Wulfric, try the inside stone." The tower had been built with a double course of stones. There was a slight gap between. It was hard work once more as Wulfric and Leopold attacked a secure stone on the inside of the tower but they persevered. By the time they had levered it out kindling had been brought. I saw a wooden frame on the other side of the hole. "Pack it with kindling. Wulfric, loosen another few stones while we may."
Dick came over with a flint. He had gathered some wool from the gorse which lined the hill. Soon his spark set light to the wool and then the kindling. The gap in the walls drew the flames up. They also sucked the fire inside the tower through the small gap which Wulfric had made. Within a short time it was too hot for us to work. Wulfric and Leopold levered their last stone and then ran with us to a safe distance. The door opened and the ladder, now on fire, was lowered to the ground. The small garrison who remained, all five of them, descended. I saw that the last one had his clothes burning.
"Dick secure the prisoners and make sure they do not burn to death. One must have still been inside for a fireball emerged and tried to climb down the flaming ladder. It broke and he fell. I hoped he had broken his neck for he continued to burn at the foot of the ladder. The prisoners were brought over and we all watched as the flames consumed the tower as the crack which Wulfric had started raced to the top. It was a race between the flames and the damage to the tower. Without warning there was a sound like a crack of thunder and then the whole tower tumbled down the hill. The hillside was set alight.
I went to the prisoners. "I should kill you for I gave you fair warning."
"We throw ourselves upon your mercy."
"Bind their hands behind their backs and put a halter around their necks. We will take them to Stockton for judgement."
We had just mounted and were setting off down the hill when Gilles rode up, "Lord, there are horsemen from the castle. They are heading here. Sir John and the men at arms are lower down the hill. He said he would hold them until you came."
"Dick, leave two men with Gilles to guard the prisoners. The rest of you, follow me!"
I drew my sword as I led my men at arms towards the distant sound of metal on metal. I had been the first to mount and Scout was eager to run. We hurtled recklessly down the trail. I spied Sir John and the men at arms ahead. They were fighting against overwhelming odds. Mounted men at arms had ridden from Guisborough; obviously the smoke had alerted them. The only thing which was saving my men was their armour. That would not save them for long.
Common sense said to slow down but I did
not employ common sense. I saw Theobald son of Henry struck simultaneously by two blows and he fell to the ground. I watched as a man at arms raised his spear to skewer the fallen man at arms. Sir John bravely urged his horse forward so that he took the blow on his helmet. I saw that he was stunned. I crashed through the enemy. Riding with just my knees I punched with my shield as I slashed with my sword. When a maniac attacks you then you turn. The enemy pulled their horses' heads away from my headlong flight. I saw one Scot trying to pull away but his horse had panicked As I grabbed my reins and jerked Scout to the left I swung my sword to slice through his arm and to bite into his chest. I did not wait to see the result. I headed back up the hill. Wulfric and my other men at arms had reached our fallen man and Dick and his archers loosed arrows with unerring accuracy. Even as I swung my sword at a man of arms who was trying to flee, it was over. My sword took the Scot's head which flew into the air and then rolled to a halt by John's horse, staring at the sky through dead eyes.
Edgar leapt from his horse and knelt by Theobald. The ones who had not been slain surrendered. "How is he?"
"They are bad wounds my lord. Leopold, fetch a burning brand from the tower. I have to stop the bleeding."
"Wulfric, bind our prisoners and collect their horses."
I rode up to John. He had taken off his helmet and I saw blood dripping down his face. "That was brave, John. You do not need to prove yourself whether to me or to my men at arms."
"I could not let him be speared like a wild pig."
"Aye well next time try a fighting withdrawal rather than taking on such superior numbers. I cannot afford to lose such a good knight as you!"
"They came at us really quickly, Earl. We only saw them late."
Leopold brought the brands and the archers brought the other prisoners. I heard the hiss as the wounds were cauterized. "Sir John, you and Wulfric, escort the prisoners back to my castle. Dick bring your archers. We will ride to Guisborough and let them know I am displeased. Come Gilles!"
As we joined the road which led to Guisborough, Gilles asked, "Why do we not bring men at arms, Earl?"