‘The weather?’
Leather face winked. ‘It might be pissing down with rain almost every day but that also means that there is a lot of mist around, especially when there’s no wind. You can hide a lot in a good mist.’
‘Perhaps you should be the commander,’ said Conrad.
‘I did think about offering my services as such to Master Rudolf but he would have argued about the price.’
‘Price?’
Leather face grinned. ‘I may be the commander of the crossbowmen but to lead an expedition means either an increase in my monthly rate or a large bonus in addition to the one I’m already getting.’
That night, as Hans stuffed his face with venison stew, Conrad thought long and hard about the plan to relieve the fort as he was served stew by a beautiful Saccalian girl with blue eyes and golden hair. He sat with his three comrades, Peeter, whose demeanour had become friendlier now that his warriors had been issued with weapons, and Tonis. Conrad shovelled the last of the thick broth into his mouth and licked his bowl clean.
‘Would
Susi
like some more?’ asked the girl, her face breaking into a wide grin.
Conrad looked at her. ‘
Susi
?’
‘It means “wolf”,’ said Peeter, smiling at the girl.
‘I’ll have some more,’ interrupted Hans, holding out his bowl like a pathetic beggar.
The girl walked over to him and took it, then returned to Conrad. ‘And you,
Susi
?’
Conrad shook his head. ‘No, thank you.’
She went back to the cooking pot hanging over a fire to fill Hans’ bowl.
‘Word has spread of your name, Conrad Wolff,’ said Peeter. ‘People think it is a good omen, a portent of victory.’
‘What is so special about Conrad’s name?’ asked Johann.
‘His first name, nothing,’ answered Peeter, ‘but his second name is thought as propitious. “
Susi
” is the ancient name for “wolf” and people think it no coincidence that he has been sent to us.’
‘How short are people’s memories,’ said Anton. ‘Do they know that Conrad, and us for that matter, fought Lembit and even laid siege to the fort we now go to relieve?’
‘They know,’ replied Tonis, ‘and they know that Conrad killed Lembit.’
‘Then I truly do not understand,’ said Conrad.
‘You must realise,’ Peeter told them, ‘that in our folklore the wolf is the most important animal of the forest, one who watches over us and protects us. We know that he commits misdeeds, steals our cattle and sheep and inflicts losses on us. But the wolf has inhabited the forest for thousands of years, has great wisdom and is beloved of the gods. People have interpreted your coming as a good omen, Conrad Wolff. They look to you to deliver them from peril.’
Conrad smiled but felt the burden of expectation press down greatly upon him. After the meal he posted guards and accompanied Peeter on an inspection of the camp, which contained a myriad of campfires.
‘Will the fort be able to see the glow of these fires?’ queried Conrad.
Peeter shook his head. ‘We are deep in the forest and there are rolling hills between here and Lehola. I know this land. We remain unseen.’
They walked among the makeshift shelters with their occupants wrapped in cloaks and shawls.
‘Where are the men in their twenties and thirties?’ asked Conrad.
Peeter shrugged. ‘They died defending their homes and their families. The invaders came like a great flood upon Saccalia and the menfolk died so the old, young and women could escape. And our best warriors are trapped in Fellin and Lehola.
‘We have to get these people into the forts before the winter comes otherwise they will perish.’
‘What about their villages?’ enquired Conrad.
‘Burned to the ground, mostly. The invaders knew what they were doing.’
Conrad asked about the enemy at Lehola, the location of their camp, the guards they posted and the patrols they sent out. He told Peeter about how he had taken part in the siege of the fort four years earlier when it had been Lembit’s stronghold.
‘We felled trees and dug ditches for days,’ he told the old warrior.
‘The crusader ditch is still there, though a little overgrown, as are the trees to the north of the fort that you cut down.’
The new day dawned cold and grey, though thankfully the forest canopy kept away the infernal drizzle that soaked everything. Conrad slept for perhaps three hours and woke cold and aching, having slept in the open under a blanket. He had been so moved by the plight of the young mothers with their infants that he had ordered all the tents they had brought to be put at their disposal. The mercenaries, who cared for little and certainly not the suffering of civilians, complained loudly until Conrad reminded them that he had been placed in command. They also grumbled when he ordered them to attend morning prayers with himself and the other brother knights, though they laughed at his expense when they heard his hesitant attempts at devotions.
Afterwards leather face came to him. ‘I see you are getting used to giving orders. The lads weren’t happy about giving up their tents.’
‘They’ll live,’ said Conrad. ‘Hopefully tonight they will be sleeping in Lehola’s great hall.’
Leather face nodded approvingly. ‘You have decided on an attack plan, then?’
‘Pray it works,’ replied Conrad.
After a breakfast of hot porridge he gathered Peeter, Tonis, the other brother knights, leather face and the commanders of the Jerwen and Rotalians together to inform them of his plan. Curiously he felt no trepidation as he stood before them and spoke. On campaign he had mixed with great lords and had even conversed with the Bishop of Riga himself. He was certainly not intimidated by a few pagans. Curiously, though, he experienced a new emotion: a sense of responsibility towards all the souls in camp. Most odd. He waited for Hans to finish his apple before speaking.
‘The warriors who besiege Lehola are called Cumans and they are wild people who live on the great plains far to the east of this land. They are raiders who burn, kill and take slaves. They are predominantly horsemen and so unsuitable for siege warfare, and that will be to our advantage.
‘Peeter has informed me that the main enemy camp is located to the south of the fort.’
‘Just as it was when we laid siege to Lehola,’ said Anton before realising he was among Estonians and blushed.
‘Indeed,’ continued Conrad. ‘Today we will march to bring us near to Lehola, and tomorrow, just before dawn, we will launch our assault on the enemy camp.’
‘Our weapons will be speed and surprise. We will launch our assault from the south to take us through the enemy camp.’
‘How many enemy soldiers are there?’ asked Anton.
Conrad looked at Peeter.
‘It is impossible to give a precise answer to your question, young knight, but my scouts reckon at least five hundred.’
Anton and Johann sucked on their teeth and Hans looked troubled but Conrad shrugged off their concerns.
‘If we achieve surprise our disadvantage in numbers will not weigh as heavily against us. In addition, we will be fighting our way through the camp towards the gates. Hopefully, Sir Richard will realise what is going on and launch a sally from the fort.’
‘Why don’t we create a diversion to the north of the fort to make our journey to the gates easier?’ asked the leader of the Rotalians, a huge brute with hands like the paws of a bear.
‘Because we have to destroy the enemy,’ answered Conrad. ‘To kill as many as possible otherwise we will just swell the numbers inside the fort for no purpose.’
‘Kill as many as possible,’ mused the Rotalian brute. ‘I like that.’
Conrad nodded towards leather face. ‘The crossbowmen will kill any guards to allow us to enter the camp unseen, but after that it will be a race against time to slaughter as many of the enemy before they have time to react to our presence. You must impress upon your warriors that speed is the key.’
It was still cold and damp when the warriors began to assemble after Peeter had organised the duties of those who would remain. Those too old to carry a spear were ordered to safeguard the infants while the women and those men whose injuries meant they could not march tended to the ponies, cooked food and posted lookouts. Among the Saccalian warriors only Peeter, Tonis and a few of their subordinates had mail armour. A few of the older men had aged leather armour and many wore thick fur-lined leather caps on their heads for protection. At least every one of them now had a weapon of some sort, be it an axe, spear or long knife. Conrad prayed that it would be enough.
The Rotalians were all equipped with helmets, mail shirts, shields, spears and with axes tucked in their belts, their commander and another two also having swords. The Jerwen were a mix of well-armed warriors and ill-equipped farmers who only had a spear for a weapon. But at least they all had shields.
Hans looked at them stuffing leather pouches with food for the journey, for there would be no room for ponies to haul supplies on this trip. He pointed to the shields bearing stag and bear symbols.
‘The last time I saw those their owners were trying to kill us.’
‘It is strange, I agree,’ said Conrad. He slapped his friend on the arm. ‘Time to get ready.’
As he had done a hundred times before Conrad checked the weapons and armour he would be taking on the trip: wooden shield faced with leather, sword, axe, dagger and full-face helm. Like his companions he wore thick felt boots over the mail chausses that protected his legs. Next to his skin he wore a cotton shirt and breeches, over which he placed a quilted cotton aketon. Then came a long-sleeved mail hauberk with integral mittens, over which was worn a sleeveless, quilted gambeson and, finally, a white surcoat bearing a red cross and sword on the front. The Sword Brother emblem also adorned the white cloak that he had brought with him. A mail coif protected his neck and head, though he decided to carry his helmet rather than wear it on the march. He preferred the open kettle helmets worn by the sergeants of the order but regulations forbade brother knights wearing them, especially on campaign.
Anton and Johann, similarly attired, joined Conrad as the Estonian warriors waited in the clearing in the centre of the camp.
‘Where’s Hans?’ asked Johann.
Anton shrugged then laughed as Hans came into view with a sack over his shoulders.
‘Can’t go on campaign without any food,’ he said.
‘I hope you have left some for the women and children,’ Johann rebuked him.
The four walked to where the Estonians waited and Peeter gave the order for the scouts to lead the way out of camp. Conrad walked with his three companions, Peeter, Tonis, leather face and the leaders of the Jerwen and Rotalians at the head of the relief force. The crossbowmen fell in behind the commanders. Each man carrying three quivers, each one holding twenty bolts. The frail, wounded, women and children had gathered to watch them go, women embracing sons and fathers who might not return and infants wailing in their mothers’ arms. Conrad said a silent prayer that his plan would succeed so these wretched women would shed no more tears. He glanced behind him to see a warrior smile at him. He smiled back but then realised something was wrong.
‘Halt!’
He left his place and walked over to the warrior, a slight-framed individual wearing brown leggings and tunic and a helmet with a nasal guard. A pair of blue eyes peered at him. A slim hand held a spear while the other grasped the metal handle of a shield. Conrad, his own shield slung on his back, reached forward to grasp the helmet’s nasal guard and lifted it off the warrior’s head. Blonde locks tumbled out and he recognised the girl who had served him stew the day before. His friends, Peeter, Tonis and leather face had also ambled over to stand behind him.
‘You’re a woman,’ he said.
‘That is why he was appointed commander,’ leather face said to Peeter, ‘for his keen powers of observation. Nothing gets past Brother Conrad.’
‘I will fight by your side,
Susi
,’ beamed the girl, who was probably no more than sixteen years old.
Conrad turned to Peeter. ‘How many of these warriors are women?’
Peeter shrugged. ‘A few, most whose family members have been killed before their eyes.’
‘I wish to exact revenge for my mother and father,’ said the girl.
Conrad shook his head. ‘Give me your spear and return to the other women.’
The girl’s pretty expression hardened. ‘You will have to take it.’
Anton laughed. ‘This should be worth watching.’
Other warriors began to gather round, wondering why they were not moving.
‘Please disarm this girl,’ Conrad said to Peeter.
‘Why?’ answered the old warrior. ‘She wishes to avenge her murdered parents.’
‘She might be killed,’ said Conrad.
‘We all face that prospect,’ said the big Rotalian leader.
‘I say she should come,’ said Tonis. ‘We need every spear.’
Peeter faced Conrad. ‘Perhaps you have never known the despair of losing your family to enemy swords, or seeing them carried off into slavery, knowing you will never see them again.’