‘You have served your lord long?’
‘I serve his father, the vicomte Guillaume Malet,’ he replied, his crippled eye twitching slightly, which I took as a sign of nerves. ‘Though before then I was sworn to the Earl of Northumbria, Robert de Commines.’
‘Earl Robert,’ the king said, more quietly. ‘I knew him well. He was a good man, and a good friend too. How long did you serve him?’
‘Since I was a boy, lord. Fourteen years.’
The king nodded, as if in thought. ‘Then no doubt you knew him far better than I,’ he said at last. ‘He met his end too soon, but I promise that you will have your vengeance upon the English who murdered him. We will fill the streets of Eoferwic with their blood.’
‘I hope so, lord.’
The king placed a hand upon his shoulder. ‘I know it.’ Then he turned, marching back to his own knights and his banner, where he mounted up.
‘Guillaume,’ he called to Fitz Osbern. ‘Show the enemy no mercy.’ And then he and his men were gone, heading back towards the main part of the camp, their horses’ hooves drumming against the earth as they disappeared into the night.
For a moment I stayed there, still kneeling, scarce daring to believe that I had come so close to the king himself. As I got to my feet I glanced at Wace; he seemed to be almost in shock.
‘You did well,’ I told him, but he merely nodded, and did not speak.
Fitz Osbern came over to us. He was mounted again, and had his helmet on and his lance in his hand, while a brown cloak covered his mail.
‘Come,’ he said. ‘Ride with me. We’re ready to leave.’
I glanced at the host assembled behind us: I could see now there were perhaps six hundred knights in all, with the rest comprising foot-warriors, and a few archers too. By itself it would not be enough to defeat the enemy, but it would certainly be enough to create a diversion, and that was all it had to do, until at least the king came from the south with his part of the army.
It was a couple of hours, and possibly more, before we came to the river Use. There was a bridge there, a simple wooden thing wide enough for two men on horseback to cross together. Fitz Osbern signalled for the host to keep moving – it would take some time before they were all gathered on the opposite shore – and took the six of us aside, down to the banks, where a small fishing boat had been drawn up beneath the drooping branches of a willow.
‘Captured earlier by our scouts,’ he explained. ‘I trust it is sturdy enough. I am not sure that the man who built her had in mind six knights dressed in mail, but it should hold.’
Even in the dark I could see that it was not the grandest vessel I had ever sailed in. Nails protruded from her hull and it looked as though some of the top strakes were rotten. But it was dry inside and there was space aplenty for all of us, even with our shields and our weapons.
‘It will be enough, lord,’ I said.
‘Then this is where we part. Once you are inside the city, wait until you hear us attack the camp. If nothing else you will surely hear the enemy’s horns sounding. That will be the signal to open the gates and let the king and his army in. Do you understand?’
I nodded. The others murmured their agreement.
‘We are trusting in you,’ he said, his face stern, lit sharply in the light of the moon. ‘I wish you good luck.’
He rode away and we were alone.
We pushed the boat out on to the river. I was pleased to see that it floated without letting in any water. Then we climbed in, placing our shields and our swords in the bows where it sat highest in the water. There were two benches and four oars, and so we took it in turns to row, while the other two rested and kept a watch over the river and the shores.
In truth there was not a lot to see. Under the stars and the crescent moon it was hard to see more than a few hundred paces, and harder still when the clouds came over. Of course if the enemy had scouts patrolling these banks, they would spot us far more easily than we would them, though it seemed unlikely, since what reason would they have to expect an approach by river, and especially one from upstream of the city? All the same, we wore dark cloaks to hide our mail and we tried to keep the splash of the oars as quiet as we could. Sometimes we would spy houses on the shores, and then we would haul the oars in, letting the boat drift on the current until we had passed. But most of the time we heard no movement save for the rustling of water voles amidst the reeds, and the occasional splashes as they entered the murky water.
The banks slid past and slowly the moon descended to the east, though there was no sign yet of day approaching. As far as I could judge we had made good time, but I also knew that Fitz Osbern and his men would be moving fast, and we had to be ready when they attacked. When I was not rowing I was watching the sky, praying silently not to see the first glimmers of dawn. But then as we rounded a bend in the river, set against the starry heavens I suddenly saw the black forms of houses and walls, of the bridge and the minster church, and rising above it all, the shadow of the castle. Eoferwic.
The city lay still. I imagined the enemy asleep in their beds, oblivious to the slaughter that was shortly to be visited upon them. Only the sentries on the walls would still be awake, and I hoped they were watching the gates rather than the river. I tried to look out over the marshes and fields that lay to the south, wondering if the king and his host were there yet, lying in wait, but of course I could see nothing.
‘Ship the oars,’ I said. Now that we were so close, it was more important than ever that we did not attract attention, for it was not just victory that was at stake, but our own lives as well. I tried not to think of the fates that could befall us if we were caught.
The oars were pulled from the water and, dripping, laid down between the benches. The boat rocked gently from side to side, settling slowly as we drifted on the current.
‘What now?’ Wace asked, keeping his voice low.
‘Now we have to find somewhere to moor,’ I said.
‘The wharves are the other side of the bridge,’ Philippe pointed out.
I shook my head. ‘We should land as soon as we can. Once we’re in the streets we’ll be safe, but the longer we stay out on the river, the greater the chance we’ll be spotted.’
‘And if there are any men waiting on those ships, we’re likely to wake them,’ Eudo said, pointing downriver through the arches of the bridge.
He had better eyes than I did, and I had to squint to see them. But indeed there they were, huddled close to both shores. Their masts were down but I could see their hulls, high-sided and narrow in beam: shadows upon the moonlit water. Longships, and as many as a score of them. Perhaps some were the same ones that had chased us on the Use, or perhaps not, but either way Eudo was right. We could not use the wharves.
At the same time we needed somewhere we could keep the boat hidden from sight, since if someone saw it empty and suspected something then they might raise the alarm. But inside the city I could see nowhere that we might easily do so; the land along the banks all lay open.
‘Where, then?’ asked Godefroi.
I gazed ahead of us, scanning each side of the river, and it was then that I saw. From far away the walls looked as though they ran all the way down to the river, but from this vantage it was clear that there was in fact a gap between their end and the water’s edge, where the rampart was crumbling away. It was not wide, nor did it look as if it would be easy to cross, as it was thick with reeds, and probably the ground underfoot would be marshy too. For any larger group it would surely prove impassable. But the boat could be easily concealed amidst the reeds, and besides, we were only six men, and difficult to spot. So long as we didn’t make too much noise we could land this side of the walls and cover the rest of the way on foot, I was sure.
‘There,’ I said, pointing towards the gap. ‘Between the walls and the river.’
‘It’ll be risky,’ said Eudo, after a moment. ‘If there are any sentries up there we’ll be seen for certain.’
&nb
sp; ‘But they won’t be expecting it,’ Wace put in, and I was grateful for his support. ‘They’ll be looking towards the south, watching for an army, not for a small band like us.’
I glanced at the others, to see what they thought.
‘I agree,’ Godefroi said.
Radulf shrugged, as if indifferent, and I wondered if he had been listening at all. He had better be concentrating, I thought, since otherwise he was likely to get himself killed here tonight, if not the rest of us as well.
‘Philippe?’ I asked.
‘If the wharves are closed to us, I don’t see we have any other choice,’ he replied.
That was as much agreement as it seemed I was going to get.
‘Very well,’ I said, scrambling to the stern. On the way I picked up one of the oars, which I used as a paddle to steer us out of the midstream, closer to the southern shore, where the branches of low-hanging pine trees would offer us some cover. Then I let us drift once more, only using the oar when the current took us too close to the bank, or too far from the trees.
The city loomed closer with each passing moment. Somehow by night it appeared far larger than it had done by day. So forbidding were the shadows that I found it hard to believe that this was the same place where I had spent my recovery all those weeks ago.
Slowly, taking care not to make a sound, I buckled my sword-belt to my waist, then made sure that my mail was hidden beneath my cloak as we approached the walls: banks of earth with a timber palisade running along the top. I looked up, but I could not see any men there. God was with us.
I steered the boat towards the reeds, breathing as lightly as I could, thinking with every slightest splash that we would be heard. The prow slid amongst the first of the tall stems, which rustled gently. By now I could see nothing beyond the clumps of reeds that were in front, behind, all around us. I wanted to get us as close in as I could, so that we had less ground to make on foot, and I steered us towards where I thought they seemed least dense. In the darkness, however, it was difficult to tell, and before long I could feel the bottom of the hull scraping against the riverbed, until, a few moments later, the boat gave a shudder as it ground to a halt. I tried to paddle further, in case this were merely a shallow patch with open water beyond it, but it was no use.
‘We’ll have to walk from here,’ I said.
I got to my feet, keeping my head low until I could be sure that there was no one watching. Some twenty paces away the ramparts rose up. I stepped outside the hull, feeling my boots sink into the soft mud, and then held out a hand as Wace passed me my shield, which I hung around my neck, over my back.
The rest followed, and we set off. The mud sucked, squelched beneath me; it was impossible to tell which parts I could trust with my weight, and so I led them carefully, thinking only about one foot following the other, testing the ground as I went. I glanced up at the ramparts, still ten paces ahead, realising just how exposed we were. This was taking too long. If anyone were to see us—
There came a stifled yell, followed by a great splash behind me and I turned to see Philippe flailing in the muddy water. He was trying to stand up, but his mail was weighing him down and his cloak was tangled about him. He was spluttering, coughing so loudly that I thought the whole city might wake.
I reached out a hand, swearing under my breath. From close by came angry quacking, followed by a clatter of wings as a flock of birds shot up into the night.
‘Philippe,’ I said. ‘Take my hand.’
It took a while for him to find it in the darkness, but at last he reached out and grabbed it. I tried to pull, but with his mail he was too heavy, and the mud and the river kept sucking him back.
‘Help me,’ I hissed to the others. ‘Someone help me.’
Wace was the first there, kneeling down beside the pool in which Philippe had fallen. ‘Your other hand,’ he said. ‘Give me your other hand.’
Together we managed to haul him out of the water and back to firmer ground, where he raised himself to his feet, still coughing up water.
‘I’m sorry,’ Philippe said, too loudly. He was dripping from his nose and his chin, and his cloak was soaked. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘Shut up,’ I told him, looking again towards the palisade. ‘Shut up and keep moving.’
We went as quickly as we could after that. Thankfully the closer we came to the remains of the rampart, the easier it became to find our footing. We scrambled across, drawing our cloaks over our heads so as to be less easily seen.
‘Quickly,’ I said. The sooner we could get away from the walls, the better. Ahead a narrow alley passed between two large storehouses, and beyond it lay the city, a maze of shadows.
With every beat of my heart I thought that I would hear cries behind us, but I did not, and it wasn’t long before we had rounded those storehouses and found ourselves beneath the tower of a church. At this hour there ought to have been no one about, but nonetheless I made certain to check up and down the street before we laid down our shields and recovered our breath.
Philippe began to wring out his cloak by the corner of the tower. His mail and helmet were strewn with rotten leaves and mud, and other things he’d brought from the river.
‘Take more care,’ I said. ‘Otherwise you’re likely to get us all killed.’
But I knew that this was not the time to get angry with him. We had made it inside the city unseen, which was the first part of our task, but there was still much work to be done if we were to make Eoferwic ours.
Thirty-three
WE DID NOT stop there long. The gates were some way to the south from where we were, but how far I could not say for sure. Already as I looked towards the eastern horizon, the skies seemed lighter than before, and I knew we did not have much time. Day was approaching and soon Fitz Osbern would be leading his charge.
We set off, staying away from the main ways as much as we could, for if there was anyone about at this hour, that was where we would probably find them. In the distance, a dog barked, and its call was taken up by another. But of people there was no sign anywhere. A strange feeling came over me as we hurried through the silent streets, knowing that it would not be long before the rest of our army was here in force, before the sound of steel on steel was ringing out amidst the houses. My sword-arm itched even as I thought about it.
The moon was edging lower in the sky, almost touching the thatch of the houses by the time we saw the gatehouse ahead of us, its stonework lit by the soft glow of a brazier. In front of the gates were gathered several figures, all in shadow, all of them roaring with laughter, no doubt at some jest.
By the side of the street stood a stack of barrels, and I ducked behind them, raising a hand to the others, who were behind me. The barrels contained some kind of meat, only it seemed to have turned rancid, and some time ago as well. My nose filled with the stench of rotting carcasses, as bad as any battlefield I had known.
Breathing as lightly as I could, I crouched and peered through a gap between the barrels, towards the gatehouse. None of the Northumbrians there seemed to have heard or seen us, and for that I thanked God. There were five of them warming their hands around the brazier, but atop the gatehouse, facing the country to the south, stood two more, making seven in all. They were dressed in what looked like leather jerkins reinforced with metal studs, and each of them carried a spear, while one, who was in mail, carried a sword by his side as well, and I took him for their captain.
‘What do we do?’ Philippe asked as he wiped still more dirt from his face.
‘Nothing yet,’ I said. ‘We wait for the signal.’
Again I looked to the east, and this time I was sure dawn was breaking: the blackness receding, turning to a deep blue. By now I was beginning to grow anxious. Had something gone awry? Had the attack been called off? If so, we had no way of knowing. All we could do was wait, and then if the attack did not come, try to get out the same way that we had entered the city. Except that as soon as it was light we would easily be spotted
. At some point, then, we would have to decide: whether to stay or whether to go. It was not a choice I wanted to make, for if the whole plan failed because of us then we would have to bear the king’s wrath.
My head was filled with all these thoughts when suddenly it came, blasting out from the north. The sound of war-horns. Fitz Osbern was attacking.
The Englishmen by the gate looked at one another; one of the two atop the parapet called down to the others. All looked confused; if they had been expecting any assault that night, they were probably expecting it to come from the south, not from the north. Then the guard-captain shouted at one of his men, who scurried off up the main street into the town.
That left just six: one for each of us. I placed my hand on my sword-hilt as my heart beat faster. I felt a thrill such as I had not known in weeks, but I held back, waiting while the enemy returned to their brazier, waiting for the right moment, waiting until they had let down their guard—
‘Now!’ I shouted, rushing from the shadows, roaring as I pulled my blade free of its scabbard.
The first of them turned, wide-eyed in surprise, his spear held before him, but I knocked it aside with my shield and ran him through before he even knew what had happened. Blood spurted forth as I wrenched the blade free, and he fell to the ground. My first kill of the night.
The one in mail had drawn his sword and he came at me now, wielding it in both hands, bringing it crashing down, but I lifted my shield in time and the blade glanced off its face as I stumbled back. He was stronger than he looked, but not quick, and as he tried to raise it for another blow I lunged forward, crashing my shield into his chest. He shouted out some words I did not understand, as, already off balance, he fell to the ground, and as he struggled to get up I stamped down on his chest and drove the point of my sword into his face.
Up on the parapet the other two Englishmen were shouting, hurling down spears at us, and I turned just in time to avoid one as it plunged into the ground, sticking in the mud. Another five men in leather jerkins were rushing towards us from one of the side streets, even as Wace, teeth gritted, finished the last of the gate guards on his sword.
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