Michael Spradlin - Orphan of Destiny

“Why not?” he whispered back. “When he moves back into sight, I think I can take him. We could end this here.”

“Can you shoot them all? Those are his men. We’re trapped up here. What if you miss? They could keep us here forever or even burn the building down with us on top of it,” I explained.

“Quiet,” Maryam commanded. “You two idiots are going to get us caught. I am not going to be thrown into another dungeon!”

Robard frowned and lowered his bow. “You’d probably just be hanged again,” he whispered. Maryam shook her head.

We waited, the minutes passing by. I wondered about the Grail. It had remained silent so far, but I wondered if it also pulled Sir Hugh to it somehow. I could not imagine God would allow such a thing, but yet there Sir Hugh waited, not more than a stone’s throw away, looking like something was holding him in place.

Finally, the other two knights rode up and reported to Sir Hugh. He was furious.

“Imbeciles. I’m certain it was the squire. I’d swear to it. He came here looking for me.”

“But Marshal, it could have been anyone. Perhaps some thieves-”

“No! It was them!” Sir Hugh cried. “Continue the search. They are here somewhere!”

“Yes, sir,” the knight said. All of them spurred their horses and moved off down the street. All except for Sir Hugh. I was about to stand up when he reappeared at the entrance of the alley. He had dismounted and, no doubt remembering Robard and his bow, kept himself hidden, peering cautiously around the corner. He studied the alley intently for several minutes. He looked at the ground and the walls, then raised his gaze to study the rooftops on either side. I could sense each of us consciously flattening ourselves against the roof. I kept one eye on him and gripped my sword so tightly that I thought I would break the hilt.

It was unsettling. I could have sworn he was staring right at me. I strained hard to hear the musical sound of the Grail. But it was silent. No vibration, nothing. Sir Hugh’s eyes never wavered. The tension was unbearable, and I momentarily thought of ending this now. I would leap to the ground and Sir Hugh and I would have at it until one of us was dead.

My muscles twitched in anticipation, and just as I was about stand and leap, Sir Hugh abruptly disappeared from view. We heard the sound of his horse trotting away in the darkness.

It took a few seconds before any of us were able to breathe normally.

“What has gotten into him? Did you see how he stood there? I thought he was looking right at us,” Robard said.

“Yes, it was very strange,” Maryam agreed.

“Let’s go,” I said.

“Go where?” Robard asked. “They’re looking for us. The streets aren’t safe for us any longer.”

“Then we won’t use the streets,” I said.

Giving my friends no time to talk me out of it, I stood and backed away from the edge of the roof. Then I ran forward as hard as I could and leapt into the air.

As it turned out, I had misjudged the distance. By a great deal, actually. I had intended to leap across the alley to the next building and then move along the rooftops, avoiding Sir Hugh and the knights tracking us below. But my jump was just short, and I slammed hard into the edge of the roof and wall. The timber and stone gave no ground, and pain flared in my wounded side. I thought I would surely pass out and fall and break my neck.

“Dear God,” I heard Robard mutter.

“What has gotten into him?” Maryam asked quietly.

“I don’t know. He won’t let me shoot Sir Hugh. Now he’s trying to jump from roof to roof like a wounded rabbit. And he’s likely woken everyone who lives in both of these buildings and for several leagues around.”

I tried to ignore them, but I was in a slight predicament. My grip on the roof was loosening and I tried to dig my feet into the wall to pull myself up, but to no avail. I ran my hands over the roof timbers, but there was no place I could gain even a fingerhold. My boots dug furiously at the wall.

“Um. I could use a little help,” I said quietly.

“So it would appear,” Robard answered.

“Perhaps I wasn’t clear,” I said, “in that I require immediate help.”

I heard nothing for a few moments except for exaggerated sighs and the rustle of feet, and then both Robard and Maryam landed deftly on the roof to either side of me. They each grasped an arm and pulled me up.

I bent at the waist, struggling to breathe and wishing for something that would quell the fire in my burning side. “It was a good plan,” I said. “If we keep to the rooftops, we’ll be less likely to be spotted. I just. . My wound. . My jump was a little off.”

“A little,” Robard said.

“We should leave,” Maryam said. “There are noises coming from inside this building. I’m sure whoever is inside heard us. . you, rather. . land on their roof.”

There was no time to defend myself. We crossed over and jumped to the next building. Many of the structures had only a few feet between them. Some allowed us to merely step from one roof to the next. Robard had his bow at the ready. Maryam did not draw her daggers yet, not wanting the moon to reflect off of them. I kept my sword sheathed for the same reason.

We went as far as we could, back to the marketplace. The streets widened there and we could go no farther by rooftop. We found a darkened alcove facing the marketplace and climbed down. It appeared deserted, and Robard and Maryam were in favor of making our way back to our horses as quickly as we could. But something made me cautious. We had lost track of Sir Hugh and his men, and I did not want to blunder upon them unaware.

I had learned what I came for. Sir Hugh was here in Dover. He might have other knights patrolling the countryside. Maybe even some of the King’s Guards. But he was the one who would look the hardest, leaving nothing to chance. No empty barn or cave or hole where we might hide would go unsearched. At least he wouldn’t be sneaking up on us. We could make a better decision about how to reach Rosslyn knowing his whereabouts. If we weren’t caught here, of course.

Robard nocked an arrow. “Robard, one thing,” I said. “These knights. Many of them are just following orders. Please don’t kill any of them if you can avoid it.”

“Hmm” was all Robard said as he readied himself for a potential attack. We weren’t safe yet.

The marketplace sat at the intersection of Dover’s two main thoroughfares. The streets widened and were covered with cobblestones. A ring of buildings surrounded it and at night, while it was empty, I discovered sound carried very well. Though we stepped lightly, every noise we made echoed, and I couldn’t imagine how we could pass through unheard.

We kept close to the buildings ringing the square and used their shadows and doorways to hide us. But at some point we would have to cross one of the wide streets and would be exposed. We had no choice.

When we stepped out of the shadows and sprinted across the nearest street, the horsemen were on us in an instant. Sir Hugh had planned well, keeping his men out of sight and far down the thoroughfare. When we crossed, we were silhouetted and clearly visible. The knights charged forward, and the noise of their advance sounded like a thunderstorm.

Robard stood and took aim at the closest man. He calmly fired, and we heard a scream and the sound of mail and armor clanking to the ground. I hoped Robard hadn’t killed him. These men had been deceived by Sir Hugh, I told myself, not wanting to live with the guilt of killing or injuring innocent men.

There were two mounted men on each street leading into the marketplace. Shouts and commands rang in the air, and the sound of hooves clattering on cobblestone grew louder.