The War of the Grail (32 page)

General Jhala paced across the grass, his brow furrowed as if he were pondering an impossible riddle.

He stopped and looked at Jack. ‘This saddens me. It saddens me very much.’

Jack coiled his hands into fists and fought the desire to punch Jhala in the face. He was standing out in the middle of the plains again, negotiating with his old commander.

Jhala shook his head slowly. ‘Jack, Jack. I’m disappointed. I thought we had an understanding. I would be lenient, so long as you talked your leaders around. You didn’t keep your side of the bargain. And now you come to me with this new suggestion. My original proposal was that all of you surrender, not just some of you.’ He clicked his tongue. ‘You are making things very difficult for me.’

‘You can’t kill women and children,’ Jack said. ‘Where’s the dharma in that?’

Jhala pursed his lips and gazed up at the hill. ‘Where’s the dharma in betraying your oath to the army?’

Jack’s face felt hot. He wanted to ask where was the dharma in forcing a man to hunt down his friend? Where was the dharma in threatening to kill a man’s daughter? But, with a great effort, he held back.

Jhala sighed. ‘Look at what has become of the two of us. This is not how it was ever supposed to be.’ He looked at the ground and went silent for a long time.

The wind whistled across the flats and buffeted Jack, the cold seeping through his tunic and even the doublet underneath. In the distance, he could see the army making camp. The elephants had been led away and were being tethered to the ground with chains. Sappers were digging a defensive earth wall. Followers were wrestling with vast sheets of canvas and wooden scaffolding as they put up the Rajthanans’ tents.

Eventually, after waiting for perhaps a minute, Jack said, ‘So, what about our proposal?’

Jhala looked up at Jack again. ‘You know, I was very pleased when I heard you were here. I came immediately when I got the message. I was looking forward to seeing you again. I know this situation is hardly ideal, but I felt certain that … that we could come to an arrangement. I offered to spare you. You could walk away from this a free man, and yet you throw it all back in my face.’

Jack went to reply, but Jhala held up his hand, saying, ‘I haven’t finished yet. You asked me what I think of your proposal. Ordinarily I would use that quaint English phrase: “Go to hell.” But I won’t do that. For you, I will show mercy. But only because you’re an old comrade.

‘Here’s what we’ll do. You can tell your people that whoever wants to leave may leave within the next hour. After that, my amnesty will finish. I will not make this offer again in the future.’

‘Where will the people be sent? They should get safe passage. They shouldn’t be sent to East Europe.’

Jhala shook his head. ‘No. You know full well that is out of the question. I’m not playing games here. Anyone who surrenders will go to East Europe. That is already a remarkably good offer. General Vadula will probably question me as to why I’m being so generous. I will not budge on this. Your people have one hour to come down here and give themselves up. They will go to Europe, but they will live. I give you my word. That is my final offer. You understand?’

‘I understand,’ Jack said, his jaw tight.

‘But Jack,’ Jhala’s face turned cold, ‘this amnesty is open for one hour only. After that, I’m afraid it’s war.’

‘N
o, Father.’ Elizabeth’s eyes glimmered in the grey light. She shook her head. ‘I’m staying here.’

‘As will I.’ Godwin placed his arm about his wife’s shoulders. He glanced down at Cecily, who lay swaddled in Elizabeth’s arms, then looked up at Jack, raised his chin and placed his hand on the hilt of his longsword. ‘We talked about this and decided. We cannot run away.’

Jack ran his fingers through his hair. He could have done without this problem now. All across the fortress those people who’d decided to leave were packing their things and streaming out of the gate. Elizabeth and Cecily had to go with them. Had to.

‘Look,’ Jack said. ‘There’s no real hope. We’ll have a hard job holding back that army down there, and more and more of them are going to be arriving over the next few days. We’ll be overrun.’

‘Then why are
you
staying?’ Elizabeth’s bottom lip quivered slightly.

Jack stalled. Why
was
he staying? It was a good question. It was strange to think that four years ago he’d started off opposing the First Crusade. Back then, he’d believed it was pointless to resist, that there was no hope of success. And now, here he was – making a last stand, with the remaining rebels, in a fortress on top of a hill.

‘I have to stay.’ His voice came out hoarse. ‘I can’t give up on our dream of freedom.’

A tear welled in one of Elizabeth’s eyes. ‘Exactly. And neither can we.’

Jack’s throat tightened and he had to blink back the tears. He couldn’t argue with his family any more. They’d made their decision, and he would respect it.

In all, around three hundred decided to leave the fortress and take their chances with the Rajthanans. Jack didn’t blame any of them for going. As he stood on the east wall, watching the line of people wend their way down the hill and across the plains, he prayed for them all, prayed they could somehow make a new life for themselves.

The shadows were lengthening and the sun was lowering towards the Welsh mountains to the west.

‘What time is it?’ he asked Kanvar, who was standing beside him.

Kanvar drew out his watch. ‘Five o’clock by European reckoning.’

‘I make that an hour since I spoke to Jhala.’ Jack stared out at the dark mass of the army encircling them. ‘The amnesty’s over.’

‘It appears so,’ Kanvar said softly.

‘You stayed.’

Kanvar frowned. ‘Of course. Did you think I would leave now?’

‘You don’t have to be here. This isn’t your war.’

‘No.’ Kanvar stared out towards the hills. ‘But it is Waheguru’s will that I stay, I believe.’

Jack nodded slowly. ‘I reckon it must be God’s will that I stay here too.’

Jack sat beside one of the five fires that had been lit in the camp. Night had fallen and now most of the inhabitants of Folly Brook had congregated about the flames.

Only a handful of villagers had chosen to leave during Jhala’s amnesty. One of them was James. The farmer had looked sheepish as he bid farewell to Jack. ‘I’m sorry,’ he’d said. ‘If I were on my own, I’d stay. But I can’t put my family through it.’

Jack gazed into the flames. He prayed James and his family were safe, wherever they now were.

Saleem slid out of the shadows and sat with his knees drawn up to his chin.

‘Your family all right?’ Jack asked.

Saleem nodded. ‘Better.’

Saleem’s mother had been distraught earlier in the day. During the amnesty, Saleem had insisted she and his sisters leave. At first, his mother had agreed and even went as far as the gate. But then, when it came to it, she couldn’t part with Saleem. She’d had a tearful argument with her son, then finally put her foot down and demanded to stay.

‘Did you get a new musket?’ Jack asked.

The barrel of Saleem’s old firearm had split during an accident while Jack was in Staffordshire.

‘Yes,’ Saleem said. ‘It’s inside.’

Henry and his men had arranged for all the available weapons to be distributed throughout the fortress. Thankfully, plenty of firearms had been brought from both Clun Valley and Shrewsbury. Almost everyone who knew how to fire a musket had been given one.

Jack patted Saleem on the shoulder. ‘I’m glad you stayed. We need all the good men we can get.’

Saleem’s face went red, a broad smile crossed his lips and he gazed at the ground in embarrassment. ‘I wouldn’t leave. I decided long ago to fight for these lands, to become a knight.’

‘As far as I’m concerned, you’re a knight already.’

Before Jack could say anything further, someone shouted on the other side of the fire. He looked up and saw Sonali talking agitatedly to Elizabeth. Sonali was sitting down, with Cecily in her arms. Elizabeth stood over her, hands on her hips.

‘What are you doing with my baby?’ Elizabeth hissed.

Sonali’s mouth dropped open. ‘I was just—’

‘Give her to me!’

Jack stood up quickly. The last thing the camp needed was Sonali and Elizabeth arguing again.

Sonali handed Cecily across to Elizabeth, saying, ‘Mary gave her to me. I was just looking after her for a moment.’

Elizabeth scowled. ‘Don’t you touch my child ever again, you hear?’

Sonali shot to her feet, her eyes blazing. For a moment, it seemed she was about to shout at Elizabeth, but instead she ran off into the darkness.

Jack rushed round the side of the fire and stopped beside Elizabeth. ‘What the hell are you doing?’

Elizabeth’s eyes flashed. ‘I don’t want her touching Cecily.’

Jack’s face went hot for a second, but all he said was, ‘I’ll speak to you later.’

Then he slipped away into the shadows, searching for Sonali. He found himself jogging through a forest of gnarled stonework and twisting creepers. Moonlit walls and arches loomed all about him. Solitary towers speared the night. At times, he saw campfires shivering in the distance, but otherwise the area was deserted.

‘Sonali!’ he shouted.

No one replied.

He stopped and gazed into the whorls of masonry receding in all directions. There was no sign of Sonali anywhere. He’d lost her.

Where would she have gone? She wouldn’t try to leave the fortress, would she? That would be risky. She might be a Rajthanan, but she was also now a traitor – and there was no telling what could happen to her if she left.

Then he had an idea.

He ran on through the ruins until he saw the black bulk of the east wall rising ahead of him. He dashed up a set of steps and reached the walkway at the top. The last time he’d been here, there’d only been a handful of sentries. But now he found numerous detachments of artillerymen slouching beside an array of weapons. The serpent-headed guns peered like gargoyles out of the embrasures, their mouths open and ready to breathe fire and metal at any assailants. Tiger-shaped mortars crouched on wooden platforms.

He hurried along the wall, catching snatches of the gunners’ conversations. It seemed sappers had been spotted in the hills to the east. No doubt the enemy were planning to dig gun emplacements, just as Jhala had said they would.

Jack ran faster. Where the hell was Sonali?

He finally found her leaning against the parapet on an empty stretch of wall. She was gazing out at the scattered, twinkling arc of the army’s campfires. She turned as he arrived and he saw she’d been crying.

‘You all right?’ he asked.

She wiped her eyes with her shawl. ‘I’m fine. Don’t worry.’

‘I’ll talk to Elizabeth. She has to stop this.’

‘No. Leave it. I don’t want to cause any more trouble.’

‘Elizabeth has to respect you.’

‘Please. You talking to her won’t help. I’ll just keep away from her for now. I’ll find somewhere else to sleep.’

‘You can’t stay somewhere else. It might not be safe.’

Sonali stared out at the enemy. ‘Nowhere in this fortress is safe.’

Jack went silent as he tried to think of a response. It was out of the question for Sonali to sleep anywhere other than at the Folly Brook camp. At the same time, he would have to somehow smooth things over between her and Elizabeth.