knocked down with a timber, looked fretfully at the bearded man who appeared to Baldwin to be their leader.
In the grey daylight, Baldwin saw that this man had brown hair, and his beard was brown and ginger, as though he had carelessly painted a wall and splashed ochre over his chin. He had the narrow, deep-set eyes that to Baldwin indicated that he was untrustworthy. The knight was not keen to make snap decisions about any man, but felt that when someone had attempted to test his blade in Baldwin’s breast, he was entitled to take a dim view. At least the fellow was in less of a position to hurt anyone now, from the look of the blood seeping through the linen wrapping his flank.
‘You,’ he said, pointing. ‘Are you the leader of this band?’
‘We don’t have leaders.’
‘You don’t have a lot, do you?’ Baldwin said. He leaned against the doorframe and folded his arms. Wolf came and stood at his side, head lowered aggressively.
The men were all unrested, he could see. Even without the bruises and injuries it was clear that they were strained. There was a smell of sweat and fear. ‘You realise that I can have all of you hanged? Men who rob by night are the lowest criminals. And in your excitement, you chose to attack a Keeper of the King’s Peace. A word from me, and you will all die.’
Silence greeted his words. The boy looked down and rested his brow on his arm, sobbing without a sound, while another man stared at Baldwin in confusion. He was one whom Baldwin had punched with the pommel of his sword. There was the imprint of the steel on his forehead, and the eyebrow beneath was torn and bloody.
The bearded man said nothing, but his eyes were fixed on Baldwin as though unsure how to respond.
‘You have nothing to say in your own defence?’ Baldwin enquired. ‘In that case, I shall have to ask for the Bailiff to come and take you, then.’
‘What would you have us say, master? You want us to pretend it was an accident?’ the man sneered.
‘Since you ask, I would know this: why did you choose to attack us last night?’
‘We’re going to hang, so why should we answer you?’ the man with the injured brow demanded.
‘Fair enough.’ Baldwin looked at them all, one by one. ‘If there is no mitigating circumstance, as Keeper of the King’s Peace, I have no choice but to hand you to the law.’
‘What does that mean?’
‘Simply this: as draw-latches and robbers, you are felons, and you will hang. Of course, if you were motivated by some other . . .’ He let the sentence hang, watching the bearded man again.
The boy lifted his head and began to speak. ‘Sir, I didn’t know we were—’
‘Shut up!’ the bearded man growled. ‘Don’t go speaking when it’s not your turn.’
Baldwin looked at the boy. ‘It is your turn, fellow. If you want to live, you should speak your mind.’
‘I don’t want to hang! We were paid, sir, and I—’
The bearded man turned and hissed viciously at the boy, who paled and withdrew, shuffling his arse towards the wall.
Baldwin sucked his teeth. ‘You, boy, will be taken outside in a moment,’ he said, and then his tone hardened as he eyed the bearded man. ‘I am inclined to hang one of you today as a deterrent to all those who think that they can waylay a knight. So you will die. And then I can learn all I need about you from the boy there.’
‘You can hear what you want from anyone when I’m dead.’
‘If you reconsider, you could all live. Which would you prefer?’
‘You will release us if we tell you the truth?’ the bearded man scoffed. ‘Is that what you’re trying to tell us?’
‘I have no desire to see bloodshed. I only want to know why you chose to attack us last night. You must have seen I had little enough with me. Did you mean to steal my horse?’
‘Not you, sir. We didn’t want to attack you,’ the boy protested.
‘Who, then? The man with us had no money, that much was obvious when you looked at
In the grey daylight, Baldwin saw that this man had brown hair, and his beard was brown and ginger, as though he had carelessly painted a wall and splashed ochre over his chin. He had the narrow, deep-set eyes that to Baldwin indicated that he was untrustworthy. The knight was not keen to make snap decisions about any man, but felt that when someone had attempted to test his blade in Baldwin’s breast, he was entitled to take a dim view. At least the fellow was in less of a position to hurt anyone now, from the look of the blood seeping through the linen wrapping his flank.
‘You,’ he said, pointing. ‘Are you the leader of this band?’
‘We don’t have leaders.’
‘You don’t have a lot, do you?’ Baldwin said. He leaned against the doorframe and folded his arms. Wolf came and stood at his side, head lowered aggressively.
The men were all unrested, he could see. Even without the bruises and injuries it was clear that they were strained. There was a smell of sweat and fear. ‘You realise that I can have all of you hanged? Men who rob by night are the lowest criminals. And in your excitement, you chose to attack a Keeper of the King’s Peace. A word from me, and you will all die.’
Silence greeted his words. The boy looked down and rested his brow on his arm, sobbing without a sound, while another man stared at Baldwin in confusion. He was one whom Baldwin had punched with the pommel of his sword. There was the imprint of the steel on his forehead, and the eyebrow beneath was torn and bloody.
The bearded man said nothing, but his eyes were fixed on Baldwin as though unsure how to respond.
‘You have nothing to say in your own defence?’ Baldwin enquired. ‘In that case, I shall have to ask for the Bailiff to come and take you, then.’
‘What would you have us say, master? You want us to pretend it was an accident?’ the man sneered.
‘Since you ask, I would know this: why did you choose to attack us last night?’
‘We’re going to hang, so why should we answer you?’ the man with the injured brow demanded.
‘Fair enough.’ Baldwin looked at them all, one by one. ‘If there is no mitigating circumstance, as Keeper of the King’s Peace, I have no choice but to hand you to the law.’
‘What does that mean?’
‘Simply this: as draw-latches and robbers, you are felons, and you will hang. Of course, if you were motivated by some other . . .’ He let the sentence hang, watching the bearded man again.
The boy lifted his head and began to speak. ‘Sir, I didn’t know we were—’
‘Shut up!’ the bearded man growled. ‘Don’t go speaking when it’s not your turn.’
Baldwin looked at the boy. ‘It is your turn, fellow. If you want to live, you should speak your mind.’
‘I don’t want to hang! We were paid, sir, and I—’
The bearded man turned and hissed viciously at the boy, who paled and withdrew, shuffling his arse towards the wall.
Baldwin sucked his teeth. ‘You, boy, will be taken outside in a moment,’ he said, and then his tone hardened as he eyed the bearded man. ‘I am inclined to hang one of you today as a deterrent to all those who think that they can waylay a knight. So you will die. And then I can learn all I need about you from the boy there.’
‘You can hear what you want from anyone when I’m dead.’
‘If you reconsider, you could all live. Which would you prefer?’
‘You will release us if we tell you the truth?’ the bearded man scoffed. ‘Is that what you’re trying to tell us?’
‘I have no desire to see bloodshed. I only want to know why you chose to attack us last night. You must have seen I had little enough with me. Did you mean to steal my horse?’
‘Not you, sir. We didn’t want to attack you,’ the boy protested.
‘Who, then? The man with us had no money, that much was obvious when you looked at
Similar Books
