Part 4 1271-1272 9th Crusade

Matteson was gone for a long time. In fact it was 1269 before we had any word from him. Once again we spent our time on the secluded training ground during the day and mixing with the humans at night. Our leader being gone made us all worry that trouble was just around the corner as we feared being made to appear outside during the day, or any number of critical actions that could reveal our secret.

From time to time we would train with the other men, and it would take every fibre of my being not to jump on the first man to exhibit a rush of adrenaline and tear out his jugular. In fact we displayed many acts of extreme self discipline, perhaps the most difficult being our agreement to continue with the hunting arrangement. We had found a map of the country and we would take it in turns selecting the targets for our feeding. As we grew more, trained more and fed more we also become faster and stronger. A day long trip now became achievable within just a few hours and this helped immensely because it widened our circle for hunting.

But then, just as we were becoming accustomed to our lives Matteson appeared in the doorway to the barracks and ordered us to pack our scant belongings, as we would be leaving for London there and then. We exchanged puzzled glances. This was odd. We were to disappear into the night without informing anyone else at the castle? We didn't question him though. We knew better than that. There was just something about Matteson that made him more than just a leader. You didn't do what he told you because it was an obligation, you did it because you wanted to, or even needed to in some cases.

So we collected our belongings, which included trivial things such as blankets from our past lives, and we followed Matteson out into the night.

We travelled in the way he had instructed us, moving in a leapfrog fashion in which the man at the rear of the line goes on ahead for a while to scout before waiting for the man who has now become the last in the line to come forward and replace him as scout. This may sound like an arduous way to cover a vast distance, but in fact we were now so attuned to one another that we could perform the switch swiftly and without delay. Hart was always ready to spring to the front and halt our progress if he sensed danger.

The sun was beginning to rise as we slowed our pace to walk into the city like ordinary men. Our wrappings covered our flesh so as to keep us from being given away. This, Matteson told us, was a shame. Before he had set off to collect us he had been told it would rain today. That proved to be bad information.

He led us to a large building by the river. By the time we arrived at the painfully slow pace of the mortal man the area was crawling with people. The city was alive and buzzing with activity. I had never even dreamed of so many people.

We were taken inside and down a flight of stairs to a cold, dark room. Matteson held a lamp though none of us needed it. He motioned for us to sit on the bails of hay spread out on the floor, so we obliged, each placing our bundle of personal items close by.

"The king has requested our presence for a campaign in the holy land." Spoke Matteson, his voice was deep and grating, always filled with a great intensity. The lamp cast flickering shadows behind him, and somewhere in the distance water dripped slowly. "He is sending his oldest son, Prince Edward, to oversee what shall be the ninth crusade. We are to do battle with the Mamluks who have been causing trouble for our settlements in the region. The king knows of us, and our exploits in the Barons war, and he wants us to be present as an elite group of knights." He stood. "Now rest. After nightfall we shall get you some armour befitting of crusade knights."

With that he turned and left us to our thoughts. We were still confused by the whole arrangement and we each spoke our thoughts in hushed voices, but the overall feeling was one of excitement. Finally we were to travel to distant lands and do battle with unseen enemies.

That night we were measured for our armour and we gave our requests for our new weapons. I chose a longbow which was beautifully crafted and came with a quiver full of fine horse bone arrows. They were pliable yet solid, and had virtually no weight in them. As a sidearm I took a silver dagger. I despised the longsword as it was so clumsy, especially in close combat.

Weeks later our armour was ready. We had been living in the cellar of the building by day and prowling the city at night, practising our skills of stalking without being seen.

The armour was amazing to see. It was a dark brown tempered metal like none I had seen before. Every inch of our skin would be covered, and the helmet had a cloth mask which was light enough to see through from the inside, but from the outside one could not even see the eyes of the wearer. It was perfect. Mine was made to incorporate a bow holster and the quiver, as well as a hip clasp for the dagger. This was it, we were ready for battle.

And so our journey began to Antioch. We moved as part of the army of a thousand men to the south coast of England. Here I saw the ocean for the first time, and stopped to stare in wonder. It was early morning and the sun was still yet to rise, but the sky was light enough to see clearly the details of the armada that awaited us close to the shore. After these ships there was nothing but a blue expanse. I had never seen anything like it before, and I had to collect myself as we were beginning to board.

Before we had set sail there had been a rash of killings in the nearby town of Southampton. We knew the journey would be a long one so we fed while we still could. Fortunately for us it was a port town and as such there was no shortage of hookers and sailors to eat.

The journey itself was uneventful. We stopped at ports often, and would generally sail for no more than a day at a time. Once we were into the mediterranean the sailing was smooth. There had been moments out there as we came around what I was told made up Spain and Portugal that the movement of the boat threatened to pitch me over the side. But when we were in the calm waters I was able to relax. We stopped at exotic ports and met new and interesting people, some of whom made a vey nice meal for a knight on a crusade.

In early 1271 we landed on the island of Cyprus where we prepared for battle. From here we set sail for Acre. When we landed we discovered a city under siege, enemy forces set around the city in a static formation. When they saw us landing they quickly dispersed and ran for the hills. The people of Acre were very grateful to us, but our group made every effort to stay out of sight, all the best to keep ourselves from temptation, as we had not yet had a chance to draw our weapons in battle.

We began raiding the nearby area in an attempt to clear out the Mamluk forces, but their number were far greater than ours, so our efforts became night raids, taking them by surprise. We slit the throat of many enemies, but the rate of attack was by no means fast enough and we were far outmatched. It didn't help that we were losing men to the sun. The heat was unbearable at times and our men were not accustomed to drinking the required amount. Heat exhaustion soon became our main enemy, and there was nothing we could do.

We took a major victory in Qaqun, where we slaughtered a great force. This was a feat helped in part by the arrival of Prince Edward's younger brother Edmund and yet more men. We were unleashed in full by night, and the six of us cut a path through the defending army like a hot knife through butter. We took the heart of the enemy leaving the rest of our army to hit the flanks and cause utter devastation. The battle was bloody, and it left us thirsty for more. I was in a frenzy at the height of battle, so much adrenaline in the air it was intoxicating, making me feel like I had taken back a full jug of whisky.

This was our height of the crusade. The rest of the campaign was spent retreating. We found ourselves often leading the way, making a path for the rest of our men as the enemy drove us constantly backwards. When our alliance with the Mongols failed things looked very bleak for us, and we were told our last effort would be a combined land and sea attack.

We were not allowed to be a part of this attack, the prince deciding to keep us close as a personal guard, and maybe this turned out for the best, at least from his point of view. The enemy was ready and easily repelled our forces, sending us in a full retreat to Cyprus. At this point the crusade was all but done, and gradually the men were beginning to depart for home. Edward remained to mediate peace talks with the local armies, and we were retained as his guard.

One night while he slept I was standing guard in his chamber when there was a sudden movement. It was an enemy assassin, and I swiftly moved in for the kill, only to find it was as fast as me, if not more so. When he landed a blow on my jaw I saw shock in his eyes. It was a blow that should have killed a mortal. He was not used to fighting his equals. We tussled, and soon the prince awoke, calling for help. The rest of my unit was standing guard outside, and six of us were not troubled by the one of him. We dismembered him and burned the remains much the same way as we had witnessed the demise of Albright, and then agreed upon a story in which the Prince had taken care of the attacker by himself.

The prince remained in the area until we received bad news, first that his son had died, and second that his father, the King had died. This meant he must return home to take the throne. An assignment that would no doubt require an impenetrable guard.