ALTDORF (The Forest Knights Book 1)

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

THE SLIVERED MOON offered little light to guide Seraina’s climb up the path from the water’s edge. Being careful to stay well back of torchlight and the harsh whispers of men’s voices, she avoided the main route and made her way in darkness through the forest of straight pines towards the Ruetli meadow. She took her time to enjoy the clear night air, stooping occasionally to pick star lilies, a red-petaled plant with flowers that only revealed themselves at night and was the base for many of her fever suppressing remedies. Slipping silently through the woods, Seraina caressed saplings, spoke in soft tones to the old growth, and skirted around areas with new shoots poking up from the forest floor. Finally, she reached the edge of the Ruetli, a clearing nestled in a thick copse of trees overlooking the eastern shores of the Great Lake of the four forest regions.

In the meadow’s center, a low fire burned, illuminating the faces of a dozen men in flickering light. Walter Furst, the Justice from Altdorf, was there, as was old Werner Stauffacher of Schwyz. She recognized a guild man from Zurich named Studer, and although she did not know some of the other men, she saw the bear crest of Berne on one of their shoulders.

“Torches coming up the path,” called out one of the two guards standing at the entrance to the meadow.

The men at the fire cast questioning looks at one another.

Walter Furst held out his hands. “We are expecting no others,” he said.

“How many?” Studer, the guild man from Zurich asked.

“Six torches. At least that many men.”

Werner Stauffacher walked over and peered down the path into the darkness. He was tall and very old, but he still had the loose-limbed gait of one who spent countless hours walking up and down mountain trails. “Arnold of Melchthal, and his band,” he said, shaking his head.

Studer cursed. “Outlaws,” he said to the man from Berne. “Stauffacher, if this is some ploy of your doing, I swear I will bring the wrath of the guilds down on you and all of Schwyz.”

 “No need to get excited Master Studer. Werner had no idea the young Melchthal would be joining us. None of us did, but I must admit I am not so surprised,” Judge Furst said. A head shorter than old Stauffacher, Walter Furst was round in the face and had grey, wispy hair that seemed to float above his head.

Studer and the men around them had their hands on their swords. “What do you mean not surprised?”

“Arnold’s father is a member of the Oathbound Council,” Furst said.

“I am not sure I want to deal with the Eidgenossen if their members include murderers and highwaymen,” the man from Berne said. He was a squat hairy man that Seraina did not know but who, she thought with a wry smile, resembled the bear his city had been named after.

Studer nodded. “The guilds of Zurich feel the same. We are here to discuss how we can legally benefit our towns. We have no interest in rebelling against the German Empire. And where is Henri Melchthal? Why is he not here but sends his outlaw son in his stead?”

There was a commotion at the head of the path as Noll and his men approached the guards. The two guards looked at Stauffacher for guidance on how to treat the newcomer, and when he shook his head they stood down.

Noll strode into the clearing looking as unconcerned as a man coming home from the fields for dinner. He nodded to Stauffacher as he passed. His men spread out and took up positions on the outer ring of firelight, and their torches bathed the clearing in a bright light.