Orphan of Destiny

by Michael Spradlin

  “I . . . I’m sorry,” I said. And I was. Robard was absolutely right. My attention was too scattered, and my lack of focus was dangerous.

  I took a deep breath and tried to push the thoughts of kings and queen mothers and King’s Guards out of my head.

  Robard let out an exaggerated sigh. “Sorry won’t keep us out of the dungeon, squire. Let’s do what we came here for, whatever it is, and get back to our horses.”

  “Right. Of course. I’m sorry, Robard. Come. It’s not much farther.” We walked on, keeping to the shadows, and a few moments later stood just down the street from the main gate of the Commandery. Peering around the corner of a darkened shop, I studied the surroundings for several minutes. No one entered or left the grounds, but it was not guarded.

  “What now?” Maryam whispered.

  “I’m going to sneak in and see if there is anyone there who might be able to help,” I said.

  “How are you going to ‘sneak’ in?” Robard asked incredulously.

  “I don’t know,” I replied.

  “That’s what I thought,” he said.

  I tried hard to think of something. If I could get into the Commandery without being seen, perhaps I could find a friendly brother like Sir Westley or some of the squires I’d served with and explain my predicament. Perhaps I could even learn of Sir Hugh’s whereabouts.

  Several minutes passed and no one came or went from the grounds. Time to take action.

  “Come on, I want the two of you to boost me over the wall,” I said. “We’ll go around to the rear where the training grounds are. We’re less likely to be noticed there.”

  “Wonderful,” Robard muttered, but he and Maryam followed me down the street.

  “You are trying to sneak into a small fortress manned by a group of heavily armed, well-trained fighters who may have been ordered to capture you,” Maryam observed. “You don’t see any problems with your strategy?”

  “None,” I said. Without giving them time to answer, I stepped onto the street and, staying to the shadows, moved along the front of the building opposite the gate. I wanted to circle the Commandery first, to make doubly sure there was no one about.

  Just then, without warning, the doors pulled open and six mounted knights rode through, Sir Hugh at their lead.

  8

  I dove behind a two-wheeled cart parked in front of the building. It would be a miracle if they didn’t see me. Casting a quick glance behind me, I found Robard and Maryam backing into the shadows of the building’s recessed doorway, trying desperately to become invisible in the darkness. I lay on the ground, attempting to tighten my entire body into the tiniest size possible.

  The horses pranced out of the gate, then stopped in the street. Sir Hugh’s high-pitched voice was instructing the knights, but I couldn’t make out what he was saying. I raised my head, peering over the top of the cart, but a sharp hiss from Maryam startled me and I ducked down again.

  The clouds were backlighted by the rising moon, which was almost at its highest point in the night sky. Unfortunately the shadows along the buildings lining our side of the street were beginning to shorten. If Sir Hugh and his men did not ride off soon, we were surely done for. They would see me if they came toward us, and Robard and Maryam would not be hidden for much longer either. My breath came in short gasps and the blood pounding in my ears made it difficult to think.

  The sound of horses cantering down the street was a welcome relief. I peered out at the street from beneath the cart. The column rode into my view with Sir Hugh at the lead and the brothers following two abreast, and I was overjoyed to see they were heading away from us. I was about to stand up when everything went sour.

  The building secreting Maryam and Robard was a small inn. During my time in Dover it had been a raucous place filled with revelers and drunks. It had fallen on hard times like the rest of the town. No sound came from within and its windows were dark. From all appearances, it looked deserted.

  Yet it was not.

  Before Sir Hugh and the brothers reached the end of the street, a man opened the door and stepped out carrying a bucket full of ashes, which he must have intended to dump in the street. The door had hidden Robard from his view, but he nearly trampled Maryam. Then he spotted me lying on the ground beside the cart. He bellowed, “What is this? What are you doing here?”

  Robard pushed the door shut and grasped the man with one arm, clamping his other hand over the man’s mouth. The man gasped and dropped the bucket, which made a loud clanging sound when it struck the cobblestone street. He thrashed and kicked, and tried to shout out. Robard’s hand muffled his cries, but not enough.

  “Quiet!” Maryam whispered. “We mean you no harm!” She tried to reach out and calm him, but he continued to struggle and moaned even louder.

  Keeping my eyes on Sir Hugh, I watched in horrid fascination as he raised his hand and called his horsemen to a halt. He turned his stallion and cantered back toward us.

  “Run!” I shouted.

  I sprang up from my spot on the ground and starting sprinting away. Robard and Maryam did not have to be told twice, and their footsteps pounded on the street behind me.

  “Thieves! Thieves!” the man shrieked.

  “Stop!” Sir Hugh commanded. “I demand that you stop!”

  Not bloody likely.

  When we reached the corner, we turned onto the main thoroughfare leading to the marketplace.

  “After them!” Sir Hugh shouted. Robard and Maryam had quickened their pace and were running beside me. Every step brought burning pain down my entire leg. I would not be able to keep this up for long.

  “Better think of something quick, squire!” Robard gasped. We were no match for men on horseback, and indeed, judging by the sound of their hoofbeats, our pursuers were gaining on us.

  “This way!” I shouted, darting down a narrow alley that cut across our path. This area of town was mostly shops. The alley was full of barrels, small carts and other assorted implements, which required us to carefully pick our way through. But it would make it difficult for someone on horseback to follow.

  The alley twisted to the right and we kept running. The sound of hoofbeats dimmed, and for a brief second I thought we’d already lost them, but I could hear shouting coming from in front of us. “They’re trying to flank us!” Robard whispered.

  We skidded to a stop a few paces from where the alley cut across another street.

  “What now?” Maryam asked. The wound in my side was throbbing. Horses were heading toward us, but I could not determine from what direction.

  Still gasping for breath, I hopped onto a nearby barrel. I could almost reach the roof of the building.

  “Help me up,” I said.

  Robard held his hands up over his head, making a platform, and I stepped into them with my left foot and pushed up. The roof was made of timbers and I found a handhold to pull myself up. “Hurry,” I said.

  “You next,” Robard said to Maryam.

  “No, you first,” she whispered back.

  “What? No! No time to argue—up you go,” he said, holding his hands together.

  “Ha!” Maryam snorted. Instead of climbing up like I had, she backed up several paces. “What are you doing?” Robard exclaimed, trying to keep his voice from rising.

  “Climbing,” Maryam said. She took off, and in no more than three steps she was at full speed. Reaching the barrel, she leapt off of one foot, her other landing squarely on top of the barrel, and then vaulted herself up the side of the wall. The next thing I knew, she was beside me on the roof, reaching down to assist Robard with his climb.

  Robard and I stared in wonder. “How . . . did you . . .” I couldn’t finish. Every time Maryam did something remarkable, I thought she couldn’t surprise me any more. Yet she continued to do just that.

  We could hear men coming down the alley. Maryam and I reached down to Robard, and with each of us taking an arm he pulled himself up to the roof. The three of us lay still, waiting for the
knights to appear out of the shadows. I had just enough time to draw my sword, and gripped it tightly in my hand as two Templars appeared. Their white tunics with red crosses emblazoned on the chest were easy to spot in the muted moonlight. They walked cautiously with their swords held in front of them, checking every possible hiding place.

  We watched in silence as they strolled right beneath us. I could see the plumes of their breath rising up to the cold night sky. Had I wished it, I could almost have reached out and conked both of them on the head with the hilt of my sword.

  The entrance to the alley was about thirty paces away. They waited there until Sir Hugh and the other men arrived, still astride their horses.

  “What do you mean, they aren’t here?” he demanded. “You must have missed them. Search again.” The two men looked at each other a brief moment, then dutifully turned and retreated the way they’d come. I hoped Sir Hugh would ride off to begin searching another section of town, but he and his men remained.

  A small creaking sound caught my ear and I sensed movement to my right. I had been so intent on Sir Hugh that I had failed to realize that Robard had risen to one knee and managed to string his bow. He held it up, an arrow nocked, taking aim.

  Sir Hugh was only partially visible, the wall of the building opposite us hiding most of him from our view. It was far too risky a shot, and I reached over Maryam, who lay between us, and grabbed his arm. “Shh,” he whispered at me, trying to twist his arm free from my grasp.

  “Robard,” I whispered, my voice so low that he had to strain to hear me, “don’t shoot.”

  “Why not?” he whispered back. “When he moves back into sight, I think I can take him. We could end this here.”

  “Can you shoot them all? Those are his men. We’re trapped up here. What if you miss? They could keep us here forever or even burn the building down with us on top of it,” I explained.

  “Quiet,” Maryam commanded. “You two idiots are going to get us caught. I am not going to be thrown into another dungeon!”

  Robard frowned and lowered his bow. “You’d probably just be hanged again,” he whispered. Maryam shook her head.

  We waited, the minutes passing by. I wondered about the Grail. It had remained silent so far, but I wondered if it also pulled Sir Hugh to it somehow. I could not imagine God would allow such a thing, but yet there Sir Hugh waited, not more than a stone’s throw away, looking like something was holding him in place.

  Finally, the other two knights rode up and reported to Sir Hugh. He was furious.

  “Imbeciles. I’m certain it was the squire. I’d swear to it. He came here looking for me.”

  “But Marshal, it could have been anyone. Perhaps some thieves—”

  “No! It was them!” Sir Hugh cried. “Continue the search. They are here somewhere!”

  “Yes, sir,” the knight said. All of them spurred their horses and moved off down the street. All except for Sir Hugh. I was about to stand up when he reappeared at the entrance of the alley. He had dismounted and, no doubt remembering Robard and his bow, kept himself hidden, peering cautiously around the corner. He studied the alley intently for several minutes. He looked at the ground and the walls, then raised his gaze to study the rooftops on either side. I could sense each of us consciously flattening ourselves against the roof. I kept one eye on him and gripped my sword so tightly that I thought I would break the hilt.

  It was unsettling. I could have sworn he was staring right at me. I strained hard to hear the musical sound of the Grail. But it was silent. No vibration, nothing. Sir Hugh’s eyes never wavered. The tension was unbearable, and I momentarily thought of ending this now. I would leap to the ground and Sir Hugh and I would have at it until one of us was dead.

  My muscles twitched in anticipation, and just as I was about stand and leap, Sir Hugh abruptly disappeared from view. We heard the sound of his horse trotting away in the darkness.

  It took a few seconds before any of us were able to breathe normally.

  “What has gotten into him? Did you see how he stood there? I thought he was looking right at us,” Robard said.

  “Yes, it was very strange,” Maryam agreed.

  “Let’s go,” I said.

  “Go where?” Robard asked. “They’re looking for us. The streets aren’t safe for us any longer.”

  “Then we won’t use the streets,” I said.

  Giving my friends no time to talk me out of it, I stood and backed away from the edge of the roof. Then I ran forward as hard as I could and leapt into the air.

  9

  As it turned out, I had misjudged the distance. By a great deal, actually. I had intended to leap across the alley to the next building and then move along the rooftops, avoiding Sir Hugh and the knights tracking us below. But my jump was just short, and I slammed hard into the edge of the roof and wall. The timber and stone gave no ground, and pain flared in my wounded side. I thought I would surely pass out and fall and break my neck.

  “Dear God,” I heard Robard mutter.

  “What has gotten into him?” Maryam asked quietly.

  “I don’t know. He won’t let me shoot Sir Hugh. Now he’s trying to jump from roof to roof like a wounded rabbit. And he’s likely woken everyone who lives in both of these buildings and for several leagues around.”

  I tried to ignore them, but I was in a slight predicament. My grip on the roof was loosening and I tried to dig my feet into the wall to pull myself up, but to no avail. I ran my hands over the roof timbers, but there was no place I could gain even a fingerhold. My boots dug furiously at the wall.

  “Um. I could use a little help,” I said quietly.

  “So it would appear,” Robard answered.

  “Perhaps I wasn’t clear,” I said, “in that I require immediate help.”

  I heard nothing for a few moments except for exaggerated sighs and the rustle of feet, and then both Robard and Maryam landed deftly on the roof to either side of me. They each grasped an arm and pulled me up.

  I bent at the waist, struggling to breathe and wishing for something that would quell the fire in my burning side. “It was a good plan,” I said. “If we keep to the rooftops, we’ll be less likely to be spotted. I just . . . My wound . . . My jump was a little off.”

  “A little,” Robard said.

  “We should leave,” Maryam said. “There are noises coming from inside this building. I’m sure whoever is inside heard us . . . you, rather . . . land on their roof.”

  There was no time to defend myself. We crossed over and jumped to the next building. Many of the structures had only a few feet between them. Some allowed us to merely step from one roof to the next. Robard had his bow at the ready. Maryam did not draw her daggers yet, not wanting the moon to reflect off of them. I kept my sword sheathed for the same reason.

  We went as far as we could, back to the marketplace. The streets widened there and we could go no farther by rooftop. We found a darkened alcove facing the marketplace and climbed down. It appeared deserted, and Robard and Maryam were in favor of making our way back to our horses as quickly as we could. But something made me cautious. We had lost track of Sir Hugh and his men, and I did not want to blunder upon them unaware.

  I had learned what I came for. Sir Hugh was here in Dover. He might have other knights patrolling the countryside. Maybe even some of the King’s Guards. But he was the one who would look the hardest, leaving nothing to chance. No empty barn or cave or hole where we might hide would go unsearched. At least he wouldn’t be sneaking up on us. We could make a better decision about how to reach Rosslyn knowing his whereabouts. If we weren’t caught here, of course.

  Robard nocked an arrow. “Robard, one thing,” I said. “These knights. Many of them are just following orders. Please don’t kill any of them if you can avoid it.”

  “Hmm” was all Robard said as he readied himself for a potential attack. We weren’t safe yet.

  The marketplace sat at the intersection of Dover’s two main thoroughfares. Th
e streets widened and were covered with cobblestones. A ring of buildings surrounded it and at night, while it was empty, I discovered sound carried very well. Though we stepped lightly, every noise we made echoed, and I couldn’t imagine how we could pass through unheard.

  We kept close to the buildings ringing the square and used their shadows and doorways to hide us. But at some point we would have to cross one of the wide streets and would be exposed. We had no choice.

  When we stepped out of the shadows and sprinted across the nearest street, the horsemen were on us in an instant. Sir Hugh had planned well, keeping his men out of sight and far down the thoroughfare. When we crossed, we were silhouetted and clearly visible. The knights charged forward, and the noise of their advance sounded like a thunderstorm.

  Robard stood and took aim at the closest man. He calmly fired, and we heard a scream and the sound of mail and armor clanking to the ground. I hoped Robard hadn’t killed him. These men had been deceived by Sir Hugh, I told myself, not wanting to live with the guilt of killing or injuring innocent men.

  There were two mounted men on each street leading into the marketplace. Shouts and commands rang in the air, and the sound of hooves clattering on cobblestone grew louder.

  “Robard!” I shouted as one of them was almost on us. Robard’s arrow whizzed past the man, who ducked behind his horse’s neck. Robard pulled another shaft from his wallet, but we had no time. Then an empty wheeled cart came shooting into the street between us and the knight’s horse reared, nearly colliding with it. He was instantly unhorsed and fell hard on the ground, stunned.

  “Hurry!” Maryam shouted. Her quick thinking had saved us. We ran into the center of the marketplace, dashing through the maze of closed stalls and empty carts. The knights would have to dismount to catch us, but we were also trapped. I caught a glimpse of Sir Hugh circling around us on horseback, commanding his men to dismount and follow on foot. Robard sent an arrow in his direction, and Sir Hugh leapt off his horse with a squawk. He hid on the other side of the stallion, giving Robard nothing to aim at.