Crusader (Anarchy Book 14)

by Griff Hosker

  I had good deputies and I did not need to keep watch but I did. I was with Sir Thomas and we had the shift which was in the middle of the night. To be fair I would not have slept well anyway. There might have been a time, after my first wife died and before I met Rebekah when I might have been eager for battle. It was different now. I now had a son, a daughter and a wife. I had so much to live for that I now worried about losing my life. I wanted to see my son grown into a man. I wished to see my daughter married and I desperately wanted my father to meet Rebekah. Lately I had wondered if I would ever see him again. He was not a young man any more. The death of Geoffrey of Anjou had shaken me. He been just thirty-eight years old. My father was fourteen years his senior. Even if he did not die in battle there were many diseases which could take him. I wanted this siege over more than the Master of the Templars but I did not want to lose my life doing so.

  Along the lines of towers, I could hear laughter and raised voices. Many of the other knights and sergeants were already celebrating. The completion of the towers signified victory in their minds. I had fought in sieges. It would not be easy. Tom was on the first level of the tower and he whistled down to me. In an instant I was alert. I looked up and he pointed. To the south of us, closer to the sea I saw shadows moving across the ground towards the tower of the nights of Tyre.

  The enemy were attacking, “To arms! To arms!”

  My men were awake in an instant. The men of Tyre were making much noise and they did not hear my words. Others did but it would be too late for many men. The Egyptians had launched a sortie. Garth and the archers raced up the tower.

  “Knights and sergeants, a shield wall before the towers!”

  Moving to twenty feet before the towers I stood with Sir Robert and Sir Thomas by my side. Behind me were Alf and the squires. Their spears were held over our shoulders. The Egyptians must have used their sally ports and then hidden in the ditch. Even as we braced ourselves for the charge I stored the information that the ditch around the walls had no traps and stakes within.

  I saw flames arc towards the tower of Tyre. They were using fire arrows and bundles of oil soaked faggots. I shouted up, “Garth, watch for fire!”

  Suddenly arrows sprouted from our tower and I saw men pitched back. They had been carrying fire but it had been masked by cloaks. Garth and his men had seen them and now, as the flame bearers fell I saw the horde which advance towards us. They were a mix of warriors and ordinary men from within Ascalon. The vizier had seeded the large numbers of untrained men with his warriors to affect an attack along our line.

  I heard the roar of fire but I kept my eyes before me for the Egyptians were advancing. Alf said, dully, “The tower of Tyre is burning.”

  Robert said, “At least there are no men within. A tower can be rebuilt. We cannot rebuild men as easily.”

  “Brace!”

  The fanatical warriors hurled themselves at us. They had obviously never faced a shield wall. Many of these warriors were used to open plains fighting. With our shields locked and our spears before us they perished. As the pile of bodies grew so their tactics became even more desperate. I saw young warriors, younger than Edward and Stephen run to jump on the piles of dead and dying men to try to jump over us. Our second line of squires and sergeants plucked them out of the air with their spears. There was the sound of screams as they were pierced and then the dull thud as their bodies hit the ground. A shout from the walls signalled the retreat. Garth and his archers continued to rain death on those before us so that they left a trail back to the ditch with their dead.

  We had not suffered many casualties at all and my own men none. As I peered down the line of towers I saw, by the light of the burning tower of Tyre that some of the other towers had been damaged.

  The next morning the devastation was clearly visible. The men of Tyre would have to rebuild their tower and three others would need repair. The King and Theobald rode along the lines. When he reached me, he stopped, “Thank you for the warning lord. Had you not done so then I fear this might have been a disaster rather than a setback.”

  “If I might suggest your majesty?”

  “Of course.”

  “It will take time to rebuild the towers. We should take the enemy dead this night and put them in the ditch.”

  The king said, “In this heat they will be stinking by dark.”

  I nodded, “And they will continue to stink and fester before their walls. If they take them within where will they bury them? It will be a reminder of the payment their warriors made.”

  “You killed the most warriors here.”

  “I know and the alternative is to burn them. I have smelled burning flesh and it is not pleasant.”

  “Then do so.”

  In the end the other knights burned the enemies they had slain. We did not. I would use the enemy dead as a weapon against them. That night we put cloths around our faces and carried the bodies to the ditch. Garth and his archers followed us with drawn bows. I carried one body with Alf and we hurled it into the bottom of the ditch. The rest of my men followed. There was a cry from the walls as we were seen. It was a strangulated cry for an arrow took the sharp-eyed sentry. “Hurry!”

  The thought of death or capture spurred our men on and soon the ditch had a layer of dead. “Back!” Before we ran back I spied the sally port through which the Egyptians had sortied. It gave me an idea.

  Theobald rode to see me the next day. A sea breeze brought the smell of the decaying bodies across to us. Theobald shook his head, “How much worse will it be for those within I wonder. They can see fathers, brothers and sons lying unburied before them. You are a clever warrior William. I shall miss you when you return to England.”

  “I cannot see that being any time soon, lord.”

  “It will take another week for the men of Tyre to rebuild their tower. We will keep a better watch on them this time.”

  After he had gone I gathered Garth, John of Chester, Alf, Masood and Robin Hawkeye around me. “Tonight, I would enter the city and do some mischief.” I took out one of the assassin’s blades. I wish them to think we have hired killers in their midst.”

  My men were unsurprised but Garth said, reasonably, “How do we get in lord?”

  “When we were close to the walls last night I saw that the mortar on some of the older stones was weak and had crumbled. There are handholds. Masood and Alf, do you think you could climb the wall?”

  Masood peered at it and then he nodded, “Aye lord.”

  “Garth, you and Robin will keep watch with your bows. Alf and Masood will climb and then lower ropes. We ascend, using the ropes, and then kill as many guards as we can, silently of course. We will leave by the sally port which we would leave open. I will leave the assassin dagger in the hand of a likely looking Egyptian and sow seeds of suspicion.”

  Garth chuckled, “And they would not know how many enemies were within their city.”

  “We take no mail and we wear the garb of the Egyptians.”

  “How do we cross the ditch lord? It will be full of bodies.”

  “We take one of the timbers we will use to build a bridge when we attack.

  When I told Robert and Thomas what we had planned they were less than happy. “But lord, you risk your life.”

  “I would have this siege ended so that I can go home. Besides it is not as much of a risk as you might think. We have watched their sentries. There are two for every hundred paces on the wall. They meet, talk, walk apart until they meet the other sentries, speak and return. We have time.”

  We waited until the moon slipped behind a cloud and then headed, with our timber to the ditch. We had cloths over our faces for disguise but they also helped to mask the smell of rotting flesh. There were movements in the ditch as though the bodies were alive. It was rats. Robin and Garth stood with bows ready as we passed the timber across the corpse filled moat. Once on the other side I stood with my back to the wall. John of Chester did the same. Alf and Masood ran at us and, as th
ey planted a foot in our cupped hands, we boosted them up the wall. The mortar had fallen away and the gaps were big enough for handholds. I felt Alf’s feet on my head as he used me as a stepping stone. It meant he had but twelve feet to climb. I glanced up and saw that he and Masood were like spiders as they crawled up the stones. I heard the hiss of two arrows as Garth and Robin hit the two sentries. One pitched into the ditch and I heard a dull thud as the other fell to the fighting platform.

  Within a few moments two ropes snaked down and John and I used the cracks in the stone to climb the wall like a ladder. Masood and Alf were facing the interior of the port next to the dead sentries. As we slid over the crenulations and began to coil the rope the two of them scurried along the shadows of the wall to slit the throats of the nearest sentries. John and I wrapped the ropes over our shoulders and headed for the stairs which led to the sally port. The town was quiet. Along the walls, I saw the moving shadows of other sentries but, as Alf and Masood joined us, I knew that there were none on this part of the wall.

  I could hear the guards in the guard house next to the sally port. I had counted on there being men there. I could hear them talking quietly. I had no doubt that they were gambling. As soon as Alf and Masood joined us I opened the sally port so that it was ajar. Then we went to the guard house. I drew my dagger and the assassin dagger. I nodded to Alf. He flung open the door and I ran in. There were eight men. I slashed the nearest across the throat with the assassin dagger while I lunged at a second with my own blade, my seax. My three men whirled behind me and began to slay the enemy. There was a cry and a shout.

  Alf hissed, “Lord!”

  I turned as a guard plunged his dagger towards my back. It snagged in the coiled rope and I tore my dagger across his middle. I could hear shouts. It was time to go for the Egyptians were all dead. I pressed the assassin’s dagger into the palm of one of the men I had slain. He was the smallest and thinnest of the ones we had killed and then we left. Dressed in black and in the shadows, we were hard to see but I spied the men as they raced from the heart of the town. We hurried through the gate and over the makeshift bridge. While Garth and Robin watched the gate, we dragged the timber with us and hurried back to our lines. We did not have far to go and Robert and Thomas awaited us. Lights appeared on the battlements and we saw a glow through the open sally port. We had given them a mystery. In the scheme of things, it was not a major victory, but, like the crumbled mortar, it was a weakness in the resolve of the defenders.

  Four days later and we were ready to begin the assault. This time we kept a better watch. We just had archers on the top of our towers and that made them easier to push into position. The defenders used their own archers but, while the towers were being pushed our own men took shelter. As we advanced my other men had bows and they sent their own arrows at the archers within Ascalon. None of them were as skilled as Garth and his men but it mattered not. So long as we sent arrows over, they could not do any damage to our men. Once in position Garth’s skill and experience showed. He timed it so that half of our archers rose as one and killed the enemy archers on the walls. Then the other half rose and, as more Egyptians ran to replace the dead, they were slain. In such a fashion the walls closest to our towers were kept clear of defenders.

  “Now!” I joined my men and ran to the ditch to hurl faggots of brushwood into it. The sally port opened and the crossbowmen I had placed around the base of our tower kept up a withering hail of bolts to make them bar it again. As soon as the brushwood was in place I ordered the huge timbers forward. We were far ahead of the other towers. We had our bridge ready while they were still filling the ditch with their faggots.

  “To the tower!”

  It was then time for us to prepare to push the tower over our bridge. We would then ascend and begin the actual attack. It took until almost noon for everyone to be ready. The order was given and we began to push. We had to hit the bridge we had made perfectly. There was little margin for error. Behind us I had pilgrims rolling the barrels of sea water I had collected. They would act as a brace behind the towers and then we would be able to use them should the enemy attempt to fire the wooden towers. Garth and my archers were incredibly effective. I had no idea how many men they slew but the cries, screams and sounds of falling bodies bespoke a large number. As soon as Garth shouted, “Ready lord!” we began to climb. The assault bridge was below the fighting platform which the archers used. I climbed up the ladders. The August heat was unbearable. How would we manage to fight?

  I waited until all of my men were there and then nodded. Alf and Edward began to lower the bridge. I held my shield before me as did Sir Robert and Sir Thomas. The dark interior of the tower began to fill with light as the bridge was slowly lowered. As it did so I saw the town before us. In the distance, I saw men rushing to man the walls. We had taken a large number of the defenders. As soon as it was down I ran across and leapt on to the fighting platform. My men were right behind me. Now they could use their own archers. Louis pitched from the fighting platform pierced by four arrows. He had been a little slow in raising his shield.

  “Spread out!” We ran along the fighting platform and cowered behind our shields.

  Then I saw that they had dragged war machines, the Romans called them onagers, into position and they had fiery balls ready to load. I shouted, “Fetch water and soak the tower!”

  Garth and his archers used their bows to thin out those working the war machines but when the enemy brought up large shields then we could do nothing. I contemplated leading my men to destroy them but although they were tantalizingly close I saw a mob of warriors it was too big a risk to take on. Then Alf shouted, “Lord, look!”

  I saw where he pointed. Five of the other towers had been set alight. Men were fleeing from them. It was not the place to be caught. I heard the trumpet sound. It was the signal to fall back. “Back to the tower! Fall back!”

  Even as we clambered back on board they began to lob flaming balls of oil soaked earth and hay. One smashed against the side of the tower as we stepped through. The sparks and burning pieces of hay filled the air. The tower began to burn. Edward grabbed one of the wooden pails of water and threw it on the fire. It did not douse it but it stopped it spreading. As we pulled the drawbridge up a second ball hit the door. Stephen had another pail and he threw it against the inside of the bridge.

  “The two of you keep throwing water there. If it gets out of hand then descend. The rest of you down. We will pull this out of range.”

  By the time we were down men were already pulling on the ropes to drag the two towers to safety. I joined them on the ropes and saw that there were just six of our towers which had been saved. The rest were burning out of control. Garth was almost the last one out of the tower and he said, “Lord, the wind is blowing towards the walls. Look!”

  I saw that the flames had spread to the fighting platform. One of the drawbridges must have fallen on to it. I had seen for myself the poor state of the mortar. This could be our chance. Perhaps God smiled on our venture.

  We did not have far to pull the tower for the men on the walls could do little to harm it and the onager was sending its missiles blindly. When we were a hundred paces from the walls I ordered my men to stop pulling and the ones inside were able to descend. I saw the two blackened squires as they emerged. “Well done. That took courage.”

  A rider galloped up, “Lord, the king wishes to speak with you.”

  Alf said, “I will get your horse, lord.”

  “Geoffrey, take charge here. Do not let them destroy the bridges. Put the archers back in the towers. Have the men soak the tower with sea water and extinguish any flames.”

  “Aye lord. That was close. I thought we had gained entry.”

  “That may come about yet. It depends upon what happens down there.” I pointed to the towers. They were an inferno. Black smoke billowed over Ascalon and the wall could not be seen. I mounted Remus and Alf leapt on his horse. We galloped towards the King’s standard. As we
passed the other towers I saw many men lying beneath their cloaks. Others were blackened lumps. Some had leapt from the towers rather than suffer such a fiery death. There were many lords gathered outside the King’s tent and a heated debate was going on.

  Bernard de Tremelay was the most vociferous. “God has sent this as a sign. Let us attack now while the walls burn.”

  Theobald shook his head, “How would we ascend the walls lord? We have no towers.”

  De Tremelay pointed at me, “Sir William has towers! Have them manhandled here.”

  I shook my head, “You can have them and welcome, my lord, but I fear that it is too far to bring them. They would not reach here. The journey would shake them to splinters. If you wait until the fire has subsided then there may be a chance.”

  They all looked at me, “What do you mean?”

  “My men and I scaled the walls. The mortar is crumbling and the fighting platform there is on fire. If you have stone throwers ready then we could batter the wall down and make a breach. Then we could attack.”

  Raymond de Puy Provence nodded, “A good plan, lord.” He turned to the Templar, “Wait brother. The fire will die out soon and then we can see.”

  “We will wait until the fire is out but my knights will be readied.” He sent one of his men to his knights. I wondered about the impetuosity of the Templar. We had a chance but the wall would not be repairable until the stones had cooled. By then the stone throwers could be in place. Baldwin sent for wine and we watched as the smoke thinned and the wood, burned towers became blackened charcoal and then crumbled. I saw a huge crack in the wall. King Baldwin pointed at it, “See, Master, Sir William is right. The stone throwers will make that a breach.”

  Then, to our total amazement we saw the crack widen as though a giant or a god had hit it. A huge section of wall between two of the recently built stone towers fell into the ditch. We could see the interior.