The knight, sword still high, crashed to his knees, his eyes wide in shock and disbelief. Iwan had just time enough to roll aside as the knight's body jolted forward with the force of the second arrow, which drove him facedown into the ground.
As Iwan scrambled to his feet, he saw twin shafts protruding from the knight's mail hauberk.
"Here! Iwan!"
The champion looked to the shout and saw Scarlet, bow in hand, waving him forward.
The first knight, still gripping his spear, made a second swipe at Bran, who grabbed hold of the spear shaft with his free hand, pulling the soldier towards him. As the knight fell forward, Bran swung his longbow like a club into the man's face. The knight lowered his head and let his helmet take the blow, then thrust again with the spear. Bran lashed out with his foot, catching the knight on the chin; his jaw snapped shut with a teeth-shattering crack, and his head flew back. Bran swung the body of the longbow down hard, and the mail-clad knight went down. As he sprawled on the ground, Bran, light as a deer in flight, took a running step, planted a foot in the middle of the man's back, and vaulted over him.
He reached the shelter of the trees to find Scarlet waiting for him. "Here, my lord," said the forester, thrusting a handful of arrows at him. "You'll be needing these, I think."
"Thanks, Will," said Bran, breathing hard.
"This way." Scarlet led him along the tree line, and together they loosed arrow after arrow into the Ffreinc from behind until the remaining archers had reached the wood.
Now King Raven and his men occupied the wood, and the Ffreinc were exposed on open ground. As the lethal oaken shafts struck again and again, some of the knights sought shelter behind the wagons. Others crawled back into the wood.
Bran and Scarlet gathered the archers. "How many arrows have you got left?" Bran asked as the men gathered under cover of a bramble thicket. "Two," said Siarles; Tomas and Scarlet each had two as well. None of the others had any.
"Then this fight is over," said Bran.
"Just leave?" objected Siarles. "We can end it now."
"With but six arrows? No, Siarles," Bran told him. "We live to fight another day. It's time to go home."
"Where's Tuck got to?" wondered Iwan.
"He should be nearby," Scarlet replied. "He was right beside me before the charge. Do you want me to go look for him?"
"We can't be leaving him behind for the Ffreinc to capture," said Iwan.
"Scarlet and I will find him," Bran said. "The rest of you start back to Cel Craidd." He held out his hand. "Give us the arrows." He took the remaining arrows and urged them away. "Go. We'll join you on the way."
The others disappeared into the bush. "Where were you when this started?" Bran asked, passing three arrows to Scarlet. "Show me."
"This way," Will told him, starting back along the tree line to the place he and Tuck had been hiding when the attack began.
No sooner had they skirted a large bramble thicket than they heard someone call out. "Scarlet! Here, boyo!"
"I think it came from over there somewhere," said Scarlet. Both men turned and started for the spot. They quickly came to a dense wall of elder and halted. "Tuck! Sing out, Brother. Where are you?"
"Here!" came the voice once more. "This way! Hurry!"
The two pushed through the elder hedge to find the little priest holding a sturdy quarterstaff in one hand and a sword in the other as he stood astraddle an inert figure on the ground. The figure groaned and made to rise, and the friar gave him a sharp rap between the shoulder blades that pushed him back down.
"Thank the Good Lord you're here," breathed Tuck. "I was halfway to wishing I'd never a'caught this one. He's getting to be a handful."
"Here now," said Bran, taking the sword. "Stand aside and let's see who you've got."
Tuck moved away, but kept the staff at the ready.
Bran took hold of the prostrate man's hair and lifted his head from the ground. "Richard de Glanville!" he exclaimed, his surprise genuine. Glancing around to the friar, he said, "Well done, Tuck. You are a very wonder." He released his handful of hair, and the groggy head thumped back onto the earth. "With a little luck and Providence on our side, we may reclaim the throne of Elfael far sooner than we ever dared hope."
"Truly?"
"Aye," declared Bran, "with the sheriff 's valuable assistance, of course. But we must act quickly. We cannot give Gysburne and Hugo time to think."
CHAPTER 29
Well, here's a prize we never thought to get," remarked Iwan. He put a hand to the sheriff 's shoulder and rolled him over onto his back. The sheriff moaned, his eyelids fluttering as he struggled for consciousness, but he made no effort to rise.
Bran had quickly recalled his men, and they gathered once more to receive new instructions. As Bran began to explain what he had in mind, their prisoner regained his senses. "Vous! J'ai pense j'ai senti la merde," groaned the sheriff in a voice thick and slurred.
"What did he say?" asked Bran.
"Nothing nice," replied Tuck. He gave the sheriff a kick with the toe of his shoe and warned him to speak respectfully or keep his mouth shut.
"Me tuer, et est fait."
"He wants us to kill him now and be done with it," offered the friar.
"Kill a valuable prisoner like you?" said Bran. Squatting down, he patted the sheriff 's clothes and felt along his belt before withdrawing a dagger, which he took and handed to Scarlet. "I suppose you'd prefer death just now, but you'll have to become accustomed to disappointment." To Tuck, he added, "Tell him what I said."
Tuck relayed Bran's words to de Glanville, who groaned and put his face to the ground once more.
"What is in your mind, my lord?" asked Iwan.
"Bind him," Bran directed, "and get him on his feet. Gysburne and his men will be recovering their courage, and any moment they might take it into their heads to come after us. Siarles, Tomas-see how many arrows you can get from the field, and hurry back."
The two hurried off, returning a short while later with eight shafts collected in fair condition from dead soldiers, which added to the six they already possessed brought the total to fourteen. "I would there were more, but these will have to do," Bran said. "Pray it is enough." He gave arrows to each of the archers, save the wounded Owain and himself. Instead, he shouldered his bow and took the sheriff 's sword, and instructed Tuck to ask de Glanville where the Ffreinc had hidden their horses.
Tuck did so, and received a terse reply-to which Tuck responded with another sharp rap of his staff against the sheriff 's shins. De Glanville let out a yelp of pain and spat a string of words. "He says they're behind the rocks," reported Tuck, pointing a short distance away to a heap of boulders half covered in ivy and bracken.
While Siarles and Rhoddi collected the horses, Bran turned to Owain. "Do you think you can ride?"
His face was white and he was sweating, but his voice was steady as he replied, "I can ride, my lord."
"Very well." Bran nodded. He turned to Tomas. "I'm sending you and Owain back to Cel Craidd. Tell Angharad and the others what has happened, and to see to Owain's wound. Then get Alan and bring him. The two of you meet us on the road-the place near the stream where the willows grow."
Tomas nodded. "I know the place."
"Then go. Ride like the devil himself was on your tail." To the others Bran said, "Find us something to drink and be ready to ride as soon as Siarles and Rhoddi return with the horses."
"What about the wagons?" asked Iwan.