Stephen Lawhead - Scarlet

"Even that is too long," Jago, as Brother Alfonso, informed him. "Perhaps you would allow my fellow monks and me to serve as your crew at least as far as Lundein. If you tell us what to do, we will do it. And," he added, "the king will reward you well when we tell him how you have helped us."

Ruprecht of Flanders pulled on his chin and cast a weather eye at the sky, then to the river. "The tide is beginning to run, and the wind is in a favourable quarter." He made up his mind with a snap of his fingers. "Well, why not? As soon as His Eminence is aboard, we will cast off. Here! I will show you what to do. Step to the music, friends!"

And just like that, Iwan and Siarles were no longer lay brothers, but sailors. Under Ruprecht's direction, they hauled on the ropes and picked up the poles and, in as much time as it takes to tell it, we were away, leaving the Ffreinc standing on the shore, mouths agape, eyes a-boggle at the swiftness of our departure. The ship, light of its load, spun out into the deeper channel; the tide lifted her and carried her off. We saw the dock and Hamtun town growing small behind us and laughed out loud. We were so relieved to have done with those treacherous Ffreinc, we laughed until the tears streamed down our cheeks.

We made for Lundein, sailing along the coast and up the wide Thames until we came in sight of the White Tower-a splendid thing it is, too, all gleaming pale and tall like an enormous horn rising from the bank of the muddy river. But we had no sooner made anchor and summoned a tender alongside to carry us to shore than we learned that the king was not in England. "Gone to France," said the tenderman. He counted the days on his fingers. "A week or more ago, give or take."

"Are you certain?" asked Jago.

"Show him this," said Bran, handing Jago a silver penny. "Give it to him if he answers well."

Jago questioned the man closely, and at the end declared himself satisfied that the man was telling the truth; he tossed the boatman the coin. "What is your wish, my lord?"

"We have no choice," Bran replied. I saw the keen glint in his eye and knew he'd already decided.

Merian saw it, too. "You mean…? We can't!"

"Why not?" said Bran. "I've been thinking, and the sooner we get this out in the open, the sooner we can reclaim Elfael."

"What are you talking about?" said Iwan.

Bran turned and called: "Master Ruprecht! Cast off and make sail for France."

"France!" scoffed the big warrior. "I wouldn't set foot beyond the high tide mark on the word of an Englishman."

"Careful, friend," I warned, smiling as I said it. "Some of us Englishmen are that touchy when our honour is called into question."

Iwan pawed the air at me with his hand. "You know what I mean."

"He has a point," Siarles put in. "France is a fair size, so I'm told."

"And full of Ffreincmen," I added.

"We might want to know where we're going if we aim to meet up with Red William."

Bran agreed and, with Brother Jago for company, ordered Ruprecht to hire the men to crew the ship and get whatever provisions might be necessary for a voyage to France, and then climbed down into the waiting tender boat. Rhi Bran and Jago went ashore to learn what they could of the king's whereabouts, and we were soon occupied with securing provisions and fodder for the horses, and hauling water aboard. Seeing as how his passengers were ambassadors of the pope, the ship's master also bought a cask of wine and two of ale, and a barrel of smoked herrings, two bags of apples, four live chickens, two ducks, and a basket of eggs. These he bought from the merchant boats plying the wide river, bartering for a price and then hauling the various casks, crates, and cages up over the rail. He then went in search of sailors to make the voyage with us. While he was gone, we stowed all of the cargo away in the little rooms below deck and then waited for Bran and Jago to return.

We waited long, watching the river sink lower and lower as the tide ebbed out. The bare mud of the upper bank was showing and the sun had disappeared below the horizon and Iwan was almost ready to swim ashore to storm the tower, he was that sure Bran and Jago had been taken captive, when Merian called out, "Here they are! They're coming now."

Indeed, they were already in a boat and making their way out to where Dame Havik rode at anchor. Moments later, we were pulling them aboard. We all gathered around to hear what they had learned ashore.

"The king has gone to attend a council at Rouen," Bran said. "He left with sixty men ten days ago. I know not where Rouen may be, but I mean to go there and lay before him all that we know and suspect."

"I know Rouen," volunteered Ruprecht when he returned a short while later leading four Flemish sailors to crew the ship. "Ten days, you say?" He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "If they were travelling overland on horseback, we may still be able to catch them before they arrive."

"Truly?" wondered Iwan. "How is that possible?"

"My ship draws lightly," he said. "We can easily go upriver as far as the bridge. It is but a short ride from there to the town."

The tide was on the rise, so we had to wait until it had begun to ebb again. We settled down to a good meal which the ship's master and Jago prepared for us, then slept a little, rising again when the tide began to flow. As a dim half-moon soared overhead, we upped anchor and set out once more.

Dawn found us skirting the high white cliffs of the southern coast, and as the sun rose, the clouds gathered and the wind began to blow. At first it wasn't so bad that a fella couldn't stand up to it, but by midday, the waves were dashing against the hull and splashing over the rail. Ruprecht allowed that we were in for some rough water, but assured us that we would come to no harm. "A summer storm, nothing more," he called cheerfully. "Do not fret yourselves, Brothers. See to the horses-there are ropes to lash them down so they cannot hurt themselves."

Throughout the day, the storm grew. Wind howled around the bare mast-they'd long since taken down the sails-and the waves tossed the ship like thistledown: now up, now down, now tail over top. It was all I could do to hold on for dear life and keep my poor bandaged fingers from smashing against the hull as I tried to keep from getting battered bloody.

As evening fell on that wild day, our ship's master was the only one still cheerful. Ruprecht alone maintained his usual good humour in the teeth of the storm. Moreover, he was the only one still standing. The rest of us-his sailors included-were hunkered down below the deck, clinging to the stout ribs of the ship as she bucked and heaved in the rowdy waves.

More than once, my innards tried to leave the wretched confines of their piteous prison-and I without strength or will to stop them. My stomach heaved with every wave that rolled and tried to sink our vessel. Along with my miserable companions, I shut my eyes against the dizzying pitch and twist, and stopped my ears against the shriek of the wind and the angry sea's bellowing roar.

This seagoing calamity continued for an eternity, so it seemed. When at last we dared lift our heads and unclasp our limbs and venture onto the deck, we saw the clouds torn and flying away to the east and rays of sunlight streaming through, all bright gold and glowing like the firmament of heaven. "Have we died then?" asked Siarles, grey-faced with the sickness we all shared. The front of his robe was damp from his throwing up, and his hair was slick and matted with sweat.

"No such luck," groaned Iwan; his appearance likewise had not improved with the ordeal. "I can still feel the beast bucking under me. In heaven there will be no storms."

"And no ships, either," muttered Merian. Pale and shaky, she tottered off to find water to wash her face and hands. Bran was least affected by the storm, but even he strode unsteadily to where Ruprecht stood smiling and humming at the tiller; summoning Jago to him, Bran said, "Ask him how many days we have lost."