through fire for his lord. It was from Iwan that the friar had received his current christening when the effort of wrapping his untrained tongue around the simple Saxon name Aethelfrith proved beyond him. 'Fat little bag of vittles that he is, I will call him Tuck,' the champion had said. 'Friar Tuck to you, boyo,' the priest had responded, and the name had stuck. God bless you, Little John, thought Tuck, and keep your arm strong, and your heart stronger.
Next to Iwan strode Merian, just as fierce in her devotion to Bran as the champion beside her. Oh, but shrewd with it; she was smarter than the others and more cunning-which always came as something of a shock to anyone who did not know better, because one rarely expected it from a lady so fair of face and form. But the impression of innocence beguiled. In the time Tuck had come to know her, she had shown herself to be every inch as canny and capable as any monarch who ever claimed an English crown.
Merian held lightly to the bridle strap of the horse that carried their wise hudolion, who was, so far as Tuck could tell, surely the last Banfaith of Britain: Angharad, ancient and ageless. There was no telling how old she was, yet despite her age, whatever it might be, she sat her saddle smartly and with the ease of a practiced rider. Her quick dark eyes were trained on the road ahead, but Tuck could tell that her sight was turned inward, her mind wrapped in a veil of deepest thought. Her wrinkled face might have been carved of dark Welsh slate for all it revealed of her contemplations.
Merian glanced around as the priest passed, and called out, but the friar had Bran in his eye, and he hurried on until he was within hailing distance. 'My lord, wait!' he shouted. 'I must speak to you!'
Bran gave no sign that he had heard. He strode on, eyes fixed on the road and distance ahead.
'For the love of Jesu, Bran. Wait for me!'
Bran took two more steps and then halted abruptly. He straightened and turned, his face a smouldering scowl, dark eyes darker still under lowered brows. His shock of black hair seemed to rise in feathered spikes.
'Thank the Good Lord,' gasped the friar, scrambling up the dry, rutted track. 'I thought I'd never catch you. We… there is something…' He gulped down air, wiped his face, and shook the sweat from his hand into the dust of the road.
'Well?' demanded Bran impatiently.
'I think we must get off this road,' Tuck said, dabbing at his face with the sleeve of his robe. 'Truly, as I think on it now, I like not the look that Abbot Hugo gave me when we left the king's yard. I fear he may try something nasty.'
Bran lifted his chin. The jagged scar on his cheek, livid now, twisted his lip into a sneer. 'Within sight of the king's house?' he scoffed, his voice tight. 'He wouldn't dare.'
'Would he not?'
'Dare what?' said Iwan, striding up. Siarles came toiling along in the big man's wake.
'Our friar here,' replied Bran, 'thinks we should abandon the road. He thinks Abbot Hugo is bent on making trouble.'
Iwan glanced back the way they had come. 'Oh, aye,' agreed Iwan, 'that would be his way.' To Tuck, he said, 'Have you seen anything?'
'What's this then?' inquired Siarles as he joined the group. 'Why have you stopped?'
'Tuck thinks the abbot is on our tail,' Iwan explained.
'I maybe saw something back there, and not for the first time,' Tuck explained. 'I don't say it for a certainty, but I think someone is following us.'
'It makes sense.' Siarles looked to the frowning Bran. 'What do you reckon?'
'I reckon I am surrounded by a covey of quail frightened of their own shadows,' Bran replied. 'We move on.'
He turned to go, but Iwan spoke up. 'My lord, look around you. There is little enough cover hereabouts. If we were to be taken by surprise, the slaughter would be over before we could put shaft to string.'
Merian joined them then, having heard a little of what had passed. 'The little ones are growing weary,' she pointed out. 'They cannot continue on this way much longer without rest and water. We will have to stop soon in any event. Why not do as Tuck suggests and leave the road now-just to be safe?'
'So be it,' Bran said, relenting at last. He glanced around and then pointed to a grove of oak and beech rising atop the next hill up the road. 'We will make for that wood. Iwan-you and Siarles pass the word along, then take up the rear guard.' He turned to Tuck and said, 'You and Merian stay here and keep everyone moving. Tell them they can rest as soon as they reach the grove, but not before.'
He turned on his heel and started off again. Iwan stood looking after his lord and friend. 'It's the vile king's treachery,' he observed. 'That's put the black dog on his back, no mistake.'
Siarles, as always, took a different tone. 'That's as may be, but there's no need to bite off our heads. We en't the ones who cheated him out of his throne.' He paused and spat. 'Stupid bloody king.'
'And stupid bloody cardinal, all high and mighty,' continued Iwan. 'Priest of the church, my arse. Give me a good sharp blade and I'd soon have him saying prayers he never said before.' He cast a hasty glance at Tuck. 'Sorry, Friar.'
'I'd do the same,' Tuck said. 'Now, off you go. If I am right, we must get these people to safety, and that fast.'
The two ran back down the line, urging everyone to make haste for the wood on the next hill. 'Follow Bran!' they shouted. 'Pick up your feet. We are in danger here. Hurry!'
'There is safety in the wood,' Merian assured them as they passed, and Tuck did likewise. 'Follow Bran. He'll lead you to shelter.'
It took a little time for the urgency of their cries to sink in, but soon the forest-dwellers were moving at a quicker pace up to the wood at the top of the next rise. The first to arrive found Bran waiting at the edge of the grove beneath a large oak tree, his strung bow across his shoulder.
'Keep moving,' he told them. 'You'll find a hollow just beyond that fallen tree.' He pointed through the wood. 'Hide yourselves and wait for the others there.'
The first travellers had reached the shelter of the trees, and Tuck was urging another group to speed and showing them where to go when he heard someone shouting up from the valley. He could not make out the words, but as he gazed around the sound came again and he saw Iwan furiously gesturing towards the far hilltop. He looked where the big man was pointing and saw two mounted knights poised on the crest of the hill.
The soldiers were watching the fleeing procession and, for the moment, seemed content to observe. Then one of the knights wheeled his mount and disappeared back down the far side of the hill.
Bran had seen it too, and began shouting. 'Run!' he cried, racing down the road. 'To the grove!' he told Merian and Tuck. 'The Ffreinc are going to attack!'
He flew to meet Iwan and Siarles at the bottom of the hill.
'I'd best go see if I can help,' Tuck said, and leaving Merian to hurry the people along, he fell into step behind Bran.
'Just the two of them?' Bran asked as he came running to meet Siarles and Iwan.
'So far,' replied the champion. 'No doubt the one's gone to alert the rest. Siarles and I will take a stand here,' he said, bending the long ashwood bow to string it. 'That will give you and Tuck time to get the rest of the folk safely hidden in the woods.'
Bran shook his head. 'It may come to that one day, but not today.' His tone allowed no dissent. 'We have a little time yet. Get everyone into the wood-carry them if you have to. We'll dig ourselves into the grove and make Gysburne and his hounds come in after us.'
'I make it six bows against thirty knights,' Siarles pointed out. 'Good odds, that.'
Bran gave a quick jerk of his chin. 'Good as any,' he agreed. 'Fetch along the stragglers and follow me.'
Iwan and Siarles darted away and were soon rushing the last of the lagging Grellon up the hill to the grove. 'What do you want me to do?' Tuck shouted.
'Pray,' answered Bran, pulling an arrow from the sheaf at his belt and fitting it to the string. 'Pray God our aim is true and each arrow finds its mark.'
Bran moved off, calling for the straggling Grellon to find shelter in the wood. Tuck watched him go. Pray? he thought. Aye, to be sure-the Good Lord will hear from me. But I will do more, will I not? Then he scuttled up the hill and into the wood in search of a good stout stick to break some heads.
