When Alfred ran into the terrace of Sam’s office, he deliberately left the door slightly open. He was so anxious to hear why the prince decided to make that surprise visit to the office of the magistrate. As soon as the conversation got to the point where Gilbert suddenly planned to go to the parish that same day, Alfred panicked. He immediately left with the intent to race to the parish ahead of Gilbert. He was hoping that Sam would have the brains to warn the prince. Besides, he knew he had to take care of Michael before doing anything else. So, he hurried home first.
When he reached his house, he found the back door knocked down. It was obvious that a big fight took place in the house. He was enraged, and dashed to the upper floor shouting Michael’s name. He did not find him in the bed room, nor in the study. Finally when he went to the kitchen, he heard Michael’s voice calling him. He ran outside to the barn. Michael was sitting on a mound of horse feed, while two other bloodied men were tied down to one of the posts. Al rushed to see if Michael was hurt.
“I am all right,” Said Michael bashfully. “But they are not. I am sorry Al, their third friend got away.”
“Oh no, this is going to complicate everything. We are running out of time. I cannot take them with me. I cannot leave them here.” Al was frustrated. After a few minutes hesitation, he pointed at Michael saying, “Get your Monk’s outfit in order. We’ll take these two to my neighbor’s house.”
“I shall come with you?” Michael asked gleefully.
“Yes…” Al said and ran to his study to get prepared. He picked up his firearm, and sword. Back at the barn, he saddled Michael’s horse, and had each of the gangsters loaded face down on the horses in front of each of them. They made their way to his neighbor’s house half a mile down the road. He explained briefly that they attacked his house and that he was in a hurry to pursue the third runaway. The neighbor didn’t mind taking charge of the thugs with help from his two cousins.
At last Al took Michael and began their trek to the parish. Al had to explain the situation to Michael on the way.
“If I understand this correctly,” suggested Al, “father Gabriel is in a lot of trouble, and now the prince is going to give the Jacquards a decisive victory if he walks unprepared into the trap.”
“What do you plan to do Al?” Michael asked
“Do you know how to swim Mike?” Al responded.
“Like a fish…” Michael answered happily.
“Very good…” Alfred began to explain his thoughts slowly…trying to improvise along the way, “May be we should…er… cross the river away from the bridge… hopefully these thick clouds which hid the sun all day today will stick around to bury tonight’s full moon.” Al stopped talking for a moment. And then he turned to Michael asking, “What was the name of that lady…Oh, Nicolette, the lady who helped you. You think… if we stopped by her house, she would be willing to help us?”
“I think so, especially if we tell her about the danger to Fr. Gabriel.” Michael said.
“But I don’t see what she could do to help”
“Remember, there were a few boats on the river which the farmers used to transport some of their wares during the harvest season?” Al mused. “Are these boats still there…on which side of the river are they kept?”
“No Alfred, I did not see any boats,” Answered the young man, “Fr. Gabriel made me swim to go hide in the fields when he saw those men coming to the parish”
“OK, is Nicolette’s house close to the river?” Alfred asked.
“Her house is not close to the river, but it is close to the Abbey.” Michael replied.
When they arrived at the edge of the green fields, it was already evening. The setting sun was still buried in a thick layer of clouds and it was raining lightly. Al felt relieved that they can move around under cover of darkness. They found a huge fig tree where they left their horses, and began to make their way stealthily through the fields. It was a muddy and miserable trek, but it was safe. All the farmers had already returned to their homes. There seemed to be no sign of any activity anywhere. Al wondered if the prince had already arrived. They reached the river without incident. There was a sentry posted at each end of the bridge. But they both were slouching at their respective posts obviously expecting no trouble. Al considered that to be a good indication that Gilbert didn’t arrive yet. Alfred and Michael sneaked by the river bank to reach the edge of the swamp. They quietly swam to the side of the village and then made their way to the far end behind all the small houses of the farmers. They circled around at a remote mountain road, and then walked back towards the abbey. Michael pointed to Nicolette’s house but he warned that her husband might be there as well.
“You say her husband doesn’t know about you.” Al whispered, “she helped you because she was the only one Fr. Gabriel trusted. In this case I shall have to go in first and try to explain. When I give you the OK, you can come in…oh, Michael please, keep your hood on and hide your face all the time…you don’t want anybody screaming and exposing our presence.” Michael nodded his approval.
Al tiptoed his way to the small shanty. When the woman opened the door to see who was knocking, he pushed his way inside and closed the door. After a few suspenseful minutes, the light went out inside, the door opened and the woman appeared at the dark doorway. She ushered Michael in hurriedly.
“They say there was a commotion earlier when some three visitors came to pray in the abbey,” Explained Alfred. “Most probably that was Gilbert. If that is true, then it complicates our situation.”
“Where is Jacquard staying?” Michael asked.
“The leader…you mean the short skinny guy…he is staying in the abbey, at Fr. Gabriel’s quarters,” the woman answered.
“If we can grab him…the rest will run like rats,” Michael suggested.
“They may or may not…but anyway how can we grab him,” Alfred wondered, “…at least to bargain for Gilbert and the priests,”
“If…all right, if …there is a messenger from his brother…then…,” Michael was thinking aloud.
“No, he shall ask the messenger to come to him,” Nicolette’s husband interjected.
“Not if the messenger is injured…” suggested Alfred. Michael then spoke very fast, “No…no, no…he would send someone else, I found it. If he knows that his brother is injured somewhere outside…he shall not hesitate to run out to him.”
“Brilliant Michael…Bart is supposed to be with Prince Williams at the vineyard. But just in case they changed their plans somehow, we have to make sure that Bart Jacquard is not inside with his little brother.” He turned to the woman and described Bart to her. She said she never saw him. Alfred now grabbed his chin, closed his eyes, and looked like someone in a trance. He was thinking deeply. Finally he broke the silence, “All right, everyone of us has work to do. Nicolette, I must ask you to be the messenger. I shall tell you what to say exactly. You sir, I need you to go to the bridge…by now Sam’s men must have arrived and are waiting any sign from Gilbert. If you find those slouching sentries at the bridge, think of anything to get by them. Once you reach any one of Sam’s soldiers tell him to get you to Sam. After you explain to him what happened here very fast, ask him to send five men to hide around this house and wait for my signal. I shall be pretending to be the injured Bart laid down here as you Nicolette bring Jacquard to me.”
“You are forgetting about me?” objected Michael.
“No my child…yours is the most important role. As soon as savage Jacquard shows up, you have to restrain him in your powerful arms. You need to hide until he is inside looking at me. Once I remove my hood, you move.” He repeated the instructions to each of them. And then he said to the woman, “here is what you say to his men at the abbey, you found someone injured and you helped him to your house. He told you he must talk to Brian immediately and that his name is Bart. When you come back with him outside the door, tell him you ran out of oil and that is why there is no light inside.”
“They are going to destroy my house…” lamented the husband.
“Don’t worry sir, we shall make it up for you…the prince will certainly make it up for you and your brave wife.” Alfred promised, “Now you should have a head start. Sam’s men should not make a move around the house until they see the light come back on inside the house…OK”
It was raining heavily when the man stepped outside. He wrapped his flimsy cloak around his head and disappeared in the darkness. Half an hour later, Alfred sent the woman off to the Abbey. Michael and himself took their position and began the agonizing wait.
The short scrawny man with the vicious look was measuring the handsome prince with his eyes. He was trying hard to be polite, “Your highness…no insult was intended. You have arrived three days earlier than you should…that is not my fault.” He grinned widely as he continued, “We shall have the pleasure of entertaining you for the next three days, or until further instructions”
“I am the one who gives instructions.” The prince answered indignantly, still unaware of his precarious situation, “your behavior is beyond contemptible. I must see Fr. Gabriel at once, and I must see my two friends as well.”
“Fr. Gabriel is unavailable at the moment. He went somewhere outside the abbey. They call it…what do they call that place in the mountain…oh yes…he went to the… ret…it’s at the tip of my tongue…”
“…To the retreat chapel up in the mountain?” Asked the prince.
“Yeah…that’s it…if you want we can take you there to see him.” Jacquard easily lied, “Meanwhile, I have set up a nice cozy room for your friends in the Monks quarters.”
“There is a guest house in this abbey…” remarked the prince.
“That…is where you and I will have to spend the nights,” Concluded Brian.
“This is insane…I shall have to leave in the____” Started Gilbert, when a commotion was heard outside and the door burst open. A massive hulk of a man entered saying urgently, “Brian, your brother is here…”
“Bart? Bart is here…impossible!.. he is at the vineyard with pr…” said Jacquard in disbelief looking at the prince.
“I don’t know about that…but a woman came out here saying that she found him injured by the river._______” started the hulk.
“Injured…you must be crazy…” interrupted the agitated Jacquard. He stormed out of the room, “Stay here to keep our prince company.”
Savage Jacquard interrogated Nicolette grabbing her by the collar asking her about the description of the injured man. Then he called two of his men to accompany him with a stretcher, and pushed her ahead of him towards her house in the heavy rain. The mere thought of foul play never crossed the mind of the overconfident savage.
When they approached the shanty, Nicolette spoke loudly as Al instructed here, “I am sorry sir, but my lamp ran out of oil that is why I don’t have light inside.”
Brian told one of his men to run and get any kind of light. He stationed the other by the door, and followed the woman inside.
Two minutes later, light sprang up inside the shanty. The confused man at the door thought the woman finally found some oil for her lamp. His friend arrived with a torch and they started to talk for a moment walking towards the door, when suddenly they found themselves thrown down into the mud by a number of men who emerged from the darkness out of nowhere.
Conclusion next week
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