by Griff Hosker
He stared at my father, studying him. “You are the warrior who saved half of the Christian army are you not? You are Sir Thomas of Stockton.”
He was remarkably well informed, “I am.”
“And you recovered from a wound which would have laid low most men?” My father nodded. “Then Allah must favour you. I shall bear that in mind.”
I watched his eyes as he took a breath to continue. He had sharp eyes and he was constantly watching our faces. This was a clever man and not one to be underestimated.
“You wish to buy back these prisoners?”
My father was equal to this Emir. He shook his head, “In a perfect world we would not pay for them but take them off your hands so that you did not have to feed them.”
As-Salih Ayyub laughed, “You have much nerve. If the situation was reversed would you simply let your captives go?”
“When we took Nablus not a man was killed.”
He glared at Al-Shama, “And that was because a traitor helped you!”
Al-Shama kept his face impassive. I realised then that he was in as dangerous a position as any of us; probably more dangerous as his lord was considered to be a threat to As-Salih Ayyub.
“Nonetheless, it shows that we can be merciful.”
“And I will be merciful too. I will take one chest of gold. The chest will be a cubit by a cubit.”
My father asked, “A Roman cubit or an Egyptian one?”
The Emir smiled, “You are a knowledgeable man. An Egyptian one, of course.”
I learned later that a Roman one was a third as big again as an Egyptian cubit. The Emir valued his own culture more than profits. It showed that money was unimportant to him. I knew then that this Egyptian had a network of spies for we had four such chests back in Ascalon but only one had gold. The other three were silver. He knew how much to ask for.
“That is acceptable.”
“Then return to Ascalon and we will bring your captives there for I would speak with your King Thibaut.”
Now I understood the presence of his army. With the Mameluke guards and the Khwarzamians, he had enough to force a battle if things turned ugly, yet it was not enough to invade Outremer. I saw in that meeting that this was another Saladin.
Chapter 14
After speaking with the Duke to tell him of the arrangements, we left the next day to return to Ascalon. We had no escort this time and I took that as a measure of the faith they had in my father. He spoke the truth and they liked that. It was not true of all crusaders. Al-Shama confirmed, as we rode north, of the personal danger he had been in when we were in the camp. My father turned to look at him and said, “Then you showed great courage by coming with us.”
“It was what my master wished.”
We stopped overnight at the muddy oasis and while Al-Shama negotiated with the headman my father said, quietly, “My friend, the Emir, was not quite as honest as he might have been. Al-Shama was also sent to spy on As-Salih Ayyub. I saw him assessing the forces with the new leader. I wondered why he sent a lord and not a slave and it is as I feared, this is a struggle between the two halves of the Muslim world. If the Mongols were not a threat then I think that our captives would have stayed in Egypt.”
The King had taken over the house of a merchant in Ascalon and, when we arrived, we were ushered into a cool courtyard. The people of this land knew how to build so that the rich were cool and comfortable. King Thibaut was happy that the captives were being returned and that it had only cost us half of the treasure we had accumulated.
My father was suspicious and said, “That begs the question of why? What concessions will he seek when he speaks with you, King Thibaut. Do not underestimate this man, he has rid himself of his brother and I think our ally, the Emir of Damascus, is the next threat to his power.”
King Thibaut nodded, “And An-Nasir Dawud?”
“In chess terms, he is the bishop to the King that is As-Salih Ayyub. He serves Egypt and hopes for crumbs from their table. He knows his own limitations and now we can see that the caravan which the Duke Peter and I took was of more significance than we thought. It was there to weaken Damascus.”
The King looked weary. “When the captives are safely within our walls then Duke Peter and I will take our ships and return home. I came here on a holy crusade and now see that, apart from those present, the rest are self-serving, power-hungry knights. They would carve up the lands we have negotiated. From what you say this new ruler of Egypt will become a second Saladin and I have seen little amongst the knights here to see any who can counter him.” He smiled, “Of course if you stayed and took command…”
My father shook his head. “As soon as the King’s brother arrives then my son and I return to England. We have done all that was asked of us and more.”
I shifted uncomfortably on the seat I had been given and the King, an astute man said, “You wish to stay, Sir William?”
“No, King Thibaut, but I cannot go back to England without attempting to rescue a squire from Kerak. He is held there as a slave by An-Nasir Dawud.”
The King shook his head, “Then that quest is doomed to failure. It would take an army to rescue one man and is not worth the effort.”
My father smiled, “He is my son and I know that he will try. It is in his blood.”
The Duke said, “I have one of my knights who wishes to stay and take part in some quest which brings honour with it for he feels he has yet to achieve that which he hoped. I will send him to you, Sir William, for it may well be that this quest may give him peace. Sir Philip is a troubled man.”
When we reached our camp the English knights were also pleased to see us. They did not enjoy the talk of power. “We all hope to return home with you, Sir Thomas.”
“You do not wish to stay and serve the King’s brother?”
Sir Stephen said, “I speak for all of us when I say we have made enough sacrifices and lost enough men already. Besides, we have achieved that which we set out to do. Those who go home now will be seen as heroes. Those who stay will be tarnished with the lust for land and power.”
Padraig was healing well but I knew that neither he nor Richard Red Leg would be able to come with me, as much as they might wish to. When I told them my decision they were both less than happy. “But Padraig, there may not be a happy outcome to this. I will only take those men who wish to come!”
“All the more reason to take me, lord. Richard has a bad leg but my wound is almost healed.”
His face looked drawn and I knew it was a lie. “And you and I know that almost is not good enough.” His face told me that he understood that I was right.
The rest of the men were all happy to come. Henry Samuel also asked to come but I refused. “I will not take John. Instead, I will take my father’s squire, Mark, for Matthew has told me that his brother wishes to serve. This is dangerous and not a quest for any other than warriors who are fit and skilled. You two pages have heart but that will not be enough. In any case, we have to wait until the prisoners arrive.”
It took three more days for the captives to be marched north. They were in a piteous state when they arrived. Duke Hugh and Amaury de Montfort were broken men. They had fought their last battle; of that, I was certain although both stayed in the Holy Land after the King had departed for they felt they owed the Pope service.
My father and I were present at the negotiations. Not all of the lords of Outremer were there and some took offence at that but King Thibaut had tired of them all. Al Shama was not present and I think that was a deliberate on the part of Al-Shama for As-Salih Ayyub was no fool and he would recognise him as a spy. I do not know if Al-Shama knew that or simply feared for his life but when we emerged from the meeting he had gone back to Damascus.
As-Salih Ayyub made it quite clear that he would brook no further territorial concessions. He was forthright when he spoke. “Ascalon, Acre, those you can have. For the moment you can retain Jerusalem, Galilee and the lands conceded to you already but they are c
ontingent upon your lords leading peaceful lives and not attempting to take any more land!”
King Thibaut nodded, “I agree and when the captives are well enough to travel then I will return home to Navarre.”
It was clear that the information was not a surprise and I wondered who the spy was for he had to be privy to the private meetings we had held.
The gold was brought and handed over. The Egyptian looked unconcerned. It was a symbol only. His translator asked, “Sir Thomas, do you return home also?”
“No, my lord. I await the rest of the English crusaders.”
“There are more who are coming? I thought that your Pope just wanted Jerusalem. You have that. What else do they want?”
I saw my father’s face. He was trying to give an acceptable answer and one which would not pose a threat to the Egyptian. “Crusade is not only about war, lord. Knights hope to see the holy places which were part of Our Lord’s life. It is a pilgrimage.”
“Yet you wait until they arrive before you leave?”
My father nodded, “I obey the commands of my King.”
“And that is the difference between us, Sir Thomas, for I obey the orders of Allah and I bow the knee to no king!”
At that moment I saw the danger to Outremer. He bowed no knee for he would be King!
The most powerful man in the Holy Land left with his army and his gold. For him, the gold was unimportant as what he sought was a world ruled by the followers of Islam. I now understood why my father had been so reluctant to return to this land. We could both do far more good in England than here; this was a war which could never be won. It took a week for the army to return to Acre. For my men and me it was a stopping off place only We would be returning to Jerusalem and then head into the highlands around Kerak. We needed a guide and Jerusalem seemed the best place to find one.
On the way back to Acre Henry Samuel tried to dissuade me from this quest. Part of it was envy as he wished to be with me and the other part was a genuine fear that I would not return. I told him that I had no intention of dying or wasting the lives of the men who followed me. “I made a promise, Sam, and I will try but if it is impossible then I will return, empty handed.”
We stayed long enough in Acre just to say goodbye to the Duke, and the King to introduce me to the knight and his men at arms who wished to serve God in battle. The knight had only taken part in the last assault on the Tower of David and he had not felt as though he had put his life at risk. There was more to his decision than that but he did not know us well enough, then, to confide in me. After the King had departed my father and I questioned the knight for I did not want a reckless fool who wanted a glorious death at the hands of the heathens. His evasiveness made me concerned.
Sir Philip of Arras was a serious knight as were his squire and ten men at arms. I wondered why he had not joined a military order and rather than beat around the bush I broached the question as soon as we were alone. “It seems to me, Sir Philip, that you have already done enough in this crusade to merit a return to France. Answer me, honestly, why you wish to go on this quest with me.”
He smiled and suddenly looked younger, “Lord, I am to be wed to Eloise of Fontainebleau as soon as I return from Holy Crusade. Her father died in the Fifth Crusade. I cannot return to her without having taken some risk for her father was a great man, and if I am to be her husband then I need to achieve something more than just emptying a tower of a handful of Turks.”
“Then if you come with me you take the greatest risk of all for we go deep behind the lines of the most implacable enemy of Christendom to attempt to rescue half-starved and beaten men from an impregnable fortress.”
He smiled again, “Then I am even more convinced that I wish to go for that is truly a noble endeavour and, lord, I have no fear that we will be lost for your family has a reputation for courage and facing impossible odds. The story of the Warlord who won back a country for the Empress is one I grew up with; I grew up close to La Flèche. We will prevail.” The dour young man had a backbone of steel, I could see that, and optimism which bordered on the ridiculous.
I said farewell to the English knights. They had wished to come with me but I had declined their offer. “You have all served my father well and this is a task best undertaken by a small number of men. It has been an honour to fight alongside you.”
“And we have learned much from your father and from you. It seems like a lifetime since Sir Hubert charged off wildly after those archers.”
“Aye, Sir Stephen, and you have all changed for the better I think, and that is down to my father. If trouble came, I would be happy to have all of you at my back.”
My father would arrange their passage while he waited for Richard of Cornwall.
We gathered what we would need. I took Thorn as my horse and the Turkish horses we had captured would go with us. We could use them for any captives which we rescued or we could trade them. My plans were flexible as I had no idea what we would find when we travelled east to this prison in the mountains. We took only the equipment we would need; water, food, arrows and weapons. We had a day or two to get to Jerusalem and find a man, someone who might know a way into Kerak. We had been given a few names of men in Jerusalem who might fit the bill. Then it was two or three days to Kerak. We would not need to take much with us as Kerak was a day or two from Jerusalem on the other side of the Dead Sea. I bade farewell to my father.
“I hope that Richard of Cornwall arrives soon but I shall put in place the plans to take us home. We have taken chests of silver and I would spend some on gifts for your mother, wife and your sisters.” He looked at me and his eyes bored into me, “This is right what you do for you promised a dying man, but heed my words, he would not wish you to die in a vain attempt. If it is impossible then come home. That is my command.”
“And I will obey for I wish to see my own son. He will be walking when I return. I have missed so much.”
We slipped out on the morning that the King left so that all of the attention was on the harbour and not the road to Jerusalem. I knew that there were spies everywhere. Our archers had become skilled at scouting in this land. They had had much experience and were now more familiar with the land. Cedric assured me that we were not followed and I believed him. We had been given names, whilst in Acre, of some men who might help us. The names came from the Knights of St. John and I trusted both the veracity of the information and the discretion they would employ about our mission. He had told us that there was one man, in particular, who would be useful, Jean of Rheims and advised us to seek him first. The man worked in a stable in Jerusalem and he had been a prisoner in Kerak. When he had been ransomed, he had stayed in Jerusalem. He had lost the full use of one leg and, apparently, hated the Muslims with a passion. He was one of a number of names I had been given. The Hospitaller who had given me the names thought he was the one who would be able to give us the greatest aid. I was sceptical for he sounded like a bitter and twisted man.
The King had ensured that having taken Jerusalem, we did not lose it easily, and it was well guarded. We stayed in an inn close to the city wall. We chose it because it had a stable. The Christian who ran it was philosophical about the recent reversal of fortunes in the city. “Christian or Muslim, lord, there are always men who wish to visit the city. Caravans still bring goods here and we serve them. Most of the Muslim rulers turn a blind eye to our selling of wine and so we make a living.” From the prices he charged it was a good living!
I went with Sir Philip and our two squires and left our men to listen to the gossip about the region around Kerak. Jean of Rheims, when we found him, was almost as old as my father. I could see that although he had been lamed, he was a strong man. He thought we had come for horses to be shooed for he also did some farrier work.
“No, my friend, I bring silver for information.”
His eyes narrowed, “Information? I do not know you. Is this some sort of trick?”
I now saw that he had survived as long as he h
ad by being careful. “I am Sir William of Elsdon and my father is Sir Thomas of Stockton, the Earl of Cleveland.”
He smiled, “The hero of Arsuf?” I nodded. “I have heard of him. That name and a coin mean that I will listen to your questions, Whether I answer them or not … well, we shall see.”
I gave him a silver coin. He nodded and I began. I told him my story and my promise. He rubbed his chin, “It is a worthy cause but a foolish one. You go to save just one man?”
“I go to save as many as I can but rescuing Geoffrey of Lyon is my main aim.”
He stared at the single coin I had given him and I wondered if I should offer him more. When he spoke, I knew that he was not planning on asking for more. “You were with the knights who raided An-Nasir Dawud’s caravan?” I nodded. He chuckled. “It was his father who was responsible for my leg. I hate the whole family. There were forty of us who were captured. When the Knights of St. John ransomed us there were eight of us left. He had us working in the quarries close by to the castle. He and his people are making it stronger. If you wish to get inside then forget it; that will not happen, however, if you wish to rescue the squire that is a different matter and there is a way but it will not be easy and will need great planning.”
My heart rose. He was willing to help and now that I had met the man, I was more confident that we had a chance. “Whatever you need. Name your price.”
“Ten gold crowns and I go with you.” I could not help but glance down at his leg. He laughed, “Do not worry, I can ride and no one walks close to Kerak. I will not slow you down but either I go with you or you can find another.”