by Smith, Skye
"Once the law is passed that allows William to afforest land in his name in order to protect it,” explained the lawyer, "then he will not need the courts for matters within the afforested land. Under English law a landlord can claim the right of infangetheof to take swift vengeance against thieves caught red handed on his land. In other words, he can have a separate law in his forests, judged by separate courts. That is why my partner drew up this manuscript. It is the new Law of the Forests."
At this moment, both men stopped talking because the lead guard had reached an open and less dangerous section of the highway and was waiting for them to catch up so that he could climb aboard the cart. The trailing guard soon joined him in the straw in the back. Raynar was glad of the break. His head was swimming thinking about the words of the lawyer and the taxman. It had been a constant challenge for him not to react to the words and betray his knowledge of French. Now his very life would depend on not revealing his talent with tongues.
At the next stretch of forested road when the guards again assumed their walk, and the learned men continued their planning of the smaller details of their wicked plan, Raynar was only half listening. He was working on a plan of his own. Somehow he had to silence these two men forever and destroy their scrolls, and he had only until they reached Canterbury to do it.
His sword and bow were in the long box under the seat. His dagger was in his belt. His sling was his belt. Until everyone was off the cart he could not put his hand on his bow. At close range he could never attack four men with a bow. Even if he shot one or two, those left would tackle him, or worse. He may be able to wound the two learned men with his sword, but not the guards. They wore half mail and light helmets, and carried swords in well worn sheaths.
Perhaps if he delayed them so that they need overnight on the road. No, that would not work. They would stay at an inn, not camp near this dangerous road. He listened to them chat for a while. The lawyer was wondering how large of an army it would take to clear the all the folk from England's forests. The lawyer was calling him a fool for not realizing that the forests would be cleared one small section at a time, so that force and numbers would always favour the king's men.
He needed to separate these men from the eyes of the guards. He may be able to kill both the lettered men, and then disappear with the scrolls. Only in heavy cover did he have a chance of doing that. They would never agree to stop in heavy cover. Well, he must try.
The next ford of a stream was in the shade of large willow trees. It was near to high noon. "Oye,” Raynar addressed the lawyer in English. "It's too bloody hot for the horse. She needs water and shade until the sun is lower. If not here then at the next stream."
His words set a French discussion going between men and guards. Raynar pretended to lose his temper with the foreign jabber and stopped the horse midstream so it could drink. While the other's jabbered, he jumped to the ground and with the excuse of checking the horse's legs he looked all about. Damn. There was no cover beyond this copse of trees. There would be no hiding. His escape would depend on footwork, and with little chance of doubling back with his bow to finish the job if necessary.
The lawyer had his robe hiked to his knees and was jumping to the ground, or rather, into the stream. He said in English "All right, we will stay here a short while. The guards will watch the road at each approach. Do not unhitch the horse. We may need to start off again at short notice."
Raynar pulled the horse to where there was more shade, and to where the cart did not block the ford for they had overtaken many heavily loaded and slower carts, and now the latest of those carts would catch them up. As he fumbled with the lid of the long box to get the latch open, each of the two guards walked briskly in opposite directions along the highway.
His plan for now was to open the box, hide his sword under some sacking, string his bow, and wait until the two men of letters were not as watchful so that he would have time to put an arrow into each of them. They had taken the bag of scrolls with them, and were sitting in the shade on the bank of the stream and arguing about something.
Raynar took five heavy arrows from his quiver and stuck them in the ground behind the cart's wheel. He waited until no one was looking his way and then he pulled the carter's bow out of the box. It was not a full long bow, for no seat box was long enough for anything longer than a normal hunting bow, but it was still a sturdy Yew self-bow that took much strength to string. His targets sat but forty yards away. They would both be dead within the next minute.
"Carts coming,” yelled the guard who had doubled back. "Two carts. Filled with folk.” The two men of letters were now on their feet and turned to look up the road. Raynar was just able to unstring the bow and put it and the five arrows back in the box and shut it before the lawyer was back to the cart. The guard was walking alongside a cart brimming with women and children and a few merchants. They had also decided to use this ford to rest and escape the heat.
Raynar had overtaken both these carts less than twenty minutes ago. At that rate there would be another three carts arriving within ten minutes. He felt foolish at not making the other carts a part of his plan. Loaded as they were with women and children, they would stay at this shady place for at least an hour. He thought his plan out again. It was a good plan, save for these other carts. So, right plan, wrong ford. He must press his passengers on to the next ford and give himself more time.
"Don't like the looks of some of the lads with that second cart,” he whispered to the lawyer. "They are taking turns walking to lighten the load. They keep looking at my cart with mischief in their eyes."
The lawyer walked over to the guard and spoke to him, and then spoke to the taxman. They all walked back to the cart. The taxman threw the bag of scrolls into the cart and began to climb aboard. The lawyer said, "In the interests of caution, the guard has told us to continue to the next ford and rest there. That will put this lot well behind us."
The next ford turned out to be in the next valley and they truly needed some shade after the slow pull up the hill and then down again. Raynar now regretted removing the cloth shade that he and Wylie had rigged on the endless journey from Scafeld to Huntingdon to London. He hadn't wanted the heavy cloth to be spoiled when removing the dead. Oh, well, not to know. Perhaps it was to his advantage because the men would not resist another stop.
Just before they reached this valley's stream, the cartway was crossed by a main bridle path. The bridle path would have been the trail used by these men if they had secured riding horses rather than a cart. It was by far the fastest route from London to Canterbury as it did not have to keep to a grade gentle enough for loaded carts. This put another wrinkle in his plan. Even though the other carts were now well behind them, a rider could approach quickly along this path.
There was nothing for it but to try again at this ford. Each ford took these men closer to the safety of Regent Bishop Earl Odo's keep. One of the guards leaped off the cart at the start of the copse of trees that marked the stream. At the stream, the other guard jumped down and had a careful look up and down stream and then walked to the other edge of the copse. The shade was welcome. The horse did not wait to be stopped before it was slurping at the shallow water in the almost dry stream.
Again the men of letters took their scrolls and sat away from the cart and in the shade. Again Raynar stood on the off side of the cart and checked to make sure no one was looking before he opened the long box. Then his eyes saw a bright light and there was a sharp pain where his neck met his shoulder, and then he fell and saw the world from between the legs of the horse.
Someone had one foot on his back holding him down, but he was too dizzy to rise in any case. His vision swirled but he thought he saw the men of letters also on the ground with men standing overtop of them. They were being tied and gagged. The two guards were now entering his vision and they were tied and hobbled so that they could walk but not run. The men leading them were carrying the guard's weapons. Whoever had been standing on his b
ack now tied his hands behind him and helped him to his feet. The horse licked him on the face with a cool wet tongue and then went back to slurping water.
The five from Raynar’s cart were all pushed together in the deep shade and encircled by seven or eight men wearing scarves over their mouths. The same type of scarves that the men working with the corpses in London had been given to do their gruesome work. One with sooty hair spoke. "Let's kill them all."
The taxman knew enough English to understand his words and immediately began to bluster in broken English that he was a king's tax collector, and that to harm him was to risk the death penalty.
Another man spoke out in French with little accent. "Thousands dead because you tried to burn a merchant. Do you really think that you will be noticed amongst the nameless and missing."
"Kill the tax collector, yes, that is why we followed him. He deserves to be killed a thousand times, but what of these others?” asked a third man.
"The lawyer was standing with him when he lit the fire that burned London. He did nothing to stop it. He wanted to watch the merchant dance in the flames. Doesn't that make him an accomplice. The verdict is the same. Those guards were there too."
"What of the carter?"
"If he was innocent in London that is too bad for him. Can we afford a witness here.” was the reply. "Besides, the watch knew he was taking them to Canterbury. If this lot is reported missing, he will be questioned under torture. He will die anyway and risk us all."
A man's blue eyes above a filthy scarf stared into Raynar's. "I know this carter. He is from the temple stable. He is one of those who treated my little girl's burns, and fed my family. I will not be a party to his death.” Raynar mouthed a thank you to him.
"What do you have to say, carter? Why shouldn't we kill you with these other four?” One of the guards must have understood some of the English being spoken for he moaned and began to struggle. His legs were knocked out from under him.
"I am a carter from the temple stable, and I was treating children's burns with cleansing and poultices. I was commissioned to take these men to Canterbury, but I do not know them, nor condone them. I will gladly help you to kill the collector and the lawyer, for they are evil men who have caused much suffering. I will not touch the guards. They are just guards following orders."
"If they are left alive then you cannot go back to London."
"I could,” replied Raynar, "if you keep me tied with the guards and leave the three of us alive. They would vouch to the watch that I was not involved."
"Whatever is decided about this man, tying him with the guards and separating them from the other two makes sense.” said the first man.
"They speak little English,” panted Raynar, "tie them with me and then let the man with French give a stern warning to all three of us. Perhaps say that you are taking blood revenge on the collector because your family was burned alive from a fire of his doing. Tell us that we can return to London with the cart, but that if we help in the search for your identity, we will know the point of a dagger."
"I like it,” said blue eyes. "It solves everything."
"Another thing,” said Raynar, "Scorch the collectors feet first, by burning his scrolls underneath him, but take care not to set the whole countryside alight."
The men greeted this idea warmly. It would give credence to the story the guards would tell.
The guards were dragged over to the cart where Raynar was now tied and were tied beside him. They were told the reason for this execution in French. Strain and try as they might to see around the large cartwheel, they could see nothing of what was happening to the lawyer and the collector. They knew, however, when they smelled smoking paper and heard the collector screaming for mercy. There was no mercy save for how quickly the scrolls finished burning. Then the screams were cut short. There was the sound of many hoofs riding away and then silence.
They sat tied together for almost an hour before a cart stopped to see what the problem was. At first they thought the men on the cart would slit their throats and steal the cart, but in the end the sanity of an older woman prevailed, and they were set free. They ran over to where the people of the cart were kneeling in prayer. The lawyer and the collector were stripped naked and hung by their arms over the ashes of the scrolls. Their feet were blackened, and the skin of each had a hundred cuts, each of which had bled, but not much. The killing cut on each had not been to their necks, but to the great arteries in the legs. The men had bled to death while hanging.
To the flurry of questions, Raynar told the truth in English, that these two men were responsible for the great fire of London, and those who had lost families had followed them here to kill them. The guards confirmed his story with their broken English, and then told it themselves in French.
A woman got off her knees and replaced her prayer for their souls, with a curse, then picked up a stone and threw it at the ghastly white corpses. Other women joined her, some throwing stone, some spitting, and all cursing. Some of the lads walked close and pissed on the corpses. No one cut them down. In fact, Raynar and the guards were told to get in their cart and make for London, so that they also would not cut the corpses down. Before he left the ford, Raynar kicked at the asshes of the scrolls to make sure that every word had been burned.
* * * * *
Raynar drove the guards back towards London and used purposefully poor French mixed with simple English to find out if the guards knew the identity of the lawyer, and more importantly, the lawyer's partner, the man who authored the Forest Law. The guards were of no help. They were hired by the tax collectors to provide muscle when they went collecting, and knew nothing of his friends or family.
One thing that was made clear however, was that the guards were just as happy having him along to explain the deaths to the watch, as he was at having the guards along. One of the guards was quite worried, not about the daggers from the killers, but about being questioned by the watch. The other guard soothed him by telling him to be sure to mention the charred feet, and the reaction of the people on the other carts.
"That collector has not a friend in London, and it is no wonder he was fleeing to Canterbury. He should have warned us that we were in so much danger on his account."
Together they decided to camp overnight in the courtyard of an inn, so they could arrive in London in the morning to report to the captain of the watch, the same one that sent them all in Raynar's cart. If they had continued on and reported to the night watch they would be kept in the lockup overnight with the unsavory type of men who is picked up after the curr few.
Raynar could not sleep. His mind was contorted by fears for the folk that lived in the forests of England. The messengers were dead, and their manuscripts destroyed, but the author of the plan, the lawyer's partner, was still alive. Now he knew the plan, it was quite obvious, and it wouldn't be long before others thought of it, including Odo himself. As the Chief Justicar of the kingdom, he had many lawyers working for him. Telling anyone of the plan could spread the knowledge and be the cause of the very plan he feared.
His thoughts and memories laid heavy on his mind and depressed him. He had little chance of finding the partner and killing him to keep him quiet. He had last had the chance of killing Odo when Judith retrieved her husband Waltheof's body, but he had not done so because that would have forfeited Judith's life. He had last had the chance to kill William when he delivered Edgar, Margaret's brother, to Caen, but he had not done so because that would have forfeited Edgar's life.
These were not new thoughts to him, and he had justified not killing either of those two evil men many times in the past year. The cost of Judith or Edgar’s lives was too high a price to pay at the time. It was a weak justification knowing the evil that these men were responsible for. Now learning of what could happen to the people that eked a living in the forests, there was no justifying the lost opportunities of killing them.
By morning, he had decided that the true solution was to stop shirkin
g from the oath of vengeance he had made back in '66 . Starting now he would work relentlessly towards the death of William, the King of the English. If he had a chance to kill the lawyers partner or William's half brother Odo, so much the better, but the primary target is now and always had been William the Conqueror.
That decided, the first problem, then, was how to move to Normandy. William rarely visited England, which was why Odo was regent here, and so powerful. The first step then would be a journey to Oudenburg to speak to Hereward.
By morning he was bleary eyed from a sleepless night. The guards treated him to an inn breakfast of hot spiced ale and boiled oatmeal with pig fat. They helped him to hitch the horse and seemed to understand his lack of sleep. "After such killings, and the uncertainty of what the watch will do,” said one of the guards, "even I did not sleep well and I have been fighting in wars most of my life."
In London they quickly found the captain of the watch for he was still giving orders near to London Bridge. The captain motioned some of his men to come and be witnesses, and then one at a time, and out of earshot of each other, they told their stories. After consulting with the witnesses, the captain sent all three of them to their homes. He would simply add the names of the tax collector and the lawyer to the casualty lists. To Raynar's question, he replied that he did not know the lawyer personally and was not aware that he had a partner.
At the temple stable, Raynar told Wylie what had happened to the taxman who had set London afire, but mentioned nothing about the Forest Law scrolls. He left most of his purse, and the horse and cart with Wylie, threw his few belongings into his pack, strapped on his sword, but left the bow with the cart, and then walked the docks in search of a ship for passage across the Manche. Wylie assumed he was off to Oudenburg to send ships to ply the London trade.
The fates were with him. There was a French ship leaving for Montreuil-sur-Mer on the tide.
