Iny Lorentz - The Marie Series 02 (32 page)

“So Falko von Hettenheim not only betrayed me, but my wife, too!” Michel pressed his hands against his head, suddenly seeing himself lying on the ground, staring into Falko von Hettenheim’s triumphant face and remembering the man’s jeering words as clearly as if he’d only just heard them. Taking a deep breath, he let go of Michi and composed himself.

“By everything that’s holy, I swear to challenge Sir Falko and kill him in front of everyone.”

Sokolny sensed the German knight’s steely determination and was glad not to be his enemy. But before he could say anything, the boy began to tell them how Marie had joined the imperial army as a sutler.

Michel listened for a while and started to laugh. “So Marie never believed I was dead and so went out to find me? By God, only my wife could be that crazy.” He shook his head, then asked Michi to tell him everything his wife had been through over the previous three years. Though the boy’s report moved him deeply, Michel didn’t interrupt, but his clenched fists spoke volumes. After he’d heard about his daughter’s birth and, almost in the same sentence, that she was currently being looked after by an old sutler in Sir Heinrich’s group, waiting to reach the safety of the castle, he swore Falkenhain could never fall.

Also listening intently, Sokolny was discovering whole new sides of the man who’d become a faithful commander to him. He definitely didn’t want Michel Adler as an enemy, and he anxiously wondered if Michel would begrudge him the subordinate position he’d been given in his house. Walking over to him, Sokolny placed his hand on Michel’s shoulder.

“I hope you can forgive me for not treating you according to your rank, Sir Knight of the Reich.” While Sokolny was a count, he wasn’t a free lord like Michel, but rather a subject of the king of Bohemia, who in his turn was subject to the kaiser. As merely the liege man of a local ruler, Sokolny felt subordinate to a man who had the right to sit in the Imperial Diet.

Since Michel was an innkeeper’s son, he didn’t understand the count’s nervous attitude, as he never would have thought of showing off his coat of arms and treating others as subordinates. Laughing, he draped his arm over Sokolny’s shoulders. “My dear Sokolny, I have nothing to forgive you for, but rather I’ll be grateful to you for the rest of my life. No one else would have taken me into his home without asking who I was, while my fellow countrymen were devastating Bohemia instead of defending the towns and castles still loyal to the kaiser. Without you, Zdenka, and Reimo, I would have died.”

The count was visibly relieved, but Michel was less interested in the past than in the dangerous present and future. “Maybe there’s an advantage to Marie’s being a Taborite prisoner, as she’s clever and will do anything to help us.”

In the meantime, Wanda carried kettles of stew out into the hall, so that the count’s followers and soldiers could finally eat their dinner. When she returned, Michel waved her over. “You know a lot about herbs. Do you have anything that would knock out our enemy, at least temporarily?”

Wanda thoughtfully stared at the door to the chamber where she stored herbs, dried mushrooms, and various potions. Most of them were used to heal illnesses, but some were used to kill vermin. “I’ll see what I can brew up.”

“Brew us a potion that will make the Taborites unable to fight,” Michel requested, then cheerfully tousled Michi’s hair. “Get ready to crawl back through the tunnel at dawn. And be ready to wait a little before returning to your friends. Knowing Marie, she’ll try to catch you and talk to you.”

“I will.” Michi was relieved his godfather had taken charge. He liked Sir Heinrich, but he didn’t think he was half as energetic or as smart as Michel Adler.

2.

Michel stood on top of the tower, not to find solitude in his quest for his past, however, but to keep a keen eye on his surroundings. A fresh breeze was stirring the morning mist still covering the valley, and the line of wagons besieging the castle started to emerge from the fog. Michel saw a blond woman carrying a large basket through the camp, furtively glancing his way. Yes, it was his Marie! He was longing to wave at her, but he couldn’t take the risk. Their eyes met for a moment, and he felt her smile more than he saw it. If everything went well, he’d be able to hold her in his arms in two days’ time at the latest. But there was much to do before then. He turned to Reimo, who was wearing simple but practical leather armor like all the other men in the castle.

“Tell Michi he can go now.” Reimo nodded and hurried down the stairs. Searching for Marie again, Michel saw her now walking toward the creek at a leisurely pace. He thought he could feel her impatience, and her hope of finding Michi there. She wouldn’t be looking for the boy in vain, Michel thought contentedly, wondering why the next two days seemed so unbearably longer than the years he’d already spent there.

Marie sensed that Michel had recognized her. Her heart was singing, and the yearning she had buried deep inside herself for the past few years was now making its presence felt with frightening force. Every fiber of her being longed for Michel and Trudi. As she set her basket down next to the willow and started soaking the shirts in the water, she felt like a bow drawn to its breaking point. If even the slightest thing went wrong, her life would end there, even if she should survive the fall of the castle and the death of her loved ones. Heaven would have to decide whether she could leave that place happily or whether her bones would rot there together with Michel’s and Trudi’s.

She dropped the wash, knelt down, and recited the prayer of supplication she had learned in church so long ago, beseeching the Holy Virgin and Mary Magdalene to help her, Michel, Trudi, and all the others threatened by the Taborite heretics. About to stand up and get back to work, she heard a noise, and Michi’s head popped out of the tunnel entrance, an impish smile on his face.

“Uncle Michel says hello, Marie,” he said once he was outside.

Marie laughed with relief, finally knowing for certain that her loving husband hadn’t forgotten her.

Before she had a chance to speak, Michi motioned her closer and whispered in her ear. “Uncle Michel wants you to put something into the Hussites’ food. I think it’s a sleeping potion that’ll make them so tired that Sir Heinrich can get into the castle unscathed.”

“That’s impossible, as there are more than a hundred cooking fires. I could only get the stuff into a few pots,” Marie said. “What is it?”

“Some potion Wanda, the count’s cook, brewed up. Uncle Michel thought something liquid was better than herbs, which would be hard to mix in unnoticed.”

Marie nodded happily and glared at the camp. “Michel is right! I can add it to a few barrels of beer, since they’re all kept in one place. When can you get the brew to me?”

“I’ve got it right here! Can you check that no one’s around? Then I’ll pull the skins out of the tunnel.”

Marie climbed up the bank, looked around, and nodded with relief. “No one in sight,” she said when she’d climbed back down. “They’re all staring at the castle.”

Loosening a string he’d tied around his belt, Michi pulled on it and lifted a
well-wrapped
parcel out of the tunnel. “Here!” Marie opened it to find two bulging pigs’ bladders exuding a weak but unpleasant smell. She wrapped them back up, emptied the laundry basket, placed the parcel at the bottom, and piled the laundry back on top.

In the meantime, Michi had also looked around from up the bank. “There aren’t many people outside the camp yet, so I’ll hurry up and return to Sir Heinrich.”

“Be very careful, stay out of sight until you’re deep into the forest, and watch out for wood collectors.”

“I know! You be careful, too. When can you poison the barrels?”

“Not until it’s very dark. Luckily they serve beer only at night now, as the provisions wouldn’t last long otherwise, and so they won’t notice anything until it’s too late. Tell Heinrich von Hettenheim not to come before tomorrow night.”

“That’s what Uncle Michel figured, too. We’ll fight our way through just before dawn the next morning, when the poison has struck most Hussites and the rest are sleeping. Be ready to come with us.” When Marie nodded, he waved to her and disappeared into the forest.

Marie’s thoughts were a tangled mess. She was not so much concerned with her task, but focused almost completely on Michel. She’d have to wait for two more days and nights before being able to wrap her arms around him, and already trembling with anticipation, she didn’t know how she’d manage. At the same time, she was worried about their reunion. She had gotten older, and after all the hardships and horrors she’d lived through, she probably wasn’t as pretty as when Michel left her. Three years apart couldn’t be erased so easily. Full of doubts, she leaned over her work, beating the soaked shirts with a wooden club as if she were beating their owners.

Deep in thought, Marie didn’t notice how high the sun had risen, and she startled when a shadow fell across her hands. It wasn’t one of the Taborites, however, but Anni, bringing her a bowl of food. “I thought I’d check on you.” The girl’s tongue still struggled to form words, and any memories of her former life still hadn’t returned, but when she was around Marie, she seemed as happy as a war slave could be.

Marie took the bowl and cheerfully thanked her, rousing Anni’s curiosity.

“Something’s happened,” Anni observed.

Leaning over the basket, Marie quickly lifted the washing to show Anni the parcel. “It contains a sleeping potion we’ll add to the beer tonight, and then tomorrow night we’ll flee to the castle.”

Anni took a while to process what Marie was saying. Then she shook her head. “But it’s no use. Vyszo will be twice as angry, storm the castle, and kill everyone inside.”

Marie laughed. “He can storm it, but he won’t conquer it, as it’s defended by my husband, Michel.”

But Anni wasn’t that easily convinced, and it took a while for Marie to explain Michel’s plan. Eventually the girl nodded, and since she couldn’t come up with any further objections, she helped Marie beat the washing. When the sun stood in the west and shadows turned long, Przybislav appeared, then casually strolled past the women upon seeing Anni and turned around, looking disgruntled.

Shortly after, Marie and Anni finished their work and carried the heavy basket full of wet clothes back to the camp. Helene was waiting for them by their cooking fire and went to hang up the washing to dry. Marie grabbed her wrist and stopped her. “Careful, there’s something underneath the clothes that our friends can’t see.”

Helene raised her eyebrows and quickly lowered her head, so none of the Taborites nearby would notice the surprise on her face. “What is it?”

After quickly outlining the plan, Marie looked at her friend. “And we have to add the potion to the beer tonight.”

“It’s impossible! The barrels are guarded far too well, and they’d see us as soon as we got near them.” But even as Helene was speaking, her expression changed and she clenched her fists. “Maybe it is possible. As far as I know, Hasek’s got the first watch tonight. He’s been making eyes at me for a while, so I’m sure he won’t mind my going to warm him up a little tonight.”

Marie looked away so Helene couldn’t see the disgust on her face. “You want to give yourself to him voluntarily?”

“Him, and his comrade keeping watch with him. What choice do I have? Przybislav came over earlier and asked if I was healthy again. Of course I started to cough on the spot, but I won’t be able to keep him away for much longer. If I don’t want to lie underneath him for years to come, I’ll have to stay with Hasek and his friend tonight.”

“Helene is right,” Anni said. “I’ll help her distract the guards while you poison the beer. I want to get out of here, too! The men are looking at me like a roast chicken, and Przybislav wants me to go to his tent.”

Marie realized that Anni’s figure had filled out over the winter despite the meager food rations, and she was now womanly enough to prove a temptation to men. Marie placed her hands on her friends’ shoulders and pulled them close. “I hate asking this of you, but I don’t see any other way. Make sure you give me enough time to put the brew into several barrels.”

“We will,” Helene promised determinedly. “But now we should eat and rest. It’ll be an exhausting night.” She winked at Marie and Anni, and hurried to the fire to fill bowls for herself and her two friends.

3.

When darkness fell, the three women wrapped themselves up in their blankets and lay down underneath their assigned wagon. Even though their breathing soon became regular, excitement kept all three of them awake. Marie glanced up at the sky, which was too overcast to see any stars, and she regretted not being able to estimate the time. They couldn’t sneak away too early, as the guards would still be awake and become suspicious, but they couldn’t go too late, either, if they were to avoid bumping into the next changing of the guard.

In the end, Helene made the decision for her. Shaking off her blanket, she walked a few steps to the side, and crouched down to empty her bladder. The Taborites had dug several latrines at the edge of the forest and had forbidden the men from relieving themselves anywhere else, but not even Renata and her friends dared to go there at night, as several women had already been dragged into the bushes there despite the preacher’s strict interdiction, and most of the men had gotten away without being recognized or punished.

Instead of returning to her bed, Helene made sure no one was near and signaled to her two companions that it was safe to come out. Anni crawled out from beneath the wagon and darted over to her, while Marie took out the two pigs’ bladders. She weighed them in her hand and prayed the brew would serve its purpose.

Joining her friends, she couldn’t tell if anyone had noticed them in the flickering light of the camp’s watch fires. “Now it’s getting serious,” she whispered to the others, waving for them to follow her. They had to get to the beer without the guards’ noticing them. But most of the men were staring at the castle or watching the edge of the forest, and none of them paid attention to the three figures moving silently in the shadows of the wagons and tents.

Just before reaching their goal, Marie left her companions. Helene and Anni straightened up, stepped into the circle of light around the fire next to the beer barrels, and with swaying hips approached the two soldiers keeping watch over the brew. At the sight of the women, they stopped and lowered their pikes. Helene spread her arms. “Don’t you have a cup of beer for two thirsty girls? We really don’t feel like water today.”

The two guards exchanged glances and tried to appear stern. “It’s strictly forbidden to serve beer after curfew,” one of them said.

“Unless you’re willing to pay for us to turn a blind eye,” his comrade Hasek added, suggestively moving his hips.

“Oh, that’s what you’re talking about! We could talk about it.” Helene lifted her skirt and turned, illuminating her body in the light of the fire.

Hasek groaned and approached Helene, but she pointed at the barrel. “The beer first!”

The other soldier took four cups from a bag and filled them to the brim from the last barrel to have been tapped that evening. “If we’re happy with you, you can have more.”

“You’ll be happy with us,” Helene promised while taking her cup.

In the meantime, Marie hid behind the pile of barrels and realized with a shock that she’d completely forgotten something important: Each barrel was tightly plugged, and she wouldn’t be able to open them with her bare hands. At first, her disappointment was overwhelming. She had failed miserably, and her friends were humiliating themselves for nothing. Then she remembered that the men used primitive pliers to open the plugs, and she scanned the area.

When she spotted them next to the open barrel, Helene and Anni were already underneath the panting soldiers. Marie crawled over and picked up the pliers, then climbed onto the barrels. Pulling the first plug, it made a hissing noise. She had pressed herself tightly against the barrels so she wouldn’t be seen, and she held her breath fearfully. But the sounds from below told her that the guards were still busy with her friends. She estimated how much of the potion to use for each barrel, and poured a quarter of the first bladder through the hole, struggling not to sneeze at the brew’s pungent smell. She only hoped that the potion wouldn’t change the beer’s flavor so much that they’d toss it away. About to close the barrel, she encountered the next problem. If she banged the plug in with the pliers, she’d draw the attention of every guard in camp, so she merely pushed the plug in with her hands, hoping the Taborites wouldn’t notice if some barrels were easier to open than others.

When the second pig’s bladder was emptied, she fought a sudden feebleness borne from relief and found her knees going weak. Taking a deep breath, she listened to Helene and Anni cooing at the men, then climbed down at the darkest spot near the barrels. After a few paces, she noticed she’d accidentally taken the pliers. Turning quickly around, she saw Helene and Anni laughing with the men, holding two full cups of beer. She put the pliers back where she’d found them, and carefully walked back through the camp, then crawled back to her sleeping place. Helene and Anni returned shortly after. As they wrapped themselves up in their blankets, they quietly exchanged their stories. Marie told them about her success, while Helene stretched out blissfully.

“Tell me, Marie, is it a sin to like lying underneath a man? I felt something tonight that I’ve never felt before.”

“No, it’s not a sin. Every woman who voluntarily gives herself to a man should have that feeling. Once you’re married to a good man, you’ll even enjoy it.”

“I’d like that,” Helene mumbled as she was falling asleep. “But first I’d have to find a good man.”

Marie smiled and turned to Anni. “How bad was it?”

The girl snuggled up to her. “It didn’t hurt, not like with the horrible Sir Gunter. He hurt me terribly.”

“Try not to think about it anymore, because when you’re older and a gentle husband shows you what love is, you’ll like it, too.”