Masters of Medieval Romance: Series Starters Volume 1

by Kathryn Le Veque

  “Time is passing, my lady. The more we discuss this, the closer Gaetan and his men come to death.”

  He was right. God help her, he was right. It was the first time in her life that Ghislaine had ever had to make such a choice. She had to think about Gaetan and not herself. She wanted him to survive and, in that want, she was willing to do anything. Even sacrifice her future happiness. No thoughts of her future love or future children. There would be none now. Gaetan would be married to Lygia and give her his sons. Yet, Ghislaine would remain empty. Hollow.

  But Gaetan would be alive.

  The decision was made.

  “If that is your price, then I have little choice but to agree,” she said, hating herself even as she said it. “But know that I hate you with every bone in my body for demanding such a thing. You are a wicked, wicked man.”

  Antillius felt as if he’d just won some great victory but in that victory was great sadness. Contrary to what the lady said, he wasn’t wicked by nature, but he was determined to save his people any way he could. Perhaps in time, the lady would understand that. Perhaps not. In any case, he knew he’d made another enemy of the great Saxon family but there was nothing he could do about it. He had what he wanted.

  And so did she.

  “Come with me and we shall find you a suitable horse.”

  Ghislaine went with him, wiping tears all the way.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

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  The day shall end and the end shall be known

  Kidderminster was a dusty dirty town that was quite crowded, Bartholomew and Kye discovered. It was a market town, which meant farmers from all over the area brought their wares to town to find buyers for them and even at this hour, past midday, the streets were clogged with farmers, carts, animals, buyers, and everyone else in between.

  In fact, Bartholomew and Kye were very surprised to see such bustle but, given the fact that they were enemy knights in Saxon territory, they didn’t want to call attention to themselves as they milled through the town. The River Severn ran near Kidderminster and there was a big wooden bridge that crossed the road into the town. Down below the bridge on the riverbanks were thick trees and foliage, so the knights left their horses hidden in the undergrowth. Covering themselves with their cloaks to hide not only their mail and tunics, but also conceal their Norman haircuts and shaved faces, they headed into town.

  The side of town they entered was the marketing side and it was full of people as the knights mingled with the crowds inconspicuously, keeping their eyes opened for any bulk movement of men coming through. The town itself seemed to be dirty, run-down, with collapsing buildings and people that were dressed in rags. As they moved, they saw several destitute citizens begging on the edge of the street, but the knights passed them by. They were not without sympathy for the poor but giving coinage to people who had none would attract attention they didn’t want. They moved on.

  Heading deeper into the town, they were struck by the smell of baking bread mingled with the smell of human waste. The road was lined with houses, with people conducting their business from their homes, and off to the north they could see the church steeple framed against the deep blue sky. They walked past a woman carrying chickens in two big cages, and passed yet another woman and her family who were herding pigs through the town.

  Passing into what appeared to be the center of the town, they came upon the town well where people were drawing their water from a great pool. There was also a man selling big hollowed-out stale bread bowls filled with boiled peas and ham, and the smells lured them in. They purchased two big bread bowls and wolfed down the food, thinking Saxon food to be quite tasty. Wellesbourne managed to get it all over the front of his cloak, which made him look rather slovenly. St. Hèver rolled his eyes at him and accused him of eating like one of the many pigs they’d passed by.

  Bellies full, the knights continued past the church and through the city that was really little more than clusters of wooden houses with heavy sod roofs. They seemed to be walking against traffic for the most part and as they continued walking, they could see another entrance to Kidderminster in the eastern portion of the town’s wall. St. Hèver pulled Wellesbourne aside.

  “Look,” he hissed from behind one of those short wooden houses. “An entry into town from the east. I have been looking around but have not seen another entry, so when Alary comes through, that must be where he will come from.”

  Wellesbourne was looking around as well. “As I recall from being here once as a child, there is also an entry to the north on the other side of the church, but I do not think Alary would come from that direction”

  “This is where he shall enter.”

  “Exactly.”

  St. Hèver scouted their location, seeing the houses spread around, the stockyards, even a cemetery across from the church. He tugged on Wellesbourne.

  “Come on,” he said. “I’ll hide over by the eastern entrance. You find a spot near the church where you can catch a glimpse of the northern entrance just in case Alary comes in that direction. I’ll get as close to the eastern entrance as I can so I can see what is coming up the road. If I see something, I’ll signal you.”

  “How?”

  “Listen for my whistle.”

  St. Hèver could whistle between his teeth loudly enough to puncture eardrums. Wellesbourne nodded and they split off, going to find a place to wait for a sighting of Alary’s army. But it would be an uncertain wait. The army’s appearance could be today, tomorrow, or even another day. Still, they were going to dig in. They were the advance team and the entire operation of rescuing Kristoph would depend on just how alert they were. Therefore, they selected their vantage points carefully and settled down.

  Now, all they could do was wait.

  Unfortunately, Kye realized early on in the waiting process that eating that huge meal had been a mistake. The knights were suffering from a lack of sleep and now with a full belly, it was a perfect time to sleep the afternoon away. Kye was seated against the perimeter wall of the town, a wooden wall about as tall as a man with a spiked end, and struggling to stay awake. He was wedged between a pig sty and a winter garden that had many rabbits in it, which a dog would come and chase off every so often. Then the dog would come over and sniff him before he would chase it off. That went on for a while until the dog eventually left him alone.

  The afternoon continued on and the comings and goings at the wall entrance began to lag greatly. In fact, it seemed rather deserted as people returned home after a day of business. But Kye remained vigilant, watching those who were entering, on the lookout for soldiers or men with weapons. He had even stood up, several times, to peer between the slats in the wall, looking at the road that was leading into the village only to be met with a deserted scene. The road, at that time of day, remained empty.

  But as time passed, Kye tried not become discouraged by the lack of an army. The knights were so terribly worked up for Alary’s appearance that expectations were admittedly high. But it was very possible Alary would not show today. Perhaps he was two or three days behind them just as Gaetan had suggested. The man was traveling slowly with an army, far more slowly than knights without encumbrances were, so to expect them on this day was more than likely unreasonable.

  At least, that’s what Kye told himself. He had to force himself to be patient. But he settled back on his bum, leaning against the wall, and continued to watch the entrance. As the sun began to wane and the sky began to turn shades that suggested a coming sunset, he was thinking on finding Wellesbourne to see if the man had seen something worth reporting. Clearly, nothing more was going to happen this day. Just as he stood up, he thought he heard a distant rumble.

  Looking up in the sky, there were clouds but nothing that implied a coming storm. But the rumble was still there, growing louder, and he turned to peer through the slats in the wooden fence. Immediately, he was met with armed men on foot, and armed men on horseback, and two wagons from what he could see coming
up the road. The rumble had been from the wagons bumping over the rough road.

  An army was approaching.

  Kye fell to his knees again, huddling back behind the pig sty which provided him with a shield against anyone coming in through the wall entry. Certainly, this could be another army, and the truth was that he had no idea what Alary of Mercia looked like. But he did know what Kristoph looked like. It was his task to search each and every face in that approaching army to see if he spied a Norman knight he had known for several years.

  Excitement filled his veins as he lay low, waiting. Meanwhile, he was praying that Wellesbourne saw the same army and was doing exactly the same as he was – laying low and trying to spot Kristoph. This was the moment they’d been waiting for. From his position behind the pig sty, Kye had a perfect view of the incoming army and it wasn’t long before the leading edge of the army began to enter.

  Men dressed in heavy tunics, with axes slung on their backs as well as crudely made shields, passed through the entry and continued onward. They were followed by other foot soldiers, some with helms, more than a few with what looked like Norman helms and shields. That was St. Hèver’s first clue that these men might have been at the battle between Harold Godwinson and the Duke of Normandy; stolen Norman protection seemed to be peppered throughout the lines. Even one of the men on horseback, who was very well dressed with a fur cloak and well-made clothing had a sword at his side that was most definitely not Saxon.

  Kye recognized the Norman workmanship.

  More of the army passed through, moving at a good pace but still looking rather weary, as if they had walked a very long way. When the first of the wagons passed through, Kye struggled to see inside of it but all he could see on the flat bed were sacks and weapons and other things an army on the move might need. But then the second wagon came through. It had men around it, which blocked Kye’s view of what was inside. The sides were high, also, and there were provisions piled in it; he could see barrels and sacks, food needed for the men.

  Kye had to move around the pig sty so he could see what was in that wagon because the men and the provisions were blocking most of his view. As the wagon moved past him and he changed positions, he could suddenly see a man chained up in the back of the wagon and, as his heart leapt with glee, a blonde head he recognized very well. Kristoph de Lohr was chained in the back of the wagon, looking unshaven and shaggy-haired, but it was definitely him. And he was alive.

  Their missing brother had been found.

  Kye was so excited that he was quivering. He had to get to Wellesbourne and tell the man what he saw. And then they had to race to Gaetan and tell him that Kristoph was alive and that Alary’s army was on its way. But the army was still trickling in and he didn’t want to give himself away by emitting a piercing whistle. Yet, he knew the longer he waited, the more chance there was of him not being able to make his way to Gaetan before Alary did. He was almost certain that Wellesbourne was seeing the same thing from his vantage point across the road so he had to assume that the man was preparing to race back to Gaetan as well. Any delay might cost them a great deal.

  Therefore, Kye began to run. Skirting through yards, over fish ponds, through horse dung, and through alleys, he raced as fast as he could, making it to the end of town well before Alary’s army did and flying across the wooden bridge and to the river bank below where the horses had been left.

  His horse was still where he left it, having eaten its fill of the plump grass and was now standing lazily, napping. That all ended when Kye vaulted onto the horse’s back and spurred it up to the road, heading off to the east where he knew Gaetan and the others were waiting. They would have a very short amount of time to prepare their ambush and they needed all of the advance notice they could get.

  Kristoph was coming. And they had to be ready.

  Sunset was on the approach.

  Gaetan stood on the side of the road, looking up at the sky through the canopy of trees and wondering if Ghislaine was still asleep. Perhaps she was awake by now, supping with Antillius and his three daughters, eating a good meal with a fire to keep her warm and a roof over her head.

  That was the way it should be with her; the life of a fine lady and not a warrior. He knew he was going to have a fight on his hands when he told her that he didn’t want her to fight any longer. He wanted her to become the wife of a great warrior, to run his household and bear his legitimate children. He hoped he could explain all of that to her before she took a stick to him.

  The thought made him grin. The most beautiful woman in all the land was a ruffian in disguise. Well, not exactly a ruffian, but definitely a trained warrior. He had enough of those and didn’t need another. What he wanted from her was something far less violent. He knew it would be difficult for her but he suspected she would want to please him.

  Truth be told, she already did. God had been good to bring her into his life.

  Forcing his thoughts away from Ghislaine, Gaetan turned back to his men who were still wandering in and out of the trees on the north side of the road. The land was relatively flat all around them but there was excellent ground cover, easily enough to hide them until they decided to come forth and ambush Alary’s army.

  “Gate!”

  De Winter was several yards away from him to the east, now calling his name. As Gaetan headed in his direction, Denis was pointing down the road.

  “Riders,” Denis said. “I cannot tell who it is yet, but there are two of them. Mayhap it is Marc and Lance.”

  Gaetan, too, could see riders coming around the curve in the road about a half-mile down. “And it just as easily could not be them,” he said, waving to the men standing on the road and trying to get a look. “Into the trees.”

  They scattered, disappearing into the foliate to hide themselves. Gaetan was well off the road, back behind a broad tree trunk, peering around it to see if the riders were his own men coming down the road. Soon enough, the pair came within range and he could see that it was, indeed, de Moray and de Reyne. Gaetan and the other knights wandered back out to the road.

  “Well?” Gaetan demanded. “What about Tenebris? What did you see?”

  As de Reyne dismounted his sweating horse, de Moray spoke. “You are not going to like this,” he said. “We saw a rather small fortress with a tall wooden wall around it, a moat that we could smell from a mile away, and when we used the trees as cover to get a closer look at it, the forest around it was filled with corpses.”

  Gaetan’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?” he asked, confused. “As if an army had not taken away their dead?”

  De Moray wearily dismounted his horse. “This, I cannot tell you,” he said. “It did not look like an army to me. It was a pile of bodies, some of them so old and moldering that grass had grown up all around them and they had become part of the earth. Although the clothing remained on them, anything of value was stripped.”

  It sounded ghastly and Gaetan did, indeed, make a face of distaste. “God’s Bones,” he muttered. “Dead everywhere?”

  “All around the front of the fortress from what we could see. Once we made it to the rear of the fortress, there were no more bodies.”

  That made absolutely no sense at all but it reminded Gaetan what Ghislaine had said of the place. “She said it was a dark and terrible place,” he muttered. “Ghislaine, I mean. She said that Tenebris was very dark.”

  De Moray nodded, still trying to shake off what he’d seen. “More than you know,” he said. “I have never seen anything like it.”

  The state of the fortress hinted at the darkness of the mind behind it, the man who had Kristoph’s life in his hands. Gaetan couldn’t shake off that sense of horror. “But what about the fortress itself?” he asked. “Is it well guarded?”

  De Reyne entered the conversation. “We saw just a few men,” he said. “No more than a handful, really. There is a small motte and a keep atop it, but the fortress itself is very small.”

  “Is it something we can brea
ch if needed?”

  De Reyne nodded. “I have no doubt,” he said. “It seemed to me that the moat flowed beneath the walls and into the compound, so that could be a relatively simple way to enter it.”

  De Moray grunted. “Simple, aye, but that moat was filled with unspeakable filth. I should not like to crawl through that.”

  Gaetan echoed that thought, but he was more pragmatic. “If we must, then we must,” he said. “But you saw no evidence of an army inside of it?”

  De Reyne shook his head. “Nothing at all. It seemed deserted.”

  There was relief in that knowledge. “Then Alary has not returned yet,” he sighed, pleased. “It means he must pass along this road to get there and when he does, we shall be ready.”

  “Is it possible he has another property somewhere that he has gone to?” de Reyne asked. “I never heard the lady mention any other property, but it concerns me that Alary may not be returning to Tenebris at all.”

  Gaetan could only shrug. “That has occurred to me also, but Ghislaine seemed positive that Alary would return here and she made a point of stating that he has no other properties. Even Tenebris belongs to Edwin, but I suppose there is always a chance Alary could have stopped somewhere else or gone on to an ally’s property.” He paused, thinking that possibility was most disheartening. “All we can do now is wait and see. If Alary does not appear within the next week, then we may have to consider other options.”

  No one wanted to do that, not when they had come so far. Just as de Reyne and de Moray moved to take their horses off the road, the sounds of thundering hooves caught their attention. All eyes turned to the east to see St. Hèver riding towards them at breakneck speed.

  Suddenly, everyone was on edge as St. Hèver came to a halt, kicking up rocks and dirt. His manner bordered on frantic. “Alary is coming through Kidderminster now,” he said, out of breath. “He will be on us in half an hour at the very most.”

  The news electrified the knights. Any fatigue, or disappointment, or doubt abruptly fled as they realized the target of their search, the very bastard who had evaded them for weeks, was only minutes away.