To Murder a King by Griff Hosker

Author:Griff Hosker [Hosker, Griff]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781729291184
Publisher: Sword Books Ltd.
Published: 2018-10-24T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

I woke after a couple of hours sleep. I managed to strap on my weapons and slip out without disturbing the other two. They had drunk more than I had. The two sentries were on watch when I walked down the dimly lit corridor. It was too dark. I saw that there were a couple of empty sconces. I would have them lit. The two men did not look like warriors. They lounged. One looked too young to have been a soldier while the other was overweight. He might have been a soldier once but that had been long ago. I nodded as I approached. The older one seemed to know me. “I will wait while one makes water.”

“Thank you, sir.” The older one scurried off to the nearest garderobe.

I turned to the other guard, he was the younger one. “What is your name?”

“Tolly, sir.”

“And the other?”

“Alan of Ham.”

“Have you been a soldier?” He hesitated. “The truth. I have good eyes and I know soldiers. You are too young to have been a warrior.”

“My father worked at Windsor. He died of the coughing sickness and I replaced him.”

I could understand why it was done but it did nothing to inspire my confidence. “Have you trained with your weapons?”

“I can use a sword, sir.”

This was not a sentry for the King. This was a night watchman for a merchant. Alan of Ham returned. Tolly hurried down the corridor. “You have been a guard long?”

“All my life sir. I have seen thirty summers. I came here after serving the Earl of Arundel.”

“He let you go?” He said nothing. I remembered the Peasants’ Revolt. “Were you at Smithfield with the Earl?” His head went down and he looked shamefaced. I remembered that some of the Earl’s men had not been willing to draw their swords on their fellows. Some because they agreed with the rebels and others because they feared to fight. I took Alan of Ham to be one of the latter. I said nothing more because he knew that I knew his secret. I had been there with the King.

When Tolly returned I said, “Neither of you are fit to be guards for the King. If I were a killer then you would both be dead as would the King and Queen.”

Alan of Ham began to object, “Sir I…”

In a flash I had the rondel dagger I had taken from Sir Jocelyn and my ballock dagger at the two men’s throats. “And you would both be dead. I would slide your bodies down the wall and enter the chamber.” I sheathed my weapons. Tolly was shaking. I poked Alan of Ham in the gut. “You need to be fitter. Get rid of the excess weight.” I turned to Tolly. “Practise every waking moment. Show me your dagger.”

He shook his head. “I do not have one.”

I drew his sword. I ran my finger down the blade and then showed the young guard my hand. “My finger should be bleeding and it is not.

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