by Griff Hosker
Robert nodded, “What I do not understand, lord, is why we have been granted this manor?”
I smiled enigmatically, “All will be revealed in time, just trust me for now.”
We were up before dawn. Francis’ wife, Alice, prepared us a fine meal and we set off before the sun had risen so that we would be on the road as early as possible. As we headed first west and then north I had time to reflect on the harsh landscape and on the reasons we had been chosen. Were we sacrificial lambs? We had no allegiances to any in this land. If we all perished then King Baldwin would have lost nothing. The Emperor had suggested us because of my father; that I could understand but how did he know of me? The only reason I came up with was the Count of Provence and Robert of Nissa. Had they gone to the Emperor to complain that I had taken Alf? Ralph of Bowness had suggested that might be so. A fast Byzantine ship could easily have reached this land before our slow cog. What was certain was that I did not have enough men. I had been given a manor which would allow me to hire more men but would I choose wisely? Some of my decisions, in the past, had been less than wise. This was part of my penance.
When we reached Shilat I spied the trail which led through the scrubland. I remembered it from our journey south. I had thought it a mean little village then. It was dotted with both rocks and scrubby trees which would afford cover. We rode in single file with Garth at the fore and Robert at the back. I rode behind Alf and Ralph who followed Garth. Tom carried my gonfanon. This first day was as much as about us marking our territory as anything else.
The sun had soon begun to burn. It was not as fierce as it had been on our journey south but it was still hotter even than Anjou. Although we wore dark cloaks I still felt the burning sun. I had my cloak spread around Remus’ haunches to give him some shade but when I touched his head with my bare hand I felt the heat. He swished his head as we moved to create a draught with his mane. My mail mittens hung from my hands. I did not need the extra heat the hot metal would generate. Our time with David Ben Samuel had taught us how to eke out our water and yet keep ourselves alert. It worked for Garth held up his hand and made the sign for danger. I nudged Remus to join him.
“Lord, I hear the sound of metal on metal and the cries of battle.”
I donned my coif and helmet and put my mittens on my hands. I turned as I picked up my shield, “Tom, bring the men forward.” With Garth and Ralph behind us Tom and I led my small column of men up the rise. When we reached the top, I saw a small caravan of ten camels and eight donkeys. They were being attacked by Seljuq bandits. I held my spear overhand as I spurred Remus. The sand and soil on the trail deadened the sound of our hooves and the bandits were too eager to slaughter the camel drivers and guards to keep a watch. The remaining guards were bravely defending their charges.
Garth and my archers had stopped and dismounted. They were a hundred and fifty paces from the fray on the top of the hill. I saw that Garth had Alf holding the horses. The four archers picked out four bandits and each was struck by a white fletched arrow. The ones who saw their comrades fall looked around. They saw us but by then I was less than fifty feet from the nearest bandit. He had a sword and a small shield. His metal vest showed him to be a leader. He yelled something and held his shield before him. I raised my spear. I whipped Remus’ head around at the last moment as the man blindly swung his sword at where Remus’ head had been. I plunged the spear above the edge of his shield and it tore through the mail links by his shoulder and entered his body. The angle and his dying body tore the spear from my hand and I drew my sword.
The bandits were fleeing. Garth and his archers had accounted for another five and the would-be robbers fled up the slope. “After them!”
I wanted the bandits to know that this trail was policed. I wanted them to fear us and I wanted as many dead as we could manage. It would make our task easier in the future. It was not glorious chasing down these bandits but it was necessary. As Remus scrambled up the stone covered scrub I leaned out and swept my sword. It bit through the head of the bandit. The top flew off and his body fell, lifeless to the ground. Two of them turned and put their shields together to face me. They were brave and obviously knew that a horse will not deliberately ride into a man. I reined back and stood in my stirrups, I had worked with Remus on this. His hooves flailed in the air. One struck the shield of the man on my right and he fell. The other was left isolated. Whipping Remus’ head around I slashed at his face. My sword ripped across his cheeks and nose. I saw the bone through the wound. As Remus’ hooves came down they crushed the skull of the bandit whose arm we had broken.
When I looked up there were none left to kill. Bodies lay on the hillside. I counted my men. They had all survived. “Search the bodies.”
I turned Remus around and rode him down the hill. I stroked him between his ears, “Good boy!”
The camel drivers were tending to their wounded. Their leader strode over to me. I took off my helmet and slipped the coif from my head. I pulled up my hood to save me from the sun. When I reached the man, I dismounted, “I am in your debt lord. My name is Simeon Ben Levi.”
He was younger than David Ben Samuel. “I am William of Aqua Bella. King Baldwin has charged me with keeping this road safe.”
He gave me a wry smile. “I think, lord, that you have exceeded your orders for the road is some miles south of here.”
“David Ben Samuel told me that this was where the bandits attacked.” I smiled and tapped my nose. “Besides the lord at Ramelah protects that part of the road does he not?”
He laughed, “Then you do know David. I thank you lord. Had you not come then I would have lost more men.”
“I am sorry that you lost any but this road should become safer. When time allows, I will go into the hills and seek out the nests where these vipers skulk.”
“Then you are a brave man.”
It was after noon by the time we had buried the dead Jews. I decided to escort the caravan to Jerusalem. I would not have time to reach Jaffa and then return home. We adopted the same formation we had when we had ridden with Ben Samuel. I spoke with Simeon. I found that he was from a different tribe. He was a pleasant man. We had passed Shilat and rejoined the road when I heard a cry from William of Lincoln, “Lord, riders approaching from behind.”
“Stockton, to me!”
My men galloped after me as we headed back down the column. This could be more bandits or it could be horse archers. When we reached William, I saw that they were Franks. They had a pale blue surcoat with two yellow stars. Two knights led ten sergeants in a column of two. The sergeants had spears.
I reined in next to William. Quietly I said, “Have your bows ready but smile. These are neighbours. Let us not upset them yet.”
The leading rider reined in. He scowled at me. “Who are you? This is the domain of the Count of Ramelah. We are here to tax those Jews!”
I nodded, “I am William of Stockton. I am here to protect those who use this road and this is not under the rule of your leader. Guillaume de Waller has the manor of Ramelah; that is all.”
“You have a handful of men and you are new here so I will be generous. Begone before I lose my temper and make an example of you.”
I saw that he was in his early twenties. His slight build showed that he had not spent hours practising with sword, shield and spear. He played at being a knight. “You must do what you must do and I would avoid bloodshed if I could. We have already slain a number of bandits. We have yet to sharpen our blades. If we could perhaps have a whet stone we might put an edge to them.”
Robert and my men at arms laughed. It was the wrong thing to do for the young knight coloured. He turned to his men, “I would have these men prisoners.”
“Hold! Firstly, if your men move towards us then the four archers who are behind me will empty four saddles and then another four. They are English archers and you should know that they are deadly! Secondly,” I took out the seal, “I am here as the representative of the King of Jerusalem. We are h
eading to Jerusalem. So, tell me, impetuous knight, what is your name so that I may tell him that you claim this road for the lord of Ramelah!”
The knight next to him put his hand to his sword, “Cuz, we have wasted enough time, let us kill them!” He drew his sword and Garth’s arrow pierced his hand, knocking the sword to the ground.
“I did warn you. It is a shame that your companion did not heed my words. Now tell me your name!”
He had paled and he said, “I am Guy de Waller and this is Richard D’Aubigny. You are making a mistake. My uncle is the most powerful knight in this land.”
“That will help then, when I speak with the king.”
One of the sergeants had brought a cloth and was binding the hand of the wounded knight. He took the arrow and flung it to the ground. Garth dismounted and went over to it. He picked it up and grinned at the wounded knight.
Guy de Waller said, “But these are Jews! Why do you protect them?”
“When the king tasked me with keeping this road safe he told me to do so for all travellers. He did not specify a people. You had best tell your uncle that for we are here to stay and the road twixt Jaffa and Jerusalem will now be safe for all travellers.” I emphasised the word ‘all’.
Garth mounted and held another arrow. We waited. The knight was confused but, as we were not moving, he did so and headed back towards his castle. They watched us over their shoulders. Garth said, “You have a way with you. Lord… it is a gift. We are here but one day and we already have a list of enemies.”
I laughed, “Aye Garth, now I know how my father feels!”
Chapter 6
We escorted Simeon to within a mile or two of the city. I sent my men back and then I went, with Simeon, into the city. I took just Alf and Tom with me. As we parted, at the market, Simeon thanked me profusely.
“It is what the king asked me to do.”
“Nonetheless you have made an enemy of a very dangerous man, lord. I am grateful.”
I intended speaking with the king. I felt he ought to know what I had done. He was not in the palace or, at least, that is what I was told. He could be avoiding me. Perhaps this was a poisoned chalice and I was a pawn in some kind of game I did not understand. We picked up the cloaks we had ordered and I took the opportunity to ask the merchant who had sold them to me if he knew where men were hired.
“Men, lord?”
“Soldiers. Those who seek to act as guards or warriors.”
He smiled as though he was relieved. “That is simple lord. Go to the Temple of Solomon. The Knights Templar have their headquarters there. Many men wait close by for it is said that if you served the Templars then your fortune would be made. They are rich and powerful men.”
We placed the cloaks on the back of Tom’s horse and walked our mounts to the temple. It was like walking towards a sea of white and brown for it was filled with sergeants and knights. The nights wore white and the sergeants a brown mantle. The headquarters had been enlarged by taking over nearby buildings. The men I saw were mainly their sergeants but there were many of them. The ones who would be Templars gathered in the squares nearby. Their trade was obvious from their arms, shields and helmets. Some had mail but not all. There were some who looked to have a leather jerkin, old round helmet and just a sword while there were others who sported a full hauberk, masked helmet, shield, spear and sword. It begged the question why they needed the Templars. The men we sought would not be those. While we rearranged the cloaks on the three horses I took the opportunity of observing the men. I would not hire any that afternoon. I would return with Garth and Robert. They were veterans. I had seen how my father had deferred to men such as Wulfric and Dick when it came to choosing men. I would do the same. I noted those who sat alone and those who were with comrades. I watched and saw those who were quiet and those who were loud. When I had seen enough we left and returned to Aqua Bella.
It was a reassuringly solid home to come back to. It was much smaller than Stockton and there was just one tiny tower but I guessed that it would be difficult to take. Francis had shown us the well which ensured that they could survive a long siege. The three vaulted chambers were enormous. One held horses. A second held amphorae of oil and wine and the third was used to store food. An army could have sheltered in those caves which had been hewn from the rock. The grapes produced enough grapes to supply wine for their cellars. We also discovered that this was the busy time of year. The olives and grapes had been picked and both wine and oil production were occupying all of the slaves.
As we ate I told my men what I had discovered. “We will go tomorrow and try to hire men. The road patrol can wait until the next day.”
Robert smiled, “You think that de Waller will be on the road and try to catch us?”
“I do. I am not afraid of a confrontation but he does not know where we live. He will come here soon enough.”
“How do you know, lord?” Alf had a curious mind.
“Francis told us that de Waller came last year to take half of the oil which the estate produced. In a week, the oil will have all been put into jars. He will come then and I want to give him a shock. His knights will report eleven of us. I intend to have more when he does arrive. I have been over the accounts with Francis. We can afford more men. I suspect that the overseer was just being careful with the coin. I would rather spend the coin on men than expensive furniture and clothes.”
Tom said, “We have the new cloaks. I will distribute them later.”
I went, again, with Robert and Garth to the roof. Garth said, “Lord, we are doing well here but I still miss England.”
“As do we all. The news of the Earl of Gloucester’s death made me wish to return home.” I shrugged. “It would do little good. My father will have already dealt with the problems the death created.”
“It seems a different world, lord.”
“Not so different, Robert. Here the domains are smaller but there is anarchy here too. If King Baldwin had real power then de Wallers could not operate as a robber baron. I wondered why I was given this rich manor. Now I know. It is a bribe to act as a buffer between de Waller and Jerusalem.”
“A buffer?”
“Aye Garth. The king and his mother think I am my father.” I shook my head, “I am a pale shadow but what they do know of my father is that he is tenacious. He is hard to budge. If we can slow the gains of de Waller then, even if we perish, we will have served the young king.” I was almost tempted to tell them of the Byzantine emissary but I thought better of it. It was not fair on them.
“One thing is sure, lord, we will go home rich men.”
I nodded.
Robert poured cold water on the archer’s words, “Or dead men, Garth. It is a fine line between them.”
Although the manor had good defensive qualities it could still be improved. I had my men clear away the scrub from close to the curtain wall. With our archers, we could make the approach to the gate a killing zone. I left for Jerusalem. Once again, King Baldwin and his mother were not at home. We went to the Temple of Solomon. The mailed warriors were no longer there. In fact, there were just a dozen men. Half of them were solitary. There was a wine seller. He had a table before his shop. I sent Tom to buy a large jug of wine and to fetch five beakers. We lowered our hoods. He returned with the wine, the beakers and some bread. He was resourceful.
“I would have us talk loudly, in English.” Robert and Tom nodded. “It is not as warm here in the city as I thought it would be.”
I winked at Robert, “Aye lord but this wine is welcome whether it be hot or cold.” I sipped it and feigned drinking a draught.
We chatted as strangers to a new land would. Eventually one of the men who was across the square stood. He had just mail armour and an old leather helmet. His scabbard was not the best but the sword, from the hilt and pommel, looked to be a good one. He had a round shield. He looked thin, as though he needed a good meal. He approached and bowed, “Lord are you English?”
“I am. My na
me is William of Stockton and Aqua Bella although I had a manor in Normandy too. From your accent, you are English too.”
“I am John of Chester.”
“Would you care for a beaker of wine? And to break some bread with us. It is the least I can do for a fellow pilgrim from England.”
I saw the gratitude on his face. “Aye lord.”
“Sit. What brings you to this land?”
“I served the Earl of Chester. When he deserted the Empress some of my friends and I left his service to follow the Baron of Craven here. He died on the voyage. We sought service with lords. They do not like the English lord. Some of my friends were taken by lords but all perished within a month. They were used in the front line of the war against the Turk. These Musselmen are fierce fighters. There was just me and my brother Peter left. He was knifed last month when we were in Ramelah. I appealed to the lord for justice and I was whipped. I walked here and have been seeking a lord ever since.”
“Would you serve me?”
“I would serve the devil so long as his name was not de Waller.”
“Then we have a common enemy.” I held out my hand. “Welcome to my service.” I took a silver coin from my purse. “Go and buy what you need. We leave in an hour.”
He gave me a curious look, “I could leave and not return.”
“For one silver coin? If that was true then what you have told me would be a lie and I do not think it was.”
He nodded, “I will return.”
After he had gone Tom said, “Strange that he served the Earl of Chester.”
“I think we may find many here who fought in the civil war. Look around you Tom. These few men at arms, sergeants and archers are the only ones who do not look as though they live off the fat of the land. The ones we saw returning home are the unusual ones. If you are willing to serve anyone then you will be rich.”