Blessed are The Dead by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 0000000000000
Published: 2023-09-07T20:00:06+00:00

Chapter Eight

Martin awoke at dawn with a tremor of anticipation. Today was the day.

As soon as his lord was ready Martin sent Hugh to fetch the monks, who were agreeably surprised and apparently not suspicious that the earl had experienced a change of heart overnight and was now happy to negotiate. They probably put it down to God’s intervention rather than Martin’s, but that suited Martin’s purposes.

Yes. Purposes, plural, because Martin was uncomfortably, guiltily aware that his aim for the mission differed from his lord’s. The first part of it was the same: approach the castle unarmed, so that the gates would be opened, and then prevent the gates from closing again while also staying alive. But after that the earl would be expecting Martin to fight with his newly arrived reinforcements in order to secure the castle, whereas what Martin was actually going to do was find Alys and get her out, by any means necessary. Of course, he also hoped that the castle would fall easily and without too much bloodshed or loss of life, but that was not his priority. Martin could recall with burning clarity the look on Sir Geoffrey’s face when he learned of the loss of his wife, and he did not intend to let Edwin experience the same devastation. He would save Alys or die trying.

What he needed to avoid, of course, was being given a direct order by the earl not to look for Alys. If his instructions were general, as they had been up until now, Martin reckoned he could get away with something like ‘But she just appeared right there in front of me, my lord, so I thought getting her out would be better for you, as then they wouldn’t have a hostage.’

He had never yet disobeyed an order from a superior, though he had to admit he’d come uncomfortably close to it a few months ago, in circumstances of a similarly challenging nature. What would he do this time, if he had to?

Prior Richard left the camp in order to get near enough to the castle to shout to those inside that they should expect a negotiating party within the hour. Wanting to get the other monks out of the tent, the earl told Brother William to take Brother Durand to the makeshift infirmary that was being set up at the rear of the camp ‘in case it was needed’. The two of them departed, unaware that the area was likely to be in use rather sooner than they expected.

‘Right,’ began the earl, briskly. ‘Is everyone in place?’

‘The second party is armed and assembling, my lord,’ replied Sir Baldwin, who would lead it, ‘on foot and for now remaining behind the line of tents so they cannot be seen from inside the castle, or by the monks.’

‘Good.’

‘And there was some very useful scouting last night, my lord; we identified a few blind spots directly under the walls, so we’ve had four extra men posted there since before dawn, unmoving and ready to jump out.

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