be wise, but whomever, or whatever it was that was behind him already knew where he was, if he stopped, he would be an easy victim. He wasn’t a small person, he could probably win in a hand-to-hand fight. But, they might have a weapon.
Crack. There was the sound again, but closer. Instinctively, Richard darted to his right and ran across the side of the hill for a short way and then turned back down the hill toward the meadow and the river. Running down hill would give him more speed. If he could reach the towne gate he would be safe.
Richard could barely see where he was going. He crashed through the bushes and darted around trees. The bushes whipped his face and grabbed at his body, but he ran on, faster. Soon he reached the meadow. Just a few hundred yards further he thought. Then he caught a glimpse of a dark movement out of the corner of eye to his right. The shadowy form was already leaping at him. Richard could barely hold back the scream that welled up in his throat. The shadowy form hit Richard across the body with a tremendous impact that sent him crashing to the ground. Richard rolled several times through the grass before he could get his feet beneath him and jump upright. He spun around ready to fight for his life, but was hit from behind and knocked to the ground again. This time the attacker jumped onto him and started licking his face.
'Argus, daft dog! I am so glad to see you, even if you are filthy and wet.'
Argus was Richard's sister's dog, but he seemed to prefer Richard. It was unusual for Argus to be out of the garden at this time of night. Even though Richard was wet and muddy, he was relieved that the attacker was Argus.
Richard was just about to head for home again with Argus when he heard another noise in the woods nearby. He held Argus close with a hand over his mouth and pushed into a bush as far as they could. The moon was just a little higher now and with a small break in the clouds cast a sliver of light on three ghostly forms moving through the trees. They didn't speak a word and except for the slight noise that Richard had heard, they didn't seem to make a sound.
Argus strained at the hold that Richard had on him and a growl started to rumble in his throat, but Richard held him closer and whispered quietly in his ear to calm him. Still Richard could feel the dog's powerful muscles twitch with anticipation.
The three figures passed by quickly several yards away, headed toward the river. It appeared to Richard that they were going to skirt the towne and pass by on the south.
'Luks like they did nay see us,' Richard whispered to Argus. With that, his tail began to wag and his muscles relaxed a bit. 'Let us head for 'ome.' At the mention of the word 'home', Argus spun around and bounded up the hill again.
Easton-on-the-hill was not much of a village, really it was a wee bit larger than a hamlet, but it did have its own church, All Saints'. The village only had a small number of streets and none of those had stone paving. Most people lived on Church Street or High Street. Richard's family lived on Church Street nearest the fields that separated Easton-on-the-hill from Stamford. Richard's father farmed a small plot of ground nearby that he rented from the Saint Leonard's Priory of Stamford.
Easton-on-the-hill wasn't even of enough prominence to have a wall for protection. If there was trouble, the villagers were obliged to find safety in Stamford.
The cottage of Richard's father was much like the other homes in the village. It was made of the stone that was common to the area. It was a sandy stone, light gray in colour and was prone to be covered by moss as a result of the wet weather. The cottage roof was also thatched with long strands of wheat stalks. The combination of the stone, the thatching and the damp air gave the cottage a light musky scent that Richard had become so accustomed to that wherever he smelled it, the smell reminded him of his home.
Like most other cottages, Richard's father's cottage also had a stone wall that completely surrounded it. Richard wasn't even certain who had built the cottage or the wall.