But while traffic did increase, as Toulouse was a large trading city, no parties of high rank came the opposite way. They were not accosted and the day passed uneventfully.
While there was not a great increase in tension, the men were more watchful of their front and the undergrowth on the side of the road; and consequently so too was Talon and Anwl. Sir Guy turned in the saddle and said to Talon.
“I am expecting to be met by a party led by one of Richard’s most trusted knights at the border. I will be more comfortable once we've crossed that line.”
To Talon, who felt that he was within the bounds of his own country, the statement seemed odd, but he had had the rudiments of an understanding given him by his young friends the previous night and understood that the land of Aquitaine was firmly in the hands of an English King; hence it was, in effect, another country.
They crossed the border of Aquitaine into a region Lord Guy called Gascony without incident, although there was little to indicate that there was actually a border other than a tower at a crossroads, and even that was abandoned. However, the men now visibly relaxed and Sir Guy seemed to think the journey from here on to Auch was going to be straightforward.
“We are to be met close to here by Sir Nigel of Norfolk with an escort, so keep your eyes open, Talon, as they should be waiting for us near here.”
Night was drawing in so Talon was also looking for a likely place to either camp or, if they came across an inn, to stay the night. However, as the evening drew on it looked as though they would be camping. In fact the dusk came down fast after the sun had set; so Sir Guy reluctantly agreed that they should make stop, near to water if possible, and not continue in the dark as a misplaced foot by a horse on the rough road might mean a bad accident. There was no sign of the people they were to meet.
The two forward scouts located a ford just a bit further along the road. Here they could get off the road into a meadow of tall grass that seemed to have been cut naturally into the surrounding forest. They could hobble the horses and sleep on the swathe of grass under the branches of a stand of large oaks and elm trees near the middle of the field.
As they rode into the field they all noticed a herd of five small deer on the far end of the long meadow. Lord Guy stopped his horse to watch the animals and so did everyone else.
“My Lord, it is a long shot but my man here could bring one down for supper.” Talon whispered.
Lord Guy nodded slowly. Talon indicated to Anwl that he could try for the deer. Anwl had to dismount; as he did so the deer, having seen men on horses, had not been alarmed, but now one of the intruders was on his feet they sensed that something was wrong and began to head slowly for the shelter of the undergrowth.
In one swift motion Anwl stepped forward of the horses, notched an arrow and sent it on its way with a loud twang of his bow string.
The arrow sped in a low arc for nearly eighty yards and struck true. One of the small deer leapt into the air and fell to the ground. The rest disappeared like magic into the woods. It was an impressive shot of some distance and in poor light; there was a murmur of approval from the English men at arms.
Anwl was off running, his knife out to finish it off while the troop of men dismounted and prepared the camp.
Once a fire had been made they all ate fresh venison along with some stale bread and cheese provided by the soldiers. One of the English pointed with his chin at the long bow that Anwl carried and said something to Lord Guy.
He turned to Talon and said, “That was a difficult shot for anyone in this poor light. They say that looks like a long bow of the kind that the Welsh carry. Where did your man learn to use it?”
Talon thought quickly. “My man learned the use of it from Welshmen in the Kingdom of Jerusalem, my Lord, and has used it ever since to good effect.”
Lord Guy translated for him and the men smiled and showed their appreciation for the meal with signs and smiles. Later Lord Guy and his bodyguard sat aside and talked quietly together while the English soldiers sat close to the fire.
It was odd to listen to the men talking in their native tongue. Although there were some half-hearted attempts to communicate, as neither Talon nor Anwl spoke English, it petered out and they went over to their hobbled horses and sat talking together in low tones. Night fell and the forest all about them began to come alive.
Talon and Anwl bedded down some way from the other men, near some dense bushes on the edge of the field. It was more from habit than anything else. Both knew the value of having cover
nearby. They could hear rustlings and the sound of small animals as they scurried about on the dried leaves of the forest. In the distance an owl hooted and a fox yapped. Talon enjoyed the feel of the forest again and he sensed that Anwl did as well. It was not long before the English camp settled down to sleep.
Talon slept lightly as was normal. He had noticed that although guards had been set at dusk no one relieved them and in consequence when he got up just before dawn to go into the bushes, he could make out no men standing where he assumed the guards might be. He shrugged but when he came back to his rough bed of leaves he heard a whisper from Anwl.
“M’lord, have you been hearing those noises?”
“Such as?” Talon responded in a whisper.
“I woke some time ago and thought I heard horses some ways off, the other side of the ford perhaps, but then that stopped and I went back to sleep. But then I heard a cry in the same direction. I am sure it was not an animal, m’lord. I think there are others nearby and for what reason I do not know. We should be on our guard.”
Talon had been kneeling to hear Anwl better but now he lifted his head and both concentrated on listening to the sounds of the night.
Although Talon heard nothing to worry him he decided that Anwl was right; the Welsh lived by their woodcraft and the forest seemed to have gone very quiet, although he did not hear any other sounds that might betray human movement in the woods nearby.
The eastern sky was just beginning to be streaked with light; it was almost dawn and he thought it would be a good idea to wake the others just in case.
He got up and walked over to the dark group of prone bodies where Lord Guy and his men were sleeping. He was greeted with snores as he approached but he had not counted on the bodyguard of Lord Guy. The man was on his feet faster than Talon had expected with his sword in his hand.
“Who goes?” His voice was full of menace.
Talon stopped and even took a step back, his hand on his own sword.
“It is I, Talon. I wanted to wake you. We, myself and my man, have heard movement and noises that are not entirely those of animals and I came to tell you that we should be on our guard.”
The big man moved the point of the huge sword away from the direction of Talon’s midriff. He was silent, seeming to be digesting the information.
“From where did you hear the noises?” he asked in passable French.
“To the northwest along the road.” Talon pointed.
“I shall wake them, it's almost dawn anyway.”
Talon turned and walked away. He had done what he could, but now he wanted himself and Anwl to be up and mounted so they could leave in good time. Suddenly the woods about seemed to contain menace, and he felt very exposed in this field with little cover.
They had just finished tying down the blankets on the saddles and were watching the rest of the men and the English Lord doing the same when they all heard the sound of horses’ hooves on the distant road.
Talon mounted up, as did Anwl, and Talon called a low warning to Lord Guy. Immediately the English mounted and as a body rode out onto the roadway, every man alert for trouble.
They were greeted by the sight of several well mounted knights in fine chain armor and bright cloaks walking their horses down the road towards them followed by many men at arms, some on horseback. The knights were still on the other side of the ford and about a hundred yards away, but could be clearly distinguished in the early mornin
g light as men of substance. Behind the knights were men at arms and footmen with pikes with others carrying crossbows.
Sir Guy and the English all relaxed. “These are the men we were expecting.” Sir Guy said to Talon.
But Anwl gave a low exclamation. “Talon, do you see what I see?”
Talon did see. The man in the front of the group coming ever closer seemed to be swaying in the saddle and looked ready to fall off. In fact his eyes seemed sightless to the point where he could have been dead. Another man rode very close to him almost as though he might be supporting him in the saddle.
Talon felt a whisper of dread slither down his back. How was a dead man riding towards them? But then he realized that Sir Guy had not noticed and was urging his horse forward with a shout of greeting.
“Sir Guy!” Talon called.
But Sir Guy did not hear him and continued towards the oncoming men.
“Nigel! We were expecting you last night! Where have you been?” he called as his horse splashed into the river.
At that moment the man who Talon considered Sir Guy’s bodyguard seemed to sense danger because he bellowed something in the English tongue to Lord Guy.
It was clear to Talon that he had suspected a trap and was shouting a warning. Sir Guy glanced back once and then forward when he too realized that there was something dreadfully wrong. He tried to turn his horse, but by then it was too late as the advancing men were now very close. The man in front slid sideways in the saddle and fell to into the water. No one seemed to care; instead there was a shouted order.
“What is this?” Lord Guy shouted at the helmeted men bearing down on him.
But they did not reply, instead they spurred forward, dropping lances and couching shields as they came on with deadly intent at a gallop directly towards the small party of Sir Guy. Someone shouted.
“Do not kill him, I want him alive!”
Sir Guy was ridden into and beaten off his horse into the water before he could even draw his sword, then the armed men swept by. The horses splashed into the ford raising a huge spray that flew higher than themselves. The whole effect was made even more sinister by the way the dark knights hidden behind their shields and their faces covered and long lances pointed directly towards them seemed to be not of humankind. In that instant, time seemed to stand still.
Talon’s gaze flicked to several footmen running over towards the dazed Lord Guy as he tried to sit up in the river, their spears pointing at him.
He immediately realized that there was treachery about, but he knew nothing of its significance other than that his survival depended upon being quick and agile and above all escaping. The bowmen had dispersed to the sides of the road and already their bolts were whispering through the air and some had already struck men and horses nearby with sickening thumps. Those men tumbled off their horses to be ridden over by the charging knights who crashed into the small party of English soldiers, the shock taking men and horses down.
By some miracle neither he nor Anwl were struck, perhaps because they were at the end of the file of men. His heart in his mouth Talon directed Jabbar to the right down the side of the road back towards the field they had only just vacated, shouting for Anwl to follow.
Looking back it seemed as though the group of men who they had just been with had been destroyed. There were only two men left on their horses, and one was the man who guarded Sir Guy. But the screams of dying men and horses were loud in the cold morning air.
This man, seeing that he had no chance if he stayed, slashed his way out of the mêlée shouting his war cry and driving through the men all around him. On his way out he cut off a man’s arm, who fell with a shriek to the ground to join the others, and then the great sword hacked another almost in two as he sat in the saddle. That man died in welter of blood without a sound.
Then the man was through the surrounding men and pounding after Talon and Anwl. But he was followed by a hail of arrows, one of which struck his horse in the flank. The horse took the big man well into the field before it nosed into the ground and tossed him forward almost at the feet of Jabbar.
Talon had his bow out by now and loosed an arrow at the group of men just beginning to ride into the field behind the man now at his feet. They were forty paces off but his arrow did some damage as there was a shout of pain and a man fell off his horse. The loose horse galloped across the field but in the wrong direction or they might have captured it.
Lord Guy’s bodyguard staggered to his feet looking dazed. Realizing what had happened, he recovered his huge sword then looked up at Talon, his eyes blazing.
“There is treachery here! You must survive and you must deliver the news to Prince Richard. Tell him of this and tell him I died well.”
“Who are you that I might tell him?” Talon called down at him while he watched the enemy riding towards them, the archers stopping to wind up their bows before notching a bolt. They seemed to be coming towards them much too fast. He glanced up and saw a mounted man with a wide bearded face, his helmet off, who shouted something in a language he did not understand but the meaning was clear. The men on horseback were determined to kill them.
“I am Sir Bertrand! Tell the Prince that Lord Guy is taken by Cumberland. Now go! Go! I shall hold them as long as I can. Go! God protect you!”
He turned and strode towards the men coming towards him brandishing his sword and shouting something at his enemies.
Talon glanced at Anwl and nodded. They wheeled their mounts and galloped towards the far end of the field. As one last act of defiance Talon hauled his bow out and, turning full in the saddle, sent an arrow arcing into the ranks of the footmen and archers. He had the satisfaction of seeing another one of them fall to the ground. Seconds later the two rode into the bushes and urged their horses through the forest at a flat out gallop. The last Talon saw of Sir Bertrand was his whirling sword and a man on horseback falling to the ground. That man would give a good account of himself before he went to meet his maker.
But Talon noticed with a trickle of fear that some of the men on horseback had bypassed Sir Bertrand and were giving determined chase.
“Hurry, Anwl, we must ride for our lives! They're following us!” he called.
Jabbar needed no persuasion to run and being a very nimble animal dodged and weaved among the trees without needing guidance, but it was mere chance that a low hanging branch or animal hole in their path did not bring either horses or riders down as their horses fled through the dense woods.
The enemy followed hard on their heels, crashing through the woods in hot pursuit, yelling and hallooing like hunters after their quarry. The footmen with bows also gave determined chase, stopping from time to time and shooting at the fleeing pair as the bolts thumping into trees nearby attested.
After some frantic minutes of dodging and weaving among the trees the numbers of people chasing them seemed to thin out as their horses tired or they ran out of breath, but there were several very determined men still after them.
Talon glanced back at Anwl and called, “How many do you think are still there?”
“I think there is one horseman, maybe two, and some runners.” Anwl called back, his head only a few inches off his sweating horse’s neck. He was not as good a rider as Talon and was hanging on for dear life to his charging mount.
Talon estimated that the men giving chase might be far enough back for him and Anwl to turn the tables with their bows but it would be close. These were very determined men.
They galloped up a low bank into another dense thicket which slowed the horses, the saplings whipping and tearing at horse and rider. It was at this instant Talon decided to make a stand. He hauled on this bow and quiver then leapt off Jabbar calling to Anwl to do the same.
Both men tumbled into the bushes in untidy heaps, letting their horses run on. Talon was sure that Jabbar would not go far and would wait. Recovering his bow Talon pointed to the thicket and ran back the couple of yards towards it.
The two crouche
d, tried to catch their breath, checked their bows then pushed through to the edge of the thicket on the top of the bank. They were just in time to see a rider hurtle out of the thickets on the other side of the small clearing and gallop straight towards them. The horse was lathered with foam and sweat and it kicked up clods of the loamy soil as its rider spurred it ruthlessly onward, lashing at it with the flat of his sword.
Talon and Anwl loosed their arrows at the same time. They heard the audible double thump of the arrows striking the man in the chest and his choked cry before he tumbled off his mount to hit the ground and slide to within twenty yards in front of them. The terrified horse galloped up the low bank then right past them, almost knocking them over as they knelt concealed in the thicket. The sound of its pounding hooves died out as it disappeared into the forest. They hurriedly notched another arrow each and waited. The man in front of them lay sprawled in a lifeless heap half covered in leaves.
They did not have long to wait; two more men came running hard along the thin track left by the rider and almost fell over his body. Two arrows found their mark and the men fell with choking cries and died nearby.
It was time to leave. Talon guessed that others following would hesitate before continuing the chase once they saw their dead companions.
Running now, the two left the scene and hunted for their horses. As he had expected, Jabbar was grazing about a hundred paces away having found some nice green grass to occupy him, while the other mount was nervously eating just a little further on. It took a few tense seconds to capture that animal and then they were mounted and again riding hard.
Knight Assassin Page 33