 Whole Story Quest audiobooks presents, Castilian Night by Griff Hosker, narrated by Fraser Blacksland. Prologue. The cattle raiders had struck Viva in the depths of winter. Christian neighbour took from Christian neighbour, and cattle raiding was a way of ensuring that a lord had enough food for his people in the long winter months. As Charles of Toulouse often said to his shield brother, Alfonso, Castile had nine months of winter and three months of summer, so winter was a long time. It was a harsh and unforgiving land in which they lived, bordered by the sea to the north and west, and by mountains and muslims to the east and south. If their enemies pushed, then there was nowhere to go. Charles of Toulouse was a hired sword, and he had fought against the Mores, the French, the Aragonese as well as many other armies whose origins were somewhat obscure. He was thus named for he had been born in Toulouse when his father, a Norman warrior, had briefly served there. Charles was not French, and he was not Spanish. He was a mercenary who was loyal to whoever paid him. Since he had married and sired a son, William, he had stopped wandering and ceased serving the highest paymaster. He now served Diego Lanez, who had a good estate in Castellona de Viva, also called Viva, not far from Burgos. He took the lower pay for the security of a home. The family does that to a man. His new master was a member of the nobility, albeit a minor one, but he paid well enough and Charles, who was Don Diego's armchair, his shield bearer and leader of men, led the eight paid warriors who followed Don Diego. As they followed the trail of the cattle thieves from Navarre, Charles rode behind his lord and his squire, Sancho. Charles did not have much faith in either of the men he followed for Don Diego was not a warrior, and Sancho was a fat and lazy man who just waited for his spurs. The only men Charles could rely on were the men at arms he had trained, and they were good. The other twenty retainers followed Alfonso, his shield brother and the reason they had chosen Viva to settle, who rode at the rear of the professional soldiers, while Charles and the other men at arms had helmets, leather jerkens, long swords, and round shields. The twenty retainers were the men who worked on Diego's estates. They were millers and shepherds, cattle drovers, and house servants. And with a multitude of weapons, some old swords and spears, and some improvised farm implements, all had been ordered to ma- Sample complete. Ready to continue?