‘The grain stores are full. There’s oats and barley and fodder. The horses are better fed than the men,’ said Killbere.

‘They need their strength; we must fill our grain sacks, Gilbert, and have the captains draw supplies from the King’s stewards. We have the right. They won’t be denied. There are hard days ahead.’

Killbere pointed to where the captains had organized their own men.

‘Meulon and Renfred’s men guard each end; Will and Jack with the archers are in the middle. William Ashford will rotate the men through the night. These are strong walls, Thomas, but there is violence in our midst and I’m not so sure this King would weep into his wine if some of our throats were cut in the night.’

Blackstone looked along the length of the stables. Men rested in the stalls opposite their mounts. Beyard was cleaning his weapons as Lázaro bent and lifted his horse’s hoof to clean out the accumulated mud. Blackstone caught Beyard’s eye and beckoned him. A glance towards Lázaro was the only question that needed to be answered.

‘Now we are in Castile and close to the King, he’s frightened,’ said Beyard. ‘I’ve talked to him and settled his fear as much as I can. He’s never been in this castle so no one serving here would ever recognize him.’

‘And may not wherever we go,’ said Blackstone. ‘Henry grew so much over the same length of time that I barely recognized him and he’s my son. And Seville?’

‘Never been there either. The only place he knows is Medina Sidonia and we’re nowhere near the place.’

Killbere scuffed the straw-covered cobbles. ‘Do we concern ourselves too much? The assassins killed everyone there. They probably didn’t even know what he looked like back then let alone now.’

‘That’s a good point, Sir Thomas,’ said Beyard. ‘He could easily just be a page like any other.’

‘Except we have no other page riding with us and if Ranulph de Hayle believes Lázaro is still protected by us then the danger remains.’ Blackstone looked around at the stables. Every thirty paces gaps in the walls gave access to the outside yard. If there was trouble it was unlikely they could catch his men unawares. ‘We do not know if de Hayle still serves this King. What we do know is that, before he captured Lázaro after Cocherel, he had previously been here and then he sought the boy. The only witness to that murder is Lázaro.’