Authors: J.E. Moncrieff
“My name is not Samuel De Lyons,” he said wearily. “I won’t tell you my true name, but rather that it is an identity I will revert to when I leave this city. I am not loyal to Edmund Courtridge. I am working an assignment as ordered by my master, and I have spent three years infiltrating and monitoring Courtridge’s posse.” He paused and waited for a reply but continued with a sigh as they stared back at him silently. “I work for a great man named Henry Tudor. You have heard of him?”
They each nodded and smiled, confusing him further.
“Henry Tudor wants the same as all of us,” he continued. “He wants the York bastards out of the throne, and if he can he will take it himself. He has a strong, legitimate claim. We knew Courtridge was plotting against King Edward and the Duke, and I was sent here to make sure it went in our favour.”
“So it was Tudor’s idea to take the boys?” John asked.
“No, it was Courtridge’s idea, or one of his men. But when the last King Edward died, we all knew that his brother Richard’s ambitions would cause enough of a divide in our country to put any Lancastrian hopes to sleep. With the new King gone, there is no one but the Duke to stand in our way and with the loyalties divided as they are, he will be easy to take out.”
“So what about Edmund?” Jake asked.
“He’ll be fine. I led him to use Spence and to ensure he is caught for tonight. Courtridge will be rewarded greatly by the Duke, I am sure, and again when Tudor sits the throne. It is how I will ensure the safety of our secrets.”
“But he wanted to be King.”
“Yes he did, and he had a vague claim. But that just wouldn’t do. I was to push the plan ahead and to ensure that Edmund could not make a claim over the Duke. He had backing from many of the barons and I had to discredit him.”
“You set him up?”
“I steered the outcome and I made sure he went free. I have achieved exactly what was required and it was a good plan; until you came along.”
“Us?”
“Yes. You became more than useful to me in the end, but not having control over my destiny and that of our future King is too dangerous for a man like me. I must always know what is going on. When someone has their own hidden agenda it leaves me, uneasy.”
“So you hadn’t used us to achieve that?”
“I swear not, Sir Jake. I thought John was still in the Tower, and when you and he escaped, the Courtridge reputation was over and the plot was on. Henry will wait, then he’ll take the throne by force; it is done. The King is gone, the Duke is weak, and the opposing claim is tarnished. I have achieved more than I could’ve hoped. I can leave now and retire with my family. I haven’t seen them for more than three years, though I know they are safe.”
“Thank you for speaking the truth to us, Samuel. You have answered all of our questions,” John said. “We mean you no harm and will leave without a word.”
“Please, then. Answer mine? Who are you, Rougemont?”
“We are not from here, Sam. We came only for the truth and that is the truth of the murder of the King and his brother. We have our answers and the traitors are Edmund Courtridge and William Spence. Trust us when we say you will not hear of us or what we know of this again. Thank you.”
A silent moment was shared between them as De Lyons realised he would get nothing more. He smiled gratefully at his new friends and stood to embrace them as voices outside the window made him jump. John beat him to the window and peered outside, swearing as he saw a number of dark shapes moving in the shadows with their blades glinting in the flickering torchlight of the streets.
“Samuel?” John asked. “Is this by your hand?”
“By God no, it is not. I speak the truth, John. They are probably here for both of us.”
Jake looked out behind them.
“They look like Starkes’ men,” he said grimly. “We won’t have much luck with them.”
“Starkes?” asked John.
“The man who set up your capture,” answered De Lyons.
“And your rescue,” added Jake.
“Is he an ally then?” John asked.
“He’s an ally only to whoever is paying him. In this case, that twat Spence,” Jake answered in his natural tone making De Lyons look around in confusion. “How do you want to get out?” he continued, ignoring him.
“How can we? They’re everywhere down there,” De Lyons said gravely.
“How can we possibly fight this far then fail?” Charlotte asked from behind them as tears formed in her eyes.
“They’re on foot,” De Lyons said, smiling sadly as he watched Charlotte’s emotions rise. “Take the horses below and ride through. I’ll buy you time and distract them.
“How?”
“I’ll wrap up in a cloak and attack them in the dark. As they take me, you ride clear.”
“But your family?”
“My work here is done, my children are now grown, and there is a bigger picture. I couldn’t bear the failure of my mission and I understand you must feel the same. Mine is complete; go finish yours.”
“What about the diary?” asked Jake.
“It is safe,” De Lyons said, shaking his head. “I had a trustworthy servant of mine bury it in St. Albans.”
John and Jake shared a glance and a smile.
“Go!” Samuel demanded. “I don’t want to change my mind.”
The team collected their belongings in haste and ran down their steps to the stables below. Mounting silently, Charlotte kissed De Lyons on the cheek and jumped up into her saddle in silence.
“Thank you,” said John sincerely.
“There’s no need,” Samuel replied. “I’ll slip out through this door and charge them from the side. I’ll occupy them for at least half a minute, I’m sure. Wait until I am deep amongst them then fly.”
John nodded and checked the others were ready. As they looked back, nervous and still, he turned back to Samuel who was whispering a prayer in Latin. The men looked at each other.
“Ready when you are,” said John.
Samuel nodded and drew a sword from his hip holding it aloft. Taking another knife from a sheath in his cloak, he let the heavy cloth fall away and checked the armour underneath that he had worn since the raid on the Tower. Both blades glinted with his wide eyes in the flaming torchlight, and as he smiled to the team, he opened the door slightly and disappeared into the darkness with a roar.
Behind the large doors, the team shifted nervously at a rush of noise and panic; then steadied themselves as the unmistakeable clash of metal sounded around them. With a nod, Jake kicked open the wide doors and sprang onto his horse as John led the charge of the team past him. The five of them burst into the chilly, black night and found themselves thundering through the unsuspecting melee of shadows as a new shout went up behind. John and David rode their mounts hard through the street as Chris clung tightly to Charlotte on their shared horse and Jake brought up the rear. They kept their heads low and grit their teeth as the whistle of arrows around them brought them close to death with every second, but as the walls and doors passed in a blur, the noise of the fighting finally faded away. They rode hard to the east and away from the city, finally making their way towards freedom and home.
*
* *
De Lyons roared with pleasure as he dropped two of the shadows with his fast moving blades, and then turned on the spot to face more enemies behind him. He ignored the tiredness in his limbs as every opponent he killed was replaced with two more, and his fight finally grew more desperate as those who had chased the horses returned to have their turn at causing his death. He had underestimated the numbers and felt his defences drop as at least twelve hellish figures flicked their blades all around him. It was all he could do to keep them at bay and as a blade sliced the top of his sword arm from behind, his knees fell to the floor and the metal clattered down noisily beside him. De Lyons’ gut felt like ice had been passed through it before the hooded figure withdrew his blade leaving his insides spilling before him. He was held up by two men and had his mask roughly removed as a dark figure emerged from the shadows and looked him up and down with disgust.
“Dirty little secret, De Lyons?” Spence uttered as a smile crept across his bitten face. “You fight better than you let on and now you’re sacrificing yourself for these unknown traitors?”
De Lyons sat up straight and grit his teeth as he felt his strength slip away from him.
“You’re dead now, William,” he said as a trickle of blood emerged from his lips. “There is no escape for you, not here, not anywhere. Courtridge, the Duke of Gloucester, the future king Henry Tudor; they all have money and support. You have neither now. You will be hunted down, tortured and privately executed for treason. No one will be interested in the truth or anything else you say. It’s far more convenient for them to hurt and kill you.” He laughed then, though he spluttered through the pain.
“They won’t find me,” said Spence defensively.
“They will,” De Lyons said as his head was held up by a gloved hand in his hair. “And I will see you in hell,” he added with a menacing grin as the flash of a blade behind him tore into the back of his neck.
The armoured body crumpled on the spot, while the blonde head rolled to a stop at Spence’s feet, face up with eyes fixed in malice.
Twenty-Seven
23
rd
June 1483
David and John sat together watching the crackle of their campfire while their exhausted team slept around them. They were only a couple of miles from the portal having ridden dangerously through the night and then kept the horses moving through the following day at the best pace they could manage. Finally as their horses’ exhaustion set in and the land became too dark to watch for potholes and changes in the earth, they had no choice but to rest despite the proximity of home. With no sign of hunters behind them, they’d doubled back on their tracks and made their way to nearby woodland to camp for the night.
“They’ve really gotten close,” David said as he watched Jake and Charlotte asleep together under their cloaks. John chuckled at the sight. He’d seen it coming, but had never expected them to form a bond quite like the one they had. Now as he watched Chris slowly and subconsciously edge towards them in his sleep it was enough to make him laugh.
“Can you believe your family only saw you yesterday?” he replied. “I just can’t get my head around it. We’ve aged and they’ve stood still. Thank god it only took us a matter of weeks.”
“It’s unbelievable. Only one night has passed and now here we are; hardened Tudor folk with the pain and scars to show for it. How are your burns?”
“They’re ok,” John said, touching them absent-mindedly and deep in thought.
“Are you looking forward to seeing Jane?” David continued. “It’s nice to know you have a brand new and exciting relationship to develop when we get back.”
“I can’t wait, to be honest. I’ve really missed her. It’s strange really, but I’ve got a good feeling about us.”
“That’s great. A few hours and we’ll be there. I can’t believe we’re finally going home.”
“I can’t believe we’ve survived! Feel free to get some rest, Dave. Don’t stay up for me.”
“Are you going to sleep?”
“I can’t. We’ve gotten this close, there’s no way I can let my guard down now. Like you said, home is a few hours away and then I can rest for as long as I need to. You get your head down though. I’ll keep watch.”