Poisonous Plots

by Griff Hosker

  Samuel asked, “How do you know? Have you ridden it?”

  “No, last night I spoke with Oswald and he told me of it. The forests there, in late summer are filled with flying insects which bite but at this time of year the cold has killed them. Scout it out Dick.”

  “Aye lord.”

  When we reached the Tweed, my men made camp and the five of us crossed the river which marked the boundary between the two countries. Jedburgh was close to the border. I think that when King David had had it built he thought it would stop the Normans from encroaching further. He was wrong.

  A small settlement had grown up around the abbey. This appeared to be especially true due to the presence of the King. Padraig carried my banner and Samuel, his father’s. We wore no helmets and our arming hoods and ventails hung down. We had bare heads and none of us had either mail gauntlets or mitts. We were travelling in peace. Even so ten knights and their men at arms galloped towards us as we rode towards the abbey.

  They reined in before us. They were armed and wore helmets but their hands were not upon their weapons. The leader said, “I am Mormaer Robert Dalkeith. I protect the King. What brings you here Earl? This could be construed as an act of war.”

  I smiled, “We come with open hands and bare headed. How is that warlike? We come because I have learned, only recently, that the King has been taken ill. His liege lord, King Henry would be concerned if he knew. He knighted the King. I come to see how he is so that I may send a true report back to my King rather than the rumours of poison which abound.”

  The knight looked surprised. Some of his knights had scowled at my use of ‘liege lord’ but the mormaer did not. He nodded, “Then I will take you to him but he is not a well man and I fear he will not see the summer. It is a shame for he is young.”

  Leaving our horses with our squires my son and I entered the abbey. They had a hospital there. I detected it as we were led there by a monk and the mormaer. There was a smell of herbs and flowers. Two guards stood at the door. The mormaer said, “Before you enter you must leave your weapons here with these guards.”

  “Even though I give my word that we mean him no harm?”

  “I know, well, that you are a man of your word but there are, as you say, rumours of assassination. I swear that you will come to no harm and that your weapons will be safe.”

  We handed over our swords and daggers. The door swung open and we saw the King. He was sat up in a large bed and supported by many pillows. Monks fussed around him. There were two men who looked like nobles. They had papers in their hands. They looked up as we entered. I saw that the King appeared to have shrunk. He looked to be as old as me and not just twenty-four.

  He forced a smile, “Warlord I would say that this is unexpected but I have yet to meet any man who can predict what you will do.”

  I went to the bed and knelt, “I came, Your Majesty, for I heard you were ill. The last I heard you had returned from serving with the King in Toulouse. To see you thus stricken is both baffling and upsetting.”

  One of the nobles spoke. I recognised him as James the Steward of Scotland. His voice had a sneering quality. “Since when would the wolf of the north be upset at a stricken Scottish King. You have tried to kill two in your time to my knowledge.”

  I rose, “But never King Malcolm. I believe that the King is honest and the best King which Scotland has had for some years. You know I am never foresworn. If I say I am upset then it is true.”

  The prior was there, “Gentlemen this is a place of God and a place of healing.”

  I nodded, “I am worried, Your Majesty, because I heard rumours that you were poisoned in Doncaster. If this is true then I will ride there and find the culprit.”

  “It is true that I was taken ill there but I do not think it was poison. I would have died before now. Besides the two Templars who were with us were taken ill at the same time. I believe it was bad food. This illness came as we travelled north. I do not believe it was poison.”

  “Do you mind me asking who these Templars were? I was in the Holy Land and served alongside some of them. If they are in England I would like to speak with them.” My son was clever. All knew he had been a Crusader. The question seemed innocent.

  “One was Raymond de Gisors and the other Gilles of Clairvaux. They were heading north to buy grain and horses for their castles in Outremer.”

  William said, “I did not know them.”

  “There is something else, Your Majesty, and it pains me to ask it. However, I am the Warlord of the North and what happens in Scotland is of great interest to me. There are rumours that your brother, William, will be the next King. It is known that he wishes to take back Northumbria. As I recall you had to intervene to make certain that the terms of the peace were kept.”

  He smiled but it was a pained smile, “Yes, Earl, I will be dead before the end of the year. The healers here try what they can but my body grows weaker by the day.” He gestured to the papers on the bed. “I am attempting to make the land as secure as I can before I go to meet my maker. William will be the next King for there is no other. He is unlike me. I wanted to be a knight for I liked the ideal. My brother sees himself as another Alexander the Great or Caesar. He would lead armies to victory. However, my Steward and the King’s Council will make certain that the terms of the treaty are kept. You have my word.”

  I looked at James the Steward and the two other knights in the room. The Steward said, “We will honour the King’s wishes. So long as the peace is kept then Northumbria is safe. The King’s brother has to obey our laws.”

  The words did not comfort me for he had said, ‘So long as the peace is kept then Northumbria is safe.’ Sir Richard de Vernon would ensure that the peace was not kept!

  I smiled, “Then I am comforted. When I return to England I will ask the Bishop of Durham and the Archbishop of York to order prayers to be said for you, Your Majesty.”

  “Thank you, Earl. That is kind.”

  “I will take my leave for I know that our presence here irritates many of your knights. There has been enough blood shed.”

  The King said, “You know that I wanted to be like you. You defeated my grandfather and my father yet you were always the true knight. I found it hard to reconcile that the man I admired most in the whole world was the enemy of my country.”

  “Thank you, Majesty. I believe that had time allowed you would have been the greatest Scottish knight.”

  As the mormaer led us out to our horses he said, “That was kind of you to say lord. He does look up to you.”

  “I meant it. I got to know the young king and I saw potential. When he made the peace, it was a wise one. You could never have won a war against us.”

  He was going to argue and then I saw him smile, “You are right although it grieves me to admit it. Our problem is the wild men of the north whom we have to battle. If they fought alongside us then we would have Northumbria back in our hands.”

  “That will never happen… not in my lifetime.”

  He lowered his voice, “A word of caution, Earl. William has surrounded himself with those who wish harm to you and your people. Once the King… well afterwards despite what was said in there, William will break the peace and he and those who support him will use any tactics that they can.”

  “Thank you for your honesty. It confirms what I have heard.”

  We mounted and our three squires were keen to know what had ensued. We left the abbey. William had heard the words of the mormaer. “We need to bring this Norman and the Templars to justice.”

  I nodded, “Yes, my son. I fear that despite what was said by the King he was poisoned in some way.”

  William said, “I am certain of it. In the east they have many potions and poisons. Some are insidious and can take up to a year to work. Others might kill within a month. If there were Templars involved then they would know of such potions. They could easily have given themselves a mild drug to make them ill and allay suspicion.”

  “But, s
o long as William and de Vernon remain north of the border we can do nothing and they know it. All that we can do is to be vigilant and ensure that those who live closer to the border are prepared for drastic and dramatic movements once King Malcolm dies. Our visit with the Bishop is even more urgent.”

  Suddenly Alf, son of Morgan said, “Lord four riders are heading north! They left the abbey.”

  “No doubt they will be taking word to William and his Norman and Templar confederates that the Warlord is close. We will not have an easy journey home. I hope that Dick has found this valley to make our life easier.”

  We crossed the river again. The days were getting shorter and we would have to spend a night in a camp. We saw the smoke rising from our camp fire. The faces of our sentries should have given us warning but it did not. As we rode into the camp we saw two cloak covered bodies. Aelric came up to us and he was distraught, “Earl, Captain Dick and Grant are dead. They were ambushed in the forest. Henry Warbow, Tomas ap Tomas and the others slew their attackers but it was too late for the Captain and for Grant.”

  My oldest and most loyal warrior was dead.

  Chapter 12

  Henry Warbow and the others were almost too upset to speak. Dick had been as a father to them and had trained them. As they told me what had happened it was obvious that all of them would have changed places with him. He was truly irreplaceable. It took some time but we pieced together what had happened. He had been defeated by nature. The wind had been from behind my men as they sought the valley. It had hidden the smell of the Scots who ambushed him. As Dick and Grant had been at the fore they had been killed almost instantly by the arrows of the Scots. That had saved the others who had been able to respond quickly and they had killed all eighteen attackers. That alone showed how hard my men had fought. Had Dick been the main target? He had a reputation as great archer and one of my most trusted lieutenants. It was not the moment to suggest that they should have taken a prisoner. The Scots had been waiting and, perhaps, we were lucky for now we could prepare.

  First however we had two comrades to bury. There was no question of taking them back with us. And, as my archers pointed out, Dick had lived the early part of his life in a forest. What better place to rest?

  I could barely speak as we laid my two warriors in their graves. Grant had been with me a long time. He would be honoured to spend eternity with the greatest archer I had ever known. I let William speak the words over the double grave. My eyes were clenched shut and I was speaking to my dead friend in my head. I would not risk trying to utter words. I could not trust myself to speak as a man.

  When it was over my men brought out food. I could not eat. I would not eat. William knew my mood better than any. He knew what the former outlaw meant to me. He had grown up with Dick. I had known him longer. Silence fell upon the camp and I roused myself. Dick deserved no less.

  “The Scots were waiting for us?”

  Tomas ap Tomas said, “The ambush was well planned. Their camp was close by. If the wind had been from the south and not the north then the outcome would have been different.”

  I shook my head, “Sometimes these things are meant to happen.” I stared into the fire. “I think the ambush was just a precaution. Had they known that I was close by then there would have been more men. Eighteen archers and bandits are too few to take mailed and armed men.”

  My son said, “Those riders who left the abbey, they will know where we are.”

  “But they will think that there are but five of us. Their men are all dead and they will expect them to slow us down. Dick’s sudden appearance, tragic though it is, might actually save us. Get what sleep you can. We leave in two hours.”

  I could not sleep. The death of Dick was in my head. My plan had worked and yet it had cost me something that was worth more than a crown. William came over to me. “Dick spoke to me when you were in Ireland. He said that serving you had given him purpose in life. He just regretted that he was not with you in Wales and Ireland. He felt guilty not being there to protect you.”

  “I know but I should have been there to protect him! Now there is just Harold left from my first oathsworn. Wulfric was the next to join and he is not well. Am I destined to lose all of my men and watch them die?”

  “You are Warlord and you have been chosen. You know that it is true. Ralph of Bowness said much the same thing to me. When you found the pommel stone left by your father that was a sign.” He pointed to Samuel who had managed to sleep. “You live for your family. You live for your valley and you live for your King. You are driven by duty. If men die because of it then remember all chose to serve you. Dick could have sat at home and raised animals. He kept serving long after he had to.”

  William was correct. I had to snap out of the melancholy I had descended into.

  Henry Warbow, Ralph of Wales and Tomas ap Tomas were among my best archers. They rode a mile behind us and were spread out in the blackness that was the forest. With Aelric and Will Green Leg at the fore we rode in a tight formation. I did not want us to get lost. We needed as little space between us as we could.

  When we passed the site of the ambush we disturbed foxes and rats feasting on the Scots. When their comrades arrived, the bodies would be unrecognisable as men. In a perfect world we would reach Hexham by noon but I knew that was unlikely. The tiny hamlet of Bellingham would be our likely resting place. We rode hard. Dawn was breaking when we saw the trees thinning and we approached the valley of the North Tyne. My men were weary and, when we came to the open clearing I decided to stop. We could not risk killing our horses.

  As men grabbed a little food, fed and watered their horses, we waited for my three archers. They took longer to arrive than I had expected. All three of them rode in and I was relieved. Henry Warbow said, “Warlord, we were delayed because the Scots are on our trail. We heard their noise when they discovered their dead comrades. We risked going back to identify numbers. There are eighty or so men. They are mounted on the small hill ponies the wild men of the north like so much. They are led by a Templar knight and three sergeants. He was the only knight and they had the only horses. They were searching for signs of us around the ambush.”

  I nodded, “The rest were little more than brigands?”

  “If they served a lord then it was a long time ago. We have less than an hour before they are upon us. They are riding hard.”

  I looked around. We would not even reach Bellingham before we were caught. “Do any of you know the land around here?”

  My Welshmen were in the dark but Tom the Fletcher said, “Aye, Warlord. You are looking for an ambush site?” I nodded. “A few miles from Bellingham is a burn. It is not wide and it is not deep but it cuts deeply into the ground. There is a small old bridge built long ago to help men cross. It would not take much to destroy it. They could not charge us and there is a hedgerow and trees along the burn. The steep sides would slow them down.”

  “Then that is where we will make our stand. Tom, you lead.”

  The day was cold and there were clouds which suggested rain or sleet later on. That would not suit my archers. We would have no time to prepare the defences and build traps and pits. We would have to rely on the eighteen archers who remained and the twenty-five of us who would fight with sword and shield. When we saw the bridge, I knew that Tom was right. “Tear down the bridge. Padraig, Samuel, Alf, take the horses four hundred paces down the trail and hobble them. Return with the spare spears.”

  They hurried off. I laid down my shield and helmet. I would not need them yet. “Aelric, you are Captain of Archers now.”

  “I am not fit to fill Dick’s boots lord.”

  “Nonetheless you will. We will place the men at arms and knights here by the burn. I want the archers behind us. You will have to thin them out before they get to us.” I looked at him. “I rely on you to make the right decision when to loose.”

  “I will let neither you nor the Captain down, lord.”

  I heard a splash as the timbers of the
broken bridge fell into the burn. The men at arms placed the larger pieces of the broken bridge before them as a barrier. It was not much of a barrier but it would slow down our foes.

  Our squires returned and, as I donned my helmet I heard William giving them instructions. “You three have a hard task today. You are our reserves. You wait before the archers and behind us. If a man falls then you take his place. If they threaten to break through then you deal with it. They will come for the Warlord and for me. We will have neither the time nor the vision to react. We shall see if you are ready to become knights one day.”

  I smiled for he was really speaking with Samuel. I saw that the bridge was destroyed and my men were ready. “Men at arms get the spare spears and embed them in the bank before us. We will give the Scots a sharp welcome!”

  I took one and rammed the shaft into the soft soil so that it pointed away from me. The elder branches hanging over the stream helped to disguise it. I saw that the burn twisted and turned. We would not have a straight line to defend. Then the rain began to fall. I watched my archers unstring their bows and place the strings in the leather purses they used to protect them. The bows could be strung quickly. Rain was an archer’s enemy,

  As we waited I turned to William. He was just donning his helmet. “Why are the Templars involved, William? You know them better than any. I can see why they help the King of France for his land is rich. Scotland is poor.”

  “The Templars found great treasure in Jerusalem and it gave them power. They now crave more power. The order is no longer made up of men with religious ideals. It has been populated by men who no longer wish to serve a King. Whatever they do is sanctioned by the Pope. It gives them a free hand. True Scotland is a poor country. However, the King is dying and that makes it a wealthy one. By helping William, they do two things: they help the King of France by drawing men from Normandy and they gain an ally who will grant them manors. Those manors do not serve Scotland. That which they produce helps the order. For the cost of one knight and three sergeants they gain a foothold in Scotland.”