“We beg your forgiveness. The men meant no harm...but when the girl was hit...”
It was Merwinna who interrupted him, with a small gesture and then she leaned over and whispered something to her husband, who nodded, laughed, and nodded again.
“Methinks women, though sometimes they mightily deserve it, should not be struck either,” the Ealdorman said loud enough for all to hear. “Striking tis too manly for them, beaten mayhap, but na striking. What ye think Sir Elid?”
“Yah, the lass got me mad t’all. Clumsy wench,” he said, but was still not over the insult of being attacked, or having neither the courage nor the speed to react to the strangers. “Mayhap the strangers would like to challenge me with the staff?” he asked in the heat of the moment, forgetting the spitting fire and the kilt dogs of the past day. But he had confidence...confidence with a staff in his hand.
“Now Sir Elid...” the Ealdorman started, wishing to defuse the situation.
“I accept,” Sadao said loudly and with a graceful leap was beyond the table and in the center of the hall.
“Sadao,” Peebles added, genuinely perturbed, but he was stopped with a look from Rice, who rose and squatted by the General’s side.
“What exactly is a challenge with the staff?” he asked the Ealdorman slowly, and with enunciation, not wanting to be misunderstood.
The Ealdorman laughed and waved away the fears of Rice and General Peebles. “Tis but a friendly contest to be sure, though methinks it naught that friendly...the first man sleeping loses,” he said and barked out another laugh. Sir Elid was now up and moving around the table to face his challenger.
“Sir, this may be a good thing,” Rice whispered quickly. “We can show off our fighting ability without anyone actually getting hurt...well Sir Elid will have a lump or two, but no one will die.”
The General nodded and called Sergeant Sadao over to the table, who was about to apologize for his rash actions, but Peebles held up a hand. “Deal with him quickly. Show him up, but don’t hurt him seriously,” he ordered and Sadao immediately understood. Peebles had complete confidence in Sadao. He was the best hand to hand fighter they had, and was a master of many disciplines in the Martial Arts, the staff being one. Likewise, the Ealdorman was also confident in Sir Elid. He was the best in all Somerset with the staff, and was always eager to face a new opponent, of which there were fewer and fewer these past few years...word eventually gets around. Now, at least, they would see how these strangers fought without their magical weapons.
Major Thane watched the proceedings with just a hint of a smile, nearly forgetting the girl at his side, that is, until she slowly reached beneath the table and slipped her hand into his.
“Tis vary exciting,” she whispered, and he had to agree. “Tis so that he is a man then?” she asked of Sadao, who was a Japanese American. Sadao’s face was so familiar to Matt that he forgot that there were those at the table who had never met anyone with oriental features.
This time it was Matt who chuckled. “Yes, he is human too.”
“Then they be Moors? I h’ve heard of Moors and their dark skin.” she added referring to Jefferies and Hersey.
“I’m not sure,” Matt answered with an amused frown, “but I think not.”
They fell quiet as Sir Elid, smiling broadly, offered Sadao his choice of weapons. Elid was relieved that one of the giant men among the strangers had not accepted his challenge. He felt much more comfortable with Sadao, who was only a couple of inches taller. Sadao made his choice, and took a moment to admire the weight of the staff and its craftsmanship. He retreated a few steps, and then with a series of lightening spins and moves, checked the balance of the weapon. It was superb. Elid watched all of this with the first inkling of doubt he had ever had with a staff in his hand. The odd looking man was fast and obviously no stranger to the staff. He tested the balance of his own weapon before crouching and beginning the first movements of his favorite attack. The stranger performed a basic counter, and Sir Elid smiled confidently. He blocked the simple move with ease, but then somehow was disarmed and flat on his back. The hall erupted with cheers, hoots, and howls of laughter, though most were just as surprised as Sir Elid with the quick outcome. Sadao stood over him now with both staves, but instead of planting a few more knots on Sir Elid’s head, the stranger smiled, reached down and helped his opponent to his feet. Once standing, Sadao flipped Elid his staff and backed off, standing ready.
Sir Elid, now a little wiser and more cautious, bent and stood ready, this time he would not attack.
‘Let the quick one attack through my defenses,’ he thought, as Sadao stood relaxed, bobbing slightly on the balls of his feet. Sadao smiled when no attack came, then with blinding speed he erupted, wading quickly in on his opponent. Seconds later Sir Elid was again disarmed and on his back. Once more hoots and cheers filled the hall, and again Sadao helped up his opponent, who, though certainly without polish was not completely lacking in skill. Sadao thought Sir Elid showed much promise, and with a little time and a good teacher, he could become formidable indeed. Again they got set, and again in mere seconds Sir Elid was on his back.
“This is no sport,” Jefferies said and launched himself over the table. “Stop playing with the poor man, Sadao. You always were an insufferable show off.”
Jefferies pulled Sir Elid to his feet, who understood all too well just how badly he’d been beaten. Not only had he not even been able to touch his opponent, but he had been bested three times with hardly a mark on him, no lumps, and only a few bruises on the back of his legs and hands. It was unbelievable. The stranger was indeed his superior, and he moved humbly back to his seat as Jefferies now took up his staff. He made a decision then and there to learn everything he could from this Sergeant Sadao.
“Come on man. Let’s show them what you can really do,” Jefferies whispered as he passed his friend, who nodded, and then suddenly they were a blur of attacking moves, blocks, and counter moves. Back and forth they raced across the floor, jumping and spinning with dizzying speed. They whirled about with such grace and precision that if not for the constant crack of wood on wood, you’d think the two men were dancing. But they were not dancing and the Ealdorman, Elid and the rest of the knights in the room could only look on with wonder. The match finally ended with Jefferies on his back, breathing hard and laughing at his small friend’s skill. Sir Elid, to his credit, cheered the victory loudest of all, truly impressed; as was the Ealdorman.
“Can ye fight?” Lady Ellyn asked Matt, just a little breathless. She was looking at him in awe, even though he hadn’t left his seat.
Matt chuckled. “Well, I am a soldier,” he answered but compared to most of the men around him, only a fair one at hand to hand. “But my main job is a pilot.”
“Pylot?” she asked rolling the strange word off of her tongue.
“Yeah, pilot. I fly airplanes,” he said very aware of the good female smell of the girl as she leaned close to him. It was in great contrast to the pungent human odors that filled the rest of the hall. It was making him giddy, and so he almost missed the look of fright in her eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
“Ye be a man?” she asked, suddenly very concerned she was consorting with a demon. Earlier in the evening, she was very worried about the other, more exotic looking specimens among the strangers. She fearfully wondered if they were true men or not. She never even considered that this seemingly normal, though very nice looking stranger next to her, might in fact be of some magical make-up.
Matt laughed at her fears. “Yes I am a man.”
“Ha then,” she said and her face blushed with anger, “ye be a teasin’ me. For how can a man fly?” She asked clearly vexed.
Matt could tell that she was upset with him, which was the last thing on Earth that he wanted right now but instead of reacting to her anger, he took a deep calming breath. He glanced quickly around before answering and discovered that he now also had the attention of Father Gillian and sever
al others around him.
“I don’t fly myself, personally,” Matt answered, lightly tapping his chest, “but I fly an airplane. It’s like a boat that flies through the air. If you would like to go up with me I could ask the General. I don’t see any reason why he’d object.”
“Forsooth?” She asked, real fear now in her eyes, but also something else, a desire Matt found to be very appealing.
“Forsooth,” Matt answered with a grin.
“Ye be teasing me...na flying boat. Na ayreplain,” she dismissed his claim.
“Forsooth,” Matt said again. “You must have seen it. Gardner flew the plane over the grounds just the day before yesterday.”
The Lady Ellyn stared at him blankly for a long moment and then her eyes got very wide, but she said nothing.
“Thee dragon!” Father Gillian exclaimed, loud enough to attract even more attention to Matt’s way.
Matt frowned, thinking about it. Yes, these people who knew nothing of flight, might just take a Bot for a dragon, though it was clearly ridiculous. He paused a moment to consider the possibility. Yes, it might be possible, and he did remember the Ealdorman say something about dragons the other day.
“Yes, maybe the dragon,” Matt answered. “But it was no dragon. It was an airplane.”
“I can fly in thee dragon?” Ellyn asked.
“Ye have caught and tamed a dragon?” Father Gillian asked at the same time.
“No, we haven’t caught a dragon, and yes you may fly in the airplane,” he said answering both questions with a sigh.
“A dragon!” Lady Ellyn said excitedly and then she jumped up and rushed off to tell Sir Oldalf, her father.
The news spread quickly and created such excitement that there was little General Peebles could have done if he had wanted to call off the girl’s ride. But as it turned out, he thought it would be another good way to show off their abilities without hurting a soul, which was their main goal at the moment. The feast suddenly took on an air of expectation and celebration. The rest of the night passed so quickly that it wasn’t until well after midnight that the General was able to round up his men and bid the Ealdorman and his Lady goodnight. On the way back to the camp everyone was thrilled that their first true meeting with the locals had gone so successfully, but the Ealdorman was not quite as comfortable.
“Tis a worrisome thing,” the Ealdorman was saying up in their private rooms as he slowly changed into his nightclothes.
“Yah,” Merwinna answered, “but methinks the strangers be good and honest men. Ye saw how they fought…with gallantry. Ye saw how they obey the Genaral,” she added, slightly surprised that she found herself coming to the newcomer’s defense. “They be well mannered gentlemen. Clearly they be na rabble come to rape and pillage the countryside...” she continued, feeling her face blush at the thought.
The Ealdorman had to concede the point. The strangers were clearly of gentle blood, but he still had not given up the thought that they might be some sort of dragonkind, or some other mystical race come to seduce his people.
“I h’ve heard of an Elfking that haunts the Visigoths. Tis said he hast some magical knowledge over the sky and wind that allows him to fly...but this had more the look of a dragon. Ye saw the beast,” he added, watching his wife comb her hair. He was tired of thinking and wished she would come to bed.
“Yah, methinks it may na be a beast,” she said simply. “Wot of the moving wagons...think they are still beast?”
“Na,” the Ealdorman said, disgusted with her. He grew tired of waiting and climbed into bed, carefully arranging the bed curtains though he knew she would just disturb them again when she retired.
“Master Leoforic has sent word to his father in Mercia. Mayhap Lord Æthelred will know whether these men be magical or flesh,” he said and then rolled over ending the conversation.
“Mayhap we will see about the dragon in the morn then,” she replied finally finishing up. She came to bed all smiles and the Ealdorman was surprised to find her frisky and verily willing after the long night.
Chapter Four
General Peebles was up early the next morning sitting on the hood of a hummer and watching as a dozen women worked the nearby fields in the growing light. After a bit of a hunt, Colonel Lemay spotted his superior and joined him.
“This airplane ride’s a bit of a risk,” Lemay commented as he leaned against the grill of the large vehicle. His back was to his commander as he too gazed at the women not fifty yards away. They were pulling weeds, tending plants and tossing rocks from the furrows. Both men were entranced by the vision and rediscovered the powerful love they felt for the female form. They’d missed it terribly over the last five years.
Peebles remained silent for a time, but Lemay didn’t press him. He was enjoying the view, though the women’s bodies were mostly hidden beneath thick wool skirts. The workers ranged in age from a girl who didn’t look old enough to be in her teens, to a gray haired, haggard old woman, who worked with far more energy than any of her companions. Lemay found he loved the look of each and every one of them. He liked the color of their hair, the slim set of their shoulders, the flair of their hips and the way their breasts pushed against their soiled tops.
“They are a sight,” Peebles whispered softly…happy and content. “The risk is worth it,” he finally answered. “The chances of a crash are very, very slim.”
Lemay nodded, not taking his eyes from the women. A middle-aged looker was moving their way, throwing rocks about with abandon. The Colonel figured five years ago he wouldn’t have given someone like her a second glance, but now she was a great beauty and he had a powerful desire to be with her…though to be fair he had a powerful desire to be with them all.
He sighed. It was a pity he couldn’t live long enough to know them all, hold them all and love them all. The Colonel smiled, wondering what his men would make of such thoughts, not that anyone would ever know. He had the reputation of being a hard ass and the toughest man left alive. Over the years he had to knock a few heads and bust in a few teeth, but hard times called for hard men and if his men couldn’t handle him, they sure as hell couldn’t handle the Skawps.
“Well let’s pray we roll a lucky seven then,” the Colonel replied.
“Yes, let’s…” the General answered then gasped as a buxom young brunette bent at the waist and gave them both a clear shot down her loose bodice.
“You all right?” The Colonel asked, feigning concern.
“Hell yes…just damned happy to be here,” Peebles answered, unaware that a slight smile was stuck to his face and had been all morning.
An hour later the entire countryside was buzzing about the airplane flight, and though he still thought the trip was a good idea, Peebles still warned Major Thane to take it very easy. A crash at this junction would not be a good P.R. move. He agreed with Dr. Rice that the flight should be held later in the day. At dinner the night before, Rice was placed next to Master Leoforic, son of Æthelred, King of Mercia, and husband to Æthelflæd, Alfred’s eldest daughter. Leoforic told Rice that word of their arrival was spreading like wildfire throughout the lower kingdom.
“Sir Æthelnoth has sent word to me Da at Langport,” Leoforic confided openly. “He hath sent messengers all about, even to Sir Eadwulf of Rochester, who’s said to be on his way to scout the Lizard.”
“Messengers?” Rice asked suddenly feeling uncomfortable.
“Yah, mayhap the Earl of Kent be stoppin’. I know me Da will come soon, being only at Langport, and mayhap other notables from the west be comin’ to meet with ye.”
It took Rice some doing but he finally got the young man to reveal that Sir Eadwulf, the Earl of Kent, was one of King Alfred’s top advisors, and overseer of much of the eastern lands. He was also the strongest warlord in lower England other than the King himself, even rivaling the strength of Leoforic’s father, Sir Æthelred of Mercia. So Rice convinced his General to delay the flight in the off chance that Leoforic’s father might make an
appearance. He thought it would be well worth the wait if as many influential people as possible witnessed the flight. He also suggested that the Major fly to the south and west, and perhaps do a bit of scouting for Sir Eadwulf and his party.
General Peebles agreed, though he was growing concerned at the arrival of all the nobility. The General was finding it nearly impossible to keep all the bizarre names straight.
“I’ll never be able to remember all the Æthelwhoever’s names and titles,” he confided, but Rice just laughed.
“It will be easier when you can put a face to the name.
Late in the morning Rice was waiting for Leoforic, who was a delightful youth of fifteen. The boy was eager to learn, and simply captivated by the little small things the good doctor had on his person the previous night. Leoforic was especially intrigued by his wrist watch and a ball point pen. He played with the pen nearly the entire meal, first clicking the point out and in and then making fine gothic letters on the back of a scrap of paper Gordon had given him. He only stopped his doodling when Sir Elid and Sadao had battled, and during the exhibition put on later by the Sergeant and Jefferies. The fighting simply mesmerized the lad and quickly raised the strangers to near god status in his eyes.
The boy was supposed to meet Gordon at the edge of the tent camp near midday, but as yet Rice had not spotted him. In fact, there were very few local men up at this hour, though many peasant women and children were milling about both in and out of the camp. Apparently the night before, the festivities on the outside of the Manor were just as lively as those taking place within the Manor Hall. The celebration went a long way in easing the suspicions of the local population, and as he waited, Rice was happy to see several soldiers interacting with some of the locals. Corporal Bayless and Private Starling were talking with a group of peasant women and Stuart Greybon was playing with Eve and a crowd of local youngsters. The children, who were more accepting and would take a smile and a kind word at face value, were running everywhere about the tents and machinery, but they were told not to touch, and for the most part they did not. Eve was leading a group of kids and Stuart all about the camp, and Rice was happily aware of her high pitched giggle all during his wait. The local children were good for both her and the men. They were a constant reminder of the immediate future, something that was severely lacking in the past years for any of them. Nearly all the soldiers were up and about early, mostly due to habit, but partly out of excitement. There were a few, those who had the night watch, and at least three who’d succumbed to the powerfully brewed mead, that remained in bed this morning. Undoubtedly some would come crawling to him for aspirin later, but the rest were up and eager to get to know more about the people of this land. Overall though, the General should be proud. The men conducted themselves like gentlemen, and were up and about their duties, just as normal. Several soldiers were already working on the disabled hummers, attracting small crowds of locals, men and women, who watched on curiously.
The Temporal Knights Page 10
