1017. Chapter 1017

After Much Ado About Murder

Episode 8.20

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: He who hath no stomach for this fanfic, let him depart, his passport shall be made, But no crowns for convoy will be put in his purse as I make no money from this. Rating: K. Time: See above.

"I'm just stopping. If I don't risk my life, then you won't."

Kate glared at him, then looked at the stratiotes who were now pouring into the walled town. Several had dismounted and quickly got the jammed wagons out of the way, allowing more of Castle's troops to enter the town.

Once they saw that their walls had been breached, the townsmen, and any pirates, began to surrender. In no more than ten minutes, the battle was over.

Will fox rode up to Castle. "Sir Richard. The town and all within is ours. I have our men examining the convoy. According to the drivers we captured, it was headed to Spolato with provisions. According to them, there's but one small cart carrying valuables, but we may find some more hidden within."

Paleologos, Tait, and Senor de Esposito rode up to Castle.

"Shall we drive the people out and set fire to the town, Sir Richard?"

Castle thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I have a better idea. The town looks large enough to hold all of our men and horses. With walls between us and any enemies, we'll need fewer sentries and fewer stratiotes out patrolling tonight. Everyone will get to sleep inside by a nice warm fire with their bellies full."

"And someone nice and warm to sleep with." De Esposito muttered.

"Only if they're willing." Castle said. "My troops do not rape."

De Esposito laughed. "I pride myself, Don Ricardo, on being able to attract a woman without the use of force." He laughed again, "Or the use of money."

Castle and his captains found that the wealthiest man in town had long ago left for Spolato, leaving behind a large, well appointed house, with wonderfully soft bed that Castle shared with Kate. The captains found other beds. De Esposito, true to his words, found a young maid who seemed very taken with the mercenary.

Castle was in the middle of undressing for bed when Kate entered the bedroom. When he saw her, he completely forgot about the sock he had been pulling off.

"My God, Kate! Where did you find that?"

Kate smiled and turned in a circle, showing off the translucent silk sleeping gown that she was wearing. The gown ended at the top her thighs and was cut low enough in front to show a generous amount of cleavage,

"Alexis found some clothing hidden away in the basement. The lady of the house appears to have been quite large, but there were some clothes for a more slender woman. They have no daughters, so I suspect he has a mistress. Alexis took the more risqué clothes for herself and will distribute the wife's clothing to the women of the army."

Castle found his voice. "You mean there are things that show more than what you have on?"

Kate smiled. "Actually, if you take this off, you can see all of me."

Castle rose, in more ways than one. "I do want to see all of you."

Which he did.

When Castle walked out of his temporary house that morning, he found his army ready to march and the drivers of the wagons, and the leaders of the pack horses, replaced with his own men.

"Where are the townspeople?" He asked.

"Outside the town with what we'd allow them to take." Paleologos said. "They had little in the way of gold or silver with them, so I believe there are valuables concealed in the town or nearby." He gave Castle a speculative look.

"We don't have the time to tear the town apart. Set fire to the town and make sure all the gates are destroyed. As for the town folk, they're coming with us. I'm taking them to Spolato."

"To Spolato?" Cried Will Fox." But why? It will just add to the number of our foes."

"They won't fight us. They'll stay behind Spolato's walls and wait for us to go away. But adding a few more thousand mouths to feed will put pressure on the city. Perhaps they might even try to attack us. Then we'd have them."

The convoy marched for two days before reaching Spolato. A few towns people had fled during the trip, but most seemed to be happy to be going to the walled city. The refugees had to wait for hours before the Spolato city gates before the gates opened and they were let inside. The leaders of Spolato must have understood what Castle intended to do. But eventually, they decided it was better to let in a few thousand more hungry mouths rather than cause themselves to be hated through their hinterland.

As the refugees waited, Castle and his captains, with Kate and Alexis rode around the city of Spolato, well out of crossbow range.

"The walls are a good thirty yards high." Castle said, as they stopped on a hill. "And the towers are a good ten yards higher than that."

They rode from one end of the city to the other, taking careful note of the defenses of the city. Once at the end of the walls, where the walls ran into the sea, they rode back to the army. They sat astride their horses and stared at the city.

"Well, gentlemen? Your opinions?" Castle finally asked.

Jock Tait spoke first, "I see no weaknesses in their defenses. Nary a one."

Paleologos spoke. "I have been inside the walls before. They are strong and well maintained. The city militia is well trained and well armed. The pirates are less well trained and armed, but they will fight to the death, knowing that we'll hang them."

Will Fox spat. "We have no siege equipment. No battering rams, no siege towers, no catapults, no trebuchets, and no men who know how to build them. And we'll not take that city without a siege train."

Castle saw a rider approaching. "Here's Hamid. Perhaps he's seen something from the sea." Castle had sent Hamid and his ships to scout the sea side of the town.

Castle bowed to the Turk as he rode up. "Any good news would be appreciated, Hamid."

"I have none, Sir Richard. The walls of the city go across the harbor, except for one opening, and are as strong and as tall as those on the landward side. The entrance to the harbor is blocked by two large chains. Even if my ships could get past the chains, which I cannot imagine they can, there are more than thirty pirate craft in the harbor. There are also many large merchantmen in the harbor, which have doubtlessly brought food for the city."

Castle thought for many minutes. "We can't attack from the land, and we can't attack from the sea. And if we stay here too long, we'll starve. They seem to have us."

No one felt comfortable agreeing, but no one contradicted Castle either.

"We'll stay here for two days and then head back north. Duke Rodrigo needs us to fight de Braquenne. Maybe we'll get lucky, though."

Hamid ran his eyes over the city walls. "By the one God. It's her! The bitch! The murderous whore! It's her."

Hamid began to ride towards the town, but Castle caught his horse's bridle and stopped him.

"Who is it?"

"Xanthippe." He screamed. "The witch who castrated my sons and wears their penises as decorations. Let me go."

Both Castle and Fox now had ahold of Hamid's horse's bridle and kept him from attacking the woman.

"Dammit, Hamid." Castle roared. "She's on top of a damned tower. You couldn't get within a hundred yards of her before you were shot to bits by their crossbowmen. Think, man! Think!"

Hamid stopped spurring his horse and began to cry. "The witch is taunting me. She's taunting me."

"Excuse me, Sir Richard. Perhaps I can be of help?"

Castle turned to see Pedro del Valle, the Aragonese. He was armored and carrying his arbalest across his saddle bow.

"How?"

"With my arbalest." He patted the weapon lovingly.

"What is this arbalest?" Hamid asked.

Del Valle bowed. "Lord Hamid, it is a crossbow with a bow of steel, rather than wood. It will shoot farther and harder than a normal crossbow. I believe that with the help of God, I could hit that woman while remaining outside the range of the enemy crossbowmen. I should like to try."

"Then go. Kill her. Why do you wait?"

Del Valle turned to Castle. "Con su permiso, Don Ricardo?"

Castle nodded. "Don't get yourself killed for no reward."

Del Valle put on his helmet and checked his armor. He carefully wound his arbalest and looked through the selection of bolts he carried in a sheaf at his waist. He selected one and nodded to himself.

"I am ready."

He rode slowly towards the city. As he rode, the people on the walls jeered and yelled at him.

"Some army. Only one man is brave enough to come close to us."

"Come closer. We have something for you."

"Cowards. You will not attack is now."

Del Valle ignored them and stopped some four hundred yards from the city walls. He selected a firm patch of ground that would give his horse firm footing. He couldn't afford to have his horse move at the last second.

He slid the bolt into his arbalest and then watched the woman on the wall above him. He saw banners waving near her and judged the direction and strength of the wind. He nodded to himself, confident that he had taken everything he could into consideration. He raised the arbalest to his shoulder, aimed and fired.

Xanthippe saw the bolt coming towards her, but was frozen in place. The man next to her opened his mouth to say something, then was thrown back, dead, the bolt having gone through his mouth.

When del Valle looked up, Xanthippe had fled the wall. He doffed his helmet and bowed to the shocked people on the walls. Then he rode slowly back to the army. A hail of crossbow bolts was sent after him, but none came close.

When he reached Castle and the group around him, he bowed.

"I apologize. I did not quite calculate the wind properly. The woman lives."

"That was the most amazing shot I have ever seen." Hamid said, in awe. "But it gives me the opportunity to kill her myself. Thank you for trying."

"I will do better in the future, I promise." And then del Valle rode back to his place among the crossbowmen.

Castle was in shock for a minute or so at the amazing shot. Then he shook his head.

"There's a ridge a mile to the east of here. It'll be a good place to camp. We can keep an eye on Spolato from there and if the pirates dare to come out to attack us, we'll see them coming and get plenty of warning."

"There is a good sized lake on the other side, Sir Richard." Paleologos said. "Plenty of water for us and the horses."

"Good. We'll dig ditches, have the archers pound in their stakes and set out caltrops. In the meantime, Captain Paleologos, sent your people out to scout the surrounding country. Perhaps there's food out there."

The army marched to the ridge and began the hard work of setting up a defensive camp. Castle rode around the campsite making sure all was in readiness should there be an attack.

"They'll not come out from behind their walls, Sir Richard." Will Fox said as Castle helped a young archer pound in his stake.

"And we'll insure that by being prepared for an attack. I wish we could look like we're all sloppy and unprepared so they would attack. But they can see us too well from their walls for us to be able to cozen them."