Traitor's Field by Robert Wilton Read Free Book Online Page B

shied at the sunlight, and the hooves stuttered on the ground. Shay found himself blinking in the sudden glare too, forced himself to keep his gaze on the approaching rider despite the orange pain in his eyes.
    The two horses edged closer to each other, hoof-beat by hoof-beat on the uneven ground, the men watching each other with the same rhythm: the face, the body, and quickly around; the face again.
    Shay said, ‘Have you travelled far, pilgrim?’
    ‘I have, and I’ve farther still to go.’
    ‘God and the King’s justice go with you.’
    ‘God save the King.’
    They had stopped still, close enough for the horses to be sniffing at each other’s manes.
    Shay scanned the face again, and the poised body. He saw the bag slung loose at the other man’s knee, and stiffened as he saw the pistol butt protruding from the opening.
    He forced his eyes up to the man’s face. The envoys of the Committee were implacable. If Shay had been marked for death, no words would save him now.
    The other had seen the stiffening of his body, saw the intensity in his eyes. Shay held his body firm; a sudden movement could provoke his death regardless.
    The other man moved his hand slowly down towards his knee. Still he held Shay’s eyes. Slowly, he wiped his palm on his thigh, and the trace of a smile came to his lips. 
    ‘You must be the friend of Francis Padget.’
    ‘I am Shay.’
    A nod from the other. ‘I have heard something of you.’ He held Shay’s eyes for a moment, and then his gaze dropped. Shay held up his left hand clenched, and the man examined the ring that glowed dull on the little finger.
    ‘You’ve come from Edinburgh?’
    ‘I have. Whither else did you write?’ The accent sounded strained, as if the man was uncomfortable with the conversation.
    ‘London, Paris and Amsterdam.’
    A nod. ‘We have sent to each. You will receive no reply from any but us.’
    Shay waited.
    The rider said, ‘My message to you is simple enough, sir, and I hope it suffices.’
    The message was simple indeed: the message was a single word; a place.
    Shay repeated it once, and the other nodded, and pulled at the reins of his horse. ‘I’ll leave you to your road, sir. Leeds will not see me again.’ He stopped, and gazed respectfully at Shay. ‘I pray that God go with you on your journey.’

    MERCURIUS FIDELIS
    or
    The hone ſ t truth written for every Engli ſ hman that cares to read it
    From
M ONDAY , A UGUST 24. t
o
M ONDAY , A UGUST 31. 1648.
    F RIDAY , A UGUST
28
.
    n this day at about 6 of the clock was ſ een over Oxford with great alarm by many per ſ ons there a great black cloud, & ſ hortly it did appear to run with blood, which was taken as an omen of great woe for ſ ome though it was not known whom. On this ſ ame day were found divers other ſ igns of ill-portent, among them a cow of Reading that did give blood and not milk & a plague of dead fi ſ h at Marlow.
    On this ſ ame day al ſ o occurred after long and de ſ perate trial the fall of the town of Colche ſ ter. As it ſ hall ſ urely be ſ een, the black omens of heaven were both for this defeat of proud men & al ſ o for the ſ hameful and barbarous handling of the vanqui ſ hed. The ſ truggle of Colche ſ ter had la ſ ted fully two months and one half, & the oppre ſ ſ ed within the walls were te ſ ted with many and growing torments, ſ uch as no water and great ſ ickne ſ ſ e and the foul u ſ ages of the enemy. The town ſ people had re ſ ort to eat their hor ſ es, & the hor ſ es the dogs, & the dogs the cats, etc, & them all riven with maggots and plagues. The E ARL of N ORWICH , and Sir C HARLES L UCAS , and Sir G EORGE L ISLE , and the other Lords and Gentlemen having command of the defences, were re ſ olved to pro ſ ecute their ſ truggle to the uttermo ſ t, but the women and the children did cry unto them GOOD S IRS W E HAVE NO FOOD AND ARE SORE HUNGRY AND AFRAID and when at la ſ t there was no food more they ſ ought terms.
    Sir T