The Temporal Knights (60 page)

They had just passed through the small, deserted town of Hatch Warren, and were about fifteen miles northeast of Winchester when the Bots overflew the large wooden castle of King Alfred. This time however, the fortress was large enough to be considered a town on its own. It was massive…a true wooden castle fortress. It was far larger than Rochester.

Surprisingly, there was a large contingent of men and horses camped just outside the walls to the west and when his plane flew overhead Gardner spooked a number of horses. By now the Americans were accustomed to the reaction their presence caused in the frightened and
uneducated locals, but surprisingly the army of men outside the walls held it together pretty well and even sent out a rider, sporting a large red flag. Both pilots watched as the man rode only a short distance before dismounting. He gazed up into the sky while waving the flag vigorously, clearly trying to signal them. 

They flew on past a short distance, then circled and flew over once more. This time there were a number of people on top of the castle walls, both women and men. There was no mistaking the women, they were dressed in their colorful finery gazing up into the sky, and two were even waving long strands of colorful ribbon.

“General,” Gardner said as they once again flew over the man with the flag. “I believe we may be welcome here. There’s a man with a red flag signaling us, and several ladies from the castle walls were also waving.”

“Sighting confirmed,” Goode said smiling.

“I believe they may be expecting us,” Gardner added.

“Me dottir!”
Sir Oldalf exclaimed, suddenly very anxious to see his child.

“Understood Captain,” Peebles said with a nod to Oldalf. “Maintain altitude and keep me informed of any changes. We should be there in less than fifteen minutes.” Then he immediately turned to Erdwine.

“Will they feel threatened by the number of men and vehicles we bring?”

Three Toes shrugged. “I
be just a rider Sir, but if the Lady Queen knows of ye and be signaling, then I think na.”

“Tis true,” Sir Ceorl added from his place behind Lemay, wanting to say something constructive and help these amazing men. The idea of a radio was completely foreign to him, and for the longest time he could not follow the almost continuous babble of information that was thrust upon him through audio means only. He could tell neither who spoke or from where. But early this morning, the idea clicked in his brain, and he began to follow what was being said, and who was saying it with greater ease. “Ye have friends at court.”

“Yah...” Sir Oldalf began.

“We have knights on horseback coming out of the castle,” Gardner reported.
“Two abreast...thirty of them and an open carriage, containing three women.”

“Confirmed,” Goode echoed.

“They’ve stopped and are flanking the main road leading to the castle…the man with the flag is still signaling.”

“They know we’re coming,” Lemay remarked as they veered off onto the crossroad that would take them to the castle. “I think we may be in for another celebration.”

The General grunted.

“General Peebles,” Rice said weakly; his signal was beginning to break up. From Rochester he followed everything that was happening over the GBF, though it was getting harder as the distance grew. The signal was now cutting in and out and he was only getting sporadic fragments of what was happening. 

“Yes, Dr. Rice,” Peebles answered and there was a pause and he wondered if his message had gotten through.

“....rom Major......ane.”

“You’re breaking up,” Peebles answered, and some instinct told him this may be important. “Stop the vehicle now,” he said and Sadao did so immediately. The General climbed out and walked swiftly to a nearby hill hoping the reception would be better.

“Say agai.....I have a.....essage from....jor Thane.”

“Go ahead,” Peebles replied.

“The ...hip is online.”

Peebles stopped in his tracks. “Say again,” he said and looked over at Lemay who shook his head and tapped his ear.

“The ship is onl...”

“Online?”

“Yes, online.”

“Received doctor...stand by.” He moved back to his vehicle at a slightly faster pace, grinning broadly and trying not to piss himself for joy.

“What is it?” Lemay asked.

“The alien ship is online,” Peebles answered, smiling though no one could see it behind his faceplate, and an enormous cheer erupted over the channel. Even Sir Ceorl and Sir Oldalf were caught up in the excitement though neither knew exactly what was going on.

“Let’s go,” the General finally said, feeling a wave of happiness, “and let’s be very diplomatic. I want that tower built quickly. I need to talk with our Major.”

“Aye Sir,” Lemay said also smiling.

§

In the open-air carriage the Lady Ealhswith waited with her daughter Æthelf
læ
d and the Lady Ellyn, and though her two companions were confident the approaching Americans meant no harm, she was far from it. The Queen’s outward demeanor did not reflect her nervousness however, but she’d never been more fearful, despite the assurances of the ladies of the north. Regardless of their claims that these Americans be honorable men, there was something strangely magical, mayhap evil about them. The flying beasts that circled overhead kept drawing her attention, but they would not come down despite the constant signaling by her man. Of course the Lady Ellyn reassured her that there were men in the flying dragon boats, but their continued indifference unnerved her. These strangers dealt with strong forces and it made her feel weak, which she did not like. She gazed up once more as a roaring beast flew overhead. If she squinted she could just make out the small figure of a man leaning over and looking down at them. It made her stomach flip about to even imagine riding in such a thing. The horses out front stamped about nervously, a feeling she could well understand.

“Mayhap tis Matthew up there,” Ellyn exclaimed just a bit breathlessly. The girl continued to wave her ribbons at the beast, for all the good it did her. Sir Gospatrick, Captain of Lady Ealhswith’s guard, watched Ellyn with a frown from horseback. He could not mistake her happiness and it crushed him. Apparently Ellyn had become more than just a target for the plucking.

“Ye truly rode in such a flying beast?” Ealhswith asked her daughter, though in fact both her companions had experienced the honor.

“Yah Mother,” Æthelf
læ
d answered and Ealhswith noticed the smile of wonder that came over her face. “Tis a hope it be Mayjor Thane up there, M’lady. Ye wold like him verily much, tall and fine to look at,” she said teasing the young woman behind her.

Ealhswith smiled. “Tis said that our own Lady Ellyn be much enamored with this man…and he to she,” she teased along.

“Yah he is, but he is still a fine looking man, and wears his trousers well,” Æthelf
læ
d commented.

“Ah,” was all that Ellyn could utter.

“F
læ
d!” Ealhswith scolded with mock shock, but smiled when she realized just how astutely her daughter was easing her nervousness.

Ellyn was only slightly vexed that the two women were talking so about her main love interest, but then she remembered that Matthew was leaving and her heart began to hurt all the more. “It matters na how his trousers look. He’s soon out to the vary stars,” she said but the statement only confused her companions.

The Lady of Mercia frowned and swung around to study Ellyn, because she realized that Ellyn’s offhanded claim might be true.

“Forsooth?”
F
læ
d asked.

“Tis wot he told me, afore...afore I came to court,” she replied and bowed her head.

“I be vary afeared,” Ealhswith said softly, having no difficulty admitting her emotions.

Her daughter took her hand. “I have left me youngest among them,” she said, “yor grandson,” she added trying to be reassuring. She did not mention the fact that Leoforic would not return to Mercia no matter how she insisted or even threatened. Such disobedience was not like Leoforic, especially where his mother was concerned. 

“I know,” Ealhswith answered and this convinced her more than anything, knowing how Æthelf
læ
d felt about her boys, especially with one of them missing so long and her husband recently killed. She patted her daughter’s hand, then she gripped it and began to squeeze tightly as she first heard and then spotted the approaching caravan. The strange vehicles were moving very quickly up the road toward them. Ealhswith was afraid again, and would have taken little comfort in the fact that every knight in her guard was feeling much the same way, some even more intensely.

‘So quickly they come,’
she thought, dimly aware of the horses pulling on their traces in front of the carriage, shuffling about, wanting to run. Several of the knight’s warhorses were also nickering and stamping about nervously, becoming very difficult to control despite their great training. Even so the roaring wagons came on. A few of the horses were near panic when much to everyone’s surprise the wagons of the Americans stopped a small piece up the road. Two men got out of the lead wagon and another two out of the one directly behind it. Some were faceless men and Ealhswith gasped softly. But then the men all pulled off their strange looking helms and began to walk forward. The horses were still jittery and finally caught the Lady’s attention.

“Sir Gospatrick, control yor horses and men,” Ealhswith barked, not wanting to look weak and frightened before these men.

“Aye M’lady,” he replied and was proud that his own horse, a veteran of many battles, was perfectly calm and still. He signaled the two having the most difficulty to leave and let their mounts work off their fear. The two knights immediately headed off, away from the approaching Americans.

“Make no move, Sir Knight,” the Queen
added, her meaning perfectly clear. Sir Gospatrick nodded having no intention of interfering unless his Queen’s life was in imminent danger. He watched the four men approach. Two he saw were dressed strangely while the others were dressed as average noblemen.

“Da!”
The Lady Ellyn finally gave a shout, and then she was down on the ground and running toward the men.

“Dottir!”
Sir Oldalf shouted, catching and swinging Ellyn around in his arms, happy for her embrace. Sir Ceorl smiled a greeting at her when she released her father as did Lemay and Peebles. She was pleased to see them all and even went so far as to give the General a squeeze on the arm.

“Methinks that be Sir Ceorl, the Captain of me own guard,” Æthelf
læ
d commented as the five of them now approached. Ealhswith remembered Sir Ceorl from the year prior during the Earl’s visit on May Day. She remembered him as a fine and honorable knight and friend of Sir Gospatrick’s, and she felt herself relaxing ever so slightly. The two men with him however, were strangely dressed and both were exceedingly tall, taller even than her husband, who was something of a giant in his time. The strangers wore no armor that she could see and were very muscular, with powerful looking arms and shoulders. They were very, very large men, at least a head taller than the gangly Sir Ceorl. The man in the lead had a strong, rugged face, though it was scraped clean as both Æthelf
læ
d and the Lady Ellyn warned the Americans were want to do. He had very short dark hair and bright blue eyes, and carried himself with the easy grace of a swordsman who was very good at killing and knew it. They walked through her escort with no obvious concern, which clearly annoyed Sir Gospatrick, however they stopped well away from the carriage. The Lady Ellyn beamed at the Queen while holding tightly to her father’s arm.

Sir Ceorl approached a step farther leading the stranger she had so thoroughly inspected earlier.

“M’lady,” the knight from Warwick said bowing low, head down in supplication. The two strangers did likewise, and the near one greeted her with a voice so deep she could hardly understand him, and something in it shook her to the depths of her womanhood. She glanced at the Lady Ellyn, unaware that she was squeezing her daughter’s hand very tightly. Æthelf
læ
d looked briefly at her mother with an amused smile. Ealhswith scowled at her and turned back to the men.

“Sir Ceorl,” the queen greeted, but quickly returned her attention to the stranger. “And ye must be Genaral Peeebles,” she added, trying to sound calm.

“Yes M’lady,” the man replied and quickly returned to his full height. Ealhswith was again taken aback by the man’s great size. They studied each other for a moment that stretched on so long that both Sir Ceorl and Sir Oldalf grew uneasy, as if they had interrupted a pair of lovers. Suddenly coming to a decision, the queen quickly stood and nodded for Sir Ceorl to help her down.

“Compton, get down,” she told her driver who obeyed at once, seemingly not the least bit surprised. “Daughter, if you too will excuse us.”

Æthelf
læ
d smiled, guessing the intent and was also helped out of the carriage by Sir Ceorl.