Templar Steel by K M Ashman

Author:K M Ashman [Ashman, K M]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Silverback Books Ltd
Published: 2018-12-20T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Two

Ashkelon

November 17th

AD 1177

King Baldwin sat in a wooden tub filled with lukewarm water. His head laid back against the rim and his eyes were closed, enjoying the momentary silence and fleeting release from pain.

He and his column of knights had been as Ashkelon for two days after a harder than expected journey from Blancheguarde. The rigours of the road had been telling and as well as the pain from his affliction, his body now also bore the uncompromising aches of horseback travel.

William had pressed him to use the litter they had borne from Jerusalem in anticipation of this exact circumstance, but Baldwin had been stubborn stating that if his armies were marching to war, he would lead them, not be carried by them. He knew the decision had been the right one and that the men respected his determination but by the time they had reached Ashkelon, he ached in every part of his body and collapsed onto his bed exhausted, unwashed and wracked with pain.

Since then the close attention from his physicians including the application of Aloe poultices and liberal doses of poppy milk had eased his pain and at last, he could think clearly about the situation unfolding about them.

He sighed deeply, taking in the aroma of the scented oils in the water and of the incense wafting around the room, carried on the late afternoon breeze blowing gently through the open shutters in his quarters. Outside, a bird sang to the sinking sun and for a few moments, Baldwin could almost imagine that he had no worldly worries, no courtly intrigue, no incurable disease, and no imminent war with the Ayyubid.

The last thought brought his mind crashing back to reality. His brow furrowed as the thought of Saladin filled his consciousness. Since arriving at Ashkelon there had been increasing reports of Ayyubid scouting parties ranging through the countryside with some being spotted no more than a few leagues from Ashkelon itself but on each occasion, they had withdrawn rather than engage any of his own forces sent out to confront them. Their continued presence reinforced the intelligence Baldwin had received, stating that Ashkelon was Saladin’s true objective so, despite the temptation to ride out with a larger force to hunt the enemy down, he knew the bulk of his men had to remain garrisoned at the sea port until the main army arrived from the north.

Realising that he could waste no more time on the luxury the bath afforded, he beckoned the two servants to help him out of the tub and donned a cool silken wrap before walking over to the window and staring out over the city. Outside he could see the red clay roof tiles of the jumbled town beneath the castle walls and out into the port where several ships lay at anchor, waiting their turn to unload the stores brought from further up the coast.

The port was one of the largest and busiest on the coast and it was no wonder that it was so coveted by Saladin.

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