[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

answered.' Placing his hands flat on the table, the commander shoved back his stool and rose. 'I am
going to bed.'
He turned to make his way towards the door at the back of the room leading to the three sleeping rooms
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
- one a common room with six grubby pallets of wood shavings and straw, and two small private
chambers with slightly better furnishings. As he moved through the room, one of the Spanish knights
called to him.
'They say the Templars are God's own soldiers,' the young knight said loudly. 'Have you come to enrol
the brave Spanish in your holy army?'
De Bracineaux glanced around and saw four large young men sitting at a table, watching him with
scowling faces. He saw the ruddy blush of wine on their smooth cheeks and knew they were half in their
cups, so decided to ignore them and moved on.
'My lord Templar!' shouted the knight. There came a crash as his stool toppled over behind him. 'I
asked you a polite question. Perhaps you would have the decency to answer.'
The inn grew hushed as de Bracineaux turned. 'Are you speaking to me, pigherd?'
The knight stepped around the table and into the Templar's path. 'I am Alejandro Lorca, sir. You will
address me with the respect that is due a nobleman.'
'Out of my way.' De Bracineaux put a hand to the young man's chest and pushed him aside. He fell
sprawling on his backside, but sprang to his feet with surprising agility. He came up fast, knife in hand.
The Templar commander backed away a step.
The youth grinned stupidly. 'Ah, now we shall see the famed courage of the Knights of the Temple.'
He lunged forward, the blade sweeping the air before him. De Bracineaux dodged to the side, took the
young man's arm, spun him around and shoved him hard into d'Anjou, who stepped forward at that
moment. The two collided, and the youth went down clutching his side and gasping.
D'Anjou peered blandly down at him.
The young knight pulled his hand away and gaped at it in disbelief; his fingers were covered with the
blood which was rapidly spreading from the gash in his side.
'Impudent pup,' intoned the baron coolly. 'I ought to slit your throat.' He bent down and the young man
flinched. D'Anjou smiled wickedly and with a flick of his hand wiped the blade of the short dagger on the
wounded knight's tunic. 'Perhaps next time,' he said, then stepped over his victim and continued towards
the door, the incident already forgotten.
De Bracineaux regarded the young knight with loathing. 'You want to be more careful, pigherd. You
could get hurt.'
The two men disappeared into the room at the back of the inn. The knight's friends and the rest of the
patrons rushed to the young man's aid as soon as the door was closed. Lifting him upon their shoulders,
they hurried from the inn to the physician's house in the next street to have his wound stanched and bound
before he bled to death.
The next morning the innkeeper greeted his two prickly guests with extreme deference, bowing and
bowing until d'Anjou asked if the man's bowels were loose.
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
'No, my lord,' replied the innkeeper, mystified by the question.
'Then kindly stop bobbing around like a goose with distemper and bring us some bread and a bowl of
sweet wine.' The man bowed again and darted away. 'Mind the bread is fresh.' D'Anjou called after him.
'Not that worm-gnawed crust you gave us last night.'
De Bracineaux walked to the entrance, pushed the door open and gazed out across the bare earth
street. Beyond the low roofs of the surrounding dwellings, the timber scaffolding of the cathedral soared
heavenward. 'I think,' he mused, 'we shall pay another visit to our quarrelsome archbishop this morning,
and see if we can persuade him to see things in a different light.'
'How, pray, do you propose to do that?'
'While you slept, I have been thinking. On the evidence of the disturbance here last night, it occurs to me
that the people of Santiago do not fully respect the Poor Knights of Christ and the Temple. A lesson in
courtesy would not go amiss, I think.'
'I am intrigued,' said d'Anjou with a yawn. 'Tell me more.'
'You must learn to rein in your enthusiasm,' replied de Bracineaux, glancing back over his shoulder. 'It
will do you harm one day.' [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]