Chapter 34

Finally they could go home! The day started out fine, the sun was shining and a warm breeze blew in from the sea. They had covered several miles and had just stopped for lunch when a woman approached carrying a young child. Paul and Ilsa were called to examine him.

"He has a fever, he's burning up!" Ilsa reported.

Paul turned to his mother: "How long has he been like this?"

"Well, he wasn't feeling well and had been off his food since last week, but yesterday he was complaining of being hot, then he just collapsed. I heard you were in Polliton, so was making my way there when I saw you all camped here. Please sir, please save my boy!"

They all heard the desperation in her voice. Although losing a child was commonplace here, it didn't make it any easier.

"We'll do what we can," Paul said hopefully.

"Prepare some willow tea. That will help get his temperature down," Ilsa said. "I'll see what else I've got."

Paul prepared the tea, and the child was persuaded to drink. It seemed to settle him slightly and he drifted off into a fitful sleep.

"I'm worried that it might be meningitis. If it's not that it might be tetanus. See this small wound on his foot? I'm wondering if he's cut himself and it's become infected."

"Either is serious, but even a simple fever here can kill. What can we do for him?" Paul asked, concerned.

"Unfortunately very little other than keeping him cool. We have no antibiotics or anti-convulsants. We have to stop him getting so hot that he starts fitting. If he does that, and the blood supply to the brain gets disrupted, then he has no chance. All we can do is keep him cool and hope for the best."

Janice came over with Martha and Gwen. She looked toward Paul, he looked toward her and slowly shook his head.

She walked over toward the distraught mother, took her by the arm and led her away. "You need to eat. You'll do your son no good if you collapse with hunger now."

"No, I suppose not, but what about my other children? They are back at the village with my mother."

"We are travelling back towards our home. We cannot afford to stay here for too long," Ilsa replied.

Just then Tom came over. "Is there a problem?"

"This child is sick. He has a fever. If we move him he could die. I know we have to keep going, but what can we do?"

Tom blew out his cheeks. "We have to keep moving. If we don't we will be forever having to stop for these things. It's going to be difficult enough as it is." He looked at the distraught mother and saw desperation in her eyes. He shook his head. "Very well, we'll stay until morning. We leave at first light."

"Thank you, Sire!" the woman exclaimed, falling to her knees, clutching and kissing his hand.

Tom looked down at her. He helped her up to her feet. "They will do all they can, but there are no guarantees. Whatever happens we leave at dawn."

The woman nodded and returned to her child.

Tom went over to the men. "Make camp. There is a sick child Lord Paul wishes to care for. He has until the morning. We leave at first light."

Very quickly tents were erected, a watch set and the men settled down. Some trained, others tended to their weapons, others sang and a few played cards. Tom and Tony took the opportunity to practice their swordsmanship. Tom still had a long way to go, but he was improving.

It was just after they had finished practice that Hugh came over to Tom. "Sire I was thinking: I'm a member of the household cavalry. We have no real cavalry here. I could train some of the men up and provide some mounted support. I have studied all different forms of mounted warfare and believe I could make a real difference here.

"If you look at what was achieved from all the different types, there were horse archers as exemplified by the Mongols and the native American Indians. There were lancers, light cavalry and then there were the knights of the Middle Ages who were in essence heavy armoured cavalry.

"I don't think they would work here, but lancers and horsemen — well, they could make a real difference. Remember the American cavalry were really mounted troopers. They would ride into battle, dismount, then fight on foot. What I would like to do is to train our people to shoot from horseback. It is a difficult skill to learn, but once mastered can make you a deadly foe."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea! Talk to me in the morning and we'll find you some volunteers. Right now, I'm ready for bed."

"Very well, Sire. Good night."

"Let's hope it is." Tom replied. It was not to be.

It was just after midnight that the camp was awakened by a terrible wailing. It was obvious that the boy had died. Tom went to the distraught mother. She was kneeling over the body of her son. Her sobs were heart rending. He placed his hands on her shoulders and slowly raised her up. She turned and clung to him, tears streaming down her face. He held her close, holding her until her she calmed.

He lifted her face and wiped her tears. "They did all they could. There's nothing more to be done."

The woman nodded, tears, silent now, still running down her face. Everyone went back to their tents leaving the poor woman to grieve for her loss.

Eleanor came over to him as he returned to their tent. "You care for all your people, don't you?" She could see the tears streaming down his face. "Don't ever lose that. It's one of the things I love about you."

He held her close. They lay together, their lovemaking desperate and passionate in their attempt to drive away the demons. The following morning the camp awoke in a sombre mood. The death of the child the night before affected everyone. The child was buried and Tom said a few words. They seemed to comfort the mother. The camp was packed up quickly and quietly after that and they were soon on their way.

Hugh chose his volunteers and began training his cavalry.

For the next two days they made good progress. It was on the fourth day that the first indication of problems arose. They had entered a small village and were discussing things with the headman.

Once the discussion turned to taxation things got ugly. "Why should we pay anything to you?" the headman exclaimed. "This is our land, our crops, our village. We've been all right in the past, why should things be any different in the future?"

"Things haven't been all right in the past though, have they? Tell me, how easy is it to get from this village to the next? How safe are your people when they travel? There have been bandits on the road and the roads themselves are in a terrible state.

"We will send patrols to make the roads safe and organize work parties to build and maintain the roads to a good standard. You will be able to transport your goods to market more efficiently and safely. We will send Angels to your village to care for your sick and infirm. Tell me, what did you do when the Brotherhood arrived? If we hadn't stopped them, you would now all be slaves.

"We have an army to protect this land now. These things however need paying for. You would not work for nothing, so you cannot expect others to do so. Patrols need pay and provisions, suppliers need pay for their goods. Everyone will have to pay something towards these things. It will benefit everyone," Tom explained.

"Huh, they said you would be after our crops. Next we'll find you'll be after our women!" the headman shouted.

"Who said this? We have fought the slavers to prevent things like this. Many good men died trying to protect this land. Are you telling me that it was all in vain? Do you want to go back to how things were and just let the next bandit chief or jumped up warlord ride in and take whatever they like?" Tom demanded, getting angry.

"It was some men that came through here about a week ago. Said you'd taken over and killed the leaders who opposed you. Told us you'd sold their families into slavery. Told us you would talk a good talk, but then your men would arrive and take our women and children. You'd want our crops as well."

"Oh, and who were these men? Tell me, what did you do when the Brotherhood came through?"

"Well, they were some men who said they knew what you had done. They said you killed their families and put them out in the street. Said they were there when you took over Bridgetown."

"The people we executed were willing to sell their own people into slavery! Some of them were even willing to sell their own families! They intended to take the wives and daughters of their friends and neighbours as their personal playthings! They were doing everything they could to stop us defending the town. You still haven't told us what you did when the Brotherhood came here."

The man looked embarrassed and wouldn't meet Tom's eyes. "Well, it's like this, we had some strangers here. They said they were fleeing from these Brotherhood folk. They weren't our people, you see. They said they wanted ten slaves from the village. They told us that if we didn't provided them, they would take all of our women and children. There were two families, one had two children, the other four. We gave these people to them. We never saw them again."

Tom saw red! He grabbed the man by his shirt and rammed him up against the wall of his hut. "You mean to tell me you just handed these poor people over without even trying to help them? They came here looking for help and shelter and you just hand them over without lifting a finger to help? Do you know what those bastards were planning for them?" He threw the man to the ground. He turned to Tony and Paul. "Get everyone together, we're leaving. We're leaving now before I do something I'll regret."

On hearing the commotion several of the villagers came over to see what was happening.

Tom turned towards the stunned headman. "You are a disgrace! You are not fit to lead these people! You betrayed those who turned to you for help. What would you have done if we hadn't defeated those animals? Who would have been next? Whose wife or children would it have been all right to sacrifice next? You never give in to tyranny! Tell me! Just how many of these men were there eh? Ten? Twenty? How many? Tell me!"

The headman looked at Tom. He was terrified. "There were four of them," he stammered. "But they had swords. They just took over."

Tom rounded on the man "Four of them?" he screamed. He was shaking with rage.

Eleanor came to him and took his head in her hands. "Come my love, let's just leave. There's nothing we can do here. The damage has already been done. We must care for those we can, and those others," she looked at the headman with disgust, "Well, they will just have to take their chances and hope others are more merciful, and demonstrate more backbone than they did."

She led Tom away. He was weeping for the unfortunate families that had been so cruelly betrayed. The rage and anger were making him shake. He rounded on the villagers. "You are just as guilty as he is! Just remember, they would have been back if we hadn't beaten them, if brave men and women hadn't given their lives so you wouldn't have to find out who would be next!

"Look at one another! Just think, when they returned, for you know they would, who would have been next? Which of you would have been given to appease these animals? There were just four of them. Together you would have been able to defeat four of them! Instead you surrendered those poor people to face whatever fate befell them. Now I'm telling you, you will pay your taxes, you will help those in need and despite what has happened here, we will protect you!"

They quickly packed up and left. The mood was sombre as they continued on their way.

The following day the sun came out and their mood lifted. It took them another two weeks to reach Dampford. There was great celebration. The people lined the way. They came to a bend in the road with a fairly high bank to the right. There were people cheering on the bank. Tony looked up at them and waved. As he did so he saw a group of four men carrying bows shove their way to the front.

"Look out!!" he cried

They all spurred their horses forward. Men of the King's bodyguard moved forward. The other people on the bank saw what they were about to do and moved to stop them. Two of the four men managed to lay arrows on their bows and loose one shot off each. The other two fired their bows but had been jostled by members of the crowd, their arrows went up into the air and fell harmlessly to the ground. The other two however did find their mark. Tom was their intended target and one of the arrows hit his leg, the other his horse. The horse reared, dumping Tom onto ground and then bolted.

The crowd jumped the men and grabbed them. The bodyguards arrived and saw a scene of horror before them. Two of the men had literally been torn apart, the crowd had started on the others. The men of the bodyguard had trouble regaining control, but eventually order was restored. The surviving men were secured and taken away. The crowd were howling for their blood. They were strangers to the area and had no idea what reaction the locals would have to their attack. They soon discovered to their cost just how much they loved their king!

Paul, Janice and Ilsa all surrounded Tom. He was having trouble breathing as he had landed on a rock as was badly winded. Paul and Ilsa went into professional mode and checked him out, asking if he could feel his toes and other extremities trying to asses the extent of his injuries. They examined where the arrow had hit him and ascertained that it was just a flesh wound. They were more worried in case he had damaged his back. Fortunately, once he had regained his breath he was able, albeit with some difficulty, to stand. A wagon was brought up and Tom was loaded aboard.

Eleanor joined him. She held him to her. Oh God! I was so worried when you were hit and went down! I thought for a moment they had killed you!"

Tom looked at her and smiled. "No, they'll have to do better than that. I do think after this though we will have to review security. That was just too easy for them. We were lucky: they rushed their shot. If Tony hadn't spotted them and shouted the warning, well it could have been a lot different."

Paul and Ilsa worked to remove the arrow. "This is going to hurt, mate." Paul said as they cut the arrowhead off. He placed a piece of leather in Tom's mouth and Tom bit down on it as they withdrew the shaft. He hissed with pain, but did not cry out. The wound was washed and bandaged and they continued towards Dampford.

News of what had happened quickly spread throughout the town. When they arrived at the castle a large crowd had gathered.

Tom saw the crowd and turned to Eleanor. "Help me up. I need to address this crowd and scotch any rumours before they start." She nodded and helped him to stand.

He turned and addressed the assembled throng. "Friends we have returned from Polliton. I wish we could report that the whole island is now free from the evil influence of the Brotherhood, but as you can see from events today there are some elements who just don't know when they are beaten. Have no fear, we will win! We have driven their troops from our land. Slavers will no longer be able to raid our towns and villages. We now need to root out their evil conspirators and collaborators. We will not surrender to their terror. We will win!"

A large cheer rang out across the square. The king's bodyguard formed two lines and Tom, with help from Paul and Eleanor, slowly made his way into the castle. He went into his bedchamber and was helped to his bed.

"We caught two of the assassins. The crowd ripped the others limb from limb!" Tony told him when he arrived. "We have them in the dungeon. Do you want to question them or would you rather leave it to me?"

"I'd like to do it myself, but I think under the circumstances, I'll leave it to you," Tom replied. "As soon as you have any information, come and tell me. I want to know who ordered this, and who, if anybody, helped them." Tom replied.

"Okay, I'll get right on it."

A constant stream of people wanted to see Tom, one to enquire about his health, but also to try and garner his support for one cause or another. Eleanor quickly put a stop to this, banning all but his inner circle from seeing him. The one person who was allowed in was Martha. She sat by his bed, holding his hand and telling him that everything would be all right.

He smiled at this. Her presence comforted him and reminded him why he was here, why he was doing all this and why he didn't run for the nearest bank and safety. He reached up and kissed the child. He told her to ask her father and mother if he could have something to eat. She smiled at this and jumped up, running down the corridor to find them. They did bring him something to eat. Once he had eaten he settled down and managed to sleep.

In the dungeon the two surviving assassins awaited their fate. They were hanging by their wrists from manacles suspended from the ceiling. Tony approached them. He said nothing at first, he just walked round them.

He turned to the guards. "Strip them."

The guards moved forward and stripped the two prisoners.

"What are you going to do with us?" whined one of the men.

Tony said nothing but walked over to a brazier, lit it and once he had a good fire going placed an iron rod in the flames. The two men watched with growing trepidation as the rod heated up, slowly turning red in the flames.

Tony then walked over to the men. "I am going to ask you some questions and you are going to answer them. If you even think of lying or even hesitating when answering, then it will become a very painful experience for you. You tried to kill me and my friends today and I want to know why. I also want to know who helped you. I want to know who told you we would be coming this way today.

"I will tell you now that you are both going to die. The only difference is whether you have a quick and painless death or whether it is dragged out over several days of exquisite and excruciating agony. Personally, I hope it's the latter. Now then, let's begin. What are you names?"

"I'm Barth" the first man said quickly

"I'm Sleth" the second man answered just as quickly

"Good! Now that was easy, wasn't it? Now then, who sent you?"

"It was T'Kathir," said Sleth

"Good man, Sleth. Now then, who the fuck is T'Kathir?"

"Shut up, Sleth. Don't tell them anything. If T'Kathir finds out you talked he'll kill both our families."

"Wrong answer" Tony told him.

He walked over to the brazier and lit a torch. He then took a flask from his pocket and took a mouthful of the contents. He moved over to the man called Barth. He swirled the liquid around in his mouth, knelt down slightly, moved the torch in front of his face, then spat some of the contents into the flames. As the liquid hit the flames it flared up, singeing all the hairs on Barth's chest and setting fire to his beard. Barth screamed as he felt the heat of the flames on his flesh. Tony took a bucket of water and threw it over the man, extinguishing the flames.

"Now, let's try again. Who the fuck is T'Kathir?"

"He's Vladik's chief assassin. He's never failed. Once he's been given a job, then you are just a dead man walking. He's totally ruthless," exclaimed a wide-eyed Sleth, shaking in his chains.

"That's better. Now then, who told you where we would be? Who helped you?"

"I don't know his name. Hedrith was the one in charge, but he's dead. He was ripped apart by that mob when we attacked. Please, I don't know. Don't burn me please!" Sleth pleaded

"Do you know, Barth? Do you know the name of this man who helped you? What can you tell me?"

"Fuck off! You'll get nothing from me!" he spat back at Tony

Tony smiled and withdrew the rod, now glowing red hot. He ran the glowing iron up the man's body, watching him twitch and quiver as the remaining hairs on his body burned. He moved the rod up to the man's armpit.

"Last chance," Tony said.

The man shook his head.

Tony plunged the red hot rod into the tender flesh. The man's screams rang out as the stench of burning flesh filled the already feted air of the dungeon. Barth passed out. Buckets of water were brought and the man revived. He looked at Tony in terror.

Tony smiled at him. "If you think that hurt, wait till I shove it up your arse. That will really make you scream!"

That was enough, both men broke. They told Tony everything that they knew. They told him that they had been sent by T'Kathir to kill King Tom and his companions. They knew there were others sent as well, but not how many. They also told him about the reward that was offered: a barony in a place called Gronhinne.

They were surprised when Tony threw his head back and laughed at this. "You obviously don't know who I am. I'm Lord Tony of Gronhinne. That land is free land and always will be. The people have defeated the Brotherhood and thrown them out! They might as well have offered you a barony on the moon!"

They looked shocked at this. It finally dawned on them that they had been tricked and they had thrown their lives away for nothing! Tony left them in their cell. They would be executed in the morning.

Tom awoke the next morning to the bustle of servants moving around. It was a bright morning; the sun was streaming in through the large windows of his room. He wondered just for a moment where he was, that was until he tried to move and pain lanced through his leg. He cried out. Eleanor came rushing over to him.

"Lie still. Remember you've been shot!"

"How could I forget?" he replied with a smile that turned into a grimace as the pain refused to diminish. "Where is everyone?"

"They are preparing the courthouse for the trial. We caught two of the men who tried to kill you. The others were ripped apart by the mob. Tony has questioned them and they have cooperated. Tony has promised them a quick death. Janice will be by soon to check on your wound and to change the bandages. We then need to get you ready to preside over their trial and to pass sentence. We need to let the people see that you are well. They are worried and frightened. They need reassurance."

Just then Janice came in. Tom could see the anxiety in her eyes. She came over to him and offered him a drink. He tasted it, it was foul.

"Urk! What is this?" he asked, his face screwed up at the taste.

"It's a potion for the pain. It's a mix of willow bark and other herbs. It will help relieve the pain and stiffness. It also helps the healing process."

He looked at her with disbelief on his face. "If you say so." He drank the foul concoction, his face screwing up with displeasure as he did. She changed his bandages, smelling the wound to ensure that infection had not set in. She and Eleanor helped him get dressed.

"You know, a man could get used to this, two beautiful women helping him dress every morning," Tom quipped. He spoilt the effect by wincing with pain as Eleanor moved his leg to help him into his trousers. Finally he was dressed and breakfast was brought in. After finishing he was helped into a sedan-like chair, and was carried to the main hall.

The place was packed. A great hubbub arose from the assembled crowd as Tom entered. He was taken to the throne and once seated brought the proceedings to order. He nodded to the captain of the guard and then in a loud voice commanded: "Bring in the prisoners!"

The two men were brought forward. They were shackled and looked beaten.

Tom looked at them. "You are here today charged with attempting to kill the King. How do you plead?"

"Guilty, your Majesty," they both replied.

"Very well. Tell the court why. Why did you try to kill me and my companions?"

"We were offered money and a title. We were to become rich beyond our wildest dreams!" they both answered.

They went on to give a full confession and explanation as to exactly who ordered it, how it was to be carried out and the names of all those who had helped them, which to be fair were not many, and those that did were not aware of their intentions.

After they had finished Tom passed sentence. "You have admitted your guilt and have been, for the most part cooperative. Therefore I will be lenient. You will be taken from here and beheaded. The sentence is to be carried out at once."

Both men hung their heads but said nothing. They had been told that had they not cooperated then they would have been taken to the town square, placed in the stocks and the townsfolk would have had free rein to do whatever they wished. After seeing how their comrades were killed and they themselves were almost killed, then yes, beheading was merciful!

They were taken outside to the town square and the sentence was carried out to the cheers of the crowd. Tom was brought out to oversee the proceedings. Once they were concluded he returned to his rooms. Tom was laid up for a week while his leg healed.

During that week preparations were made for Judith and Rob's wedding. They had decided to marry upon their return. The attempted assassination had cast a shadow over the proceedings, but they were determined to go ahead. There was concern as to whom would be Rob's best man. Originally Rob was going to ask Tom, but Tom had agreed to give the bride away. In the end it was agreed that Lord Tony would be best man, with Janice, Ilsa, Gwen, Adrianna and Martha as bridesmaids. The ceremony would take place as soon as Tom was able to walk.

There was great excitement within the town at the news of the forthcoming nuptials. The town desperately needed this wedding as a celebration of their final victory and their freedom from slavery. The day dawned bright and sunny. Spring was in the air, and with it came the promise of summer's warmth. It was a perfect day, not too hot or cold; it was as if nature itself was doing its thing to make this a perfect day for the happy couple.

Janice looked radiant as she walked down the aisle with Tom beside her. He was walking now, albeit with the help of a stick. The bridesmaids all walked behind her, all had managed that very difficult trick of looking beautiful themselves without upstaging the bride. All except one. Little Martha looked so beautiful, and her smile so radiant that she stole the heart of all who saw her. It was a wonderful day and everyone enjoyed themselves. As the evening wore on Tom, Eleanor and some others noticed several of the young people slipping away in an attempt to find a more private and secluded location.

Tom laughed when he saw this. "I have a feeling that there will be a few more weddings organised around here soon."

"I think you may be right," Eleanor replied. She looked deeply into his eyes, took his head in her hands and kissed him. "I was so worried when you were hit. I thought for a moment I had lost you. Tell me: how's your leg feeling? After all, it is getting late isn't it? If it's hurting I'm sure I can find a very agreeable way of taking your mind off the pain." She pulled herself into him, almost moulding their bodies into one.

"I can see how you are feeling. You know, I may be a little tired. I think we should call it a night and leave the rest of the night for the youngsters," he said, his body responding to her presence.

They said their good-nights, then Eleanor took his arm and with stick in hand, they retired to their bedchamber. The sounds that came from their room that night confirmed that Tom was well on the mend.

They remained in Dampford for a further week to allow Tom to better recover. They were not idle days though, as there were several things that needed to be arranged. There were meetings with merchants to discuss trade, and the ever-present thorny question of taxes. There were similar discussions with the guilds. The biggest headache was of course Gethen. He was opposed to anything that could even remotely affect the influence or power of his guild. Eventually however he agreed to Tom's proposals.

"I don't trust that man." Tom said as Gethen left.

"I know what you mean." agreed Eleanor. "It's as if he's hiding something. He's never really forgiven us for starting the schools. He sees it as a threat to his guild, and his power."." agreed Eleanor.

Tom thought about this. "From now on, no sensitive information goes through the guild. I don't trust Gethen, and to be honest, I don't trust the guild."

"I agree," Tony added. "It's just too convenient that those men just happened to be here when we arrived. If I had the men to spare, I would keep a watch on that Gethen just to see who he meets."

"I can arrange that," Admiral Peters offered. "We often have to keep a watch on some of our competitors. I have a couple of men with me who I can trust with this. I'm sure we'll soon know if he's up to something."

"Very well. Get it done," Tom ordered. "We're going to be leaving in a couple of days. It'll be interesting who he sees to give our itinerary to." Tom ordered.

They all retired to their rooms. Tom went over what had been achieved. They had almost finished the road to Bridgetown. The journey should be much easier now. The schools had taken off. Nearly a quarter of all the children were attending. This in time would revolutionise this area and make it a byword for knowledge and education. The people were free, they had work, there was enough food to get them through to the next harvest and there was enough planted that no-one should be hungry again.