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where good Englishmen are concerned. He's not likely to want to help rescue
our Prince, even if Danielle o'the Wold, now that she is his wife, would agree
to his going. Besides, he has more of a chip on his shoulder even than most
Welsh toward things English at least as far as our men of the longbow are
concerned.But what an archer to have in our ranks!"
"He always said, and Danielle said," put in Angie, harking back to the
adventures that had concerned all of them with the Dark Powers and
theLoathlyTower , "that he would come to your aid or ours, as we would go to
theirs, if needed."
Jim found it hard to believe that Angie had given up on keeping him from
going to the war inFrance . He rather doubted it. Angie did not give up things
that easily. But, clearly, if he had to go she wanted him to go with as much
skilled protection as possible. And what Brian had just said was the truth.
Dafyddap Hywel was an archer who was too good to be believed, even after you
had seen him in action.
"Going to a friend's help is one thing," Jim answered Angie himself. "Going
off to a war to help out the king of a country your people have been at war
with for some centuries, is something else again. Besides, remember Dafydd was
never the kind to get involved in danger just for the adventure of it. You
remember he came along with the rest of us to theLoathlyTower only because of
Danielle."
Angie sighed, and said nothing.
"You are right, James," said Brian. "However, come to think of it, we lose
nothing by asking him.Just as we lose nothing by asking the merry men of Giles
o'the Wold if any of them care to come with us toFrance , for glory and for
loot."
"How soon do you actually have to leave?" asked Angie of Sir Brian.
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"As soon as possible."The knight rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Yet, it'll
take three weeks, perhaps more, for some good men to reach me. There are those
who ve said they would follow me in any great endeavor such as this one, but
are otherwise in the service of someone else. Those who can get permission
tocome, will come. They will already have heard of what is happening, and know
I have need of them. I would certainly wait about three weeks. Moreover,
James "
He turned to Jim.
" Itwill take at least three weeks to instill some small knowledge of
weaponry into your levied men, and teach them how to behave on expeditions
such as this, into a foreign land. Yet we should be gone as soon as
possible.Should be a matter of a few days, only, to reach the nearest port.
But then up to possibly several weeks after to find a ship to take us to
wherever inFrance the gathering point's to be.PossiblyBordeaux , though it may
beBrittany , which is closer although the coast along theBrittany shore is
perilous."
He turned back to Angie.
"Call it three weeks before we leave our homes, m'Lady," he said, "and you
won't be far off. The time's short enough, God knows."
He turned to Jim once more.
"Which is why you should start choosing the men you want to take with you
right away, James," he said. "That's one reason I'm here. Not only to bring
you the news, but to help you in a few such things. Call in your steward."
Jim turned to the first body he saw lounging close to the platform. It was
Theoluf, his chief man-at-arms.
"Get John Steward for me, Theoluf," said Jim.
John Steward appeared with remarkable promptness. It would have been possible
to guess that he had been no farther away from the table than Theoluf, except
that there was no place in the great hall where he could have been in less
than fifty feet, unless he had been hidden by a screen of the bodies of other
castle servants.
He was a tall, rectangular-framed, stern-looking man in his forties; but one
who had still managed to keep most of his teeth. Only two in front were to be
seen missing when he spoke or smiled although in fact he seldom smiled. His
remaining hair was black and long, and combed straight backward. He wore a hat
shaped like a loaf of bread and a somewhat food-stained robe that had once
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