The Robber Knight's Secret

58. Ordeal by Fire

Reuben's teeth clenched in rage.

How the hell did he get out of the dungeon?

Then, suddenly he remembered: of course! The enemy soldiers had opened the dungeon gates! Gernot must have escaped while he was busy taking care of those bastards!

"You have cursed this land!" Stabbing a finger at the surrounding crowd, Gernot drew himself up to his full height. "The blood you have shed with your heretical weapons will be as salt to your fields! It will ruin your harvests and poison your children! Your homes shall be destroyed by the righteous wrath of God! There, do you see?" He gestured to the flames behind him. "His wroth has already struck! This is God's will!"

And your handiwork, no doubt, Reuben thought grimly. It always amazed him how people had no problems burning whole cities down in the name of God, but if someone pinched a loaf of bread or slept with the wrong girl, nobody ever accused God of stealing or committing adultery. Reuben had never ever burned down a city or a castle in the name of God. After all, why let someone else take all the credit for your hard work?

"I warned you!" The fanatic's voice rose higher and higher. "I warned you to leave the path of sin, told you to repent, but you wouldn't listen! Now, it is too late! Now all of you will pay the price of sin! And as for you—"

Whirling around, he pointed an accusing finger at Ayla.

"You, witch, you, who are the unholy head of this band of heretics, shall meet the death of all witches! You will burn! Burn, I say!"

Ayla's gaze flickered between the keep and the madman. Reuben saw her pale, and felt his fists clench.

Over the growing crackling of the flames, Reuben heard a noise. Not really a cry, it was too weak for that. It sounded more like the sound of a wounded, week old moose. Reuben didn't understand what the sound was until Ayla's scream shattered the night.

"Yes!" The fanatic laughed. "Do you hear that, witch? The cries of your father? He is already burning, and soon, you will follow! You will burn! You will all burn!"

"Father! No!"

Forgetting the twenty-foot drop in front of her, Ayla stumbled forward. She caught herself just before she reached the edge of the wall, but her arms reached out towards the glow of the fire. Even over the wall, Reuben could see flames licking up towards the night sky now, and smoke rising over the keep.

Her father! Of course!

Reuben cursed himself for not thinking of that earlier. The man was a bedridden old cripple! Of course he would still be in the keep! There was no one else up there, how could he try and escape the flames? He couldn't! And since she was the sentimental sort, Ayla would probably mind if her father burned to death.

Satan's hairy ass! Did she expect him to do something about that?

He took another look at her face, at the tears running down her cheeks. It only took that one look and he knew: he might not have to do something, but he was bloody well going to!

"You there!" Stepping forward, Reuben grabbed one of the enemy soldiers, who, even kneeling down, was still holding on to one end of a siege ladder. "Give me that ladder!"

"L-ladder?" The soldier glanced down at the object, confused.

"Yes, man, are you deaf? Give me that ladder!"

"But... It's a siege ladder."

"I know it is! Give it to me! I need to storm the castle!"

"You?" Now, the soldier looked even more confused. "But... you're one of the defenders, aren't you?"