Blood of the Innocents by Michael Jecks

Author:Michael Jecks [Jecks, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781471149993
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK

Friday 19 August

Grandarse and Berenger agreed on a camp not far from St Jacques, and the next morning it took them little time to reach the place where they had kept watch over the routiers that night.

Now it was a desolate spot, with the mess of the ruined village. At one side of the square a series of men’s bodies had been piled; the rest of the place was deserted. There was no living thing that they could find, only the reek of burning and the sight of broken spars and beams sticking into the air like the broken ribs of a gigantic animal.

Berenger saw Gilles and Nick blench at the sight and smells. Behind them, Felix was already puking while his father stood with a white face, shocked, his hand patting his son’s back like a man calming a horse. A short distance away Baz stood gazing on as if in a trance.

‘Look on, men. This is what war is like,’ Berenger said. He indicated the bodies. ‘You must get used to this. You will see many more men and women like this. Gutted, beheaded, tortured, raped: this is dampnum, a war of terror. The French King cannot protect them. All he can do is mouth pointless platitudes.’

‘Who did this?’ Pierre asked, his voice quiet.

‘It was the men who tried to kill Fripper,’ Grandarse said. ‘That’s why we’re aiming to catch them. So, back on your horses, and let’s get moving!’

The party remounted, for once without the usual complaints. Berenger took a good look at the men and was reassured to see that even Clip and Dogbreath were grim-faced as they rode past the pile of dead men. They had both seen enough horrors in their time as soldiers, but there was always something particularly hideous for a new recruit about the sight of a fresh pile of corpses. Especially when they were not even soldiers.

‘These were English, Frip?’ Robin said. He had joined Berenger unnoticed while Berenger was looking at the other members of the vintaine.

‘Yes. Most of them. They are the same as any other company. Some are Guyennois, some Navarrese, some Saxons – men from everywhere. There is nothing that distinguishes one killer from another, in my experience. A man who is prepared to slay another can be from any background.’

‘I hope we find them soon.’

‘Aye. And then we can copy them and kill all of them, just as they killed the men in the village,’ Nick said dully.

They found a clearing at the edge of a river, and as the sun was fading, Grandarse gave the order to dismount and make camp. It was a relief for all the men. Even those who were more experienced were relieved to be able to climb from their saddles and rest sore thighs. Even releasing the grip on the reins was consoling. Berenger felt as though his hands were formed into claws. After so many days of resting in the Abbey, the ride had been an unaccustomed effort for him.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.