Roland's Castle (8 page)

‘But we must use them sparingly,
and only as a second to last resort…”

“What is the final resort?” Roland
asked.

“He is down below. We have a
Land Surveyor
in captivity.”

“A land surveyor?” Oliver queried.
Savitri looked very doubtful.

“What can a land surveyor do?”
Roland asked.

“The whole point of a castle like
this is to maintain the status quo,” Firebrace explained, “To keep
the land organised and divided the way it is, the way the people
who built the castle in the first place intended it to be. But then
what happens is that some fool looks to improve things even further
and invites a Land Surveyor…” – and the look on Firebrace’s face
was one of disgust. “They come and if allowed to do their work they
upset borders and boundaries and redefine everything so that very
quickly no one knows what, who or where they are. Except for the
Land surveyor, of course, and those he chooses to tell… therein
lies their power, and their menace.

They cause such great disruption
that most castles manage to stop them even if they are invited.
Bureaucratic obstacles are placed in their way – the old department
A department B trick….”

“What’s that?” Roland asked.

“They pretend that the castle has
several departments, then claim that Department A summoned the land
surveyor but that department B is responsible for him when he gets
there. Then they claim that department B has never heard of him! It
can be most amusing actually –you can run someone ragged for ages
with that old one.

But many, including myself, think
that land surveyors are too dangerous to fool around with. As a
result other castles resort to more barbaric methods – like
imprisonment. I am afraid we have stooped to that level for we hold
such a gentlemen in a dungeon downstairs – along with his two
assistants – right now. And all for wishing to do nothing more than
their jobs…”

“That’s not very good,” Roland
said.

“I must confess that I was
responsible,” Firebrace said, “When a land surveyor turned up
several months ago – probably summoned by your foolish uncle as
part of his treasure search – I took the opportunity to have him
diverted and imprisoned in the tower, along with his two
assistants, just in case in he might be useful.”

“If he’s Dagarth’s creature, it is
well done,” Oliver said.

“But what will he do for us?”
Roland asked.

“If we release him it will be like
unleashing the Kraken of old. He will change the whole landscape
before our enemies’ eyes and - if we give him the proper
inducements and imply certain consequences - furnish us with the
plans. But it is a disastrous last option that we must only use if
desperate. It may well confuse us and our allies as much as it
confuses our enemies.”

‘As we are speaking of the terrain,
there is just one more thing I will show you – for now,” and
Firebrace led the way back down the corridors they had taken to the
Sun Warrior’s cavern, back into the library and then through the
labyrinth of bookshelves to another exit. This was a passage lined
with bricks, like a brick tube. It was quite a distance before they
reached a point where there was a trap door and a ladder that led
downwards. The ladder had its feet on a wooden platform with no
apparent means of support, another ladder reached up to this from
the darkness below. As they descended they found a succession of
ladder and platforms, seemingly just hanging by themselves in the
darkness. They then came to a platform on which a ladder was placed
ready to be lowered down. They lowered it and climbed down it until
they realised they were in a hollow tube, like a pipe. At the
bottom there was daylight coming through a hole. Roland was the
first to the bottom and through the hole, followed by Oliver. They
immediately recognised where they were. At the base of the Scary
Oak!

Emerging from the oak they were
surprised to find that it was morning – a whole night had passed
whilst they were in The Tower, although it did not feel like it. It
was indeed a strange, strange place that tricked and played with
your senses at every turn. In the bright sunshine they all had to
blink and let their eyes adjust and it took a few minutes. When it
was done the scene that greeted them was one of great beauty. The
valley of the stream stretched before them and it the far side was
the hill upon which Roland’s castle stood. It looked tranquil, as
if it had lasted for many centuries and would last for many more.
It was as if nothing in the world could disturb it from that
perfect state.

Firebrace quickly scanned the area
for hostile forces. Having assured himself they would be safe in
the open he spoke: “The Fortressers, as you have seen, had the
wisdom to put in a back door to the castle - just in case. This is
the very best place from which to view the area surrounding the
castle - and the best place from which to attack it! You must all
have a good look and get acquainted with the terrain from the
enemy’s point of view, then we will walk back to the castle across
the fields - I think you know the way!” and he winked at Roland and
Oliver. They had both assumed that their night-time excursions were
secret and were surprised to find that Firebrace knew of them.

Savitri wandered over to the place
where the fire had been, the place where only two days before she
had been a captive. She gripped the sword in her hand and swung it
around, enjoying the feeling of power it gave her.

They did as Firebrace bid them and
studied the landscape. It was farming land and there were plenty of
hedges, ditches and sunken lanes - easy places of concealment for
an attacking army. It could all have been cleared for strategic
purposes, but Roland knew why his forefathers had not done it.
There is no sense in destroying the very thing you wish to defend
in order to defend it.

They started to make their way down
the hill of the Scary Oak. Walking back was quite a pleasure on the
warm spring day and they all enjoyed the open air after being in
the tower. As they walked they watched the Fortressers already at
work on the battlements. Cranes were lifting massive blocks of
stone, men in the odd mixture of armour and monks’ habits were
climbing up and down ladders with hods full of bricks and mortar.
The progress the Fortressers had already made was quite amazing. It
gave them all hope and their sprits lightened.

Nearer to the castle they noticed
something rather odd – two figures both struggling to conceal
themselves behind a very small bush that couldn’t possibly hide one
of them, let alone both. As they got yet closer they saw that it
was Bobblejob and Jubblebub. Soon they were close enough to
overhear what they were saying.

“It has been a long time, hasn’t
it? Bobblejob said.

“A very long time,” Jubblebub
agreed.

“I bet we’d be much better at
finding them than they are at finding us,” Bobblejob giggled.

“Much better,” Jubblebub giggled in
response.

“You go and hide and you’ll never
find us,” that was what they said.

“That was what they said
alright.”

“But I bet we could find them if we
wanted to.”

“I’ll bet we could…”

“Oh! They’ve let Dogwood and
Dagwood escape!” Roland said, at once feeling great disappointment
that his cousins had not kept their word.

Realising that someone was behind
them Bobblejob and Jubblebub both turned around.

“What are you doing?” Roland
asked.

“Shhhh! We’re hiding!” Bobblejob
replied, “The young masters told us to go and hide and they would
come and find us. They’ve been looking for ages and haven’t found
us yet!

“You imbeciles!” Firebrace
said.

“I said to guard them, not play
parlour games with them,” Roland said, “Probably good riddance
anyway – it won’t tie up any
competent
men to guard them…”
Then he had a naughty idea… He said to Bobblejob and Jubblebub, “I
am sure my uncle made you swear an oath of loyalty to him, didn’t
he?”

“Oh, yes, very keen on that he
was,”

“Very keen.”

“Yes, well, has he released you
from it yet?”

Bobblejob and Jubblebub thought for
a minute.

“I don’t remember,”

“I don’t either.”

“Trust me, he didn’t. I’m sure,”
said Roland, “According to the oath you should have followed him to
wherever he went, and you haven’t.”

“No we haven’t,” admitted
Bobblejob

“We have not,” agreed Jubblebub

“Then you are in breach of your
oath,” Roland said.

They struggled to think about
it.

“We are derelict in our duty,”
Jubblebub confessed, shamefacedly.

“You can do something about it now
– something to redeem yourselves,” Roland said.

“Can we?” Bobblejob asked, looking
hopeful.

“Yes, Roland said, “Go and find him
– join him. Find where he is and go to serve him.”

“But how do we find him?” Jubblebub
asked.

Well, it’s like hide and seek, but
for real. What will make it even easier is that Dagarth
won’t
actually be hiding!
”

“He won’t?”

“No, he won’t,” Roland
insisted.

“Well, we should find him easily
then,” said Bobblejob, “Err… Which way?”

“Anyway away from here will do for
a start,” Roland said.

“Rightio!” Said Jubblebub.

“Off you go then!” Roland said.

And they both headed off,

“That got rid of them,” Roland
said.

“That was very wicked! Oliver said,
as Firebrace chuckled.

“Good riddance Savitri said. We
need all the people we can get – but they can do far more damage on
the other side.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Roland
said.

Once back in the castle they all
slept for a long time and once they had woken, and eaten a much
welcomed meal, they were astonished at the progress that had been
made. The Fortressers were still hard at work but now finishing off
the rebuilding of the castle. How they must have worked! Where
piles of rubble had stood beside gaping holes the walls now stood
firm and robust, looking impregnable – indomitable. The walls were
higher than before, the ramparts raised to give steep drops into a
moat that looked deeper, darker and much more forbidding than it
had previously. Roland looked down into it, then back at the keep
and its accompanying buildings. They were the last to receive the
Fortressers attention, yet already they looked strong.

“I had forgotten what this place
use to look like without holes and rubble,” Roland said to
Firebrace.

“It’s a revolution,” Firebrace
agreed, “But walls are only part of a castle’s defence.
We
must be strong as well – and what is more, we must have a plan –
and if possible, know theirs!”

Roland thought of the Venerable
Conceiver of Strategies, still presumably hard at work. He did not
have much faith in a man who needed to be struck around the face
with a jester’s bladder just to keep his feet out of the
clouds.

“There is little I can do but
practise my swordplay,” he said.

“Yes,” Firebrace agreed.

Roland, Oliver and Savitri went to
the practice room. They took it in turns to fight the companion
whilst the other two practised against each other. Oliver had not
used a sword before but started to get the hang of it and Savitri
gave him some pointers. She showed herself again to be the most
capable and when it was her turn launched a full blooded attack on
the companion that caused it to clang like a bell and drew some
pity from Oliver.

“The poor thing! What did it do to
you?”

“It reminded me of someone!”
Savitri said, and made it clang again.

“It is made to resemble the people
who killed her family,” Roland said.

“Well, it looks hideous enough to
have done something like that. You mean there are things like that
running around out there, up to no good?”

Savitri, who overheard, stopped
fighting and came over, “Believe it. They are savage. They have no
pity, they have no fear, they only desire one thing; to fight and
destroy.”

“Sound like the Fortressers, before
they got religion,” Oliver said.

“The Spirus will never ‘get
religion’,” Savitri said, and continued battling the companion.

“Maybe we ought to make your friend
seem a bit more friendly, for his own sake, Oliver suggested to
Roland, “Give it a name perhaps? Cutesy wootsey? Tickly wickly? Mr
floppikins? We could give it some bunny ears!”

“No,” said Roland firmly, “We are
not doing that. Fixing them on might scratch the finish.”

“Okay. I shall just call him Fred,
then.”

Oliver grew serious. “Something has
been worrying me. What happens to the people in the village – my
parents, if there is an attack?”

“We will bring them inside the
castle. Perhaps they will even fight with us,” Roland said.

“If they seek the protection of the
castle, they should fight to defend it,” Savitri said.

“They can seek safety
unconditionally. We will not make them fight if they don’t want
to,” Roland said firmly. “You had better go and tell them Oliver –
it would be better now than later on. We don’t know when hostile
forces might get here.”

When the villagers had been brought
into the courtyard Roland stood before them with Oliver and
Firebrace at his side. He told them, “The people who are coming to
attack this castle are also coming to attack your homes. Dagarth
was a tyrant, as you know, and the people with him are no better.
Who wishes to fight with us?”

There was an encouragingly strong
show of hands for the idea.

“But what can they do?” Roland
asked Oliver.

“Same as me,” Oliver said

Roland looked puzzled. “You are no
swordsman!”

“I can't use a sword, no, but try
me with a bow!”