The Knights Dawning (The Crusades Series)

by James Batchelor

  “Not at all,” Leah replied modestly. “If you ever need anything, please let me know.” The carriage resumed its brisk pace.

  “You are alone?” Salena asked, surprised at the notable absence of Edith.

  Leah looked embarrassed. “Edith was not available when the call came, and I did not think I could afford to wait. But she is such a dear, she will forgive me.” She looked worried for a moment, but the look quickly fled. “But I now have you with me, so there is nothing improper in this.”

  “I wish I had your independent spirit, Leah,” Salena confessed. “I feel so dependent on David. I do not know what I would do if anything should ever happen to him. I thought I would go quite mad awaiting his return, and Rachel, of course, misses him terribly.”

  “I am sure of it,” Leah agreed, looking at the dark-haired little girl humming to herself on the seat between them. “I can't believe how big you are getting,” she said to the little girl, who only smiled and continued to kick her legs and hum.

  “You think so?” Salena asked in surprise. “I don't feel like she is growing at all.”

  “Well, she is still quite petite, but each time I see her she looks more the little lady than ever before.” Salena could not help smiling at the compliment.

  “I have been so worried. Since they left, I mean.” Salena said suddenly as if confessing some great sin. “In earnest, when David told me William was making him go on this silly adventure, it was all I could do not to march up to the castle and spit in William's face.”

  There were so many things about that statement that infuriated Leah that she bit down on her tongue to keep from showing her anger in a decidedly un-ladylike way. Instead she responded to the last item of contention. “I would hardly call a quest to rescue a family member held hostage a ‘silly adventure’,” she said somewhat stiffly.

  Salena sighed. “I know. I just do not trust William. Anything he is involved in is dubious.”

  Leah reminded herself of how young Salena actually was and that she and William’s relationship had gotten off to a bad start. “Salena, William really has changed from the surly teenager you remember. You must forgive the past and let him be a different person.”

  “Certainly you don't trust him!” Salena said, shocked. “You know him better than anyone.”

  “That's right, and I would trust him with my life. In fact, even as a teenager there would have been no one I trusted with my life more.”

  Salena nodded reluctantly. “David said he's a great fighter.”

  “It has nothing to do with that,” Leah assured her. “I know he had a rough exterior and sometimes still does, but if you had taken the time to get to know William like I did, you would find one of the most courageous and noble hearts ever to reside in the bosom of a man.”

  Salena listened patiently, then said, “But the things he said, the danger he brought down upon my David’s head because of his stupid pride. If you ask me, you could take the entire Dawning family and—”

  “That's enough!” Leah cut her off, shocked that Salena could be so insensitive to speak that way about one of her best friends, much less the local family of benefactors.

  “Oh, I am sorry, Leah, I forget he is your friend.” Salena dropped her head so her long, dark hair would hide her coloring face.

  “That's right, he is my friend, and there are things I will not hear.”

  “But surely you do not deny that you have seen him do some questionable things,” Salena persisted with a peculiar blindness to the propriety of the situation.

  “Perhaps,” Leah shot back hotly, “but I have also seen him do some of the sweetest, most noble things I have ever witnessed. Now mind your tongue.”

  They rode on in silence for a time, Leah fuming and Salena too embarrassed to speak further. Finally Leah said, “You know, Salena, it is not good for you to carry this bitterness around with you. It only hurts you, and it cankers your lovely soul in a way that spills out onto all those around you. You must get rid of it.” More silence followed. At last Salena spoke. “You are right, Leah. Every time I think of the Dawnings, and especially William, I become incensed; but if you see something more, then it must be as you say. For you are a woman of impeccable judgment.”

  Leah smiled at Salena. “Just give him a chance. I promise you will be glad you did.”

  “Oh, I've missed David so much,” Salena abruptly changed the subject. “I am so relieved he's back, I cannot even express it. I will throw my arms around him and drag him home and lock him up to ensure he never has any thoughts of leaving again.”

  Leah smiled, suppressing the wicked thoughts she herself was having. She, too, had missed her friend very much.

  They reached the gate just in time to see the multicolored flags of the knights appear on the horizon. They were home. Leah and Salena jumped down from the carriage, barely able to contain their excitement. Over the hill they rode, armor glittering in the sun, plumes bright and beautiful. William was the only one that could be easily distinguished from the others because of his unique white armor. All the other knights were only distinguishable from small variations in similar suits of iron and their individual crests. It was necessary to get up close to find an individual within the group.

  There was quite a welcoming party assembled at the gates now, and Salena realized she would not be seen among the others. Forgetting her decorum, a veneer that was always rather thin on Salena anyway, she scooped up Rachel and hurried out towards the knights when they were still fifty yards away. She spotted William and set a course for him, expecting to find David somewhere close by. Leah sighed and then hurried after Salena, giggling in excitement in spite of herself.

  As they got closer, William spurred his horse ahead of the others, leading a riderless horse with him. Leah’s heart leapt with excitement as he rode toward her, then she knew something was wrong. She saw it before Salena, who was looking past William to find her husband. Leah's legs suddenly felt weak, and she stopped in place ten yards behind Salena. She did not want to see the scene that was about to unfold, but she could not look away.

  William dismounted and dropped to one knee before Salena, still holding the reins of the riderless horse in one hand. There were tears in his eyes, and though Leah could not hear the words being said, she knew what news he was conveying. A horrible, heart-wrenching wail broke from Salena that merely confirmed Leah’s fears.

  “You did this!” she shrieked at William. “You took my David from me!” William kept his head bowed before her, saying nothing. The strength went from Salena’s limbs, and her knees buckled slightly. She looked as though she might drop Rachel. Only her fury at William kept her on her feet. “He was a hundred times the man you will ever be! And you took him from me. You took my baby’s father from her!” she screamed at William between great, wracking sobs.

  Leah raced up to them and pulled Rachel from Salena’s arms, tears streaming down her own face. She cradled Rachel in one arm and put her free arm around Salena and pulled her tightly to her, turning Salena's bereaved face from William. She held Salena as her body shook and tears poured from her.

  It broke Leah’s heart to see William kneeling alone, struggling to control his own emotions. She longed to run to him as she saw the water dripping from his downcast face and his body rigid with the strain of maintaining his composure. But she knew Salena needed her more at the moment and William would not have it any other way. Salena turned back as Leah led her back to the gates. “You killed my David. I will never forgive you. Never!”

  Everyone had frozen at this dramatic scene. The knights accompanying William had stopped some distance behind, and their eager families had also waited, somehow sensing what was happening. No one wished to be involved in the scene before them: the dramatic portrayal of the moment in which each of their greatest fears was realized. Everyone waited with a solemn respect for Salena to be escorted away from the gate before resuming the joyous reunions of their own.

  Leah glanced one last tim
e over her shoulder as she departed from the field. The iconic scene of the lonely knight brought to his knees by his burdens would be forever impressed in her memory. These men sacrificed more than she had recognized, and she longed to be with William now.

  Henry appeared at his side. He stood silently erect beside his brother while the scene passed away; neither moved, neither spoke. They shared in that moment the deep personal losses they both had suffered.

  CHAPTER EIGHTY-FOUR

  “They have returned!” Anisa’s eyes flashed in fury. “How could you have let this happen?” They were meeting deep in the trees as usual.

  “Me?” John protested. “I was not even there.”

  “You should have been there. You could have ensured this did not happen.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “You allowed the most viable threat to your assumption of power to be returned as a hero on the eve of your triumphant declaration. You should have been there to guarantee this did not happen.”

  “Are you suggesting that I kill my own brother at his weakest?”

  “You would not have had to kill him; you would only have needed to ensure the appropriate arrangements could be made for him.”

  “Perhaps we have different ideas of what I am willing to do for this.” John’s reticence suddenly resurfaced.

  “Do not be such a simpleton!” Anisa’s dark eyes were blazing. “Do you honestly believe that you will have to make no sacrifice for this? That attitude has made you the pathetic shell of a man that you are today.”

  John was stung by her words. “I did not even know they were going after him. I did not even know Richard had been captured.”

  “It is your responsibility to know. You should be involved with everything that happens at Dawning Court right now. One ugly surprise like this could ruin everything. Is that what you want? Do you want to spend the rest of your life tending dead crops and living in a ditch in a drunken stupor?” Anisa began a full frontal assault as she usually did during disagreements, and, as was usually the case, John was quelled by her fury.

  “I’m sorry,” he said desperately. “It will not happen again.”

  “I know it won’t,” Anisa said, regaining some of her composure. “Amir is coming in person to ensure that it will not.”

  “Amir is coming here?” John was shocked. They had always spoken of Amir as a mystical figure: a sage, warrior, and mystic all rolled into one; but he had never really expected to meet him.

  “He believes that we have handled this too incompetently, and he must oversee it personally to guarantee success.”

  “I’m touched that he would be so concerned with the plight of one foreign knight in a small barony so far away,” John said, somewhat confused as to why he would be so. Anisa did not explain. Since arguing with Thomas that day in the forest, the peculiarity of this situation had been more pronounced than ever before. Now this ‘Amir’ was coming to take over the planning of John’s ascension to power. What would he expect in return? Would those helping him be more loyal to Amir than to John? “Is there going to be a conflict of leadership?” John asked tentatively, afraid to set Anisa off again.

  “Why would there be?” was all she said.

  “Good.” John’s eyebrows knitted together in perplexity. Perhaps he and she were not so closely aligned after all. He wanted to push the matter further, but Anisa interrupted him.

  “We will need to act quickly before Richard has a chance to regain his strength and mount any serious resistance.”

  “When?”

  “We need to ensure the entire family is together in order to control the situation.” She interlaced her fingers behind her back and pursed her lips thoughtfully. “When would you expect them to all be together next?”

  “Hmm,” John said thoughtfully. He did not want to admit to Anisa that he was so estranged from the rest of the family that he was completely unaware of all travel and upcoming events. All except one. He snapped his fingers excitedly. “Henry’s wedding. There is no question that they will be married in the church, and even if Richard is convalescing, he will be in attendance. The entire family is guaranteed to be there.”

  “Perfect,” Anisa said, feeling his excitement. Her beautiful face brightened noticeably. John was happy to see that. She treated him much better when she was happy, and he was the one that had made her happy. “When is that?”

  “A few weeks.”

  She stroked her chin thoughtfully. “It will be close, but I think we can do it. We will have to begin preparations immediately.” She turned to retreat into the trees.

  “Anisa,” John called, seeing her depart unexpectedly. She stopped. “Aren’t you and I going to have any time?”

  She half smiled over her shoulder at him. “Of course. I will meet you tonight. In the meantime, keep a close eye on your family and apprise me immediately of anything out of the ordinary.”

  “Of course,” he said quickly, anxious to reassure her. He was already thinking about their time together that evening. No business, just closeness and pleasure. He needed her and was feeling the distance that had kept them apart for too long. He turned to descend the mountain with thoughts of the evening to come filling his head.

  CHAPTER EIGHTY-FIVE

  When everyone had passed on to be with their families, Henry started for Dawning castle. It hurt him that there was no one waiting for him. He really had hoped Mary would be there and that everyone would see his betrothed coming out to support her man; and for the first time in his life, his reality might match his dreams, with the damsel breathlessly awaiting the return of her hero from abroad.

  But of course he knew that was foolishness. She no doubt had returned to Mayfield long ago. Why would she have remained here in a barony full of strangers when her own people were just a few days away? Henry sighed. He was finally having the triumphal return he had always dreamt of and there was no one who even cared. He had led a handful of men into the jaws of death, and they had snatched Richard out while only losing one man. While he was not at all happy about David's loss, the loss of only one man on the expedition was a far better result than even he himself had dared hope for.

  He dropped his horse at the stable to be cared for and walked the length of the courtyard back to the castle. Still, the lonely hero returning from a thankless quest to rescue a fallen brother, only to find himself all alone once again, also somehow fit the idea he always had of his role in the family. He was glad in a way there was no celebration held, no reward for what he had done. It helped solidify that he had done this thing for selfless reasons rather than some deep down selfish desire.

  That was important to him after the conversation he and Mary had had the night before his departure. He was still smarting from the disparaging comments she had made to him. After stewing on these things for so many weeks, he had begun to think that perhaps she was not a good match for him after all.

  Henry was ripped from his reverie by the apparition that appeared in the path before him. Mary was radiant in a white dress that could not but remind him of a wedding gown. Henry was unsure of how he would be received after all this, after completing a mission that she was so adamantly opposed to. And he was not really sure how he felt anymore.

  He stared at her from fifteen paces away. Neither moved; neither spoke, till suddenly she broke and ran as well as her cumbersome clothing would allow her and embraced him. Henry stumbled backward from the forceful embrace, but all at once all was forgiven. Here was someone that did care about him. He was not about to give that up.

  CHAPTER EIGHTY-SIX

  “Mother, I'm afraid I must be off,” William announced without preamble, walking into the library.

  She looked up in mild surprise and then rose to meet him. “I will not insult you by trying to talk you out of it. You are old enough to know your own mind.” She put her hands on his shoulders. “You have done the family a great service. I know the price you paid by coming back here, but I am not sorry for it bec
ause it has proved to everyone the greatness of your heart. A greatness that I always knew was there. But I am sorry that your burdens are a little heavier for your experience here. I know why you do what you do, William. I only wish you would not do it.”

  William smiled a sad smile at her. “You wish I didn’t do most of the things I have done in my life. Why should this be any different?”

  She smiled back. “If you would start listening to me, then you might find you had an easier time in this life. You will miss your brother’s wedding?”

  William spread his hands helplessly. “I would not choose to, as it is hard to find food as plentiful as it is in a wedding, but Braddock will certainly be watching the wedding party for me. It may be that he has heard of my return by now, and he may arrive here at any moment.”

  “You are leaving soon, then, I take it.”

  “Tonight, under cover of darkness. It is too dangerous for me to travel these parts by day.” William shook his head with a wry smile, tinged with sadness. “I never would have thought I would be an outlaw in my own home.”

  “William, I would caution you—what is it?”

  William held his hand up to silence her. He had his head cocked, listening intently. After a moment he made a motion for her to keep talking as he crept for the door. “Uh yes, well I was only saying that you had best be warned that this time, if you leave, it is going to cost you something that I believe is most dear to your heart—”