Swords drawn, they turn to face each other, surrounded by their hapless attackers now dead or wounded. Even in the darkness, Athos knows the man. He fought against him and almost killed him. He fought against him and was almost killed. He has fought beside him more times than he ever expected. Athos lowers his … Continue reading Chapter Fifty-Six, The Brothers d’ Aiguillon, by Mordaunt
Chapter Fifty-five, Le Limier, by Corso
‘Putain d'enfer!’ The beach is empty. Loup, Ver and Poilu exchange an uneasy look as Lucien Grimaud paces angrily in front of them. ‘Why would they take him?’ he whirls to confront his own crew with this question. They shrug and shake their heads. They do not want to speak aloud their own conclusions – … Continue reading Chapter Fifty-five, Le Limier, by Corso
Chapter Fifty-Four, Le Sourcier, by Mordaunt
It bothers him. In the mornings, long before Petite wakes, Athos rides with Balignant down to the sandy cove. Even after a week he refuses to walk there using the shortcut through the back of the garden. From the old pier he watches the dawn, every dawn a different array of colors, and the low … Continue reading Chapter Fifty-Four, Le Sourcier, by Mordaunt
Le Sourcier- The Dowser
Dowsing is a form of divination to locate water (as well as metals, ores, etc.) usually conducted using a Y-shaped twig or two L-shaped rods (“dowsing or divining rods”). The practice was banned by the Catholic church. Even Luther agreed with the ban. He saw dowsing as a form of occultism (1568). An epigram by … Continue reading Le Sourcier- The Dowser
Chapter Fifty-Three, Son of France No More, by Corso
End of the second dog watch – aboard the Belladonna … ‘Ahoy the deck!’ ‘I see it,’ the quartermaster of the Belladonna M Jabari holds the spy glass steady. ‘Merde,’ he mutters to himself just able to see the blink of light in the early evening hour. He counts the number of times the light … Continue reading Chapter Fifty-Three, Son of France No More, by Corso
Chapter Fifty-Two, The Man Called Guerin Spranger, by Corso
Rouen… ‘Who is this man, Guerin Spranger? Do you or Lucien know of him?’ ‘And if we did?’ Captain Peter Eastman raises a questioning brow to the man beside him. Gérard Leroy is a wealthy successful merchant in Rouen, a restless man constantly seeking investment opportunities. Peter Eastman and Lucien Grimaud are known to be … Continue reading Chapter Fifty-Two, The Man Called Guerin Spranger, by Corso
Chapter Fifty-One: Vanishing Act in Seven (Easy) Steps, by Mordaunt
Step One: Learn from the best “I assume that you know all,” Aramis begins. “Enough to be abhorred that an innocent man finds himself imprisoned,” Layla replies. “Some might say that he is not an innocent man,” Aramis pushes, although it has been a losing argument; although even he no longer agrees. “He is my … Continue reading Chapter Fifty-One: Vanishing Act in Seven (Easy) Steps, by Mordaunt
Chapter Fifty, The Price of Clarity, by Mordaunt
Faites votre devoir, et laissez faire aux dieux.(Do your duty and leave the rest to Heaven) Pierre Corneille, Horace, Act II, Scene III (1639 Aramis does not stay at Noisy-le-rois as he planned. He rides back to Paris with Louis. “Not to Versailles, no I will not make it easy for you,” Louis pushed, “I … Continue reading Chapter Fifty, The Price of Clarity, by Mordaunt
Chapter Forty-Nine, Of Eagles, Pigeons, Nightingales and Roses, by Corso
The Aigle is trapped between the two Spanish galleons, the Sagrio and the Rosario, his men fighting outnumbered, the ship overwhelmed, boarded from two sides. He moves too fast for thought … seeing and not seeing, relentless, maiming, killing, an animal fighting for survival, mindless, instinctive, blocking… fist smashing, sword thrusting stabbing, dagger slashing… the … Continue reading Chapter Forty-Nine, Of Eagles, Pigeons, Nightingales and Roses, by Corso
Chapter Forty-Eight, Fatherhood, by Mordaunt
At the Sign of L’ Espee, the inn at Tours used by officers on royal duty, M. Morant and his three comrades returning with the royal correspondence from Rennes, La Rochelle, and Bordeaux are ready to depart for Paris. “Are you certain, Your Grace?” M. Morant knows not to insist when faced with opposition by … Continue reading Chapter Forty-Eight, Fatherhood, by Mordaunt
Twelve Years After 