Stewart Binns - Anarchy

I rejoined the others and checked the sun. It was low in the sky; we had perhaps thirty minutes of daylight. I started talking to the men, checking names and beginning to get them organized.

Eadmer returned with his report.

‘There is no sign of human settlement, either now or in the past. It’s deserted. There is plenty of firewood and a small stream in that gorge over there. The water seems fresh.’

‘Food?’

‘Nothing big to hunt nearby. Some roots, a few berries, and lots of snakes and scorpions.’

‘Good, we can eat the snakes.’

‘Can we? How do you know?’

‘My mother told me the Seljuks did, on the First Crusade.’

Eadmer did not look convinced.

‘I’m going hunting for boar in the morning!’

Without further discussion, I made plans for the night.

‘We need two fires: one for the ladies out of sight from the men, further up the gulley; another one at the entrance, for the men. Same for latrines. A separate one for the ladies. Let’s get everyone dry and get some water into them. We’ll think about food in the morning. Eadmer, you take charge of the marines, Sandro, the oarsmen. Wulfric, Toste, a shelter for the ladies, please. A lean-to of branches will do for tonight. Move, all of you, there’s not much daylight left. Let’s get on with it!’

I asked for sentries at both ends of the beach, which Sandro organized into a watch from among the marines. Then I went to check on Livia and her lady-in-waiting. Sandro had informed me that the Lady Alice’s sister was still missing.

‘Ladies, how are you feeling?’

‘We’ve dried our clothes and the fire is warm, but we’re hungry.’

‘I’m sorry, we have no food until tomorrow. There is nothing nearby, but I’m sure we can rectify that in the morning. Lady Alice, I’m so sorry about your sister. There’s still a chance she may have drifted down the coast.’

My futile attempt at offering a glimmer of hope only made matters worse and intensified the woman’s whimpers.

‘She couldn’t swim. She’s lying at the bottom of the sea somewhere!’

I thought it best not to say any more, but to let them rest.

‘Good night, Ladies.’

Lady Livia smiled at me.

‘Thank you for saving us. We would have drowned without you.’

It was a long night, and I did not sleep much. We were in some difficulty and I spent hours going over our various options, before finally falling asleep.

Eadmer shook me awake shortly after dawn.

‘Hal, it’s light. There is much to do.’

‘Thank you, Eadmer. I’ll check the ladies. Get the men up and organized.’

Both women were asleep in their shelter. Alice’s face looked strained, even in her sleep, but Livia was a picture of innocent beauty. Her white cotton chemise covered her down to her waist and her leggings hid her modesty from her midriff down to her knees. But I could see the gentle curves of her form in all their symmetry, especially the ascending mound of her backside as she nestled one thigh in front of the other. How innocent she looked… and how much I wanted to take that innocence from her.

She stirred and woke with a jolt. She looked shocked, aware that I had been enjoying the sight of her vulnerability. She pulled her legs up to her chin, the most modest pose she could adopt.

‘Please announce yourself in future.’

It was a rebuke I deserved.

‘Forgive me, Lady Livia, I was checking that you are well.’

‘I am better for some sleep. But Lady Alice and I can’t wander around in our underwear. What are we to do?’

‘My Lady, I had to make you take off your outer garments and shoes. You may well have drowned if you had been weighed down by heavy clothes.’

‘I understand, but there is no danger of us drowning at the moment. Please find us something to wear.’

Lady Alice now stirred, and Livia motioned to me to sit down. After considering my words, I decided to give a blunt assessment of our predicament.

‘Noble Ladies, we are in a precarious position: we are a long way from home; we appear to be in a very remote place; we have neither weapons nor tools and only a meagre prospect of food.’

Livia had relaxed a little from the surprise of waking to find me staring at her, and her humour returned.

‘Not exactly the outcome I had in mind when we left Venice.’

‘No, my Lady. I’m sorry for being blunt, but I can’t hide the facts from you. I only wish I could. But you are in the company of trained marines, Venice’s finest. We are a reasonable number and can defend ourselves. Give me a few hours to gather my thoughts and develop a plan. Why don’t you bathe in the stream? I’ll make sure you’re not disturbed. When you are ready, come and join the men.’

‘We can’t join them dressed like this.’

‘Give me an hour or so. I’ll see what can be done.’

I walked back to the men’s camp.

‘Eadmer, Sandro, get the men together in a group. How many are there?’

Eadmer’s response was swift and precise.

‘Twenty-six: two are slightly injured, and one may have a broken arm. There are twelve marines and fourteen oarsmen.’

‘So with the three of us, Wulfric and Toste, and the two ladies, thirty-three souls in all. No sign of other survivors?’

‘None so far.’

‘The Candiano ?’

‘Broken on the rocks, just a few timbers showing, some rigging and sail.’

‘How far out?’

‘Fifty yards, maybe a bit more.’

As soon as all the men were assembled, I went through our immediate priorities.

‘Gentlemen, we are fortunate to have survived a major tragedy. We have lost close friends, and some of Venice’s most important citizens have perished. We are the lucky ones. Thankfully, the Lady Livia is alive and so our duty to her continues. We are not in the best circumstances, but we are professional soldiers and we will find a way out of this dilemma. We start right now. I want the following done immediately.

‘Food – twelve men to split into pairs to go hunting. Use your knives and daggers, make wooden spears, set traps, collect what you can and don’t forget fish and crabs. Supplies – I want six men to make a raft and go out to the wreck. Find what you can. We need the strongest swimmers for this. Dive as deep as you can and see what’s lying on the bottom. Be careful, the currents are strong and the rocks sharp. You may also come across a few bodies; take their daggers and anything else useful. Burial party – four men to begin burying the bodies. As far up the beach as you can. Strip them of whatever we can use. Reconnaissance – two men need to get up this hillside and survey the whole area as far as they can. I don’t want them back until nightfall. Firewood – the last two men to collect firewood. I want a pile as big as a house, enough to keep us warm at night and to signal to a passing ship when we see one.

‘Finally, the chain of command. Eadmer, you will be sergeant of the marines. Sandro, you will command the oarsmen. Wulfric and Toste, you are assigned to guard the ladies. They need clothes. Find the best leather leggings and jerkins you can retrieve from the bodies. Find the smaller men, and cut the leggings down if you need to. They’ll need shoes as well, and belts, cord for their hair, anything that could be useful to a lady. And wash everything in the sea – we don’t want them smelling like deckhands. Any questions? Good, let’s get on with it!’

I took Sandro and my men to one side.

‘Sandro, there may be discontent about we English taking command. But I am in command, whether the men like it or not. Nip it in the bud if you hear anything. If it persists, tell me about it.’

‘Do not worry, sir. You wear the Order of San Marco. That is enough for them. The men respect you.’