Love Among the Ruins by Warwick Deeping

  XXIII

  Castle Gambrevault stood out on a great cliff above the sea, like a hugewhite crown on the country's brow. It was as fine a mass of masonry asthe south could show, perched on its great outjutting of the land,precipiced on every side, save on the north. Hoary, sullen,stupendously strong, it sentinelled the sea that rolled its blue to theblack bastions of the cliffs. Landwards, green downs swept with longundulations to the valleys and the woods.

  That Junetide Gambrevault rang with the clangour of arms. The LordFlavian's riders had spurred north, east, and west to manor and hamlet,grange and lone moorland tower. There had been a great burnishing ofarms, a bending of bows through all the broad demesne. Steel hadtrickled over the downs towards the tall towers of Gambrevault.Knights, with esquires, men-at-arms, and yeomen, had ridden in to keepfeudal faith. The Lord Flavian had swept the country for a hundredmiles for mercenary troops and free-lances. His coffers poured gold.He had pitched a camp in the Gambrevault meadows; some fifteen hundredhorse and two thousand foot were gathered under his banner.

  From the hills cattle were herded in, and heavy wains laden with flourcreaked up to the castle. There was much victualling, much blaring oftrumpets, much blowing of pennons, much martial stir in the meadows. Itseemed as though the Lord Flavian had a strenuous campaign in view, andthere was much conjecture on the wind. The strange part of it was, thatnone save Sir Modred had any knowledge for what or against whom theywere to fight. It might be John of Brissac, Gambrevault's mortal enemy;it might develop into a demonstration against the magistracy ofGilderoy. Blood was to be spilt, so ran the current conviction. Forthe rest, Flavian's feudatories were loyal, and left the managing of thebusiness to their lord.

  The men had been camped a week, and yet there was no striking of tents,no plucking up of pennons. Sir Modred had ridden out to bring in a bodyof five hundred mercenaries from Geraint. The Lord Flavian himself,with a troop of twenty spears, was lodged for a few days in Gilderoy, inthe great Benedictine monastery, where his uncle held rule as abbot. Hewas negotiating for arms, fifty bassinets, two hundred gisarmes, ahundred ranseurs, fifty glaives, and a number of two-handed swords. Hehad found the Armourer's Guild peculiarly insolent, and disinclined toserve him. He had little suspicion that Gilderoy was seething under thesurface like so much lava.

  Thus, while the Lord Flavian was preparing for his march into the greatpine forest, Fulviac had completed his web of revolt. He had heard ofthe gathering at Gambrevault, and had hurried on his schemes inconsequence. Five thousand men were ready at his back. He would gainten thousand men from Gilderoy; seven thousand from Geraint. Theseoutlaw levies, free-lances, and train-bands would give him the nucleusof the vast host that was to spring like corn from every quarter of theland. Malgo was to head the rising in the west, and to concentrate atConan, a little town in the mountains. In the east, Godamar was togather a great camp in Thorney Isle amid the morasses of the fens.Fulviac would himself overthrow the lords of the south. Then they wereto converge and to gather strength for the march upon Lauretia, proudcity of the King.

  It would be a great war and a bitter, full of fanatical fierceness andrevenge. Fulviac had given word to take, pillage, and burn all strongplaces. Destiny stood with wild hands to the heavens, a bosom ofscarlet, and hair aghast. If the horde conquered, the seats of themighty would reek amid flame; there would be death, and a great silenceover proud cities.