Stewart Binns - Anarchy

Livia had become lifeless, as if in a trance. Constance had brought clothes, but could only wrap her mistress in a cloak. Eadmer helped me to lift Livia’s still form and place her over my saddle. He suggested an escape through the dead end of the valley, rather than the way we had come in, where a ferocious battle was already joined. I would have done anything to go the other way – so that I could challenge Prince Roger and make him pay for what he had done to Livia – but I knew my priority was to get her away safely.

As soon as the ground started to rise steeply, we dismounted and continued our climb in silence. I tied a cord around the cloak at Livia’s waist and started to pull her up the slope, but she kept stumbling and I had to carry her. Looking up towards the crest of the valley, we could see Muslims on all sides around us. But their focus was on the mayhem at the mouth of the valley, where wave upon wave of Muslim cavalry were hurling themselves at a thin line of Christian defenders. It was not yet entirely daylight and the head of the valley was facing east, so we were in shadow.

As we cleared the crest, I took one look back before we resumed our mounts. The Christian army was by then entirely encircled and vastly outnumbered. It resembled a fallen fruit being devoured by ants; a pitiless massacre was happening before our eyes.

As soon as the sun’s rays caught us, our position was revealed to the Artuqid reserves waiting to join the slaughter. Horns sounded and squadrons of cavalry started to gallop in our direction. We had perhaps a 1,000-yard advantage. I knew it would not be enough.

After a chase of a mile or so, the countryside became less barren and trees started to appear. I immediately ordered that we separate into three groups, thus dividing our pursuers, and I led my group south-east, towards a small outcrop of rock about two miles away. With Eadmer taking responsibility for leading Constance and her mount, we galloped as hard as we could. But with Livia across my saddle, it was obvious that we could not outrun our pursuers. She did not complain, but I could see the discomfort etched on her face. A redoubt of some sort at the rocks was our only option.

We pulled up behind the outcrop and took up positions giving us as much cover as possible. Eadmer assigned one of the men to hold the horses and guard the women, and we prepared to stand our ground. I counted six remaining marines, besides Eadmer and myself. Our pursuers were shrouded in dust, but numbered at least fifteen.

‘Raise your bows, make every arrow count.’

I calculated that we had time for two volleys.

‘ Release! ’

I ordered the second volley immediately. The Venetian marines’ excellence with the bow was telling. At least six of our pursuers fell before they were upon us. The odds were still not good, but if we could disable a few more they might well think better of it and return to their comrades, where easier pickings were available among Prince Roger’s beleaguered army. I glanced back to make sure Livia was safe. It was a pitiable sight: she was sitting wide-eyed and motionless on the ground, wrapped in Constance’s arms, with no focus, like someone mesmerized.

In the next moment, the Artuqid horsemen were upon us, lances couched underarm. Knowing that marines are not used to fighting cavalry, I bellowed my orders.

‘Bring down the horses! Strike at the legs!’

We managed to unseat several of them, but it was not enough. I ordered Eadmer to use the man holding the horses to help Livia on to a mount and to make a run for it with her and Constance. He hesitated for a moment. But when he saw that I meant it with all my heart and soul, he did as I bid him to.

The remaining marines and I then formed a loose circle and a fierce fight ensued. Some of the Artuqids were on foot, but several more were still on horseback. Thankfully, they got in one another’s way and the melee was not as one-sided as it might have been. We fought for our lives, a cause more exhilarating than that of our opponents, who were fighting for the scant reward of the execution of a few Christian stragglers. Perhaps if they had known that the valuable prize of a princess of Venice was among us, it would have made a difference. But they were not to know.

Two brave men were cut down next to me and another was on his knees with a lance through his shoulder. But our adversaries had lost even more men: the four of us still standing were facing only six opponents. They looked at one another briefly and one of them spat on the ground at our feet, before they turned and rode away towards their army. They would surely send out more men to pursue us, so we were far from safe, but we had bought ourselves some time and a fair chance of escape.

My arm had been sliced above the elbow by a lance, and my face was bloodied after being struck by my own shield after a blow from a horse’s shoulder. But I had survived another bloody encounter.

We mounted quickly and rode off in the direction taken by Eadmer. I knew that he would not have ridden as the crow flies and would instead have used every opportunity to deceive any pursuers. I also knew that he would be aware that he was riding away from Antioch and deeper and deeper into Artuqid territory. We would have to have our wits about us to avoid losing him altogether. I took a calculated gamble: assuming that leaving a trail of dust would not be wise, I guessed he would not gallop his horses and might even trot them. Given that, I also surmised he would veer south rather than north. Heading north was easier ground and closer to Antioch’s domain, whereas south was inhospitable desert. Therefore, I decided he would choose the opposite direction to the one the Muslims would predict. I prayed my conjecture would prove to be right.

After only an hour of riding, we saw tiny specks in the distance to the south-east. The specks were four in number. My guesswork had been right, and within a few minutes we were reunited. We saw no sign of any of the marines who had peeled off in different directions during the chase. This meant that, of our original contingent, Eadmer and I now commanded just five men.

Constance looked petrified and was of little help to Livia, who continued to stare vacuously into the distance. It was as if she had closed a door on the world and was locking herself away behind it. I tried to talk to her, but I could elicit no response.

Further to the south-east, the ground rose rapidly to meet a long ridge that ran diagonally across our path. It was our lifeline. We crossed the ridge and rode down the other side for about a mile and then followed a route back towards the coast, out of sight of the Artuqid army.

Thankfully, after three days, we finally arrived in Antioch.

Antioch was in a state of panic. Since the fall of Jerusalem and the establishment of the Christian states in the Holy Land twenty years earlier, no Latin army had lost to a Muslim foe in a major battle. A mythology had been created on both sides that a large force of Christian knights was invincible. It was a view founded partly on the military prowess of the Christian warrior, but mainly on the power of the Almighty himself – who was clearly a Christian divinity, rather than a Muslim one.

We took Livia and Constance to Prince Roger’s rooms in the keep. Princess Hodierna had already left for the safety of her brother, the new King of Jerusalem, Baldwin II, taking most of her entourage with her. A junior chamberlain found a chamber for Livia and Constance and gave them a young maid, who tried to make them as comfortable as she could. Eadmer posted two men outside their room. He and I then went to what remained of the city’s garrison to find out what had happened to Prince Roger’s army on the battlefield and to assess the current state of the city’s defences.