‘I thought maybe I’d go north with you,’ said Gallowglass. ‘Maybe take a break from the war. Maybe even settle down up there.’
That’s a lot of maybes.’
Gallowglass raised his head and peered over the wall, gauging the distance from here to the trees. A running man could cover it in just over a minute. Laden with musket or pike it would be perhaps two minutes. Certainly no more than that. Any time now, with the dawn breaking, some five hundred soldiers would be charging across that area, with maybe fifteen hundred cavalry. Cavalry would cover the ground in a third of the time. He tried to figure the odds. The Eldacre Company had around a hundred musketeers, half of them issued with two weapons. Most good musketeers could load and fire around three times in a minute. The mental arithmetic made his brain hurt. Whichever way he looked at it there was no chance of a hundred musketeers and less than half that number of riflemen holding back a determined charge -even if the cavalry were occupied elsewhere. The Eldacre men could perhaps take out around half of the attackers – and then only if they were all as skilled as Taybard Jaekel. How likely was that? Gallowglass swore softly.
‘You ain’t thanked me yet,’ he said.
‘Grey Ghost thanked you,’ said Taybard. ‘Heard him say it. That why you did it? For thanks?’
‘Reckoned I owed you my life. Didn’t expect to die for it, though. Can you smell this tunic from there?’
‘I can. Pretty ripe.’
‘Didn’t expect to die in no stinking tunic. And it’s too big.’
‘It belongs to Kammel Bard. He’s the big fellow over there,’ said Taybard, pointing to where Kammel was sleeping again.
‘He’s welcome to it. Reckon if I took it off it’s ripe enough to walk back to him by itself. If I don’t die here he can have it back.’
‘You usually talk a lot about whores. I never liked it, but I’d prefer it right about now to talk of dying.’
‘I ain’t scared of dying, Jaekel,’ muttered Gallowglass. ‘It’s just that the odds favour it, I reckon.’
‘Look on the bright side. You could have been about to walk out over that open ground with my rifle aimed at you.’
‘Not likely. If I hadn’t warned you there would have been no-one here to stop us.’
‘True,’ agreed Taybard. ‘Having regrets?’
‘Damn right I’m having regrets. I don’t even know why this is happening. Were you all thinking of joining Luden Macks?’
‘Not as I know of.’
‘Makes no sense to me. And where the hell has the Grey Ghost gone?’
Taybard shrugged. ‘No idea.’
‘Well, that’s comforting. I’m going to feel damned foolish if he’s riding off north and leaving us behind.’
‘He wouldn’t do that, Jakon.’
‘Well, you know him better than me,’ said Gallowglass, doubtfully.
‘Hardly know him at all. What I do know is he’s always the first to lead a charge and he don’t put us through nothing he won’t tackle himself. Expect he’s gone out to fight on ground of his choosing. What’s Macy like as a commander?’
‘How would I know?’ replied Gallowglass. ‘Hardly ever see him. Wish I hadn’t seen him in that damned wood. His brother’s a real turd. That I do know. Now him I’d like to get in my sights.’ Gallowglass suddenly chuckled. ‘Actually I’m not so good with a musket, so I’d prefer him to be in your sights. Do you ever miss, Jaekel?’
‘Once or twice. Not since I’ve had the Emburley.’
‘Well, I’ll point him out to you if the cavalry come. What are the whores like in Shelding?’
Taybard Jaekel smiled. ‘That’s more like it, Gallowglass.’
The sound of distant gunfire came to them. Taybard glanced to the south. ‘Expect their cavalry have just found out why he’s called the Grey Ghost,’ he said, licking his thumb and touching it to the sight of his Emburley.
Crouching low, the officer Mulgrave came alongside them. ‘They’re in sight,’ he said. ‘Wait for the command. Pass it along.’
Gallowglass resisted the urge to peer over the wall. His heart was beating faster now, though he could feel the beginnings of calm in his mind.