The Temporal Knights (14 page)

“I didn’t understand,” Matt explained, suddenly embarrassed, feeling as if he was missing something. He did not yet realize that the young noblewoman was pursuing him, vying for his attention and company. Nor did he understand that it wasn’t truly proper for her to come and ask for his time, even though she had a chaperone. But Aunt Eldreena, like her brother Sir Oldalf, could deny the child nothing.

“Wold ye like to dine with us?” Ellyn asked, growing an even a darker shade of red.

“I’d love too,” Matt replied immediately, suddenly realizing that this was a great effort for the young woman. “Perhaps we can eat by the plane. I want to show it to you and explain how it works before our trip.”

“Plain?”

“The Bot...the airplane,” Matt said.

“The dragon?”
Ellyn exclaimed with not a small amount of wonder. Aunt Eldreena gasped, her eyes wide with apprehension, but to her credit she did not reject the notion. She would do anything in her power to aid her niece now that she’d confessed her heart’s desire, and it was about time too…Ellyn being unwed at eighteen was becoming quite the county scandal. Eldreena realized the girl would have been relegated to the nunnery as an old maid but for her uncommon beauty. Even now, ripe though she was, Ellyn could have the pick of the gentlemen in three counties…well she’d picked this tall stranger and he’d have to do. The man was large and very broad shouldered. Eldreena supposed he was handsome enough, though his face was clean and pretty, like a woman’s. And despite the mention of the dragon, she could tell by the way he looked at her niece that he would do nothing to put either of them in danger.

“The airplane,” he insisted.

“The ayrplain....”she repeated.

“I’d like nothing better than to have lunch with such a pair of beautiful women,” he added, and though Eldreena did not catch every word, she caught the drift and chuckled.

He left them briefly and reentered the alien ship but only long enough to gather up a large blanket and to pack a bit of canned fruit and vegetables, along with some crackers and a couple of small jars of peanut butter and jelly. Finally he grabbed some bottled water to wash it down with, then led them to the back of the camp, near the river bank, where the two planes sat guarded by a lone Hummer manned by Private Cheun.

The wings of the Speed Cruiser were folded back and not extended, and Matt laid the blanket next to the closest plane, not far from the Hummer. Cheun glanced down at the party and nodded before returning his attention back to the surrounding countryside. Aunt Eldreena gave the Private a good long look as they all settled down on the blanket, stifling her desire to give the sign to ward off evil spirits, which consisted of raising the index and pinkie fingers, like the horns of a bull. Matt knew better than to invite the Private to join them while he was on duty and Cheun expected nothing of the kind.

“Da man, if a man he be, has de look of de devil’s minions,” Eldreena said still keeping a watchful eye on the Private. Suddenly she shuddered and crossed herself in fear.

This time Matt caught much of what the old woman was saying. “His ancestors come from China, a very great and far off country, which during this time period might be the most civilized land in the world. His family though, has been from my country longer than my own. Trust me; he is a good friend…my good friend.”

Eldreena nodded but said nothing.

“He looks so different,” Ellyn added with a smile. “Many of the men look strangely, tis hard to believe they be men at all.”

“Do I look so different to you?” Matt asked, while opening a can of pineapple chunks, suddenly curious.

Ellyn blushed again. “Na,” was all she could say and Eldreena chuckled again.

Matt also opened a can of peaches and new potatoes and quickly spread some peanut butter and jelly on some crackers, wishing silently for bread…but sliced bread on his world was a thing of the past. He quietly served both women, not realizing how very strange this was to them. He began to eat, oblivious at first to their hesitation and curiosity, but he noticed as Ellyn gently picked up a piece of pineapple and held it to her tongue. She pulled back at first, then smiled and put it in her mouth.

“Tis sour,” she warned her Aunt, who likewise put a piece in her mouth.

“Yes, that’s right. You’ve never tasted pineapple,” Matt said surprised. “It’s a fruit that comes from the tropics.”

They didn’t understand what he was trying to tell them, but they understood fruit, and they understood that it was good.

“Try the peaches,” Matt said now excited to show the young girl new things and stabbed one of the slices with a fork and held it out for Ellyn, who hesitated, smelling it first.

“Go on. It’s good, my favorite,” Matt encouraged her so she opened her mouth and took the fruit in, surprised at her own boldness, though why she should be surprised she didn’t know. She had been nothing but bold and shameless with this handsome man, and she felt a little wanton. Aunt Eldreena put her own peach in her mouth, certain that hers would not be so served. It was delicious and she liked it much better than the pineapple, though that too was very good. They all finished their fruit right off before turning to the peanut butter and jelly.

Eldreena tried this first. She was familiar with the jam and bread, but the butter looked a bit strange. It had a very curious taste, sticky and thick but somehow the two went together quite well.

“Tis good,” Ellyn admitted after taking several bites of her crackers. And she was being truthful, though she had to use her tongue to keep it from sticking to the roof of her mouth which was embarrassing at first, but when she saw that Matt and her Aunt were also having this problem she began to laugh. They finished their meal leisurely, each of the women saying how much they enjoyed the strange food.

It was a perfect day for flying, sunny with only a few white cotton candy clouds dotting the sky. Matt led Ellyn over to the Bot and actually enlisted her help to unfold and place the wings in their flying position. The Bot Speed Cruiser was a twin-seater. It was slated to be used as a trainer for non-flight personnel, to teach them basic, rudimentary flying skills. It was specially designed for air traffic controllers, radio and radar operators and other professionals who actually assist the pilots in their daily lives, with the thought that if the supporting cast had flight experience then they could better serve their pilots. In this time however, the Bot was a perfect reconnaissance aircraft.

Matt let the Lady Ellyn and her Aunt study the plane and even coaxed Ellyn into one of the seats, before the afternoon Humvees rides began. The day quickly took on a carnival type atmosphere with the men of Old Earth comfortably mingling with the English. The feast and drink of the previous night had gone a long way in making the locals a bit more comfortable with these large strangers. Word spread quickly and all morning long there were new arrivals from all over Somerset, some coming from as far away as Dorset and Devon. By the time Colonel Lemay announced the commencement of the Hummer rides there were an additional two hundred peasants and nobles from the surrounding land. News of the strangers was spreading fast, and Ealdorman Æthelnoth did nothing to discourage it, for he had always been one to celebrate for any reason.

Lemay drove the hummer himself and the first passengers were the Ealdorman, the Lady Merwinna and Sir Tomkin. The locals were all very apprehensive, especially when the vehicle started up. But the Colonel took it slow at first and soon they were enjoying themselves and asking if it could go faster. Lemay smiled and accelerating gradually to thirty-five miles an hour over the flat even ground around the town. He drove around in a very large circle, and to the local riders was practically flying over the land. When the Colonel finally pulled to a stop in front of the gathering crowd his riders were all a little breathless. But they were smiling, laughing and chatting excitedly as they climbed down before Leoforic, who recorded the entire episode. In fact, he’d been recording the entire day, capturing all the events no matter how mundane. He asked everyone he happened upon to introduce themselves, whether they be commoner or nobleman and took great pleasure in making tiny gnomes of them all. But the highlight of the day thus far was the hummer rides and Leoforic made sure he was front and center to capture it all.

  At the conclusion of the first circuit, the Ealdorman climbed out of the vehicle, his legs weak with excitement then helped his wife to the ground. Both were laughing with exhilaration as they joined General Peebles in the shade of a large oak.

“Tis quite a ride,” the Ealdorman said, and took his place by the General to watch the others have their turn.

“Quite thrilling.
Tis na unlike a carriage ride of me youth when the horses spooked.” Merwinna explained, still a little out of breath.

The next group was composed entirely of the Ealdorman’s knights, namely Sir Oldalf, Ældwin and Elid, and since they were all men, Lemay opened it up a bit and hit fifty miles an hour, smiling as the group white-knuckled it the entire ride. They stumbled out when finished, laughing and everyone else laughed with them. The rides continued on for nearly four hours even though it used up precious gasoline. Peebles had given his approval to burn an entire tank in the name of goodwill.

Matt looked on, smiling as the Lady Ellyn and her Aunt rode with Master Leoforic and his camera, but it was the children who especially enjoyed the trips. The Ealdorman and the other nobles were surprised but pleased that these men took the time to give the peasant children and their parents rides as well, at least those who could muster the courage.

Lieutenant Turnbull and Sergeant Blish were the only sour faces in the land as they descended the ramp of the alien ship, having spent the morning and much of the afternoon apparently accomplishing nothing. They perked up a bit however, when a group of ladies waved to them enthusiastically as the Humvee sped by. They smiled and waved back and found Major Thane sitting on a blanket with the Lady Ellyn, her father, and her Aunt, just to the right of General Peebles. They went first to Thane.

“No luck, Sir. The engines are still down,” Blish reported, as a pretty little serving wench brought him a thick draught of mead. He took it and smiled at the young woman, who flipped her hair at him. And for the first time he truly noticed that the ladies of this time were very fresh, very open and very beautiful. He wondered for a brief moment whether it was really true or just a trick of perception. Whichever, he smiled at the girl again and tipped his mug to her as she sauntered off laughing. On Old Earth he’d never been much of a ladies’ man, his face was a bit rugged and his demeanor a bit short, plus he never seemed to find the time needed to reel in a bride. But as he watched the girl walk away he made a quick promise to himself to make the time…now that he had a second chance.

“Very good, Sergeant.
At ease. You men relax for the evening. Forget the ship,” Matt ordered, wishing such a thing was possible. With the Lady Ellyn at his side he was relatively confident he could accomplish the feat, but Blish and Turnbull were much more dedicated to all things mechanical.

“The answer will come to us in time,” he added.  “If there’s no physical solution then there must be a mental one. So relax and enjoy the rest of the day. The answer will come when it comes.”

General Peebles listened in from where he was sitting, concerned about the status of the ship, though he had confidence that given time, Blish would find the answer. He heard Matt’s assessment and nodded.

“Excellent Major,” he complimented, feeling very good being around so many women, so many happy faces and so much strong brew, which he tried to go easy on. Still the sun was
warm, the drink was good and both were baking his head quite pleasantly. “We may make a General out of you yet,” he added. “You men find a spot and relax.”

Both Turnbull and Blish saluted and headed off. Blish decided then and there that he would have to look after the young woman serving the mead.

“Has Gordon gone over the flight plan with you?” the General asked, leaning back on his elbows, relaxing and enjoying the sun on his face.

Matt frowned, suddenly afraid the General was going to bring up the trip to the Skawp’s home world. He found that he didn’t want to think about going, not now, and for some reason he dreaded the thought of Ellyn learning of his departure. But he quickly realized that Peebles was referring to a much shorter flight plan.

“You mean with the Lady Ellyn?” He asked looking to see if she was listening in. She was staring directly at him, clearly worried, and he smiled. The general stood, motioned for Matt to join him, and together they moved a fair distance away from the crowd.

“Yes. We’d like you to fly southeast, over the town of Shaftesbury. Lord Eadwulf is thought to be in the area. According to Sir Æthelnoth he’s riding west to scout the Vikings at Countisbury. Hopefully you’ll get lucky and fly over the town and get a look at his strength. Apparently he’s one of the King’s top advisors. But I don’t want you out more than an hour or so, though I’d like you to be seen by as many of the surrounding locals as possible. 

Matt nodded. “I’ll get a map printed out before I start and hopefully the lady will at least be able to spot and maybe put a name to some of the major landmarks and towns, though it will probably be difficult for her from the air.”

Peebles nodded. “Get the plane ready,” he said.

Matt saluted. “It’s ready now. All we have to do is move it into position in the field,” he said and glanced at Ellyn, who was glowing with excitement, still not completely over her own thrilling ride on the hummer.