The Firedrake (14 page)

He took the torch and went outside to a banked fire and lit the torch. He went back. The Duke was sitting in his smallclothes on a war chest, a cloak wrapped around him. Laeghaire laughed.

“Do I amuse you? Where have you been?”

“I was a stranger in a strange land, and they took me in.”

“Leave off that. Answer my question.”

“Walter’s army is a day’s or two day’s ride.”

“I know.”

“Shall I tell you about them?”

“I have scouts too. I know everything.”

“Commendable.”

“I am foul-tempered of waking.” William pointed at Laeghaire’s chest. “If I were not aware of your sometime virtues, I would be foul-tempered now, and you would spend the next few days under arrest. Are they coming after you?”

“I doubt it. They don’t know who I am.”

“Oho. Oho. A little arrogance here. A little sinful pride. No matter. I won’t judge you, Irish.” William grinned suddenly. “I have him now. He’s in a certain amount of trouble. I sent you two hundred men at Rougemont. Fitz-Osbern is half a day’s ride from here and north of him with live hundred. He’s in a funnel if he comes any farther north, and if he doesn’t I’ll follow him until he’s cornered and fight him there. Were they breaking camp?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t wait.”

“I’ve got him now.”

Laeghaire applauded him.

“You’re filthy. Go clean yourself up. You look like a slave.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Laeghaire.”

“Yes, my lord?”

“The Count of Flanders has told me he wants you back in Flanders by Epiphany. Don’t go. I want you here.”

“I am his captain, my lord.”

“Quit him. Send them back by themselves.”

“He pays me.”

“Go, then. If it suits you. Leave me.”

Laeghaire slept in William’s camp. He was awakened and put on a horse and moved once, and slept again. Jehan came and saw him and said that Laeghaire must have been sick, to sleep so long. When at last he woke up of his own accord, he went back to Rougemont. He rode fast. One day before he reached Rougemont, he cut the track of the enemy army, headed suddenly northwest. Laeghaire rested his horse and studied the track. Walter must have seen Fitz-Osbern. Laeghaire rode on wondering about it. Walter had more men than Fitz-Osbern.

When he got to Rougemont it was almost dark and he was tired. Thierry and Josse had called in all but five men from each of the villages, and Rougemont was full of knights. Thierry came to the room where Laeghaire slept and told him everything. Laeghaire heard him and sent him away and went to bed. He was hardly asleep when Thierry woke him up again, all excited. Laeghaire sat up. He knew what it was. He started to dress.

The room was full of people; Josse, two other knights, and three of Thierry’s scouts. Laeghaire put on his mail shirt. Thierry was shouting. Josse told him to shut up and he did. Karl came silently over and gave Laeghaire his surcoat.

“Where is he?” Laeghaire said.

“Four, six leagues south,” one of Thierry’s scouts said. “And riding fast.”

“South? Josse. Get everybody out and armed and ready. Does anybody know where Fitz-Osbern is?”

“He was half a day’s ride north yesterday,” Josse said quiedy. “One of Thierry’s men saw him. Headed due south, slowly.”

“Send somebody to find him. Bring him back here.”

Thierry signed to one of his men.

One of the other knights came forward. “My lord, I am Mishel of Sees. The lord Duke sent me here with—”

“I know. I saw him yesterday. How many besides these?”

“Five hundred.”

“Get them armed. Well ride out as soon as everybody is ready. Karl, go get the stallion ready. Bale,” he said to the sentry, “when Fitz-Osbern gets here come out and meet me. I’ll be southwest.”

He buckled on his sword belt, picked up his shield, and went out. Down in the town square all the knights had gathered. They streamed in from their quarters into the square. The bell was ringing. He had not noticed it. The bell in the church tower. He mounted the brown stallion. Karl held his stirrup.

“My lord?”

“Stay here.”

“Be… Good luck.”

Laeghaire called for Lodovic. Lodovic blew his horn. They rode out the main gate and swung southwest.

Mishel rode up to him. “My lord, he shouldn’t be there.”

“Why not?”

“Fitz-Osbern’s supposed to be keeping him in contact. I was there. When the Duke told him, ‘Keep him in contact.’ ”

“Fitz-Osbern’s been lost for a long time, then. He didn’t have him in contact when I—He was headed northwest a couple of days ago; I crossed his track.”

It was dark. The stars were hidden. They rode through trees.

“He’s been moving fast.”

“He rode north to see if Fitz-Osbern had any kind of touch with him, found out he didn’t, and swung down to catch us off guard. He doesn’t know about you. He thinks I’m undermanned. He’s trying to get to the Vexin. Bypass Rougemont to the north or south, as he can.”

“Why didn’t he just go through farther south?”

“Country’s against him. He’d never get there before William did. William would catch him out in the middle of nowhere, too far from Mayenne and too far from his own country. Cut him to shreds.”

“He’s scared of my lord,” Mishel said.

“Maybe.”

“My lord hates his name.”

Epiphany. He thought suddenly of his child. Born now. Certainly born. He wished it were nearer Epiphany. A son. Maybe. His son.

They reached the edge of the plain. Laeghaire called a halt. He sent Mishel up to the ridge just ahead. Mishel’s horse cantered off. The hoofs beat on the ground. The sound died slowly. Mishel topped the ridge. He wheeled and waved his arms wildly. He rode back.

“Within bowshot,” he said.

Laeghaire lifted his arm and drove it down. He spurred the stallion. The horse was rank from too long resting. He bolted. The others swept after him. They galloped up the ridge and over it. The army below them was all stretched out in files. Laeghaire pulled out his horn and blew a long and a short blast. He glanced over his shoulder. His men were packing in, close together. The army ahead was bunching, turning. They were spread out too far. Laeghaire and his men struck that army in the side. For a moment they had to slow, fighting. The swords rang together. The horses surged and bumped each other and reared. Laeghaire broke through the line of men. He galloped off. His men followed him. The stallion bucked and kicked. Laeghaire reined him down. His men raced after him, by him. The army of the Vexin turned and was following.

More than there was supposed to be. Only part he had seen, then. Other part going north or maybe left back here. That’s how he lost Fitz-Osbern. A thousand, easily.

He wheeled and rode after his men. Thierry and Mishel saw him coming and turned back. The two bands of men, one chasing, one flying, raced over the plain. Josse swung in toward Laeghaire.

“He’s lost his foot soldiers.”

Laeghaire turned. The men chasing them were all horsemen. Way behind them the Vexin foot soldiers were grouped. Abruptly the horsemen chasing them turned and rode back.

“Hold up.”

Lodovic blew his horn. The Flemings stopped and waited, all spread out. They weren’t all Flemings now; there were two hundred Normans and those sixty Mainards.

“What a mess,” Laeghaire said.

“What do we do?” Thierry said.

“Where’s Josse?”

Josse rode up. He had a cut on his arm. He wrapped a scarf around it.

The Vexin army was headed off, straight toward Rougemont. Laeghaire turned to Josse.

“Take the Flemings and go back. The Mainards too. Get ready for a siege. Barricade the gates. Find out where Fitz-Osbern is. Mishel, you and your men come with me.”

Josse sent ten of his band down to pick up the dead and wounded on the plain. Thierry clung by Laeghaire.

“Shall I go with you?”

“Stay with Josse.”

Thierry rode over toward Josse. Josse and his men started off, riding fast.

“We don’t stop,” Laeghaire said to Mishel. “We hit them. We don’t stop.”

Mishel nodded. Laeghaire turned and rode after the Vexin army. The Normans grouped up and followed him. They galloped past the men searching for wounded in the uneven Utter of bodies there on the plain.

He chased and harried the Vexin army all the way back to Rougemont, leading off the mounted knights now and then. Whenever he took the knights after him the Vexinois foot would gather in a circle. It was light when they reached Rougemont. The Vexin army drew in among the few huts outside the wall and would not leave. Laeghaire saw his archers shooting at them from the walls of the town. He and the Normans pulled back.

“They’ll hold them off for a while,” he said.

He set up a round of men to watch the Vexin army and let the others sleep. He slept himself. He did not dream He woke up at a shout from one of his guards, and the first thing he thought was that he was thankful for not dreaming.

The Vexin army had drawn up against the west wall of the town. On the wall men ran back and forth, waving things. Laeghaire mounted up.

“Mishel.”

Mishel came.

“Ride around and come in from the north. Take—” He turned. He pointed to a tree standing in the middle of the mass of Normans. “Every man right of that tree come with me. The rest of you go with Mishel. Don’t stop.”

They rode down, split into two bands, and circled the walls. When they reached the west gate, the Vexin army had almost rammed down the gate. Laeghaire charged his men into the middle of the fighting. They used the wall to protect one flank. The defenders on the wall cheered wildly. They shot arrows and threw stones and wood down on the Vexin knights. Many of the townspeople were on the walls too, defending. The Vexin knights stayed, fighting steadily, holding their shields against the arrows and stones. The gate gave way with a great splintering of wood. The men inside the town had heaped carts and wood against it, so that the knights could not easily get through. At that moment Mishel attacked from the other side. The Vexin army turned and raced off. One part of the infantry was caught against the gate. Laeghaire and his men cut them down. When Laeghaire turned from the fighting he saw that Mishel had followed the rest of the Vexin army.

He reached for his horn. But Mishel turned just then and rode off. The Vexin knights chased the Normans. The Normans scattered. The foot soldiers stood motionless in their circle, watching Laeghaire. Finally the Vexin knights came back to them and the whole bunch of them moved steadily off, back to their huts.

Laeghaire and Mishel stayed by that gate until the people inside had barricaded it. It was dusk by then. The people inside the town handed down food to Laeghaire and the Normans, in bread baskets hung from ropes. They ate in their saddles.

That night the Vexin army left, going south. Laeghaire followed them and harried them. It was difficult in the darkness and he was tired and his men were tired. The Vexin army could pick their own way. Laeghaire got an arrow in the shoulder. He lost them just before dawn and rode back. When he got back he was sick again. He went to his room and slept for two days.

When he woke up, Karl told him that Fitz-Osbern was there and wanted to see him. Laeghaire sent him down for Fitz-Osbern and got out of bed.

Fitz-Osbern came in, put his helmet on the table, and sat down. “I hear that you were wounded.”

“Not serious.” Laeghaire scraped his hand over his jaw. His beard felt like a boar’s pelt. He stropped his dagger. Karl came in with water in a dish.

“Why didn’t you hold them until I got here?” Fitz-Osbern said.

Laeghaire turned on his heel. “Hold them? With six hundred men? He outnumbered me by a full set of infantry. Nearly two to one. Why didn’t you keep contact with him? You lost him, Fitz-Osbern. Not I.”

“My orders were to keep him from coming north.”

“Your orders. He came north. You lost him. He knew where you were all the time and you didn’t know where he was. He almost bypassed us and went on and got away.”

“So much the better. Then we would have had only Mayenne to fight. We could cut them down at our leisure.”

“Hunh.” Laeghaire turned and shaved half his face.

“It probably would have been better so.”

“You tell that to the Duke.”

“I had my orders directly from him.”

“Did they include leaving one thousand men free to turn and attack us when we move?”

“I will grant you, sir, that I lost contact. I should have known his position exactly. That was my error. I still believe you could have held him here until I arrived. Together we would have outnumbered him sufficiently.”

“How?”

“Fought him, instead of running and chasing him as if you were one to his ten. As Sir Mishel has told me you did.”

“I would have liked to see you try it, outnumbered.”