Michael Spradlin - Trail of Fate

Maryam gazed off into the distance as she walked. She had a smile on her face as she remembered, which I thought odd, because I would have done anything to forget such a terrifying experience. Then I realized she wasn’t remembering almost drowning. She was remembering Robard saving her.

“I lost consciousness a few times, but Robard held on to both of us. The next thing I remember is waking up on the shore with a fire going and Angel licking my face. Robard must have carried both of us out of the water, because I have no recollection of getting there. When I asked him what had happened, he just shrugged and changed the subject.”

Her story gave me pause, and I wondered if the Grail, even though I carried it with me, had extended its protection to my friends. The fact of their survival was miraculous to me. Was it another miracle of this sacred relic, or did Robard save them by himself?

“There’s no question of Robard’s bravery,” I said. “And he is a decent fellow. He has just grown weary of the war and misses his home and family. It’s hard to blame him for wishing to return there as quickly as possible.”

“I suppose,” she answered. I still didn’t understand though. The brothers had explained the ways of men and women to me, and had told me that someday I might wish to marry when I left St. Alban’s. Yet, so far, I found women. . puzzling.

As we walked, the path got steeper and the mountains we had first observed from far off drew nearer. It grew colder as we climbed higher. The trail we followed was well traveled, marked with numerous ruts made by wagon wheels and horse tracks. The boy had said we could follow this trail all the way to Montsegur, but had given no indication of how far it was.

The sun rose high in the sky and we kept on northward. Each time we came to a village or town, we either went around it and found the trail again, or moved through it as quickly as we could, trying hard to remain invisible. After a few more hours of walking, we stopped in a shaded glen to eat. Angel ate her fill of cheese and apples and curled up next to me for a nap. For a brief instant, sitting there in the beautiful spot, I forgot everything: the Grail, my duty, and the fact that Robard had left us. I even forgot about Sir Hugh, and the High Counsel and his men, who were undoubtedly trying to find me.

I sat beneath the shade of the trees and watched the sunlight filter its way through the leaves and dance across the ground. It was refreshing. The soreness that plagued me from my adventure in the ocean left me. It was amazing what rest and food could do to restore one’s spirits. But the feeling was fleeting.

I wished to stay longer, but we had to press on. After an hour we rose to our feet and resumed our march north. We talked some, but finally concentrated on making good time. Back in Outremer, we had at one point run nearly nonstop for several days to make our way to Tyre in advance of the attacking Saracens. The High Counsel had a head start, and I suppose we could have quickened our pace. But Celia knew the High Counsel was coming, and as long as he didn’t catch her before she reached the fortress, she should be safe. I would be no good to her if I arrived exhausted. I would need my wits and energy about me.

We walked on and on, finally silent, as we had grown too tired to talk anymore. The sun was sinking in the west, and we would need to find a place to bed down for the night soon. It had been a very long day.

But thoughts of rest vanished when an anguished scream pierced the air.

What was that?” Maryam asked, her daggers ready as she scanned the trail ahead of us.

“I don’t know. It sounded like a woman’s scream,” I said. “It came from up ahead.” Angel scream,” I said. “It came from up ahead. Angel paced cautiously ahead of us. She sniffed and tossed her head, and we crept quietly along.

A few yards farther up the trail, we approached the outskirts of a settlement. Another scream startled us both, and we leapt off the trail into the safety of the trees. Maryam crouched, petting the dog to keep her calm. I drew my short sword and peered through the trees at the buildings ahead, trying to get a sense of what was happening.

It was a small village, like the one we’d stopped at a few hours before, with about a dozen wooden dwellings and a few other buildings crowded alongside the trail. It looked deserted. Then there was a louder and even more tormented scream that echoed off the trees around us.

Angel looked up at me with her brown, intelligent eyes. I held my fingers to my lips and told her to stay. She stared back at me and whined quietly, then lay down on the ground, her small tail bobbing madly back and forth.

I gestured for Maryam to follow me.

We crept up behind the first small dwelling. With my back to the wall, I peered around the corner toward the interior of the village but saw nothing. The only sound was the breeze as it moved through the woods. Then I thought I heard a muffled cry coming from a small cluster of buildings a few yards ahead. I motioned for Maryam to go around the other side and work her way forward. She melted away in an instant, and I carefully stepped around the corner, my sword at the ready.

The doorway of the hut was open, but with a quick look inside I found it deserted. I moved quickly past it and on to the next building. Also empty. There was a murmur of voices up ahead, mingled with the sounds of soft cries. Still advancing forward, and pausing at the space between two of the huts, I found Maryam waiting for me. She had heard the noise as well, and signaled for us to keep moving toward it as she faded away again.

A few paces ahead I came to the last building facing the village square. I peered cautiously around the corner to find two of the High Counsel’s men standing, swords drawn, before a man slumped to the ground with his hands tied behind his back. A young boy and girl were sobbing uncontrollably, clutching their mother’s skirts a few steps away.

Looking down the side of the building, Maryam was already studying the scene from her vantage point. Her eyes found mine and I nodded for her to meet me out of sight of the two men.

“What is the meaning of this?” she whispered, her voice quivering with anger.

“I don’t know. What do you suppose this man has done to be tied up so?”

Maryam shrugged. “Maybe they are some of Celia’s people. If they couldn’t make it to the fortress, perhaps they hid out here and were discovered by those cretins.”

“I wonder if those are the two men who survived the encounter with Philippe,” I pondered.

“Safe to assume. They must be on their way to Montsegur to rejoin their forces. What are we going to do?”

“I don’t know yet.” I tried to concentrate, but then from the other side of the hut came a loud smack and another scream. I didn’t know what was happening, but I had little patience for those who would injure innocent people.

“Circle through the woods and work your way to the far side of the buildings. I’ll draw their attention and try to get them to chase me. When they do, take those people to the woods and find a place to hide.”

Maryam nodded and left me there. I counted to one hundred very slowly to give her time to move into position. Then I stepped out where the men would see me.

One of the soldiers was holding the bound man’s hair in his clenched fist while the other tried to work a length of rope around his neck. The boy launched himself at the two men, his small arms flailing and kicking at the villain who held his father’s hair. The man laughed and backhanded the lad, sending him sprawling in the dirt.

That did it.

“What is the meaning of this?” I shouted.