Authors: J.E. Moncrieff
“Shouldn’t have?”
“No, as I said, you shouldn’t have. Getting out,” the soldier continued, “Head straight for the gate, we’ll be nearby but not on it. It’ll be open, just leave and I’ll shut it behind you.”
“Easy as pie,” Chris said, laughing nervously and receiving a strong look up and down from the grizzled soldier before him.
“I was told you two were tough,” he said. “You better not fuck up and get caught tonight. There’s no fight here. If the alarm is raised, it’s over for you. You’ll be tortured and hanged. If I’m around you when that happens? I’ll kill you before you betray me and my people, you understand?”
“We do,” Jake said. “We’ll be out before you know it.”
“Good luck,” the soldier said as he stepped outside the door.
By the end of the conversation, Chris was dressed in the heavy mail shirt and tunic of the Tower soldiers and began to strap on his sword.
“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” he said smiling.
“Are you ok?” Jake asked as he strapped on his own sword.
“Yeah, man. I’m more than alright. I love it!”
Jake smiled back at him, seeing his genuine excitement and feeling his own nerves vanish with his infectiousness.
Opening the door and stepping back out into the quiet, dimly lit street, the only sound was their boots as they walked the deadly path to the dungeon. Strolling confidently like young soldiers at work, they spotted the door and headed for it before it opened in front of them and two soldiers stepped out. Jake immediately recognised one of the men as the Sergeant who had given the peasant a hard time on their first visit to the court. His chest constricted with nerves as he continued his path and kept his face out of sight of the man. The long and lanky soldier sneered at them as he walked out and his young accompaniment closed the door behind them.
“Where are you two off to? This isn’t a patrol route tonight,” he said, looking them over.
“Cells, Sergeant,” Jake replied in a cockney accent. “Chris here is due to shadow before his first watch down there.”
“Since when have we been doing that, boy?”
“Don’t know, Sarge. Just got told to bring him down and introduce him by the boss up in the barracks.”
“Sykes didn’t say anything about that to me.”
“Apparently he knows, Sarge. Probably be happy for the company to be fair.”
“Yes, well it’s still odd but I guess they always do this sort of shit. Are you from the barracks, boy?” he asked, turning to Chris. “I didn’t know we had any new guards in.”
“I was sent by my uncle to learn the ways of the Tower Guards, Sergeant,” Chris replied, sounding convincingly like a young, boy-guard under scrutiny. “He says Tower Guards are some of the best around and I’d do well to learn the ways of them. I’m proud to have the opportunity, Sergeant.”
“Don’t suck up to me, lad.”
“Sorry, Sergeant.”
“This uncle of yours then, senior officer is he?”
“Yes, Sarge. He was a major, Sarge. He’s retired now.”
“Well I don’t care how connected you are, Soldier. Just make sure you perform. I’m sure your uncle will want you dealt with like any other, so don’t think you’ll get any slack from me because of it. And shave that bum fluff of your face after this duty before I see you again or I’ll slice it off for you with a bit of your face to match.”
“Yes, Sergeant.”
Rogers fixed them with a suspicious glance before shrugging off the unusual feeling and walking past, allowing them on their way.
Opening the door, the two descended the steps into darkness.
“Are you ok, Sarge?” asked the young soldier by his side as they walked in silence towards the main gate.
“Not really. It doesn’t seem right, that’s all. Sykes said nothing to me and I just don’t recall anyone new being sent here. How long has that boy been here?”
“Don’t know, Sarge. Never seen him before.”
“Never? He must be very new then. But I would’ve heard if he’d just arrived, I’m sure of it.” He watched his feet in thought as he neared the main gate then stopped and looked back to the soldier. “Why would any old soldier be showing this ‘nephew of a major’ around? What’s the other soldier’s name?”
“Don’t know that either, Sarge. Not seen him before neither.”
“Seriously? That’s too odd. I recognise him but can’t place it so I was sure I’d just seen him around the garrison. I must’ve seen him somewhere around here then. There’s no way I’d recognise someone like him from outside of this place. We’ll have to ask him.” He stepped towards the gate and pointed at the bullish looking guard standing there. “Get your mate in the door and both of you get up to barracks to find out when the new lad arrived and who put him on guard duty tonight,” he bellowed. “You two!” he roared at two men at the top of the wall. “Guard the gate, one in, one out. And you boy in the street, with me.”
Marching at pace back to the dungeon doors, the newly involved soldier spoke quietly by his leader’s side.
“What’s happening, Sarge? he asked innocently.
“Couple of intruders, mate,” replied the other soldier. “Dressed up like us, they are.”
Rogers rounded on them both furiously.
“Shut your mouths,” he said. “I won’t have this leaking on my bloody watch again. Not after the last fuck up when we lost that fool. Firstly, we don’t know who they are. Secondly, you say nothing until it’s dealt with. Nothing, understand? Quiet.”
The soldier nodded and kept his head down as he followed behind on the cobbled street.
“Oh shit, David!” Charlotte whispered harshly from behind her crate. “Come over here.” David left his hiding place and scrambled over to watch the gate with her. “Someone just pulled the guard in and then there was a bit of shouting,” she said. “I’ve got a funny feeling about it.”
“I heard the noise too. Two on the wall ran down.”
“What do you reckon is going on?”
“I don’t know. Hang on...”
The door to the gate opened again and a soldier stepped back out and took his place glumly in the dark before the door closed behind him.
“There you go, sorted,” David said, pleased.
“No, Dave. That’s a different soldier,” Charlotte replied.
“How do you know?” It’s so dark, Charlotte.”
“I just know. I haven’t taken my eyes off the last one. It’s not him.”
“But there were two of them before.”
“Yes and the second one is far shorter than the original one and that one there now.”
“Well if you’re sure, we’ve got to do something.”
“I know. I’m going to have to distract him and keep him distracted until they’re out.”
“What are you planning?”
“Exactly what I have to, Davey. There’s no way around it. Watch the walls and watch my back.” She crept off to the side of the gate until she was close to the walls, and then slowly walked along the stone, loosening her cloak until she was close to the gate.
“Who comes there?” said the guard.
“No one special,” she replied sweetly.
The soldier watched closely as she emerged from the darkness, then a smile cracked along his face. He straightened himself as he got a look at the lady approaching him and stood taller, removing his helmet.
“Can I help you, Miss?” he asked politely.
“No, I’m just on my way through,” she replied.
“Are you busy tonight?”
“Busy? What are you suggesting? Are you saying I’m a street whore?”
“Oh,” the soldier hesitated. “I just figured, you know, as it’s so late.”
“Well you can figure again,” she shouted. “I always walk late, to see what I come across.”
“It’s very dangerous, Miss.”
“Well I take my chances. Being lonely as I am, I don’t really worry about what might happen. Besides, how could I be at risk with strong men like you around to watch out for me?”
He stood a little taller and watched her more closely as she walked around him slowly and let her robe hang further down her shoulder.
“What does your husband think of your late walks?” he asked hopefully.
She smiled at him then. First deviously, then warmly; watching him loosen up with every change.
“My future husband is away in France and has been gone a very long time. I don’t even know if he is still alive.”
“You must be lonely, my lady.”
“I was anyway even before he went. He isn’t as strong and brave as you are. He could never give me what I wanted.” She stepped a little closer. “What I still need,” she added.
He took a deep breath, looking around to check they were alone; then looked on her as though he couldn’t believe his luck. ‘Poor sod’, she thought to herself as his eyes lit up. He was a handsome young soldier and was only doing his duty. He’d probably get strung up for taking his eye off the ball, she realised. He stepped closer and tried to open her cloak.
“Easy, soldier,” she said all of a sudden. “It’s a long night and you don’t want to give everything away at once. In any case you had better be careful, you’re on duty. Why don’t you sit down and we’ll talk?”
“I’m not sure I have time to talk.”
“Oh really?” she said. “But you’ve got time to put your hands on me?” She let her leg slip from her cloak and bare her skin to her thigh. “I didn’t think you’d pass up all your opportunities.”
His eyes opened wide as the flame light danced off of her bare flesh and he sat back in his stool, adjusting his newly arisen comfort issue in the darkness.
“Good boy,” she said with a wink.
“My god it stinks down here,” whispered Chris as he crept behind Jake down the small, winding staircase to the Tower cells. Lit only by intermittent flame torches, the place was dark as Jake had expected, but more pungent than he could ever had imagined. The smell of blood and excrement lingered around them like a threatening oppression and it took all of their strength to keep the contents of their stomachs inside. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, the air cleared into a room-sized seating area, and a single table with a familiar face sat before them in a Sergeant’s uniform.
Sykes took a deep breath.
“Can I help you?” he said.
“We’re here for the D.I.,” Jake replied clearly as directed.
Hearing the strange sentence he’d been told to expect, Sykes nodded nervously and stood up. He pulled a set of keys from his waist and handed the right one to Chris as he held his hand out to him.
“Clear coming in?” he asked.
“Not exactly, but we should be ok. That Sergeant spoke to us.”
“Rogers? Shit.”