Chapter Nine #3
“This is Payne Mathison,” St. Denis said.
“He is a former pirate turned legitimate warrior. He is suspicious by nature, so his question is not an unusual one. He is called the Tempest, and there is no moniker more deserved. Everything about him is brutal, raw, and powerful, so do not cross the man. You will regret it.”
Athdara dipped her head at the trainer who wasn’t entirely unhandsome. But there was nothing friendly about him.
St. Denis moved to the next man. “This is Sir Sinclair de Reyne,” he said, indicating a big, muscular knight with dark hair and piercing brown eyes.
“He comes from one of the finest families in England, a man with a Norman pedigree, but his skills are well beyond that of an ordinary knight. We call him the Swordsman for reasons that any enemy will tell you are abundantly clear. Next to him is Sir Fox de Merest, whose father is the Earl of Keddington. He has served in His Majesty’s ranks as a guard for the king, among others, and he has Saxon blood in him.
That makes him more of a knight than most. We call him the Protector. ”
Athdara found herself looking at two of the biggest men she’d ever seen, both of them trained knights, both of them exceedingly Norman-looking. They had that dark, well-seasoned, high-bred look about them. They gazed back at her unemotionally as St. Denis moved to the next man.
“This is our Northman, Kristian Heldane,” he said.
“Of course, he is known to us as the Viking because that is his heritage. You and Kristian have something in common, because his father was also murdered by a jealous relative. Kristian is a prince to his people, but he cannot return home, so he resides here and teaches our recruits the ways of the Northmen. And the man by his right hand is also Norman, from an excellent and warring family. This is our Avenger, Sir Creston de Royans, and a more precise and exacting military strategist you will never find. I have a feeling you and Sir Creston will be spending some time together. You can learn a good deal from him.”
Athdara’s gaze lingered on the Viking, with his long blond hair and stunning blue eyes, and then de Royans, who could have been mistaken for a brother with his fair and comely looks.
Truth be told, he was quite pretty in a masculine sort of way.
He even smiled faintly at her, something none of the others had done, but St. Denis turned her to the remaining men before she could smile in return.
Not that she really wanted to, but it seemed the polite thing to do.
“And these men, my lady, are mayhap the most interesting,” he said.
He indicated a tall, dark-haired man who was long and lean but well built.
“This is Cruz Mediana de Aragon, a knight from the Holy Order of Santiago. He is an expert with negotiation and politics, known to us as the Conquistador. The man standing a few feet away arrived with me. He is my advisor and greatly valued by those of us at Blackchurch. He returned with my sons from King Richard’s crusade, his father being a great Egyptian warlord who encouraged his son to live amongst the savages and learn their ways.
We are the savages, by the way. Meet Aamir ibn Rashad, the warrior we call the North Star, because he is strong and constant.
Last but not least, of course, is Ming Tang. ”
Athdara was finally given the opportunity to speak. “We have met,” she said. “He told me that he is a monk from far to the east.”
“A former monk,” St. Denis clarified. “He is from the land of the dragon, and because of that, we call him the Dragon. No warrior is his equal when it comes to fighting with hands and feet. He is a legend. And now, dear lady, you have met the trainers of Blackchurch. These are the most important men in the world of battle because they train the future. They train others to go out into the world and think like they do. These are men who have shaped countries and empires with their knowledge and skills. Do you understand this?”
Athdara nodded solemnly. “I do, my lord,” she said.
“That is what my father said, why he had the greatest respect for the Blackchurch Guild. I came here because my father intended to send my older brother here to train, but that was not meant to be. When our home was stolen and my family murdered, I was left the guardian of my baby brother, who is the rightful Duke of Toxandria. I had but one thought, and that was to train at Blackchurch, to help restore my family’s honor and avenge the death of my father and older brother. ”
St. Denis nodded. “A noble intention, my lady,” he said. “And these men shall train you. But—”
Athdara interrupted him. She could see the doubt in the faces of the men around her, and it was something that fed both her desperation and her pride.
“Tell these men that the only thing you did for me is waive the usual training fee,” she said.
“Tell them that I still had to sleep with the dregs. I still had to train with them. I still had to pass every test in order to become a recruit, so tell them that you simply did not give me a place among men who had earned theirs. Tell them that I earned everything.”
“She earned everything,” Tay said. He had been listening to the introductions, and finally the desperation in Athdara’s tone.
He glanced at her as he spoke to his fellow trainers.
“I get the recruits that come straight from the dregs. Trust me when I tell you that she has earned her place. I would not have asked you to take your valuable time with her had I not thought so. I think all of you know me well enough to know that I do not advocate for women. In fact, I go out of my way to fail them. But in Lady Athdara’s case, she is worthy.
She went up against me in an exercise and used her wits to subdue me. ”
That was something most of the trainers hadn’t heard, so there were several expressions of surprise.
“So she has proven herself,” Fox said, eyeing Athdara. “But I would say there is a difference between proving her skills and being worthy of Blackchurch. Not all who prove themselves are worthy, Tay.”
That was true. Tay looked at his friend.
“You’ve been asked to give her a short amount of your time,” he said.
He looked at the rest of them. “All of you have been asked to give her just a short amount of your time because although she is strong and smart, she is na?ve. She lacks experience. That is what she needs from all of you.”
“As a favor to me,” St. Denis said, imploring his dubious group.
“She has made it this far, so as a favor to me, I am asking you to take the time to train her. It will not be the full training, but a short and concentrated session. The lady needs to learn military tactics and leadership. She needs to learn weapons and how armies think. How they move. How certain weapons affect certain things. How factors like weather and terrain can decide battles. I am asking you to use your knowledge to educate her because I have already taken care of the army that will help her regain her ancestral home. She simply needs to know what they will be doing and how they will be doing it. I will not send them a foolish, untrained woman to inspire their loyalty.”
Athdara looked at him in surprise. “Army?” she repeated. “What army?”
St. Denis turned to her. “Tay had a good idea,” he said.
“I must say that I am ashamed I did not think of it myself, but he suggested I send word to the warlords your father fought with back during the days in the Vexin. There were many great warlords who admired your father and loved him like a brother, warlords who, I am certain, will help you achieve your objective. You do not have to hire mercenaries, Athdara. Your father’s old friends will be willing to help, I am sure.
But you must understand what they are doing and how they are doing it.
That is where Blackchurch comes in. You will be educated in warfare, lady, and educated by the best. I will not send a novice into battle.
Your father deserves nothing less than the very best you can give him. ”
Athdara stared at the man for a moment as his words sank in. When she realized that he was summoning an army on her behalf and that genuine help was on the horizon, a lump formed in her throat.
“My God,” she breathed. “You would do this? Rally his old allies?”
St. Denis nodded. “It will be done before the end of the day,” he assured her.
“The missives will go out to four great warlords, men with armies in Flanders and Burgundy. There is even one from Calais. I remember that he had fields and fields of grapevines, and his family made very fine wines. I am certain they will all be devastated to hear what has happened to your father if they haven’t heard already.
They will want to help when the situation is explained to them. ”
Athdara was still blinking away tears. “I wish I knew their names,” she said.
“My father never much spoke of his past in battle, mostly because he said it hurt him to remember friends lost. He spoke of you often, and of another lord in Arras who died several years ago. I did not know the names of anyone else.”
“You do not need to,” St. Denis said. “You sought my help. That is enough.”
Athdara was overcome. She simply nodded, smiling at the man when he realized he’d made her emotional. She chuckled, embarrassed, as she wiped at the tears that had pooled in her eyes.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “There is no way I can repay you for this kindness, but I thank you most sincerely.”
St. Denis patted her hand before turning to his trainers, who now knew the entire situation and in what direction it was heading. He pointed to Athdara.
“Train her,” he commanded. “Right now, she is the most important recruit at Blackchurch, and you will teach her what you can for the time she is here.”