The Moon Worshippers (15 page)

Aguirre explained briefly how they had entered the village. Their story had been completely accepted, although it had cost them, since the villagers would not agree that the sheep in France were better than theirs. Rather than argue the point, Aguirre agreed to buy some stock. What was more important was that they had learnt that there was a Benedictine monastery further up the valley. They had also learnt the route the Moor would, in all probability, take back to Zaragoza. Aguirre guessed that the Moor would hide until dark, before entering the monastery. He would be somewhere up ahead. He suggested that they move up the mountainside, using the pine forest as cover, until they found a place to hide above the monastery. It would be dark soon, so they needed to move quickly.

At about midnight they came upon the monastery below them. They had come to the edge of the pine forest. Inaki was beside himself. The journey had taken longer than they had thought. The monastery was a large square building, with high walls of block stone. It had a gate set in a tower at the west wall. It sat on a hill in a good defensible position. Light could be seen at some of the windows, which were set high in the walls. The centre of the square formed a courtyard. This was filled with darkness. The inside of the outside walls had a building attached to them, so that the walls enclosed and protected the whole of the living quarters. Apart from the few lights in some upper windows, the whole building was in darkness.

“They have a visitor; otherwise the monastery would be in total darkness,” Aguirre whispered.

“What shall we do?” replied Inaki.

“Wait. It would be a good idea to move the men into the forest where they could light a fire, rest and eat. I’ll stay here and watch.”

“I will stay with you. There’s no way I can sleep tonight,” said Inaki.

The men moved back into the pine forest. Deep inside the forest they found a small clearing and made a fire. It had been a long and hard day. Soon the men were all fast asleep wrapped in their cloaks. Inaki had remained with Aguirre. Just before dawn Inaki received a sharp jab in the ribs. He had dozed off and Aguirre had let fall asleep. Aguirre pointed below.

“Look!”

In the courtyard of the monastery, torches could be seen moving about. The flickering lights moved towards the gate. Out of the darkness of the gate tower, a rider emerged and rode off down the valley.

“Shouldn’t we stop him?”

“What would that achieve?” replied Aguirre.

“If he gets back, the governor will open the gates. Won’t he?”

“There’s nothing we can do about that. So there’s no point in killing the Moor, Inaki.”

Inaki said nothing for some moments. Then after a while he turned to Aguirre. He spoke in a voice full of desperation.

“I think that we have run out of time. We can’t get back in time to warn our brothers now.”

“Inaki, don’t be so down-hearted. Our brothers will be fully aware of Charlemagne’s intentions by now. A force of his size cannot approach without drawing attention. Don’t worry. They will know.”

“Do you think we should go back?”

“No. We could still turn events with a bit of luck. Eleven men aren’t going to make much difference in the battle to come, but we could do some good here. If only we could find the Moorish boy.”

“I’ll use the mushrooms.”

“No, Inaki, it’s far too dangerous and besides you’re no use to anybody for three days after you use them. We have to be patient and watch. The monks will lead us to the boy.”

“Are you sure?”

“No. Nothing is certain, but we’ve come a long way and it would be a pity to go home with nothing.”

“So, we just sit and wait?”

“It’s hard, I know. But it’s our best chance and we will do all men a great service if we can destroy the Sisters of the Moon. The Moorish boy would be a bonus. Have you thought about killing women? Will you be able to do it?”

“Will it come to that?” Inaki said thoughtfully.

“It will.”

With that the two men fell silent, each with his own private thoughts. Dawn had broken and the monks in the monastery began to stir. Slowly, groups of them would emerge to take up their various daily tasks. Some went into the nearby fields to tend the land; others drove sheep and goats into the pastures. For two days they watched the daily routines of the monks. Sometimes a little excitement was generated amongst the watchers when a visitor arrived or monks left on journeys. But on the whole it proved to be a false alarm. The routines grew monotonous. The watchers became restless. A little hunting relieved their growing boredom and then on the third day, while Arturo and Inaki had the watch, something happened that drew Arturo’s attention. It was late in the afternoon when they spotted three mules arriving at the monastery. What drew their attention was that they were unaccompanied and tied together. As far as they could tell they carried nothing, but were rigged for cargo. The mules came from behind them and made directly for the monastery. A monk collected them at the gate and led them inside.

“Strange,” Inaki said, giving voice to his thoughts.

Suddenly, Arturo could hardly contain himself. “I’ve seen something like this before in the mountains south of Avala. Shepherds will send mules that have been trained to follow the most inaccessible mountain paths to carry supplies back and forth to their masters in the mountains. They travel along paths that men would find difficult to negotiate, if not impossible. They carry supplies and that allows their masters to remain with their flocks without leaving them for food.”

Inaki jumped to his feet.

“Get the men.”

Arturo did not have to be told twice. He left in all haste and within no time at all had returned with the men. As the men sat out of view, watching the monastery intently, Arturo explained what they had witnessed. As the story unfolded, Aguirre smiled.

“The perfect go-betweens,” he said. “Dumb, reliable and can’t be questioned. What a stroke of genius. You have to admire the cunning of these monks.”

For the rest of the afternoon the men sat watching, hardly able to contain their excitement. After so many days, action at last! The evening drew on and soon it was dark. Some of the men grew restless. What if they had been wrong? Doubts began to enter their minds.

“What if they leave in the dark? We will never see them,” said one.

“I think the mules are strays.” Some of the men agreed with Arient, who was one of the older men.

“I think that they are being rested, fed and watered. They have probably come a long way.” Arturo volunteered the information.

“God forbid,” said another man. “We have little time left. If we end up following these mules all over the mountains, we’ve had it.”

“Look!” Inaki said taking control. “We will move under cover of darkness, behind the monastery. You men can get some rest. Storm and I will stand guard. If the mules are sent out they will have to pass us.”

This seemed to calm the men and they moved swiftly to their new position. Few managed to sleep that night and just before dawn the whole group was awake and alert. Suddenly, to the right of them, out of the darkness, the mules appeared. Storm heard them first and began to growl. Inaki clapped both hands over his muzzle, gripping it firmly. The lead mule stopped. Inaki could hear his heart, pounding in his ears. The mule made to move back the way he had come. Without a word Arturo sprang to his feet. He approached the lead mule and gave him a sharp slap on his rump. The mule moved quickly forward and passed the men. The mule was heavily laden. The Basques fell in, a little way behind the mules, without a sound. By morning they were deep into the mountains. Before them an enormous peak rose: the Pico de Aneto, the highest mountain in the Pyreneans, stood before them. The mules headed straight for it. They reached it and began to climb. The ascent became more arduous and dangerous. The mules moved steadily upwards. The path became narrower and the ascent steeper. Even for mountain men the going was becoming difficult.

“If they go much higher, we will lose them,” Inaki said between deep breaths. He was now clambering on hands and knees, as were most of the men.

“I know,” said Aguirre behind him. At that moment, one of the men lost his footing and, with a cry, fell. They watched his body bounce over the rocks to his death. At the sound of the cry they had all stopped. In silence they looked down at the body of broken bones below them.

“Come on,” Inaki said sharply. “Don’t look down.”

The men hesitated. They were reluctant to move.

“Come on!” Inaki said with all the authority he could muster.

The men started to move. Some were clearly in shock and distressed at the loss of their friend.

“Drop behind, Aguirre, and keep them moving,” Inaki said without looking back. Aguirre moved to one side, until the last man had passed him. Then he took his place behind the last man and gently encouraged the men to keep moving. By nightfall they were two-thirds of the way to the summit. As the night became darker, they lost sight of the mules and they were forced to stop. Perched like eagles on the side of the mountain they spent a miserable and cold night. The next morning they continued to follow the wild mountain goat tracks that the mules had led them onto the previous night. There was no sign of the mules. They had obviously not stopped and had continued their journey in the dark. The goat paths spread out over the mountain like veins on a man’s arm. If it had not been for the tracking abilities of the dogs, they would have lost the trail.

The dogs led and the men followed. Higher and higher they went. The air grew thinner and colder. The peak was covered in snow and the climb became almost perpendicular. They were now moving along a path that traversed a sheer cliff side. Just as they reached the snow line, the dogs took a trail that appeared to skirt around the summit and led to the other side of the mountain. The cold was unbearable now. The men shivered and if they did not start to descend soon they would have to abandon the climb. Everyone was tired and cold. It was only Inaki’s determination and willpower that kept them moving, that and the fear of freezing to death. Gradually, as they reached the other side of the mountain, almost imperceptibly, the track started to descend. Below them the mountain fell away. At the bottom, they could make out two great lakes. By midday the descent had become rapid and the men moved quickly. Their mood of despondency changed to one of relief and elation. Some leapt from rock to rock and the descent became a race between groups of men.

Not for the first time, Inaki pondered on the human condition. It was wonderful how a bit of sunshine on the backs of his Basque comrades and the chance to show off their mountain skills could change these fiercely independent and freedom loving individuals into a group of children. They leapt and laughed at each other, as a man would attempt an impossible leap to impress his friends, often falling and rolling down the mountainside. The dogs, excited by the antics of the men, were running between them and sometimes over them as they fell, pulling at any piece of clothing that they could grab in their teeth. Sometimes they felled a man as they brushed past with their great bodies. The whole descent became a mass of rolling bodies with the dogs intermingled in the great rolling mass.

Finally, battered and bruised, the whole group came to a standstill halfway down the mountain. A mixture of elation and embarrassment at their childish behaviour prevailed over the whole group. They sat laughing at each other. Below them the mountainside fell away, in a mixture of long grass and protruding rocks and boulders.

Inaki sat amongst the men, laughing and joking. Aguirre, who had made a more sedate and elegant descent, joined them.

“You’re all as mad as the goats that made those tracks.”

“Perhaps,” said Inaki, “but are you not just happy to be alive after what we’ve just climbed.”

Aguirre looked back up the mountain and nodded. He shivered inadvertently. Looking back down, he said: “You know, it’s no wonder that the bitches have never been found. Look, the lakes prevent access to the mountain on this side and who in their right mind would climb that!” He tossed his head towards the cliffside that they had just descended.

“Only the Basques who are known the world over for their foolishness and lack of mind,” Inaki said with a nervous laugh.

“Any thoughts on where the cave might be?”

Inaki shook his head.

“Must be a small entrance somewhere down there, but there’s no sign of the mules.”

“More work for the dogs,” Aguirre said. “We would have been lost without them.”

Inaki nodded. “Let’s rest and eat before we start looking. It could take a long time.”

They sat around talking and eating some cold food; mostly cheese and bread with some cold meat. Spirits were high and the men in good humour after the dangers of the climb. From where they sat, Inaki surveyed their position. Above them the mountain rose in grass-covered slopes, interspersed with boulders and cliffs that rose to the summit. Below, the slopes ended in wooded ravines. Somewhere in those ravines would be the entrance to the cave. The men were making small talk and eating hungrily. The talk soon changed to the possible location of the cave and the Sisters of the Moon. The mood became more solemn. One of the men, Arient, uttered the question uppermost on their minds.

“Inaki, have you any idea as to how many Sisters there might be?”