by Griff Hosker
“You are right, lord. We get in each other’s way a little, it is true. I will arrange the shifts.”
“And how long will it take?”
“Tomorrow we put in the first of the beams. Another three days and we will have finished the first mine.”
“Good.”
I returned to my captains and earls. “I will take my men, save the archers, tomorrow to Wallingford. I am anxious to see if the enemy there is reacting to our presence.”
“Will we be assaulting the walls soon, Earl?”
“No, Ranulf. There is some work yet to be done. This takes time. It saves men’s lives but it cannot be rushed. The miners must be protected. I rely on you.”
With less than a hundred men behind me we would not be threatening the siege at Wallingford but I wanted to make sure that we could fight our way out of trouble. It had been some years since I had last been at Wallingford. It had been fought over so many times that there were ditches and earthworks everywhere. This time, however, I saw that Stephen was erecting a second counter castle so that he could use war engines to hurl stones at the walls and destroy it. I saw that he had two such castles and this new one was closer to the bridge over the Thames. The other was at Crowmarsh Gifford. He was building the new one to give his war machines more chance of destroying the walls. This was an ominous move.
We rode close to the camp of the enemy. There was no sign of Stephen’s banner. That was a good sign. However, I needed information. The enemy were alerted to our presence and I heard the horns as they sounded the alarm. There would be a time when I would be happy about fighting them but this was not it. I led my men away from the castle and the counter castles.
I reined in and turned to Wilfred, “I want you to send Ralph of Nottingham and four other men. I need prisoners. Have them go at night and fetch some.”
“Knights, lord?”
“It does not matter. In a perfect world one would be a sergeant at arms but a couple of men at arms would do.”
“I will see to it.”
My earls and captains were awaiting my arrival. They were eager for news. Robert poured me some wine as I spoke of what I had seen. “The siege is still being prosecuted but Stephen is not there. I am guessing that means he is not yet ready to assault it. We have time to take Malmesbury first. As soon as we have then I intend to attack his two counter castles. That will do two things: it will relieve the siege and it will bring Stephen.”
“You wish to bring the King close to us?”
“I would fight him.”
“We have not enough men.”
“Ranulf, did the battles at Lincoln, Bury St. Edmunds and Ipswich teach you nothing? Numbers do not matter in a battle, it is heart and experience which decide the outcome. I defeated Stephen the last time I fought him. I have no doubt that I will do so again!” I sounded confident and I was but I knew that many battles hung on a knife edge. I would have to tip the next battle in our favour.
It was dawn when Ralph and his men rode in. They had three men slung over the backs of horses. They unceremoniously dumped them at my feet. “We only took two but the third heard us as we left. We didn’t think that you would mind, lord.”
“No indeed.” I threw a purse to Ralph. “Here is for your trouble. Rest and I will question them. Wulfric!”
Wulfric came from his tent. I wanted the three men at arms frightened. The huge bear that was Wulfric would frighten anyone.
“James, cut their bonds.” When he had done so I said, “You may stand.” I recognised the livery as that of Eustace of Boulogne. The three of them had been knocked about by my men. I saw that one had his left eye almost closed and a second had had his nose broken. My men were not gentle.
“Do you know who I am?”
The one with the broken nose said, “You are the Earl of Cleveland. The one they call the Warlord. We fought you at Bury St. Edmunds.”
“Where is your King Stephen?” The man hesitated and then shook his head. “Wulfric!”
Wulfric pulled back his fist and rammed it into the middle of the man’s stomach. It was such a blow that I knew he would forget about his broken nose for a while. He rolled on the ground trying to suck air into his lungs.
I turned to the man with the closed eye, “Well?”
“He is in Oxford.”
“There that wasn’t difficult. And how close are you to ending the siege?”
“It is close to ending, lord. Roger of Hereford has sent word that he wishes to speak with the King. We think he wishes to surrender and will ask for terms. Stephen returns in seven days.” Roger of Hereford was the son of Miles of Gloucester. It would have to be desperate within the castle if he considered surrender.
I tapped his surcoat. “And is your master at the siege?”
He shook his head, “He has not recovered from the blow you struck him at Bury St. Edmunds lord. It is why his father is in Oxford. They have taken my master there to be healed.”
“What is wrong with him?”
“He lay without waking for three days after the battle. He woke, eventually, but he finds it hard to stand. The doctors are trying to heal him.”
I nodded, “Take them away and keep a close watch on them.”
I gathered my earls and captains. “We have less time than I thought. We need to end this siege quickly. Be ready to march to Wallingford at a moment’s notice. I will see Llewellyn.”
Llewellyn was in camp. “How long before the first mine is finished?”
“It is almost done now. We start the second one tomorrow.”
“What if we fired the first mine? Would that bring down the tower and the wall?”
“It might do but I could not be certain. A second one would guarantee that both fell.”
It was a risk but the reason we had come here was to relieve the siege of Wallingford. If this did not work, then I would abandon the siege of the enemy and take the battle to them. I would destroy the counter castles.
“Take the faggots in, tonight, under cover of darkness. We light them at dawn.”
“Very well, lord. The sooner the walls fall the better as far as I am concerned but do not be angry with me if this fails.”
“I will not, Llewellyn, and I will honour my promise to you and your men.”
Dick and his archers had done such a good job that none had attempted either to sally forth or use their crossbows. The dead littered the foot of the wall. “You have one more night to watch, Dick. We fire the mine tomorrow.”
He nodded, “In truth I am intrigued, lord. I have yet to see a mine in operation. How can you burn stone?”
“You do not. The mine extends under the walls and the weight of the walls rests on the logs that the Welsh took down with them to support the roof of the mine. When those supports are burned then there will be nothing to hold up the wall. In addition, the heat from the fire will make any weakness in the stone worse and they will crack.” I pointed to a chute which emerged just two paces from the foot of the wall. “That is the garderobe. It will suck the heat and the fire into the castle itself. If they have tapestries or wood, then they will burn and the castle will be filled with smoke and, hopefully, fire.”
“I look forward to watching in the morning.” Darkness had fallen and Dick looked over my shoulder, “Look lord, the moon rises and it is a sign.”
I turned and saw the full moon. It was a wolf moon. My men were superstitious enough to look for such signs and I knew that it would hearten the men. “Aye, Dick. It is some time since I saw a wolf moon.” The yellow moon looked to have the face of a wolf upon it.
Just then I heard a challenge from one of the sentries, John of Norton, on the Bristol Road, “Halt! Give the password or you die!”
I heard the sound of laughter and Griff of Gwent shouted, “John of Norton, it is Sir Leofric and the Duke of Normandy! Show some respect or I shall box your ears.”
I turned and saw that Sir Leofric and Henry had arrived. The wolf moon had, indeed, been a sign. I smiled,
“Your timing is perfect, my lord!”
He and Leofric dismounted and Henry embraced me. “I have heard of your great deeds at York, Lincoln, Bury St. Edmunds and Ipswich. It is said that you almost killed Eustace of Boulogne! You have served me well, yet again!”
“And tomorrow you may see this castle fall. I pray it does for we have to ride to Wallingford. I fear that they have reached the end and Roger of Hereford is about to capitulate!”
“Come, tell me all.”
I led him to the fire in the centre of the camp. While he ate and drank we gave him a full account of the events of the last month or so.
“And we have not been idle. We met the men of Flanders and France north of Amiens and defeated them. It was not as great a victory as we might have had if you had led us but it means that peace talks are ongoing. I have left my brother and my wife to negotiate.”
“And Geoffrey?”
“He has fled to Chinon. I have left him there. He can do no harm for my men have him besieged. and when William has negotiated the treaty he will join those besieging him. Sir Leofric here has wrought great changes in my little brother. He is no longer the mouse he was. He can now roar!” We all laughed. “I did not bring many men. I just brought Sir Leofric and his men and my twenty household knights. He told me you sent for them. I hope that will be enough.”
“The fact that you are here, lord, is worth five hundred knights and will tear the heart from our enemy.”
“That is kind of you to say so. From any other man, I would take that as flattery. You have never flattered me. I do not believe that you have ever told a lie in your whole life.”
I spoke with the Duke and Sir Leofric long into the night. I felt we were so close to the end of this great enterprise that I did not wish to miss a single moment. I barely slept. My men were busy before dawn. We had great preparations to make. If the wall fell, then we would attack instantly. If not, then we would mount and ride to Wallingford. Either way our stay at Malmesbury would soon be over. The wolf moon set over the castle and in the east, there was a red dawn which seemed, somehow, prescient. The branches of the trees stood out like black fingers. It was almost as though they were already burned. The castle of Wallingford lay to the north and east of us. Would the day end in fire there too?
Llewellyn and his miners scurried back and forth. They had spent the night filling the void under the walls with faggots of wood. Now they added oil. All of the miners except for their captain joined me. He looked at me. Henry was next to me and I could tell that he was excited too. I inclined my head to the Welshman, “Well, lord?”
“This is your battle, Earl.”
I nodded and pointed my sword. Llewellyn ran back in with a brand and emerged almost moments later. A whoosh of flame seemed to envelop him. It would have been ironical if he had succumbed to his own flames. However, he picked himself up and ran over to us. His hair smoked and he had lost his eyebrows. His beard was singed. His men all laughed loudly and he shrugged, “That was a good fire! I hope that that is as close as I get to hell.”
After the initial wall of flame nothing seemed to happen and then it began. We watched the smoke billowing out. I saw a thin tendril of smoke grow from the upper chamber of the keep. The garderobe had worked. It had drawn the smoke and the flames into the chamber. The wooden seat upon which they normally sat would now be on fire. When the flames died the smoke became less black and we watched as those within the castle tried to pour water on the fire. Dick and his archers made that impossible.
The end, when it came, was spectacular. We watched as a huge crack ran first up the wall, and then across the tower and into the keep. I wondered if that would be all when suddenly there was a wall of dust and stone which flew from the mine as the wall, part of the tower and a corner of the keep fell. It was a spectacular end. I heard cries as men fell and the flames began to spread. We could see the houses within. Some were burning.
I had just raised my sword to announce the attack when Henry pointed and said, “Earl, there is no need. See, they have surrendered! The castle is ours!”
I looked and saw that they were waving a white flag. It was the sign of surrender. We had won.
Chapter 20
We headed, the next morning, for Wallingford. The Earl of Chester’s men garrisoned the castle and they held Peverel and his men prisoner. They were kept busy repairing the damage that we had done to the castle. The rest of us headed towards Wallingford. I prayed that the castle had not fallen. If it had, then we would have to almost begin again. The fall of Malmesbury, added to the defeats inflicted upon Eustace, had given us momentum. We needed to maintain it.
As we rode I spoke with Henry. He had matured even more in the short time we had been apart. Eleanor’s influence was clearly visible but I was still worried, “You are sure that Normandy and Anjou are safe? It would be folly to win over here and then lose your home.”
He smiled, “Raymond of Mortain has proved an able commander. My knights have learned well under your tutelage. Your victory at Herbault showed them how they can use clever strategies to win battles. Most importantly, Earl, my wife has a mind as sharp as any. She has spoken with my mother. The Empress may be in a priory but she still has influence and knowledge. She has passed on much which Eleanor can use. You of all people should know that it is folly to underestimate a clever woman. You were right. The time is right now for me to come to England and reclaim my crown. It matters not that Stephen outnumbers us. We have you and now we have united earls who would have fought each other when my uncle was alive.”
“Then I am happy.”
“And what advice do you offer here, Earl?”
“You will see that they are in the process of building a second counter castle at the bridge over the Thames. Approaching from the south means that we can attack it and use it ourselves. It would mean we could defend the bridge more easily. With that in our hands then we could attack their second counter castle at Crowmarsh Gifford.”
“But they hold the bridge. How would we assault it?”
“I will lead my men and ford the river upstream. I discovered a place when we were last here. The Earl of Leicester and the Earl of Norfolk have knights who can attack across the bridge. With a twofold attack, we can take them by surprise.”
The ford was at Little Stoke, some three miles upstream from the bridge at Wallingford Castle. It was late afternoon when we left the main column to cross it. Henry would remain hidden and the other earls would set up camp as close to the bridge as they could manage. We reached the ford at dusk. It was not a ford which could be used by men on foot. We had to swim our horses part of the way but it was no hardship. Once on the other side I sent Dick and his archers to keep us hidden. The deadly woodsmen moved through the woods and scrub which lay next to the river eliminating the sentries those besieging had placed there.
We were within sight of the bridge when the moon rose. I went with Dick and six of his archers to scout out the counter castle. They had fires burning at the four corners to warn them of a night time attack. They were cautious. The four lights helped us to see what they had achieved. There was a ditch running all the way around the mound and they had erected a palisade. So far, they had not built their war machines. There looked to be thirty or so men there. I had no doubt that there would be more during daylight. We managed to see them without being seen and so we moved further east to the original counter castle at Crowmarsh Gifford. This had no fires but it was obvious that it was complete for we saw wooden towers and the unmistakeable shapes of war machines. It would be garrisoned. Satisfied we headed back to our men.
I gathered my knights around me. “Tomorrow, Wulfric, you will take Sir Phillip and his archers, Sir Gilles of Normanby and Sir Hugh. I task you with capturing the counter castle at the bridge. I would have you wait until the earls begin their attack. The ditches are shallow and they have not finished their defences.”
“What will you do, lord?”
“We will try to capture th
e other counter castle. I would destroy their machines. We will divide the slingers so that we have horse holders as well as another means to attack the foe.”
Dick explained to them all what we had seen and what his scouts had reported. My men were satisfied and we went to prepare. We would only be able to manage an hour of sleep but that would have to be enough. Our enemies had no idea we were close. That was obvious from the lack of guards at the new counter castle. I had no doubt that Stephen and his son would return as soon as he was well. We had to use our time wisely.
I did not sleep, I just rested with my eyes closed and I listened. James showed Robert how to sharpen my weapons and I heard them talking of the coming battle. “The earl may not need a second horse tomorrow, Robert, but he may well need another spear. Keep your horse’s head between the rump of mine and Badger.”
“He will use Badger?”
“Badger is a fierce warhorse. The Warlord likes to use him when he can. He is getting older and he will not have many more battles in him. Tomorrow is an important battle.”
“Have you ever attacked a counter castle, James?”
“No.”
“Are you worried?”
“When you fight for the earl you just need to remember to stay close to him. Watch for enemies who strike his back and listen for his orders. If you do that then you will have nothing to worry about. Behind you will be the men at arms. They are like knights. You will have little to do tomorrow save stay in your saddle and have weapons ready for the earl. You now know how to stay in the saddle while carrying spears. You will be fine. I remember when I was as you are and I understand your fear. You are the earl’s squire and you do not wish to let down such a great warrior. Fear not. You have your father’s blood in your veins and your mother too is descended from a great warrior. Sir Richard of Yarm was a doughty knight. Your blood will keep you strong.”
There was a pause and then James said, “It you have to defend yourself and use your sword do not be dainty about it. I have shown you how to put a good edge on it and how to keep the tip sharp. You ram it as hard as you can into your enemy. Eyes, mouth, thigh, all of them are good targets. Twist once the blade is inside. It will do more damage. If the blood spurts and splashes ignore it. It will mean you have killed your enemy. The first death is always the hardest. You must be strong. If you are not then you may die or, even more importantly, the earl may be hurt. Our job is to stop that happening.” There was another silence. “We do that even if it means that we die. The only man more important than the Warlord is Duke Henry. Remember that!”