Winter's Blossom: The Seasons of Arthur

Chapter 33

We reached the building, and I saw there was no doorway on this side of it and cursed and led my men around. I heard a dog start backing from inside and swore under my breath. 'Go.' I hissed at the men. 'Surround this place, move.' But Agravaine was ahead of me, and his huge two-handed sword was in his hand and suddenly I heard a tumultuous crash, screams and more barking. 'Don't let anyone escape.' I now shouted to my men and rushed around to find Agravaine inside, one of my men had followed him inside and, in the tiny light, I tried to take in the scene.

The building was circular, with a small hearth in the middle and against the far side of the building a woman was pressed against a bed of furs strewn across the floor, clutching a young child to her. Before her stood a small, stocky man who was obviously terrified, and stood trembling before them with a hunting bow in his hand. At his heels a large, dirty dog growled at us. Across from them Agravaine and the man who had followed him in both stood, nervous of going forwards against the strung arrow that twitched in my direction as I entered the faintly lit, smoky building.

'He's got one arrow.' Agravaine said. 'Mail will probably stop it. On three we rush...' He never finished what he was saying as his eyes were caught by a flicker of silver.

His were not the only ones. I had delved my hand into my pouch, and as casually as I could I now flicked the silver coin in the air before catching it in my open palm. The frightened farmer's eyes fixed on it, shrewdly knowing there must be a reason why I was showing him coin, and almost contemptuously I flicked it so that it landed at his feet.

Every pair of eyes but my own flicked down to the coin then and back up.

'You know this land?' I asked. Already there was another silver coin that I was casually flicking into the air. The man nodded but said nothing. His bow dropped though, the string loosening though the arrow was still held on the string ready to be quickly drawn back again. 'You know where the nearest village is?' Again he nodded, though warily this time. 'There's more of this if you can lead us there. Can you do that?' Initially there was no response, but I could see the way his expression changed. He still looked wary, but his eyes narrowed shrewdly and his eyes still followed the silver. I guessed he was imagining a season's worth of earnings and he let the bow fall to his side. I pocketed the coin. 'You'll have the rest when we return.' I said. 'For now, my men need to use your barns.' Barn was a stretch, but I did not want to insult someone who's help I wanted. 'Stay here.' I nodded to my man who had followed Agravaine, not wanting the man to change his mind after he had been left alone. I made my way out to get my men hidden away into the sheds and out of sight. I heard movement behind me though and turned to see Agravaine. 'You can't trust these people.' He warned me.

I listened to him, but I was thinking of another man in another land. An old man who had told me that simple folk do not care about the petty quarrels of lords. They just want to work their land and earn enough to live off. 'I guess we'll find out.' I shrugged. 'Because we can't keep wandering around on a vague idea of where to go.' Agravaine nodded reluctantly.

The next night we were led, now moving quickly over a series of tracks and roads that were little more than two ruts in the grass. I pressed ahead with the farmer turned guide, urging him to speed, knowing that we had to travel a day's march in one night of unsure footing. Behind us marched a brooding Agravaine, who shadowed the guide as if preparing for treachery, always within reach of shooting one of his arms, so thickly muscled they made my legs look small, to seize the small statured farmer who in turn constantly looked anxiously over his shoulder.

' The night stretched out, and was painfully cold as we marched. A breeze blew sharply into our faces and stung the skin and made our eyes water. Our ears were bitterly painful in the cold bite of the wind. As the night drew on, and the temperature dropped drastically just to highlight we were in those cold hours of the night. The moon had sunk low to show how close the first hints of dawn were from showing and I thought this is exactly how the last night had been. Had we used up all our luck with that? Or was the farmer turned guide deliberately being slow so we would be only stumble on the settlement in the daylight? But then our guide suddenly stopped, causing Agravaine to bump into him and automatically reach out to seize the man's arm in one of his shovel-like hands.