Blood of the Warlord by Hosker Griff

Author:Hosker, Griff [Hosker, Griff]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sword Books Ltd.
Published: 2022-02-25T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

Henry Samuel

The cleansing of the castle

Before I went to the cellar to speak with the man we had captured we first set about repairing the gates. Prince Edward ordered his bodyguards to help my men and they did so. I think Godfrey felt some sort of guilt that while he had done his duty men had died while he watched on. He was too good a soldier for that to sit well with him. While our men did that I washed the blood from my body and changed to a clean surcoat. The two royal cousins waited patiently while I did so. Once that was done, I was assailed by questions.

“Do we have the evidence we need, my lord?”

“Who were these men?”

“Should we ride directly to the castle at Bordeaux?”

I held up my hands to stop them, “My lords, we have evidence but not enough. The men may well have been some of the Earl of Leicester’s retinue for they were well led but most, from their weapons and clothes, were swords for hire. And, yes, we should ride to Bordeaux Castle and it should be sooner rather than later but the garrison lost too many men and we cannot leave the castle in such a parlous state. I know that some of the rats may flee and report to de Montfort, but we can do little about that. I intend to have the prisoner brought up. We will make a pyre of the dead and use their crossbows as kindling. I want him to see the faces of the dead. We will watch his reaction. He is still our best chance of catching de Montfort in a lie. Now, no more questions, my lords. We have much to do.”

It was noon by the time that the inner gate was repaired enough to give us security. The outer gate was unharmed. The broken timbers, ladders and crossbows made an effective pyre for the bodies. I had Alain of Auxerre fetched from the cellar. It gave me great satisfaction as, with his hands tied behind him, he stumbled into the light which must have been as painful for him as the blow that had felled him outside the inn. I said nothing but waited until his eyes adjusted to the light and he saw the pyre.

I nodded to my men who, as I had ordered, brought each bloody and battered body to the wood and threw it onto the pile. Their mail had been taken from them and some were just dressed in tunic and hose. I saw the grim look on Alain of Auxerre’s face. When they were all piled, and our prisoner had seen each face my men threw oil and pig fat onto the pyre. Dick handed me a burning brand and I went to Prince Edward, “Would you like to do the honours, Prince Edward?”

I did so for two reasons. I wanted Alain of Auxerre to have confirmed that the heir to the English throne was here and I wanted Prince Edward to have a lesson.

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