Crusader (Anarchy Book 14)

by Griff Hosker

  “Henri!”

  The other picked up the king’s mace which lay on the table with his left hand. He swung it at my sword. It was a powerful blow and the feeling went from my hand. He lunged at me with the dagger. The king awoke as Henri entered, “Your majesty the dagger is poisoned! Henri take him out.”

  I saw the blood dripping from the assassin’s dagger but I also knew that it would be poisoned. One cut would render me dead. I blocked it with my mailed mitten. Pulling back my left hand I punched as hard as I could into his jaw. He reeled. Before he could recover I hit him again with my right fist. This time he was rendered unconscious. The noise brought in Theobald and the Master of the Hospitallers.

  I knelt on the assassin’s arms and sat on his chest. He was going nowhere and I would question him.

  The Master said, “An assassin.” It was not a question but a statement of fact. The snake handled dagger was proof enough.

  I held the dagger at my side by the handle. “The other is dead. We need to question this one and discover who sent him.”

  Theobald said, “I think we know that well enough.”

  “We need proof. Is the King unhurt?”

  “He is shaken but your man guards him like a tigress guards her cub. None will get close to the King.”

  The man’s eyes opened. I saw the huge black pupils. He grinned at me and began to chant. I backhanded him across the mouth, “Silence until I order you to speak.”

  The Master said, “You will get nothing from him, even under torture.”

  “We must try. Ask him who sent him.”

  The Master asked him and the man just grinned. “Tell him he will die if does not tell us.”

  “That does not frighten him.”

  I suddenly remembered Ralph of Bowness’ gift. “Master, on my belt is a purse, it is pigskin.”

  The Master chuckled, “That might work.”

  He held it before the assassin and said something. The man’s eyes widened. I am a big man and I wore mail. I was heavy yet, even as the Master moved the purse towards the assassin’s hand the killer head butted the poisoned blade. I tried to move my hand back as he did so but it was too late. The dagger pierced his cheek. He smiled, closed his eyes and then his body went into spasm. A heartbeat later and he lay dead.

  The Master shook his head as he handed me my purse, “I told you, Sir William. These men do not fear death. For them this is no sin. He will go to heaven and be assailed by virgins. His life on this earth was as a preparation for a better life to come. That is why the true fanatic is hard to defeat. Do not reproach yourself. You have done all that could have been asked of you.”

  I held up the dagger. “We can stop these coming close. Every Muslim who comes into the camp should be stripped and searched. We allow them no weapons.”

  “The problem is they have an ally in the camp who is a Frank. They could come in without a weapon and we would be able to do nothing about it. We remain vigilant.”

  I went outside the tent where a crowd had gathered. I smiled at Henri, “You may relax your guard the two killers are dead.”

  King Baldwin grasped my hand, “I would have been dead but for you.”

  “I was just doing my duty.” My eyes scanned the crowd and I fixed Guillaume de Waller with a stare, “We did not find the Frank who hired this killer but we are a little closer.”

  King Conrad said, “A Frank hired these savages? Are you mad?”

  The master put his arm around my shoulder, “No, your majesty, I agree with Sir William. We have a traitor in this camp.”

  Chapter 14

  That was the moment when all unity left the camp. Everyone viewed the other leaders with suspicion. Each king, count and duke had guards outside of their tents but the worst effect was the lack of direction. No one seemed willing to either take charge or let another command. King Baldwin was all for negotiating an alliance with Damascus as he had done before. Count Thierry refused to countenance it. Then we had the desertions. It was a trickle at first. One or two knights left the camp with their retinue. Everyone was a volunteer and so it could not be stopped. However, when whole contingents left, it became more serious. De Waller and the Count of Provence departed at the same time. We noticed their departure for they took over a hundred and fifty knights and sergeants not to mention their levy, peasants and servants.

  The last straw was the news that Nur al-Din was coming. He had been summoned by the vizier of Damascus. The Turks had lost too many men to us and now they were resigned to the inevitable. They would follow Nur al-Din. This time it was neither a trickle nor a stream of men who left. It was a flood. There was little organization. We were luckier than most. The Master of the Hospitallers and Theobald were old friends. When we left we marched together. The baggage and those on foot were in the centre of our column and we riders were in a box around them.

  The horse archers followed us. We were luckier than most. We still had some crossbowmen left and I had my five archers and Alf with his sling. Garth and the archers stopped and dismounted. Gaston held their horses. They were able to keep up a relentless rain of arrows to augment the slower crossbows.

  Just before noon the Master and Theobald made the box halt. Water was distributed and the horses rested. The men of Nablus complained. Theobald shrugged, “Feel free to leave us and see how long you would last. We will not be camping until we reach Galilee.”

  He was proved right. The horse archers came again and this time every knight and sergeant made a wall with our shields while the crossbows and bows thinned their ranks. The Master said, “They are trying to tempt us into a reckless charge. It is a foolish thing to do. When we move, we will walk our horses until the day is cooler.”

  The King of France was behind us and they moved up the road and they passed us. The shouts from their sergeant left in no doubt that they thought we were madmen. Finally, the Count of Flanders passed our resting men. He was pursued by even more horse archers. I noticed that they did not bother with us. It was eerie. We were the last battle of warriors and the horse archers had left us.

  “We march until late afternoon.” Theobald looked at the king, “You too, your majesty.” King Baldwin nodded and dismounted. Ahead of us we heard the clash of arms and the screams of the dying. They were riding and we were walking. We would not catch them. After an hour, we found the bodies of thirty foot soldiers. They were from Flanders and all lay dead. There were no dead Turks close by. The sergeants lay in concentric circles. They had been surrounded and the archers had ridden around them and picked them off.

  As we marched towards the rise, a haze coloured and dusty mass of men, we passed more bodies. They were all Franks. Garth shook his head, “We can only hope that they run out of arrows, lord, for there is naught else to stop them. My five bows will do little. It is like spitting in the wind.”

  “And yet, Garth, they are not bothering us. There are easier targets up ahead.”

  “Aye, the Master and old Theobald know their business. It is a pity that they were not in charge of the siege.”

  The horse archers came thundering passed us as some of them headed back to Damascus. A dozen or so were brought down by our archers and crossbows. “There you are, Garth, some have run out of arrows.”

  Garth pointed ahead, “There are still enough there. See they are attacking yet.”

  I nodded, “And when Nur al-Din reaches the city there will be even more.”

  We reached the top of the rise a few hours later and we were halted once more. A hundred and more bodies had been passed. The Hospitallers had found four wounded men and they were on the backs of horses with our own wounded. We had lost none killed but we had wounded with us. I was not certain that all would make it back to Jerusalem although at that moment all I wanted was to reach the Sea of Galilee alive. We had taken on more water and relieved ourselves. What little food we had left was consumed and we were about to ride when a cry went up, “Horses! It is Nur al-Din!”

  “To arms!”

/>   This time we did mount save the archers and crossbows. Those with spears readied them. It was a mighty host of horsemen. Although most were horse archers there were fifty horsemen. They each had a lance and a helmet with their faces enclosed in mail. Our archers and crossbows sent a flurry of missiles at their horse archers. It broke them up. The Master shouted, “Sir William, bring your men with me. Let us discourage these horsemen.”

  “Gladly! Follow me!”

  We formed a line with twenty of the Hospitallers and we followed the Master as he charged. It was not reckless and it was not wild. He had brought enough men to make them fight us but not so many that they would decline. The enemy charged us. I saw that they wore no mail. Riding boot to boot we smashed into them. Louis and John of Chester were unhorsed but twelve of their number fell to our spears. I pulled my arm back for a second thrust. The Turk tried to block my strike with his lance. My spear had a steel head. I flicked aside the lance and gutted him. I saw a Hospitaller sergeant. His horse was brought down and he lay stunned. His shield and sword were thrown away in the fall. I saw a Seljuq warrior gallop towards him his spear ready to end his life. The sergeant was tough and he began to rise. I spurred Remus and charged the left side of the Turk. He saw me at the last moment. He jerked his horse’s head around. The move saved the sergeant’s life for the Turk’s horse smashed down on his left arm and not his head. I stood in the stirrups and hacked through the helmet and skull of the Seljuq. Two Hospitallers ran from the shelter of the shield wall to rescue their brother.

  The Master shouted, “We have done enough! Fall back!”

  I saw that the horsemen had ridden off to join the horse archers who were riding west to chase easier targets. To my relief, Louis and John were on their feet. They grabbed the reins of their horses and mounted.

  “Are you hurt?”

  Louis shook his head, “The blow came from the side. It did not even break my mail but it was a powerful blow. It is nothing.”

  The only thing that was hurt was their pride. They would get over that.

  Theobald said, “They call those warriors, Mamluks. They are good warriors. You did well.”

  “Why did the Master choose my men and not the men of Jerusalem or Nablus?”

  “Simple. He wanted men who would obey orders instantly. You and your men have shown that you can do that. There are other knights who have a victory and have the smell of battle in their nostrils. The Seljuqs know this and draw our men away from the protection of shields.”

  We followed the Turks west. I saw, as we crested the rise, that they had caught the men of Flanders. We were helpless to do anything. The horse archers galloped in and when the Flemish knights and sergeants pursued them the archers turned in the saddle to slay more of them and then the Mamluks picked off the survivors. It was sickening to watch. We kept moving down the slope. I saw that the men of Flanders were panicking. The horsemen galloped off to catch the French contingent. The ones left were on foot and they were slaughtered.

  Over the next few hours we found more bodies. They were all men who fought on foot. There were Germans as well as French, Norman, English and, of course the Flemish. We walked again for part of the time. The rolling battle moved on ahead of us. The only evidence was the bodies we passed. Then we began to pass the bodies of the horses. They had not been slain. They had simply died. Some had legs broken and their riders had put them out of their misery. Others were in a pitiable state for they had been ridden to death.

  As night fell we mounted again having had the last of our water. The next twenty miles would be hard but we knew that the Sea of Galilee and the River Jordan lay ahead. We would pass seasonal rivers but they would only be enough to give the horses water. Without them we were dead men. We saw fires. The rest of the army had camped. They had not rested and their horses were exhausted. Of the horse archers and the Mamluks there was no sign but we knew they were around. They too needed water and to rest their horses. The difference was that they knew where to find such things in this wasteland. We were aliens here and we did not.

  Theobald said, “Ride ahead with your men and warn them we are not the enemy. They may try to attack us in the dark.”

  “Aye lord.”

  I led my men and we trotted towards the fires. By chance the men I saw on guard were from Thiberville in Normandy. I recognised their device. Their lord, Geoffrey de Thiberville raised his arm. “I thought I saw you at Damascus. Do you wish to come into our camp?”

  “No, I am here to tell you that the army of Jerusalem is passing. We do not wish you to attack us. You should join us.”

  “Are you mad? Here is safer.”

  “Have you food and water?”

  He shook his head, “No but the river is ahead.”

  “It is twenty miles.”

  “I have sworn to stay here. Good luck.”

  “And to you.”

  I waited until the Master caught up with us and then we continued in our huge box as we headed west. We were now the vanguard but the enemy did not bother attacking us. We were ten miles closer to safety when we heard, in the distance, the sounds of battle. The Crusaders were being attacked. We reached the river before dawn. Water has never tasted so good. We buried the three men who had died in the night and, as dawn broke, headed for the castle of Tiberius. Riders were sent from the castle to warn the castles of Belvoir, Nablus and Jerusalem of the disaster which had overtaken us.

  I was tired but I felt guilty about the men we had left. I think the Master and Theobald did too. We ascended the stairs to the tallest tower which faced east. It was hard to see against the sun but we saw a steady trickle of men heading towards the sea and the river. I knew that I wanted to mount my horse and go out to fight the archers who were slowly bleeding the army to death. The Master must have read my thoughts. “Sir William it would avail you little to try to help them. Your horse is weary, as are you. We have helped to save the army of Jerusalem. Now that we know we cannot trust de Waller we will need every knight that we can find to defend against Nur al-Din.”

  “Will he not be satisfied with Damascus?”

  “When the County of Edessa is in his hands he will turn his gaze to the other counties and kingdoms. Jerusalem is the prize they all seek.” He pointed. I saw the banner of Tripoli. The Count was heading north west with his army. He was going home to protect his own border. “I have no doubt the Count of Antioch will join him. When the survivors from the Kings and Counts of Europe arrive they will take the northern road and take ship at Acre, Tyre, Sidon and Tripoli. There was not enough trust between the kings.”

  “And what will you do, Master?”

  “We have a mighty fortress in the County of Tripoli. Krak des Chevaliers. It is on the border and when Nur al-Din takes Damascus we will be ready for him when he comes west.”

  “Damascus is not his?”

  “Had we not left the siege it might have been for he would have defeated us and then demanded that the city surrendered. We did not hurt its walls and Mujir ad-Din Abaq does not share the same views as Nur al-Din. All is not lost but it is perilously close.” He smiled at me. “By the way Brother Peter thanks you, lord.”

  “Brother Peter?”

  “When the Mamluks attacked, you saved his life. He was the sergeant who fell.”

  “I am pleased. He is a brave man.”

  “He has hurt his arm but we have good physicians at Krak. Perhaps he can be healed.” A sergeant who had but one arm had no purpose in life. He would become a beggar.

  All day we saw a constant stream of men heading north and west. Ships would be in great demand. I had no doubt that the kings would rattle their swords a little more but without unity they could do nothing. The Crusade was over.

  The next day the Master left us. I felt he was a good friend and he clasped my arm as he left. “You would have made a good warrior monk, Sir William, save that you could not be celibate. You yearn for a family. If ever you need me then send word. I know what you did for the king and I kn
ow that your heart is true.”

  We left in the afternoon. We would halt again at Nablus. The knights from Nablus, Baysan and Belvoir would have left us by the time we departed Nablus. The last part of the journey would be made by the twenty knights and eighty sergeants who remained. We had managed to keep over two hundred of the levy. That was a miracle. Had it not been for the Master and Theobald then we would have lost as many as the others had. Word had come to us that the carrion birds were feasting well on dead Christians and their horses. Many Christians ended their days as slaves. None were knights. They were the ones who had walked to fight the Turk. It was unfair.

  Four days later, we left. We had just thirty miles to travel and we would be home before the king for we would join the Jaffa to Jerusalem road. I was looking forward to the safety and security of my home. We joined the road to Ramelah and it all looked familiar. My home was just ten miles up the road.

  We should have had scouts out but all of us were exhausted. King Baldwin and Theobald had ridden in close conference all the way from Tiberius. They had much to discuss. My men were all now healed and we rode together. We knew not the other knights and sergeants. We rode at the rear with the levy.

  Robert stroked his beard. He had grown it since we had come to the Holy Land. “It is strange is it not, lord, that all of those knights came from France, Flanders, England and many other places to defeat the Turk and yet it is we who run home with our tail between our legs. When we were in Normandy, I thought this would be a glorious venture and God would help us along the way.”