Chapter 100: Angels & Demons
Chapter 100: Angels & Demons
On the streets of Montreal, patrolling soldiers looked with envy at the boisterous public bathhouse.
"Truly ’the Generous’! This is the first time I’ve ever seen a Grand Master treat his subordinates to a bath! Which of those high and mighty noble lords ever treats us like human beings?"
"Scott, did you see? At noon, waiters from the ’Oak and Hazel’ tavern delivered ’cartloads’ of ale and roast meat in there! They’ll probably be eating and drinking straight through till evening!"
His companion, wearing a white turban, sighed with emotion. "Yeah, working under a noble like Baron Lothar is a heck of a lot more comfortable than baking under the sun and eating sand all day under Sir Humphrey."
"It is said this Royal Knightly Order just recently defeated that Saracen slave cavalry troop that plundered Tafilah! Truly inspiring!"
"For real?" The guard looked astonished. "Before, when that band of slave cavalry was parading arrogantly around Montreal, Sir Humphrey and those usually haughty knightly lords didn’t dare let out a peep! And they were defeated by this army?"
"Could it be false?" The man puffed out his chest. "Don’t you know that I, Honest John, never lie?" He then began to describe with vivid detail the scene he had peeked at: "I saw with my own eyes their column’s wagons loaded to the brim with Saracen-style scale armor and damaged swords and blades, still covered in bloodstains! If they hadn’t defeated the Saracens, where would all these spoils have come from?"
His companion said thoughtfully, "That’s right. Those men under Baron Lothar, when they entered the city, every one of them reeked of slaughter, their surcoats covered in dried blood. They had clearly just been through a major battle!"
"This Baron Lothar is truly a formidable figure! But why have I never heard his name before?"
To show off how well-informed he was, the man began to boast expansively to his companion, "Heh, let me tell you the truth. My uncle’s neighbor’s wife’s sister’s husband serves as a standard-bearer under this very Lord! If you ask me, this Baron Lothar is nothing like those good-for-nothing nobles! You know that desert bandit gang that used to run rampant, the one even Sir Raynald couldn’t handle? It was Baron Lothar who led his men and wiped them out! Those feathered cavalrymen under his command are all battle-hardened experts, even better than those knightly lords!"
Just as he was speaking with gusto, spittle flying, someone suddenly shouted, "Help! Guards, guards, come quickly! Someone else is dead!"