Warlord of the North (20 page)

"Speak the truth, my son and I shall absolve you of your sins. There is little point in deception any longer. The Earl knows your perfidy and treachery."

"And if I tell you the truth, what then?"

"You will be sentenced to labour in the borough for ten years."

"Ten years! That is a lifetime!"

"No, the punishment if you do not tell the truth is death, that is a lifetime."

He suddenly became defiant. "Your town will not last ten years! Baron Skipton will have taken your town before the year is out."

"Why did your fellow spy have to sail to the mouth of the river and back?"

Father Henry said, "Speak.  Hard labour is better than death."

"There is a lookout on Eston Nab. The men of Guisborough keep a watch there. They look for the arrival and departures of your ship. When Robert sails and he wants to tell them we have news then he hangs two lights from his stern.  A message is sent to Whitby and then a ship sails to York.  I meet the Captain and tell him what we know." He shrugged, "We thought it foolproof for you cannot land a ship in the swamp between the river and the hills. I had plenty of excuses to go to York and to give the message.  They were spoken so that none could trace them or intercept them."

I nodded, "And the Baron will attack soon."

He looked afraid, "I am not certain, lord.  I believe so. Your new gate means they will find it harder to attack."

"You seem knowledgeable."

"We were both men at arms who served the Baron.  When my eye was injured I could not fight as well as once I had and Robert had the coughing sickness.  He is my brother."

I nodded, "Take him and put the brothers together." Once they had gone I said, "I am sorry Father but I could not tell you until I had proof."

"I understand. And now we will be attacked again?"

"I fear so.  We could not stop the message being sent and when they hear that we are making our gate stronger they will attack sooner rather than later."

Wulfric said, "Aye lord and now we know that they are watching for our ship they will find out that we are being reinforced."

"Then tomorrow we ride and destroy this tower. Have the men prepare to ride before dawn."

I prayed that they would wait until we had the harvest in before they attacked.  If not it would be a long and hungry winter.

It was an hour after dawn as we made our way up the southern side of Eston Nab. There looked to have been an ancient fort here.  It had long gone but the lords of Guisborough had built a tower of stone in the centre of the mound of lumps and bumps.  We spied the castle from some way away. It looked, even from a distance, to have been crudely built. We dismounted and made our way towards it. I guessed that they would keep watch on the river rather than the land to the south. We used the natural cover which was to the landward side, De Brus land. I saw hoof prints as we moved across the scrubland which was covered with stunted trees and hardy bushes. I saw a horse tethered to a post at the bottom of the tower.

The stone tower was thirty feet high and newly built.  The mortar was bright and lichen had yet to colonise it. The tower itself  reminded me of the tower at Otterburn. As we drew closer I saw more of its features. There was a door which was ten feet or so from the ground.  Obviously they had a ladder which they lowered.  I had brought twenty men at arms and eight archers along with Sir John and Gilles.  I had deemed that to be more than enough. I planned on destroying it the way I had the keep in Normandy. I would burn it to the ground.  Hopefully the sentries would give in first but one way or another I would destroy it.

The door opened and a ladder dropped to the ground.  As the sentry began to descend he saw us.  He raced back up the ladder. There was little point in hiding.  "Run!"

We ran towards the tower.  The ladder was pulled up and the door slammed before we could reach it. The problem would be setting fire to the door.  It was too high for us to build a fire next to it. Crossbow bolts flew from the top of the tower.  They were ineffective against our shields.  Dick's archers let loose with the bows. Hiding behind a wall of shields held by our men at arms they were able to rain arrows at the top of the tower.  A warrior, still clutching his crossbow, fell to earth.  His neck was transfixed by a goose feathered shaft.

We ran to take shelter next to the walls of the tower.  They could do us no harm there. With my archers watching for movement on the top there was stalemate.  I went to the door and shouted, "This is the Earl of Cleveland! Surrender and you shall live.  Fight and you will die."

A voice from inside said, "Do your worst.  When our relief comes they will bring help from the castle."

I turned to Sir John, "Take four men at arms and ride towards the castle, ambush the relief."

Wulfric and Leopold of Durstein were with me. I said quietly, "He is right.  We cannot winkle them out."

Wulfric knelt down and rubbed his axe along the lime mortar about three stones up from the ground. The mortar came away. He went to the dead crossbowman and took the man's short sword and dagger. He handed the dagger to Leopold.  "Scrape away the mortar. They have done a poor job of building.  This was not done by a mason." As the two of them began to scrape I saw what he meant. They had not used finished stone.  They had taken whatever lay about.  The result was that the courses were uneven. A mason would have ensured that the foundation levels were solid and well laid.

I went to the crossbow man and took some of his bolts.  I waved over Alan of Osmotherley and Gurth. "Here do as Wulfric is doing to the next stone along."  I did the same on the other side.

Soon we were loosening three stones in a row. Wulfric and Leopold finished first and they used the short sword and dagger to lever out the stone.  They began work on the one above.  Having levered one out Alan and Gurth made short work of the second stone.  Mine took longer by which time Wulfric was ready to take out the next one. A small crack appeared above the large gap we had made.

"Now the level below. We make it unstable, my lord."

The men inside raced to the top of the tower when they heard us working and peered down but were driven back by my archers.  They could hear us but I doubted they knew what we were doing. The more stones we took the easier it became.  The gaps meant we only had three sides of each stone to chip away. When the next three stones came out the crack lengthened.

"Fetch kindling. Wulfric, try the inside stone." The tower had been built with a double course of stones.  There was a slight gap between. It was hard work once more as Wulfric and Leopold attacked a secure stone on the inside of the tower but they persevered.  By the time they had levered it out kindling had been brought.  I saw a wooden frame on the other side of the hole.  "Pack it with kindling.  Wulfric, loosen another few stones while we may."

Dick came over with a flint. He had gathered some wool from the gorse which lined the hill.  Soon his spark set light to the wool and then the kindling.  The gap in the walls drew the flames up. They also sucked the fire inside the tower through the small gap which Wulfric had made.  Within a short time it was too hot for us to work.  Wulfric and Leopold levered their last stone and then ran with us to a safe distance. The door opened and the ladder, now on fire, was lowered to the ground.  The small garrison who remained, all five of them, descended.  I saw that the last one had his clothes burning.

"Dick secure the prisoners and make sure they do not burn to death. One must have still been inside for a fireball emerged and tried to climb down the flaming ladder.  It broke and he fell.  I hoped he had broken his neck for he continued to burn at the foot of the ladder. The prisoners were brought over and we all watched as the flames consumed the tower as the crack which Wulfric had started raced to the top.  It was a race between the flames and the damage to the tower. Without warning there was a sound like a crack of thunder and then the whole tower tumbled down the hill.  The hillside was set alight.

I went to the prisoners. "I should kill you for I gave you fair warning."

"We throw ourselves upon your mercy."

"Bind their hands behind their backs and put a halter around their necks.  We will take them to Stockton for judgement."

We  had just mounted and were setting off down the hill when Gilles rode up, "Lord, there are horsemen from the castle.  They are heading here.  Sir John and the men at arms are lower down the hill.  He said he would hold them until you came."

"Dick, leave two men with Gilles to guard the prisoners.  The rest of you, follow me!"

I drew my sword as I led my men at arms towards the distant sound of metal on metal. I had been the first to mount and Scout was eager to run.  We hurtled recklessly down the trail. I spied Sir John and the men at arms ahead. They were fighting against overwhelming odds.  Mounted men at arms had ridden from Guisborough; obviously the smoke had alerted them.  The only thing which was saving my men was their armour.  That would not save them for long.

Common sense said to slow down but I did not employ common sense. I saw Theobald son of Henry struck simultaneously by two blows and he fell to the ground.  I watched as a man at arms raised his spear to skewer the fallen man at arms.  Sir John bravely urged his horse forward so that he took the blow on his helmet.  I saw that he was stunned. I crashed through the enemy. Riding with just my knees I punched with my shield as I slashed with my sword. When a maniac attacks you then you turn.  The enemy pulled their horses' heads away from my headlong flight. I saw one Scot trying to pull away but his horse had panicked As I grabbed my reins and jerked Scout to the left I swung my sword to slice through his arm and to bite into his chest. I did not wait to see the result.  I headed back up the hill.  Wulfric and my other men at arms had reached our fallen man and Dick and his archers loosed arrows with unerring accuracy. Even as I swung my sword at a man of arms who was trying to flee, it was over.  My sword took the Scot's head which flew into the air and then rolled to a halt by John's horse, staring at the sky through dead eyes.

Edgar leapt from his horse and knelt by Theobald.  The ones who had not been slain surrendered. "How is he?"

"They are bad wounds my lord. Leopold, fetch a burning brand from the tower.  I have to stop the bleeding."

"Wulfric, bind our prisoners and collect their horses."

I rode up to John.  He had taken off his helmet and I saw blood dripping down his face. "That was brave, John.  You do not need to prove yourself whether to me or to my men at arms."

"I could not let him be speared like a wild pig."

"Aye well next time try a fighting withdrawal rather than taking on such superior numbers.  I cannot afford to lose such a good knight as you!"

"They came at us really quickly, Earl. We only saw them late."

Leopold brought the brands and the archers brought the other prisoners. I heard the hiss as the wounds were cauterized. "Sir John, you and Wulfric, escort the prisoners back to my castle.  Dick bring your archers.  We will ride to Guisborough and let them know I am displeased. Come Gilles!"

As we joined the road which led to Guisborough, Gilles asked, "Why do we not bring men at arms, Earl?"

I laughed, "I do not need them.  With Dick and his archers I am as safe as I would be behind a wall of armour. Any who try treachery will not make two steps before they are slain."

When we reached the castle I saw that the gates were barred and the walls lined with warriors.

I lifted my helmet and lowered my coif so that they could see who I was and I shouted. "I have either slain or captured the men you sent.  Your tower is destroyed and you have broken the peace.  Robert de Brus promised me that he would not fight me. I come to tell you that I intend to make you and your people pay for the attack.   If you wish your men at arms to be returned to you then the price is ten gold pieces for each one. If you do not, then no matter, we need slaves to make our castle even stronger. You have seven days to bring the coin to my castle after that do not bother."

I did not wait for a reply.  I pulled Scout around and we headed towards Sneaton and home. I had achieved what I intended and more. While we waited for the attack from the north, which I knew would not be long in coming, I would punish the De Brus clan.  Harvest time was coming and I would tax them by taking what they had grown.  I would seize their animals and I would burn their farms.  Their treachery would be punished.

Theobald recovered from his wounds but he would not be riding to war when war came. He would take time to heal. And there was no doubt that war was close by. We were now on a war footing. I warned Alf and Ethelred that I expected a warband from the north. My archers rode around the outlying farmsteads to warn them of the danger and to look for enemies.  Aiden and his falconers scoured the woods looking for signs of spies.  When my ship arrived with eight new men at arms I felt a little relieved. I could afford to leave more men at arms to guard my castle.  There would be little point in destroying an enemy warband if I left my castle open for attack.

The shipwrights had finished Ethelred and John's ship. We crewed her from the town for William of Kingston would command the tiny flotilla. With his own trained archers on board the
'Adela'
would give any attacker a shock; she had teeth.

The captives were not ransomed. Perhaps the de Brus feared treachery or did not have the money. It may have been that they were waiting for word from Robert de Brus, now campaigning with Stephen of Blois against the Welsh. Whatever the reason the men at arms now wore yokes around their necks and were tethered at night.  They would be more mouths to feed but their former masters would be paying.

At the end of the seven days I had allowed I led half of my men at arms and archers and we began to raid the farms which supplied Guisborough. We took only the lord of the manor's share.  We harmed no farmer but we took half of their crops and half of their animals. If they were sensible they would tell the reeve that we had taken it all. On the second day the other half of my men, led by John continued my raids. The newly acquired labourers toiled to build new granaries and store houses.  Now that the men of Cowpen had moved to Norton we used the outer bailey we had built for them. The animals were penned by the river.  With a solid wall and a tower there they could be better protected.

By the time the second week of October came there were neither crops nor animals left to be gathered from the lands to the east of us. A letter came from the Archbishop in the first week complaining of my privations. I got the impression that it had been written to fulfil an order from London.  It felt like a slap on the hand, and a gentle one at that.

We had still no word from Hexham of any danger.  My archers rode, each day, to the borders of my land and beyond. I went with my new men at arms to visit Sir Hugh of Gainford. He also had spies out. I hoped that he had heard something. He had not been idle at Barnard Castle . There were new defences.  The ramparts had small roofs over them so that there would be protection from arrows. When he greeted me I no longer saw the boy who had survived the massacre of his family all those years ago; I saw the man.  I realised the difference when his wife showed me their new child, a son.

"My lord this is Richard our son.  He is a healthy boy."

"Aye," Sir Hugh stroked his son's head, "I now understand much more about being a knight lord.  Young Richard is a reason to fight to protect his birthright from all enemies."

I led him away from his wife.  I did not wish to upset her. "And have you heard anything about an attack?"

"There have been scouts and spies but my archers have sent them packing. The bodies of ten lie unburied in the woods to the west."