Here Be Dragons - 1 by Sharon Penman (best inspirational books txt) 📕

with each passing day until John bega to seem obsessed, so intent was he upon exacting vengeance. Philip ^a reprieved, the French invasion abandoned. There would be war, but battlefield would be Wales. John gave orders for his vassals to gather Chester, gave orders to recruit more than two thousand carpenters a ix thousand laborers, men to follow in his army's wake and erect castles cross the conquered land. None doubted that this was to be much more than a punitive campaign of retaliation. It was to be war with no quarter given, a war that would end only with Llewelyn's death and the con-uest of his country.Turning back toward the great hall, Richard saw his Uncle Will standing on the outer stairs; Will, too, had begun to avoid John whenever possible. They stood in silence for some moments, their thoughts tracking the same bleak trail."When your Uncle Richard was at war with Philip, they took to blinding each other's soldiers." Will grimaced. "I fear, lad, that this war shall be just as bitter, just as bloody. Know you that John is now offering a bounty for Welsh heads? He paid one man six shillings for six heads last week.""Yes," Richard said, "I know," very much wishing that he did not. "For a timeI'd hoped that the London fire would turn John's mind from this war. Much ofSouthwark is but ashes and rubble, and I heard it said that more than a thousand people died. The homeless have to be sheltered, the injured tended, and John generally takes a personal interest in making sure that fire or flood victims are cared for. But not now. Now he can think of nothing except making his daughter a widow."Just then, Richard's other uncle, William de Warenne, Earl of Surrey, appeared in the doorway behind them. "John wants you both," he said. "He's just learned

that Llewelyn ab lorwerth and the French King have entered into a treaty of alliance."Richard and Will exchanged looks of dismay, for they both knew that had always been John's greatest fear, that his enemies should unite against him, that he should find himself fighting a war on two fronts.John was striding up and down before the open hearth, clutching a crumpled parchment. He thrust it at Will, saying, "Read for yourself, »e what thatWelsh whoreson has dared to do!"Richard, reading over Will's shoulder, saw that it was a letter from Uewelyn to Philip, one that spoke of a treaty "between the kingdom of the French and the principality of North Wales," that promised LleweVn would be a friend toPhilip's friends and an enemy to his enemies. 'How did you get this, John?"Will asked, and John gestured imPatiently.How do you think? I've paid informants at the French court."atching the letter back, he scanned it rapidly. "Listen to this. '. . . by' Q s grace, I and all the Princes of Wales unanimously leagued to-er have manfully resisted ourand yourenemies, and with^ s help we have by force of arms recovered from the yoke of their nny a large part of the land and the strongly defended castles which

370r373they by fraud and deceit had occupied, and having recovered them, We hold them strongly in the might of the Lord.'"The more John read, the angrier he became. "God rot his wretched soul for this," he spat. "But if he thinks Philip is going to save his skin he's in for a bitter shock. What was it they said of the Romans, Will, that they made a desert and called it peace? That will be Wales, too, by Christ it will, andLlewelyn ab lorwerth will go to his grave knowing that he brought destruction upon his people, he and he alone. Let him look out over the burning crops and smoldering woodlands, let him count the bodies and then say it was worth the price!"He swung about, beckoned to the nearest man. "I want a gallows built in the bailey, and then I want to see Llewelyn's Welsh hostages hanging from it, each and every one. Maelgwn's, too. See to it ...now."His fury had dulled his perception, and it was several moments before he became aware of the utter silence. He turned, found they were all staring at him."My liege." The Earl of Chester stepped forward, said quietly, "My liege, Iwould advise against that. I do not deny Llewelyn has given you cause. But if you kill the hostages, your war will become a blood feud. You'll find yourself fighting the Welsh for the next twenty years." He lowered his voice still further, said, "Even more to the point, how are your own lords likely to react? If you hang these Welsh hostages, what do you think will happen the next time you ask a man to yield up his son? He might well prefer rebellion.""Or do exactly what he's told, knowing now what will be at stake." Chester was first and foremost a realist. He'd done what he could to dissuade John from committing an act that he saw as neither morally justifiable nor politically expedient. Having failed, his concern now was to disassociate himself from the killing to come, and he was quite willing to defer to the Earl of Pembroke.If Chester's objections had been coolly rational, dispassionate, Pembroke's plea was unashamedly emotional. "My lord, listen to me. When I was a little lad, my lord father rose up in rebellion against King Stephen. My father had given me as a hostage, and the King warned nitf that I'd be hanged if he failed to keep faith. My father sent back word that he had the hammer and anvil with which to forge other sons, and was taken out to be hanged. I was but six and I did not understand, thought it was all a game, and I laughed even as they put the noo about my neck. King Stephen watched, and was moved to mercystopped the hanging, with his own hands removed the rope."He paused, but John