Chapter 8

Once back in her cave hideout I unpacked my sleeping-bag, lay the groundsheet down and rolled out the sleeping-bag. I only took off my outer clothing and boots and lay down in the unzipped sleeping-bag, getting my rifle within easy reach.

"Can I lie down beside you, I trust you won't try anything, I just would like to feel modern bedding over me."

"Come on in Claire, we'll be warmer."

God she felt fantastic next to me, she was built right in all the right places and really came up close to me. She looked into my eyes and then brought her head closer and placed her soft full lips on mine. It was like a trigger for she grabbed me round the neck and ground her mouth on to mine as well as the rest of her body.

I broke away from her, "Claire how I would love to go all the way with you as I think you are lovely. I must decline though, for I don't want to get caught vulnerable. If we suddenly have visitors and I am unable to defend myself. Once I get this little problem solved I will gladly continue."

"I understand, you haven't told me your name you know and I'm sorry if I'm distracting you from watching over us."

"The names Charlie and I'm glad you haven't thrown a tantrum because I turned you down."

"I can wait, we have a long-time together yet," she said with a smile and a quick peck on my cheek.

Between the pair of us we kept a watch on the pathway until it was too dark to see anything until the moon rose about four hours later, but there was no movement at all on the pathway. I didn't want to show my presence so the only drink we had was from the water-bottle. I was beginning to think that no-one was coming, when at eleven o'clock a group of about twenty men all mounted rode slowly up the pathway.

I handed Claire the binoculars, "Who is Lord Albus, is he among the party?"

"Yes he is the one on the white horse and that is Rulph riding by his side."

I took aim and waited until they were about three hundred yards away and I sighted in the middle of Lord Albus's chest and gently squeezed the trigger. There was a slight Phh!!! And a second later Lord Albus was thrown over the back of his horse. I moved the sights to the right got Rulph in the cross-hairs and squeezed off another round, Rulph too was thrown off his horse. On seeing both their leaders lying on the ground bleeding and lying spread-eagled the remainder of the party turned tail and rode off back the way they had came.

I got out of the hideout and went down and called Talus. "Come with me I want to show you something."

He came half limping and running out and immediately run to the side of the house and relieved himself, then followed me down the pathway. Still standing there were the two horses that the two on the ground were riding, with the reins dangling on the ground. We walked over to them, "Who is this Talus?" I said pointing to the first body.

"It is Lord Albus, he is dead and we are now going to be hunted by all the other Lords."

"Who knows who killed him, no-one heard anything, or saw anything; even you don't know if I killed him."

"Is this Rulph?" I said pointing to the blackman.

"Yes that is the torturer."

I leant down and felt for a pulse and I found a faint beat. I pulled him and propped him against a tree and he opened his eyes.

"Are you Ralph Busing?"

"Yes, I never thought I would ever hear another man's voice speaking English," he said with a faint voice.

"I hear you have become a terrible bastard, what would your kids think of you?"

"Fuck them, I had it good here, here I was somebody."

"I'm going to leave you here; I'm taking Claire back to our time. So if you pull through, you are welcome to stay here."

"You know how to get back?"

"Yes, I've travelled back and forth several times, but I'm not taking you back."

"I know where Shanna is, take me back and I'll tell you where she is."

Before I could do anything Talus drew a knife and cut Rulph's throat. "That has given me the greatest satisfaction, knowing that at long last he is dead."

There was no point in saying anything; he was the one who had suffered at Ralph's hands.

"Come on Talus, grab a horse and anything else you want and we will leave them lying there, no doubt the others will slip back to check them out."

After he had collected items from the bodies, he mounted and came up alongside me. "You have made many people very happy today, but I suppose another will soon take the Lords place.

"Can't I go and take the place of the Lord, Talus."

"It is against the Laws of Dyfnal Moel Myd (Dunvallo Molmutius or Molmutine Law), you are a foreigner and not of free born, there are nine degrees you have to pass to be a free born. The only thing you have is of the third-degree and a few privileges that I don't have."

"You are telling me there are Laws now governing how people act."

"Yes they were introduced by King Dunvallo when he slew his brothers and took over the whole land."

Things have certainly changed since the first time I stepped back in time, but when, I am still at a loss. The soldiers carried steel swords and wore helmets. So quite a period has passed since the period I knew. Then it clicked Dunvallo was the King of Cornwall who took over all of Britain but that was about 400BC so I have jumped around a good bit and back in time 400 years from the last time.

"Who is the King now?"

"It is Morvidus son of Danus's concubine, he is a very wicked King, he skinned alive all the prisoners in his last battle up north against the Morini, who had invaded Albany and then he burnt them. He will forgive no man."

"Charming, I see I've arrived in a nice period of time."

Just then Claire arrived and was all excited. "There is a group of armed men coming; I saw them from the hideout."

"I will take the horses and ride into the woods and once they have gone, I will return," Talus said jumping on to the horse and reaching for the reins of the horse I was holding.

Claire and I ran back and hid in the hideout and no sooner were we hidden when the party galloped right up to the door of the house. "Come out wench and bring the stranger with you, if you don't we will burn the house."

They never gave much time at all, before two of the party dismounted and entered the house and a few minutes more the whole house was an inferno.

"Do you know who that is that is shouting the odds?" I asked Claire.

"I'm sorry I can't understand a word they say."

"Well it looks as though we will have to find some other accommodation and as far away from this lot the better."

We watched as they systematically slaughtered the goats and the hens, well the ones that they caught, for many flew away into the woods.

The young man shouting the orders and at the same time trying to control a very unruly horse, looked like the man I had shot. He was obviously a class well above the soldiers in his manner of dress and the way they did whatever he told them. So I assumed this must be the Lords son.

"Scour the area they must be around somewhere," the Lord's son shouted.

It was obvious the men weren't that interested as they only made a half-hearted try to look for us. Then they all rode back the way they had come, stopping at the site where the two bodies lay and hoisted them on to two horses, making the two riders walk as the others rode off.

When Talus returned we were all packed up and ready to move out. "Do you know a place where we will be safe for at least a short time anyway?"

"Yes I know a place deep in the forest, where robbers and footpads stay, they will definitely let you stay once they find out you have killed Albus and Rulph."

I got on to the horse with Claire in front of me and we followed Talus as he went deeper and deeper into the woods. Again there was an abundance of Oak, Elm and Hazel and it reminded me of my old walks in the woods. Everything was very quiet with an occasional bird singing and the movement of large animals well out of our reach.

The sun was well down in the west when we were challenged by a sentry on the middle branches of a tree.

"Who are you travellers, you ride the Lords horses, for I have seen them in the castle."

"This foreigner has just killed Rulph and Lord Albus. We are being hunted and seek sanctuary in your camp," Talus answered.

It reminded me of 'Robin Hood' for he blew a horn which was answered right away.

"You were a leader of the Lord's soldiers, for I have seen you also."

"I have been beaten and banished for not killing the foreigner."

"So you are the same as us now; that is a come-down for a freeborn."

Just then three armed men appeared. "What is this I hear the Lord Albus has been slain, with his torturer? Who has done this?"

"I did for beating Talus, I warned the Lord not to lay a hand on Talus for he was only the carrier of my message."

"He killed them from afar he pointed his rod at them and they died," Talus blurted out.

"Why are you here foreigner?"

"My name is Charlie and I am looking for people of my land who accidentally came here. Rulph as you called him was Ralph and he also was of my land. This woman is also from my land and was banished to a lonely life in the woods by the Lord. There is one other I seek who only arrived nine moons ago. Once I find her we will return to our land."

"I have seen this woman, who lived in the woods; no-one was allowed to speak with her. She doesn't speak our tongue, how do you manage, it is not quite like ours you use the dialect of the Druids."

"I travel in many lands and speak many tongues. Have you heard of a foreign woman who arrived nine moons ago? Rulph said he knew where she was, but before he could tell me he died."

"Come you are welcome to our camp, it is but a short walk, but I'm afraid you will have to get rid of the horses, we have no place to hide them. Then I will seek council to see if anyone has heard of the woman you seek."

Once we dismounted I slapped the horse on the rump and it and its companion galloped away through the woods, in the opposite direction to the one we were taking.

The camp was well laid out and well camouflaged, in fact it wasn't until we were close up I could make out the dwellings, dug into the banking of the hill among the trees.

Claire and Talus seemed to be getting on well together and I could hear him trying to teach her the names of things.

There was a vacant house and we were granted this, it was a bit cramped but we managed, well for the first week, for I saw that Claire and Talus were getting close and I was in the way.

Looking around the camp site a bit higher up the embankment was a cave, which had been dug out and the roof had collapsed in. For something to do while waiting I got a wooden spade and started clearing it out. I had been at it for about four hours when I saw a young woman sitting watching me from a stump of a tree.

"It has no roof, you will get wet when it rains." She said.

"Oh that's easily fixed I'll put a roof on it and then put the earth back on top of the roof."

"Can I help and if I do can I stay with you?"

"It may be a while before anyone can stay in this house. If you want to help me I would be delighted. Do you know where there is a grove of saplings?"

"There are plenty of saplings a short walk from here."

"What's you name?"

"I am known as Wanetta, the pale one because of my very light hair."

She maybe was light blonde once, but she was a dirty blond now. I could soon change that if I got her to use my shampoo, but that could wait.

It took another two hours to clear out the space, which was a good size which no doubt accounted for the collapsing roof. It was nine feet square and about 5 feet 9 inches at the front and at least 7 feet 6 inches at the rear. Once all the dirt was removed I cut a ledge all the way round about 18 inches wide at the same height as the front.