Kathryn Le Veque (17 page)

    
“She is well,” Albert
replied. “I have taken her to my uncle for safekeeping so you must not worry.
 
But you should also know that the bounty
hunter- de Vere- has followed her trail to Clavell Hill.
 
He was at the fortress this morning,
demanding to see you because he is convinced that you are conspiring to keep
her from him.
 
I was able to send him away
on a fool’s errand but I fear he may return once he figures out that he has
been duped.”

Roane could only feel anger in his veins. “De Vere,” he rumbled. “I
wondered how long it would take him to show up here, looking for her.
 
Thanks to God that Alisanne is safe from him.
I owe you much, my friend.”

“You owe me nothing,” Albert said. “I have much to atone for and
taking the lady to safety is the least I can do for you. But listen to me well
for my time here is brief; if anyone asks, I came here to ask you what you know
about the lady’s whereabouts since de Vere made such a show of it this
morning.
 
If you are asked, that is
all
I asked of you and you told me that
you know nothing of her location.”

“Understood.”

“Excellent,” he said, speaking quickly and softly. “Now, there is
nothing I can do for you while you are in this prison.
 
It is too well guarded.
 
The only opportunity I will have to free you
is when they move you out of this cell and transport you to the
executioner.
 
I will make sure I am a
part of the guard and at that time, I will release you. You must be ready to
help me no matter what happens.
 
You and
I will have to fight our way to freedom, my friend.”

Roane felt more hope than he had in three long years; three long
years of hiding, of fear, of persecution.
 
True, he was in the vault at this moment and awaiting his sentence to be
carried out, but now he had help. He had hope. Someone was willing to help him
from this hell and he was humbled and grateful.
 
He had so much to live for now, that shining beacon of love and devotion
known as Alisanne, and once he was free he would escape with her to France or
points east and never look back.
 
They
would be free to live their lives and for the first time, he would be utterly
happy.
 
Alisanne was the greatest
motivator in the world as far as he was concerned.
 
There was nothing else.
 
Reaching out, he grasped Albert’s hand.

“I would fight my way through Purgatory if it meant freedom and
Alisanne,” he murmured sincerely. “I will be ready. Whatever comes, I will be
ready.”

Albert gripped his hand tightly. “Good,” he whispered. “Then do
not despair, for there is a way out of this. I will make sure of it.”

“You have my eternal gratitude.”

“You would do this for me if I was in the same situation, I would
hope. In any case, I will do now what I should have done three years ago.”

Roane nodded faintly as Albert let go of his hand and stood
up.
 
As he made his way towards the rope
ladder, he turned to him one last time.

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll think about what I told
you and confess,” he said loudly in case any of the guards happened to be
listening. “The lady’s welfare is at stake and even if you’re about to meet a
horrible end, you should consider the lady’s standing and confess
accordingly.
 
You’ll not want her soul on
your hands as well.”

He wriggled his eyebrows at Roane as if to silently emphasize that
his words were for the guards’ benefit only and commenced with ascending the
rope ladder.
 
Roane watched the man climb
until he finally disappeared through the hole at the top of the cell and the
light went out from the chamber completely.
 

It was cold and dank and dark again, he turned in Edward’s
direction although he could barely see the man.
 
All he could see was the glimmer of his eyes when he moved them.

“And so it comes,” he whispered. “Did you hear what he said?”

Edward was sitting up, huddled against the cold wall. “Most of
it,” he said, his voice raspy. “He is going to help us?”

Roane nodded. “He is,” he murmured. “He says that Alisanne is
safe.”

Edward exhaled sharply, tears of relief springing to his eyes.
“Thank the saints,” he whispered. “My girl is safe. I have been so terrified
for her.”

Roane thought on Alisanne, on the future, and on what was to
happen on the fateful day that approached.

“As have I,” he murmured. “But now we know she is safe and can
prepare for what we must do. It will not be simple, Edward, but I know you are
a brave man. Your presence in this cell is indicative of that. You must
continue to be brave, for Alisanne’s sake. Can you do this?”

Edward nodded and began to cough. “I can. Of course I can.”

“I am pleased,” Roane said, eyeing the man who sounded worse than
he had earlier. His illness was gaining ground. “This will all be over soon.”

Edward hacked and coughed, finally lying back down again because
he felt so poorly. “Not soon enough,” he muttered.

Roane concurred.
 
He
couldn’t wait for this to be over, either.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The village of Great Barr,
England

Five miles north of Clavell Hill

    
“Clavell Hill is wrought with more defenses
than I’ve ever seen, my lord,” the weary soldier was reporting to Bowen. “The
Hospitallers must be very fearful that some great army will attack them. Or
mayhap they are protecting their great treasure inside.
 
In either case, the fortress is
well-fortified.”

    
It was sunset. In a cluster of woods
outside of the small berg of Great Barr where Baron Coniston’s powerful army
was resting after their harrowed flight south, Bowen and Joseph Ari were
listening to the scouting reports with great concern.
 
Before they could question the scout,
however, a second soldier spoke.

    
“We were in town, my lord, and saw the
scaffold building,” he said. “We asked what it was for and they said a heretic
is to be executed on the morrow, a former Hospitallers knight who is in league
with the devil.”

    
Bowen sighed heavily as he glanced at
Joseph Ari.
 
“It seems that we have
arrived here just in time,” he said, raking his fingers through his dark blond
hair as he spoke to his scouts. “Did they mention my brother by name?”

    
“Nay, my lord.”

    
“Did they say what time the condemned was
slated for execution?”

    
“It was my impression that it would be
dawn, my lord.
 
The scaffold was nearly
finished.”

    
Bowen pondered that a moment.
   
“Did you have an opportunity to assess their
strengths, then?”

    
The first solder shook his head. “Not much,
my lord,” he said. “The town does not seem to have the presence of soldiers
other than near the scaffolding that they are building.
 
Most of the army must be inside the
fortress.”

    
Bowen looked at Joseph Ari.
 
“You’ve spoken much about the Hospitallers as
well as my brother,” he said. “You told me on the journey here that you were of
the Hospitallers Order once, but you did not elaborate. Now, you will tell me
your exact relation to them and what you know of their strengths. I’ve not
asked you before but I will ask you now and you will tell me the truth.”

    
Joseph Ari’s gaze turned towards the south
as if beholding the great and imposing bastion of Clavell Hill. He hadn’t
necessarily been hiding anything from Baron Coniston but he hadn’t been
entirely forthcoming about certain things, his relation to the Hospitallers
included. Every time they got on the subject, he would turn to something
else.
 
Now, he had no choice but to speak
of it because they were on the Hospitallers’ doorstep and Coniston had to know
everything.

“Clavell Hill, in ages past, used to be a hive for the Romans,” he
said. “There is a church that was built upon older foundations and the fortress
itself has incorporated old walls and old structures that were once part of a
Roman city.
 
Parts of it are extremely
old. The
town, including the church, surround
the
northern and western side of the fortress, and the Order keeps to itself for
the most part except when they open the gates to go to the church.”

    
Bowen was listening carefully. “There is no
church inside the fortress?”

    
Joseph Ari shook his head.
 
“Strangely, no,” he said.
 
Then, he eyed Bowen and cleared his throat
softly as he averted his gaze. “I left the order some years ago.
 
You see, I had been a warrior priest with
them for many years but since Father Bordeleaux has taken charge of the Order,
some… distasteful and questionable things have occurred.
 
False charges against your brother were one of
many.
 
I was forced to make the decision
of either remaining with the Order and accepting how things had become, or
leaving them for good. I chose to leave them for good and went to live with my
brother, who is the father of your brother’s intended.”

    
Bowen was coming to understand a bit more
about this quiet and mysterious man.
 
Now, things were starting to make some sense. “But
you are still a priest?”

    
“I still consider myself one,” Joseph Ari
replied softly. “I may not have an Order any longer, but I have lived my entire
life as a priest and continue to do so. I have kept the name I took when I was
ordained, Joseph Ari, because it honors Joseph of Arimathea, the man who
prepared Christ’s body for the tomb. I live a life of piety, chastity, and
poverty although I am not associated with the Hospitallers
nor
the Catholic Church.”

    
“Why not the Catholics?”

    
Joseph Ari looked at him, then. “They hate
the Hospitallers,” he muttered. “I tried to join them and they would not have
me.”

    
He seemed embittered about it.
 
Bowen thought on that a moment but didn’t
pursue it. It didn’t matter, anyway.
 
He
gestured towards the south.

“Tell me more about the fortress we are facing,” he said. “Can we
get into it?”

    
Joseph Ari shook his head. “Nay,” he said
flatly. “It is impenetrable.”

    
Bowen lifted his eyebrows in an exasperated
gesture. “Why did you not say so before?” he demanded. “I have brought eight
hundred men with me. Are you telling me only now that I cannot breach that old
Roman fortress?”

    
Joseph Ari stood his ground.
 
“I was afraid if I told you that it was
impenetrable that you would not come,” he insisted. “Or, at the very least,
that help to Roane would be delayed somehow as you decided what to do. Nay, I
could not tell you. I needed you to come.
 
Our best hope is to lay in wait for Roane when they bring him out to
take him to the scaffold.
 
The town is
populated enough so that it would be possible to lose ourselves in the crowd
and strike when the time is right.”

    
Bowen wasn’t as outraged as he had been
moments earlier.
 
True, he was frustrated
that the priest hadn’t been entirely forthcoming about the circumstances they
would be facing, but he understood the man’s reasons. It was possible that he
was correct.
 
In any case, he was
intrigued by the prospect of covert operations.
 
Besides, they might not have a choice.

    
“Mayhap,” he muttered after a moment. “If
the fortress is as fortified as you say it is, we could lay siege for days and
never see any progress. But if they have to open the gates to move my brother
to the scaffolds, it would be the easy way to get to him.
 
Why go in when we can simply wait them out?”

    
Joseph Ari nodded.
“My
feelings exactly, my lord.
 
If we
want, they will practically deliver Roane to you.”

    
Bowen was pleased with that idea.
 
In fact, he saw it as an excellent way not to
sacrifice too many men in a useless siege.
 
He motioned for the scouts to go and get food while he and Joseph Ari
head back to the bulk of the army.

    
“I will give the men a short while to rest
and eat while we formulate a plan,” Bowen said. “Since we cannot go charging
into the town with all eight hundred men, I will have at least two hundred
accompany us into town in disguises while the rest of the army waits here and
sets up a defensive line. I can only imagine that once we free my brother, we
will be pursued.
 
We will set lines of
solders to cover our retreat north, or at least delay the Hospitallers long
enough to give us time to put distance between us and them.”

    
Joseph Ari nodded in agreement. He began to
glance around, noting the heavy forestation around them.

    
“If I may make a suggestion, my lord?” he
asked.

    
“You may.”

    
He began to gesture to the forest. “Put men
into the trees,” he said. “The Hospitallers will be caught by surprise by the
ambush.
 
It will slow them down more than
a defensive line would. One cannot fight what one cannot see.”

    
Bowen cast him a long glance. “You think
like a warrior.”

    
“I was a very good one, once.”

    
“Let us hope that remains true because
tomorrow at dawn, you will go into battle with me.”

    
Joseph Ari wasn’t displeased at the idea.
He came to a halt, turning to face the baron. “I would ride through Hell’s fury
in the quest to aid your brother,” he said quietly. “He is the greatest knight
I have ever known and what has happened to him is truly despicable and tragic.
I realize you have not seen your brother in many years, but believe me when I
say there
is
no finer warrior in battle and no finer
man of character.
 
When you see your
brother tomorrow, look at him through such eyes. His is a fine tribute to the
de Garr name.”

    
Bowen smiled faintly, remembering his
bigger, stronger younger brother with much affection. “I have missed him a
great deal.”

    
“Then let us make sure you do not miss him
permanently.”

    
Bowen’s smile faded.
 
“Have no doubt; that is my intention.”

***

    
Alisanne awoke to the sound of a crackling
fire.
 
 
She felt warm and languid, in that misty area
between sleep and consciousness.
 
She
shifted slightly, turning her head and attempting to open her eyes but she was
met by darkness.
 
She panicked.

    
“My eyes!” she cried. “I cannot see!”

    
There was movement around her. She could
hear joints popping and fabric rustling.
 
“Steady, lady, steady,” Ovier said. “Your eyes
are wrapped. Allow me to
unwrap
them and we shall see
how well you have healed.”

    
It took Alisanne a few moments to remember
where she was and what had happened. In the dark as she was, she was completely
disoriented.
 
A knight named Albert had
brought her to a physic’s hovel and the man had put something in her eyes.
 
Aye, she was remembering more clearly now,
and she clearly remembered the smell when Ovier drew close.
 
It was pungent and offensive.
 
He pulled her into a sitting position.

    
“Easy, lady,” he said softly.
 
Alisanne could hear him fumbling with
something and suddenly, the bindings across her eyes began to move. “You have
been asleep a very long time. How do you feel?”

    
Alisanne’s fingers flitted around her face,
touching the bindings across her eyes. “I… I am not sure,” she said, still not
over her fright of having awoken to darkness. “Well enough, I suppose. How long
did I sleep?”

    
The bindings were loosening as Ovier cut
them away. “An entire day and night,” he said. “It is an hour or two away from
the dawn.”

    
Alisanne’s thoughts turned away from her
eyes and towards the coming day.
 
Something horrible was filling her mind, something that threatened to
restore the panic. “A day and a night,” she murmured, trying very hard to weed
through her sleep-hazed mind and remember something that Albert had told her.
In two days….
“Then… then it has been
almost two days since Albert brought me here?”

    
“Aye.”

    
Her stomach began to lurch, emotions of
horror welling in her chest. “Where is Albert?”

    
Ovier pulled away the last of the bindings.
“He shall be here shortly,” he replied. “He has been out and about, making
plans to save your lover.
 
There is not
much time now, so I am told.
 
He is to be
executed this day.”

    
Alisanne could hardly breathe. She was in a
state of utter despair when the bindings came away, so much so that she had her
eyes closed, trying to stave off the torrent of emotion.
 
But at some point, her eyes opened.
 
It took her several long moments to realize
that she could see the room; she could see the broken down table, the walls,
and the old man sitting before her in great detail.
 
The light wasn’t particularly bright, but it
didn’t matter; she could see
better
than she had in
over a year.
 
Her eyes widened.