by Peter Kenson
“My name is Held and this,” he said indicating the scout standing at his side, “is Jerome who I think you saw last night. As for why I am here, your mother sent me to find you.”
“My mother,” Jeren said suspiciously. “How do you know my mother? And where is she?”
“Your mother is safe. She is back in the village with her people. However, I’m afraid I do have some bad news for you.”
“Go on.”
“Your father, Lord Brantyen, was fatally wounded by the captain of the Duke Henry’s soldiers, trying to prevent them from taking the boys. He survived the night just barely but died in your mother’s arms when she returned the next day.”
“You’re lying,” he shouted. “You’re a liar, liar… liar.”
Baltur lowered the knife and looked stricken as Jeren dropped to his knees.
“You’re a liar,” Jeren shouted again. “My father can’t be dead.”
David took a deep breath. “He died bravely, Jeren, trying to protect his people. Just as you have been for the last two days. I have a letter for you from your lady mother and she also wanted you to have this.”
He tossed the ring across to land in front of Jeren who picked it up in bewilderment.
“This… this is my father’s ring,” he stammered.
“Yes it is. And I think that now you should read your mother’s letter. It will explain many things.” He walked over and handed the letter to Jeren.
“It isn’t sealed,” he said, suspicious again.
“Your uncle Gaelan has taken your father’s seal and all his other appointments. The ring was all your mother was able to save. Please Jeren, please read the letter.”
He opened the letter and read for a long time. When he had finished, he got to his feet and handed it wordlessly to Baltur. Then he pointed directly at Jerome. “You. I knew I’d seen you somewhere before. You were one of the bandits who kidnapped my mother.”
“He is a bandit no longer, Jeren” David interposed smoothly. “He is a mercenary soldier in the employ of your lady mother.”
Jeren rounded on him furiously. “It’s Lord Jeren to you, Held” he shouted. “Bandit, mercenary, whatever you are.”
David inclined his head. “Very well, Lord Jeren.”
“How many men do you have with you?” Jeren asked
“Not as many as I would have liked but enough to deal with the situation. You and Jerome here removed two of their number last night and four of their men are now cut off from the main group. That improves the odds somewhat.”
Just at that moment, Ash rode through the entrance to the gully. “There’s news, milord.”
“What is it?” David and Jeren asked simultaneously.
Ash looked a little surprised but spoke to David. “The caravan’s on the move, milord. They brought in the last wagon horse just now and hitched them straight up. They’ve only got three riding horses left. The captain’s taken one and he’s sent the other two out still looking for the missing horses. All the other men are either on foot or on the wagons and some of them don’t look too happy about it.”
David smiled. “Any of the riders coming this way?”
“No, milord. They’re searching back up the trail.”
“Right, get back and get the men together. Leave one man for when Feynor returns and bring the rest this way. We need to circle round and get ahead of that caravan.”
“Yes, milord.”
As Ash disappeared through the narrow entrance, Jeren spoke up, a little more uncertain this time. “Held. You said your name was Held. But your man addressed you as ‘milord’. Are you Lord Held?”
“I make no claim to a title,” David replied. “But the men address me as such.”
“Well either you are or you aren’t,” Jeren said in exasperation. “Which is it?”
“I’m sorry, Lord Jeren. Not everything is totally black, nor totally white. You must take me as you find me and address me as you see fit.”
“Well then, Held. What is your plan?”
David sighed. “They are still a strong body of men. I would like to lay an ambush and take them by surprise during the hours of daylight. But until I see where my scouts will take me, I do not know if that will be possible.”
“Right. We will come with you and I will command the attack.”
“Uh yes and no, Lord Jeren. Yes, you will come with us because I am not leaving you out here on your own; your mother would skin me alive. But no, with your fifteen years of battle hardened experience, my lord, you are not going to command the attack.”
“You forget yourself, Held. I outrank you. And when we get back I will tell my mother…”
“You will tell your mother,” David interrupted, “that I placed you across my knee and spanked you with the flat of my sword. And then you will have to explain to your lady mother exactly why I did that, Lord Jeren. Now which is it going to be, my way or the hard way?”
There was a long silence before Jeren spoke again. “I will not forget this, Held.”
“Lessons worth learning should never be forgotten, my lord. Now bring your horses and let’s get out of here.”
Ash was waiting with the men drawn up in formation as they exited the narrow defile.
“Any news of Feynor yet?” David asked.
“Not yet, milord. I’ve left one man where we stopped and I’ve sent two more to keep an eye on those loose riders.”
“Okay, how far are we from the river?”
“At least two leagues yet, milord. But when they reach it, there’s a well-defined trail along the banks of the river. They’ll turn east towards Stadenbridge and then the high road to Paelis.”
“Will they make it to the river before dark?”
“It’s possible, milord. They’re still making slow progress and they made a very late start but it is possible.”
“Alright. Take us round. I want to intercept them before they reach that river.”
The route they took was circuitous but they still made better time than the caravan. They reached the escarpment leading down to the river and moved along the edge until they could see both the main trail along the river and the side trail coming in from the village. There was a small wooded area at the junction of the two trails, mostly on the eastern side but with some cover also on the west. That was where David decided to lay the ambush.
“Bern, I want your archers at the back of the wood, away from the river and on either side of the track. When I give the signal, take down as many of the guards around the children as you can. But tell your men to place their shots carefully. I don’t want stray shots hitting the boys.
“Jorgen, you are going to be in the woods on the far side of the trail. When the attack starts, I want you to drive across the trail in front of the final wagon carrying the children and your job is to prevent any help coming back from the front of the caravan.
“Ash, in the absence of Feynor, you and I will take the rest of the men and attack the leading wagon, to try and distract them from what’s going on behind. Is everybody clear on that?”
There was a chorus of “Yes, milord.”
“Then go get your men into position. That caravan can’t be far behind us now.”
David turned to the two boys. “You two are coming with me. I want you to tie those horses securely to one of the trees away from the trail. I know they’re battle trained but if they turn skittish and break free, I won’t have time to go looking for them. The other thing is, I don’t have any spare weapons to give you. We travelled light today. I know you’re both brave lads. You more than proved that last night. You both have hunting bows and if you have a word with Bern over there, he may spare you some war arrows. If you can support the attack, then I won’t refuse your help but place your shots carefully and don’t get too close. I have to answer to your mother for your safety.”
The two boys looked at him, then nodded and trotted over to Bern to ask about the arrows.<
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“Huh, progress,” he thought.
It turned out that they were further ahead of the caravan than they had thought and it did not come into view until the light was beginning to fade. That gave them the additional advantage of being rested. The battle at the rear of the caravan was mercifully brief with Bern’s archers bringing down most of the guards in the first strike. The battle at the front was more bloody with the guards defending the leading coach with determination. One young swordsman in particular caught David’s eye, holding off five or six of David’s men with some considerable skill. The captain on his borrowed horse, was laying about him to left and right until David forced his way in front of him and brought his katana down on the captain’s sword, shearing off the blade just above the hilt. When the young swordsman saw his captain sitting with his hands in the air and David’s blade across his throat, he stepped back a pace and raised his own hands in the air. The other guards followed suit and the battle was soon over.
As his lieutenants rode up to report, David ordered them, “Make camp here for the night. Secure the prisoners, treat the injured and we’ll move out in the morning. Any casualties among the children?”
“No, milord. Not a one. Very scared of course; the little ones are terrified but there’s no casualties.”
“Well done. Excellent job. Pass the word to the men. What about the main attack?”
“We lost one man, milord. That swordsman was the very devil. And old Smitty is never going to raise a sword again. His arm’s like to have to come off tonight.”
“Bugger. We don’t have enough men to lose them so easily. Go make the camp secure and then I’ll take Lord Jeren and talk to the boys. Try to calm them down for the night.”
He turned to find Jeren and Baltur standing right behind him. “Well, my lord. How was your first experience of a pitched battle? A little different from a night attack on the horse lines.”
“I think I hit one,” Jeren said. “But I’m not sure.”
“I didn’t hit a thing,” Baltur admitted sadly. “It was all happening so fast. I think we let you down, my lord.”
“No, no you didn’t Baltur. And neither did you Lord Jeren. You stood beside me in a battle and that takes courage. I can train a man to hit a moving target on a battlefield but if he doesn’t have the courage to stand there in the first place then that training is not worth a spit. You have both proven yourselves and you, Lord Jeren, will one day be a great leader of the Lyenar and make your father proud. Now go and see to your horses and then, I would appreciate it if you could talk to the boys. Tell them what’s going on, that everything’s okay and that we’ll be turning back to the village in the morning. I have to go and make the rounds.”
Feynor returned just after dusk and found David still doing the rounds. “I gather we’ve missed all the excitement here, milord.”
“That depends on your definition of excitement,” David replied. “We’ve got casualties but we saved the boys. How did you get on?”
“We were late, milord,” he tsked. “They got to the wagon before we did. By the time we got there it was quite a scene. The man, Aron, had obviously put up a fight because his face was bloody and bruised and he was still struggling but there were two of them holding him back. The woman was flat on her back with her skirts round her waist, kicking and screaming. One of them holding her down by the shoulders while the fourth one was standing over her with his prick out. I don’t think he’d had a chance to use it yet but the worst of it was there were three little boys standing by the wagon with their hands in their mouths, watching the whole thing with horror. Oldest must have been about eight; youngest probably three.”
“So what happened?”
“Well we shot the bugger with his prick hanging out and challenged the others. Had to kill one of them and the other two surrendered. Told Aron you sent us back there to sort things out, so we tidied up and I left two men there to escort the family to the village and drop off the prisoners at the camp as they went past. Marta will know what to do with the likes of those two.”
David managed a weak smile. “I could almost feel sorry for them if I wasn’t so bloody tired. Good job, Feynor. See to your men and then gather the other officers. We’ll have a quick chat and then get some rest. We head back up the trail at first light.”
Chapter 7
They found the tax collector cowering beneath the Duke’s coach, behind one of the wheels. It was Jaks who found him and dragged him out from under. He marched him proudly across to where David was sat with the other officers. “Milord,” he said, “I found a small grey rat.”
“Please don’t kill me, milord,” the grey man pleaded.
“Why not?” David asked.
“I beg pardon, milord.”
“Why shouldn’t I kill you?”
“Well… I could be useful to your lordship. I can read and write.”
“So can I,” David said. “Next.”
“I... I’ve got the keys to the strongbox here on my belt.”
“Yes but if I kill you,” David pointed out, “I could just take the keys off your belt and put them on my belt. I’m afraid you’ll have to try harder.”
“Your company might need a clerk, milord. To keep a record of stores and such. I keep very good records,” he added quickly.
“No… no I don’t think so. We seem to be managing pretty well without a clerk at the moment. Anything else?”
The little man looked around desperately at the circle of smiling faces and dropped to his knees, wringing his hands together. “Please, milord, I beg you. Have mercy.”
David thought about that for a minute. “Okay,” he said. “I won’t kill you.”
“Oh thank you, milord. Thank you.” The man looked so relieved that David had trouble keeping a straight face.
“In fact,” he went on, “I’m in such a good mood tonight that I’m going to allow you to go free. You are free to go back to Paelis and re-join the Duke.”
There was a shriek from the little man and howls of laughter from the surrounding officers. “No, milord, I beg you. Not that.”
“But why?” David asked with a look of surprise on his face. “I am giving you your life and your freedom.”
“He’ll kill me, milord. If I go back to the Duke without the tax monies and without the boys, he’ll have my head off my shoulders quick as a flash. You’ve got to protect me from him.”
Some of the men who had stopped to listen to the exchange, were now rolling around on the ground, helpless with laughter.
“So,” David went on in a serious tone, “you are rejecting my offer of freedom and asking for my protection instead.”
“Yes milord, protection,” he said, looking down at the ground.
“Um, I see. Tell me little man, what’s your name?”
“It’s Evan, milord.”
“Well then, Evan. I may just happen to have an opening for a company clerk.”
“Oh thank you, milord. You won’t be sorry. I can be…”
“You can be quiet for a minute,” David interrupted, “and listen to what I am saying. Every man in this company has given me their personal oath of allegiance and I will expect the same from you. Is that agreed?”
“Yes, milord.”
“I will give you a month’s trial. No pay but you will have your meals and somewhere to sleep. At the end of the month, if the arrangement isn’t working out, I will release you from your oath and you will be free to go wherever you choose. Do we have a deal?”
“Oh yes, milord. And thank you. I promise you won’t be disappointed.”
“Alright. Now can you ride a horse?”
“Uh, not very well, milord,” he admitted.
“So you can ride in the coach again tomorrow. I’ll be putting a lot of the smaller children in the coach as well so that we can make better time. I hope you’re good at amusing small children, Evan. You know how fractious they can be on a long journey.
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“Jaks, take Evan away and find him some food and somewhere to sleep. You found him; he’s your responsibility until we get back to camp. Oh and one final thing, Evan. Leave the keys with me.”
As they left, Feynor laughed. “Do we really need a company clerk, milord?”
“Not at the moment,” David frowned. “We are only a small company and record keeping is not a problem. However, we took casualties today; casualties we can’t afford. Duke Henry can command an army and when he finds out what has happened here, he will send more troops against us. And those troops will be better prepared and probably a lot less friendly. We need to grow; we’re not big enough to survive at the moment. We need to recruit in every village we pass through or near and I will speak to the prisoners in the morning and see if any of them will change sides. How many prisoners are there?”
“There’s fifteen, milord, including the captain. But one of them’s not expected to last the night. We got those two riders they left behind looking for the horses, by the way. Had to kill one of them but the other one surrendered. He’s with the other prisoners and we brought both horses along with us.”
“Good work. Now let’s get some rest. It’s a long way back to camp tomorrow.”
***
They made much better time on the return journey but it was still well after dark by the time they arrived. The boys had all ridden on the coach and the other wagons; sometimes inside, sometimes clinging precariously to the outside of the wagons or the roof of the coach and sometimes running alongside the caravan until they tired and climbed back aboard.
David had spoken to the remaining prisoners before they set out that morning. There were thirteen of them; the captain he held apart, and one of the men had died of his wounds overnight. Five of them had sworn allegiance to Duke Henry and refused to be moved. He ordered Feynor to strip them of their armour and their boots and bind them loosely by the side of the trail until they moved out.
The other eight were led by the young swordsman he had noted the night before, who approached him and asked permission to speak.
