Seize The Dawn Read Online Free

agree." He turned, training the glass aft of their ship. Wallace's vessel rode somewhat behind theirs. Before they had come upon the curious sight before them, they had been prepared for battle at sea.
    They always sailed prepared for battle. Though Falkirk had been lost, William Wallace, the great defender of Scotland, had lived. And there were few men King Edward I wanted dead with a greater vengeance. Since Falkirk, Wallace had never faltered from his dream of freedom, or his ideals for Scotland. But he was an intelligent man; his only real power as a leader had lain with his success, simply because of the feudal structure of their society. Wallace wasn't a great lord or nobleman with hereditary rights over men. He did not have scores of tenants sworn to serve him in times of war. Since the Scottish loss at Falkirk, he had continued to tirelessly defend Scotland, harrying the English troops who had kept a foothold in southern Scotland, seizing supplies, fighting where speed and strategy could outweigh the forces of might and resources against him. He had traveled as well, to Norway, the Shetlands, and most important, perhaps, to France and Italy.
    But no new great armies had been raised. Still, some good had come from the defeat at Falkirk: Scotland's nobles had been forced to take some of the responsibility for Scotland. Other men were guardians now. Edward had not released his hold upon Scotland. He'd not managed to aquire the manpower to usurp Scottish rule in the north, but he continued to swear himself the great overlord. Edward I of England would never cease his pursuit of the Scots, Brendan knew. Only his death would release the threat Edward wielded over the land. But Edward fought other battles, and he hadn't the manpower to leave Scotland at this time to subdue—nay, crush—the country! His ultimate goal. Not for now.
    Brendan often wondered how William Wallace, the extraordinary warrior and leader, could accept his situation with so little resentment. The great barons had used Wallace's power, the heady potency of his nationalist eloquence, his blood, and his sweat, all for the freedom of Scotland. But they had never really stood behind him. William still recognized John Balliol as king of Scotland; he had been the anointed king. But John Comyn, known as The Red, and Robert Bruce had the same blood of the ancient line of Scottish kings in their veins. It was often rumored now that John Comyn had taken his forces on the field at Falkirk and run, and thus caused the defeat. For awhile, both men, Comyn and Bruce, had been guardians of Scotland. They harried the English, but they did so with care. The age-old rivalries between the two had threatened to destroy what Scottish control remained to the Scotsmen, and Bruce had resigned, and then Comyn. John Soulis, a good Scotsman, sworn to hold the country in the name of their absent king, John Balliol, was Guardian of the Realm.
    Wallace had watched it all, fearing the individual goals of the men, and even their affection for their own wealth and power. At any sign of being crushed, they were ready to capitulate to the English king; they feared the loss of their lands and titles. William Wallace had fought with nothing, and without the compromise of having so much to lose. John Balliol, the anointed king, remained alive, and though few men thought he would ever return to Scotland, he was still king. A sad king, a maligned king, a cowardly king—known most often as 'Toom Tabard,' or 'Empty Shirt.' But he had now been released from the papal confinement in Italy to which Edward had condemned him, and he was in France. He was much of the reason they now hurried to the French king with whom they had been such allies on previous trips.
    "Well?" Eric demanded, drawing Brendan quickly from his thought. "Well? Will William agree? Oh, aye! That he will!" "Then we're on to it!" "Aye!" Brendan hurried down the length of the ship where the men in his command had gathered now,