“My lady, give the word and we shall fire,” Cole said to Corisande.
“But what is the prize for the winner?” Gaia asked, clapping her hands excitedly. “The winner should have a prize! A jewel? A coin? A kiss from the lady of his choice?”
Cole heard the hope in her voice and he knew she meant him. In fact, young Gaia had been making a nuisance of herself with him for the past couple of weeks, much to Corisande’s distress. While she and Cole drew closer, Gaia set her sights on the enormous de Velt knight and it was all Corisande could do to keep from throttling her sister.
But still, Gaia persisted.
The young woman couldn’t take the hint.
“A word of congratulations should be sufficient,” Cole said steadily. “Lady Corisande, if you will.”
Corisande was standing just a couple of feet away from him and she complied. When she cried “mark”, Cole and Ares let the bolts fly straight to the targets. Gaia and Anteaus were running for the targets before Cole had even lowered his bow, and with Corisande at his side, he walked over to where Atlas and Anteaus were examining who came closest to the center of the target.
The targets were drawn with charcoal onto a piece of canvas with a tight bale of hay behind it. Even the soldiers were hovering over the targets, looking to see who had fired with the most accuracy.
“You both hit the center of the target,” Atlas said. “But I do believe Cole is closer to the center of the center than Ares is.”
Ares frowned deeply and yanked his brother out of the way to get a closer look. Even he could see that Cole’s bolt was directly in the center of the center, but he was unable to admit it.
“I had something in my eye,” he said. “I could not see the target clearly.”
Cole fought off a grin. “Would you like to do it again?”
“Nay,” Ares said, turning away. “You would only cheat and have someone move the target at the very last second.”
“I do not need to cheat to best you, de Bourne,” Cole said. “In fact, your sister could best you. Why not challenge her?”
Corisande grinned at Ares, who brushed her off. “She cheats, too.”
Corisande started laughing. “So we all cheat, Ares? Or is it possible that you could lose?”
Ares refused to indulge in any conversation about the possibility of him not being the absolute most skilled man among them as Gaia grabbed him by the hand and tugged on him.
“Please do it again against Cole,” she begged. “I want to see you compete again!”
Ares looked at his youngest sister. “You vixen, you do not want to see me at all,” he said, inferring she only wanted to see Cole perform again. “Go away from me, now. You give me a rash.”
Gaia giggled but she didn’t let go of him as everyone else laughed at his comment. She was irritating enough to indeed give someone a rash. They were all heading back to their starting marks when a soldier approached Anteaus and muttered in his ear.
Anteaus’ smile faded.
“What is it?” Atlas asked.
Anteaus thanked the soldier and as the man ran off towards the gatehouse, Anteaus turned to the group.
“Our scouts have seen an enormous army pass through Hexham,” he said. “They are heading north along the road that will eventually lead them to us.”
The frivolity of the past several minutes was doused in one swift statement.
“An army from the south?” Ares said, baffled. “It would not be the Scots.”
“Mayhap the Northmen?” Atlas said. “Mayhap Berwick wasn’t the point of entry at all. Mayhap it was further south and now they are moving north, into Northumberland.”
“What about your scouts to the north?” Cole asked. “Have they reported anything?”
Anteaus shook his head. “Nothing,” he said. “At least, nothing today, but I do not think it is the Northmen. The scouts said they were flying banners.”
That brought curiosity. “What banners?” Cole asked. “What were the colors and the emblem?”
“Yellow and blue,” Anteaus said. “The emblem was a lion’s head, but I do not recognize it.”
A smile began to spread across Cole’s lips. “I do,” he said. “That is de Lohr. The Earl of Hereford and Worcester.”
That brought surprise. “Are you certain?” Ares asked.
Cole nodded. “I know it is not as recognizable in the north as some, but in the midlands and south, it is one of the most recognizable standards in all of England. My father is allied with de Lohr and we have fought with him several times. In fact, my youngest brother even serves de Lohr. So, aye… I am sure.”
Realization that one of England’s most powerful warlords was heading their way was sinking in. “But what about The Marshal?” Ares said. “Surely he is coming, too?”
Cole nodded. “I am certain he is,” he said. “De Lohr is simply the first. There are several more, I am certain. My father and The Marshal have been in contact about William the Lion’s plans. I told your father on the day I arrived with Canmore that it was The Marshal who ordered my father to raze Fountainhall to send a message to William. I also think it was a stalling tactic so The Marshal could move armies north while William was still stunned from my father’s attack. Don’t you see? The Marshal has sent de Lohr. He’s come to help us defend the north and the first thing we shall do is move them straight into Berwick.”
That bit of news brought hope and excitement. Anteaus ran for the keep where his father was, while Ares and Atlas headed to the gatehouse to make preparations. Everyone was moving with a purpose except for Cole, who was left with the women.
He looked at the three of them.
“Well,” he said. “It looks as if you are going to have thousands of men on your doorstep very soon.”
“How soon?” Gaia asked, already thinking about the numerous new knights to pinch.
In fact, Cole could hear her eagerness.
“Armies do not move very quickly,” he said. “If they are in Hexham, I would say that they should arrive here by this evening. It is just a few hours’ ride for a man on a swift horse.”
Corisande’s eyes widened. “This evening?” she gasped. “God’s Bones, I must get organized. I will need lodgings for the knights and the commanders. Gratiana, go to the knight’s quarters and remove all of the soldiers who are sleeping there and have the entire place scrubbed. It smells as if pigs have been living there. Gaia, you will help me with the keep. I cannot have the Earl of Hereford and Worcester sleeping on anything other than a clean and comfortable bed. Run ahead and tell the servants of his impending arrival and have them boil water and vinegar so they can start scrubbing the floors. Hurry, ladies!”
With that, she suddenly turned for the kitchen yard, rushing to tell the cook of the meal that would be needed for the evening. Cole watched her run off as Gratiana and Gaia lingered.
“I do not know what she is so excited about,” Gaia said. “The keep is clean enough.”
Cole looked at her. “The state of the keep reflects directly on the chatelaine,” he said. “She wants to make a good impression, which is something you should be concerned with also. Do as she says and see to the servants.”