The Action told in words and pictures
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Morgana & Squire Fier
After about ten minutes Squire Fier came to an abrupt halt and shouted, “Halt! There is a pit here! There are stakes and enemies ahead!” His words were followed by a rain of sling stones from a line of men on a nearby ridge. They were protected by the steepness of their ridge and a mass of bushes in front of it. Morgana made a decision, “Squire Fier! Try to fight your way through! Squire Robert! We will try and outflank them to the left!”
Squire Fier and his men jumped over the pit, which was only an het wide and walked their way through two lines of sharpened stakes. The slingers rained more stones on them but without effect. The second line of stakes was manned by light billmen and hard fighting was commenced. Squire Robert and Morgana meanwhile sought to climb the end of the ridge to take the slingers in the flank. They found their way impeded by more sharpened stakes. Bried threw his torch into the bushes in front of the slingers hoping to mask them with smoke. The smoke made little difference but the flames spooked the horses of Mistress Lys and one of the hobilars. Noticing Lys backing away, Morgana commented, “She will be but little loss.” But Lys regained control and followed up in the rear of the party. On the narrow ridge the front was only one to one but the lead hobilar easily dealt with the dagger armed slingers. These cast stones to the last but were all killed and a boy with them
Meanwhile down on the track Squire Fier’s squad was fighting its way through. One hobilar was stunned by magic and Groom Jibbot was slain by an arrow. However the Squire leading the foe was felled with several others and they broke. Two escaped into the darkness but six surrendered. One was a priest of Eru and pointing Taglier at him Dame Morgana demanded, “Who are you sir priest?”
“I am Barnabus, Vicar of Claux your Royal Highness!”
“Ha! I am not the Princess sir, I am Morgana Lefey Marshal of Bara. I am come to collect the heriots that you have not paid to her Royal Highness?”
“Milady Marshal I paid the first thousand to Sir Christopher but yet another two thousand was beyond my means! I had sent so much food for Bishop Innocent’s demands that my stocks were low. Many of our peasants have taken to the wild for they cannot endure the tax burdens that have been laid on them.”
“Ha. If you have paid a thousand Gilden Pezzi to Sir Christopher we have heard nothing of it!”
“It is Eru’s own truth Milady Marshal. I have paid him the one thousand plus all the dues for my two manors despite the sorry state they are in. Both mine own and Sir Christopher’s accounts should confirm this. My Sexton and my Clerk could swear to it, if we should find them again. Alas they are lost in the dark at present.”
“Vicar Barnabus you shall ride with us and we shall hear Sir Christopher’s version together. Come, you shall ride on yon horse.” And she pointed to a Rouncey which was tethered beside a destrier nearby. The Squire leading the foes yet lived though he was unconscious and his shoulder was dislocated and damaged. So Morgana ordered that they tie him onto the destrier. Two other wounded they bandaged and put into the ruined Holm manor with five other unharmed prisoners. These they bound and gagged. A check revealed that Groom Jibbot was slain but a hobilar who had been stunned had now recovered. Of the enemy there lay twelve dead!
Fresh torches were lit and the whole command moved forward once more.