Unfortunately, Kye realized early on in the waiting process that eating that huge meal had been a mistake. The knights were suffering from a lack of sleep and now with a full belly, it was a perfect time to sleep the afternoon away. Kye was seated against the perimeter wall of the town, a wooden wall about as tall as a man with a spiked end, and struggling to stay awake. He was wedged between a pig sty and a winter garden that had many rabbits in it, which a dog would come and chase off every so often. Then the dog would come over and sniff him before he would chase it off. That went on for a while until the dog eventually left him alone.
The afternoon continued on and the comings and goings at the wall entrance began to lag greatly. In fact, it seemed rather deserted as people returned home after a day of business. But Kye remained vigilant, watching those who were entering, on the lookout for soldiers or men with weapons. He had even stood up, several times, to peer between the slats in the wall, looking at the road that was leading into the village only to be met with a deserted scene. The road, at that time of day, remained empty.
But as time passed, Kye tried not become discouraged by the lack of an army. The knights were so terribly worked up for Alary’s appearance that expectations were admittedly high. But it was very possible Alary would not show today. Perhaps he was two or three days behind them just as Gaetan had suggested. The man was traveling slowly with an army, far more slowly than knights without encumbrances were, so to expect them on this day was more than likely unreasonable.
At least, that’s what Kye told himself. He had to force himself to be patient. But he settled back on his bum, leaning against the wall, and continued to watch the entrance. As the sun began to wane and the sky began to turn shades that suggested a coming sunset, he was thinking on finding Wellesbourne to see if the man had seen something worth reporting. Clearly, nothing more was going to happen this day. Just as he stood up, he thought he heard a distant rumble.
Looking up in the sky, there were clouds but nothing that implied a coming storm. But the rumble was still there, growing louder, and he turned to peer through the slats in the wooden fence. Immediately, he was met with armed men on foot, and armed men on horseback, and two wagons from what he could see coming up the road. The rumble had been from the wagons bumping over the rough road.
An army was approaching.
Kye fell to his knees again, huddling back behind the pig sty which provided him with a shield against anyone coming in through the wall entry. Certainly, this could be another army, and the truth was that he had no idea what Alary of Mercia looked like. But he did know what Kristoph looked like. It was his task to search each and every face in that approaching army to see if he spied a Norman knight he had known for several years.
Excitement filled his veins as he lay low, waiting. Meanwhile, he was praying that Wellesbourne saw the same army and was doing exactly the same as he was – laying low and trying to spot Kristoph. This was the moment they’d been waiting for. From his position behind the pig sty, Kye had a perfect view of the incoming army and it wasn’t long before the leading edge of the army began to enter.
Men dressed in heavy tunics, with axes slung on their backs as well as crudely made shields, passed through the entry and continued onward. They were followed by other foot soldiers, some with helms, more than a few with what looked like Norman helms and shields. That was St. Hèver’s first clue that these men might have been at the battle between Harold Godwinson and the Duke of Normandy; stolen Norman protection seemed to be peppered throughout the lines. Even one of the men on horseback, who was very well dressed with a fur cloak and well-made clothing had a sword at his side that was most definitely not Saxon.
Kye recognized the Norman workmanship.
More of the army passed through, moving at a good pace but still looking rather weary, as if they had walked a very long way. When the first of the wagons passed through, Kye struggled to see inside of it but all he could see on the flat bed were sacks and weapons and other things an army on the move might need. But then the second wagon came through. It had men around it, which blocked Kye’s view of what was inside. The sides were high, also, and there were provisions piled in it; he could see barrels and sacks, food needed for the men.
Kye had to move around the pig sty so he could see what was in that wagon because the men and the provisions were blocking most of his view. As the wagon moved past him and he changed positions, he could suddenly see a man chained up in the back of the wagon and, as his heart leapt with glee, a blonde head he recognized very well. Kristoph de Lohr was chained in the back of the wagon, looking unshaven and shaggy-haired, but it was definitely him. And he was alive.
Their missing brother had been found.
Kye was so excited that he was quivering. He had to get to Wellesbourne and tell the man what he saw. And then they had to race to Gaetan and tell him that Kristoph was alive and that Alary’s army was on its way. But the army was still trickling in and he didn’t want to give himself away by emitting a piercing whistle. Yet, he knew the longer he waited, the more chance there was of him not being able to make his way to Gaetan before Alary did. He was almost certain that Wellesbourne was seeing the same thing from his vantage point across the road so he had to assume that the man was preparing to race back to Gaetan as well. Any delay might cost them a great deal.
Therefore, Kye began to run. Skirting through yards, over fish ponds, through horse dung, and through alleys, he raced as fast as he could, making it to the end of town well before Alary’s army did and flying across the wooden bridge and to the river bank below where the horses had been left.
His horse was still where he left it, having eaten its fill of the plump grass and was now standing lazily, napping. That all ended when Kye vaulted onto the horse’s back and spurred it up to the road, heading off to the east where he knew Gaetan and the others were waiting. They would have a very short amount of time to prepare their ambush and they needed all of the advance notice they could get.
Kristoph was coming. And they had to be ready.
Sunset was on the approach.
Gaetan stood on the side of the road, looking up at the sky through the canopy of trees and wondering if Ghislaine was still asleep. Perhaps she was awake by now, supping with Antillius and his three daughters, eating a good meal with a fire to keep her warm and a roof over her head.
That was the way it should be with her; the life of a fine lady and not a warrior. He knew he was going to have a fight on his hands when he told her that he didn’t want her to fight any longer. He wanted her to become the wife of a great warrior, to run his household and bear his legitimate children. He hoped he could explain all of that to her before she took a stick to him.
The thought made him grin. The most beautiful woman in all the land was a ruffian in disguise. Well, not exactly a ruffian, but definitely a trained warrior. He had enough of those and didn’t need another. What he wanted from her was something far less violent. He knew it would be difficult for her but he suspected she would want to please him.