Holy Warrior by Angus Donald Read Free Book Online Page A

his hands were by his sides and the silver, I noticed, had disappeared. ‘If you will forgive me asking, sir, but did His Royal Highness say that you served the Earl of Locksley? The one the people call Robin Hood?’ His face was glowing with a strange excitement and he seemed to have wrested control over his stammer.
    ‘It is true, I do serve the Earl; I have that honour,’ I said, smiling again. I knew the boy’s type, and had met youngsters like him all over the country. He had heard the songs and legends about Robin Hood and his band of desperadoes and was entranced by the romance of the stories: a happy band of brothers, dining in woodland glades, sleeping under the stars, and running rings around the officers of the law. I could have told him a few tales of my own that would have changed his opinion of Robin, about bloody human sacrifice, and bold-faced theft and extortion, and the mutilation of enemies but, as usual, I refrained.
    ‘I would beg for the honour...’ the boy said and swallowed, ‘... of serving him. And I have news that con-con-concerns him.’
    ‘What news?’ I said.
    ‘Sir Ralph Murdac means to see your master dead.’
    ‘There is nothing new in that, boy - Sir Ralph and Robin of Sherwood have been enemies since before you were born,’ I said dismissively, and I closed my eyes again.
    ‘But Sir Ralph has made it known that he will give a hundred pounds of fine German silver for any man who kills him, and brings in his head,’ the boy said.
    My eyes flashed open. I was stunned, speechless: I had no idea that Murdac had that amount of money to give away for one man’s death. ‘Where did you hear this?’ I asked.
    ‘I over-overheard Sir Ralph tell the captain of the castle guard to pass the message of the reward to his men.’ The boy looked at me anxiously. ‘If you give this information to the Earl, perhaps he will look favourably upon me and take me into his service,’ he said. His eyes were pleading.
    I looked at him again, perhaps he wasn’t so slack-witted after all; and a bold idea began to grow in my head, a way to test the mettle of this boy, give myself some satisfaction, right a wrong, and strike at Ralph Murdac’s pride into the bargain.
    ‘What is your name, boy?’ I asked.
    ‘William, sir,’ he replied.
    ‘And you are employed here as a servant,’ I said.
    ‘Yes, sir. I work in the kitchens - but on feast days sometimes I am allowed to serve in the great hall.’
    ‘Do you truly wish to serve Robert of Locksley?’ I asked.
    ‘Yes, sir, I will serve him right well; I will serve him as a man of his kind deserves to be served. I swear by Our Lady Mary the Mother of God.’
    ‘If you wish to serve Robin, first you must serve me. Will you do that? And later, in a few months, you may be allowed join my master on the Great Pilgrimage to the Holy Land. That privilege carries with it the promise of Salvation, and exemption from all your sins. Would you like that?’ The boy nodded so fast and furiously, I feared he might break his neck.
    ‘But, William, and this is very important, you must not tell a soul that you are serving my lord Locksley until it is time to leave the castle to join your master. Can you do that?’
    ‘Yes, sir. I am new here at Nottingham, and all alone in the world, I have no friends or family to talk to.’ He looked down at his shoes. ‘My father was fou-foully murdered, sir, by thieves, and my mother died of grief soon afterwards.’ He was snivelling slightly and I felt sorry for the poor lad. I knew what it was to have no one.
    ‘Nevertheless, you may feel the urge to tell someone that you secretly serve the famous Robin Hood. It’s a natural urge. But, just remember, if you tell anyone about your service, you will never be allowed to join him. Is that clear?’
    ‘Yes, sir.’
    ‘There is one more thing; you might think of it as a test of your loyalty to Robin. A proof that you truly wish to serve him faithfully.’
    ‘Tell me what