The Flashes. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

It was a three-hour walk up through the twin peaks before they got to the town of Mossley. They walked along a foot wide plank over the ditch to the locked gate. During the hours of darkness, the plank would be withdrawn, so if they remained in the town too late they would have to exit by the main gate and walk around the ditch.

         "Come on, Morgan, open the gate," Baldwin shouted.

         Morgan already recognised them and he unlocked and opened the small gate. "Good to see you again, Baldwin," he said. "The mussels look good as usual. I'll get some from the market later."

         "Take some now."

         "Okay, but I'll pay you."

         "Don't insult me," Morgan. "What's mine is yours."

         "And what's mine is mine," Morgan replied and they both laughed but Elfwine did not find it funny. "I'll take a break and meet you in The Bull in about an hour," Morgan said. "Save me the mussels and I'll get them in there."

         Baldwin and Elfwine set off for the market square. "We all work hard for our living," Elfwine said. "It's not right you give it away to your friends for nothing."

         "Sorry, I didn't think. But I'll pay for his mussels out of my own money."

         They went to the food stall that always gave them the best deal. The stall owner, a stout and pleasant woman greeted them.

         "Always good to see you two, especially with that lovely fresh food you bring me from The Flashes. But tell me, Baldwin, how is Erica? She has not been to town for weeks now."

         "We are all busy at the moment, what with the crops and that raid by the pirates, destroying our home. But what about you, where is Alfred today?"

         "He is out at our plot gathering some more vegetables for our stall. But down to business, let's see what you have got for me." They left the stall with Morgan's mussels, a leg of goat, a pouch of wine, and some coins.

         "So we still have a few coins," Elfwine said. "Let's call at the inn and have a drink with your friend Morgan."

         "We all work hard for our living," Baldwin said. "It's not right you spend it on ale."

         Elfwine looked back at him and just shook his head and grinned.

         They walked into the inn and up to the bar. "Flora not in today?" Baldwin asked the innkeeper.

         "You've just missed her. She's gone to meet one of the guards, I think. You'll have to carry your own jugs."

         They were not there long before Morgan walked in with Flora. He turned to Flora. “These are the friends I was telling you about. And this is Flora.”

         “Hello, Flora. We have met before when we first called in here," Baldwin said.

         “Yes," Flora said. "And how are you Elfwine?"

         "You know Elfwine too?" Morgan said.

         "Yes, he's been in here a lot with an elderly man. When I was a young girl I had a bit of a crush on Elfwine." She smiled at him. "Didn't I?"

         "And I on you," Elfwine said.

         "Well he has a wife now," Morgan said.

         "I know that. Arabella was a friend of mine. Do I detect a hint of jealousy, Morgan?"

         "Don't be silly. I'll go and get some ale, as the serving wench is not working at the moment."

         His friends laughed as he walked off.

         "So you and Morgan are friends now?" Elfwine said.

         “More than friends. Morgan lives with me.”

         Morgan returned and put the jug on the table with two fresh mugs.

         “Didn’t like the barrack-room then, Morgan?”

         “No. They wouldn't let me take Flora into the room. So because Flora was continually pestering me to move in with her, I moved into her dwelling, just over the road. It’s only small but it’s cosy.”

         "Bloody cheek," Flora said. "It was you that was pestering me."

         "Which one of us do you believe, Baldwin?" Morgan said.

         "Flora, of course."

         Morgan only had one drink before setting off back to his duty at the small gate. Flora took Morgan's mussels across to her dwelling and went back to serving at the inn.

         Baldwin and Elfwine had just started on their second jug of ale when the warning horn sounded across the town. The innkeeper took a huge sword from a cupboard and laid it on the bar.

         "What is it?" Baldwin called out.

         "Looks like a raid," the innkeeper said. "Probably Vialians." A man looked in and called out something to the innkeeper. The innkeeper then turned to Baldwin and Elfwine. "They are coming from seaward, so they must be pirates. That's good. Their inaccurate powder pistols are no match for our arrows, as they found out to their cost the last time they paid us a visit."

         The two men grabbed their goods and ran out and across town back towards the small gate.

         "Pirates would have been to the cave," Elfwine said. "The flimsy pole gate would not give our folk much time to get into the bolt hole, especially if they had not seen them in time?"

         "There were no pirates in the bay when we left," Baldwin said. "So the tide must have been high when they got there and the cave would have been cut off," Baldwin said. "But there again they do have small boats."

         "They would probably leave it because the waves are strong in that channel. Let's hope that they are planning to raid the cave on the way back when it will be easier to get in."

         "We must get back there before them, Elfwine."

         "But how do we get out of here if the pirates are at the gates?"

         "It depends how many there are," Baldwin said. "Pirates are not the fittest of men. If we can clear them from the gate, we can leave our goods with Morgan and we may be able to make a run for it. They would never catch us."

The Flashes, Chapter 11  (18+) Baldwin improves his archery skills. #2146741 by Bruce.