Iny Lorentz - The Marie Series 02 (10 page)

5.

Michel soon realized that his hosts were glad to have found someone with whom to share their loneliness. After two days, the boy already regarded him like an older brother, showing him his collection of
odd-shaped
stones and various other forest treasures and letting Michel fix his leather ball filled with oat bran. Zdenka praised Michel at his ease with children, convinced he had some of his own. Michel liked the thought, but he couldn’t remember any children’s faces. He quickly learned to move around the cave on his crutch, helping his rescuers as best he could and spending hours talking about what they knew of the world.

Apparently, the German knights were no longer able to penetrate the Hussite heartland but had to retreat in order to defend the borderlands of Austria, Bavaria, Franconia, and Saxony. Meanwhile, the Taborite patrols undertook quick, targeted attacks that their slow and heavy opponents rarely managed to fend off, threatened castles and towns in the area that had remained faithful to the kaiser, and searched out refugees like Reimo and Zdenka to eliminate any possibility of resistance. Their cousin believed the cave was too close to their village to be safe, because people working with the rebels knew of it, too. When Michel asked Reimo where he thought they could find secure shelter, the man shrugged his shoulders.

“If I knew that, we would have gone a long time ago. I’d really like to leave Bohemia and settle down far away among the Germans. But I’m worried that Zdenka wouldn’t be accepted, and the risk seemed too great that we’d run into soldiers or marauders on the journey west who might kill us because one of us doesn’t belong to their side. The only option I can see is to make it to Falkenhain Castle. They say Count Václav Sokolny is still loyal to the kaiser, and his castle has never been conquered.”

“Every castle can proudly make that claim until the day the enemy takes over.” Michel was immediately annoyed at his thoughtless words, because he didn’t want to rob Reimo and Zdenka of their courage and hope.

Reimo helplessly raised his hands. “At Falkenhain, we’d be safer than here. We might have left already, but we wanted to wait until you were strong enough to travel in this cold.”

Since Michel assured him he was feeling better, they began preparing for departure. That same day, Zdenka gathered scraps of blankets and rabbit furs to make clothes for Michel to protect him from the icy wind, and Reimo organized their cart and provisions. By the evening of the second day, most of their things were loaded onto the cart, Michel’s equipment was almost ready, and they were discussing over dinner whether to leave on the following afternoon or the morning after that. Suddenly they heard twigs breaking outside.

Reimo put down his bowl and reached for the ax. “I hope it isn’t a bear looking for a place for the winter.”

Just then, they heard voices and the cover was torn aside. Three armed men appeared in the entrance, contemptuously surveying the small group in the cave. A fourth man slipped past them and stood next to the horse, trembling. Underneath their sheepskin capes, all four of them wore tattered linen pants and
oft-mended
shirts, and on their feet were wooden shoes padded with grass. The leader of the intruders, a
square-built
man of medium height with a sooty face, muscular arms, and large scarred hands, laughed and said something in Czech that made Reimo and Zdenka shout in terror.

“What does he want?” Michel asked.

All the blood had drained from Zdenka’s face. “This is Bolko, our village blacksmith. They want to kill you, Reimo, and Karel, on the spot, but before they kill me, they want to . . .” Her voice was choked with tears.

Reimo exhaled sharply and ran toward Bolko, swinging the ax above his head. The two other men leaped forward, grabbed him, and threw him to the ground. Despite his thrashing and struggling, they tied him up, and Bolko put down his morning star and placed a blade against Reimo’s throat. “This is for stealing the girl I wanted to marry,” he said with a grin.

Zdenka screamed, momentarily distracting the men. Even though he still couldn’t put much weight on his injured leg, Michel used that opportunity to pull himself up with his crutch and limp toward the smith as fast as he could, while the man casually reached for his weapon. Before Bolko could lift his morning star, however, Michel rammed the end of his crutch into the smith’s belly with great force. Opening his mouth in a soundless bellow, Bolko sank to his knees. In one smooth movement, Michel took the morning star from his hand and smashed in his skull.

The smith was dead before the other intruders realized what was happening, but when his body hit the ground, two of the other men sprang into action. Shouting angrily, they raised their weapons and ran toward Michel. Even though Reimo was tied up, he managed to trip the first attacker; Michel saw him fall, swung at him, and killed him, too, while knocking the other man off his feet with his crutch and then breaking his neck with one heavy blow.

As Michel limped toward him, the fourth man fell to his knees, wringing his hands and showering him with a stream of unfamiliar words. Since Michel couldn’t understand him, he raised his weapon.

Zdenka grabbed Michel by the arm. “Not him! It’s my cousin Vúlko. He says the three scoundrels forced him to lead them here.”

“I swear by God and all the saints!” Vúlko shouted in broken German.

Undecided, Michel lowered the morning star only when Reimo joined his wife in her plea. He suddenly realized that the pain in his thigh was unbearable, as if a glowing dagger were stabbing into his flesh and ripping the muscle apart. Feeling faint and starting to tremble, he had to lean against the wall despite his crutch.

He watched helplessly as Karel untied his father, who then turned to Michel, staring at him in disbelief. “I . . . I can’t believe what I just saw. Despite your smashed leg, you struck down three fit, strong men as if they were toothless dogs who dared attack a fully grown bear.”

Zdenka knelt down beside Michel, pressing her forehead against his hand and kissing both his hands. “Rarely has a good deed been rewarded more quickly and generously than you have today. If Reimo hadn’t saved you, we would have died a terrible death.” Her husband followed suit and then clasped Zdenka tightly to his chest.

Karel cautiously moved close to Michel and looked at him with shining eyes. “May I help you back to your bed? You must be exhausted.”

Barely hearing the words of thanks, Michel couldn’t take his eyes off the dead bodies, wondering what just happened. He had acted intuitively as if driven from within, killing the intruders with ease. He now had to assume he was really just like those men who attacked innocent people in their villages. Repelled by the thought, he was at least glad he had been able to spare the people who had saved his life from a horrible fate.

Pulling his hands away from his rescuers, he limped to the mouth of the cave. Outside, frost was shimmering in the light of the setting sun on the ridges of the wooded hills, and treetops swayed in the wind. The air was clear and uncomfortably cold, suggesting late fall or even winter, because it smelled of approaching snow. He began to worry that Reimo had delayed their departure for too long. If they were unlucky, they might not be able to leave the cave the next day, or they might encounter heavy snow while they were traveling. He confided his fears in Reimo when he returned to the fire, chiding him for showing too much consideration for his injuries.

Still trembling with shock, Reimo slapped his chest as if assuming blame for all that had happened. “I’ve been staying here not so much for your sake, Franz, but because I’m scared to take my family into the unknown. Somehow I still hoped we could stay here, waiting until the war is over and then moving back to our village. But now we have to leave this place as quickly as possible.” With these words, he pointed to the three bodies that Zdenka and Vúlko were undressing.

The woman looked up at Michel with a bitter smile. “Usually I don’t steal from the dead, but we need their things if we want to get through the winter. When Reimo found you, you were naked and he had to share his clothes with you.”

Michel nodded. “I understand. But wash everything before we wear it. I wouldn’t feel comfortable otherwise.” He glanced again at the bodies. “Should we just leave them here or bury them?”

“They were our neighbors, after all,” Reimo said thoughtfully, scratching his neck. “If we ever want to live with our people again, we shouldn’t throw them to the wolves and bears.”

“Then Vúlko should do it. He led them here, after all,” his wife snapped. The look she gave her cousin showed him she wouldn’t forgive his betrayal any time soon.

“But there was nothing I could do,” he started whining again, his face turning dark with shame. “They were going to”—he faltered for a moment and struggled to compose himself before continuing—“violate my wife and me in front of our children and then continue with them.”

“What filthy pigs!” Michel burst out.

Reimo shook his head sadly. “War brutalizes people. Don’t think that ours are much different.”

“I didn’t say the Germans were better!” Michel replied sharply. “But now it’s our lives in the balance. Do you really believe we can make it to Falkenhain Castle? And what do we do with Vúlko?”

Helplessly, Reimo raised his hands. “We can’t let him go home. People would ask him what happened to the men, forcing him to tell them where we were headed, and then the friends of the slain men would follow us to take revenge.”

Vúlko let out a cry. “Please let me go! I promise I won’t betray you.”

“You already have! You’ll have to come with us. Try to run, and you’ll end up like your friends over there!” The expression on Michel’s face would have intimidated a much braver man than Vúlko, who stared at him, terrified, as if he thought the German was going kill him right then. He only dared breathe again when Reimo handed him a primitive wooden spade and ordered him to dig a grave for the three dead men.

“We’ll leave first thing in the morning,” Reimo declared, casting a questioning glance at Michel as though asking his approval.

6.

Kunigunde von Banzenburg feasted her eyes on Sobernburg Castle’s full chests and cupboards, which were overflowing with abundance. There were enough sheets and comforters to accommodate the count palatine’s entire court, as well as plenty of clay crockery and pewter and silver platters and plates. The pantries were full of hams and smoked sausages dangling from half a dozen long poles, and it would have taken a whole day to count the barrels in the cellar full of superb wine.

Marga, who was accompanying Lady Kunigunde on her tour of her new realm, noticed with satisfaction how markedly the lady was impressed. For someone who had spent her entire life in a crowded castle inhabited by several families, Rheinsobern must have seemed like paradise.

“As you can see, I’ve made a great effort gathering all these provisions,” Marga proudly explained, conveniently forgetting that everything was paid for with Marie’s money. Moving closer to her new mistress, she tugged at her sleeve. “Dear Lady Kunigunde, you have no idea how glad I am to again serve a lady of noble lineage instead of a hussy like that Marie.”

The contempt in Marga’s voice made Kunigunde prick up her ears. “Isn’t Marie of noble birth? She’s not from a burgher family or even from peasants, is she?”

Marga gave a short laugh. “If only it was that! Before her marriage, she was a traveling whore selling herself for a few lousy pennies.”

“You don’t say!” Lady Kunigunde was incredulous, but Marga assured her she was speaking the truth.

“Plus, her husband was only a common innkeeper’s son. He ingratiated himself with the count palatine during the Council of Constance and was appointed castellan, but despite their elevation in rank, they were still scum, and I was disgusted at having to serve such people.”

Initially confused, Kunigunde soon composed her thoughts, plotting how to use the information to her advantage. She would have liked nothing better than to chase Marie out of town without a penny and confiscate her property; unfortunately, however, she couldn’t take such drastic measures, because for some unknown reason the woman stood high in the count palatine’s favor.

Even though it pained her to suggest a marriage between her cousin and Marie after hearing this scandalous news, it still seemed the best way to seize the woman’s property. She was now convinced Marie wouldn’t offer much resistance, because as a former prostitute, the widow should be glad if a man of rank lowered himself to wed her.

“Do you have any further orders for me, Lady Kunigunde?” Marga asked submissively.

Lady Kunigunde shook her head. “You can go to the kitchen and check if the dinner I ordered will be ready on time.” Waving her hand as if swatting at an annoying insect, the lady hurried away, skirts flying. Marga wanted desperately to know what her mistress was planning and considered following her under some pretext. But since she depended on Lady Kunigunde’s favor, the housekeeper sighed and went to do as she was asked.

In the meantime, Lady Kunigunde had reached Marie’s chamber and burst in without knocking. Marie was sitting by the window, sewing a changing pillow for her
soon-to
-
be
-born
child. She glanced up from her work with annoyance when she saw Lady Kunigunde invading her privacy. “How can I help you?”

“I need to talk to you.” Kunigunde pulled up a chair next to Marie and sat down. Her eyes skimmed the chamber’s furnishings, and what she saw charmed her more than anything else she’d seen in the castle so far. It had to be such pleasure to live here. Immediately pushing aside the thought, she pretended to be concerned. “As you know, my husband has been given responsibility for you by the count palatine.”

Irritated, Marie shook her head. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“You are now my husband’s ward, and what he says, happens.”

Marie gave a short laugh in response. “You’re wrong. The count palatine is my guardian after my husband’s death.”

The confident serenity Marie radiated angered Lady Kunigunde, and she pounded her thigh with a clenched fist. “And he gave this responsibility to my husband, whose will it is that such a beautiful woman . . .” At this, she sighed jealously and had to take a deep breath before continuing. “Well, it’s my husband’s opinion that it isn’t appropriate to keep a young widow in our house.”

Marie shrugged. “So I have to leave the castle. All right, I’ll go.”

Angrily, Lady Kunigunde glared at her. “You’re not listening properly, woman! My husband wants you to marry my cousin Götz von Perchtenstein. And that’s that!” It wasn’t exactly the speech Lady Kunigunde had imagined, but Marie’s composure had thrown her.

The young widow gazed back mockingly. “You must have gone insane!”

Jumping to her feet in rage, Lady Kunigunde grabbed Marie’s shoulders. “You won’t defy me for long! Either you do as I say, or else . . .”

Marie freed herself from Kunigunde’s grasp and pushed her hands away. “Or else what?”

Lady Kunigunde wanted nothing more than to have her husband give Marie a good beating, until she did as she was told and married Götz. But if the woman managed to complain to the count palatine, they’d be in trouble. Therefore, she had to use other means to put this stubborn harlot in her place. Kunigunde spun around and admired the chamber’s furnishings once more. And in that moment she knew what to do.

“Since my husband is the new captain of the castle, the lady’s chamber should be mine. Why should I stay in a cold, drafty chamber while a harlot like you makes herself at home in my rooms?”

The words were like a slap to Marie’s cheek, and she struggled for an answer. One look at Kunigunde’s livid, flushed face told her that fighting wouldn’t get her anywhere, however, and she just shrugged. “Since it is your wish, I will have the chamber cleared of my things so you can bring your furniture and chests.”

Lady Kunigunde stared at her in confusion. “What furniture and chests? I don’t have any such things.”

“Then you’ll have to get some. These furnishings belong to me and were paid for with my money. I’m not planning on leaving them for you.”

Before Lady Kunigunde could reply, Marie went to the door and called for her handmaid. When Ischi entered a moment later, Marie asked her to fetch a few servants to empty the room.

“I forbid you to do that!” Lady Kunigunde shouted furiously.

Marie turned to her with an icy expression. “You can’t forbid her anything. Ischi is my maid, and the servants, too, have received their year’s wages from me. They will do as I say until Candlemas, and it’s merely a courtesy of mine to allow them to work for you now.”

Refusing to give up, Kunigunde rushed into the hall and called for Marga, her voice cracking with anger. “Which is the most miserable chamber in the entire castle?” she asked as the frightened housekeeper came running. “Make sure that this despicable whore gets put there. She doesn’t deserve anything more.”

Marga’s eyes brightened upon hearing the order. A smile spread over her face, and she answered Lady Kunigunde’s orders by nodding eagerly. “You can rely on me, mistress. I will find a suitable chamber for this harlot.”