It widened, becoming a gateway arched by a glorious rainbow. And through the gateway rode a single knight on a huge white horse.
‘The Morningstar!’ I yelled, breaking the silence.
His armour was gold and he wore no helm upon his head. In his right hand he carried his black longsword, in his left a spiked ball of iron on a length of chain. I smiled, remembering his first description of the weapon. Jarek Mace had arrived for the battle carrying a morningstar.
Touching spurs to the stallion, he charged at the enemy cavalry.
‘Morningstar! Morningstar!’ went up the roar from the Highlanders, and they surged forward at the bemused infantry before them. Stunned by this sudden attack, the Angostins fell back in disorder.
I did not join the rush of fighting men. I stood with Piercollo beside me and watched the last ride of Jarek Mace.
His horse reached the bottom of the hill and several knights rode against him. His sword lanced out, spilling the first from the saddle; the second fell, the spiked ball crushing his skull. The third thrust a lance into Mace’s side, but a disembowelling cut from the black sword clove through the knight’s belly.
On rode the Morningstar, cutting and killing, blood streaming from cuts on his face and arms.
Edmund drew his own sword and spurred his mount to the attack. There were blades all around the Morningstar now, hacking and slashing, but somehow he stayed in the saddle and the giant white stallion bore him on.
Edmund galloped his black horse alongside Mace and plunged his sword into the Morningstar’s belly. I saw Mace’s face twist in pain and then the spiked ball swung through the air, crashing into Edmund’s helm. The King swayed in the saddle, losing his grip on the sword which still jutted from Mace’s body. Now it was the Morningstar who lifted his sword one last time, slamming the blade forward into Edmund’s neck. Blood gushed – and the King fell.
With the Angostin infantry streaming from the field, the knights were in danger of being surrounded. Several of them tried to recover the King’s body, but they were cut down by Raul Raubert and his men, who had forced their way through to the Morning-star.
The white stallion, its chest pierced by many blades, suddenly fell, pitching Mace to the ground. I dropped my sword and ran towards him, dodging and swerving among the knights and their maddened mounts.
One knight with lance levelled rode at me, but a second inadvertently got in his way, the two horses colliding shoulder to shoulder. Then I was past them and running towards where Mace lay.
He was still alive when I reached him. Raul was kneeling beside him, holding his hand.
‘Get me … to the . . . forest,’ whispered Mace.
Piercollo gently lifted him and we walked towards the north. Wulf joined us, then other men gathered round.
We halted in the shade of a huge oak where Piercollo laid the Morningstar carefully down, removing his white cloak and making of it a pillow.
The other men fell back, creating a circle around the dying warrior.
As the sun began to fade Brackban arrived, his officers with him. I had sat with Mace for an hour by then and he had said nothing. His eyes were closed, his breathing ragged.
With the gathering dark, men lit torches and held them high, bathing the scene in flickering light. I knelt to Mace’s left. Behind me stood Piercollo and Wulf; to the left was Raul Raubert, beside him Brackban.
Mace opened his eyes and looked at me.’Surprised. . .you. . . eh?’No, my friend. It was no surprise. I was waiting for you.’Had … to come back, Owen.’Why?’ I asked him, leaning in close, for his voice was fading.
‘I … wanted . . . another parade!’ He smiled weakly. ‘I … wonder if they . . . have . . . them … in Hell.’You’ll never find out,’ I promised him. ‘Never!’Make it… a good . . . song, Owen.’He made me leave him then, and spoke quietly to Wulf and then Raul Raubert, and lastly Brackban.
I stood back from them in the torchlight and saw that the torchbearers were weeping, and I too felt the weight of it as I watched the tableau in the circle of light – the blood-covered warrior in his ruined armour of gold, the hunchback beside him and the giant standing close by.