by Griff Hosker
"It was. Thank you for making them. It may save us being surprised."
"It is many years since I made them." His boy began to turn the grindstone wheel and the edge was sharpened. "This is a fine sword, lord. I never thought to be sharpening the sword of such a famous warrior."
I nodded. Henry ran up with some oaten bread and some cheese. He said, "I found some apples, lord. I have four."
"Then that will have to be our ration for the day." I split the bread and gave him half. He began to tear great chunks from it. "Hold. We will not eat again until this night. Take small bites and chew until it disappears. Fool your stomach into thinking you have feasted."
The smith nodded, "Wise words, Warlord. You heed them young master. There is no one bringing us more food. Soon we will be eating horses and boiling their bones for soup."
Henry looked appalled, "Truly?"
"I am afraid so. Our war horses will be the last to go but those sumpters and rounceys we brought with us will not see December."
We headed through the gate tower towards the barbican. I knew that I would grow weary of ascending the steps to the fighting platform. Already my left leg was aching. I was not used to climbing such steep stairs.
Dick pointed, "Good morning Warlord. You have come at the right time. They are preparing something. I think they will attack soon."
"No war machines?"
"They would have to demolish houses. I think that they will test our defences. I have spoken with the archers. We will husband our arrows."
"How will they cross the moat?"
Henry's question was pure curiosity. Dick shrugged. "They could make a bridge easily enough. They have the gate from the town they could use but they will struggle to break down this gate. They could easily make one. It would only have to bear the weight of men. If they were close to the gate we would find it hard to loose arrows at them. I think the Warlord is right. They will have to resort to war machines and that will give us time."
I was not as sure as my archer. Stephen was clever and he was aided by two very able commanders.
It was not knights who advanced towards the gates but men at arms. They advanced behind a wall of shields. Dick's voice boomed out, "No one release an arrow without my command."
The buildings in the town came all the way to the edge of the moat and the men who advanced were forced to use the narrow streets. When they reached the edge of the moat men began to release arrows from behind them. Others poked crossbows through the gaps. The arrows from the archers clattered against the roof of the gatehouse. The crossbows were more dangerous here for they could be aimed horizontally.
"Use your shields. Let them waste their missiles."
It did not take them long to realise the futility of their attack. Perhaps they thought we had nothing to send in reply or they grew careless. Dick spied a gap in the shields and he sent an arrow to pierce the chest of the crossbowman who was exposed. He chuckled; archers hated those who used the crossbow.
Henry said, "What is that?"
I looked in the direction he pointed. They had done as Dick had suggested. They had removed one of the gates from the town walls. Stephen must have been desperate. "It is the gate, or one of them, from the town wall. They can protect them with their shields until they reach the moat. When they try to bridge the moat they will be vulnerable."
Dick said, "Stockton archers, let us show them the range of our bows and the skill of our archers."
The gate was a hundred and fifty paces away. Men carried shields to protect those who were carrying the huge wooden bridge. However their legs could not be covered and these men were not encased in mail. Their legs were unprotected. Rafe, Long Tom and the others chose their targets carefully. Three of my archers loosed and three men were hit in the leg. They were forced to drop the gate and in the confusion other men were revealed. Dick and our other three archers chose their moment well and arrows plunged into their bodies. Confusion reigned. The other archers joined in as more gaps appeared. The enemy struggled on for another thirty paces and then a knight shouted something. They dropped their improvised bridge and the whole of the attacking force retreated to the safety of the houses.
The men at arms on the barbican cheered the archers as though we had won a victory. It was not. We had delayed them, that was all. The wooden gate lay there surrounded by the dead and dying who had carried it. The wounded had been dragged to safety.
At noon we heard the sound of hammering and tearing. A building disappeared in a cloud of dust. "They are up to something, Warlord."
When smoke began to rise and smoke filled the air I had an idea what they were doing. "It looks like they are building counter castle for their war machines."
"Counter castle, lord?"
"Aye Henry, a small castle. They will make a motte such as the one the Keep stands upon and they will put a palisade around. Then they will begin to lob stones at us. They will make it so that it is as high as our walls. That way they can cause the maximum damage."
"That will take some time."
"It could take a week, maybe even more."
"Then they will not attack again?"
"Oh they will attack and it will be tonight. They will send men under cover of darkness and try to bridge the moat then."
"How do you know, Warlord?"
"Because it is what I would do. I do not underestimate your cousin, Henry. He is a clever man. I have fought alongside him and against him since first I met your mother. I know how his mind works. He has sacrificed a handful of men and seen the skill of our archers. He will wait until dark when we cannot see as clearly. Come, we can leave a skeleton watch and have some rest. I fear that you will be on duty this night, Sir Richard."
"Better to be doing something than waiting for it."
When we reached the Keep and the Great Hall I sent Gilles to relieve the watch. I then went to Robert D'Oyly. He would need to know what was happening. He did not look well. In fact he was more listless than he had been the previous day. His physician must have been wrong. I told him what had happened and he lay back. "I am pleased that you command. My castle is in safe hands."
"Soon you will be able to see for yourself."
He shook his head, "The wound does not ail me but I feel so tired that I can barely keep open my eyes."
I went to the priest, "What ails the Constable? I was told that his wounds were not life threatening."
"It has the doctor confused. The others all recover but not so the Constable."
"Where is the doctor?"
"He is preparing a potion to try upon the Constable. He spends longer with him than any other patient."
"We are lucky to have a doctor."
"Aye, he only arrived in the town two days since. He was on his way to Wallingford. God smiled upon us when they guided his steps here."
I nodded, "Let me know if the Constable's condition worsens."
"I will."
"And I will speak with the doctor when time allows. Tonight I shall be busy but tomorrow I will find the time to discuss the Constable's condition with him." I was no doctor, not even a healer but I had seen enough wounds and doctors over the years to have a better understanding than most. A talk with the physician would put my mind at rest.
The Empress was equally concerned about the Constable. "My ladies and I have nothing to do. We will visit with the sick and see if we can minister to their needs. They earned their wounds in our cause. It is the least we can do."
"I think there will be an attack across the moat tonight."
"Should we be worried? You seem unconcerned but that is your way."
"The attack tonight will fail but when they have built their counter castle then we will be in more danger. However so long as we hold the barbican and the moat we are safe enough."
Knowing that we would be busy that night I went to my chamber and lay down. Henry asked, "What should I do, lord?"
"I would say rest but I know that you will not. Go and see how Richard fa
res in his new command. Then you can speak with Gilles. As for me I shall rest my body for tonight will be an attack and I will have to fight."
I lay down and he closed the door. No matter how positive I might be I could not see a way out of this dilemma which did not involve captivity. I could avoid death and injury to most within the castle but unless we were relieved then Stephen would win and we would be captured. When we ran out of food it would all be over. Exhaustion must have taken over for I fell asleep.
Chapter 15
I was awoken by Dick and Henry.
"It is dark, lord. I thought you would wish to join us."
"Aye, Dick." I went to the bowl of water and splashed it on my face.
"There is food, lord." I looked up. There was a bowl with some stew. "One of the horses which we brought in when they attacked went lame."
I nodded, "It is God's will."
The food was hot and it was filling. The dead horse would feed the garrison for two days. We would boil its bones and add the vegetables which were going off to make a soup. That would be how we would live from now on. We would measure our lives in meals. We would yearn for a stomach which did not ache from hunger. And each week another horse would die. Before the end came my men and I would ride out and die with glory. Rolf would not be butchered. I would take my chances.
"I have visited with the Constable." The Empress' voice behind me reminded me that I would not take the glory road while she was in the castle. I had to protect her and Henry.
"How is he?"
"It is strange he does not appear to have a wound which threatens his life and yet he grows weaker. We will go to the chapel and pray for him." She noticed my sword strapped to my side and the helmet which Henry carried. "There will be violence this night?"
"They will attack. They may make the barbican. If they do then we will have to fend them off." Her eyes flickered towards her son. "Do not worry, he will be safe. You have my word."
It was dark when we reached the walls. I relieved Gilles. "Shall I stay lord?"
"This will be a long siege, Gilles. You need your rest."
He nodded, "I will see Richard before I retire. He is the captain of St. George's Tower now!"
Dick was already there when I arrived at the fighting platform. "I heard movement, lord."
It was pitch black in the town. We could see nothing but the sound of metal on metal was unmistakeable. Men were moving around.
I hissed, "Stand to!"
The hiss of swords being drawn from scabbards was followed by the sound of my archers sliding an arrow from their precious horde. We would have little use for the swords until they closed with the walls but it was as well to be prepared. Dick walked to the battlements and peered over. He pulled up his bow and released into the dark. There was a cry and then a flurry of bolts and arrows clattered against the walls and the roof.
"A fine hit!"
"I saw a movement and thought it worth risking an arrow." His head whipped around, "But if any of you risk such an arrow you will have to face my wrath."
"They will be picking up the gate and moving it towards the moat. We should be able to see it then. They will have to allow the moat to support its weight or risk men in the moat and I do not think they will do that."
"I think you are right lord."
"Then use your archers to kill those holding it when it is close. If they lose control the gate itself may do our job for us."
I had examined the gate after they had withdrawn. It looked to me to be as wide as the moat, just. That meant they would need to place it precisely with both ends touching the ground. If we could make them drop it prematurely so that it was skewed then they would not be able to cross on it. They had to have a flat surface; especially if they intended to use a ram.
"Men at arms, put your shields in the gaps in the walls. The archers will tell you when to lower them."
As soon as the shields were placed in position arrows and bolts thudded into them. It was like hailstones on a tiled roof. They clattered and clanged. After a while they stopped wasting valuable arrows. Dick nodded to the Sergeant at Arms and he moved his shield a little to allow Dick a view of the moat.
"Archers ready! On my command slay those at the front of the gate." You could have cut the tension with a knife. "Shields! Down!"
As one the men at arms lowered their shields and then the twelve archers sent arrows across the moat. The distance was less than forty paces but it was dark. The seven archers I had brought would not miss. I hoped the other five would have learned from them. There were cries and splashes as men fell into the moat.
I heard a voice shout, "Hold on to it! Keep it close!" Then the voice screamed as Dick's arrow found him.
There was a much bigger splash and I risked looking over. The gate had slipped into the moat and lay at an unnatural angle. Although made of wood it had metal studs buried in it and a metal knocker. The weight of the metal dragged it below the black waters of the moat. Even as I watched I saw more men struck by arrows as our archers slew those trying to rescue their bridge. They failed.
"Well done, Dick! They cannot use that one."
"No but they now have protection close to the moat." He pointed and I saw that one corner of the gate stuck up affording some protection to them.
"It cannot be helped. We have beaten off one attack at least."
"They will bring the other gate."
"I know and this time they will strip the metal from it and extend it but that takes time. We celebrate small victories here."
Dick nodded, "Aye. Bring me the shields. We will see if we can reclaim any of these arrows. Henry, see if there are any lying on the ground."
Long Tom stood on the battlements and, holding on to the roof , reached up and began to pull out the arrows which had stuck in the wood. The blacksmith could make new heads by melting down damaged arrow heads but we had no way to fletch. The arrows we collected could save lives. We stayed on watch until long past midnight. Henry fell asleep. I sat with Dick.
"These are minor victories lord but I cannot see how this will end well."
"Nor can I but I will take them. Each day we are here make it more likely that the Earl will return and come to rescue his sister and nephew."
"It seems strange to me that he left for Normandy when he did."
I could trust Dick. "Aye and me too. Perhaps I see plots everywhere. Why I even worried that someone was trying to poison the Constable."
"What?"
"His wounds are healing but he is not. Tomorrow I shall speak with this doctor. He must know the cause of the ailment."
I carried Henry back to his bed. It seemed but a moment that my eyes were closed and I was woken. It was daylight. Gilles stood there, "Sorry to disturb you, lord but Dick sent me. They are building a second counter castle."
I wearily rose and splashed water on my face. "Thank you Gilles. Other than that is all well?"
"Aye, lord. I visited with Richard. He has grown in the last few days. He commands now and the men in the tower are much taken with him."
"Good."
He laughed, "That doctor is a strange one."
"You met with him?"
"Aye he asked Richard if he could go out of the sally port and collect flowers!"
I felt a cold shiver down my spine. "Has he done this much?"
"Richard said every day, and always after dark."
"Go and find him. Just watch him until I get there but do not let him near the Constable. Stop him with force if you have to!" Gilles nodded, "Tell me what flowers did he collect?"
"Blue ones; they looked a little like the flowers which grow in the woods by the Tees!"
"Did they resemble a blue hood."
"Aye lord, how did you know?"
"I was taught about such things in the east. Be careful of this doctor. He is not what he seems."
That decided me. I knew that the flower was called monkshood. It was an aconite and was distilled to make a potion. I had been given jus
t such a draught. In mild doses it helped sleep but in larger ones it could be lethal. I now knew why the Constable was not recovering. I ran to the tower.
Dick pointed, "There lord, they have begun to clear another area. We saw the smoke and we heard the noise of destruction." He swivelled and pointed to the east. "They have begun to build the platform for the siege engines."
"We can do little about this." I glanced at the moat. The dead bodies had been removed but I could see that the gate had partially blocked the river and made a small weir. Stephen would find it even harder to bridge it a second time but we would find it equally hard to lower the drawbridge. I had planned a sortie to destroy the platforms. That could not happen now. We had been trapped before but at least we had had a way out of the castle. Now we did not. "I have some treachery to deal with. Send for me if danger threatens."
I was angry as I strode towards the house of healing. As I drew close I heard a commotion. Gilles was being restrained by four of the Empress' guards. She stood looking angry.
"What is going on?"
"Your squire was trying to restrain the doctor. He has lost his mind."
"No, Empress, he was obeying orders; my orders. Let him go!" They looked at Matilda. I shouted, "Let him go! Now!"
They did so.
"Now bind the physician."
"I protest, my lord! What have I done save to heal the sick?"
"Have you lost your senses, lord?"
I whipped my head around, "How is the Constable?"
Father Abelard said, "He worsens, lord. He has lost consciousness."
I strode over to the doctor and took his leather pouch from over his shoulder. "They are my medicines! You know not what they are!"
I took out some blue flowers. "But I know what these are! I too have read the books in the great libraries of the east." As soon as his shoulders sagged then I knew that I had it right. "This is monkshood or leopard's bane and is a poison." I turned to the Empress and the priest. My eyes and my voice were bleak. "It makes a patient sleepy. The doctor was not curing the Constable. He was killing him."
Father Abelard nodded and said, "I have seen this flower. The Warlord is right and there is no cure for the poison."