The Temporal Knights

by Richard D. Parker

  “Forsooth?” He asked, very surprised and happy.

  Garraty laughed. “Forsooth. Come, I think you will enjoy this,” the Corporal said, liking the young knight. The Corporal led him first to a truck where he retrieved several cases of equipment. He handed one of them to Sir Ceorl, who took it without question, not offended in the least that he was expected to do common labor. Among these men there seemed to be little privilege awarded by rank. The Colonel worked just as hard as any of them and because work was expected the men seemed to do it all very naturally. Everything about these men was a puzzle to Ceorl but he found he enjoyed being around them and learning about their strange ways. On their way out of camp they bumped into Sir Elid as he was finishing erecting a tent. Private Dosland released the knight so he tagged along, equally curious.

  They walked out away from the quickly growing camp, clear of the tall trees, and into a nearby field. The night was very dark and still, lit only by a sliver of moon. Once away from the camp Corporal Garraty set his case on the ground, opened it and took out a small hand held video monitor, then he took the case Sir Ceorl carried and opened it, revealing a flat, round, bluish-white disk about two feet in diameter.

  “This is a bug,” Garraty told the knights, but they both looked at him blankly, for they had no knowledge of such things.

  “Actually it’s a UAV, or Unmanned Aerial Vehicle,” but this didn’t explain it any better than his first statement. Garraty noticed their vacant looks.

  “We’re going to fly it over the town and fortress and see just what the Earl and his men are up to.”

  Sir Elid frowned. “Ye canna fit on that thing!” he exclaimed, having visions of Garraty shrinking himself in size.

  Garraty laughed. “Unmanned, means no men. It operates without a pilot, or more precisely without a pilot on board. I’ll be flying it with this,” he explained and held up the remote control.

  “See under here,” he said lifting the disk from its case and pointing to a large ridge that ran along the bottom of the contraption, “are five different cameras, and each will give us a distinctly different view of what’s going on below. It’s all run by computers and very sophisticated.”

  Sir Ceorl looked at him like he was the village idiot, but Sir Elid had learned enough over the past few weeks so as not to question the claims of the Americans, so he simply nodded.

  Garraty flipped a switch on the side of the UAV, enabling it, and then handed it carefully to Sir Ceorl, who held it far away from his body, as if it were a snake. The Corporal then picked up the remote and played with the knob at its center and flipped a few switches, all the while watching the vehicle to make sure the craft responded properly.

  “How would you like to launch it?” Garraty asked, and Sir Ceorl nodded, having absolutely no idea what the soldier before him was asking.

  “Hold it gently on the bottom like this...keep it well away from your head so the propellers don’t get you when I start them up, then when I give the signal, toss it up into the air.”

  “Tis going to fly?” Sir Elid asked, growing very excited.

  “Yes...ready?” he asked Sir Ceorl and stepped a few feet away as the knight raised the bug above his head as he’d been shown. Garraty flipped a switch and the propellers started. Sir Elid backed away, and Sir Ceorl cringed at the noise and vibration the foul thing was making, but he did not drop it though he sorely wanted to do just that.

  “Now throw it gently and smoothly up into the air...do it with some force though,” Garraty knew his instructions were vague, but also knew that the UAV could take off from the knight’s hand if necessary.

  Sir Ceorl did as he was told. He pushed the living thing into the air and let go. The tiny engines roared louder and the thing flew straight up into the night sky and was quickly lost in the darkness. For a moment they could hear it buzzing overhead, but soon even that was gone.

  Sir Elid was disappointed, but Sir Ceorl was just confused. Both knights dropped their gaze and looked questioningly at Corporal Garraty but the man was not even looking up into the sky, rather he was peering down at one of the cases. They walked closer and looked over his shoulder at the small monitor. At first neither was sure exactly what they were looking at, but after several long moments and a bit of explanation, Sir Elid realized that they were looking down from the contraption. There were figures on the screen all alone in a field. They were not men, but rather men figures lit bright white against the black background.

  “These be men?” he asked, confusing the young knight from Warwick all the more. Try as he might Sir Ceorl could not make heads or tails of the strange light box Garraty gazed into. The entire episode was utterly disappointing to him.

  “Yes,” Garraty answered with a laugh. “It’s us.”

  “Tis na really us’n?” Elid said with a frown.

  “Yes, we are looking down with a technology called infrared. It allows us to see better in the dark using the natural ambient light,” Garraty explained then asked Sir Ceorl to move off, then around them in a big circle as Sir Elid watched, amazed. “The UAV is directly overhead...I’m just performing the final calibration to make sure everything is functioning properly. Now you move about while Sir Ceorl watches.”

  Sir Elid did as he was told and Sir Ceorl was equally impressed, though not completely convinced. Corporal Garraty then set the “bug” in an endless loop while he took the remote and headed to the command tent, which was already completely erected and functional. Once there he plugged the remote into a larger console with many monitors and sat down before the controls. Colonel Lemay, Lieutenant Otsaka, and Captain Gardner entered soon afterwards.

  “All set sir,” Corporal Garraty said without turning, Sir Elid however quickly came to attention and saluted the Colonel, while Sir Ceorl just nodded.

  Lemay returned the salute with only a wisp of a smile then moved into place behind Garraty, Otsaka and Gardner at his side.

  “Excellent, take the bug out of its holding pattern and find the road if you can. Sir Ceorl, can you lead us into the town of Rochester?”

  The knight nodded, though he was not sure just how he was to manage this. He kept his doubts to himself and watched growing more amazed by the moment as the camera from above first showed him a bit of the camp then the Lundenwic road. The road came through as a dark line against the brighter light of the living trees, bushes and grasses.

  With practiced ease, Corporal Garraty steered the bug over the road and it was soon racing away from camp, and then with surprising clarity its cameras revealed a town below.

  Rochester was a large town with over fifty distinct buildings. Not surprisingly at this hour, the streets were utterly deserted of people, but the bug did detect a pair of dogs sniffing about in an alley. Both Sir Elid and Sir Ceorl now stared at the screen, completely enthralled.

  “It’s big,” Otsaka commented, concerned.

  “Tis a large place, the crossroads betwixt Lundenwic and Canterbury to the east, with another main road leading west to Winchester, then on to Shaftesbury,” Sir Ceorl explained.

  “Circle here and have the computer record and map the town,” Lemay said. Garraty nodded and quickly typed in the commands. Two minutes later the town of Rochester was digitized and moments later several detailed maps smoothly rolled out of a nearby printer. Then, following Sir Ceorl’s directions, the Sergeant steered the bug south along the main road and moments later it flew over the fortress of Rovescester. It was not a true castle by rights and was made largely of wood, though it did have a stone keep off center to the south. True stone castles would not appear for another three hundred years with the arrival of the Normans. Still it was an impressive structure complete with main gate, ramparts and towers. There were only a few guards on the walls, and there were men moving below in the courtyard plus a number of horses and dogs as well. Amid the scene were two things which concerned the Colonel and his men. One was the fact that there was the inner stone keep. It came complete with its own gate and high
walls within the confines of the outer wooden walls. Second, there appeared to be a large contingent of tents outside the wooden ramparts to the east where hundreds of men had made camp.

  Garraty copied the structure into the computer, then moved on to the camp and counted nearly one hundred crude shelters.

  “An army?” Lemay asked.

  “Foot soldiers, or archers,” Sir Elid agreed immediately. “Knights would na be stayin’ anywhere but within Rovescester.”

  “Tis a fyrd na doubt,” Sir Ceorl confirmed.

  Lemay exchanged a look of concern with Otsaka and Gardner but then turned back to Sir Ceorl.

  “Where would they keep their prisoners?”

  “In the dungeons below the inner keep,” he answered and noticed the frowns all around.

  “It’s going to be bloody difficult,” Otsaka said, verbalizing all of their worries. Taking the outer fortress would present no real problem, but taking it before their General and the others were killed was another matter.

  “Are the keep’s walls higher or lower than the outer castle walls?” the Colonel asked, once again turning to Sir Ceorl.

  “They be higher, a bit anyway.”

  “Damn...it’s going to take time, and if we’re spotted by guards on the keep walls....” Lemay said quietly, mostly thinking out loud, before he turned back to Garraty. “Fly over the castle again.”

  Garraty did so and it was immediately evident that the roof of the keep was deserted. Lemay sighed then ordered Garraty to fly over the town of Rochester once more. The bug made a wide circle over the town, and the Colonel noted that there was only one building over two stories high. The building was perhaps four, but probably only three stories, and it stood on the extreme southern end of the town directly between Rochester and the Earl’s fortress. Lemay smiled, the building was perfectly placed, however it was still nearly a quarter of a mile from the northern walls, and well below the hilltop fortress.

  “What’s this building here?” Lemay asked Sir Ceorl, pointing it out. The knight studied the town a bit. He was still not accustomed to viewing the Earth from such an angle and it disoriented him, but finally he was able to make out the structure’s large size and realized it could only be one place. He blushed.

  “Tis Lisette’s,” he replied, clearly uncomfortable. Sir Elid burst out laughing.

  Lemay and his men just looked on, confused.

  “Tis Madame Lisette’s house,” Elid explained, coming to the rescue of his uncomfortable friend. “Tis infamous across the lands. Many a young man travels across Angland to visit Lisette’s. Methinks Sir Ceorl has seen the insides of the famous house with his own eyes.”

  Sir Ceorl blushed all the more, but smiled and nodded. “Forsooth, ye canna visit Rovescester and na Lisette’s?” He replied and laughed with his friend.

  “Lisette’s?”

  “Tis a house for women of questionable character,” Sir Elid finally explained, surprised at the ignorance of his new commander.

  “Oh,” all the Americans said together. Garraty and Otsaka actually broke out in a sweat at the thought. Neither had yet been with a local girl and the pressure was building for them both. Even Lemay, who’d also refrained from becoming intimate, was moved by the thought, though it did not show in his demeanor.

  “All right, first we have to secure that building,” Lemay said.

  “I volunteer,” Gardner quipped immediately.

  “Keep it in your pants Captain,” Lemay replied with a smile. “I want snipers on the rooftop; from there they should be able to cover the entire northern of the fortress and, if we’re lucky, maybe part of the western wall.”

  “They would also be able to cover a retreat should it be needed,” Gardner added. The Colonel nodded in agreement, though retreating was clearly not what he had in mind. Lieutenant Otsaka however, was worried.

  “When were you planning to go?” he asked, knowing that there was little or no chance that the Colonel would open up negotiations before attacking...it was not his style.

  “Tonight...soon 04:00.”

  Sir Ceorl gasped. ‘They mean to attack tonight!’ He thought, thoroughly shocked.

  “Don’t you think it would be better to wait and monitor their activity for a day, and get a better look at the surrounding countryside before going in?” The Lieutenant inquired, still concerned about the stone keep.

  Lemay immediately shook his head. “No. The longer we stay, the more likely we’ll be detected. It took Eadwulf...four or five days to get here. He won’t be expecting us so soon will he Sir Ceorl?”

  “He will na. Methinks it hard to believe meself that we are here after so short a time.”

  Otsaka was not ready to give up. “The team will have to approach and scale the outer walls, and then without cover fire, either breach the gate of the keep or scale its walls without being seen. Finally, they’ll need to find the General and the others in an unknown building...all before being detected.”

  “I’m aware of the logistical problems Lieutenant,” the Colonel replied coldly, but he respected the man’s logic and tenacity. “Will the mission be any easier if we’re detected?”

  Otsaka remained quiet.

  “Sir Ceorl, Sir Elid,” Lemay began, “how are Sir Eadwulf’s prisoners treated?”

  Sir Elid hesitated, not really wanting to tell his new friends the truth, but Sir Ceorl quickly spoke up.

  “Sir Eadwulf would likely turn them over to his master of the dungeon....a man called Dorn, the last time I was here. A hard, large man, na someone I would wish to be beholdin’ to.”

  “And?”

  “Twold do abou’ anything to control ‘em and force ‘em to his Lord’s will,” Sir Elid blurted, suddenly panicking. “He’d most likely pick one to make an example of...cut out his tongue, burn out his eyes, or mayhap just flog him to death in front of the others to keep them in line.”

  “My God,” Gardner blanched.

  “We go tonight,” Lemay told them all grimly, and this time there were no objections from Otsaka.

  “We’ll need to move at least three crews with M60’s here,” the Lieutenant said pointing to the southeast corner of town. “To cover the soldiers camped outside the fortress walls.”

  Lemay nodded. “I want at least two mortar crews along as well. If it’s necessary we can shock them into indecision and scatter them. I’d like you Lieutenant, to personally see to it.”

  “Captain Gardner and I will take a team and secure Lisette’s, then Hernandez and I will each lead a team over the walls,” he added, acutely aware that the best fighting men they had were already inside the keep, prisoners of the Earl. “Sergeant Kimball will stay here with a contingent of men to man the remaining hummers and additional mortars in case we need the extra firepower...let’s hope it’s not needed. I’d like to get in and out without anyone the wiser.”

  Otsaka nodded and Gardner frowned. “Perhaps I should lead the team inside,” he added not wanting to think about the possibility of losing both the General and the Colonel. With Major Thane inevitably leaving for the stars, their command would be decimated.

  “No,” the Colonel said softly following his subordinate’s thoughts. “I’m the best we have for the job. I’ll just have to be very careful and get them out now won’t I?”

  “Aye Sir,” Gardner answered.

  “Let’s get moving then,” Lemay barked. “We only have an hour to brief the men and study our plans. We move on Rochester at 04:00.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  General Peebles and his party entered Rovescester some nine hours earlier, just after dusk. The scene on the outer walls near the main gates was straight from the underworld, the atmosphere enhanced by the flickering torches mounted high on the parapets. Dozens of decomposing men, women, and even a few children, hung rotting and lifeless. Some were strung up by the neck, a few by their arms or legs, some were fresh and newly bloated, but most were well into the process of decay. Peebles, Rice, and the rest of the Americans wer
e shocked and horrified by the display, which was the desired effect. Sir Eadwulf eyed the General and his men closely and was pleased to see them go pale, and even more satisfied when several of them retched and spit, unable to do more on their empty stomachs.

  They marched across the drawbridge, which was made of thick beams of good English oak. The bridge itself must have weighed several tons, but not even Dr. Rice was paying the construction much attention. Inside the courtyard the grisly scene continued, eight more prisoners hung from the walls in iron crows nests. They were all men, six were still alive, and looked down the scene below with drooping eyes, uninterested in anything, not even death, which was rapidly moving their way. The other two were clearly dead and were being systematically eaten by hundreds of squawking black birds that were making an incredible din. General Peebles shook his head in disbelief, more determined than ever to put an end to this mad Earl. He glanced up and caught the gaze of one of the prisoners, but the man was glassy-eyed and almost without life. There were four birds perched on his cage just above his head, waiting, but he let them remain, completely uncaring.

  “Tis a fine view from the nests they say,” Sir Eadwulf commented with a sloping grin. “Mayhap ye will get a better view in the comin’ days, eh Genaral?” Sir Eadwulf hoped to see real fear in the man’s face, but the General’s expression remained blank, showing nothing and saying nothing.

  “It does na have to be,” Eadwulf added quickly. “Welcome to me home. Come, I wold speak with ye,” he added kindly, as if speaking to a true friend. He led the General away from his men and into the keep, no less than six armed knights followed directly behind Peebles, and bringing up the rear was Sir Eadric, trailing reluctantly, wishing his lord would reconsider his actions.

  The General followed the Earl through a maze of corridors, past the kitchens where all sorts of inviting smells saturated the air. The General’s stomach grumbled loudly. He’d not eaten the entire day, and the march had been a very long one, but he made no complaint as he followed Eadwulf up a narrow stoned stairway. They went up what must have been several stories before they came to a single, massive wooden door. A footman standing just outside swung the door open and then bowed low as his lord and master walked past and into his private chambers. Peebles, his hands still tied, was amused to see that all six guards moved into the room behind him. They took up positions between, but not exactly in front of their Earl. Sir Eadric moved to Eadwulf’s side, saying nothing, still not convinced that threats were the way to handle these strange men. He kept a still tongue however, because this was Sir Eadwulf’s way.