by DAVID B. COE
“The girl admits that she ate some of the food.”
Landry rounded on Gawain. “Yes, she does, which is more than Egan has done. She confesses to some wrongdoing, and that makes me more inclined to believe her denials.”
“That makes no sense,” Gawain said, throwing his arms wide.
Some on the deck looked their way, including Egan.
“Keep your voice down,” Tancrede whispered.
Gawain leaned in closer. “The child’s own father accepts that she is guilty,” he said, lowering his voice as well. “If he believes she stole the food, why shouldn’t we?”
“The father was humiliated,” Landry said. “She stole. She hid that fact for most of the day. She admits this. Every person on board is in greater peril because food was taken. How could he not be ashamed? In such a position, how could he argue for her innocence?”
“What are the three of you discussing?” Godfrey asked, joining their circle. “And why have you not yet given out some food? It grows late.”
Tancrede looked to Landry, who dipped his chin.
“We believe the girl might have been telling the truth.”
“All three of you?”
Gawain’s mouth twitched. He looked off to the side.
“Landry and me,” Tancrede said.
“And does it matter that her father disagrees with you?”
To his credit, Landry did not flinch from the commander’s glare. “Not really, no.”
Godfrey appeared to consider this. “All right. How do you wish to proceed?”
“I want to speak with her,” Tancrede said. “Below, without an audience.”
“Of course, you’re welcome do so. But I would be surprised if she told you anything different from what she said here a few minutes ago.”
Tancrede took the measure of Egan again. The man still kept to himself. “I’d be surprised, too. That may be the point.”
Chapter 5
Her father comes down into the hold and sits beside her. When he first arrives, Adelina expects that he will berate her. Instead, he merely strokes her hair and whispers words of comfort. She cannot stop crying. She cannot forgive him for believing Egan’s denials over her own. But he loves her still, and this comes as a great relief.
She hears footsteps above them, and then on the worn wooden stairs leading below.
“May we speak with you?”
Adelina opens her eyes, sees through a blur of tears that two of the knights have come. Landry and Tancrede.
“Yes, of course,” her father says.
“Forgive us, Simon,” Landry says. “We wish to speak with your daughter.”
Her father moves closer to her. “Sir Godfrey said she would not be punished.”
“And so she will not be. But we wish a word with her. You may remain if you like, or you can leave us briefly. I assure you, no harm will come to her.”
“I don’t—”
“It’s all right, Papa.” Her voice quavers. She sniffs, wipes her eyes, and sits up. “I want to speak with them. Alone. I promise to tell them the truth.”
Her father scowls, clearly hating this idea.
“Simon,” Tancrede says, “she will be safe with us. You know this. And as you say, she has already been spared punishment. We merely wish to learn more about what precisely happened last night.”
Her pulse quickens. Do they believe her? Is that why they have come?
“Please, Papa. Let me talk to them.”
He lets out a long breath, stands. “I’ll be right over here,” he says, walking to the stairs.
Landry and Tancrede sit before her, both solemn. She crosses her arms over her chest.
“You know that it is a sin to lie, yes?” Tancrede says.
She nods.
“In your religion as well as ours.”
“I know that.”
“Good. Earlier you said—”
“Everything I said up there was true,” she tells him, eyes locked on his. “I stole. Egan offered me a piece of meat, and I took it, because I was very hungry.” Fresh tears run from her eyes and she swipes at them with an impatient hand. “But he gave it to me because I saw him stealing food, cheese as well as the meat. I don’t know what else he took. But he was going through the food. That’s what woke me up. He saw me watching him and told me how hungry he was and then brought the meat over to me and gave me half. He said it would be our secret. Neither of us would tell anyone.” More tears fall onto her lap, but she ignores them.
“I know no one believes me because I’m a girl and he’s an adult, but that’s what happened. I swear it before God.” Saying this, she chances a look at her father. He watches them from the stairs. She can’t tell if he can hear what they’ve said.
“Why didn’t you tell anyone what had happened?” Landry asks.
She wants to shy away from his appraising gaze, but she makes herself face him, and allows her tears to fall. “Because what I did was wrong, and I didn’t want to get in trouble. I knew my father would be shamed.”
“Did Egan threaten you? Did he say he would hurt you if you told us what really happened?”
Saying he had done these things might convince them. It would certainly excuse her silence in the day since Egan ate the food. But thus far, her lies have only made matters worse. More, she has promised her father that she will tell them the truth.
She shakes her head. “He didn’t threaten me at all. He gave me food. That was how he made sure I wouldn’t tell.”
The knights glance at each other. After a moment, Landry nods.
“We believe you,” he says, facing her again.
Adelina blinks. “You do? Truly?”
He grins. “Shouldn’t we?”
She cannot help but smile in response. Her heart lightens, gratitude to these men overwhelming her. This feeling is better than any food she has ever tasted.
“What you did was wrong, Adelina. You saw someone stealing from all of us, making life more difficult for all of us, and you did nothing to stop him. Indeed, you partook of his pillage, which is even worse.”
“I know. I’m very sorry.”
“I believe you are.” Tancrede stands and calls to her father.
He hurries back to them, appearing frightened. “What did she tell you?”
“She told us what happened,” Landry says, standing as well. “And we believe her.”
Puzzlement creases her father’s forehead. “I don’t understand.”
“We think that Egan did steal the missing food. He gave Adelina a morsel to buy her silence, just as she told us earlier.”
“You’re sure of this?”
“A lot of food was taken, Simon,” Tancrede says. “More, I believe, than Adelina alone could have eaten.”
Her father shakes his head. “I wanted to believe her, but that man…” His expression hardens. One of his hands closes into a tight fist, and his dark eyes, normally so gentle, turn flinty. She has seen him angry many times before, but never like this. “He stole the food? And he was willing to let the blame fall on my daughter?”
“I’m afraid that’s—”
Landry has time for no more than that. Her father tries to push past the knights, his hand on the hilt of the knife he carries on his belt.
Tancrede grabs his arm and pulls him back. “Simon, no!”
Her father struggles to break free. Landry helps Tancrede restrain him, and Adelina starts to cry again.
“I’ll cut his throat!” her father says, snarling the words.
“No, you won’t!” Tancrede says. “Leave this to us. We’ll speak with Godfrey, and if we can ascertain the truth of what happened, he will administer justice. You have our word on that.”
“What is that justice likely to be? A reprimand? Loss of one night’s rations? If he did these things – if he ate our food and blamed Adelina for his crime – he deserves to be punished!”
“Trust us, Simon. Please.”
After another few seconds, her father rele
nts, ceasing his struggles and heaving a breath. He raises his hands for the knights to see. They release him.
“Forgive me,” he says.
“We understand,” Landry tells him. “But you should probably remain below while we speak to Egan.”
“No. That I will not do. You want me to forego my own vengeance, and I will. I appreciate the sense in that. But I will have the satisfaction of seeing him confronted with his crimes.” He puts an arm on Adelina’s shoulder, and draws her to him. “We both will.”
The Templars weigh this in silence. Eventually, Tancrede opens his hands in acquiescence. They start up the stairway to the deck, allowing Adelina and her father to follow them. But as they climb, Adelina sees her father touch his hand to the hilt of his blade once more.
* * *
A step behind Tancrede, Landry was conscious of Simon seething below him.
“I don’t like this,” he muttered, so that only his fellow knight could hear.
“Neither do I, but we haven’t the authority to confine them to the hold. Besides, if it was my daughter, I’d want to see the man confronted as well.”
Landry knew it would have been fruitless to argue, even if he hadn’t felt the same way.
They went to Godfrey first. He stood at the rudder, seeming lost in thought. Draper and Gawain were deep in conversation nearby.
As they approached the commander, he roused himself. “Well?”
“The girl is telling the truth,” Tancrede said. “I’m certain of it.”
Landry nodded. “We both are.”
He looked back, expecting to find Simon and Adelina with them. But the man and his daughter lingered by the hatch. Simon glared at Egan, who remained near the starboard rail, watching them all, wary and alert.
“How can you be so sure?” Gawain asked, coming to stand with them. “Is she so much more convincing than Egan?”
“Actually, yes.” Tancrede addressed Godfrey again. “We have no proof beyond the amount of food that was taken, and the truth we heard in the girl’s words, but I would stake my life on this. She’s not innocent. She doesn’t claim to be. But this was Egan’s crime. She happened to witness it, and that is why he shared his bounty with her. I believe that’s the only reason.”
“You agree?” Godfrey said to Landry.
“I do.”
“Very well. How should we proceed?”
Tancrede shook his head. “I don’t know. But we should act quickly, and I believe we should mete out some punishment. If we don’t, Simon is likely to take matters into his own hands.”
“Not that I would blame him,” Landry added.
Godfrey sent a dark look his way. “We will not act out of vengeance, or allow anyone else to do so. That is not justice, nor is it our way.” He stared past them toward Egan. “But let’s speak to him. The three of us, I think. Gawain, Draper, remain here. Keep an eye on the father.”
“Of course,” Draper said.
Godfrey, Tancrede, and Landry made their way to Egan. As they passed Simon and Adelina, Landry offered what he hoped would be a reassuring smile. Simon appeared unmoved.
The other passengers cleared out of their way, opening a space in the area near Egan. For his part, the man remained where he was. Landry saw that he carried a knife on his belt, but he kept his hands at his sides.
“What is this?” he asked, eyes skipping from one of them to the next.
“We have questions for you,” Godfrey said. He nodded to Tancrede.
“Tell us again what you saw the girl do,” Tancrede said.
Egan shrugged. “She was eating. She found the food you bought, and she ate as much of it as she could. I know she’s small, but you should have seen her. I didn’t want to say as much before – young as she is – but she was shoving food into her mouth. Handfuls of it.”
“I thought you said you didn’t worry about her eating too much,” Landry said. “‘A wisp of a thing,’ you called her. You said that you let her eat because you thought she wouldn’t take too much. That was a lie?”
“Well, no—”
“So, you’re lying now.”
“No, I’m not. She took a few handfuls, and I thought that would be enough for her. But… But she must have taken more.”
“She claims it was you,” Tancrede said. “She woke up to the sound of you moving about in the hold. When you saw that she was awake, you gave her a bit of meat to keep her from waking the others.”
His bark of laughter sounded forced. “Well, of course she said that. What would she say? I caught her with her hand in the bag, and she knows it.”
“So you didn’t eat any of the food at all?”
“No! I’ve told you what happened. Her father believes me, as do the others. Why won’t you?”
“No, her father doesn’t believe you,” came another voice.
Landry looked back. Simon stood directly behind him, knife in hand.
“Simon, this is not your fight,” Landry said. “Go back to Adelina. We’ll handle this.”
“Not my fight? If not mine, then whose?”
Egan sneered. “I don’t believe this,” he said, eyeing each of the knights in turn. “You would believe her over me? A Jew girl over a Christian? Do those crosses on your chests mean nothing to you?”
Landry took a step toward the man, rage speeding his pulse. “This has nothing to do with their faith!”
“Of course it does,” Tancrede said.
Landry pivoted toward his fellow Templar. “What?”
Tancrede’s glare never wavered. “It has everything to do with faith. We know that Adelina has told the truth, because she swore to her God. We take her explanation on faith, because we sense the truth of it. There is holiness in a confession given freely, without evasion, and with God’s forgiveness, which comes to those who acknowledge their sins.” Distaste contorted his expression. “In the same way, there is evil in lies, in false witness. And just to be clear, you, sir, are no Christian.”
Egan drew himself up, raised his chin. “I don’t have to listen to this.”
“No, you don’t. You’re free to swim back to Cyprus.”
Landry stifled a laugh, which came out as an undignified snort.
“I will not be ridiculed!”
“If that is the punishment we choose for you,” Godfrey said, “then yes, you will be.”
“They’re Jews!” Egan said, shouting the words as he pointed at Adelina and her father. The tendons in his neck bulged. “You would dare punish me and do nothing to her?”
Simon pushed Landry aside and attempted to lunge for Egan, leading with his blade. But Landry was bigger than Simon, and stronger, and despite the ache in his shoulder, he caught the man around the waist and wrestled him back.
Egan retreated a step, hands raised to ward himself. “You see? They’re animals! You can’t trust them!”
“I’ll kill you, you lying bastard!” Simon bellowed, still struggling to break free.
Landry had half a mind to let him go. It seemed Tancrede’s thoughts ran in a similar direction.
“Perhaps we should allow Simon to do as he pleases,” said the lean knight, eyeing Egan critically.
Egan’s cheeks blanched. “What do you mean?”
“Administering justice at sea is no easy matter,” Tancrede said, more to Godfrey than to Egan. “This is why a ship’s captain is generally accorded so much latitude. So perhaps it would make sense to allow the girl’s father to choose a proper punishment for this one.” He tipped his head in Egan’s direction. “That strikes me as just.”
Simon ceased his struggles. He was breathing hard, but he glanced at Landry. “Forgive me,” he whispered for the second time that evening.
Landry released him. “Of course.”
“I would be happy to administer justice,” Simon said, raising his voice so the others could hear.
“No!” Egan wet his lips. “I mean, I’ve done nothing. You can prove nothing.”
“That’s true,” Godfrey s
aid. “Perhaps a duel is in order. A contest before God. Surely the just party would prevail.”
Simon gave a decisive nod. “Gladly.”
“No,” Egan said again, just as quickly. “You—you can see the man is crazed with rage. It wouldn’t be a fair test of honor.”
“I believe it would,” Godfrey said. To Tancrede, he added, “A fine idea, Brother Tancrede. You have our thanks.”
Simon brandished his knife and advanced on the man. Egan backed away. He grabbed for his own weapon and fumbled it. It clattered to the deck and he dove to retrieve it. Scrambling to his feet again, he held the knife before him, his hand shaking violently.
“To the death?” Godfrey asked.
Tancrede lifted a shoulder. “Naturally.”
Egan’s gaze bounced between the knights and Simon, who continued to stalk him. “No, wait!”
“Perhaps you wish to make restitution in some way?” Godfrey asked.
“Yes! That’s it!” Still he fell back, pursued by the girl’s father.
“You would first have to admit your guilt, confess to all on this vessel that you lied about Adelina, and that it was you who stole the food, you who gave her the small bite she had to eat.”
“Yes, fine! I confess it! Now call him off!”
“Say it now.”
“I stole the food. It was like she said. She woke up and saw me. I gave her the meat to keep her silent!”
“Good. You must also agree to give us whatever valuables you have with you, so that we might, at the next opportunity, buy provisions to replace those you took from us.”
Simon was almost on him now. He lashed out with the toe of his boot, catching Egan’s wrist. The man’s weapon flew from his hand, bounced against the ship’s hull, and slid to the base of the rail.
“Anything! Just tell him to stop!”
Simon seized Egan by the collar and hauled him to his feet.
“Simon, hold.”
The girl’s father paused to glance back at Tancrede. He was no longer beyond reason, as he had been earlier, but Landry read a plea in the man’s eyes. If the Templars allowed it, he would slay Egan without a second thought.
“Please,” Tancrede said. “You don’t want his blood on your hands, nor on Adelina’s. He has confessed. All now know that she didn’t do this thing.”