The Temporal Knights (35 page)

Through his glasses, Eadwulf could see melons exploding, wood being torn and ripped for some unknown reason. Directly behind the wagons he could even see dirt and grass flying up into the air. He lowered his glasses slightly and looked over at one of the magic wagons. The daylight was dim enough now that the occasional tracer bullets were clearly visible and he quickly realized that they were launching invisible projectiles of some kind…like a crossbow only far deadlier. They were awesome weapons. He raised his glasses once more and was impressed by the damage, and then, with a scream that grew louder and louder as it fell, the first mortar shell hit directly behind the last wagon, blasting it into the air and toward the spectators. It was still flipping end over end when another shell screamed down and landed directly on top of the lead wagon, utterly destroying it.

Most of the locals were now on their feet. Many stood paralyzed with fear, covering their ears against the noise, but a few screamed and ran from the place, some not stopping or returning.

Sir Eadric was also on his feet clearly trying to control his fear and Sir Eadwulf sat next to him completely stunned by the display he was witnessing. He clutched the glasses with all his might and forced them hard against his eyes as if his strength would create a better view. The Earl of Mercia was smiling though even he jumped at the noise of the simulated attack, and the Ealdorman was laughing aloud at the expressions around him. General Peebles gently reached out and touched Eadwulf’s hand, and with easy pressure lowered the binoculars. Eadwulf looked up at him, eyes wide with fright and wonder, until Peebles nodded back down the hill. The Lord turned just as a rocket tore from a Humvee. It roared away like thunder and streaked to the target like a bolt, then exploded in angry fury. Eadwulf was awestruck, everyone was awestruck; even Leoforic watched the destruction with all the wonder of his neighbors.
‘Tis just wot the compewter claimed the Ammericaans could do,’
he thought with grim satisfaction.

The wagons were now completely destroyed; just so much timber, and then surprisingly, fire sprang from the growing darkness and leaped across the tall grass to the remains of the wagons. The bright flames ignited the wood instantly.

“There are men out there,” Eadwulf whispered softly, though he’d failed to spot them until now. They were quite close to the destruction and well hidden.

His bold plan to control the Americans wavered slightly in his mind, but then in a flash he realized he had to go through with it if he was ever to feel the crown on his head. Let these men ally themselves with the King of Wessex, and Alfred would truly be invincible. If that happened Alfred would control these men, and Alfred would control the country. Nothing could stand against him.
‘But tis I who will control these men,’
Eadwulf thought with quiet determination.

The air on the hillside was buzzing with excitement. The adults were enthralled but it was the hoards of children that were truly charged up by the event. Hundreds of them ran this way and that, burning off the extra adrenaline the excitement had infused in their small bodies. The girls ran about giggling, and the boys pretended to be Americans. Eve was laughing and running with the pack, but took a short rest to come over and climb into the General’s lap. His kissed her
head, missing her though she was with him. Now that there were children to play with, it seemed he got to be with her less and less. She took no notice of this and quickly scampered off as a group of young girls called to her as they ran by. In a shot they were off, heading toward the fire below. Sir Eadwulf watched this entire scene between the general and the girl with great interest, great interest indeed.

The demonstration was over, and the Ealdorman stood and called for more logs to be added to the fire their new friends had so kindly built. Everyone was smiling and laughing and within moments music began to fill the air. Even Lord Eadwulf smiled, obviously much impressed. Sir Eadric however, was visibly shaken, and looked from the wagons to his Lord and back. At that moment he wished for nothing in the world except a new Lord and master.

§

The celebration was passing through its second hour when Dr. Rice and Father Gillian suddenly appeared, both smiling very broadly.

“Twas wondrous,” the Father was telling the Lady Merwinna, his hands waving about excitedly. “Twold na ‘ave believed it meself if’n I was na there. This man...” he said grabbing Rice’s shoulder, “has worked a miracle before me vary eyes.”

“The mother and baby are fine then?” Peebles asked
, sitting on Merwinna’s right.

“Oh yah,” Gillian said.

“The baby was large, over eight pounds, and breach,” Rice explained. “We had to go with a cesarean to save him. The parents named him Gordon for some reason,” Rice added, all smiles.

“Ceesaireaan?”
Merwinna asked, not understanding. She had done her share of mid-wifeing over the years, and knew a little about birthing baerns, as did every woman and girl in this time.

“You’d
na believe it, but the baern wold na come out. Twas rough on both the wee lad and his mum...but the docktor, he put Meg to sleepin’, and then cut open her belly and just pulled the lad, kickin’ and screamin’ out of his mum. He was purple, and a might angry, but alive.”

Merwinna went white. “Then Meg is...”

“Na,” Gillian answered knowing her thoughts and everyone else’s within earshot, which included Sir Eadwulf, and a few of his knights. “Rice just sewed her back up, like he was doin’ some mending and just a little time passin’ afore the lass wakes up weak, but right as rain...twas....twas...I canna find the words.”

“That’d be the first time,” the Ealdorman quipped and laughed deep and hearty, the sound so infectious that everyone was forced to laugh with him. The mead was flowing well and the Ealdorman was feeling better by the minute, truly blessed.
‘These Ammericaans held luck by the arse, that be for sure.’

An excited crowd gathered around the nobles and everyone was cheering the good news, and even Sir Eadric was caught up in the electricity. He found that these deadly strangers, though terrifying at times, seemed to be filled with nothing but goodwill. He found them perplexing, but there was something about their manner that he also found comforting and reassuring.

“A remarkable story,” Eadric commented despite the look he received from his Lord. He’d always had an interest in medicine, and the mysteries of not only the human body but of all life. As a small boy he’d actually cut open a small dog that was crushed under the wheels of a passing wagon. He wanted to see how the animal worked. In the end he just had a bunch of pieces, flesh, bone, and blood, and knew no more about dogs than when he had started, but he was fascinated nevertheless. “Mayhap I could see the woman?” he asked, and Dr. Rice raised an eyebrow in surprise. He studied the knight for a long moment but saw only curiosity, so he nodded.

“She’s sleeping now, but perhaps in the morning,” he said, then added.
“If the young lady has no objections.”

Eadric nodded satisfied, truly hoping the lady would not object.

The crowd slowly dissolved back down closer to the fire, and went back to dancing and the like. It seemed a very happy affair until General Peebles caught sight of Sir Oldalf talking earnestly to Sir Æthelred, the Earl of Mercia. They were too far away for him to hear what was being said, but it was clear they were in a heated discussion. The General noticed that Sir Eadwulf was also watching the encounter, and then nudged Eadric, who likewise looked on.

He was about to mention the incident to Lemay when he saw Major Thane walking down the path directly toward the two arguing men. Sir Oldalf broke away just before Matt reached them and turned to him as if to say something, but instead continued on in the direction of the town. The Earl however, greeted the Major and they walked back to the celebration together.

Peebles watched carefully as Matt approached and gave a wan smile to everyone who spoke to him, before continuing on around the fire. The Lady Ellyn was not present, she’d retired shortly after the demonstration, but he watched the Major search anyhow. He smiled grimly as several young beauties approached the Major wanting his attention or possibly a dance, but Matt always declined and continued on.

“I have an idea on how to solve this problem,” Dr. Rice said close to the General’s ear. The doctor had obviously been watching as well.

“I would truly love to hear it,” Peebles replied with a tilt of his head. “My heart goes out to him, it really does.”

Rice spent the next few moments sharing his idea and the next hour trying to convince the reluctant General. Loud, deep singing interrupted their discussion as a large contingent of the Ealdorman’s men suddenly appeared out of the surrounding darkness. All the men in the group were carrying torches and singing heartily as they led a team of horses pulling a small flatbed wagon. It took a moment for the group to come into the light but when it did Peebles noticed that it carried a wicker cage that held a ragged, crazed prisoner. Both the General and his men were shocked by the condition of the man in the wagon. He was dirty, bruised, and bleeding from dozens of small wounds. He was entirely naked within his small wooden cage. His eyes darted about wildly; hoping where there could be no hope. The huscarls stopped the cart near the fire but continued to sing for several long minutes. When the song was done they quickly pulled the wicker cage off the wagon, tumbling it and its prisoner end over end. The Ealdorman laughed and Sir Eadwulf smiled expectantly.

“Tis time for ye, Ubba of Fyn, to pay for the blood on yor hands,” the Ealdorman announced loudly, bloodlust plain in his eyes and the crowd immediately grew still and silent.

General Peebles stood immediately, as did Rice, Lemay, and all the other soldiers.

“Sir Ealdorman, I ask you again to put aside this madness of revenge,” Peebles pleaded softly, but still his voice carried over the excited crowd.

The Ealdorman looked at his new friend and frowned, as did Sir Eadwulf, his knights and everyone in the vicinity. Peebles quickly scanned the crowd but saw no allies, even the eyes of the Lady Merwinna were filled with the excitement of the coming execution.

“Very well,” the General finally said, defeated and disgusted, “but please allow me and my men to remove ourselves from your folly.” And with that all of the Americans marched away from the crowds now cheering for the fire, but Rice, joined by Father Gillian, stopped directly before the Ealdorman, and his wife.

“And I’ve called you my friends,” he said softly, his disapproval very apparent. The Lady Merwinna sobered for a moment, but the normally jolly Ealdorman did not.

“Tis on his own head. Methinks we did na sail to his land to kill him and his. He brought death to ours, and we bring death back to him...tis the way of things.”

Rice sighed, and nodded. “It seems it will always be the way of things,” he added and left with Father Gillian in tow. However, on the edge of camp they picked up the Earl of Mercia, an unlikely civilized friend.

“Methinks to join thee. I have na the stomach for such things na more,” he said by way of explanation and his simple statement lightened the heart of Peebles and all of his men. Still a strange, dark chanting rose from the meadow below and washed over them before they reached the Hall. The exultant voices singing the dark song were soon accompanied by the discordant, terrified screams of a burning man.

§

Back in his room, the Earl slowly pulled off his boots and stretched his legs out before the fire, wiggling his freed toes before the heat with a sigh. As he aged, his feet seemed to be cold always, and he wished that his wife, the Lady Æthelf
læ
d, was here to rub some life back into them, but he was alone. He’d sent his older son back to Mercia, and Leoforic was with Dr. Rice. The boy was always with Dr. Rice these days, but for some reason that did not bother the Earl over much. Dr. Rice was a good man. He shook his head remembering the wonder of the new baby cut from his mother’s body...incredible. He drank some wine and moved his chair just a bit closer to the fire, his feet nearly in the flames, but the warmth felt almost divine. Æthelred smiled with satisfaction and closed his eyes, not rocking, not thinking. It was good not to think, to just relax and float. He was asleep in minutes, and did not wake up until his throat was sliced open from ear to ear, but then his eyes flew open. He was instantly awake. He tried to raise his hands to the wound, but they were pinned to the arms of the chair. His eyes darted about, his vision already growing cloudy and jerky, hard to control, but he saw the men, his killers, Eadric and Lochlin, Eadwulf’s men. Out of the dim corner of his eye he saw blood, his blood, pumping out into the air. As he watched, the squirts of blood seemed to pulse slower and slower, as if time were coming to an end. Then Captain Lochlin leaned into his field of view and smiled. The man moved his lips but Sir Æthelred could not hear very well. He was having a hard time concentrating as darkness began to creep into his peripheral vision…and sadly his feet were growing very cold again.

“Lord Eadwulf
was wantin’ ye to see this afore ye died,” he finally made out. Æthelred was growing very tired. But then Lochlin held up his prize. It took a long moment before the Earl recognized it as the severed head of his eldest boy, Æthelstan.
‘Me boy, me beloved boy,’
his mind cried, but the Earl did not have time to become angry as the last of his life ebbed out of him. With a laugh like a bark, Captain Lochlin rammed a knife deep into the Earl’s chest and then quickly kissed the dead man’s cheek. He laughed again. He knew the Earl would have been surprised to see that the knife was not Lochlin’s, nor was it Eadwulf’s or Eadric’s, but in fact belonged to Sir Oldalf, chief knight of the Ealdorman’s.
‘Twas a lovely trick. Eadwulf was always one ahead of everyone else.’