The Mercenary Knight (9 page)

“What have I done?”

The animal snorted and Conrad looked up. Whore or not, he was in love with the tavern wench, and he had to stop running from her. He patted his horse and donned his clothes. A nervous tingling rushed from the top of his head to his toes. He could do this. He was a soldier, a man that had withstood life-threatening battles. He would confront the girl and clear things up. All manner of situations and possible outcomes presented themselves to him. It was almost like planning an attack before a major offensive, but he knew that no matter what he came up with the result would almost never be the one expected.

Conrad entered the common room at a quick stride. He didn’t bother to acknowledge his men as he raced up the stairs. He had to do this and he had to do it now. However, as he reached Tanya’s door, he paused. What if she refused to talk to him? It would be understandable considering how he had behaved. No. He had to stop this destructive behavior. She would listen, even if he had to tie her down. He knocked softly on her door.

“Tanya?” He chewed on the inside of his cheek. There was no reply. He raised his hand and knocked a little harder. He cleared his voice.

Conrad shuffled his feet and passed a hand through his hair. He heard her bare feet slap the wooden floor as she rushed across the room, probably lighting a lantern. Finally, the sound of her steps stopped at the door.

“What do you want?”

“I want to explain.” Conrad held his breath. He could almost hear her hesitation. “Even if you decide to part company with us tomorrow, you owe me that much.”

He was right and she knew it. The bolt slid and the door creaked open.

“All right, come in.”

Conrad stepped into the bedroom. His eyes widened as he took in the chamber. Moonlight streamed through a large window near a washing basin with several utensils and a mirror. Closer to the door a table held a flickering lantern that bathed the room in a mild glow. Next to the table, there was a stool, but what denoted the bedroom’s opulence was the large elaborate bed with hangings draped from a frame that hung from the ceiling beams.

“Last time I was here, the rooms were not so cozy,” he said dryly.

“The innkeeper called it a suite. There was only one other room left but it was of poor quality and Johann insisted.” Tanya’s voice trembled and died out and Conrad turned to face her. His breath caught in his throat. She stood with her back to the door, dressed in nothing more than her chemise, a piece of garment that barely grazed her kneecaps. Her hair hung loose in soft waves below her shoulders. She tried to hide her anxiety by holding her hands behind her back and sticking out her chin but she couldn’t stop herself from worrying her lower lip.

“I’d rather stand.” He approached the window and took in a deep breath. The night air was warm and heavily perfumed with the smell of spring flowers. He looked below and was surprised to discover the room faced a reasonably sized courtyard. It would be perfect for the permanent guests to practice their sword-fighting skills, he thought. He caressed the hilt of his sword, a nervous habit that he had acquired years past and which had helped him confuse more than one adversary. Like the ones from Summit Meadows, his last battle as a knight. Abruptly, he made up his mind. He had to tell her everything.

“I have never spoken of this to anyone.”

Tanya nodded, but he barely registered the action as he began to pace the room, gathering his thoughts.

“Ten years ago, I was a Knight for King Caspian’s father and Lord Belamy. My family was from the north of the capital. We withheld a minor title and lands of little importance. I was the third son so I was sent to court to be educated properly and hopefully find a suitable wife. However, things don’t always work the way you want them to. I excelled at my duties and was quickly inducted into knighthood. My family was so proud, Tanya. You have no idea,” he said fiercely.

“At first I was happy. I truly was. I was one of the Order, a man without boundaries, with only one duty: to serve his lord and his king. But things quickly degenerated. Caspian’s father was hungry for power and so was my Lord Belamy. We assaulted all manner of villages, plundering and killing those who got in our way. Then one day, we assaulted Gregorii’s village. Those men fought so bravely. But it did not matter. Belamy ordered us to kill everyone. Everyone, Tanya!”

Conrad stopped. He remembered that day as if it had been yesterday. He passed a tired hand across his face, trying to dissipate the ghosts of the past that still followed him.

“
Surrender to your rightful King, Ulric the fourth of that name, Lord of all lands to the north, south, east and west of here.”

There was no answer from the village. Conrad knew the men were stalling. They were likely rushing the women into the mountains and preparing themselves for the attack.

“
Surrender or you shall feel the wrath of God.”

Again, silence.

“
Very well.” Lord Belamy trotted back to their lines. He motioned for Conrad to approach him. “Burn down the village.”

“
My Lord—“ Conrad vacillated. Belamy’s eyes were as cold as ice as he stared down at him from atop his horse.

“
Did you not hear my orders, Conrad? Burn it down and kill everyone. We have no use for traitors or those with mixed loyalties in the kingdom.”

Conrad bowed his head. He understood the threat was also meant for him. Either he followed orders or there would be hell to pay. Belamy rode back to his tent. From there he would wait for his men to issue the attack. Once the battle was considered won over, he would perhaps join them to ensue the coup de grâce.

He hurried to dispatch orders. Men ran to their places. The village was not overly large and it had not been built for warfare. From their position, he could glimpse the keep atop a small hillock. It was nothing more than a two-story building made from timber in which the men and women could find safe haven during attacks. A palisade surrounded the bailey. Conrad scratched at his beard. Clearly, these were not fighting folk. The structure of the town was missing a ditch or a moat, which would have ensured a little more protection, not to mention that the whole thing stunk of newly built.

Conrad sighed. Most likely, they would be fighting against herders and farmers, not soldiers. These were a peaceful people not used to fighting. Had the King more common sense they could have probably adopted them into the Kingdom. Instead, Belamy ordered everyone killed. It was not the first time he killed men but lately the battles with Belamy in the name of the King and the Kingdom had turned into bloody raids. It was almost as if Belamy was not following the code but simply plundering for the sake of bloodshed.

“We fought through the outer bailey almost with our eyes closed. It was a massacre.” Conrad stared across at Tanya. He could hear the screams of the dead and the dying in his ears. He saw the blood and the bodies littering the floor. “However, the gross of their men were at the keep and the battle truly began there.”

“
Burn down the wall. That will keep them entertained for a while.” Belamy appeared at his side. “Cover this front, Marius. Conrad lead your squadron to the rear with me.”

Conrad issued orders. As one with his men, they followed Belamy to the southern sector of the city.

Belamy glanced at Conrad with a leering smile. “As soon as that wall starts burning they’re going to try and escape through here. Did you notice they had begun to construct a moat? If they had finished it on time they might have been able to douse the flames, but it’s too late now.”

Conrad remained silent as they waited. He could hear the sound of battle from within and soon enough he began to observe the red flames of a roaring fire.

“
Take what woman you will for sport, kill everyone else,” Belamy bellowed. Suddenly, a group of men was running through the gate and they were charging. Blood splattered everywhere as swords pierced tender skin. Women screamed and men cried out. Conrad entered the keep with his men. Everywhere he looked was chaos. Men fought, women ran trying to escape capture and rape, and children cried over the loss of their family. In the background, the menacing fire threatened to consume them all.

Suddenly, a high-pitched wail brought him out of his horror. He turned and saw Belamy racing from the keep with a young girl thrown over his shoulder. Conrad felt nauseous. A man raced to confront him and he easily parried and thrust. A woman raced towards him but before she could reach him, she was dead, a dagger sticking from her back. Madness was everywhere. This was no gain for the Kingdom; this was death and carnage in its most primal form. Resolute, he turned from the battle and hurried to find his Lord. They had won over the city; there was no need to continue spilling blood. A shrill scream alerted him to the whereabouts of Belamy. He followed the sound into an abandoned building at the far end of the village.

The girl lay on the floor still conscious and fighting though blood oozed from several wounds. Belamy lay over her, his cock pounding into her, a sneer of satisfaction in his face. Rage like he had never felt before raced through his veins. Before he knew what he was doing, Conrad was raising his sword and cutting through muscle and bone. Belamy’s head rolled to the floor blood spurting in all directions.

“That child was my sister’s age, Tanya. She was no more than twelve.” Hot tears streamed down Conrad’s face. Tanya took a tentative step towards him, her face stricken with tears of grief. He lifted his hand, indicating that he was not done. He would not take comfort, not when he still hadn’t told her the worst of it.

“I killed my Lord Belamy,” he whispered. “In a rage, I cut off his head, but I finished off the girl, too.”

Tanya stared at him; her golden eyes, red-rimmed from crying, questioned him, uncomprehending.

“Belamy had hurt her badly. She was bleeding from several places and she muttered incoherently. She had lost her mind…I felt that I would spare her the suffering. I…I live with that doubt every day.” Conrad paused. “I think I lost it then. For several moments, I just stood there and then I realized what I had done.”

Conrad raced out of the building. He mounted his horse and spurred her out of the carnage. Thoughts raced through his mind. He would be hanged, his family would be dishonored for eternity, and they would take possession of all their belongings and brand them as traitors. As he reached relative safety, his mind cleared. He could endure but he knew that his family would not. A plan quickly formed in his mind. He raced back to the village, but this time he made directly for where the fire had started. The closer he got to the flames the more certain he was that this was what he had to do. As he rode, he scouted the ground, looking for a body. Finally, he found it: A man similar in build and weight to his. There was no one about, the heat in that area of the city to great to contend. Quickly, he discarded his armor and dressed the corpse with it. He put on the man’s trousers and slung him onto his back. His eyes scanned the area until he found a portion of the wall that was burning avidly. He threw the body in and watched in fascination as the flames consumed it, burning the corpse and the metal armor beyond recognition. He turned around and the blade of a sword brushed against his neck.

“It was Gregorii. He threatened to kill me and I was glad. I had made up all that masquerade of dressing the body with my armor to ensure my family’s safety, intending to run away. If they believed I was dead, no one could blame me for Belamy’s death. Gregorii’s appearance simplified everything. I thought I was ready to die. The code that I honored was a lie but the bastard decided to save me.”

Conrad chuckled. “I don’t know if he saw something in my eyes or what it was, but the next thing I remember was his fist striking my face. I was taken away from the wreckage and woke up hours later with Gregorii and some people from his village. I tried to convince Gregorii to kill me but he refused. Seems he thought I didn’t really want to die since I didn’t throw myself into the fire.” Conrad shook his head, smiling at the memory. “I shaved my beard, let my hair grow long and helped the survivors adapt into the Kingdom. Then I left and Gregorii came with me.”

“I met there a knight I once knew, one of the few worthwhile men that I could count as friends. He recognized me, though it had been more than ten years and I have a haggard appearance compared to then. After the strife, we spoke briefly. I was informed that my family is well. My eldest brother rules over our estates, my other brother became a priest and my sister married a prosperous noble. I counted few friends among the knighthood. This man was one of them. In fact, he offered me to join him and fight for his cause. I refused.”

“Why?”

Conrad stared at Tanya. She hadn’t moved from her post next to the door, but her posture was more relaxed. His eyes found hers and he knew the moment had come. “I have no place in the nobility anymore. I will be content just to settle down somewhere in peace with the woman I love.”

Conrad closed the distance between them. Gently he tilted her head so that she could look into his eyes.

“Do you know who that woman is?” he whispered. Tanya’s lips parted and her golden eyes became vulnerable pools of hope. Conrad cupped her cheek and lowered his head until his forehead touched hers. “You.”