Chapter Nineteen
For a man who hadn’t been out of The Paladin much in all of his forty-one years, he was doing fairly well on his own.
Tatius wasn’t stupid; he could be cunning and this was one time when that particular trait was called upon.
He had to dig down deep to find that young man who had trained as a knight those years ago and who had been mentored by some of the best fighting men England had to offer.
He didn’t really remember that young man, however – it had been so long since he’d recalled him that it seemed like another lifetime ago.
That young knight with the weight of a great empire upon his shoulders and extreme pressure from a father who wanted a son to be just like him.
Aurelius de Shera had been a hard man. A very hard man.
The harder he pushed, the more Tatius retreated.
Atilius and Fabius had risen to that kind of treatment, constantly trying to appease a father who could never be appeased, but Tatius had shied away from his father’s heavy hand.
By the time Antoninus was born, Aurelius was older and had mellowed somewhat.
Antoninus never took the brunt that his much older brothers had, resulting in a young man who didn’t harbor the resentful memories that Tatius had.
The hatred towards a father who saw his heir as a weakling.
But one thing Tatius did have, that his father also had, was a clever streak.
He may have been a man of gentle hobbies, and even a recluse at times, but he could be quite shrewd.
Following his brothers after having heard their plans in that dark and dank servant’s chamber caused him to draw upon the training he’d had long ago, and he had followed a heavily-armed de Shera contingent all the way to the town of Longton.
In truth, it had been rather exciting for a man who rarely left his home.
Tatius had dressed in a disguise for his foray, in servant’s clothing with a heavy cloak he used to cover himself up with, and he’d taken his fine steed southward.
A man of such slovenly dress appeared odd upon such a fine horse, but Tatius didn’t pay much mind to how strange he looked.
His horse was a good one and he wanted a strong steed for the travel.
Two days later, the de Shera contingent rolled into Longton and came to a halt in the middle of the day, which told Tatius that they’d reached their destination.
He’d spent the night sleeping in the bushes and days trying to stay out of sight, but once the de Shera army came to a stop, he’d directed his horse into the trees that grew in great groves off to the east of the village.
Tying off the horse, he snuck back into town, through gardens and alleyways, until he came to the edge of the main street.
It was there he saw his brothers, and Nesta, gathering and talking before entering a three-storied tavern.
Once Tatius saw that, he slipped around to the rear of the buildings that lined the street, making his way to the back entrance of the tavern, hiding out from the servants passing in and out of the open kitchen door and into the yard beyond.
It was a kitchen yard that also acted as a stable yard, because chickens clustered near their coop over in a corner and a cow was tied up as a servant milked it. A massive iron cauldron bubbled over a white-hot fire, heating water that was meant for a variety of uses.
Tatius wanted to go into the rear of the establishment and find out what was going on, but with the servants lingering in the yard and near the door, he couldn’t get close. Therefore, he slipped around front, waiting and watching for his brothers to emerge from the inn.
Unfortunately, it was a bit of a wait. Huddled up against the side of the inn, Tatius covered himself up with the cloak, protecting himself against the chill in the air but also to conceal himself.
If any de Shera soldiers happened to see him, he didn’t want to be recognized.
He wanted to look like any other villager who might be living in alleyways or on the street.
In fact, he even rubbed some dirt on himself to add to the disguise, congratulating himself on his ingenuity.
And then he waited, entertaining himself with recollections of the last time he’d left The Paladin.
It had been a very long time, indeed.
But then, something surprising happened – less than a half-hour after entering the inn, Atilius and Fabius and Nesta re-emerged.
Tatius heard Atilius’ voice as the man walked right past him, with Fabius and Nesta following.
They were hissing about something Tatius couldn’t quite hear, but he didn’t need to hear it to know that whatever they were speaking of was serious. Atilius’ tone spoke volumes.
Tatius knew his brother well enough to know the man was irritated.
Therefore, Tatius remained tucked up against the wall, watching his army move out and head to the opposite side of town.
Overhead, clouds were gathering and Tatius didn’t want to be caught in the rain.
It was as good an excuse as any to gather himself and head inside, looking for the escort of William Marshal and wondering if Atilius’ irritation was because he hadn’t found the escort.
Based on what he’d heard his brothers speaking of, Tatius knew they were supposed to be in Longton and they had assumed it was The Crown and Anchor Inn.
But perhaps they’d been wrong, because the entire army had moved to the other side of town.
In any case, Tatius headed inside the structure that had a big sign nailed to the wall above the door – The Crown and Anchor Inn.
The common room of the tavern was spacious and surprisingly warm, smelling of fresh bread and a hard-packed dirt floor.
It was also strangely empty except for three knights, who were standing over near the staircase that led to the upper floor.
As soon as Tatius entered, the knights swiftly turned in his direction in an edgy manner.
As they faced each other in the dimness of the chamber, he immediately saw the tunics they wore – the split green and yellow three-point shield with the red lion – the standard of William Marshal.
He’d found what he was looking for.
Quickly, he put up his hands.
“Please,” he said as he made his way over to them, timidly. “I seek William Marshal’s escort, the one bringing Lady Cadelyn to The Paladin. I will presume that is you?”
A very big knight with blond hair and piercing blue eyes seemed to put himself out in front of the others. “Who are you?” he demanded. “Identify yourself before I throw you out on your ear.”
Tatius knew that he probably would, too, so he hastened to prevent the knight from doing such a thing. He held up his hands to beg patience.
“I have something to show you,” he said, slowly pulling back his cloak to expose his clothing, which was worn and somewhat dirty from the mud he’d rubbed on himself. “I will show you who I am.”
With that, he pulled forth a dagger, very slowly, and set it on the nearest table.
He also removed one of his gloves, which were his fine riding gloves, and pulled off a ring, setting that on the table next to the dagger.
Then, he stood back and invited the knights to inspect what he’d placed on the table.
The knights eyed the stuff for a moment before the knight that had spoken to him took a step towards the table, paused and scratched his neck, and then took another few steps to the table to look down at what had been laid upon it.
He only observed for a moment, and didn’t touch, before finally picking up the ring and inspecting it.
That was when he turned to Tatius with a different expression.
Incredulity, perhaps.
“This is the seal of the House of de Shera,” he said. “What do you have to do with de Shera?”
Tatius maintained his position a few feet away. “I am Tatius de Shera,” he said. “I am the Earl of Ellesmere and I followed my brothers here because I was not invited. They came without my permission.”
That brought a very strong reaction from the other two knights, both of whom rushed the table to inspect the elegant and very expensive dagger with the de Shera crest as well as the ring. A second knight with dark hair spoke.
“You are Ellesmere?” he said, shock in his voice.
Tatius nodded. “I am,” he said. “I would swear upon my oath as a knight if I could, only I have not been a knight in over twenty years. I have not been on a battlefield in that long. William Marshal could identify me, but since he is not here, I suppose my brothers could – but I pray you do not ask them to. They want me dead and if you ask them, it will be my death warrant.”
The three knights gazed at him in various degrees of shock, concern, and doubt.
It was clear that puzzlement was more prevalent than anything, which was understandable considering Tatius had always kept himself away from armies and battle.
Then, one of the men broke off from the group, a knight with blond hair so pale that it was white, and bolted through the front door.
The aged panel slammed in his wake, leaving the other two knights standing by the table inspecting what Tatius had left there for them to scrutinize.
Tatius was very concerned about the knight who had swiftly departed.
“If he goes to find my brothers, I shall be dead by morning, I assure you,” he said again, more insistent. “I will leave this instant and you will never know why I have come if he has gone off to find my brothers.”
The knight with the dark hair shook his head. “I do not believe he has done that,” he said. “He would not have done it without consulting with me.”
“Then where has he gone?”
“I do not know.”
Tatius was feeling nervous. He rushed to the table and collected his ring and his dagger, backing away towards the kitchens and the rear door.