The Sword Brothers (60 page)

‘Speak your mind,’
said Berthold, ‘never be afraid to speak your mind.’

Hans looked at Conrad
and nodded, urging him to say something.

‘I think the bishop is
a very wise man,’ said Conrad.

Henke guffawed loudly.
‘That is no answer at all. It’s a good job you are more forthright
with a sword in your hand. You should have stuck Vetseke with your
blade.’

‘I did not see him at
the time, brother,’ said Conrad.

‘But if you had
encountered him on the battlefield,’ said Rudolf, ‘you would have
killed him?’

‘Oh, yes,’ said Conrad
without hesitation.

‘I must congratulate
you, Brother Lukas,’ remarked Berthold, ‘you have crafted a group
of fine young soldiers.’

‘They still require
some polishing, master,’ said Lukas, ‘but it is pleasing to
discover that they have been paying attention during their
training.’

‘Where will we be
campaigning next, Master Berthold?’ asked Anton.

‘Nowhere, young man,’
said Berthold. ‘We are to have peace with the Estonians.’

‘Peace? Peace is only
the short interval between wars,’ spat Henke, causing everyone to
smile.

The bishop arrived at
Wenden two weeks later, accompanied by fifty knights and their
squires, a hundred spearmen, the same number of crossbowmen, Caupo
and a hundred of his warriors. Once more the area around the castle
was covered with tents as the bishop took up residence in the
master’s hall and couriers were despatched to Lembit requesting his
presence at a conference where a two-year peace would be agreed
between him and the bishop. Though the pestilence had finally
passed Albert believed that a two-year suspension of hostilities
was essential for the continued growth of Riga, suppression of any
latent rebelliousness among the Livs and the collection of funds
from Germany for the ongoing construction of the Sword Brother
castles.

While he waited for
Lembit’s answer the bishop attended to more pleasant tasks, such as
inspecting Wenden’s growing fortifications, being introduced to
Thalibald’s sons and daughter and taking a service in the castle’s
chapel. He also rewarded those who had saved his life during the
Battle of Riga.

Conrad stood with
Hans, Johann and Anton outside the reception room of the master’s
hall following a summons from the bishop. Rudolf himself had walked
down to the training area and informed Lukas that their presence
was required in the master’s hall. Henke had seen the boys walking
across the courtyard and followed them into the hall where they
waited anxiously outside the thick oak door with Lukas. Rudolf went
back inside the reception room where he had spent the morning
dealing with business in the company of Berthold and the
bishop.

Henke had an evil grin
on his face. ‘Nervous?’ he asked Conrad.

‘No, brother.’

‘You are all to be
rewarded by the bishop,’ continued Henke, ‘my congratulations.’

He placed an arm
around Conrad’s shoulders, who thought that most unusual as they
had barely exchanged words since the affair of the Estonian female
captives.

‘I should not really
say anything but I have it on good authority that the bishop has
decided that you shall all be castratos in his new cathedral in
Riga.’

Lukas turned away and
stifled a laugh as the boys looked at each other in confusion.

‘Castratos?’ said
Hans.

Henke smiled. ‘Yes,
indeed. The word comes from castration and is used to describe
those boys who have their balls cut off so they can sing with
voices that resemble the song of the nightingale. You should all
consider yourselves very honoured.’

Anton was ashen faced.
‘Surely you are mistaken?’

Henke looked deadly
serious. ‘Mistaken? Being a castrato is accorded one of the highest
honours of the church. I both envy and admire you for this most
special privilege that is about to be bestowed on you all.’

‘But, but we are to be
sergeants,’ implored Johann.

Henke shook his head
as Lukas bit his lip to stop himself laughing.

‘Master Berthold
commented on how sweet your voices sounded in the chapel and that
was that. But fear not, we will carry out the procedure here, at
Wenden, to ensure that you all survive.’

He pulled his dagger
from its sheath and pointed it at Conrad.

‘Daina will be here to
see it.’

Conrad, now thoroughly
alarmed, was actually shaking. ‘Daina?’

Henke brushed the
dagger’s blade with a finger to test the sharpness. ‘Of course,
plus Thalibald and his sons. To witness the ceremony of the
castrato is accorded a great honour.’

Rudolf came from the
reception room. ‘The bishop will see you all now.’

He noticed the pale
expressions on the boys’ faces, Henke grinning like an idiot and
Lukas’ face twisted as he tried to hide his mirth.

‘Is there a
problem?’

Henke replaced his
dagger in its sheath. ‘No problem, Rudolf.’ He smiled and walked
back into the courtyard.

Rudolf frowned and
instructed the boys to follow him immediately. When he took his
position by the side of Berthold, who was seated beside the bishop
at the end of the room under the banner of the Sword Brothers that
hung on the wall behind, the boys looked as though they were about
to pass out.

The bishop smiled at
them as they stood before him.

‘It is one of the more
pleasurable duties of my office to reward those who have excelled
in their service,’ he began, then stopping as he noticed that beads
of sweat were forming on Conrad’s forehead. He also noticed that
Hans seemed to be in a state of abject terror.

‘Are you ill?’ he
asked him.

‘No, lord bishop,’
replied Hans.

The bishop looked at
Master Berthold who was perplexed, before continuing.

‘Well, in view of your
heroism at Riga I have decided…’

Hans fell on his knees
and clasped his hands together in prayer. ‘Please do not castrate
us, lord bishop, I beg you,’ he implored.

The others boys began
nodding frantically, resembling a row of performing dogs. The
bishop looked at Master Berthold in utter confusion.

‘Castration? What
nonsense is this?’

Hans was too
distraught to speak so Conrad took over. ‘So we can sing in your
cathedral, lord bishop. But we wish to fight not sing.’

‘Fight,’ agreed
Johann.

‘No singing,’ pleaded
Anton.

‘Singing, cathedral,
castration? Have you been drinking?’ said the bishop
accusingly.

‘I think I might be
able to unravel this mystery, lord bishop,’ said Rudolf. ‘I believe
the boys have been victims of a cruel joke that has led to their
state of agitation. They believe that they are to be castratos in
your cathedral.’

The bishop was not
amused. He looked at Hans rocking to and fro before him. ‘Get up.
First of all, there is no cathedral as yet in Riga so even if I
wanted castratos, which I do not, they would have to wait until it
was built. A long wait, I might add.’

Conrad helped Hans,
who was weeping tears of relief, to his feet.

‘Perhaps you might
take some time to root out the practice of innuendo and falsehoods
that appears to have taken root in your castle, Master Berthold,’
said the bishop, clearly irritated.

‘I will, lord bishop,’
replied Berthold.

‘To continue,’ said
the bishop. ‘I have instructed Master Berthold that when your
training period ends all of you are to be given the opportunity to
enter the Brothers of the Knighthood of Christ in Livonia, more
commonly known as the Sword Brothers, as brother knights and not
sergeants.’

The expressions on the
faces of the boys changed from anxiety to pure joy in an instant.
Among them only Anton, due to his noble birth, was guaranteed the
mantle of brother knight. Conrad and the others were destined to be
sergeants but now that had all changed. The performing dogs
returned as all of them began nodding enthusiastically at the
bishop, who found their behaviour even odder.

‘Very well, you are
dismissed. And congratulations.’ He waved them away and Rudolf
escorted them from the room and then went to find Henke.

Three days later a
message arrived from Lembit saying that he would meet with the
bishop to discuss peace. The Estonian leader said that he would not
come to Wenden but suggested a meeting on the southern shore of
Lake Aster, the waterway that marked the ancient border between the
Livs and the Saccalians. This great lake, some eight miles long and
nearly four miles wide, was located thirty miles north of Wenden.
The bishop agreed and gave orders for the knights and their squires
to accompany him on his journey, together with the brother knights
and sergeants from Wenden, Segewold and Kremon. He also instructed
that Conrad and his companions join the expedition as a further
reward for their heroism at Riga.

Caupo also accompanied
the bishop, his warriors walking behind their king who rode beside
the bishop. The show of strength was designed to awe Lembit and
make him more amenable to choose peace rather than war, which Caupo
believed would be the case.

‘He has been weakened
by his failure at Treiden and the recent assault on his people by
the Russians.’

‘As we have been
weakened by the pestilence and our losses at Riga, lord king’ said
the bishop. ‘We thus appear evenly matched in our
vulnerability.’

‘Many of my elders are
unhappy that the Lithuanians have been allowed to cross the Dvina,’
said Caupo.

‘I accept that the
agreement with Grand Duke Daugerutis was a little unusual,’ said
the bishop solemnly, ‘and perhaps if I had been in Riga at the time
I would not have consented to it. On the other hand, it has led to
peace along the Dvina, which we must thank God for.’

‘When the peace with
the Lithuanians ends they will cross the river to attack your
castles, lord bishop.’

‘You do not believe
that grand Duke Daugerutis desires peace?’

Caupo looked ahead. ‘I
do not. The ties that unite the Lithuanian tribes are soaked in
blood. They will think that you are weak for letting them cross
your territory, lord bishop. They only respect strength.’

Bishop Albert smiled.
‘We
are
weak, my friend, at the moment. But what is today
may not be tomorrow. God has set us a great task in bringing His
word to the godless, one that will not be achieved in a day, a week
or a year. But it will be achieved, have no fear of that.’

‘What if Lembit
rejects your offer of peace?’

The bishop shrugged.
‘Then we will fortify our strongholds and pray for next summer when
a new army of crusaders will arrive from Germany.’

But Lembit did not
reject the bishop’s offer. In fact he was only too pleased to
accept a cessation of hostilities. Though the raid by the
Novgorodians had been repelled the other tribal chiefs had been
unnerved by Mstislav’s aggression. Kalju in particular had
complained bitterly to Lembit that he should be safeguarding
Estonian territory rather than making alliances with the Oeselians
and launching attacks into Livonia. It had been his kingdom that
the Russians had invaded and he wanted revenge. Lembit had wanted
to bring all the tribal chiefs to the meeting with Bishop Albert
but thought that Kalju might refuse to come. In the end the
Ungannian did consent to attend the meeting, bringing a hundred of
his warriors with him.

The sky was overcast
when the Estonians made their camp on the eastern shore of Lake
Aster, its grey waters rippled by an easterly wind that swayed the
reeds surrounding its edges. The lake not only marked the border
between Estonia and Livonia, it also marked the boundary between
the Ungannians and Lembit’s Saccalians, the largest of the Estonian
tribes. South of the lake there was nothing but forests, marshes
and meadows: no villages or hill forts. This strip of territory had
for centuries been used by raiders to strike north or south in
search of pillage, plunder and slaves. It was far too dangerous to
live there, except if you were a bandit, mad or an outcast.

But now it was filled
by a great expanse of tents of different shapes and sizes as the
bishop and his entourage filled the meadows to the south of the
lake, the banners of the knights of northern Germany fluttering in
the stiff breeze. Conrad, Hans, Johann and Anton were given the
task of erecting a tent two miles from the Christian camp that
would be the venue for the meeting between the bishop and Lembit. A
delegation of the latter’s wolf shields had arrived bearing small
branches as a sign of peace and had been escorted to the bishop’s
tent where he sat with Caupo, Thalibald, Grand Master Volquin and
Sir Rudolf von Jerichow from Kokenhusen. The latter was now the
most senior crusader lord and had been requested to attend by the
bishop.

The Estonians were led
by a large, coarse man with a thick beard whose bulk made his
shield look like a child’s toy. He walked with an arrogant swagger
and in addition to the sword that hung from his hip he had an axe
tucked into his belt. He told the bishop that his name was Rusticus
and that he was Lembit’s deputy. He ignored Caupo and Thalibald and
drank greedily from a cup of wine that was offered him. He told the
bishop that all the Estonian tribal leaders would be attending the
meeting. When the bishop enquired if any Oeselians would be
attending Rusticus feigned puzzlement as to why he would ask such a
question. The large Estonian brute drank two more cups of wine
before taking his leave, unconcerned that he was in the midst of a
crusader army with but a handful of warriors. The bishop hoped that
his rudeness did not presage a fruitless meeting with Lembit.

Conrad was leading the
pony hitched to the cart that had carried the tent to the
pre-arranged venue for the conference, Hans walking beside him and
Anton and Johann on the other side of the draught animal. Rudolf,
Henke and Lukas had accompanied the boys to ensure that nothing
went awry and also to safeguard against the Estonians taking them
as slaves.