Something like that could easily tear the north apart and then some.
“I will have to tell Edward, my lord,” Dashiell said. “The Duke of Savernake must know this so that he will grant me permission to take his army north.”
William nodded. “You have my permission,” he said. “The duke’s massive army is essential to this operation. Bric?”
The big, Irish knight answered smartly. “My lord?”
William looked at the man with the pale blond hair and eyes so blue that they were silver. “You may tell your liege and request his army,” he said. “I have every confidence that Daveigh de Winter will permit you to bring his army to the north because I need the de Winter war machine. Cullen, the same can be said for you – tell your father what I have told you and request his army. Gart, I require yours, as well. Christopher will be in command of the battle, of course, and you will rendezvous with his army at Sheffield. From there, you will go north to The Keld. De Bourne will welcome you. That is where you shall stage the armies and, hopefully, it will be where de Velt brings the hostage he currently seeks.” He sobered dramatically. “Good men, this is mayhap the most serious situation we have faced in recent memory. If we do not destroy Scotland’s plans, they will surely destroy us.”
William didn’t say it to exaggerate. He said it because it was the truth. They understood what the stakes were and the consequences, and perhaps Christopher and David most of all. They’d seen more battles than they could count, but this one… this one might prove to be the most serious. If what William said was true, they were facing an invasion from the north.
In fact, Christopher seemed particularly subdued, staring into the fire as he contemplated what was to come. After a moment, he turned his head towards the group.
“Peter, Cullen, Dash, and Bric,” he said. “You will go down to the courtyard and wait for me. Kevin, go with them. The rest of you will remain for a moment. I have something more I wish to say to The Marshal.”
The five younger knights broke off without another word and cleared the chamber. When the door shut softly behind them, Christopher found himself looking at those who remained. These men were older, men who had seen a great deal of war and strife in their careers. Christopher, David, Sean, Maxton, Kress, Achilles, Caius, Alexander, and Gart had all seen action in The Levant, as they had gone on crusade with King Richard. That bonded them more than most and there was a brotherhood there that could not be shaken.
Christopher’s gaze returned to William.
“Did you truly unleash de Velt, William?” he finally hissed.
William nodded slowly. “I did,” he said. “I want the Scots to know that we will stop at nothing to destroy this ridiculous conspiracy, including using de Velt as an attack dog. I want to strike fear into their hearts and that is exactly what this move will do. The first strike must be bold and decisive. You know that.”
Christopher nodded, though he wasn’t entirely sure releasing such death and destruction was the right move. “You must do what you feel is right, of course,” he said. “But de Velt… once the Scots are finished being terrified, they will strike back and strike hard. We may find ourselves in a nasty war regardless, even though that is exactly what you are trying to prevent.”
William leaned back against his chair, sighing wearily. “That is what de Lara said.”
Attention turned to Sean, who had remained silent since entering the chamber. He wasn’t simply a seasoned knight, but also heir to a large lordship. He and his brother, Kevin, hadn’t been on speaking terms for years even though they served The Marshal together. They could work well enough together, but that brotherly bond had been badly fractured by Sean’s mission as the king’s loyal bodyguard and Kevin’s disgust in his brother’s dedication to his duty over his noble reputation. But every man in that room held Sean in great esteem for his sacrifice.
And his unparalleled knowledge.
“I work in the shadows,” Sean said simply, looking at the eyes upon him. “It was my sense that it would be better to send a few men to capture Canmore rather than an army.”
“But we must make a statement, Sean,” William reminded him.
Sean cocked an eyebrow. “And you are with de Velt,” he said. “But my suggestion of a few well-trained men to capture Canmore would have been far less destructive. There might be a leak in the dam, but the dam would still hold.”
“Meaning what?”
“Meaning that the Scots would not be aware that we knew of their plans,” Sean insisted softly. “The situation would be shaken, but not fractured. There would be no sense of urgency to begin their plans in earnest. As it is, de Velt’s charge may bring about the execution of the Scot’s scheme sooner rather than later because sending The Dark Lord into Scotland is a decisive offensive. It is a clear sign that we know of their plans and, ultimately, it is an act of war.”
“I agree with The Marshal,” Gart, who had also remained largely silent, spoke up. “What you say is true, Sean, but we must act swiftly and decisively. The Scots and their Norse allies will think twice about invading Northumberland if they know they will have to face armies like de Velt. It is the perfect deterrent.”
Sean and Gart had a long and friendly history. There was no nastiness in Gart’s counter, simply honesty. Therefore, Sean simply shrugged.
“Indeed, it is,” he said. “But it is also highly aggressive. As I said, I work in the shadows. Sometimes things are accomplished better, and more swiftly, that way. Right now, we’ve got three of the best agents in England serving the house of de Velt and Cole is one of them. He could have taken his men into Fountainhall Castle, captured Canmore, and made it back to England before anyone was the wiser. With a lot less death.”
“And no impact,” Gart said quietly.
As he and Sean grinned at each other over their differing opinions, Christopher spoke up. “Three agents?” he asked William. “Who are the other two?”
A hint of a smile crept onto William’s lips. “You will not believe it,” he said. “They have been serving de Velt for the past two years.”
Christopher was curious now. “Who has?”
“The Princes of Kitara.”
That drew a strong reaction from Christopher and David. In fact, all of the knights reacted in some way, but not in a negative fashion. In fact, there was delight in their expressions at The Marshal’s revelation.
“Are you serious?” Christopher gasped. “Addax and Essien al-Kort?”
When William saw the recognition, he snorted. “I knew you would be shocked,” he said. “Those young men you took under your wing and helped train on the sands of The Levant those many years ago have never lost their loyalty to England because of you. You gave them a chance when no one else would and they have never forgotten that. At least, that is what they told me when I met with them a couple of years ago, when they first came to England’s shores.”
As Christopher’s jaw dropped with surprise, David spoke up. “But how?” he asked. “You never mentioned this to me at all and you knew of my relationship to them. The last I heard, they migrated north with Thuringian knights, but we lost track of them after that. Where did they go?”