that’s for certain,” he said.
“Maybe I’m beginning to like you after all,” Robard muttered.
John laughed. “Wasn’t anything left for me there. They tried dragging me off for assault, but I broke loose, took a horse and ran. I’ve been hiding out here ever since. When I served with Sir Thomas in King Henry’s army, I learned to always make sure I had a backup plan. Always kept a cache of tools and a few crosslets hidden nearby, enough to make do for a while. I found that bridge there and have been charging a toll to whoever passes by. I expect some baron owns the land, and he’ll find me out soon enough and I’ll have to move on. It’s thievin’, what I’m doing, I guess, but what else can a man do?”
We each nodded, not knowing what to tell him. The pottage bubbled on the fire and smelled delicious, and John passed out a wooden plate that we shared, eating until we had our fill. Robard sat down next to Maryam and filled the plate, letting her eat first before he took his meal. When he was finished, he scooped out a bit and blew on it to cool, placing it on the ground for Angel. She devoured it in three gulps, then curled up by the fire and went instantly to sleep.
“What are your plans now, Tristan? Why did Sir Thomas order you away from his side?” Little John asked.
“I have very important dispatches for the Master of the Order. Sir Thomas ordered me to deliver them to. . London. . but I. . ah. . learned. . the Master is in Scotland. So I must travel there to find him. I met Robard and Maryam along the way and we’ve been traveling together ever since.” I hadn’t lied, much, but I had withheld most of the truth. Desperately wanting to steer the conversation away from Sir Thomas and my duty, I asked, “What are you going to do, John?”
He was quiet for a moment as he stared into the fire. “I’m not certain. I really haven’t thought about it. I keep hoping some of the nobles will rise up and knock some sense into Prince John, but we could easily starve before that happens.”
“I have an idea. There is a place, not far from here, where you might be useful. Why don’t you travel with us? If I’m not completely lost, it’s only a day’s ride. If it doesn’t work out, you can always return here and reopen your toll bridge.”
Robard sat up straight as I finished, and even Maryam’s eyes were wide. “Tristan! A word, please!” Robard said as he grabbed me by the arm, pulling me some distance from the fire. If Little John took notice of Robard’s actions, he pretended not to.
“What in the world are you thinking?” Robard asked.
“About what?” I said nonchalantly.
“No games, Tristan, you understand very well what!” Robard whispered.
“Robard, as you and Maryam so recently pointed out to me, we are in a fight for our lives. You have
“He’s big, I’ll give you that. And. . deceptively fast. But how well do you know this man? He made your sword? You talked to him for a few minutes several months ago? It’s not much to base a friendship on. Besides, I don’t like him.”
“Well, there’s no surprise there. Did I tell you he saved my hide once? And Sir Thomas himself swore to his character? Besides, I based our entire friendship on the fact that you came to my aid when those bandits attacked me in Outremer,” I countered.
“This isn’t about me-of course
“What story did you tell me when we first met?” I interrupted. “Of the man you knew back home who killed one of the King’s deer to feed his starving family? Wouldn’t we all turn to thieving if we were hungry enough?”
“Ahh. I don’t like this. This is
“No,” I said. “Not Scotland. Tomorrow we’re riding straight to St. Alban’s. I need to go home.”
12
Little John agreed to ride on with us the next morning. He gathered up his meager belongings in a small cloth bag, which he slung over his shoulder. He left us alone briefly to retrieve his mount, hobbled deep in the woods. Watching him ride turned out to be quite humorous, since he was nearly as big as the horse. He sat low in the saddle, his feet nearly dragging on the ground.
Robard and John worked toward an uneasy peace. They avoided each other for the most part, and whenever we stopped to water and rest the horses, they didn’t speak to or acknowledge each other in any way. Maryam and I were more than content to let things go as they were. Angel, however, had fully accepted Little John as a member of our group, and I couldn’t deny it felt safer having him along with us.
As we rode toward St. Alban’s, I finally had a moment to give more thought to the Queen Mother and her improbable declaration. Sir Hugh had seen us in Dover. He would send word to Eleanor of Aquitaine, and she would certainly send more soldiers to help in the search.
We had encountered no patrols since racing from Dover. We’d skirted every town and village, and succeeded in avoiding any contact with Templars or King’s Guards. Assuming they had lost our trail, at least for a while, I allowed myself some small measure of hope. Here, on our home soil, and with the help of my friends, we might actually be able to escape Sir Hugh’s clutches.
“You’ve been very quiet lately,” Maryam said to me as we rode along.
“Hmm? Oh, sorry. Just thinking is all,” I said, distracted.
“What about?” she asked.
“The usual questions,” I said. “Is Sir Hugh following us? Where are the King’s Guards? How will we get to Scotland? And I’m wondering if-” I stopped, not wanting to mention Celia’s name out loud and be teased relentlessly for it. But I found that as we drew farther away from Sir Hugh and whenever I was not fighting for my life, Celia’s face invaded my memory.
Maryam and I trotted easily at the head of our small column. Robard and Little John followed.
“She does, you know,” Maryam said after I’d been silent a moment.
“What? Who does?” I asked, confused.
“Celia. She thinks of you, Tristan.”
“I didn’t. . I. . Do you really think so?” I stammered. It was no use to deny that Celia had been what I was thinking about. Maryam just knew these things.
“Of course,” she said.
“How do you know?” I asked her.
“By the time we left Montsegur, Celia was already in love with you. Of course you didn’t know it.”
“What? Don’t be ridiculous. We hardly even talked or. . We barely know each other,” I protested.
“You don’t choose love, Tristan, love chooses you. Think of it. You went back to help her. At great cost and sacrifice, I might add. Don’t you remember how she looked at you when we entered the gates of her fortress?” she asked. “When she saw you there, the happiness in her eyes. . Trust me, it was love.” In truth I had no idea how she had looked at me, for I could only remember being awestruck by seeing her there again.
“Looked at me? What. . I. . don’t. . Maryam, that’s crazy,” I said.
“It might be, but it’s also true,” she said. She goaded her horse forward and rode ahead of me, as if to say that in her opinion, the matter was closed.
Toward the afternoon, we had to stop more frequently as John’s horse struggled to keep up with us under the immense girth of its rider. I kept my voice low, for I had no wish for Robard, or especially Little John, to overhear. When we were besieged at Montsegur, I had told my friends the true nature of the task Sir Thomas had lain before me, and Maryam had readily embraced it as the truth, informing us she had heard the song of the Grail in Outremer. Robard still didn’t believe I carried the Holy Grail. And as much as I trusted that Little John was noble and good, I did not intend to reveal to him the full extent of my mission.
