Kenton thought on the greater implications of that question. It wasn’t as if he could refuse even though he very much wanted to. He wanted to stay at Babylon with Nicola and the boys and pretend that all of this warfare, battles and kings that had been part of his life for so very long, no longer existed. He didn’t want to fight anymore. The promise of a new life was waiting for him, something he very much wanted, but he knew he had no choice when it came to Warwick. He could not leave his old life, not just yet.
The thought greatly saddened him.
“Of course I will, my lord,” he said, wondering if his unhappiness showed. “But you must allow me to return to Babylon and retrieve my possessions. It is a three day ride at the very most. I will collect my things and catch up to you as you travel south. Also, I had a great many men with me when I went to Manchester and many were captured in the battle. I do not know what has become of the rest of them but I would like to find out. You will need the manpower.”
Warwick waved him off. “The men who were not captured by Saxilby returned to me with de Russe and Wellesbourne when they came to tell me of the disaster at Manchester,” he said. “They managed to escape the battle that saw you become a prisoner. I have four hundred of your men under my command, men that will gladly return to you.”
Kenton was relieved for the most part. “Thank you, my lord,” he said. “But I still worry about those men who were captured.”
“Where are they?”
“At Conisbrough.”
Warwick pondered that for a moment. “Unfortunately, we cannot do anything about those men at this time,” he said. “We are moving south and I cannot deviate to go to Conisbrough and demand their release.”
Kenton nodded but even as he did so, a thought occurred to him. He turned to look at St. John, who seemed to be in conversation with Wellesbourne. Kenton scratched his chin.
“Do you think we can include the release of those men along with the surrender of Babylon?” he asked. “We have the commander of Conisbrough at our service, after all.”
Warwick realized what he was suggesting. “Brilliant,” he said. “Tell St. John we require the release of your men from Conisbrough in addition to the surrender of Babylon or he will never see his sister again.”
Kenton cast him a rather dubious expression. “I will not threaten a woman with death,” he said. “Suffice it to say that I think I can convince St. John to give me back my men without promising to kill his sister if he does not comply.”
Warwick shrugged. “Such threats have worked well enough for me in the past.”
“But you are Warwick. I am not.”
Warwick snorted. “True enough,” he said. Then, he sobered. “Very well. See what you can do about obtaining the release of your men and return to Babylon for your possessions, but do not be gone overlong. I have a feeling the coming conflict with Edward might be something of a decisive one.”
Kenton looked at the man seriously. “Why would you say that?”
Warwick shrugged, seemingly lost in thought. “Because I am weary,” he said softly. “I am weary of the constant warring, Kenton. Do you not feel like that at times?”
Kenton nodded slowly, with great understanding. “Quite a lot, actually,” he admitted. “I wonder what it will be like to live in peace, with no threat of war. I want to marry and be happy, and watch my children grow, so in answer to your question, I feel weary quite often and mayhap never more weary than I do at this moment.”
Warwick looked at him, suddenly seeing something different in the man. Perhaps captivity had changed him somehow, or perhaps it was recent events in general. Warwick made a mental note to ask him of the comment at some point, but not now. There wasn’t the time to explore it. He gathered his reins.
“Back when you managed to conquer Babylon, I remember saying something that still has meaning to me,” he said. “I said that we must end these wars or they will surely end me. I wonder if I will live to see the end of this conflict between Henry and Edward. Something tells me that I will not.”
Kenton lingered on that thought for a moment. “If anyone deserves to see the outcome, it is you,” he said quietly. “You have done more than anyone to see that the right man sits upon the throne, even if, at times, you sided with Edward.”
Warwick smiled faintly. “Yet that did not stop you from serving me.”
Kenton shook his head. “Not at all,” he said. “You may have switched fealty, but you were never dishonest about it. You were always open and honest with your reasons. As long as we were fighting for the same cause, I had no problem fighting with you.”
Warwick chuckled softly, glancing over at St. John and the other knights, knowing it was time to get about their business.
“Go and gather your possessions from Babylon,” he said. “Meanwhile, send Wellesbourne and de Russe to me. You may take Conor with you to help you settle things, but I do believe I will take de Russe and Wellesbourne with me. I may need them. As soon as Babylon is ours again, I will expect confirmation from you personally.”
“Aye, my lord.”
“And you may want to throw Lady Thorne in the vault this time. It seems to me that the woman has been more trouble than she is worth, even if she is on our side for the moment.”
Kenton merely smiled and turned his horse in the direction of the road again. When he saw Nicola again, the last thing he intended to do was throw her in the vault.
But Warwick didn’t have to know that.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE