Warrior's Ransom (The First Argentines #2) - Jeff Wheeler Page 0,76

reviving the war cry of the Younger King. It was joined by the calls of others in his band. He saw a knight attacking one of his fellows from behind and rode up to the man and stabbed his horse in the rump, which caused the beast to groan and flail, spilling the knight backward off the saddle.

A flash of familiar armor caught Ransom’s eyes. Sir James. Ransom couldn’t see his face or the white-blond hair, but he recognized the man’s posture. A spurt of anger rushed through him as James struck at one of Ransom’s knights and killed him. He charged at his old nemesis, but three other knights intervened, blocking him. Ransom fought all three, one of whom held a studded mace he used to hammer relentlessly on Ransom’s arm until a counterstroke proved fatal and ended the assault. Ransom saw James turn and face him, saw the look of fear in his eyes beneath the visor.

And then Sir James cried out the order to retreat and started riding back to town. The attack broke, and suddenly knights were fleeing the scene, charging back down the road. Ransom saw writhing, groaning men in snow speckled with mud and blood. He saw eight of his own still on their horses, weapons in hand. Broken lances were strewn everywhere.

Ransom wanted to ride after James and take off his head. The rage of battle pounding in his ears, his chest, he spurred Dappled to charge after him.

Someone else cried “Dex aie!” and soon the surviving knights were riding behind him, rushing back down the hill and chasing the larger force as it abandoned the field. Ransom saw James turn his neck and gaze backward and then spur his horse faster. Ransom’s thirst for vengeance overpowered him. Dappled responded to his prodding, and they began to gain ground, even though the other horses were fresher.

It was a race to the wooden palisade, and Ransom was determined to win. Even though there were only eight, he felt enough wrath that he could have defeated the entire garrison. But Sir James and his men had fresh horses, and they rode through the gate before Ransom and the others could engage them. He pulled up short, snarling. He wanted to shout insults at James, to demand he come out and face him in single combat. But he knew James wouldn’t, not even with his men gaping at him.

“My lord! Crossbows!”

Ransom felt the danger before he saw it. Men were climbing up the ladders to the railing wall behind the palisade.

“Retreat!” Ransom ordered, and they rode away as the bolts launched at them from the walls.

A few bolts landed in the snow ahead of him. One struck his armor from behind, which felt like a blow from a hammer, but it didn’t pierce the armor. Soon, he and his knights were out of range of the crossbows, and they worked their way back up the road to the scene of the fight. Some of the wounded knights still lay groaning in pain.

“See if any of ours still live,” he said, panting, when they reached the scene.

His knights dismounted and began searching. One of their men had hit his head after falling off his horse, but he was able to ride again, and they helped him back onto his mount.

Another man wearing the badge of the Eagle cowered as Ransom rode up to him.

“Are you a knight?” Ransom demanded. His anger had cooled, but he was still glowering.

“I’m Sir Honald,” said the young man.

“Do you yield?” Ransom asked, staring at him.

“Yes,” stammered the young knight. “I yield to you, Sir Ransom.”

“Who do you serve?”

“Duke James of North Cumbria.”

Ransom blinked in surprise. “What happened to his father?”

“He died a fortnight ago,” said the young man. “A fever and cough went through the palace. Many died, Sir Ransom.”

“Why wasn’t word sent at once to Kingfountain?” Ransom demanded. He gazed at the crumpled men littering the road. The vacant eyes staring through the slits in the helmets. They’d been outnumbered, but Ransom’s smaller force had won the day. His arm throbbed with pain, but he saw the raven symbol on the scabbard already glowing.

The young man looked fearful. “Because . . . because it was sent to the Vexin instead.”

Sir Dalian told us this afternoon that North Cumbria is now supporting Benedict. I could hardly believe it at first, but he said the news came from Ransom, who had gone to Dundrennan on a mission for the king to seek