Crispin_ At the Edge of the World - Avi [60]
“There!” screamed Troth and pointed.
I saw Bear. He was on his knees, desperately trying to get the rope from around his neck, even while attempting to keep from being hauled about. He had lost his helmet. His body plate was askew. His garments were rent in many places. Though there were soldiers around him, no one was paying attention to him. But the rope still held, and, attached to Dudley’s horse, was yanked this way and that as the captain fought, utterly unmindful of what was happening to Bear.
“Stay here!” I shouted to Troth and dashed forward, sword in hand.
There were soldiers all around me, yelling and screaming. More than once I dodged a stroke from one side or another, I hardly knew which.
“Bear,” I screamed so hard it hurt my throat, trying to make myself heard above the furor.
He turned toward the sound of my voice. His eyes were wide with panic, his face filthy, one cheek gashed and bleeding profusely. His red beard fairly glistened with blood.
I reached his side. “Hold out the rope!” I shouted.
When he did, I struck, severing it. He fell, free, then made an effort to get back on his feet, only to stumble.
“Take the sword!” I yelled, thrusting it in his hand. He took it while I ducked my head beneath his arm, and strove to lift him. “Push up!” I cried. He struggled and finally rose up.
Clumsily, step-by-step, we tried to move away from the melee in the direction where I thought I had left Troth.
As I went, I shifted slightly and saw the fighting at the church. As I would understand only later, once Dudley’s forces had turned to attack the church, the garrison within the castle left the fortification, crossed the lowered moat, and were now pressing Dudley and his troops from behind. Moreover, with one church door closed, the fighting had become more desperate. The howls and shrieks of pain, mixed with the constant clash of metal on metal, produced an appalling chorus of butchery.
Troth saw us, and began to run in our direction.
There was a great shout behind us. I shifted about, and saw that the second church door had been closed.
“Retreat! Retreat!” I heard from Dudley’s men.
Even Bear turned his head.
Dudley’s men were trying to break away from the church before they became encircled and annihilated.
Next moment, I saw Dudley, still mounted, repeatedly slashing with his sword, forcing his way through the ring of garrison troops who were trying to bring him down with spears, glaives, and swords.
Suddenly, he broke though and galloped forward. Troth was running toward us—directly in his path. Dudley, red-faced with fury, swerved straight toward her—as if to trample her.
Bear saw the danger.
“Troth!” he screamed, and broke from me with sword in hand. Stumbling as much as he ran, he hurled himself forward to block Dudley’s way. The captain saw him. Instead of drawing back or away, he lifted his sword, prepared to slash Bear. It was then that Bear flung—javelinlike—his sword forward. It struck the horse in the neck. When hit, the horse jerked his head up, stumbled, and fell to its knees. The shock of the horse’s collapse caused Dudley to be thrown over its head onto the ground. The horse, recovering, whinnied shrilly, shook itself to a standing position, and, though bleeding profusely from its neck, bolted.
Dudley lay facedown upon the ground, unmoving.
Bear had also fallen to his hands and knees. With enormous effort, he scrambled for his sword that lay not far from where he was upon the ground. Taking hold of it with two hands, he used it as a prop to stagger up, then lurched toward the prostrate Dudley. It was perfectly clear what he intended—to kill the fallen man.
Troth raced forward. “Bear!” she screamed. “Don’t! You mustn’t kill!”
Bear, his sword poised over Dudley, hesitated.
Troth came to his side. She reached up and pulled his arm down. To my amazement, Bear let her. Indeed, she took the sword from his hands and with all her strength, flung it away.
39
WE LED BEAR AWAY as far from the fighting as we could. When we came to a cluster of trees thick enough to conceal us,