Sir Sean de Lara, bodyguard to King John and a secret agent for William Marshal, was the last man into the chamber.
Enormous and terrifying, the man known throughout royal and military circles as Lord of the Shadows found Christopher in a chamber full of men, his expression suggesting that something quite serious was about to take place. It put Christopher on edge, and also David, who came to stand next to his brother. Between them, they controlled a massive army and huge swathes of England, so anything that had both de Lohr brothers involved had to be big, indeed. They just didn’t know what it was.
Yet.
As the room full of seasoned men waited expectantly, William downed a full cup of wine and poured himself another.
“I sent for all of you weeks ago, so I will not delay my reasons,” he said, smacking his lips as he turned to the room. “I have just come from a meeting with the king. It seems that William, the illustrious King of Scotland, is preparing a large and secretive alliance, so secretive that I have had three agents involved in the quest to get to the bottom of what is happening. It has taken time and money and connections to discover what we need to know, but you should be aware at the outset that this is so serious, Ajax de Velt’s army is marching into Scotland as we speak. I have turned the man loose and he has orders to massacre. You know what that means.”
One could have heard a pin drop in the silence that followed, silence so tense and shocking that it was nearly palpable. Ajax de Velt was legendary in the annals of England’s history, a man who, in his prime, had the most brutal and barbaric mercenary army in the known world. Jax had conquered a portion of the Welsh Marches by not only defeating armies, but putting all living men who had surrendered or had been captured on stakes for all to see.
A forest of macabre bodies, the legends said. Jax took no prisoners – every man, woman, and even child captured alive had not been spared. Jax’s zenith had been five straight years of terror, five straight years of showing no mercy to those he conquered, and all of England, Scotland, and Wales lived in fear of the man.
But that had been thirty years ago. Since then, Jax had been tamed by the love of a good woman and he had become a content and valuable ally on the Scots borders. Everyone was so scared of the man that all anyone wanted to do was be friendly to him, the king included. No one wanted to stir up the embers of that brutal madman who could kill as easily as breathe.
Therefore, William’s announcement was a startling one.
De Velt had been turned loose.
Again.
Christopher, in fact, was perhaps the most shocked of all. He was a good friend of Jax de Velt’s, kept in fairly regular contact with the man, and this was the first he’d heard about any of this. As he looked at William in astonishment, only one word came to mind.
“Why?”
William fixed on Christopher. Knowing the relationship between him and de Velt, he motioned for the man to sit down. As Christopher did, stiffly, William came to sit across from him as the knights in the chamber began to gather around.
They didn’t want to miss a word of what was about to be said.
“It was not something I did lightly, Chris,” William said, settling back in his chair. “What I am about to tell you – tell all of you – will not be spoken of outside of this chamber. Am I clear?”
Everyone nodded. Of course, given their line of work, no one ever spoke of anything that was discussed with William Marshal, anyway, but the sheer fact that the man had to say that alluded to the seriousness of the situation.
“Then let me start from the beginning,” William said, lowering his voice. “As you know, I have many agents all throughout England and Scotland and Wales. I even have them in France and beyond. My eyes and ears are everywhere, men I pay well for information that keeps England safe from her enemies. Unfortunately, some of our most serious enemies are to the north.”
“The Scots,” David muttered. “That is nothing new.”
William’s eyes narrowed at Christopher’s younger brother. “Nay, it is nothing new,” he said, irritated that he was interrupted. “But what if I told you that our good friend William the Lion is trying to convince the Norse princes of the outer isles to help him gain back Northumbria? Unfortunately, it is true. Jon Harraldsson and his brother, David, are the Earls of Orkney and Shetland. I realize that William has had a tumultuous relationship with them, but my agents tell me that William has promised them lands in Northumbria if they’ll help him regain what he believes belongs to Scotland – and the Northmen. Harraldsson has gone so far as to send word to his Norse brethren in Hordaland and Danmark that they, too, will be provided lands in Northumberland if they help the Scots. I fear a Norse army is about to move into the north and the results could be devastating.”
It was astonishing information. Christopher looked at the man, incredulous. “How long has this been going on?”
William sighed heavily. “More than a year,” he said. “I was only informed about it six months ago and that news came down through the House of de Bourne, Lords of Bernicia. Do you know them?”
Christopher, still dazed, nodded. “I do,” he said. “I fought in a couple of battles in the north and they served under the Earl of Northumberland. I seem to remember someone telling me that they are direct descendants of the last King of Northumbria.”
William nodded. “They are,” he said. “That is why the title they hold is Lords of Bernicia, of the ancient kingdom. If you are unaware, their castle is called The Keld – it is a large place that sits on a major road into Scotland. They control most of the southern portion of Northumberland and even parts of Yorkshire. Their family is an old and distinguished one, but their relationship to the crown of England has historically been… difficult. Our ancestors stole Northumbria from their ancestors.”
“But what does all of this have to do with de Velt marching into Scotland to massacre the Scots?” David wanted to know. He was always the impatient one. “Why has de Velt amassed his army?”
William held up a hand to be patient, looking at the host of concerned and curious faces around him. “Because loyalists of William the Lion sent word to de Bourne and asked them to be part of the movement to wrest Northumberland from England,” he said. “Now, I would think that to the House of de Bourne, such an offer would be most inviting, but they surprised me. Alastor de Bourne is a man with a head on his shoulders because he knows that if he agrees, the rest of his life and probably the lives of his children and grandchildren would be nothing but warfare. He knows he cannot stand against the English armies that would roll into Northumberland to regain it, so he sent me word instead about the offer to warn me. I already had spies in the Scottish court and they have confirmed these plans.”
“Who are the agents?” David asked.
A gleam came to William’s eyes. “As I said, I have agents all over England,” he said. “Of course, the men in this room are my core, the men I utilize the most, but I have agents in the north who are buried so deeply in their covert actions that you would never guess who they are… and what they are. It was those men who secured some of what I needed to know. I informed John of the situation and, for once, we agree that we must act. This conspiracy between the Scots and the Norse is so widespread that we must have a Scotsman who is entrenched in the situation, one who knows the details of this unholy conspiracy because I want answers. Therefore, de Velt is taking his army into Scotland to obtain my prize. At any cost.”
Christopher glanced at the faces around them. No one seemed to be following William very well. He was still being somewhat vague.
“Be plain, William,” he said in a low voice. “We’ve all come a very long way because you said that this was urgent, so be plain with the situation and what you need from us.”
William’s gaze fell on Christopher, hearing his mild irritation. His eyes, yellowed with age, studied the man a moment before he downed the contents of his cup.
He set the cup aside.
“Cole de Velt i
s Jax’s eldest son,” he said quietly. “He has also been an agent for me for a few years. I know most of you did not know that, but Sean did. You see, Cole has been assuming Sean’s role with William the Lion. As Sean is the protector of John, Cole has spent the past few years moving through the Scottish ranks to get close to the king. He is English, that is true, but he mimics a Scotsman perfectly. He’s been pretending to be Scots all this time. He is the one who has identified much of what I have told you, but he has also identified something else – someone who knows a great deal of this conspiracy. I’ve sent Jax and Cole to extract Alpin Canmore from Fountainhall Castle. I want that man. He’ll tell me everything I must know.”
“How can we assist?”
William fixed on Christopher. “You will take your army into Northumberland,” he said. Then, he looked at the rest of the knights. “Those of you in command of armies will go as well, because if Canmore knows as much as I think he does, William the Lion will not take his abduction lightly. He could take half of Scotland and the Norse princes and march into Northumberland to retaliate. Now do you understand?”
The seriousness of the matter settled deep. This wasn’t a simple operation William was speaking of; this was war. Massive war between Scotland and England, with the Norse pulled into it.
Something like that could easily tear the north apart and then some.
“I will have to tell Edward, my lord,” Dashiell said. “The Duke of Savernake must know this so that he will grant me permission to take his army north.”
William nodded. “You have my permission,” he said. “The duke’s massive army is essential to this operation. Bric?”
The big, Irish knight answered smartly. “My lord?”
William looked at the man with the pale blond hair and eyes so blue that they were silver. “You may tell your liege and request his army,” he said. “I have every confidence that Daveigh de Winter will permit you to bring his army to the north because I need the de Winter war machine. Cullen, the same can be said for you – tell your father what I have told you and request his army. Gart, I require yours, as well. Christopher will be in command of the battle, of course, and you will rendezvous with his army at Sheffield. From there, you will go north to The Keld. De Bourne will welcome you. That is where you shall stage the armies and, hopefully, it will be where de Velt brings the hostage he currently seeks.” He sobered dramatically. “Good men, this is mayhap the most serious situation we have faced in recent memory. If we do not destroy Scotland’s plans, they will surely destroy us.”
William didn’t say it to exaggerate. He said it because it was the truth. They understood what the stakes were and the consequences, and perhaps Christopher and David most of all. They’d seen more battles than they could count, but this one… this one might prove to be the most serious. If what William said was true, they were facing an invasion from the north.
In fact, Christopher seemed particularly subdued, staring into the fire as he contemplated what was to come. After a moment, he turned his head towards the group.
“Peter, Cullen, Dash, and Bric,” he said. “You will go down to the courtyard and wait for me. Kevin, go with them. The rest of you will remain for a moment. I have something more I wish to say to The Marshal.”
The five younger knights broke off without another word and cleared the chamber. When the door shut softly behind them, Christopher found himself looking at those who remained. These men were older, men who had seen a great deal of war and strife in their careers. Christopher, David, Sean, Maxton, Kress, Achilles, Caius, Alexander, and Gart had all seen action in The Levant, as they had gone on crusade with King Richard. That bonded them more than most and there was a brotherhood there that could not be shaken.
Christopher’s gaze returned to William.
“Did you truly unleash de Velt, William?” he finally hissed.
William nodded slowly. “I did,” he said. “I want the Scots to know that we will stop at nothing to destroy this ridiculous conspiracy, including using de Velt as an attack dog. I want to strike fear into their hearts and that is exactly what this move will do. The first strike must be bold and decisive. You know that.”
Christopher nodded, though he wasn’t entirely sure releasing such death and destruction was the right move. “You must do what you feel is right, of course,” he said. “But de Velt… once the Scots are finished being terrified, they will strike back and strike hard. We may find ourselves in a nasty war regardless, even though that is exactly what you are trying to prevent.”
William leaned back against his chair, sighing wearily. “That is what de Lara said.”
Attention turned to Sean, who had remained silent since entering the chamber. He wasn’t simply a seasoned knight, but also heir to a large lordship. He and his brother, Kevin, hadn’t been on speaking terms for years even though they served The Marshal together. They could work well enough together, but that brotherly bond had been badly fractured by Sean’s mission as the king’s loyal bodyguard and Kevin’s disgust in his brother’s dedication to his duty over his noble reputation. But every man in that room held Sean in great esteem for his sacrifice.
And his unparalleled knowledge.
“I work in the shadows,” Sean said simply, looking at the eyes upon him. “It was my sense that it would be better to send a few men to capture Canmore rather than an army.”
“But we must make a statement, Sean,” William reminded him.
Sean cocked an eyebrow. “And you are with de Velt,” he said. “But my suggestion of a few well-trained men to capture Canmore would have been far less destructive. There might be a leak in the dam, but the dam would still hold.”
“Meaning what?”
“Meaning that the Scots would not be aware that we knew of their plans,” Sean insisted softly. “The situation would be shaken, but not fractured. There would be no sense of urgency to begin their plans in earnest. As it is, de Velt’s charge may bring about the execution of the Scot’s scheme sooner rather than later because sending The Dark Lord into Scotland is a decisive offensive. It is a clear sign that we know of their plans and, ultimately, it is an act of war.”
“I agree with The Marshal,” Gart, who had also remained largely silent, spoke up. “What you say is true, Sean, but we must act swiftly and decisively. The Scots and their Norse allies will think twice about invading Northumberland if they know they will have to face armies like de Velt. It is the perfect deterrent.”
Sean and Gart had a long and friendly history. There was no nastiness in Gart’s counter, simply honesty. Therefore, Sean simply shrugged.
“Indeed, it is,” he said. “But it is also highly aggressive. As I said, I work in the shadows. Sometimes things are accomplished better, and more swiftly, that way. Right now, we’ve got three of the best agents in England serving the house of de Velt and Cole is one of them. He could have taken his men into Fountainhall Castle, captured Canmore, and made it back to England before anyone was the wiser. With a lot less death.”
“And no impact,” Gart said quietly.
As he and Sean grinned at each other over their differing opinions, Christopher spoke up. “Three agents?” he asked William. “Who are the other two?”
A hint of a smile crept onto William’s lips. “You will not believe it,” he said. “They have been serving de Velt for the past two years.”
Christopher was curious now. “Who has?”
“The Princes of Kitara.”
That drew a strong reaction from Christopher and David. In fact, all of the knights reacted in some way, but not in a negative fashion. In fact, there was delight in their expressions at The Marshal’s revelation.
“Are you serious?” Christopher gasped. “Addax and Essien al-Kort?”
When William saw the recognition, he snorted. “I knew you would be shocked,” he said. “Those young men you took under your wing and helped train on the sands of The Levant those many years ago have never lost their loyalty to England because o
f you. You gave them a chance when no one else would and they have never forgotten that. At least, that is what they told me when I met with them a couple of years ago, when they first came to England’s shores.”
As Christopher’s jaw dropped with surprise, David spoke up. “But how?” he asked. “You never mentioned this to me at all and you knew of my relationship to them. The last I heard, they migrated north with Thuringian knights, but we lost track of them after that. Where did they go?”
William took another gulp of wine before answering. “Nay, I did not mention it, mostly because they were some of the agents working in stealth for me in the north, and the less everyone knows, the better,” he said. “But I knew, eventually, that the time would be right to tell you, so now you know – the royal blood of that powerful and mysterious kingdom is now part of my stable of knights, and they have been utterly flawless.”
Christopher shook his head, still in disbelief, but there was pleasure there. The pleasure of friends he thought he had lost. “Not even Jax told me that,” he said. “I cannot believe they have been in England for two years and I never knew.”
William nodded. “As the story goes, they were in the service of a Flemish duke who is allied with Jax de Velt and that is how they came into the man’s service. He adores them.”
“But how did they get from The Levant to the Flemish lord?”
William held up a hand. “Those Thuringian knights you spoke of,” he said. “But that is a story for another time. For now, we must focus on what is happening in the north. Four weeks ago, I sent a missive to Cole and Ajax de Velt and asked them to unleash their army on Fountainhall with the intention of capturing Canmore as a prize. I instructed them to muster their army and march for Scotland on the first of the month, which was more than five days ago. My guess is that they have already arrived and that the siege is progressing in earnest.”
Christopher snorted ironically. “If I know Jax, and I do, the siege is probably already over,” he said. “Jax de Velt has never laid siege for more than a couple of days in his entire life. I would wager that the battle is finished and Canmore is already heading for England.”
The Dark Spawn (Battle Lords of de Velt Book 5) Page 2
