A Flight of Arrows by A.J. MacKenzie (mobi reader android .txt) ๐

Read free book ยซA Flight of Arrows by A.J. MacKenzie (mobi reader android .txt) ๐ยป - read online or download for free at americanlibrarybooks.com
- Author: A.J. MacKenzie
Read book online ยซA Flight of Arrows by A.J. MacKenzie (mobi reader android .txt) ๐ยป. Author - A.J. MacKenzie
โMesdames,โ he said. โAllow me to introduce our guest, the Demoiselle de Tesson. I regret the inconvenience of housing her here, but do not fear; she will not outstay her welcome.โ He smiled. โShe will, ahโฆ how shall I put it? She will depart in the morning.โ
Some of the women laughed openly. One of the nuns, her face hard as a slab, walked up to Tiphaine and slapped her across the face, twice. Tiphaineโs head rocked back and she felt the blood rush to her bruised cheeks.
โYou accursed harlot!โ the nun snapped. โYou whore of Babylon! You have brought the English upon us! My convent has been despoiled and burned, my nuns dispossessed, our lands ruined and our tenants robbed of all they possess.โ
โI did not bringโโ
The nun slapped her again, then spat in her face. Held rigid between her guards, Tiphaine could not move or respond. She felt the spittle running down her forehead. โSilence!โ the nun screamed. โDo not speak, harlot! Go to your cell and wait until the hour of your execution! Do not expect us to pray for your soul, for that would be blasphemy. You sold your soul to the English and the devil!โ
โTake her down,โ Brus said to the guards.
โFarewell, demoiselle!โ shouted one of the noblewomen. โTomorrow I shall enjoy watching you burn!โ Others joined in the clamour. Brus motioned with his hand and the guards seized Tiphaineโs arms and dragged her down the spiral stair into the darkness below, her heels bumping on the stone steps.
At the bottom of the stair was a heavy door. Brus unlocked it and pushed it open, and the guards shoved Tiphaine inside, so hard that she stumbled and fell sprawling on the damp cobbled floor. The door slammed shut and the key turned in the lock.
She lay for a moment, gasping in the pitch blackness, and then sat up. Her hand touched something metallic and flaking with rust, and after a moment she realised it was a length of chain. She pulled it towards her, gathering the links in her hand. Suddenly the chain pulled taut. Feeling her way along its length, she bumped into the stone wall of her cell. Her hands groped around the end of the chain and found it affixed to the wall through a metal eye.
The stone around the eye was damp too, and crumbling. Sudden hope seized her. Grabbing the chain in both hands, she heaved with all her strength, hoping to pull it out of the wall. Nothing happened. She tried again, this time bracing her feet against the wall and throwing all of her weight against the chain. Again and again she pulled, straining, arms aching, gasping with effort.
Nothing happened. The chain did not budge.
She stopped, leaning her forehead against the wall and sobbing for breath. It was hopeless; she simply wasnโt strong enough. But in the back of her mind, a flame began to burn. No, she thought, I did not survive two years in prison in Carentan in order to end like this. Drawing a long, deep breath, sucking the damp, fetid air into her lungs, she set herself against the wall once more and began to pull.
Freneuse, 10th of August, 1346
Evening
โI need your help,โ the herald said.
โFor what purpose?โ asked John Grey.
โThe Demoiselle de Tesson was captured in Rouen, and is now imprisoned in La Roche-Guyon. The French intend to execute her at dawn. We need to bring her out.โ
Richard Percy smiled. โA damsel in distress?โ
โI believe she was spying for us when she was taken.โ
โYou believe?โ said Grey.
โShe did not confide her plans to me. But if she has information about the French and their movements, we need to hear it.โ
โIf?โ said Percy. โWhat if she was caught before she learned anything at all?โ
โThen the expedition to free her will be pointless and futile,โ the herald said.
John Grey smiled. โWhat do you think, Richard?โ
โSounds like the perfect task for the Red Company,โ Percy said. He looked at La Roche-Guyon. โHow do we get across the river?โ
โBoats. We need to talk to Llewellyn.โ
โWhich one?โ
โAp Gruffud, the one from Conwy. His men stole some boats at Elbeuf, remember, when the rest of us were trying to force a passage across that godforsaken bridge. Ask if we can borrow them, and some men to row them.โ
โAll right. Iโll bring the boats up and meet you north of Freneuse.โ
Percy departed. โJacques, Franรงois, Rob!โ Grey called. โGet the men together, as quickly as you can. We have work to do.โ
Suddenly the camp was full of quiet, purposeful movement, archers and crossbowmen and spearmen collecting their weapons and gathering around their vintenars. โAre you going to ask Warwick or Northampton for permission?โ Merrivale asked.
โNo,โ said Grey. โThey wouldnโt give it, so why bother? Do I take it you are intending to come with us? I can lend you a sword.โ
Merrivale shook his head. โThank you, but no.โ
โPlease yourself.โ Grey turned to a tall young man in armour with a sword at his belt and a longbow and quiver strapped across his back. โThis is my esquire, Harry Graham. He, Matt and Pip will look after you. Jacques, are we ready? Good, letโs get moving. I want to be over the river before Warwick realises we have gone.โ
Freneuse, 10th of August, 1346
Night
The sky overhead was inky black, but the lights of campfires and the watchful torches on the walls of La Roche-Guyon reflected off the dark river. The boats lay huddled along the bank, invisible in shadow. Behind them the ground rose sharply into low chalky cliffs, pierced here and there by the doors and windows of troglodyte houses, all deserted.
โLlewellyn agreed to lend us his
Comments (0)