Drogoglanced at his friend, who was pale with exhaustion, then shrugged. "OnlyGod can answer that. All I pray for now is that it ends soon, before I can nolonger lift my sword."
"Wehave lost many of our number."
"Toomany. If we do not win the day, then, yes, I believe we will have lost the war,for we cannot replace our dead as swiftly as our enemy can."
Tancredswore and put his helmet on again. "I did not come all this way just torun back to the sea. I know my reasons for fighting are not as high andhonorable as the Saxon's—they fight for hearth and home—but we ride beneath thePope's banner and carry holy relics. If we cannot win even with the Church'sblessing, then so be it I will die here, sword in hand." He looked atDrogo. "And your woman said we would win."
"Shesaid that William will be king. She did not say when or how. This may not bethe battle which sets the crown upon William's head." Drogo tuggedFaramond closer and, after redonning his helmet, hauled himself back up intohis saddle. "Come, let us hurl ourselves back into this bloody melee beforeour strength is gone." As Tancred and the others mounted their horses,Drogo looked toward the ridge the Saxons defended with such ferocity. "Theenemy's numbers have lessened so that I believe we can reach the ridge thistime. It appears that the ends of the ridge can no longer be defended."
AsDrogo rode toward the western edges of the Saxon line, his men close behindhim, he saw Harold's banner and the tight knot of his housecarls fightingaround it. The English king had not moved from his stand at the crossing of thetwo roads which wound over the ridge. Drogo had to admire the man's strengthand skill in battle. For one brief moment he had a clear view of Harold, andwhat happened next caused him to stop so abruptly that his men rode past him.
Oneof the hundreds of arrows fired by the Norman archers struck Harold in the eye.He fell to his knees; and his valiant housecarls, the best of his army,struggled to protect their king as the Normans, scenting this chance forvictory, converged upon them from all sides. Drogo saw William and his mengallop toward the fallen king, slashing their way through his dying guard. Itwas not long before Harold, blind and helpless, was left alone and unprotected.
Eventhough the battle still raged around them, Drogo relaxed as he waited forWilliam to accept Harold's surrender and thus end the battle. He gasped withshock and a strong hint of revulsion when William and his three companionskilled the helpless Harold. Only faintly aware of how, with the capture of Harold'sbanner and his death, the battle began to rapidly end as the English scatteredand retreated into the forest, Drogo watched four Norman knights butcher acrippled man. Harold was hacked to pieces, cut through the chest, beheaded,disembowelled, and thoroughly mutilated. Drogo knew it would be a long timebefore he could forget William's part in such an ignoble deed.
"Look,Drogo, the English flee to the forests like rabbits," cried Tancred.
Althoughhe understood Tancred's joy, for there was a part of him that shared it, Drogolooked around solemnly. "Their king is dead. If any of them wereunfortunate enough to see how he died, they must believe that a surrender willnever be accepted with mercy and honor." He heard a grunt of agreementfrom Serle on his left. "You witnessed Harold's death?"
Serlenodded, only briefly breaking his close guard on the men still on the field tolook at Drogo. "1 will now work to make myself believe that William wasbut caught firmly by the bloodlust of a long, fierce battle."
Drogoclosed his eyes for a moment, struggled with his disgust and dismay, and thennodded. Serle was right. William would soon be their king. They could not lethim know, by word or by deed, what they truly thought of his part in Harold'sslaughter. He, too, would try to forget the matter or, at least, find some wayto excuse William's actions.
"Iintend to cast aside my honor for a while," Tancred said as he turned hismount back toward the Norman battle line. "I mean to join the others inpicking over the dead. I am too poor to stand upon my honor and watch all theloot being taken away by others."
"Andthe dead cannot use it," agreed Garnier as, with one last look at thefleeing Saxons, he, too, turned around, Unwin and Serle quickly doing the same.
Ittook Drogo a moment to quell his embarrassment and a touch of shame before hecould follow his companions. He could not allow his pride to make him forgetthat he was poor. Drogo consoled himself with the knowledge that if he knew thedead man's family, he returned all valuables to them and, unlike others, henever hurried the dying of a man just to take his possessions. As he joined hismen in gathering what he could, he found himself praying that Eada would notcondemn him for what he was forced to do.
Twelve
"KingHarold is dead."
Herown voice, deep, solemn, and strange to her ears, and the gasps of May andGodwin brought Eada out of her own thoughts with an abruptness that left herunsteady. The words that had just forced themselves from her mouth wererepeated once more inside her mind and then faded. She was confused andterrified by what had just happened yet knew in her heart that what she hadjust said was the absolute truth.
Shelooked at May and Godwin, saw the fear and shock on their faces, and suspectedthat she looked much the same as they. In an attempt to ease the concern Ivo soclearly felt, she repeated her words in French. He frowned then nodded,accepting her statement as fact with no apparent fear. They were seated aroundthe fire in the center of Drogo's camp and had been trying to pretend that amassive battle was not being fought within a short walk from them. She hadcertainly put a harsh end to their meager efforts, she thought ruefully as shenervously smoothed the skirts of her soft grey gown.
"Areyou sure King Harold is dead?" Godwin finally asked, absently rocking asleeping Welcome in his arms, then he frowned. "How can you know that? Youcannot see the battle from here."
"No,I can see nothing and, at times, I can hear very little." She cursed andfrowned at them. "I heard it in my head and I feel it." She placedher hand over her heart and looked down at it. "Something told me thatKing Harold was dead, and the grief and pain of that great loss immediately filledmy heart. No, I did not see our king die, but I know that he has." Eadahastily brushed tears from her eyes and forced herself not to cry.
"Iwas right. Youarea seer."
Althoughthat was a far kinder word than witch, Eada still winced. She was not doingwell in obeying Drogo's reasonable command that she hide her skill. "I donot know what I am. I do not understand what has changed within me, or why, forthese things have never afflicted me before. I begin to think that my oldfriend Edith gave me more than that mysterious box when she died. It seemsstrange that one could pass on such a skill, yet I have no other explanationfor what now besets me."
"Insuch troubled times, such a skill could prove to be most helpful. I would nottrouble myself over the how or the why."
"Easierto say than to do, Godwin, but you are right. We are now a vanquished people.Knowing things others do not and getting warnings of dangers before ourconquerors do could prove to be a saving grace. I shall try to think of it assuch and cease to curse and fear it."
"Theremay be an answer within that box," suggested May.
Eadashivered slightly, still unable to even think of the little chest withoutsuffering a touch of fear. "There may be, but I fear my courage stillfails me. I pick it up; I look at it, and then I falter, unable to look inside.Do not fear, May. I will open it. I know that soon my curiosity will overpowerthat fear."
Maynodded then looked toward the battlefield, her bottom lip trembling as shefought back tears. "What shall we do now?"
"Survive,"said Eada. "I cannot say it often enough. Life will certainly be moredifficult and very different, but I believe we can all learn how to live andwork beneath Norman rule. Ones like us shall not suffer as much as those whohold lands, wealth, and power."
"Areyouverycertain that our king is dead?" Godwin asked.
