Chapter 14: An Interesting Discovery
The peasants rushed to gather around the knights as they rode into the village.The guards closed the gate to the Roman estate, so Arthur had to tell them who they were. When the fat, wealthy Roman came out Arhtur explained the situation to him. The stupid git refused to leave even though it was only a matter of hours before a hoard of blood-thirsty Saxons was coming to annihilate them.
It had been almost a fortnight that Rhiane had been missing and it would take them weeks to get back especially with the Roman family in tow and the Saxons would be hot on their trail. Galahad couldn't be more on edge.
The Roman family was sent to pack.
"Let's go now, hmm?" Bors asked as reasonably as he could.
Arthur spotted an elderly man chained, and drew his sword as he walked over to him. The knights rolled their eyes as they followed their leader.
"Are from Rome?" a villager asked Bors.
"From Hell," Bors answered gruffly. He was very unhappy with the current situation as were they all.
"Who is this man?" Arthur asked a peasant.
"He's our village elder," he answered, following Arthur.
"What is his punishment for?"
There was no answer.
"Answer me!" he commanded.
"He defied our master, Marius. Most of the food we grow is sold out to sea. He said we should keep a little more for ourselves that's all," the peasant answered.
Galahad was restless and fidgetted in his saddle. He wished just for once Arthur wouldn't feel compelled to be noble and always do the right thing. They all wanted to get out of there.
Arthur freed the old man and sent the peasants to ready for the journey. Great more people to slow them down.
It had started to snow when Tristan arrived with a satus report.
"They have flanked us to the east. They have come from the south to cut off our escape. They'll be here before nightfall," Tristan reported to Arthur.
"How many?" Arthur asked.
"An entire army," Tristan said grimly.
"And the only way out is to the south?"
Tristan shook his head and said, "No, east. There is a trail heading east across the mountains. It means we would have to cross behind Saxon lines, but that is the one we should take."
He glanced around at the peasants and asked, "Arthur, who are all these people?"
"They're coming with us."
"They will never make it."
Then everything came to a stand still as the sound of drums filled the air.
Arthur noticed a small shack guards were having walled up. He drew his sword and headed over there.
"Move," he ordered the guards.
"What is this?" he demanded.
"You cannot go in there. No one goes in there. This place is forbidden," a peasant said.
"What are you doing? Stop this!" Marius ordered, but was cut off by Bors.
"Arthur, we have no time," Lancelot said sternly.
"Do you not hear the drums?" Galahad asked, becoming agitated. Tristan shot him a warning look.
Arthur had Dagonet bust through the rock wall and the door into the chamber. Arthur grabbed a torch a entered, Dagonet, Lancelot, and Gawain following him in while the others stood guard outside.
Chanting could be heard inside as they made their way down the stairs.
"Who are these defilers of the lord's temple?" a priest asked.
"Out of the way!" Lancelot ordered.
The chamber was filled with prisoners in chains or cells.
"The work of your god?" Lancelot asked disgusted, "Is this how he answers your prayers?"
"See if there are any still alive," Arthur said, ignoring Lancelot's questions.
"This one's dead," Dagonet reported as he opened a cell.
"By the smell they are all dead," Gawain stated, looking around at the decaying corpses.
Gawain walked around checking the cells for any survivors. It appeared as though they had been tortured and left to slowly die. It sent a pang of anger, pity, and repulsion through him. He was very doubtful that any still lived. But as he glanced into one of the cells, he met a very familliar pair of amber eyes.
"Rhiane?!" he breathed.