The Byzantine Wager

Chapter 6 - The Departure

Chapter 6

The Departure

Pons and Cyn left Montferrat early on the morning of July twenty-second in the year of Our Lord 1182. The feast of St. Mary Magdalene would be held later that day and they would miss it. Margrave Guilhem was there to see them off despite the early hour. His wife of almost fifty years, Judith, stood beside him. She had a basket of fresh crusty bread, hot from the ovens which she pressed on them for their journey. Conrad and Boniface, were holding the bridles of their horses, waiting for them to mount. Marius had provided Pons with advice for the road, and instructions on how to find the fisherman.

Cyn and Pons climbed on to their saddles. Each man rode a horse and led another spare mount. They wore the livery of their lord, scarlet cloaks and white surcoats. Pons' was emblazoned with a cross in gold thread since he had been on crusade in his youth. There was little need for much in the way of supplies since they would be riding through Montferrat land, and then for several more days through the lands and cities of northern Italy, past estates of allied nobles and barons, many of them kinsmen or vassals of their lord, and most of whom Pons knew personally. Further along the route they would have to camp out in the open a few times, but in Italy they would be able to spend the night at inns, friendly castles, and monasteries, many of which had received donations from the Margrave of Montferrat.

They had packed lightly: a small cooking pot, a frying pan, meal for pottage, a ham, bread, fresh grapes, apples and peaches, a small cask of wine, tin cups, blankets, a pouch of tools and nails for repairing horse shoes on the road, another pouch of tools with sharpening stones and oil for repairing and maintaining their armor and weapons. Cyn had two quivers with about forty bolts and two crossbows; a powerful crank lever type and a smaller one which he could reload quickly with a hook or his foot. He also had a sharp single edged dirk with a blade almost as long as his forearm. Strapped to the rump of his spare horse was a pavese shield so large it could be spiked in the ground to provide cover from which Cyn could crouch behind to reload. The pavese had an image of the Holy Virgin painted on it and he hoped the Madonna would protect him, or perhaps an enemy soldier would hold his fire rather than risk shooting the sacred image. Pons had a sword in a scabbard on the right side of his belt and a hand axe on the left. With the sword he was adequate, but the axe was balanced for throwing. If Pons could be said to have any sort of hobby - it was axe tossing. They didn't bother to wear their armor which consisted of chainmail over top of a leather tunic, iron grieves to protect their lower legs, and rounded helmets. This equipment was packed on their spare mounts. They would have no need of it for miles to come. The north of Italia was safe for the men of Montferrat.

Cyn was a bit confused about where they were off to and what they were going to be doing. Pons had come to him in the barracks the previous evening and told him that the Margrave had a job for them to do. He was to make his good-byes that evening and pack for a long trip, but pack lightly, whatever the hell that meant? They would be leaving for quite some time. He was a soldier and he followed orders. If he was told to jump on a horse at dawn and follow his captain, then jump and follow was what he would do. He knew, however, that his Lord Conrad's brother had been lost far off in the great city and that despite the cheery sun something was different about this morning. The lord, his lady, their sons - everyone looked so grave. The Margrave handed Pons a sizable bag of coins along with a note of promise to be drawn on his banker. Conrad gave Cyn a smaller coin purse, "For expenses on the way."

Cyn thought the bag of silver he had been handed was worth a fortune. "Expenses on the way to where?" he wondered, but merely nodded and took the bag. Then the Margrave was saying how grateful he was to both of them. They were wished good luck and for God to speed them on their journey.