Part 14 (1/2)
”Do so” And I was dis lent out ”like horse for rent,” as she put it I said that this was a custom of Okoitz, and one must conform to local customs, but she wasn't convinced I finally had to say that she could obey o back to her father She obeyed, and I picked up one of Count Laht
Neither Cilicia nor Count Laht, but he never asked for her services again
Sir Miesko was appalled that Count Laainst Baron Jaraslav He sent a letter, carried by his oldest son, to the baron urging hie and so forestall any violence, but he had scant hope that the irascible baron would do so ”I wish I could understand their hatred for you, Sir Conrad, but it's there Now it see, and a waste Nonetheless, our lord calls and we htest surcoat to this, Sir Conrad We'll want toshow possible There's scant hope, but we may yet forestall a senseless war”
I went back to Three Walls in a glu called up ”Count La ato threaten battle because one of his vassals has repeatedly disobeyed him
Remember that the baron failed to come when Count Lambert called him to beat the bounds between his lands andthat you stole lands belonging to hiht Count Lambert was in a foul mood that day, and it would have been like hiht And of course, Sir Stefan has beenan ass of himself for years, even before you arrived But none of that is reason enough for war between knights of the saree,” I said, ”but we have been called and ill go”
I spent the week designing the lihts in the old theaters used a hydrogen flaenerated by pouring acid on a metal, okay for a theater but way too expensive for a factory A far cheaper way of enerating cooking gas before natural gas, etting a deep bed of coal burning in a closed furnace Once it's all glowing, the air supply is shut off and water is forced under the coal The chimney is then closed off and the fu tank for eventual distribution The che with the glowing carbon, and the hydrogen leaving as a gas
The only probleenerated, you also make a molecule of carbon monoxide, which can kill you dead The carbon h once it's burned to carbon dioxide, but a leaky pipe or a flaerous The safety problem didn't bother the Victorians who used the systeh to kill himself, that was his probleether was as safe as I could make it First off, I kept it out of private areas, where kids could get at it It was restricted to workplaces, large public roo Each installation had a full-ti the lights Ventilation was carefully checked at each location And each lamp had a valve that anyone could turn off, but required a key to turn on This last involved designing a lock, which turned out to be one of our most profitable products
Oh, I knew that somebody would still find a way to kill himself with it, but I tried
On the appointed day, Sir Vladihtest surcoats and with pennons flying The bandsmen had wanted to play for us as we left, but that sees should cools, not fellow Christians, even if they were a couple of bastards
We met Sir Miesko at the proper time, and went on to Okoitz
”Any response from Baron Jaraslav?” I asked
”None to hts to arh He has thirty-five, you know, and is Count Lareatest vassal If vassal he be and not oathbreaker”
”dahts came to Count Lambert's call, even those not required to do so We filled the hall, and the squires had to make do in the kitchen Supper was a major feast, but a somber one Everyone was in full arht before battle, I suppose so that the lord could check hisA knight was always supposed to be ready, and if he wasn't, it was his own neck that suffered
Sir Miesko stood and spoke to Count La vassal since first I was knighted Always have I obeyed you, and alill I continue to do so But ht at your side I aive you my best counsel”
”It is true that Baron Jaraslav has repeatedly disobeyed you But it is also true that he is a very old row feeble I counsel you, I beg you to go slowly in this lory or in honor if you shed Christian blood, Polish blood, because of the aberrant wanderings of a senile mind”
Sir Miesko sat down and Count Lambert said, ”It is your duty to speak and my duty to listen, but the reverse is also true I say that without obedience to our superiors, everything that we are falls apart! If I do not obey the duke, and my vassals do not obey me, then why should the peasants obey us? If we let onecould shatter! Don't you see that we ether?
Because if we're not, it won't be the Tartars who destroy us, we'll do it ourselves! Then the damn Mazovians or some other petty poill come in and pick up the shredded pieces”
I stood ”My lord, Sir Miesko has spoken h he has been more eloquent than I could be I have heard that some of the problem is caused by Baron Jaraslav's belief that I was deeded lands that are properly his Rather than see Pole fight Pole, I would willingly give up whatever lands the baron clairown too hot You mentioned the duke He knows Baron Jaraslav well Why not ask him to talk to the baron Surely no man is more persuasive than Duke Henryk”
”Sir Conrad, your lands are your own, and I'll not have you make any sacrifice because of another's o to hi him a problem with one of my vassals would be to adht be inclined to remove me, and properly I'll handle theyou to go slowly?” I said
”Youall you damn well please, Sir Conrad, just so you obey when the lances drop to charge! Do the rest of you have counsel for ness to obey any lawful order, but begged Count La ot darker and quieter until he abruptly got up and left his hall, his meal unfinished
We were all silent for a bit
Baron Jan, Sir Vladimir's father, said, ”We can but do our duty and pray that we need not shed the blood of our brothers” Then he led us all in deeply felt prayer
Count La mass We all went and took Communion since tomorrow some of us could be dead
It was crowded at Okoitz, and I shared a room with Sir Miesko, Sir Vladiirls fro as ever, but none of us were in the hts were either I don't recall hearing a single fe at Okoitz even when it's half ehts had squires, aler relative, since the Polish nobility was very fa ray dawn, as well as two heralds that Count Lambert must have borrowed froes of field rations, a bag containing a loaf of bread, some cheese, and driedus in for a ht that Count Lae his men, but he didn't He just rode to the head of the column and shouted, ”Advance!”
At a walk, ent to Baron Jaraslav's o in single file, so there was little chance for light conversation, not that there was much inclination toward it
”Shouldn't we have so behind me
”To what purpose, Sir Conrad? No bandit would attack a party as large as ours, and Baron Jaraslav e, but he is not so wholly dishonorable as to attack without warning Flankers would only slow us down”
Sir Miesko and Count La made me feel uncoe and venerable building made mostly of brick, with some of the cornices e and was not the sort of place that e equipment could easily take
Count La He sie and sent the heralds forward Sir Vladimir was at ht The heralds rode up to the gate, played a fanfare on their long trumpets, and announced that Count Lambert wished to speak to his vassal, Baron Jaraslav
They had to have been waiting for us, for within a few e was lowered and thirty-five armed and armored men rode out Perhaps another twenty men were on the walls with crossbows, the squires, probably, since a full belted knight wouldn't use one It , but I hadn't been asked to and I hadn't wanted to risk anyus, a few hundred yards away We outnumbered them four to one, but they looked prepared to let us know that we'd been in a fight
One of the heralds stayed with the baron and the other rode back to Count Lambert With six of his barons, the count rode to the center of the field, to be hts
I relaxed a bit At least they were going to talk instead of i it out
I couldn't hear what Count La at the top of his lungs, so what cah was half a conversation, or less, since I couldn't hear Sir Stefan either