Iny Lorentz - The Marie Series 02 (28 page)

7.

The wagon with provisions hadn’t yet arrived, but no one complained about the food, because rumors were fluttering around the camp like butterflies. Just before mealtime, a courier from Nuremberg had turned up, carrying a sealed letter for Sir Heinrich, written on the finest handmade paper. Now Heinrich was sitting in a corner of Eva’s hut, letting his bowl of stew go cold as he pored over the letter. Reading it repeatedly, and grimly staring into thin air between readings, he eventually started to curse more blasphemously than anyone had ever heard him curse before. “I bet we’ve got my wretched cousin to thank for this trick!”

“What?” Junker Heribert shot up from his seat, as he did whenever Falko von Hettenheim was mentioned, and rushed over to Heinrich, who furiously held out the imperial letter.

“Read it yourself! His Majesty the kaiser is sending us out to help his loyal supporters at Falkenhain Castle, two days’ ride north of the city of Pilsen. It is our task to protect Count Sokolny from the Hussites.”

Seibelstorff looked at him with confusion. “Then I don’t understand your dismay, Sir Heinrich. It’s a noble and brave deed, and it will bring us glory.”

“I’m afraid there won’t be any glory to be had. It’s as good as certain that we’ll meet a superior force of Bohemians and will all be killed before we’re even halfway there. This mission is pure madness.” In his excitement, Sir Heinrich had forgotten that more than a dozen people were listening. Noticing the frightened faces around him, he unhappily grimaced.

“Anyone who doesn’t want to follow me to Bohemia is free to go another way.”

Agitated, Junker Heribert shouted, “I certainly won’t abandon you!” The knights’ squires, Anselm and Görch, exchanged a brief glance, then sighed with resignation. “We’ll follow our masters wherever they go.”

Eva wielded the soup ladle as if threatening any Bohemian who dared to stand in her way. “I wouldn’t know where else to go, Sir Heinrich. My wagon and I belong to your group.”

Theres also nodded. “Death is part of the war. It can just as easily get me in Flanders or in Swabia.”

Since no one sneaked away or protested, the other soldiers eating in the hut also finally nodded, and one made an effort to smile. “Well, Sir Heinrich, if we didn’t want to go to war with you, we wouldn’t have stayed here all winter. If God wills it, we’ll make it through this campaign, too.”

His comrades agreed vigorously. Touched by the show of loyalty, Sir Heinrich immediately displayed a renewed confidence that everyone could feel, even those who heard the news later.

The next day, Gisbert Pauer arrived as the kaiser’s emissary, bringing with him the
longed-for
wagon of provisions as well as one with weapons and other equipment. While the soldiers and servants unloaded the wagons, the provost marshal accompanied Sir Heinrich to his hut to give him final instructions. Pauer didn’t make a secret of the dangers facing them, but he expressed his sincere hope that the mission would succeed. “Count Sokolny’s messengers will lead you safely to their home, so you won’t have much to fear on your way to Falkenhain. Gather your two hundred men and leave as soon as you can!”

Heinrich von Hettenheim laughed bitterly. “What two hundred men are you talking about? Many of my men fell in battle last year or died of illness, and the knights have returned to their castles with their followers. I can’t blame them, as the promised imperial wages and provisions didn’t arrive till today. To keep anyone with me through the winter, I had to empty my pockets to the last penny.”

Pauer knew very well that commanders and captains often had to wait for years to be paid, and that more than one had fallen into poverty, such as Heribert’s father, Heribald, because the promised money had never arrived. Shaking off these unpleasant thoughts, he addressed Heinrich. “The kaiser promised two hundred men to the Bohemians, so we shouldn’t send them much less than that. I’ll find another group to add to yours.” Forcing a smile, Pauer left with assurances that the Bohemians would join them later that day. Sir Heinrich had always gotten along well with the imperial provost marshal, but this time he was glad when Pauer climbed into his saddle and rode back to Nuremberg.

As he returned to his hut, Anselm and Görch came running toward him, while Junker Heribert approached at a more measured pace. The knight’s voice betrayed his impatience, however. “What did Pauer say?”

“We will receive reinforcements, and the Bohemians we’re supposed to accompany will join us today.”

Görch tilted his head to the side, looking at his master questioningly. “Those Bohemians—you don’t think they’re secretly Hussites, trying to lure the kaiser into a trap?”

“Let’s hope not,” Sir Heinrich replied with a fake laugh, clearly disappointed as he spotted Feliks Labunik and Marek Lasicek coming toward them. After all the excitement these men had caused, he had expected more than a nobleman with a sad face and drooping shoulders and a grumpy soldier, both of them looking more like poachers than civilized men in their long
wolf-skin
coats.

Labunik greeted Heinrich von Hettenheim genially, but Marek returned the knight’s stare without smiling. He had never heard of their appointed leader, but he knew what he thought of Falko, the man’s cousin, and so could hardly contain his misgivings.

Nor did Heinrich find it particularly pleasant to entrust himself and his entourage to the Bohemians. But the kaiser’s order didn’t leave him any choice, so he simply pointed at the Junker standing behind him. “This is Heribert von Seibelstorff, my
second-in
-command
.”

Though delighted, Junker Heribert didn’t let on that this was the first time Sir Heinrich had called him by that title, but instead greeted the men with a strong handshake. Relieved that the two German noblemen had greeted them so amiably, Labunik followed Junker Heribert to the accommodation where he and his companions were to stay until their departure.

Marek slowly strolled after the group, surveying the miserable village and the small, pathetic group of men he was supposed to take to Falkenhain. The whole thing seemed like a bad joke the deposed Bohemian king was playing on his faithful subjects. The only advantage he could see was that it would be easier to smuggle the small group past the Taborite patrols. But only a massive army led by the kaiser could put an end to Little Prokop and his murderous pack and save Falkenhain from certain destruction.

Heinrich and Marek weren’t the only ones dealing with doubts before their planned departure. Michi was also quite concerned, and he asked Görch where Falkenhain was.

The squire made a face. “Deep inside Bohemia. If I understood Labunik correctly, it will take us at least two months to get there, if the Hussites don’t cut our throats sooner.”

Michi looked at him anxiously. “So you think it could get dangerous.”

“You can say that again. No German army has advanced even half as far into hostile territory since the beginning of the uprising.” Görch was exaggerating dramatically, but Michi believed every word.

Görch laughed at him. “What is it, my boy? Are you scared?”

“No, of course not.” Though he was indeed obviously frightened, most of his fear was for Trudi. After Marie’s disappearance, he had helped Eva look after the little girl, whom he saw as his sister, swearing to take her home to his mother in Rheinsobern as soon as he could. Hiltrud would take Trudi in and care for her. But just then, Rheinsobern seemed impossibly far, and he knew that he would never make it there without a purse full of coins. He had hoped to earn enough money to take Trudi home that next autumn by helping out with odd chores, but now it appeared he would be taking her on a journey with no return. He desperately tried to think of another way, as he owed it to Marie and his mother to keep Trudi safe. But since no one at camp could help him, he left the squire and headed for Nuremberg.

Since plain soldiers and servants were turned away at the gate, upon reaching the city, Michi stepped behind a cart drawn by a skinny horse, pushing the wagon from behind as if it were his job. Since he still wore farm clothes, the guards fell for his trick, and he made it through the gate without problems. Once out of sight, he let go of the wagon and made his way through the crowd into a side alley, where he soon reached a narrow,
half-timbered
house. Crooked with age, the structure leaned against the city wall. He banged the
weather-beaten
door knocker.

It was a while before an old,
coarse-looking
woman opened the door. Her voice creaked like a rusty hinge. “You again! What do you want this time?”

“I have to speak to Timo!”

“I’ll see if he’s in.” She turned around and shuffled back into the house. Michi stayed outside the door, since if he tried to follow her, she would rant and rave at him and accuse him of stealing. Hearing her grating voice on the floor above, he wondered yet again how Timo could bear that unfriendly woman. He had asked the
one-legged
man several times why he stayed, but the answers had always been evasive, just saying that she wasn’t that bad and rent was cheap.

In truth, Michel’s former sergeant still thought it a miracle he had met Marie the previous summer. She had given him enough money to stay with Frau Lotte for several years and, provided he was economical, enjoy more than just the warm bed of his hostess. While the news of Marie’s death had saddened Timo, he now truly felt like his own master. His landlady vocally encouraged his independent attitude to the degree that he increasingly considered Michi a nuisance.

“Hello, Michi! Why are you visiting me again so soon?” he asked rather gruffly.

Wincing at the man’s harsh tone, Michi straightened up and looked at him imploringly. “You have to help me, Timo. The group I belong to is going to war in a few days’ time, and I can’t take Trudi with me. Please keep her with you until I return, and if I’m not back by fall, then take her to my mother in Rheinsobern. She’ll reward you for your trouble.”

Timo nodded instinctively, feeling he owed something to Michel and Marie’s daughter. “I don’t mind, but I’ll have to ask Frau Lotte if she’ll take her in. Wait a moment.” He turned away and limped back into the house on his crutch. Since he’d left the door ajar, Michi could hear their conversation. As he’d feared, Frau Lotte started ranting, refusing to take what she called a pauper’s brat into her house. But when Timo explained to her that Trudi was the heir of a knight of the Reich and the kaiser would surely reward them richly for bringing him the girl, her tone started to change.

Michi fought back tears. He hadn’t expected his old friend to betray him like that. Timo knew that Marie wanted to save her daughter from becoming the ward of some mighty lord, and that Michi felt bound to her words as to a sacred request.

Listening to Timo and his landlady musing about how they would spend the kaiser’s reward for the girl, Michi finally turned around and ran away. When Timo returned to the door shortly thereafter, there was no one there. Shrugging, he limped back into the house. “The boy’s gone. Must have taken too long for him, but I reckon he’ll soon be back.”

8.

When Michi got back to camp, the reinforcements had arrived, among them around fifty Swiss mercenaries under Urs Sprüngli’s command. The Appenzell man had taken part in several campaigns against the Hussites, but when Heinrich informed him of their mission, he shook his head in disbelief. “You can’t be serious! We’re expected to march right across enemy lands with fewer than two hundred men? What idiot thought of this madness?”

“The kaiser.” Heinrich’s voice was no happier than the Swiss man’s. Sprüngli’s group was about the same size as his group, and he wasn’t happy about the friction that was bound to ensue about who was in charge. “I didn’t ask for you and your men,” he added with annoyance.

“And I didn’t ask to be sent on a suicide mission, but there you have it. In any case, we should stick together. We’ve got a long march ahead of us, and we’ll be busy enough fending off the Hussites. You’re the leader of this group, and I accept you as mine. But don’t think I’ll keep quiet if I disagree with your decisions.”

Sir Heinrich immediately liked the Swiss for his blunt honesty. He waved to Eva to bring them two cups of wine, and he raised his cup to Sprüngli. “To success! May God and the saints be with us!”

“If we make it back unscathed, I’ll go on a pilgrimage to Einsiedeln and light a candle for the Holy Virgin on the abbey’s feast day.” Sprüngli exhaled loudly. “But I’m not taking back what I said about the idiot.”

He emptied his cup, took his leave of Sir Heinrich, and returned to his men. Heinrich sat down and looked at Eva seriously. “I have to agree with Sprüngli regarding the kaiser.”

Eva refilled his cup, then poured one for herself. “I don’t like it that Michi and Trudi are coming with us, Sir Heinrich.”

The knight shrugged. “We can’t leave them behind, or they’ll have to sit on the steps of the Saint Lorenz Church and beg. And how long do you think it would be before they get chased away by the other beggars and out of town by the bailiffs?”

“That might be a more merciful fate than what could happen to them with us.” Eva stared blankly through the torn pig’s bladder in the window opening.

“Don’t worry about Michi. We have servants with us younger than him. The two of you will just have to keep an eye out for the little girl.” It was obvious that Sir Heinrich had more pressing problems on his mind than the fate of two children. “Trust in God’s mercy, Eva, and remember that you and the children made it through the last campaign unscathed. We’ll make it through this one as well.”

The knight rose to go, but Eva held him back.

“I wanted to thank you for giving part of the new provisions to Theres and me.”

“It should be enough to make up for your losses last year,” the knight replied, leaving the hut with a vain attempt at an encouraging smile.

He was finding it harder than usual to prepare for the campaign, since deep down he was convinced that none of them would return. The only thing he could do was to make their defeat as hard as possible for the enemy. Therefore, he ordered his men to fix up their gear as best as they could and went to inspect Sprüngli’s men. The Appenzell men made a good impression, but he could tell they also thought the situation was hopeless.

Lastly, he inspected the baggage train, which often slowed marching troops down. Since they would have to negotiate several steep mountain ranges and stay off the old trading routes, they couldn’t take any large, heavy vehicles. In addition to Eva’s and Theres’s sutler wagons, which were relatively light, Sir Heinrich decided to take several
two-wheeled
peasant carts, purchasing five carts for a hefty sum from a wainwright in a nearby town. The purchase left a gaping hole in the newly filled war coffer, but Heinrich wanted them to have every possible chance at survival. He therefore also replaced the oxen with younger, stronger animals, slaughtering and salting the older animals to add to their provisions.

In less than a week, everything was readied, and since the snow had almost completely melted and there was little danger of winter returning, there was nothing standing in the way of their departure. Sir Heinrich surveyed his small army one last time. Then he mounted his horse and gave the order to depart, appearing as calm and confident as if they were taking a short jaunt to a neighboring town.