Games of Otterburn 1388 Read Online Free

no further. He balled his fist and struck James in the eye knocking him to the grass. He then made for the horse closest at hand, grabbed it by the mane and jump-rolled onto its back kicking it hard in the ribs.
    The horse reared and about tossed his rider back to the ground then it ran hard for the open gate.
    Alfred was gleeful.
    James got to his feet just in time to see horse and rider coming hard on him.
    Alfred intended to run James under hoof.
    James stood his ground as the horse came closer.
    Alfred kicked the stolen horse hard in the ribs.
    James did not waver and at the last instant he jumped to the side of the horse, grabbed the boot of the rider and pushed him off the mount onto the other side.
    Alfred fell hard to the ground as the horse kept running through the gate.
    “Ye bastard English spy!” screamed James as he pounced on him and began to whale the daylights from the already dazed Alfred.
    The horse continued its run through the tents and past the gathered knights and nobles at the lodge.
    Nineteen year old Sir John Dunbar grabbed the horse by the neck-hair and weighted it down until it stopped. There was a rouse of excitement around the camp because of the runaway horse so that none of the men heard the more important ruckus at the pinfold.
    James got one good last punch in before he fell over onto Alfred as if trying to hold the man down even if he happened to pass out.
    As the Earl of Moray was returning the horse to the pinfold he saw Squire James make his last strike on Alfred’s face.
    He came to the lad, “This fight got somethin ’ to do with this loose horse?” he demanded.
    Weak but determined James with the aid of a nearby sapling forced himself to his feet and answered, “He’s either a spy or a thief… Milord.”
    Alfred began to stir.
    James gave him a good kick with his booted foot.
    “How ye figure, Squire?” growled Dunbar stepping between the two men.
    Alfred tried to remain quiet on the ground but could not help the involuntarily low moans leaking from his mouth because of the pain of his wounds.
    “Speaks funny… like English talk,” explained James.
    Dunbar wanting to discover the truth for himself , yanked up the smarting man by the back of his shirt and ordered him, “Speak!”
    The man swooned and fell against a tree and with little regard to Dunbar ’s nobility status, he went mute.
    “I swear he’s of English blood,” insisted James. “And he was tryin ’ to steal a horse… said it was his lord’s!”
    “Who’d he say?”
    “Lord Archibald, Milord,” he replied.
    “I know Archibald’s men and he hain’t among them… Ye’re right, squire, he is either a spy or a thief.”
    Dunbar pulled at Alfred’s collar guiding him in the direction of the lodge.
    “Here’s the reason for the loose horse,” he announced when he came close to the knot of high knights.
    Sir John Swinton spoke when he saw his personal squire following close on the heels of Dunbar handling the prisoner by his collar, “ This yer doin ’, James?”
    “Aye, Milord… ‘ tis ! And I know he’s a spy, Milord… he’s a spy!” insisted James. “If he was a thief he would’a got a horse from the far side of the pinfold and sneaked it out betwixt the trees. I’d’a ne’er known it.”
    “My squire has a good point, Milord,” replied Swinton to Dunbar .
    “Then we need to know what he knows ere we kill him,” whispered Robert in Dunbar ’s ear.
    “Let me work on him,” begged James gingerly touching his stinging blackened eye. “I got him beat a lot a’ready and I got a right, I caught him… Milord!”
    Robert looked at John Dunbar mostly to ask the silent question.
    John nodded his answer then drew his dagger and handed it to his squire. “Don’t be killin ’ him ‘til ye have what he knows.”
    “I know,” said James. “I’ve seen it done.”
    James was still plenty angry and took a personal pleasure in cutting the shirt off Alfred. The tip of the blade nipped