Stewart Binns - Anarchy

‘I’m sure Roger of Salerno is a fine man and a good soldier. As for the Muslims, you will be safe in Antioch. I am told that the city is practically impregnable from attack. Besides, I don’t think Muslims are better or worse than any other men.’

‘You have a very reassuring way about you, Hal. I hope my future husband is like you.’

‘You are very kind. I am but a humble knight.’

‘Why do you not have a sweetheart?’

‘It is not easy to have a sweetheart when serving as a soldier. Perhaps there will be time for that one day.’

‘Have you had many lovers?’

I was shocked by her bold question. And yet, I felt excited by her lack of restraint.

‘Livia! I am your escort. You shouldn’t ask me such things.’

‘I know, but I have asked. So… what’s your answer?’

‘A few.’

‘I envy men, it is understood that they can take a woman when they want to. But I am a virgin. It is a condition of the marriage…’

Again, she paused. I sensed her fragility and loneliness as she began to confess her most intimate fears to me. She spoke hesitantly, trying to gauge my reaction to her words.

‘That’s something else I’m scared of… losing my virginity. Alice says it’s a lot of fuss about nothing. But my mother said it was very special… something to cherish. I don’t know who to believe.’

‘Your mother is right, it is very special.’

I began to feel very uncomfortable. I wanted her so much – she was so trusting and beautiful – but if I took advantage of her, it could ruin her future and mine.

‘I should get you back. You need to get some rest.’

‘No, I don’t. I’m fine, Hal. I want to talk more.’

‘Sleep, I insist. Let’s go.’

She smiled at me like a naughty child, then turned and started to run down the beach. I heard her laughter as her words drifted back to me.

‘Yes, sir! Whatever you say, sir! You’re in charge!’

I desperately wanted to chase after her, pull her down on to the sand and take her there and then on the beach. I could have shown her that her mother was right – it is very special, something to cherish, something she would remember for the rest of her life. I had no idea what Roger of Salerno was like, but I was beginning to envy him with an intensity bordering on malice.

Was he a good man? Or was he an arrogant and spoiled son of a noble crusader who coveted a beautiful Venetian wife like a hunting trophy?

When twelve days had passed since Sandro’s departure, my impatience turned to anxiety. Something had gone wrong: even with unforeseen delays, procrastination by the Byzantine Governor, or bad weather, they should have been back within twelve days.

I called everyone together that evening.

‘We must make a new plan. Something is amiss. Sandro and his men should be back by now. We will all walk out to the north-west the day after tomorrow. In the meantime, we must prepare for the journey. Eadmer will assign scouts to move ahead of us and I will organize teams to be responsible for food, water and shelter on the journey. We will go steadily. Are there any questions?’

There were none from the men.

‘My Lady?’

She shook her head.

‘Good. Let’s all get some rest.’

Two days later, we set out to follow Sandro’s route. I warned the scouts to be doubly vigilant. Although I felt much more comfortable on dry land than at sea, there was no doubting the difficulty we faced.

Whatever fate had befallen Sandro and his men was almost certainly a real threat to us as well. And we were walking directly towards it.

We avoided the heat of the middle of the day as much as possible and made good progress on our route to Kalonoros. The coastal scenery soon became flatter and we began to see the ruins of abandoned farms, the remnants of neglected fields and endless olive and citrus groves gone wild. It was a sad sight, but there was still no sign of life, except for the unwelcome attentions of snakes and scorpions. One of the marines, an Anatolian by birth, had given us a quick guide to the creatures we should avoid. It was useful information, but the lurid details he offered were perhaps less than helpful.

The most dangerous beasts were the horned viper – a sand-coloured brute with brown spots on its back – and a black scorpion the size of a man’s hand, which bears the Greek name Androctonus Crassicauda , which Livia told me means ‘Fat-tailed Man-killer’. We saw neither at first, but certainly checked our camp’s undergrowth very carefully at night. Then, when we reached the desolated farmlands, they littered the ground. Two of the oarsmen were bitten by scorpions that crept into their clothing at night.

Drawing out the painful venom and allowing the men to rest cost us anxious time in the infested area trying to avoid any more mishaps. When we were ready to move off, things deteriorated rapidly and Eadmer came to me with a disconsolate look on his face.

‘Most of the men are in the bushes because the latrine is fully occupied. Everyone seems to have the shits. A few are in a bad way.’

‘What about you?’

‘Yes, but not as bad as some.’

‘And what about the ladies?’

‘I think they have a problem too. When I went to tell them we were about to leave, neither was there. I just heard a voice from the undergrowth asking for a few minutes’ grace before we moved off.’

‘Was it the water?’

‘Probably. We filled our skins with water from an old well last night. It seemed fine but, with hindsight, it obviously wasn’t. How are you, Hal?’

‘I’m fine, but I had enough left from yesterday. I didn’t fill my skin with the fresh water last night.’

‘You’re lucky – everyone else is as sick as a dog.’

‘Then we must stay here. Tell the men to make themselves as comfortable as possible. How many men are fit?’

‘Five or six.’

‘Are you well enough to get a few things organized?’

‘I think so. I didn’t drink too much water last night.’

‘Right, let’s get started. Empty all existing flagons and skins of water and rinse them in the sea. Find us a fresh stream, make sure it’s clean, and check it as far as you can upstream for animal carcasses. Everyone must drink, and they must keep drinking. See if you can find any or all of the following: yarrow, honey, garlic. And if any of these groves have limes, collect them.’

‘How do you know all this?’

‘My grandmother was an apothecary and a healer. Now, let’s get on with it. Everyone’s going to get a high fever in this heat. I’ll check the ladies.’

There was still no sign of the ladies where they slept, so I shouted into the bushes.

‘Lady Livia! Lady Alice! How are you feeling?’

A thin voice called back.

‘We are not well this morning. I don’t think we’re going to be able to travel.’

‘Most of the men are the same. Find somewhere in the shade and rest. I will bring you fresh water as soon as I can.’

‘Alice is not good. She has a fever and a lot of pain in her belly.’

‘Try to get her into the shade. I will bring something to help.’

I joined Eadmer and the fit men and left two of them to guard the ladies. Eadmer took two men in search of a stream, while I took the rest to scour the countryside looking for remedies among the wild vegetation. Apart from me getting a nasty bite from one of those fat-arsed scorpions, we found what we needed without too much trouble. The pain from the sting was excruciating, but Eadmer helped me draw out the venom and after a couple of hours I was able to carry on, if a little incoherently. The limes were a bit lean, but there were plenty of them, and I found what looked like yarrow. It had red flowers, where I was used to seeing white or yellow, but it looked and tasted the same.