A dark-complected man stood angrily. Sir Guy de Malegant was dressed entirely in black — black chain mail and a black surcoat, with a black eagle embroidered on his chest. “My Lord, I fear my Lady amuses herself at our expense. She knows full well I set my men to save her, seeing that she was alone and in distress.” Sir Guy walked toward Chris, glaring at him. “It is this man, my Lord, who placed her at risk of her life. I cannot think she now defends him, except as display of her uncommon wit.”
“Eh?” Oliver said. “Wit? My Lady Claire, what wit is here?”
The woman shrugged. “Only the witless, my Lord, see wit where none is writ.”
The dark knight snorted. “Quick words, to quick conceal what lies beneath.” Malegant walked up to Chris, until they were standing face to face, inches apart. He stared intensely as he slowly, deliberately began to take off his chain-mail glove. “Squire Christopher, is it how you are called?”
Chris said nothing, only nodded.
:
Chris was terrified. Trapped in a situation he did not understand, standing in a room full of bloodthirsty soldiers, no better than a bunch of street-corner thugs, and facing this dark, angry man whose breath stank of rotting teeth, garlic and wine — it was all he could do to keep his knees from shaking.
Through his earpiece, he heard Marek say, “Don’t speak — no matter what.”
Sir Guy squinted at him. “I asked of you a question, squire. Will you answer?” He was still taking off his glove, and Chris felt sure he was about to hit him with his bare fist.
Marek said, “Don’t speak.”
Chris was only too happy to follow that advice. He took a deep breath, trying to control himself. His legs were tremulous, rubbery. He felt as if he might collapse in front of this man. He did his best to steady himself. Another deep breath.
Sir Guy turned to the woman. “Madam, does he speak, your savior squire? Or merely sigh?”
“If it please Sir Guy, he is of foreign parts, and often does not comprehend our tongue.”
“Dic mihi nomen tuum, scutari.” Tell me your name.
“Nor Latin, I fear, Sir Guy.”
Malegant looked disgusted. “Commodissime. Most convenient, this dumb squire, for we cannot ask how he comes here, and for what purpose. This Irish squire is far from home. And yet he is not a pilgrim. He is not in service. What is he? Why is he here? See how he trembles. What can he fear? Nothing from us, my Lord — unless he be the creature of Arnaut, come to see how the land lies. This would make him dumb. A coward would not dare speak.”
Marek whispered, “Do not respond. . . .”
Malegant poked Chris hard on the chest. “So, cowardly squire, I call you spy and scoundrel, and not man enough to admit your true cause. I would have contempt for you, were you not beneath it.”
The knight finished removing his glove, and with a disgusted shake of his head, he dropped it on the floor. The chain-mail glove landed with a clunk on Chris’s toes. Sir Guy turned insolently away and started back to the table.
Everyone in the room was staring at Chris.
Beside him, Claire whispered, “The glove. . . .”
He glanced at her sideways.
“The glove!”
What about the glove? he wondered, as he bent over and picked it up. It was heavy in his hand. He held the glove out to Claire, but she had already turned away, saying, “Knight, the squire has accepted your challenge.”
Chris thought, What challenge?
Sir Guy said immediately, “Three lances untipped, à outrance.”
Marek said, “You poor bastard. Do you know what you just did?”
:
Sir Guy turned to Lord Oliver at the high table. “My Lord, I pray you let the day’s tourney begin with our challenge combat.”
“So it shall be,” Oliver said.
Sir Daniel slipped forward through the crowd and bowed. “My Lord Oliver, my niece carries this jest too far, with unworthy result. It may amuse her to see Sir Guy, a knight of renown, provoked into combat with a mere squire, and so dishonored by the doing. But it ill-serves Sir Guy to be taken in by her ruse.”
“Is this so?” Lord Oliver said, looking at the dark knight.
Sir Guy Malegant spat on the floor. “A squire? Mark me, this is no squire. Here is a knight in hiding, a knave and a spy. His deceit shall have its reward. I will contest him this day.”
Sir Daniel said, “If it please my Lord, I think it is not meet. Sooth he is a squire only, of little training at arms, and no match for your worthy knight.”
Chris was still trying to understand what was going on, when Marek stepped forward, speaking fluently in a foreign language that sounded something like French, but not exactly. He guessed it was Occitan. Chris heard the translation in his earpiece.
“My Lord,” Marek said, bowing smoothly, “this worthy gentleman speaks truth. Squire Christopher is my companion, but he is no warrior. In fairness, I ask you to allow Christopher to name a champion in his stead, to meet this challenge.”
“Eh? Champion? What champion? I do not know you.”
Chris saw that Lady Claire was staring at Marek with unconcealed interest. He returned a brief glance before speaking to Oliver.
“Please my Lord, I am Sir André de Marek, late of Hainaut. I offer myself as his champion, and God willing, I shall give good account with this noble knight.”
Lord Oliver rubbed his chin, thinking.
Seeing his indecision, Sir Daniel pressed forward. “My Lord, to begin your tourney with unequal combat does not enhance the day, nor make it memorable in the minds of men. I think de Marek will give better sport.”
Lord Oliver turned back to Marek to see what he would say to that.
“My Lord,” Marek said, “if my friend Christopher is a spy, then so am I. In defaming him, Sir Guy has defamed me as well, and I beg leave to defend my good name.”
Lord Oliver seemed entertained by this new complication. “How say you, Guy?”
“Faith,” the dark knight said, “I grant you this de Marek may be a worthy second, if his arm has the skill of his tongue. But as a second, it is meet he fight my second, Sir Charles de Gaune.”
A tall man stood at the end of the table. He had a pale face, a flat nose and pink eyes; he resembled a pit bull. His tone was contemptuous as he said, “I shall be second, with pleasure.”
Marek made one final attempt. “So,” he said, “it appears Sir Guy is afraid to fight me first.”
At this, the Lady Claire openly smiled at Marek. She was clearly interested in him. And it seemed to annoy Sir Guy.
“I fear no man,” Guy said, “least of all a Hainauter. If you survive my second — which I much doubt — then I will gladly fight you after, and bring your insolence to an end.”
“So be it,” Lord Oliver said, and turned away. His tone indicated that the discussion was ended.
* * *
32:16:01
The horses wheeled and charged, racing past each other on the grassy field. The ground shook as the big animals thundered past Marek and Chris, who were standing at the low fence, watching the practice runs. To Chris, the tournament field was huge — the size of a football field — and on two sides, the stands had been completed, and ladies were beginning to be seated. Spectators from the countryside, roughly dressed and noisy, lined the rail.
Another pair of riders charged, their horses snorting as they galloped. Marek said, “How well do you ride?”
He shrugged. “I rode with Sophie.”
“Then I think I can keep you alive, Chris,” Marek said. “But you must do exactly as I tell you.”
“All right.”
“So far, you haven’t been doing what I tell you,” Marek reminded him. “This time, you must.”
“Okay, okay.”
“All you have to do,” Marek said, “is stay mounted on the horse long enough to take the hit. Sir Guy will have no choice but to aim for the chest when he sees how badly you ride, because the chest is the largest and steadiest target on a galloping rider. I want you to take his lance square on the chest, on the breastplate. You understand?”
“I take his lance on the chest,” Chris said, looking very unhappy.
“When the lance strikes you, let yourself to be unseated. It shouldn’t be difficult. Fall to the ground and do not move, so you appear to have been knocked unconscious. Which you may be. Under no circumstances get to your feet. Do you understand?”
“Don’t get to my feet.”
“That’s right. No matter what happens, you continue to lie there. If Sir Guy has unhorsed you, and you are unconscious, the match is over. But if you get up, he will call for another lance, or he will fight you on foot with broadswords, and kill you.”