Everyone shifted around for a better look. “What’s that one?” Cassius, who was from Berwick, asked.
Scott thumped on the map again. “That is Falstone Castle,” he said. “They are de Wolfe allies, but they are a smaller castle with a good deal of land on both sides of the border. Lord Merek de Leia is in command, a decent fellow who has always been cooperative, so it is my intention to move troops to Falstone in case the Scots decide to make a mess of it like they did Makendon and The Lyceum. It’s a preventative measure, really.”
Next to him, Troy grunted. “Hell’s Guardhouse should be their allies, but they are allies to no one,” he said, rubbing his eyes. “That entire family is wicked to the bone.”
Scott nodded. “Which is why I am only sending troops to Falstone,” he said. “Christ, the atrocities of John and Nicholas de Soulis are legendary. I hope the Scots burn those bastards out.”
“Worse than Ajax de Velt?” Cassius asked. “What that man did one hundred years ago is the worst thing I’ve ever heard of.”
“But the family has redeemed itself,” Andreas said, protective of Theodis. “Ajax settled down with a good woman and amended his ways. But the de Soulis’… their actions aren’t borne of conquest or money. Their actions are based on the love of bloodshed and hatred. They’ve looted and burned, raped and pillaged.”
“So did Ajax.”
“But he had an end result in mind.” Andreas was becoming more heated. “I’m not saying that what he did wasn’t horrible. It was. But he did it with a goal in mind. There are rumors of de Soulis boiling men alive who do not pay his rents, simply for the pleasure it gives him to inflict pain. I’ve heard more than one person tell me that the man and his son are involved in the dark arts. They worship the fallen angel. De Velt, as far as I know, never did that kind of thing. He was simply bent on conquest.”
Cassius didn’t argue with him. He supposed there was a fine line between the two, atrocities that were more acceptable than others. As Andreas wandered over to a chair to plant his weary body, Cassius was more interested in the map. Behind him, Blayth moved forward and fixed on his brothers.
“De Soulis worships the devil and boils men alive,” he said in his slow and deliberate speech. “But the man mostly keeps to himself.”
Scott and Troy looked at their brother. “That is true,” Scott said. “He does not cause any trouble with his neighbors. Not much, anyway. But he rains hellfire on his own vassals.”
Blayth looked over the map. A big man with cropped blond hair, the entire left side of his head was scarred from the wound he’d received years ago and he was missing the vast majority of his left ear. His brain had been damaged to a certain extent, hence his slow speech, but he’d never lost his brilliance.
There was something sharp still there.
“If you do not support him and the Scots manage to raze Hell’s Guardhouse, then you will have a massive fortress, full of Scots, right at your backdoor,” he said. “That’s less than a day’s ride from The Lair, Scott, not to mention all of the smaller fortresses and allies in the area that will be under threat. Is that what you really want?”
Scott pondered that a moment. Nothing Blayth said was untrue. The de Soulis’ might have been a horrible family, but they kept to themselves and left de Wolfe properties alone. They’d never had any trouble with them. If he had to choose between de Soulis and the Scots, he knew which choice he had to make.
He finally shook his head.
“Nay,” he said. “I suppose not. But they would not take our help even if I offered it. You’ve seen Hell’s Guardhouse. It’s as impenetrable as The Lair. As long as de Soulis keeps himself sealed up inside, the Scots cannot take it.”
“Then mayhap you should send him a missive to do just that,” Blayth said. “He may not know about the movements of the Scots towards the west.”
Scott’s focus lingered on his map for a moment before finally shrugging. “Very well,” he said. “I’m not beyond at least warning the man. But let us return our attention to Falstone. Andreas?”
Andreas’ head came up from where he’d been sitting near the hearth, looking at his hands. “Aye, Uncle Scott?”
Scott met his gaze. “You will take a thousand men with you and head for Falstone,” he said. “I’ll send word to Castle Questing to have two thousand more sent along. You will hold that fortress and if anything happens to Hell’s Guardhouse… well, I’m afraid you may have to protect it, too. Blayth is right –as much as I don’t care what happens to John and Nicholas de Soulis, we cannot let the Scots overrun it.”
Andreas nodded smartly. “Aye, my lord.”
“Take Gareth, Will, and Brodie with you,” he said, looking to Troy. “Is it agreeable to send de Reyne along?”
Brodie de Reyne was one of the older knights in the de Wolfe arsenal. A tall and muscular man, he was from the prestigious de Reyne family, a very large family that had roots in Northumbria and York. He had a vivacious personality, something that ladies took to quite easily, and he had no shortage of female admirers.
With his blond good looks and bright smile, Brodie had quite a reputation as a lady’s man, something that had ended when he’d met Scott’s eldest daughter, Sophia du Rennic. Twice her age, it brought a good deal of consternation from Scott, who was particularly overprotective of Sophia since her biological father had perished years before. It had taken some doing on Brodie’s part to woo her, and it had been quite an adventure, but he was part of the family now.
But the de Wolfe brothers still liked to pick on him from time to time.
Therefore, Troy nodded.
“Get that dolt as far away from me as you can,” he said, but fought off a grin when Brodie smiled broadly at him. “Besides, I have Cassius de Shera in command of Kale Water Castle and I have a de Bocage son at Monteviot Tower, so for now, I can spare that fool. But beat him if he misbehaves.”
As Brodie chuckled, Andreas stood up wearily. “Is there anything else I need to know before going to Falstone?”
Scott ran a weary hand over his face. “Possibly,” he said. “We had a group of minstrels who passed through here right when the wars with the Scots was heating up,” he said. “I was told that Lord de Leia may be suffering from some kind of madness. Some days, he seems well and other days, he does not. Be cautious going in, Dray. And once you’re there, send a contingent of men down to Blackgate Castle to the south. As I recall, it’s a small but important outpost. Warn them of the Scot’s activity and ask them if they require reinforcements.”
Andreas nodded. “I will,” he said. “What about Carlisle?”
Scott sighed heavily. “They could possibly be a target,” he said. “Carlisle Castle is a royal garrison right now and could have quite possibly already heard about the Scots, but it would be wise to send them word. We may need them if things grow worse.”
Andreas was silent a moment, thinking on the assignment he’d been given. Something seemed to be troubling him.
“Uncle Scott,” he finally said. “Falstone will be the last fortified castle in a line that stretches all the way from Berwick. There is still Gretna Green and then Carlisle. We’re not covering the entire border and if the Scots move past Falstone, what then? It’s quite possible that will happen because they’ve not been able to breach the border where we hold the line. But if they keep moving further west, eventually, they’ll be able to break through.”