Everyone was in agreement. As they returned to the last of their preparations, the tent flap opened and Maddoc entered. He was met with a chorus of greeting.
“We finally made it,” he said, his young face flushed because he’d run all the way across the competitors’ camp to find Addax’s tent. “We met with terrible weather in Wiltshire and that slowedus down tremendously. But I’m finally here and I’m ready to put down a beating on anyone who opposes us.”
He was smiling with delight as Alexander gave him an affectionate pat on the side of the head. “Good lad,” he said. “But you missed the bout to end all bouts. William de Wolfe against Hereford.”
“I know,” Maddoc said. “I heard that Hereford soundly beat him.”
Alexander eyed him. “And that was all you heard?”
Maddoc nodded. “Aye,” he said. “Why? Is there more to it?”
Alexander shook his head, thankful that the knight hadn’t heard those rumors they’d just been discussing. “Nay,” he said. “Gather your things, lad. We must get to the field.”
“I will,” Maddoc said. “But I came for another reason—Addax, Lord Hereford wants to see you and Essien in his tent immediately. He said to come with all due haste.”
Addax and Essien collected the clubs they intended to use, since no blades were allowed in the mass competition.
“Very well,” Addax said. “Did he say why?”
Maddoc shook his head. “Nay,” he said. “But he said to hurry.”
Addax walked past him, toward the tent opening. “Where is your father?” he asked. “Is he going to be on our team?”
Maddoc shrugged. “Doubtful,” he said. “He’s with Hereford.”
No more questions were asked. With no particular sense of urgency, Addax and Essien made their way across the encampment, toward the enormous blue-and-yellow tent on the north side where Hereford had established himself.
The day around them was sizing up to be a bit turbulent as a storm began to roll in from the west. They could see it on the horizon, having already rolled over Wales and Shropshire, now heading for Wolverhampton. The clouds were dark and even at a distance, they could hear the thunder.
Essien paused to watch it for a moment.
“That is going to turn the mass competition into a lovely, muddy mess,” he said unhappily. “Emmy and Catalina must not be allowed to stand out in the muck and watch.”
Addax paused, seeing what looked like a bad storm heading their way. “Agreed,” he said. “Come along—let’s get this over with so we can find our wives. The last I saw Emmy, she wanted to go to the vendors’ village because a merchant had brought in a collection of silk scarves. If she does not need one more thing in her trunks, it is silk scarves.”
“But you gave her money, anyway.”
“Of course I did.”
Essien chuckled. “Catalina will buy a scarf and tell me it is for the baby,” he said as Addax flipped the tent flap back. “Every time she buys something now, no matter what it is, she tells me it is for the baby. I am starting to become suspicious that it is not.”
Addax grinned at a wife trying to slip something past her adoring, and perhaps oblivious, husband. They came upon the main tent at this point, and as they entered, they came face to face with Christopher and Rhys, who were nearly standing at the doorway to greet them.
“My lord,” Essien said. “Maddoc said you wanted to see us?”
Christopher nodded as Addax greeted Rhys. “I do,” Christopher said. “I’m sorry to take you away from the start of the mass competition, but this is something rather important that cannot wait. I think you’ll understand when I finish telling you.”
Both Addax and Essien nodded. “Of course, my lord,” Essien said. “How may we be of service?”
Christopher motioned them deeper inside the tent. They followed him, still not sensing anything out of the ordinary. As Essien took Addax’s club and set it against a table along with his own, Christopher spoke quietly.
“Something has come to light that I sought to investigate before bringing it to your attention,” he said to them. “I will come to the point on this, but there is a bit of an explanation behind it, so I beg patience. The situation is as follows—at the Lioncross tournament last year, Rhys came to me with interesting information. It might have involved you, but also, it might not have. We did not know for certain. We discussed telling you both about it, but decided against it because we wanted to investigate it further before bringing you in on it.”
Addax cocked his head curiously. “What is it, my lord?”
Christopher looked at Rhys, who took the hint and continued. “It was, indeed, an interesting situation,” he said. “I have a neighbor who is a merchant. He has a fleet of ships that sail all over the known world, but mostly to places like Tripoli and Alexandria, Naples and Athens. Those kinds of ports. The man knows kings and pashas and emperors the world over, and last year, he returned from a very long journey. I know this because when he is gone, I send men to guard his lands. He returned and had a feast to thank me for helping him. At the feast, I met his new wife, a woman from Alexandria. Of course, my wife spent most of her time speaking with her, and Elizabeau thought that she was elegant and kind, very well read. I, too, spent a few moments speaking with her, and when I asked if she had been born in Alexandria, she told me that it was not the city of her birth. She had been born in Kitara.”
That brought a reaction from Addax and Essien. “A citizen of Kitara?” Addax repeated, surprised. “In Alexandria?”
