Kermerdyn. Give me the Archbishop’s letter; I shall see it delivered today.’
‘We leave within the hour,’ said Geoffrey shortly. ‘Anyone not ready can travel on his own.’
‘We will be ready,’ said Gwgan quietly. ‘I must ensure Hywel hears of last night’s outrage as soon possible. I am sorry I was not here to help you. I should have known better than to lodge elsewhere. But we are in Hywel’s domain, and I thought we would be safe.’
The wry gleam that usually danced in his eyes was gone, and Geoffrey saw the apology was genuine. He knew that Welshmen took family ties seriously; Gwgan probably was angry that he had not been there to defend a kinsman.
Hilde looked hard at Edward and Cornald. ‘But you were not lodging elsewhere. Are you sure you heard nothing? The skirmish started quietly enough, but when my husband attacked back, he issued some very blood- curdling yells.’
‘They woke me immediately,’ replied Edward. ‘Unfortunately, this inn is inordinately dark, and I could not find my sword. There was no point dashing into an affray unarmed.’
‘I tried to light a candle,’ added Cornald. ‘But Edward was screeching at me to hurry, and it flustered me. By the time I managed, the villains had escaped.’
‘I heard nothing until it was too late,’ said Sear offhandedly. ‘And I would not have come to the rescue if I had. You should have been able to manage a few outlaws by yourself, Geoffrey.’
‘ I would have come, had I known what was happening,’ said Alberic quietly, as Geoffrey grabbed Roger’s shoulder to prevent him from reacting. ‘But we were making too much noise, and by the time we realized something was amiss, the villains had fled.’
‘I heard a lot of clashing weapons, then yelling,’ said Pulchria. ‘And I saw at least a dozen shadows haring off into the night afterwards. I told Sir Sear the direction they had taken.’
‘Into the woods,’ said Sear. ‘It was pitch black and impossible to follow, especially as it took us a moment to arm ourselves, which gave them a good start.’
‘They looked as though they knew where they were going,’ said Pulchria. ‘But if they are the same rogues who have pestered us since Brechene, then I am wrong.’
‘I woke when I heard Sir Geoffrey shout,’ said Delwyn. ‘But I have learned to crawl under the bed when those sorts of things are screeched in the hours of darkness. I hid and stayed hidden until I was sure it was safe to come out. Which was this morning.’
‘You stayed under the bed all night?’ asked Roger incredulously.
Delwyn nodded. ‘And I slept like a baby. I did not even hear Sear and Alberic return.’
‘ I did not return,’ said Sear. ‘I decided to stay on alert, lest the villains attempted anything else. They made off with Fychan’s money, but I am not sure whether that was what they really wanted.’
‘What do you mean?’ asked Edward. ‘What else could they have been after?’
‘They would not have looked in a bedchamber for him,’ said Sear scathingly. ‘Personally, I suspect they intended to rob us, not the innkeeper. Six knights travelling together is unusual and has aroused interest; the King was wrong to think it would render us safer. It has made us a target, because greedy thieves have assumed we are protecting something important.’
‘I disagree,’ said Hilde. ‘The first thing they did when they opened the door was to shoot a crossbow bolt into the bed. They were more than simple robbers. Moreover, as Geoffrey fought them, I had the distinct feeling they knew their way around – they did not stumble about blindly, like him. It gave them a huge advantage.’
‘So, they are locals, then,’ surmised Roger.
‘Or strangers who had taken the time to explore the place,’ said Geoffrey.
It was another clear day as the travellers rode the last few miles to Kermerdyn. It was a pleasant journey, along a path that followed the river. Fishermen bobbed about in leather-skinned coracles and raised their hands in greeting as the riders passed. Gwgan waved back and greeted several by name. They seemed pleased to see him return.
Now they were in home territory, Sear, Alberic and Richard took the lead, while Geoffrey and Roger brought up the rear. They were making good time, showing how eager everyone was to reach their destination.
‘They grow complacent,’ remarked Roger disparagingly. ‘They think we are safe now, but I have not forgotten last night so quickly.’
‘There is Kermerdyn,’ said Geoffrey, pointing. ‘It is a fair-sized settlement, so they probably are safe. I doubt Hywel will permit outlaws to come too close to his seat of power.’
Roger sniffed. ‘Do you think we shall have the same problems on the way home? Or have you accepted my conclusion that all this is related to some business of that villain Henry?’
‘God knows,’ muttered Geoffrey. ‘Last night’s trouble may have been an attack by local thieves on a man known to be rich – Hilde and Pulchria both said the culprits seemed to know their way around. Yet I have had a bad feeling about this mission from the start. I wish I had not brought you, Bale or Hilde.’
‘Rubbish,’ declared Roger. ‘You need us. Besides, I have enjoyed myself. Moreover, I relieved Sear and Alberic of a considerable amount of money last night. It will more than pay for our journey home, which is just as well, because the funds Henry provided barely saw us out of Sussex.’
‘Unfortunately, now we are at Kermerdyn, the opportunity to solve the murders of William and Mabon is over,’ said Geoffrey. ‘Our companions will go their separate ways and will take their secrets with them. I shall have to tell Henry that I have no idea who killed them, and he may give me another commission to make up for it.’
‘He might,’ agreed Roger. ‘So perhaps we had better invent something, because I have set my heart on being in the Holy Land by spring. Tell him Sear is the culprit. It is probably true, so justice will have been served. And if it is not, well, he is a vile specimen and it serves him right.’
Geoffrey laughed, then became serious again. ‘I wish I could have learned who murdered Mabon. It happened in my own home, and it feels as if a challenge was issued – one I failed to answer. Besides, there was something refreshing about a monastic with original ideas about religion.’
‘His sword would have been useful on the journey, too,’ said Roger. ‘I am sure-’
He ducked suddenly, and both men raised their shields when they heard the unmistakeable sound of an arrow hissing through the air. The first struck Geoffrey’s saddle. Others thudded into his shield, telling him he would certainly have been dead had his instincts not been so finely honed.
‘Not again!’ muttered Roger. ‘I like a fight, but this is beginning to be tiresome.’
Eleven
‘Shields!’ yelled Geoffrey at the top of his voice. Like the warriors they were, Sear, Alberic and Richard heeded the warning without hesitation, which saved the lives of all as a hail of missiles came towards them. Geoffrey spurred his horse forward, aiming to put himself between the attackers and Hilde.
It was a mark of the frequency of the ambushes that the company knew exactly what to do. Hilde took charge of Pulchria, Leah, Delwyn and the servants, hauling them behind Mabon’s cart. Cornald joined them, crossbow at the ready, and he began to return fire as quickly as it could be wound. Sear, Alberic and Richard formed a tight cluster, using their shields to protect each other and themselves, and Gwgan galloped to join Geoffrey. Edward was the only one who dithered, looking back and forth like a trapped rat as he assessed which way to run.
‘Here!’ yelled Geoffrey, seeing he was going to be shot if he stayed where he was. ‘Now!’
Edward’s horse heard the urgency in Geoffrey’s voice, even if its rider was slow to obey, and cantered towards him. Edward gripped the pommel of his saddle to prevent himself from falling off, and a distant part of Geoffrey’s mind wondered how the King could have knighted a man with such dismal equestrian skills.
‘There!’ shouted Roger, stabbing a finger towards a thickly wooded copse. ‘Half are lurking there, and the rest are by the bend in the track.’
‘Attack!’ roared Sear, spurring his way towards the corner. ‘We have reacted defensively for long enough.’
Geoffrey was sure it was proximity to Kermerdyn that induced Sear to make such a rash decision. He was drawing breath to order him back when Roger broke formation and galloped towards the wood. Alberic and Richard
