Schism by Peter Darman

Author:Peter Darman [Darman, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical
ISBN: 9781518850622
Google: 1WHLjgEACAAJ
Amazon: B0171YZ3U4
Barnesnoble: B0171YZ3U4
Goodreads: 27268509
Publisher: Peter Darman
Published: 2015-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

At Holm Castle a grinning Master Godfrey gave Conrad a beaming smile and an iron embrace after the rescue party of Sword Brothers and Estonians had ridden into the courtyard. The gates of the castle were slammed shut and the riders dismounted, congratulating, embracing and slapping each other hard on the back. Henke, half his face still hidden by the leather mask, was unhappy. He pointed at Conrad.

‘You should have killed that over-dressed officer of the garrison instead of putting him in that cage.’

‘I have no quarrel with Gunter,’ insisted Conrad.

Henke snatched a ladle of water offered to him by a novice of the garrison and drank the liquid greedily.

‘You have now.’

‘Leave the marshal alone,’ commanded Godfrey, ‘he has had a taxing experience.’

Hillar bounded over and wrapped his thick arms around Conrad.

‘We should return to the city and burn it to the ground.’

Conrad smiled. ‘You are a Christian lord now, my friend, and it would not look good if you destroyed a city established by the Holy Church. Besides, we do not have enough men.’

Rudolf peeled off his mask. ‘Not enough men? Sir Richard was stationed in woods but ten miles from the city with three hundred soldiers, just in case the garrison decided to give chase. He and Rameke will be withdrawing north by now.’

‘We can still stop them and get them to turn around,’ said Hillar loudly.

Rudolf looked at the big Rotalian lord. ‘I am tempted, your grace, sorely tempted.’

He spotted Henke taking off his face mask.

‘You should leave it on, Henke, it suits you.’

The butcher of Wenden certainly looked like an executioner, his leather apron splattered with blood and his forearms covered in gore after his frenzied attacks on all and sundry with his mace.

‘Let’s get you some better clothes,’ Godfrey said to Conrad.

‘What about these, Susi?’

Conrad turned to see Riki standing with the shaking, terrified women that had been rescued from an appalling fate. They had been spirited away from Riga but seeing dozens killed around them, many by a rage-filled Henke, had done nothing to calm their nerves. If anything they were close to breaking down completely.

‘I would ask that a place of solitude and calm could be found for these poor women,’ Conrad said to Godfrey.

‘I will attend to their physical and spiritual needs,’ came a booming voice behind them.

Father Otto walked past Godfrey and Conrad and held his arms out wide.

‘Come sisters, no harm will come to you.’

He literally scooped them up in his arms and bundled them towards the castle’s stone chapel.

‘Don’t forget to feed and water them,’ Conrad shouted Otto.

‘I need no lessons in hospitality from you, Master Conrad,’ came the insolent reply.

Holm Castle had been the first stone building in Livonia and had been a Sword Brother stronghold for thirty years. It was actually built on an island next to the River Dvina, its wide, deep moat surrounding the castle on three sides and the river itself protecting the fourth side. An enemy had never taken its thick stone walls and high towers and its castellan was not a man to be crossed.

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