“Agreed,” Maxton said. “But Sean’s position with John will be invaluable.”
William nodded, holding up a hand to Maxton to prevent him from further conversation at this point. William, in fact, had an agenda and he needed to complete it quickly. He had plans for the day that were already set and they did not include lingering overly at Farringdon House. Therefore, he motioned the men in the room closer so they could all hear the conversation.
“Now that I have made the appropriate introductions, you are all allies on a first-name basis,” he said seriously, looking to every man around him. “Total trust and total loyalty are imperative from this point on, with all of you. I have explained the situation with Lothar and John; you know that Lothar offered Maxton and Kress and Achilles great rewards in exchange for the assassination of John, an offer they refused.We know that Lothar is in possession of Richard’s bastard son and that he is prepared to remove John and supplant him with the boy. And we know that Maxton, Kress, and Achilles are here to stop the assassins that Lothar has undoubtedly already sent. They could be in England as we speak. It is up to the Executioner Knights to find them and eliminate them. That is the gist of the situation, gentlemen, but make no mistake; we need John. As difficult as he is, he guarantees an England free of papal rule. To place the illegitimate son of Richard upon the throne would assure the destruction of everything we hold dear.”
A heady mood settled about the room, the situation as serious as these seasoned men had ever seen it. Now, this horrible plot was out in the open, something that William had only whispered about to each of them until now. Speaking of it in something other than hissed tones somehow made it more real, and far more powerful than they could imagine. Every man there realized that they were the last line of defense between the England they knew and an England ruled by the Lateran Palace.
It was a devastating thought.
“What do you have planned?” Christopher broke the silence as he spoke to Maxton. “And what do you need from us?”
Maxton looked at the serious faces around him. He could see that they were all sincere in assisting him but, as he’d told William, he didn’t need the interference. It would have been easier to tell them all to go away, but he couldn’t. They had a genuine desire to help against this heinous threat because it was something that affected every one of them. Not wanting to insult anyone, he tried to be tactful in his response.
“I will need intelligence,” he said. “You good lords have a wide scope in England; I need information on anyone unusual. Men you do not recognize, men who seem out of place. It is my guess that the Holy Father sought out other seasoned knights when my comrades and I refused his offer, and it is further mysuspicion that those knights are English. The Holy Father was concerned that foreign knights would not be able to get close enough to John to carry out their mission, so we would be looking for English knights, newly return from the continent and beyond. If you hear of such men, I must know.”
Heads were nodding as Maxton turned his attention towards Kress and Achilles and continued. “In between pitchers of ale last night, my comrades and I spoke of the correct approach to this,” he said. “We have decided that the best approach, at this point, would be to remain in London near the docks. Anyone entering the country would most likely come from there, so we will be infiltrating the taverns and gangs that are near the docks. We will make friends with the trollops and the street urchins. Often, they see and hear things that would prove valuable to our cause, so that is where we are headed. If anyone slips past our net, then that is where you good men come in. Remain vigilant. Look for anything strange.”
“What about sending word to our allies in France and beyond?” David wanted to know. “Mayhap they will have heard something–anything– to aid our cause.”
But Maxton shook his head. “The more men know of this, the more chance there is of word reaching the very men we seek,” he said. “We do not know who they are, or where they are, but if they know we are aware of their existence, it will make our task far more difficult.”
That drew a few nods from men who agreed, mostly Sean de Lara. Given that he had been tasked with spying on the king himself, he well understood that the less men who knew of the issue, the better. Considering the nature of the situation, Maxton’s plan seemed to be a strong one, and a logical one. In truth, there was nothing more they could do. As the men began to turn to each other, speaking softly, Maxton made his way to Cullen.
“And you,” he said, putting a strong hand on the young knight’s arm. “Your role in this will be most important. The king’s favorite castle of Winchester is not far from your father’s fortress. You would do well to frequent the village of Winchester on the hunt for men who do not belong there.”
Cullen nodded grimly. “And my father?” he asked. “He is the High Sheriff, Max. I know you wish to keep this situation quiet, but he is trustworthy. He should know what is happening.”
Maxton glanced at William, who had heard the request and nodded his head in response. “Then tell him,” Maxton said with William’s approval. “Tell your older brothers, too. Gabriel and Gavin de Nerra are excellent knights and very trustworthy. They will be able to assist you and your father in making sure Winchester is covered. Since it is no secret that John is in residence there often, it could be that the assassins will try to strike there.”
Cullen had his orders, eager to get on with them. This was the most important thing he’d ever been involved in and he understood that. Seeing the knight’s confidence, Maxton knew that Winchester would be in good hands. But that also brought about the subject of the king’s movements in general. The man liked to move around. He turned to Sean, standing with his brother.
“Unfortunately, this will be a burden for you to bear, Sean,” he said. “If the assassins slip past us in London, then you will be the last line of defense. The king does not know of this threat for good reason; he will panic and go into hiding, and it will lessen the chance that we will be able to catch these men. If they think the king is oblivious, and that no one knows there is a threat against him, they will move more freely and we will have a better chance of finding them. Therefore, do not share this information with any of the king’s guard. These are men we do not know ortrust, and we cannot take the chance that someone will inform the king of the threat. Do I make myself clear?”
Sean nodded. “You do, my lord,” he said, “but if the assassins make it past you, then they shall not make it past me. This, I swear.”
Maxton didn’t know the knight, but he believed him. There was something in his tone that suggested nothing other than complete certainty.
“Good,” he said. “But you must let me know any time the king moves from location to location. Even if he simply wants to go on a walkabout in the city, I must know. You must send word to Farringdon House, as we will check in daily for such missives. If John moves, we will shadow him. Mayhap his movements will draw the moths to the flame.”
“Or the assassins to a king.”
“Exactly.”
Sean understood the seriousness of it. “I will do my very best to send you such information.”
With that, plans were finally cast. At least they had a directive now, a scheme that would hopefully prevent the country from being thrown into turmoil. But there wasn’t one man there who didn’t believe they were in for a battle– a battle of locating just a few men who had been directed to kill a king in a city, and a country, of thousands and thousands of people. The proverbial needle in a haystack. But it was a battle with no real lines drawn, no definitive enemy, simply phantoms.
They were looking for phantoms.
“You have your directives, good men,” William finally said, breaking the silence that had settled. “I will see you later today when we meet with John and his issues with Wales, and even then, we will be on the lookout for those sent by Lothar. Your vigilance and Maxton’s sense of danger are the only things standing between England and ruin. Remember that.”
No one had to be reminded. The seriousness of the situation had been hammered into them.
It was do or die.
Christopher and David were the first to leave the chamber, bidding Maxton and Kress and Achilles a polite farewell as they departed. Having been involved in the politics of England for many years, a mission of great importance was nothing new to them, and they took it very seriously. Dashiell and Bric were next, with Bric casting Maxton a final glare as they followed the de Lohr brothers from the paneled room.
Maxton saw the expression the Irish knight had thrown him but he ignored it, instead, focusing on Cullen as the man bid him a warm farewell. Cullen also shook the hands of Kress and Achilles as he went because he was the amiable sort. He liked to hug and shake hands, at least of men he was fond of. Kevin de Lara followed after him, a silent knight who was deeply introspective and made no real move to be polite in his departure, but his brother, Sean, lingered behind. He hadn’t followed Kevin, not yet; he had something more to say.
