Timeline - Michael Crichton [128]
He sighed as he watched the riders cross a drawbridge over a moat and pass through a large gatehouse with half-round twin towers—a so-called double-D gate, because the towers looked like twin D’s when seen from above. Soldiers atop the towers watched the riders as they passed through.
Beyond the gatehouse, the riders entered another enclosed courtyard. Here, many long wooden buildings had been erected. “That’s where the troops are garrisoned,” Kate said.
The party rode across this inner courtyard, crossed a second moat over a second drawbridge, passing through a second gatehouse with even larger twin towers: thirty feet high, and glowing with light from dozens of arrow slits.
Only then did they dismount, in the innermost court of the castle. The Professor was led by Oliver toward the great hall; they disappeared inside.
:
Kate said, “The Professor said that if we were separated, we should go to the monastery and find Brother Marcel, who has the key. I assume he meant the key to the secret passage.”
Marek nodded. “And that’s what we’re going to do. It’ll be dark soon. Then we can go.”
Chris looked down the hill. In the gloom, he could see small bands of soldiers in the fields, all the way down to the river’s edge. They would have to make their way past all those soldiers. “You want to go to the monastery tonight?”
Marek nodded. “However dangerous it looks now,” he said, “tomorrow morning, it will be worse.”
26:12:01
There was no moon. The sky was black and filled with stars, with the occasional drifting cloud. Marek led them down the hill and past the burning town of Castelgard, into a dark landscape. Chris was surprised to find that once his eyes adjusted, he could actually see quite well by starlight. Probably because there was no air pollution, he thought. He remembered reading that in earlier centuries, people could see the planet Venus during the day as we can now see the moon. Of course, that had been impossible for hundreds of years.
He was also surprised by the utter silence of the night. The loudest sound they heard was their feet moving through the grass and past the scrubby bushes.
“We’ll go to the path,” Marek whispered. “Then down to the river.”
Their progress was slow. Frequently, Marek paused, crouching down to listen for two or three minutes before moving on. Almost an hour passed before they came within sight of the dirt path that ran from the town to the river. It was a pale streak against the darker grass and foliage that surrounded it.
Here Marek paused. The silence around them was complete. He heard only the faint sound of the wind. Chris felt impatient to get started. After a full minute of waiting, he started to get up.
Marek pushed him down.
He held his finger to his lips.
Chris listened. It was more than wind, he realized. There was also the sound of men whispering. He strained to hear. There was a quiet cough, somewhere ahead. Then another cough, closer, on their side of the road.
Marek pointed, left and right. Chris saw a faint silver glint—armor in starlight—among the bushes opposite the path.
And he heard rustling closer by.
It was an ambush, soldiers waiting on both sides of the path.
Marek pointed back the way they had come. Quietly, they moved away from the path.
:
“Where now?” Chris whispered.
“We’ll stay away from the path. Go east to the river. That way.” Marek pointed, and they set out.
Chris felt on edge now, straining to hear the slightest sound. Their own footsteps were so loud, they masked any other sound. He understood now why Marek had stopped so often. It was the only way to be sure.
They went back two hundred yards from the path, then headed down