“It is a quest for revenge for his defeat at Welfesholz at the hands of the Duke of Saxony,” Rudolf concluded. Most worryingly, mercenaries from Bavaria and Swabia had been streaming into the Rhineland to pillage villages and undefended towns around Mainz and Ingelheim for supplies and entertainment as they awaited the confrontation. “However,” he added, “papal supporters now have information that some of these bands have been spotted farther south, and that Disibodenberg might be in their sights.”
Tense silence descended on the parlor until it was broken by Prior Helenger’s voice, imperious as usual but with a tremble that he was not quite able to hide. “Surely they would not dare raise their hand against a house of God!”
Rudolf inclined his head respectfully, but his tone left no doubt about the seriousness of the threat. “For the safety of everyone here, I would not make that assumption, Brother Prior. Mercenaries, far away from home and unencumbered by the laws and customs of their land, have been known to attack monasteries and slay holy men for profit.”
Helenger opened his mouth to reply, but the abbot interjected before he could do so. “What options do we have?”
“You can evacuate the monks, the anchoresses”—Rudolf’s dark eyes flicked toward me—“and the townspeople across the Nahe as there is no indication of marauders in those parts. Or you can stay and defend yourselves.”
“Defend ourselves?” Kuno’s eyes widened. “But we are not a burg. These walls offer little protection.” I thought of all the breaches Volmar and I had crept through over the years and shuddered. They offered no protection at all. “Also, except for a few old crusaders,” the abbot went on, “there is nobody here with any military experience. Can the count offer us assistance?”
Rudolf von Stade shook his head regrettably. “Count Stephan wishes to warn you of the danger so you can make preparations, but he is unable to provide reinforcements as a battle with the imperial army is expected.”
This statement was followed by another interval of silence. I looked around the room and saw varying degrees of helplessness on the monks’ faces.
“I will not abandon the abbey,” Kuno said at length. His voice was quiet but firm. “It is my duty to stay here and share its fate, but I won’t stop anyone from leaving or the town from evacuating.”
It was courageous of him, but it hardly solved anything. My mind was working fast. “How large is the band heading our way?” I asked.
Rudolf blinked. “Not very large—eighty, maybe a hundred men, but they can wreak havoc in a small town like this.”
“We should head across the river,” Helenger announced as if it were his decision to make. “From there we can pray for deliverance, for our faith is the strongest armor.”
The abbot stirred impatiently and turned to the obedientiaries who had remained silent thus far. “What do you think, Brothers?”
They looked at one another uncertainly. They, too, had a duty toward the abbey, but it was obvious they had no idea what to do if they stayed. “As Brother Prior has said,” Brother Ordulf ventured weakly, “we must trust that Christ will shield us—”
But I was already shaking my head, barely able to contain my impatience. “The town can be defended if we reinforce it and mobilize the people.” I was thinking clearly now; the threat came from only a handful of rogue men, not an army of forty thousand that had covered the fields outside of Antioch with canons, catapults, and other siege machines. Eighty men-at-arms were nothing to be complacent about, but it would be foolish to abandon the people’s livelihoods and the abbey’s treasury to them. “The town wall is shorter but more solid than the abbey wall,” I went on, merely explaining my observations, “and we could dig a ditch to make it harder to scale it. The abbey wall has breaches in several places through which men could enter if they found them, but we could disguise them or patch them up.”
The knights dipped their heads in agreement, but the monks visibly struggled to comprehend. I felt a wave of irritation. The plan was simple and logical, and they would not be so stunned if they had ever bothered to talk to ordinary people about life in the wider world, the threats they faced, and how they dealt with them. But the monks considered such fraternizing beneath them.
“I think it can be done if we start immediately,” I urged.
“This is preposterous!” Helenger’s nostrils flared with anger. “I suggest we evacuate immediately, there are—”
“Brother Prior, please.” The abbot cut him off and gave me an intent look as if the defense instructions were written on my forehead. Taking advice from a woman was highly unusual, but he had enough sense to recognize a feasible plan, especially if it could save his monks from the disgrace of abandoning the abbey. “Now tell us,” he asked a little acidly, but it was clear that he was eager for an answer, “how are we to accomplish this feat of fortification?”
I ignored the sarcasm. “We are on a hill, surrounded on three sides by the forest and the rivers, and that gives us natural protection.” I took a deep breath. “So the main threat comes from the high road and the fields, which means that we must concentrate on strengthening the town’s western wall.
“We could dig a ditch on both sides of the gate and use the earth to plug the holes in the abbey wall. I can show you one, and Vol—some novices know about others.” I saw the corners of Rudolf von Stade’s mouth lifting. The abbot raised his chin, and I continued, “As far as weapons, we may have more than we think. Many townsmen own bows, and they can shoot because they compete in the meadow by the Glan every summer. They can be posted along the wall, and we can gather stones
