Matt helped Ellyn into her seat first, very happy that the Bot was a hardshelled ultralight airplane, complete with doors that opened up somewhat like those on a Delorean. He was not at all sure the Lady Ellyn would have been able to maintain her courage in a more rudimentary open air ultralight. Once inside the young English woman took a moment to study the dash and the controls but was completely mystified by her surroundings. Her attention wavered as Matt leaned in close and helped her fasten the safety harness which consisted of a lap belt and a set of shoulder straps that clicked into place right at her waist. His face was mere inches from hers and he smelled divine, but Ellyn couldn’t help but tense up as his touch grew more intimate. Surprisingly though, he seemed to think little of it and she found everything about him both shocking and slightly intoxicating. She forced herself to relax as he finished buckling her in, gaining courage by his obvious competence with the strange contraption she now found herself sitting in.
She was very afraid, but Matt smiled at her as he strapped himself in and she found herself smiling back nervously. But then her mouth popped open as he reached down and picked up a large blue egg.
‘A dragon egg…’ Ellyn thought and felt her fear mounting, but then Matt slipped the egg onto his head. Ellyn giggled but Matt took no notice, then he pulled up a red egg and tried to fit it over her head. Ellyn was slightly alarmed but she could tell the Mayjor was getting frustrated. Her hair was tied up in an intricate bun, as was the fashion of the time. To achieve the desired look took a great deal of time and effort and Ellyn was loathed to alter it. Finally however she relented and pulled out one simple pin. Her hair fell down around her shoulders making the young woman feel very wanton and vulnerable. Her hair was long, thick, and very blonde.
“Tis na proper for a man to see a woman with her hair down ‘til they’ve been properly wed,” she said with an embarrassed smiled. “Tis quite like showing ye me under clothes,” she added and turned a darker shade of pink.
“Perhaps later,” Matt replied and slipped on her helmet, chuckling at the look of shock that spread across her face.
“Mayjor Thane,” she said flustered, “just wot kind of girl do ye think me be?”
“A beautiful one,” he answered and started the engine, cutting off her reply.
And though her heart was soaring, once the engine started, Ellyn promptly tried to get out. The restraints baffled her however, and she felt a moment of intense panic.
“Relax,” Matt told her gently and reached out and took a hold of her hand. Ellyn immediately went still. Matt squeezed and she instinctively squeezed back and after a moment she calmed down. He went through a brief checklist, during which he triple checked to make sure her controls were toggled off.
“Ready?” he asked and she was surprised that she could hear his voice very clearly, just as if his lips were close to her ear. The thought made her shiver, which he took for agreement. Matt released the brake and engaged the throttle, and they were soon taxiing to the far side of the field. Once there, he swung the plane into the wind and took another brief glimpse at his passenger, and caught his breath. She was truly lovely, frightened as she was, but even so she smiled bravely up at him.
‘Tis na so bad,’ she thought, ‘slower than the magic wagon rides earlier.’ Then Matt gunned the engine and they began to roll faster and faster toward take-off speed. Half way across the field they were airborne. The crowd gasped and retreated slightly as the plane rose into the sky. Everyone watched mesmerized as the small plane gained altitude and then banked to the south. Its engines roared as it soared overhead, but even through the noise the Lady Ellyn’s terrified screams drifted down clearly from above.
General Peebles was smiling and Lemay and Robertson were laughing gaily, as were many of the strange men, but Dr. Rice was watching Sir Oldalf closely. The large knight was red faced with anger and worry. The plane circled and flew back over, higher this time, but Ellyn’s screams still reached them. She was making an awful racket and it was amazing that Matt could even concentrate enough to fly the damned thing. The laughter of the nearby soldiers grew louder. Oldalf was drawing his sword when Gordon put a hand on his arm.
“She’ll be fine, and will beg to go back up again,” he assured the knight. “Once she gets used to the idea anyway.”
“She be me only dottir,” Oldalf explained simply, his entire body trembling.
Gordon nodded smiling. “Matt’s been flying his entire life. He’ll look after her.” Sir Oldalf tried to relax but failed, though he had little idea what he would have done with his sword anyway. The ayreplain was too high to knock down. Indeed it seemed to be flying all the way to heaven, he thought as he watched it circle ever higher.
Newton brought General Peebles a small headset and he put it on. He did so gingerly not wanting to ruin his hearing due to the girl’s screaming.
On board, Matt finally succeeded in quieting his passenger, though he was not sure whether it was due to him or the fact that now the girl was completely numb and resigned to the fact that she was to die. Her eyes were closed but her breathing was heavy, and he could not resist the temptation to study her rapidly rising and falling bust.
Finally he sighed. “You’re safe with me Ellyn,” he said soothingly. “I’d not let anything happen to the prettiest girl in the land now would I?” She opened her eyes.
“Ye think me pretty?” she asked him coyly, obviously already knowing the answer, and just wanted to hear him say it again.
“More than you know,” he replied then he motioned out and down to the Ealdorman’s Manor Hall and the town of Athelney. She looked down and gasped, but did not scream. She held onto the support bar with all her might, but continued to gaze at the ground with morbid fascination.
“Tis them?”
Matt nodded.
“They look like tiny insects and the hall no bigger than me slipper,” she said, smiling tentatively now.
“Hello up there,” Peebles said calmly, having heard the few previous sentences. “How’s the girl holding up, Major?”
Ellyn was startled by the voice of the General in her ear, though he was not on the plane with them. She had no idea how this was accomplished, except that these men could fly and talk at great distances like gods, demons, or both.
“We’re fine Sir,” Matt replied and Ellyn could tell he was not surprised at all to be talking with his liege lord. “Beginning a southeasterly heading,” he added and rolled his eyes a bit.
“I hope you’re keeping the girl’s best interests in mind,” Peebles added softly.
“Yes Sir,” Matt replied and remained silent for a time. Ellyn did not know exactly what was going on, but she knew that something had happened to change the Major’s demeanor. But after a moment he smiled at her and then he reached over and took her hand once more, holding it as they flew over the countryside. His hand felt warm and just a bit wicked, but she was oh so pleased by his touch. She smiled back at him, growing bolder by the moment but then she looked out and down. They were higher than ever, higher than some birds and suddenly she didn’t give the Mayjor’s hand another thought.
The top speed of the Bot Speed Cruiser was just over one hundred and forty miles an hour. Matt settled in at just over a hundred. The wind buffeted them slightly but for the most part the ride was smooth and uneventful. They were in the air perhaps twenty minutes before they finally flew over another town. If possible, this town appeared to be even smaller than Athelney and in some state of disrepair.
“Langport!” Ellyn yelled excitedly and slightly confused. She was sure it was Langport but they could not possibly be over the town already… twas a day’s ride in good weather, much too far to be sure. The two gazed down as a good portion of the townspeople ran screaming from the plane but a few just stood and watched as they flew over, completely frozen with fear. Ellyn squealed in delight at the small buildings, and moments later they were by and gone, the town of Langport safely behind them. They kept an easterly direction for anot
her ten minutes before Matt spotted a much larger town, at least three times the size of Athelney and crowded with men and horses. It was very obvious there was a large company of horsemen milling just outside the walls of the town and Matt smiled, pleased.
“Shaftesbury! Tis Shaftesbury!” the Lady Ellyn exclaimed. “Tis na possible…but tis Shaftesbury!” As they flew over the town, a dozen horses bolted, some on their own and some carrying the owners along for the ride. Ellyn laughed and shouted that they were Anglish as a few of the bolder soldiers fired arrows up at them. The plane however, was in no danger, they were much too high to be struck and even if by some miracle they were, Matt doubted the arrows would have the force necessary to punch through the fiberglass shell. They quickly flew over and left the town behind, but Matt circled over several more times trying to get an idea of the size of the force. Clearly it was no army, maybe thirty to fifty men at most. The air coming through the partially open windows was cooler and rushing by impossibly fast whipping stray strands of the girl’s hair behind her. On their third pass church bells began to ring and Ellyn clapped excitedly. The girl was growing much bolder and even leaned over and shouted out into the air, but it did no good, the people below either ran or tried to frighten them with spears or arrows.
But as they circled to the north of Shaftesbury, Ellyn surprised Matt and reached out and placed a hand on his arm.
“Me home is just north of the Ealdorman’s,” she told him, her eyes large with excitement.
Matt hesitated a moment, Shaftesbury was as far as he was to go, but after only a moment he relented.
“Can you find it?”
Ellyn laughed merrily. “Ya…tis quite easy,” she exclaimed and pointed down to the right. “Follow the Roman road. Me father’s hall is just off it a spell.”
And so Matt followed the small, paved road to the northwest, the Lady Ellyn bouncing with excitement next to him until finally she squealed with delight and pointed.
“Tis Somerton…tis Somerton,” she yelled excitedly indicating a collection of buildings below, hardly a town at all. Matt glanced down and nodded, watching as a small group of people rushed for cover. Ellyn continued to fidget as they flew until finally she let out another shriek and grabbed Matt’s arm happily. Off to the north was a large Manor home that was not protected by a wall.
“Me home! Me home!” Ellyn howled with joy and Matt banked the Bot to the north and gently lowered their altitude so the girl could get a better look. Moments later they streaked overhead. A dozen or so people were running for their lives as Ellyn shouted encouragement at them. Matt circled one more time, much to the girl’s immense satisfaction, and then headed back to the southwest.
After just over an hour in the air, and a bit of searching at the very end, they returned to the Athelney and the Ealdorman’s Manor Hall. After a quick flyover they landed soft as a spring rain, right in the spot where they’d started. Matt stopped the plane away from the crowd as the locals rushed to greet them. He pulled his helmet off, and got out. Ellyn slipped off her own helmet but was held fast by the safety belts. She was smiling widely as she struggled with the buckles and squirmed with excitement, making it very difficult for Matt to free her. But he finally managed and she jumped from the plane just as the crowd reached them. Her hair was still down and flowing to the middle of her back. In her excitement she kissed Matt abruptly on the chin, right in front of everyone. She was talking fast and petting his face. She kissed him again, this time on the mouth and then ran over to her father, beaming.
“Oh, Father, twas truly wondrous,” she said and started to cry. “Wondrous,” she repeated and through the tears Sir Oldalf could tell she was very excited and happy. “We flew over Langport and all the people ran…and we flew over Shaftesbury where they shot arrows at us though we be much too high. They rang warning bells and everything! I tried to wave and yell to them our good intentions, but methinks they did na hear though, cause they still shot arrows, and the town looked so small...no bigger than a slipper...and we flew over home…I saw Trudy and Whit, but they just ran and screamed…oh father twas wondrous!”
Sir Oldalf laughed, and gave a look of thanks to Matt. Never had he seen his daughter look and act so happy, though she must be a bit daft thinking that they had traveled all the way to Shaftesbury and then Bridgwater in so little a time. But he was gratified that she was the one blessed by such a ride and felt that it brought honor to him as well.
“Did ye see me Father?”
“Na, but we heard ye,” he answered and the crowd laughed heartily.
The merriment went on all afternoon, and Matt was obliged to take the Ealdorman up in the plane. But this time instead of going to the east they headed west and flew over Watchet and the coast, before moving down and flying over Countisbury Hill, the Viking stronghold. They circled, and like everywhere the people ran or tried to attack them with arrows. Æthelnoth laughed and shook his fist at his enemies but on the way back they flew over and startled a caravan of wagons and people on foot. The group was ragged and spread out, but the main body was only about five miles due west of the town of Athelney and the Ealdorman’s home. The older man enjoyed the ride immensely, his eyes brimming with tears of excitement, but the sight of the caravan sobered him before they landed. He worried that they were refugees from some western town, perhaps Pilton or thereabouts. The Danes were very active down in those parts. After they landed and he told the news, a group of knights volunteered to ride out and check, and several soldiers offered to go with them. Peebles reluctantly agreed, provided they go on horseback, and well armed.
The group returned to the festivities just before nightfall, and confirmed that the people were indeed refugees from Pilton. The Danes were at it again, leaving their permanent residence of Countisbury to raid the nearby town. Sir Elid told a few graphic stories of the rape, murder, and thievery the Anglish suffered at the hands of the Danes. The caravan was not due to arrive until early the next day, but the bad news put a damper on the celebration.
“We must drive those devils into the sea,” the Ealdorman barked, hacking at the enormous log he was sitting on with a slim sharp knife. Peebles sat next to him and repressed a smile, gazing into one of the five large bonfires that ringed the field to the south of the town’s main gates.
“The Danes attack, steal and murder, taking our food and women. They be evil men who live off thee hard labor of others.”
“Perhaps the King can help,” Peebles suggested more to find out the Ealdorman’s position and his thoughts about his king, than to offer any real advice. The General had every intention of driving the local bandits out. They would do it very impressively so word would spread, and they would do it very soon.
“Yah, the King. He be a stout man forsooth, and doing well by his countrymen, but he has his own troubles in Wessex with the Boneless. The Danes be everywhere. They attack in Devon at Exeter, Hampshire at Wilton and even Lundenwic this past spring. The Danes be strong…and these Danes be me problem, but possibly with the help of Lord Æthelred, the King of Mercia and his knights, we be able to drive them out.”
“The King Alfred will not help then?”
“Tis na from lack of want,” the Ealdorman replied. “Tis na so simple a thing. For the King to come west is to leave the whole of Wessex and Kent open. The traitor Anglish in East Anglia wold like as na join with the Boneless and crush us all…na Alfred must stay in Wessex…in the east.
“The Boneless?” Peebles asked, more curious than amused.
“Ya! Ivarr, cursed son of Ragnar. Canna use his manhood, makes him doubly mean an’ irritable. Bloodthirsty devil he be, a mighty warrior and a scourge on all the Anglish,” Æthelnoth replied and then spat to rid his body of any evil that might come with the name.
The General said nothing, but decided just then to hold a staff meeting that night and sent an orderly to inform his officers to meet at 2200 hours in his tent. Leoforic, who was pestering Dr. Rice to show his video to everyone, interrupted the G
eneral’s thoughts. After a quick consultation with the doctor, they decided it couldn’t hurt and set up a series of monitors around the perimeter of the camp so that those who wished to watch could do so. It took some time to move a generator and to run all the power, but in the end they had five screens up and ready. Nearly all the locals were curious about the little magic box the Prince of Mercia had pointed at each and every one of them that day.
The video was a big hit. The locals were shocked and frightened at first, but fear soon turned to utter delight, as they laughed at their own antics on the screen. The children were especially enchanted and squealed with excitement when they saw their own faces on the screen before them. Matt stood back to one side with Ellyn, who went so far as to hold his hand as they watched, since the video screens negated the danger of prying eyes in the crowd. For his own part, Matt showed not the slightest desire to pull his hand free, and they both laughed till they cried as they watched the first airplane ride of the afternoon. Ellyn’s screams came through the tiny speakers quite clearly. Everyone laughed hysterically, and many turned and smiled at Ellyn with warmth. The video did the trick and turned the mood, and the celebration started up again full force with music and much dancing.
Ellyn tried at first to get Matt to join her in dance but he resisted so she joined the other young nobles in an exhibition of a number of dances. Matt and many of the other Americans were especially taken with a fast dance in which the dancers held sticks about two and a half feet long. Men and women performed together, spinning and twirling about in dizzying fashion. As they spun they struck out with their sticks, striking the other dancers sticks with amazing skill. Ellyn and many other ladies laughed and smiled as they performed more and more complicated patterns, striking and spinning and striking again. Many of the Americans were growing anxious that someone was going to get whacked soon. The crack of wood on wood became the drumbeat for the music and when combined with the supple movements of the dancers, created a beautiful and hypnotic pattern, and soon everyone was clapping in time to the sounds of the wood. The dance finished with a flurry, with dancers turning this way and that and always striking out to hit the other dancer’s sticks. It was a very carefully choreographed, and the speed and slight danger of the performance left both the dancers and the spectators breathless. There was a roar of applause as it ended. Ellyn was smiling and breathing hard as she made her way to Matt when the dance was over, drawn like a magnet.
The Temporal Knights Page 13
