Henry rubbed his face with a calloused hand and sized up the pirates, who appeared to be hesitating, baffled by the unexpectedly sturdy defense.
“Very well,” Henry said reluctantly. “Signal him when I have moved the men out of the way.” The crewman nodded and waved to the ship. He received an answering wave. “He is ready, Captain!” he called.
And then they began to withdraw. The pirates retreated, but only to regroup before attacking again. Henry bellowed for quiet among his chattering men. They had only a few moments to do this.
“On my command, all of you split away from the center and hug the walls. On my command! Are you ready?”
He received bewildered nods from the men, who braced to run. “Now!” Henry yelled, and ran for the wall along with half of his men. The other half raced for the opposite wall and glued themselves to it. He heard a distant twang of a very large bow and something whistled overhead to smash into the roof tiles of a house a hundred paces away at the end of the street. There was a stunned silence, then there was a huge bang and the roof of the house exploded outwards, sending tiles and splinters of wood high into the air, which then rained down upon friend and foe alike.
“Bugger!” Henry exclaimed. They didn’t have many opportunities left. He braced himself to reassemble the line, but a shout from the ship delayed his order. The pirates, disconcerted, were gawping at the gaping hole in the house roof when one among them gave a shout and pointed at the gap in the road to the quayside, and Henry’s men hugging the walls.
The second arrow from the Scorpion was too low. It sped past the cringing Henry and his men and ricocheted off a stone in the middle of the street, creating a shower of sparks as the arrow veered off its intended course and hurtled into the sky to explode with a noisy bang in the air over the harbor. Everyone instinctively ducked as a shower of sparks descended upon pirates and crewmen alike.
There was a pregnant pause while both sides gawped up at the sky or slapped frantically at the burning sparks now landing upon everyone. This allowed just enough time for the men on the ship.
“Will you aim the fucking thing properly! You halfwit bastards!” yelled Henry. “IF I survive this I’m going to skin the lot of you alive!”
“Stand clear, Captain!”
“Oh Good God, protect us!” Henry groaned as he hugged the wall again and shut his eyes. He was sure he was about to be spitted by the next one.
“Look out!” came the yell, and, “Stay where you are!” Henry bawled, just as the Scorpion twanged again. The hissing spear sped past Henry’s cringing men, trailing a wisp of smoke. This time it was at waist height. The pack of pirates had just begun to charge, and it took the leader full on and hurled him back, to skewer yet another man right behind him. The two men were driven into the crowd behind them, tumbling other men to the ground. While the skewered pirates twitched in their death throes, the men around them faltered.
As the shocked pirates stared at the two bodies, there was another explosion as the fuse lit the small canister of gun powder attached to the arrow. The pirates were tossed about in all directions, many to lie where they fell. Wounded and dying men began to scream.
Henry gave an exuberant shout. Then, realizing this was a golden opportunity, he bellowed. “Follow me, men!” and charged down the street, brandishing his sword in the air and howling like a banshee. The sight of the wild old man with murder in his eyes, his mouth wide open displaying terrible teeth as he screaming obscenities, was too much for the survivors. The ones that could stumbled away as fast as their legs could carry them. After the briefest hesitation, Henry’s men charged after him.
“He’s as mad as a jelly fish, you know?” one of them observed.
“Mad or not, I’ll follow that old bastard anywhere after this. Follow quickly, before he gets himself killed!” another crew member called out, and they charged after their captain, hollering and screaming, and then the slaughter began. No one was spared.
Guy heard the screams and realized what was going on. “Hold men. Just hold! Henry is going to be with us soon,” he bellowed.
But the pirates facing him also realized their danger. Those who could faded away, and within moments the street was deserted except for the dead and a few wounded.
“Come, men, we still have work to do!” Guy called, and he led the way at a run to where he met a very bloody and wild-eyed Henry. “What happened over there, Henry?” Guy demanded after they had embraced.
“They didn’t like Master Reza’s little toys, Guy!” a jubilant Henry shouted with glee, brandishing his bloody sword.
“We must go after them before the vindictive swine burn down any more houses. But one of us must find their ship or ships and destroy them. You or me?”
“I’ll go,” Guy grinned. “I think I know exactly where they are, and I can deal with them.”
“Go, my friend.” Henry clapped him on the shoulder and pushed him towards his ship. “Be safe, Guy. We will send men over the land side to thin them out before they get to their ships.”
“God protect, Henry!” Guy called after his friend, who had already turned away. “And God help the pirates if that old buzzard gets hold of them.” He laughed.
____________
Chapter 18
A Strong Defense
Let your blades drink blood like wine;
Feast ye in the banquet of slaughter,
By the light of the blazing halls!
Strong be your swords while your blood is warm,
And spare neither for pity nor fear,
For vengeance hath but an hour;
—Sir Walter Scott
“Who will you leave behind to guard the castle?” Rav’an demanded, after she had been informed of events and Max’s intentions.
“Junayd and Dar’an will remain with you, my Lady. I shall take half the men with me. Palladius will mutiny if I don’t allow him to come, but Gregory can work with Dar’an and will do as he is told. He is a tough man and a good soldier; he will make sure the castle is secured.”
“And Rostam?” Rav’an looked over at her son, standing beside Max.
“Your son wants to come with me, my Lady,” Max murmured.
“He is not fully a man!” she exclaimed.
Rostam was going to protest vehemently, but Max forestalled him with one hand on the boy’s shoulder.
“Enough to have fought the pirates at sea and to have saved Reza’s life,” Max reminded her. “This is a dangerous world, my Lady. Better he is prepared for the worst, and we can pray for the best.”
She gave a reluctant nod. “He will at least be in good hands,” she commented. Max nodded at the compliment.
“Then you must go. Time is pressing,” she told him. “Rostam, my son,” she turned to Rostam. “Do as Max says, and do not question him.”
Rostam looked sheepish. “When have I not, Mother?” He then grinned and kissed her on the cheek. “You and Aunty Jannat and Theo will hold the castle while we are gone! Don’t forget to arm the Scorpions before you shoot them!” He danced away from the gentle slap his mother would have delivered. “Mind your manners, young man,” she told him. “Go! And God protect.”
At that moment Junayd rushed into the main solarium and called out, “My Lady! Max! There are villagers running up the hill towards the castle.”
Rav’an followed the men as they climbed the steps leading up to the top of the keep. Staring northward towards the road to the harbor, they could see women, children, and old men straggling up the steep hillside. Despite the steep incline, they looked as though they were hurrying at the best speed they could manage.
“I can see some armed men about a quarter of a league behind them,” Max said, peering down. “Junayd, your eyes are good. Tell me what you see,” he demanded.
Junayd stared hard for a brief moment and then replied, “The men following the villagers are not ours, Sir Max. I am sure of it.”
“Then we must go! Rostam, get the horses ready. Junayd, you and Dar�
�an must stay and guard the castle with your companions. I don’t want anyone to slip past us and get inside while we are away. I shall take the Franks and some of the Greeks.”
Junayd and Dar’an nodded reluctantly. “We will stay,” Dar’an said.
Rav’an sent a thankful look at her two retainers. “Thank you,” she said.
Max and Rostam rushed off, while Rav’an and Jannat headed for the sick chamber to tell Reza and Theodora what was going on.
Dar’an and Junayd went down to see Max and his men off. Leading ten horsemen and twenty footmen, Max hastened out of the gates and to the junction of the road, which turned south and north. There they encountered the first of the terrified villagers, who were gasping for air after the long climb, and crying with both fear and exhaustion from their flight.
“What has happened?” Max demanded. He was answered by a babble of Greek, which Palladius helped to sort out. “They were woken up by a messenger sent from the port, but all he told them was that pirates were attacking and to seek shelter in the woods or go to the castle,” Palladius informed him.
More villagers were still struggling up the hill. Some were carrying crying infants, while others were helping older people negotiate the slope. Others carried possessions in bulky loads. A few reluctant donkeys were being cursed and dragged up the hill. Among the villagers were several men whom Max recognized. He called them over, and with Palladius acting as translator he managed to find out more details.
Apparently, the pirates had split into two large groups. As soon as John, the leader of the village, had understood that they were under attack, he had ordered all the women, children and aged to flee for the castle while he tried to create a diversion with his able-bodied men. They now had better weapons than in former days, Lord Talon had seen to that, and they had tried to lead the pirates away and ambush them.
Unfortunately, it had not quite worked that way. The pirates, after looting the village, had brushed the village men and boys aside, killing several and wounding many others. John had been killed, after which the rest had fled into the woods. Then the pirates had set off in pursuit of the women and children, who were now gathered in a wailing crowd before Max and his men.
Max wasted no time. “Go to the castle and be quick about it!” he ordered the frightened people. “Hurry!” He waved them towards the walls behind them.
Already he and his men could see the band of pirates well on their way up the mountain road. It seemed, however, that the pirates were not yet aware of Max and his men.
“Ambush is our only hope,” Max said to Rostam. “Dismount everyone except the bowmen! I want you and your lads with bows to be mounted behind us while we form a shield wall.”
“Why don’t we just charge them?” Rostam demanded impatiently.
“Had they been further down at the base of the hill it might have worked, but not now, because they will see us coming and simply step aside while we gallop past them, and then they will beat us back up the hill. Can’t have that,” Max answered. “The battle ground is ours to chose, and I choose to be on the up-slope. You and your bowmen will do the most damage. Our job is to prevent them getting past us to you and the castle. Do you understand?” This last was delivered sharply, as Rostam still seemed reluctant.
“I understand, Uncle Max,” he said, and then called to his men, “Stay mounted and prepare to shoot. Join me behind Sir Max.”
While the archers were preparing, Max and Palladius moved their men into position across the narrowest part of the road, not far from the crest. These men were well practiced in the formation of a shield wall; theirs spanned the road at the entrance to the woods which covered the upper slope. The castle was at their backs but a good hundred paces away; this left them more exposed. However, Max had spoken with Dar’an and Junayd earlier and they were preparing a surprise.
The first of the pirates marching up the curve in the road saw the silent line of men with their shields just in time to receive an arrow in the chest. Rostam had sent it, and Max nodded with approval as he noted the accuracy and the distance. “Nice shot,” he murmured to Palladius, who nodded his own approval.
*****
Rav’an and Jannat silently entered the chamber that had been prepared for Reza, and beckoned to Theodora. She held a finger to her lips. “He sleeps,” she whispered.
“How is he?” Jannat whispered, her concern very evident.
“I think he might just be getting beyond the fever,” Theo told her, as they moved into the corridor.
“Thank God for that, but I thank you more, my sister,” Jannat said. She embraced Theodora.
“What is going on out there?” Theo demanded. Her red hair was bound back in a copper-colored ponytail, there were dark rings under her eyes, and her pale, oval face showed tired lines. “I have not heard alarms like this for a long time! Is it one of those practices the men are forever having?”
“No, Sister. Not this time,” Rav’an told her. Theo’s eyes widened with alarm. They told her in short, whispered sentences what they knew, and had nearly completed their report when they heard a pained grunt from Reza. The three of them tip-toed into the chamber to find Reza awake. He looked pale and gaunt, but there was certainly more color in his face than before.
“My Love, we didn’t want to wake you,” Jannat told him as she leaned over to kiss his forehead.
“I have been awake longer than you think, and I have heard a lot of disturbances going on outside,” he responded, touching Jannat’s arm.
“We don’t want to alarm you, Reza my darling, but….” Jannat looked at Rav’an and Theodora. “May we tell him?” she asked.
Theodora was reluctant but shrugged. Rav’an sighed and said, “You must promise not to get too excited if we do tell you, Reza.”
“Excited about what? What is going on?” he demanded, plucking at the covers.
“The pirates came back early this morning and started to burn the harbor,” she bluntly informed him, and watched the look of astonishment on his face. He tried to sit up, but groaned again.
“Reza, you must not move! Is that clear?” Theodora told him. Reza rolled his eyes, then reluctantly bowed to the inevitable. He simply did not have the strength to rise, let alone to fight. I cannot, even if I…. Help me to sit up,” he ordered. The women complied, but it was a slow and painful process. Finally, when he was propped up more comfortably he said, “Henry and Guy can probably manage down in the village, as long as they were not caught napping. They can always take to the boats. But what about the second village?”
They explained that Max and Rostam had gone off to confront the pirates. Then Rav’an cocked her head. “If I am not mistaken, some of the villagers have already arrived,” she stated. The noise made by the refugees was beginning to make itself clearly heard, even through the thick walls. “I shall have to go down and see to them.” She made to depart, but Reza said, “Wait one minute, Rav’an. I need you to send me Dar’an. How many men did Max take out with him?”
“I think about twenty men-at-arms and several of your young archers, including Rostam,” Jannat told him.
He did some thinking then. He was sure Max would be able to delay the pirates; he hoped he could do even better than that. But out in the open there was the risk of being flanked. They had precious few men left to guard the large enclosure of the castle itself. It might have been better to leave the villagers to their fate and concentrate on defending the castle and all therein, but not even he would have been able to countenance that. To his mind Max had done the right thing. He urgently needed to talk to Dar’an.
“Send Dar’an. It is very important, Rav’an,” he told her, and she hurried off. Jannat stayed with Reza, while Theodora went off to see to her other patients. Some were still in her care from the sea battle.
“I am glad that you seem to be recovering, my Reza,” Jannat murmured. Tears shone in her huge eyes as she held his hand. He squeezed back. He glanced over at his sword propped up against the wall nearb
y and fretted. “I should be taking care of this myself !” he grumbled.
It was Junayd who appeared, however, and seeing the look on Reza’s face he hastened to explain. “Lord Reza, Dar’an apologizes for not coming and sent me instead. He said you would understand. He is down in the basements preparing his barrels and those other infernal things, and as I cannot do that work he sent me.” He knelt before the bed.
Reza gave a wan smile. “Dar’an has anticipated me,” he said. “Good. Who is manning the walls, and who is in charge of them? We are so few!”
“It is Gregoree,” Junayd said, mispronouncing the name. “He has posted men all around the walls.”
“Tell him to get all the boys and old men from the village onto the walls where they can help defend should the need arise,” Reza ordered. “We might as well keep them busy now that they are here.”
He went on to discuss other aspects of the defense, should pirates get past Max, which he fervently hoped they would not. While they were talking, Theodora came back and took Reza’s pulse, then brusquely ordered Junayd out of the room.
“You must rest, Reza, or the fever will return and I cannot answer for anything after that. Jannat, you can stay.”
Reza gave a frustrated grunt but waved Junayd off. “Keep me informed,” he called after the youth. Junayd smiled disarmingly at Theodora, who pretended to glower at him before he slipped out of the door.
*****
Max and his men were busy. The pirates had come running up the slope in a ragged group, yelling as they came, and despite several of them going down to arrows they had charged the shield wall. Most of the local men were unused to battle, but most of the Franks were familiar with the solid formation and they helped hold the line alongside of Max and Palladius.
The pirates were courageous and confident that they could break past this thin wall of men, and then the castle would be theirs. All that stood between them and their plunder was the stubborn hedgehog of sharp, stabbing spears coming from behind a solid wall of large shields. They would try to seize the shaft of a spear only to be stabbed by another. If one or more managed to breach the wall or reach over the first line of defense, the men just behind would hammer them with their swords, or pierce them with even more spears, or hack at them with long-handled axes. Worst of all was the deadly accuracy of the bowmen.
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