*
“They’ve no’ takenthe Ord Crossing yet,” a breathless Scotsman said. “We can use it tae flank their position, yer grace. Their entire north flank is open and that includes the provisions and surgeons tae the rear.”
William was on a rise overlooking Berwick on this cold, misty morning. He’d just watched the English destroy the defensive line he’d had set up between the English and Berwick with their siege engines. His eyesight wasn’t very good, but he had excellent intelligence. They told him exactly what he needed to know so he could form a larger picture.
“My old friend, William Marshal, has arrived,” he muttered, sounding oddly satisfied. “The Scarlet Lion is once again in action for the English. Tell me the other standards ye see.”
MacDuff was next to him astride his big, copper-colored steed. “’Tis difficult tae see from here,” he said. “I’m told de Lohr has arrived along with de Winter and Savernake. Big and powerful houses, yer grace.”
William was smiling, an odd gesture. “The Marshal has brought his most important warlords and if I know William, this is no’ the end of it,” he said. “There are more on the way. They will take Berwick unless our Northman allies arrive here in the next day or two. Where are they?”
“Sighted near St. Abbs,” MacDuff said. “They’ll be here by the morning.”
“How many?”
“I’m told at least a dozen.”
William calmly mulled over the information. “Then we must hold Berwick until they arrive,” he said simply. “If we canna flank them or push them back, then we must weaken them.”
MacDuff looked at him. “But how?” he asked. “They’re too big tae flank, but we must hold the bridges. I’ve men at the Ord Crossing now, but no’ enough if they try tae cross.”
“But they havena yet,” William pointed out. “The more we talk, the more chance of them trying tae come across that bridge. We need tae cross it first.”
“Cross it tae where? Tae attack them?”
William shook his head. “Ye said that provisions wagons are exposed.”
MacDuff nodded. “Aye, yer grace.”
William looked at him. “Capture them,” he said. “We want tae weaken them in a way that willna cost us many men, so capture their provisions. Bring them back across the bridge and hold that bridge until the Northmen arrive. After that…”
MacDuff was catching on. “After that, they’ll be busy with the Northmen as well as the Scots,” he said. “And we’ll hold what’s precious tae them.”
“Indeed, we will. Go, now.”
MacDuff was off, shouting to men as he went. He collected hundreds of them in short order, all of them racing for the bridge known as the Ord Crossing.
The battle for Berwick was about to become more interesting.
*
“Can you seeanything?”
Corisande was asking Gaia, who stood on the wagon bed, shielding her eyes from the morning sun as she watched the distant battle. Or, at least she was trying to.
“Nay,” she said. “Too many trees and hills. I cannot see anything!”
Now, she was jumping up and down, as if that few inches of height advantage would help her see clearly.
But for Corisande, it was a nerve-wracking waiting game.
Men had already started to trickle in to camp, being tended to by their own surgeons. There were just a few of them, really, men who had tripped and broken an arm, or one man who had been singed by his own flaming arrow. No one from the de Bourne army had come to them for medical care, so Corisande paced around, wringing her hands, wondering what in the world was happening. As far as she knew, the battle had commenced just after sunrise, but they were far enough away that they really couldn’t see it.
“Mayhap we are too far away,” she said. “How can men find assistance if we are too far to the rear to help them?”
There were a few de Bourne soldiers with them, about twenty of them, men who usually helped Corisande in the case of a battle. They were either too old or too crippled to fight, really only good for helping out those who could.
Their encampment was only half-set up, just a couple of tents to receive the wounded at this point. Because the battle was fluid and they would be presumably moving closer to Berwick, they hadn’t set everything up. Like the other surgeon’s wagons, they were waiting for the order to move forward, which was why Corisande was so edgy. Since they couldn’t even see the battle from where they were, she had no idea what was going on.
