“That's it? That's your plan? For me to get closer and shoot the rope? They'll just kill her with a sword anyway.”
“Yes. No. I mean, it's only part of the plan. Can you do it?” Robard removed his wallet and ran his hand through the feathers of his arrows. He removed one a bit longer than the others, with a broader arrowhead. He held it up, sighting along it as if inspecting it for defects. He nocked it in his bow and said, “Yes, I can make the shot. You'll have to give me three or four seconds to stand, draw and sight. But I'll do it.”
“Good. Then wait for my signal,” I said. Most of the guards had clustered in the courtyard, delaying their search of the grounds to see what happened next.
“All right. When I leave, you make your way to the wagon. Make sure none of the guards up on the battlements can see you clearly. They may have archers up there.”
“Leave? What do you mean, leave?” he asked.
“I'm going to get us something to trade,” I said.
The castle had enclosed towers on each corner, but to my advantage, the guardhouses were built so the guards could see out, not into the interior. I would be out of their sight lines if I was careful. Leaving Robard still sputtering behind the barrels, I sprinted for the corner stairway. Within seconds I was above the courtyard.
“Squire! I'm telling you, your friend will hang at my command unless you surrender this instant!” Sir Hugh bellowed from down below. He was bluffing. He wouldn't hang Maryam until he knew for sure we were still in the castle. If he did let her die before he got his hands on the Grail, he undoubtedly knew Robard would shoot him at the first opportunity. Sir Hugh was nothing if not a coward. Still I had no time to waste.
As I moved across the rampart, I stayed close to the crenature, which provided me with cover. My brown tunic blended well with the castle stone. I wondered about Robard's progress below, but there was no time to check. In a few seconds, I reached the shadows of the far corner. To my right now was a door into the second level of the keep. I hoped it wasn't locked and made fast toward it, pulling up at the door, pushing against it with my hip.
“Squire, I grow weary of this!” I heard Sir Hugh call out from down below. “I give you to the count of one hundred to show yourself or she hangs!” Luckily the door made no sound. If I was right and Sir Hugh had ordered every available guard outside to search, my plan was going to work. I needed his cooperation, and counted on his greed to possess the Grail.
Once inside there was another stone stairway leading to the upper levels. I gambled the Queen Mother's quarters would be on the top floor. She would demand the most commanding view in the castle. I raced up the two levels of stone steps and stopped, peeking out into the corridor of the top floor. My luck was holding, for a single guard was standing outside a door in the middle of the hallway. I pulled my sword out but carried it down along my leg, where it was concealed in the folds of my tunic. Then I burst into the hallway, running full tilt toward him.
“Guard! The Captain demands you go at once to the bailey! The criminals have been located!” He faced me, momentarily confused. His hand went to the sword at his belt. “Haltâ” he started to say, but now I was upon him and swung the hilt of my sword up, driving it into his chin. With my momentum, the blow lifted him off his feet, and his eyes rolled inward as he landed hard on the ground.
I pushed at the door with all my weight and it swung open, revealing the Queen Mother's chambers. The room was brightly lit by oil lamps, and behind a beautiful oak table she sat. She must have heard the commotion in the hallway, but her face was serene. Behind her stood two of her ladies-in-waiting, and their hands flew to their mouths at the sight of the ruffian who had barged into their ladies' chamber.
When the Queen Mother recognized me, her eyes went dark. Though she tried to hide it, the color drained from her face and she bolted to her feet.
“What is the meaning of this?” she demanded.
Rushing up to the table, I pointed my sword directly at her.
“Your highness, your presence is required in the bailey at once,” I told her.
“I'm not going anywhere with you, boy!” she spat.
“My lady, they are about to hang my friend and I have no time to stand on formality. Now, it's your choice: come with me willingly or so help me God, I will drag you down there.”
“I'll see
you
hang for this!” she shouted.
“I'll hang anyway! Now move!” As I feinted a thrust across the table with my sword, the Queen Mother stumbled backward with a squawk. Only the quick action of one of her attendants kept her from falling to the ground. Grabbing her arm, I pushed her toward the door.
“Let go of me! How dare you lay your filthy hands on me!” she shouted, clawing at my hand.
Before leaving, I warned the ladies-in-waiting, “Stay here. If I see you outside this room, you'll die, do you understand?” Of course I had no intention of harming them, but they both looked ready to faint. They wouldn't be a problem.
Throwing open the door, we stepped over the still unconscious guard. All the way down the hallway she twisted and tried to jerk her arm free from my grasp. I pushed her up against the wall and put my sword very near her throat.
“Listen to me! I haven't the time for this! Now you walk quickly, or I swear I will run you through!”
“It will be a pleasure watching you hang,” she spat.
“If hanging means spending less time with you, then I happily choose the rope,” I said. “Now move!”
I grabbed her by the back of the neck and held my sword at her back. We reached the staircase and stumbled our way down. I took a tighter grip on Eleanor and stepped through the door into the courtyard. By even laying a hand on Richard's mother, I had already committed a hanging offense. But I didn't care. I wasn't giving them Maryam without a fight.
“Sir Hugh!” I shouted.
He was standing less than thirty paces away. When he saw me, I could see his face in the torchlight, and his eyes went round with horror when he realized I held the Queen Mother. The Captain and a few of his guards started toward me.
“Stay where you are!” I shouted. “Another step and she dies!”
The guards skidded to a stop, all of them looking to the Captain for instruction.
“Release her, squire!” Sir Hugh shouted.
“Not until you free Maryam! Captain! Tell your men to cut her down!” I shouted.
“I don't make a move until you release the Queen Mother,” the Captain replied.
“Have your men bring three horses, saddled and ready. Open the gate. Do it now!” I ignored him.
The Captain hesitated.
“Do what he says, Captain. There's no doubt he's quite mad!” the Queen Mother shouted. Finally she sounded a little afraid. Luckily, I had managed to convince her I was serious.
“You heard her!” the Captain ordered his men. The rumble of the gate echoed off the stone walls as it slowly rose. Then everything went quiet.
“Let her down, Sir Hugh!” I said.
“No!” he shouted back.
“Good. I'll look forward to hearing you explain to King Richard how you got his mother killed,” I warned him.
“In case you've forgotten, boy, I'm a Templar. Do you think I care what a King thinks?” he sneered.
The Queen Mother tensed at this. Whatever scheme they had allied themselves in, it involved King Richard somehow. Or so I thought. These people were insane. Who knew what they were up to? But Eleanor let out a quiet hiss, as she clearly did not like her son being so easily dismissed by someone she considered nowhere near his equal.
Peering over the Queen Mother, I found Robard behind the wagon. He squatted there, his arrow nocked. He was coiled and ready, listening intently to every word and waiting for my signal.
The stable doors banged open, and guards led three mounts to the center of the courtyard. The Captain took a few steps closer to me.
“All right, squire, we've done everything you asked. Now let her go,” he implored.
“Not yet. Order Sir Hugh to release Maryam. When my friends are on their horses, we'll discuss our next move.”
The Captain faced Sir Hugh. “You heard him, sireâtime to let her go. They won't get far. We'll catch them again soon enough.”
Sir Hugh shook his head, the strain evident on his face as he pulled his sword. The Captain saw something in his eyes he didn't like and drew his own weapon.
“No, Captain. She stays where she is,” Sir Hugh said, pointing his sword at the Captain's chest. “Not another step.”
Sir Hugh looked wildly around the bailey. He was sweating and about to fall apart. In his own perverse way, he had come as far as I had in his quest. He had followed me like a bloodhound, only to be thwarted at every turn, just when the Grail was within his grasp. The look on his face now was one of a man who knew the chances of realizing his dream were growing dimmer by the second. If we escaped, if we left this castle, the Grail would elude him once more. He couldn't accept it.
“Sir Hugh!” the Captain pleaded. “You must stand down, sire. Don't make the situation worse. I trust my men. The prisoners won't get far.”
But it was not to be. Sir Hugh said nothing, and even the Queen Mother tensed as the moments went by.
“Listen, boy,” the Queen Mother whispered to me. “Let
me
go and I'll have my guards arrest Sir Hugh.”
“No, your highness. Sir Hugh will kill her before your men can approach him. Be quiet.”
“But you heard him. He's crazy now. Doesn't even care if I die, though Richard would hunt him down and kill him. What do you have that he wants so badly?” she hissed.
“Quiet, both of you!” Sir Hugh shouted at us, having heard our whispered conversation and grown unsettled by it. “Or she dies!”
“I have nothing. He's guilty of crimes against the Orderâ” I started my standard lie to the Queen Mother.
“Posh!” she interrupted me. “I don't believe you! Sir Hugh wouldn't be going to all this trouble for something as meaningless as crimes against the Order. What is it squire, gold? Give it to him. I'll give you more. Just let me go.”
“You don't have enough gold, your majesty,” I said, looking at Maryam standing precariously on the barrel.
Sir Hugh was still watching us intently, straining to hear what we said. He slowly twirled his sword in front of him. Behind him, two of the Captain's men crept stealthily forward.
“Captain! Tell your men to hold! If they touch him and Maryam dies, I will strike her down!” I warned him.
Sir Hugh whirled at my words, his sword at the ready, facing the men to his rear. Robard started to rise, but I shook my head, afraid if he shot now and Sir Hugh fell into the barrel, Maryam would still die. He grimaced in frustration but crouched behind the wagon again, waiting.
“Everyone stay calm!” the Captain shouted. He waved at his men and they retreated into the darkness. Sir Hugh turned back to us.
“All right, squire,” he said. “I am weary of this. Give me what I want. I'll count to ten. If it's not in my hands, she dies.” For emphasis, he moved behind Maryam and put his sword at her back. “Rope or blade, it makes no difference to me, squire.” Maryam raised her head, her eyes slowly coming into focus. She looked around the courtyard, but I don't think she really knew where she was yet.
The Queen Mother still wouldn't remain silent. “What do you want, squire? Land? A title? You only need tell me and it's yours.” Her voice had risen in pitch, and she chattered on nervously.
“What I want is for you to be silent,” I whispered, “and my friend to be released.”
“You must have something quite valuable for Hugh to be acting this way. What is it? I can help you, squire.” She tried to wiggle from my grasp but I held fast. She was confusing me. I had expected her to fight, not negotiate. I had no interest in anything she said, but her constant prattle was distracting.
Robard peeked over the side of the wagon again and our eyes met. His face was a mask of rage, and he shook his head vigorously toward Sir Hugh as if imploring me to do something and soon. I nodded slightly, taking a deep breath.
“Do you have a death wish, my lady? If so, keep talking,” I whispered to Eleanor. “Captain, on my honor as a Templar, I swear I will run her through and not think twice about it! Your choice! Richard will see you hang, Captain! Let her go, now!”
The Captain drew a breath and his shoulders slumped. He truly had no idea what to do and would undoubtedly have cut off a hand if it would have freed him from this place in time. Yet he knew where his duty lay. Slowly he turned to face Sir Hugh, but before he could do or say anything, Eleanor took action.
“Captain!” she shouted. “Listen to me clearly!”
Everyone stopped, even Sir Hugh, and stared at her.
“If I die, if anything happens to me, KILL THEM ALL! Sir Hugh included! Do you understand my orders?”The Captain clearly did not, for he cocked his head in confusion, and Sir Hugh's eyes went wide as he stared at her in amazement.
Then Eleanor of Aquitaine twisted her neck in my grasp, looking out at me from one evil eye. “If I die, so be it, boy,” she said. “But I'll see you dead before you
ever
sit on Richard's throne.”
A familiar feeling came over me. Time slowed, and I saw everything before me with the clarity of a circling hawk. It had happened before in Outremer on the battlefield and again when Robard had accidentally shot me. Every movement lags. Each sound becomes a muted symphony, and my senses are honed so sharply, I feel as if the air around me tastes of lightning. Another life-and-death moment was at hand.