Bernard Cornwell - The Grail Quest 1 - Harlequin

If we've any left," the Earl of Warwick grumbled.

Wagons?" the Earl of Northampton asked.

Can't charge a horse across a line of wagons, William,“ the King said cheerfully, then beckoned his horse forward and, because his plate armour was so heavy, two pages had to half lift and half push him into the saddle. It meant an undignified scramble, but once he was settled in the saddle he looked back along the ridge that was no longer empty, but was dotted with the first banners showing where men would assemble. In an hour or two, he thought, his whole army would be here to lure the French into the archers” arrows. He wiped the earth from the butt of the staff, then spurred his horse towards Crecy. Let's see if there's any food," he said. The first flags fluttered on the empty ridge. The sky pressed grey across distant fields and woods. Rain fell to the north and the wind felt cold. The eastern road, along which the French must come, was deserted still. The priests prayed.

Take pity on us, O Lord, in Thy great mercy, take pity on us. The man who called himself the Harlequin was in the woods on the hill that lay to the east of the ridge that ran between Crecy and Wadicourt. He had left Abbeville in the middle of the night, forcing the sentries to open the northern gate, and he had led his men through the dark with the help of an Abbeville priest who knew the local roads. Then, hidden by beeches, he had watched the King of England ride and walk the far ridge. Now the King was gone, but the green turf was speckled with banners and the first English troops were straggling up from the village. They expect us to fight here," he remarked.

It's as good a place as any," Sir Simon Jekyll observed grumpily. He did not like being roused in the middle of the night. He knew that the strange black-clad man who called himself the Harlequin had offered to be a scout for the French army, but he had not thought that all the Harlequin's followers would be expected to miss their breakfast and grope through a black and empty countryside for six cold hours.

It is a ridiculous place to fight,“ the Harlequin responded. They will line that hill with archers and we will have to ride straight into their points. What we should do is go round their flank.” He pointed to the north.

Tell His Majesty that,“ Sir Simon said spitefully. I doubt he will listen to me.” The Harlequin heard the scorn, but did not rise to it. Not yet. When we have made our name, then he will listen.“ He patted his horse's neck. I have only faced English arrows once, and then it was merely a single archer, but I saw an arrow go clean through a mail coat.”

I've seen an arrow go through two inches of oak," Sir Simon said.

Three inches," Henry Colley added. He, like Sir Simon, might have to face those arrows today, but he was still proud of what English weapons could do.

A dangerous weapon,“ the Harlequin acknowledged, though in an unworried voice. He was ever unworried, always confident, perpetually calm, and that self-control irritated Sir Simon, though he was even more annoyed by the Harlequin's faintly hooded eyes which, he realized, reminded him of Thomas of Hookton. He had the same good looks, but at least Thomas of Hookton was dead, and that was one less archer to face this day. But archers can be beaten,” the Harlequin added.

Sir Simon reflected that the Frenchman had faced one archer in his whole life, yet had already worked out how to beat them. How?"

You told me how,“ the Harlequin reminded Sir Simon. You exhaust their arrows, of course. You send them lesser targets, let them kill peasants, fools and mercenaries for an hour or two, then release your main force. What we shall do,” he turned his horse away, is charge with the second line. It does not matter what orders we receive, we shall wait till the arrows are running out. Who wants to be killed by some dirty peasant? No glory there, Sir Simon." That, Sir Simon acknowledged, was true enough. He followed the Harlequin to the further side of the beech wood where the squires and servants waited with the packhorses. Two messengers were sent back with news of the English dispositions while the rest dismounted and unsaddled their horses. There was time for men and beasts to rest and feed, time to don the battle armour and time for prayer.

The Harlequin prayed frequently, embarrassing Sir Simon, who considered himself a good Christian but one who did not dangle his soul from God's apron strings. He said confession once or twice a year, went to Mass and bared his head when the Sacraments passed by, but otherwise he spared little thought for the pieties. The Harlequin, on the other hand, confided every day to God, though he rarely stepped into a church and had little time for priests. It was as though he had a private relationship with heaven, and that was both annoying and comforting to Sir Simon. It annoyed him because it seemed unmanly, and it comforted him because if God was of any use to a fighting man then it was on a day of battle.

This day, though, seemed special for the Harlequin, for after going down on one knee and praying silently for a while, he stood and ordered his squire to bring him the lance. Sir Simon, wishing they could stop the pious foolery and eat instead, presumed that they were expected to arm themselves and sent Colley to fetch his own lance, but the Harlequin stopped him. Wait," he ordered. The lances, wrapped in leather, were carried on a packhorse, but the Harlequin's squire fetched a separate lance, one that had trav-elled on its own horse and was wrapped in linen as well as leather. Sir Simon had assumed it was the Harlequin's personal weapon, but instead, when the linen was pulled from the shaft, he saw it was an ancient and warped spear made from a timber so old and dark that it would surely splinter if it was subjected to the smallest strain. The blade looked to be made of silver, which was foolish, for the metal was too weak to make a killing blade.

Sir Simon grinned. You're not fighting with that!“ We are all fighting with that,” the Harlequin said and, to Sir Simon's surprise, the black-dressed man fell to his knees again. Down," he instructed Sir Simon.

Sir Simon knelt, feeling like a fool.

You are a good soldier, Sir Simon,“ the Harlequin said. I have met few men who can handle weapons as you do and I can think of no man I would rather have fighting at my side, but there is more to fighting than swords and lances and arrows. You must think before you fight, and you must always pray, for if God is on your side then no man can beat you.”

Sir Simon, obscurely aware that he was being criticized, made the sign of the cross. I pray,“ he said defensively. Then give thanks to God that we will carry that lance into battle.” Why?"

Because it is the lance of Saint George, and the man who fights under the protection of that lance will be cradled in God's arms.“ Sir Simon stared at the lance, which had been laid reverently on the grass. There had been a few times in his life, usually when he was half drunk, when he would glimpse something of the mysteries of God. He had once been reduced to tears by a fierce Dominican, though the effect had not lasted beyond his next visit to a tavern, and he had felt shrunken the first time he had stepped into a cathedral and seen the whole vault dimly lit by candles, but such moments were few, infrequent and unwelcome. Yet now, suddenly, the mystery of Christ reached down to touch his heart. He stared at the lance and did not see a tawdry old weapon tricked with an impractical silver blade, but a thing of God-given power. It had been given by Heaven to make men on earth invincible, and Sir Simon was astonished to feel tears prick at his eyes. My family brought it from the Holy Land,” the Harlequin said, and they claimed that men who fought under the lance's protection could not be defeated, but that was not true. They were beaten, but when all their allies died, when the very fires of hell were lit to burn their followers to death, they lived. They left France and took the lance with them, but my uncle stole it and concealed it from us. Then I found it, and now it will give its blessings to our battle."

Sir Simon said nothing. He just gazed at the weapon with a look close to awe.

Henry Colley, untouched by the moment's fervour, picked his nose.

The world,“ the Harlequin said, is rotting. The Church is corrupt and kings are weak. We have it in our power, Sir Simon, to make a new world, loved by God, but to do it we must destroy the old. We must take power ourselves, then give the power to God. That is why we fight.”

Henry Colley thought the Frenchman was plain crazy, but Sir Simon had an enraptured expression.

Tell me,“ the Harlequin looked at Sir Simon, what is the battle flag of the English King?”

The dragon banner," Sir Simon said.

The Harlequin offered one of his rare smiles. Is that not an omen?“ he asked, then paused. I shall tell you what will happen this day,” he went on. The King of France will come and he will be impatient and he will attack. The day will go badly for us. The English will jeer at us because we cannot break them, but then we shall carry the lance into battle and you will see God turn the fight. We shall snatch victory from failure. You will take the English King's son as a prisoner and maybe we will even capture Edward himself, and our reward will be Philip of Valois's favour. That is why we fight, Sir Simon, for the King's favour, because that favour means power, riches and land. You will share that wealth, but only so long as you understand that we shall use our power to purge the rot from Christendom. We shall be a scourge against the wicked.“ Mad as a brush, Henry Colley thought. Daft as lights. He watched as the Harlequin stood and went to a packhorse's pannier from which he took a square of cloth which, unfolded, proved to be a red banner on which a strange beast with horns, tusks and claws reared on its hind legs while clasping a cup in its forepaws. This is my family's banner,” the Harlequin said, tying the flag to the lance's long silver head with black ribbons, and for many years, sir Simon, this banner was forbidden in France because its owners had fought against the King and against the Church. Our lands were wasted and our castle is still slighted, but today we shall be heroes and this banner will be back in favour.“ He rolled the flag about the lance-head so that the yale was hidden. Today,” he said fervently, my family is resurrected."

What is your family?" Sir Simon asked.

My name is Guy Vexille,“ the Harlequin admitted, and I am the Count of Astarac.”

Sir Simon had never heard of Astarac, but he was pleased to learn that his master was a proper nobleman and, to signify his obedience, he held his praying hands towards Guy Vexille in hom-age. I will not disappoint you, my lord," Sir Simon said with an unaccustomed humility.

God will not disappoint us today,“ Guy Vexille said. He took Sir Simon's hands in his own. Today,” he raised his voice to speak to all his knights, we shall destroy England."

For he had the lance.

And the royal army of France was coming.

And the English had offered themselves for slaughter. Arrows,“ Will Skeat said. He was standing at the wood's edge beside a pile of sheaves unloaded from a wagon, but suddenly paused. Good God.” He was staring at Thomas. Looks like a rat got your hair.“ He frowned. Suits you, though. You look grown up at long last. Arrows!” he said again. Don't waste them.“ He tossed the sheaves one by one to the archers. It looks like a lot, but most of you godforsaken lepers have never been in a proper battle and battles swallow arrows like whores swallowing, Good morning, Father Hobbe!”