The War of the Grail (25 page)

‘What?’ Jack opened his arms. ‘It’s me. Jack Casey.’

‘I know who you are, and you’re not wanted here. You’re lucky I’m sparing you.’

‘What are you talking about? I’m a crusader. You know that.’

Henry narrowed his eyes and pointed down the hill. ‘Is that why you brought those Rajthanan spies with you?’

‘They’re not spies. They’re friends. They’re here to help.’

Henry snorted and looked at the figures congregating behind him. ‘He says he’s friends with the Rajthanans but he’s not a traitor. How can anyone believe the lies that spout from this man’s foul mouth?’

Jack’s hands tensed. Henry was an idiot, and Jack would gladly have left at that moment. But he had to find Elizabeth. Henry wasn’t going to stop him doing that.

Jack thought quickly. ‘Let me speak to Lord Fitzalan.’

Henry’s face twisted and reddened. ‘Lord Fitzalan? He is dead. He is dead, because you would not look for the Grail – the one thing that could save us. He died of the fever. Just as our whole land is dying. And you,’ Henry drew his pistol and pointed it in the air, ‘you stood by and did nothing.’

‘Wait, Constable Ward,’ a voice called out from the parapet nearby.

Jack looked along the wall and saw Mark, one of his apprentices, leaning over the battlements. Jack’s face split into a grin. If Mark was here, that surely meant Elizabeth was here as well.

‘We can trust him,’ Mark called down to Henry. ‘Everyone from our village will vouch for him. They’ll vouch for those Indians down there too.’

‘Silence!’ Henry’s beard bristled and he tightened his grip on the pistol. ‘I am in command here, and I say this man must go.’ He turned to face Jack again. ‘That’s right. I’m in charge now. Lord Fitzalan’s gone. Sir Alfred died of his wounds. The Earl of Shropshire made it here. But he has appointed me leader of this fortress.’

‘Wait there a moment, Master Casey,’ Mark called down to Jack.

Mark disappeared from the ramparts and then reappeared moments later in the gateway.

Henry glared at Mark. ‘You leaving too, are you?’

Mark stared back for a second but said nothing. Instead, he plunged down the slope, slipping in mud. He was out of breath by the time he reached Jack. His hair was damp from the rain and his skin was speckled with dirt. But otherwise he looked well.

Jack gave a tight smile. ‘It’s good to see you. Thank God you’re safe.’

Mark’s face remained drawn. ‘We made it here, Master Casey. Most of us from the village. But we’re still waiting on Elizabeth.’

‘What?’ Jack shivered. The light seemed to darken slightly. ‘Where is she? What happened?’

‘She was with us up to the last five miles. But then we got word the lepers in a colony near here were stranded. Most of them were too ill to travel. She went with a cart to get them and bring them here.’

Jack gritted his teeth. It would be typical of Elizabeth to put herself in danger to help others. But why couldn’t she have sent someone else? Why did it have to be her?

‘She went on her own?’

‘No, sir. Saleem and Godwin went too.’

‘And Cecily?’

‘She’s here. Safe and sound.’

‘Good.’ Jack took a deep breath and scanned the surroundings. ‘Are there any Welsh soldiers around?’

‘We’ve seen none so far. But we’ve had word they’re on the way. Could be here any time.’

‘And Alfred’s dead?’

Mark looked down. ‘I believe so, sir.’

Jack crossed himself. ‘But the Earl of Shropshire is here?’

‘Yes. Arrived from Shrewsbury just an hour ago.’

Jack squinted up at the fortress. ‘This the best place around here to make a stand, you reckon?’

Mark wiped his forehead with his sleeve. ‘I wouldn’t know about that, sir. Never been a soldier. Constable Ward sent word to us at Folly Brook that everyone was to retreat here. We just followed everyone else.’

Jack stared at the outer wall of the fortress. Aside from the few places where the stonework had collapsed, it appeared sturdy enough. He gazed out at the open heath and the low hills massing a little under a mile away to the east. He could see nowhere better in the area to mount a defence.

There was no point in running further north. The army would pursue the rebels wherever they went. The only other option would be to split up, hide and eventually dissolve into the countryside. But that was fraught with risk. The rebels could easily be hunted down and killed before they got far enough away from Shropshire.

The crusade would have to make its stand here. For better or worse.

‘Where’s this leper colony?’ Jack asked.

‘I was told it was over to the south-east.’ Mark pointed towards a series of ridges. ‘Over that saddle.’

Jack stared hard through the drizzle and spied the saddle nestling between two slopes. ‘Right, then. I’ll go and find Elizabeth and the others, and bring them back here.’

Mark drew himself up taller. ‘I’ll come with you.’

‘No. You stay here.’

Mark opened his mouth to object, but Jack raised his hand to silence him. ‘I need you to look after the rest of the village. In case something happens to me.’

Mark took a deep breath. ‘Very well, Master.’

Jack put his hand on Mark’s shoulder for a moment. ‘Keep an eye on Cecily.’

‘I will, sir.’

Jack glanced back at the fortress. Henry, who still stood scowling in the gateway, grimaced and spat at the ground when he noticed Jack looking at him.

Jack gave Mark a final nod, then skidded back down the slope, a blizzard of thoughts whirling in his head. Was Elizabeth safe? Would he find her before the Welsh arrived?

His heart was beating wildly by the time he reached the bottom of the scarp. He unhitched his horse, rode across the plateau and picked his way down the slope beyond. At the bottom of the incline, he spurred the mare into a gallop and charged over to where Kanvar and Sonali still waited beneath the trees.

He quickly explained the situation to the two Indians, and both of them insisted they would accompany him to find Elizabeth.

‘No.’ He shook his head. ‘You need to leave. Now. The rebels up there aren’t going to let you into the fortress. If the Welsh come here, you could find yourselves in trouble.’

‘You’ll have to explain to the rebels who we are,’ Sonali said.

‘I doubt that’ll make much difference. The commander up there is an enemy of mine. He doesn’t even want to let
me
in. If you leave now, you’ll be long gone before there’s any fighting.’

‘We can talk about this later,’ Sonali said. ‘We have to find Elizabeth, then worry about what to do next.’

‘I said I would help you,’ Kanvar said. ‘I will not run away now.’

Jack stalled for a second, his horse stepping sideways and tossing her head. He couldn’t waste any more time arguing with Sonali and Kanvar. They both seemed determined to come with him – and, in truth, he was pleased for their help.

‘All right,’ he said. ‘Let’s go.’

They drove their horses hard across the plains, heading towards the saddle between the hills. The drizzle continued to drape the countryside. Jack repeatedly cast his eye over the surroundings, searching the groves and hillocks for attackers.

At one point, he noticed Sonali looking at him.

‘Elizabeth will be safe,’ Sonali said. ‘I’m sure of it.’

Jack managed a half-smile in response. It was good of Sonali to ride with him now. Very good, given the way Elizabeth had treated her.

They neared the edge of the heath. When Jack looked up, he saw figures appearing over the top of the saddle. He stared hard at the blurred shapes and made out twenty or so people gathered about a mule cart. They were moving quickly and were already slipping and sliding down the slope towards the plains.

Jack reined in his horse.

‘Spyglass,’ he shouted to Kanvar.

Kanvar handed over the glass and Jack swept it across the hillside until he found the figures. They were Europeans – peasants, judging by their clothes. Several were running alongside the cart, while the rest sat huddled and slumped in the back of the vehicle. The group included men and women of various ages – he spotted a tall man in a woollen hat, and a woman in dark robes who limped as she ran. And then he spied a figure in a white tunic, with pale hose and a skullcap. The man had a thin ginger beard that was unmistakeable.

Saleem.

Jack’s face split into a grin. He searched further and saw that Godwin was driving the mule cart. And then he made out Elizabeth sprinting down the incline, with the musket he’d given her still slung across her back.

There was a stone in his throat. Thank Christ Elizabeth was safe.

‘Jack,’ Kanvar said in a thick voice.

‘What?’ Jack asked, without lowering the glass. He couldn’t take his eyes off Elizabeth.

‘Jack, you should look at this.’ Kanvar’s voice was more insistent now.

Jack lowered the glass. Kanvar was pointing to the top of the incline, his face drawn.

Jack peered up the scarp again, and a chill crossed his skin.

He saw a swarm of men running over the saddle. There were hundreds of them, and more were appearing all the time. They poured down the slope, heading towards Elizabeth and the others.

Jack shoved the glass to his eye.

The men were a motley collection of soldiers bearing a mixture of swords, muskets and bows. They wore ragged peasant clothing, but most had three boars’ heads emblazoned across their chests.

They were the army of the Lord of the Marches.

Jack’s heart shot into his throat.

Elizabeth and the others were about halfway down the hill. But the Welsh were moving far more quickly.

In a few minutes, they would reach Elizabeth’s group.

Jack’s daughter was about to be captured or killed.

‘E
lizabeth’s up there.’ Jack tried to still the shake in his voice. ‘We have to do something.’

Kanvar stared uphill. ‘They are out of range of my powers. We must get closer.’

‘We only have a few minutes,’ Jack said.

But Kanvar didn’t wait to reply and instead spurred his horse into a gallop. Jack and Sonali set off after him. The three of them charged across the open ground and over to the base of the hill. Elizabeth’s party was still scrambling down the scarp. Behind them, the Welsh forces were a dark tide spilling down from the saddle. Jack could make out the guttural cries of the men and the wailing of several horns.

Kanvar zigzagged up on his charger, with Jack and Sonali following closely behind. The horses squealed and whinnied, their hooves sliding in the mud.

Jack peered up through the drizzle. He shivered. The first of the Welshmen were only around a hundred yards from Elizabeth’s group now.

Kanvar suddenly drew his horse to a halt. He closed his eyes, a look of intense concentration on his face. He seemed to grow brighter and sharper, as if he were coming into focus through a spyglass.

Good. Kanvar must be close enough now to use his powers. But Jack wasn’t going to wait around to watch. He was continuing up the slope until the Welsh were within range of his lightning.

‘You wait here,’ he shouted to Sonali.

Sonali tightened her jaw and shook her head.

Jack was about to argue with her, but then realised that was pointless.

The two of them urged their horses up the incline. Jack’s mare skidded several times and almost slipped over at one point.

He could make out Elizabeth and Saleem ahead of him now. They were sprinting as fast as they could, but the Welsh were less than a minute behind them. The mule was stumbling and the cart was bouncing and swaying, tossing the people crowded on the back up and down.

Jack wasn’t close enough to use Lightning yet. He wasn’t going to reach Elizabeth in time.

Sweat streamed down his face. He screamed at the mare to move faster.

The Welsh were only fifty yards away from Elizabeth now. There was nothing he could do to save his daughter.

Then a gust of sattva-tinted wind brushed the back of his head. He heard a pop, then a shrill whistle. Looking up, he saw a speck of golden fire arc overhead, sizzling through the rain. It flew past Elizabeth’s party and slapped into the ground amidst the first rows of Welshmen. There was a sound like a thunderclap and then a deafening rumble shivered through the ground. A bright explosion punched the hillside, kicking up a cloud of soot and earth. Welshmen screamed as they were flung in all directions.

Jack’s horse reared up and kicked the air. He thought he was going to slip off for a moment, but then managed to steady the animal. At the same time, a second speck of fire curved past above him and thumped into the earth in the middle of the Welsh. A second blast of red and yellow flame jetted into the sky.

Elizabeth and the others slowed their pace for a moment as they looked back, but they soon pressed on. The Welsh held back in obvious confusion. Many lay motionless on the ground, or writhed in agony. Their cries and screams floated down on the wind.

Jack wiped the sweat from his eyes. Thank Christ Kanvar had managed to use his powers. That had granted them a moment’s reprieve, but it wouldn’t last long.

He glanced across at Sonali. Her eyes flashed and she looked just as determined to save Elizabeth as before.