Michael Spradlin - Trail of Fate

I nodded, understanding exactly what he was saying.

Robard shrugged.

“When they didn’t find Celia in Perpignan, they headed back this way. I knew you had headed in the same direction and decided if you were going to tangle with this High Counsel fellow, you were going to need some help.”

I smiled. Robard had a conscience after all. His bravery had never been in doubt, but I was deeply touched by his compassion.

Maryam still stared at Robard, gripping his arms. Robard smiled at her.

“Maryam?” he asked.

“Hmm. Yes?” she replied.

“May I have my arms back?”

She finally released him. “You came back,” she said, as if she had just woken from a dream.

“Yes, I did. Now we have work,” he said gently.

As happy as we were to see Robard, Angel was happiest of all. She burst out of the woods where she had been guarding the mother and the two children and raced to Robard’s side, jumping and barking happily at him. He laughed and scooped her up in his arms.

“I guess I just couldn’t leave you behind, girl,” he joked. He put her down and she raced around us madly, turning back and forth and barking.

The woman and her children emerged from the woods and rushed to the side of the father, who still lay where Maryam had left him.

“Maryam, maybe you should assist them while Robard and I attend to these soldiers,” I said quietly.

She nodded and with a last glance at Robard, trotted to the side of the woman. Angel loped after Maryam, and Robard stared after them.

“What happened to the big Frenchman I had the fight with?” he asked.

“Philippe! You found him?”

“Yes.”

“He encountered a squad of the High Counsel’s men. There was a fight and he killed four of them, but he died from his wounds.”

“Killed four? By himself?” Robard said, incredulous.

I nodded.

“Tough man, that Frank,” he added, impressed.

“Yes, he was.”

“I guess it’s lucky I got here in time to be of use.”

“Yes. But how did you find us?”

“You were easy enough to follow. Your boots leave a distinctive track. And I knew you were headed north. So I just followed the main trail. Don’t forget, I lived my whole life in a forest. I know how to track people.”

“Have you seen anyone else about? Any of the High Counsel’s men? Any Templar regimentos?”

“No. Since I left the spot where you camped last night, I’ve seen no one.”

“We don’t have much time to waste. Can you help me hide these men in the woods? I don’t want them to be easily discovered if the High Counsel sends someone looking for them.”

Robard nodded and we walked to the spot where I had left the man between the buildings.

Only he was no longer there. Robard pulled another arrow from his wallet and nocked it immediately. We peered around the corner of the hut, but the man was nowhere to be found.

“This is not good,” I muttered.

“No, it’s not,” Robard agreed. “We need to get moving. If he has friends nearby. .”

We quickly trotted to the center of the village.

The man who had been beaten by the two soldiers was coming around. Maryam held a water skin to his lips and his wife dabbed at the cuts on his face with a damp cloth. The young girl and boy stood off to the side, the boy holding his small hand to his face where an ugly purplish bruise was forming around his eye. My breath caught as I thought of the little one’s brave attempt to defend his father.

“Is he going to be all right?” Robard asked.

“I think he’ll survive. He has some broken ribs, but those are the worst of his injuries,” Maryam said. She looked up at my bleeding arm and with her dagger cut a small piece of cloth from the hem of my tunic. Covering the wound, which was not serious, she tied it tightly.

“Thank you,” I murmured.

Robard stepped to the dead soldier and inspected his handiwork. With his small knife, he cut the coin pouch from the soldier’s belt.

He knelt beside the woman, who still held her husband, and offered it to her.

“Madame, s’il vous plait?” he said, motioning for her to take the purse.

She looked confused and afraid. Robard lifted up her hand and placed the coins in it, closing his hand over it. He kept his hand there, nodding and smiling until the woman understood.

“Merci,” she said. “Merci.” Then she started crying, which made Robard very uncomfortable. He stood up quickly and busied himself inspecting the body of the fallen soldier. With little effort, he lifted the man up and threw him over his shoulder. I had forgotten how strong he was.

“Robard, what-” Maryam stammered, but he interrupted her.

“The High Counsel is rich. She is very poor, from the looks of it. This soldier clearly has no further use for the money. I fought for my king and country. For my father. But I despise men like this High Counsel. If I could, I would take every crosslet he had, every shilling, every bit of gold, and I would find the poorest people around and make him watch while they danced away with his wealth.” Robard’s face was filled with raw emotion. I had heard him say many similar things in Outremer as we walked along in the night. Now I had witnessed his principles up close, and it made me smile. Maryam was not the only one glad to have him back.

“Shall we?” he asked, nodding toward the north.

He started down the trail, carrying the dead man over his shoulder. Maryam and I followed behind and Angel raced ahead of us, running back and forth along the trail. When we were well out of the settlement, Robard disappeared in the woods and returned moments later without the dead soldier.

We walked on in silence, but there was a noticeable change in Maryam’s demeanor. Her step was lighter and she floated along the trail. Robard didn’t see it, as he was intent on getting to where we were going.

The trail took us higher and higher, and at last we cleared the woods along the rim of a long valley. And across the valley on a mountaintop sat a small fortress at the very tip of a high peak. It had to be the place.

Montsegur.

Iwanted to push on, but Robard convinced me we should stop and rest for the night. The minute he suggested it I felt exhaustion overtake me and we found another copse of trees and bedded down for the night. We were up at first light and as we crossed the valley floor, we saw further evidence that the High Counsel and his men had been visiting. Several dwellings were destroyed, livestock had been killed, and the area was devoid of people. Celia had said Cathars often fled to the fortress when they were besieged, and I hoped they had found safety behind Montsegur’s walls before the High Counsel arrived.

“So, Templar, how do you plan on getting inside the castle?” Robard asked.

“I was just thinking the same thing!” Maryam blurted, smiling at him. Ever since he had rejoined us, she rarely took her eyes off him.

We had finally reached the base of the mountain after several hours of hiking over rough terrain. The fortress sat atop a tooth-shaped peak, and although the bottom was covered by trees, the summit was barren of most vegetation. It was rocky and lined with boulders and would be a difficult climb, even without the High Counsel and his men in the way.

From our vantage point, there was only one passable trail to the top, which is probably what made it such a strategic spot for a fortress. It would take an army of any size hours, if not days, to move into position to even launch an assault. It was amazing how a structure of its size could ever be built in such a place.

“Tristan?” Robard asked.