by Sam Taw
My niece rose from her bench. “I’ll go and fetch it, Cryda. You stay with the babe.” Derwa took the horn cup belonging to the Novantae leader and left through the rear door to speak with the slaves.
Glaw removed the green rock from his pocket and turned it over in his hand. I’d seen him do this so many times, I assumed it had become a habit. It drew his full attention as though it was more prized than pearls, greater than tin or gold.
“I’m very glad to hear that your boy is recovering, Lady Cryda. It’s a fearful thing to watch when your offspring are sick or injured, but you must prepare yourself should the worst happen. As I said to Meliora there, I’ve seen such a wound like this before. The lad was never the same again. Couldn’t feed himself, shit the bed all the time, really he’d have been better off dead.”
I could see Tallack’s eye twitching as he held his emotions in check. Cryda took a long slow breath, closing her eyes to his harsh words. When she finally exhaled, she looked up at Faolan and tried to smile. The whole plan rested on their ability to act naturally. Their awkward postures and stilted conversations were making Faolan uneasy. He was a shrewd man and not one to underestimate.
Glaw sat sullenly at the end of the lower bench examining his rock. Faolan watched him for a few moments, captivated by the Ordo’s obsession.
“What have ye got there, lad? Give it here and let me look at it.” Faolan commanded.
“It’s just a rock. Nothing special.” Glaw seemed reluctant to hand it across. Faolan flicked his hand towards him, urging him to release the peculiar object. Its surface glimmered in the flickering light, tricking the eyes that it was shining green. Glaw had no option but to pass it to Cryda who then walked it over to the Novantae leader, or risk making a scene that would ruin my plans. Faolan weighed the rock in his palm, bouncing it up and down. A tiny sneer bloomed on his whiskered face.
“Where did ye find this then?”
Glaw scowled at the old man, his eyes narrowed to slits. Everyone in the hut stopped talking to hear his answer. “While I was down in the far west on the Lizard Peninsula hunting.”
“Is that so? And you know what it is, I presume?”
Glaw looked at Tallack and then back to Faolan and nodded.
“And I’m guessing you haven’t told your new kin here that they have copper on their land?”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Faolan’s statement hit us all hard. Surely it couldn’t be true? Had Derwa’s husband found copper deposits near to Land’s End and kept it a secret from us for all this time? His own people would know the rocks as well as their own faces. Their tribe boasted the largest copper mines in all the land. If this was indeed true, not only had he deliberately deceived us, but had been flaunting it under our noses this whole time. No wonder he hadn’t gone back to the mountains with his new wife in tow. He was considering how best to handle this development.
Tallack burned with rage. I could tell from his sour face that he wanted to grab his new brother by the neck and choke the life from him, but he knew that it would ignite a feud between us and the Ordoviches. We already had enough tribes who counted us among their enemies without adding to the number.
Glaw cast his gaze to the floor. Whatever plan he had hatched up could no longer work in his favour. He was found out. His best option to stay in our favour was to come clean over the whole discovery, and as I predicted, he faced Tallack and said; “If you’d like me to, I can take you or one of your kin to the exact place that I found the rock, and explain how we go about processing the metal up in the mountains?” The gesture was too little, too late, but in light of Faolan’s betrayal, it was an issue that could afford to wait.
“That’s good of you, brother. As soon as the Duros are dealt with, we’ll take you up on that offer.” Tallack almost spat the word, brother, through clenched teeth. This meeting was not working out as I had hoped. Far from appearing a united force, all we’d achieved was to show the Novantae how fractured our family had become.
Derwa returned a short time later with a wooden board on which sat several cups, including Faolan’s own fashioned from horn. She bent her knees and held out the tray to our guests first. Faolan swiped his own, while Sorcha took the cup closest to her. Derwa smiled as she turned to hand out the rest to her family and a couple of the most senior elders. That was when I knew that she had successfully laced and delivered the resin and valerian mixture.
Everyone waited for Tallack to stand and announce a blessing for his brother, when we would all drink to Blydh’s health and ask for the gods to watch over us all. As he did so, I kept an eye on Faolan and Sorcha, to see that they were drinking their doctored wine. I knew it would take a while to have an effect on them, but there was no way of knowing whether Derwa had taken note of my dosage instructions.
Cryda did a brilliant job of distracting everyone’s attention, parading little Delen around and encouraging people to hold her and give her a cuddle. With all the familial bonding going on, no one noticed when Faolan nodded off to sleep in his chair. Sorcha’s eyelids grew heavier and she began swaying to stay upright. It was my turn to act.
“You look exhausted child. Shall we walk together to your shelter?” I bent over Sorcha and whispered into her ear. “I have some more of that ale stashed away. I’ll bring that too, shall I?” Winking at her, she giggled and then let me pull her up to her feet. I slipped my arm about her waist and guided her towards the front door of the Long Hut. As soon as I was clear, I heard Tallack give the order for his men to carry Faolan out and bind his limbs together.
The storm was finally beginning to blow itself out, but the breeze was still chilly and carried with it the last of the rain. She didn’t even notice that the ale had miraculously travelled from my hut to hers without me walking anywhere. We bundled inside out of the cold and I dropped her onto her bunk. She burst with laughter, rolling about in her furs.
“Please don’t make me marry one of your nephews, Fur Benyn. I want to go home. I miss my ma.” She whined. I poured her a drink and made sure she was upright enough to take the cup from my hand. “I mean, they’re nice, but not like a Novantae man. They’re rugged, with big, strong arms and tangled beards and fierce warriors to be proud of.” Her voice was slurred. I had to be careful that she didn’t pass out like her father had. She needed just enough ale to loosen her lips. She drank without encouragement. The resin can give people a raging thirst. When she shoved the empty cup under my nose for more, I made sure that I didn’t pour out too much.
“It’s just not fair. Ealar gets to go home, why can’t I?”
“I thought your brother was to stay here and manage the shares and transportation of tin from our mine on the north coast?” I had to be careful what I said to keep her talking.
Sorcha stuck out her tongue and shut her eyes tight. “Pah! Ealar can barely wipe his own arse without our mother’s help.” She lay back on the bunk and lifted up her knees to her stomach. Tears of laughter rolled down her cheeks. “Greum will take over here, while Ealar and Father go home.”
This was it. The old wolf was playing all sides in his game of strategy. Every eventuality would benefit him and his family directly. If the twins survived, Sorcha would wed one of them and become Ruvane. If he got the chance to kill either of them or both, his eldest son would take over our lands and mines and all our people too. What deal had he made with the Duros and Lady Brea, I wondered?
“Ah I see. Your eldest brother is the clever one, is he?”
She nodded. “Och, he’s much more than that. He’s the best hunter, best fighter and best sailor in our whole tribe. Well, you’ve met him, Fur Benyn. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“Oh yes, child. Of course. Greum is a fine man. And er… where is he now?”
“Down the coast a wee bit with the rest of our men.”
“Is that so? And what are they waiting for?”
“My father’s signal.”
“Oh? What kind of signal?”
She looked at me with
screwed up features. Had I pushed too quickly?
She forced her eyes wide and pulled a face at me. “To light the beacons of course. How else could he see from the ships?”
In her addled state she thought me stupid. If it wasn’t such a tense situation, I’d think it quite endearing. As it was, we now knew the extent of Faolan’s betrayal. He’d sent for all his men and ships, but only revealed the presence of a few to send the Ivernii fleeing home to Iwerdon. I was itching to ask her just how many men had Faolan summoned and precisely where were they docked, but I needed her compliant and truthful. There was every chance she would exaggerate, that’s if she knew the answers to my questions. I would have to rely on my new scout Senara and her stealthy instincts to give me the facts. Until then, we had two hostages with which to trade and the element of surprise.
I stayed just long enough to ply her with enough ale to make her sleepy and then bound her legs and feet together around a central post in her shelter. When I got back to the Long Hut, the elders and my kin were all awaiting my news. It did not take much time to relay all that I’d found out.
Faolan may have bought us a delay from the Duro attack, but only so that he could position himself to take over our tribe and send them running back to their own borders in our stead.
Tallack stood up and paced around at the back of the hut. The elders were all quiet, shaken by the enormity of our situation. None had anything useful to offer by way of a solution. The one person who excelled at strategy was unconscious in my shelter with his head leaking bloody humours. He may have misjudged the raid on the Duro camp, but after two summers of planned attacks along the borderlands with his Head Hunter Clan, Blydh was the best we had.
When the scouts changed shifts, they came straight to the Long Hut to report to Tallack. I feared that they bore the terrifying news that the Duro’s were outside our gates, setting their fires and sharpening their blades. Thankfully, the news was the same as it had been before the storm; the Duros had made a temporary camp in the next valley. In terms of walking distance, they may as well have been at our gates.
I tried to eat a little bread and stew but my anxiety balled up in my chest and pained me. The more I thought about the Novantae ships and the Duros in the next valley, the more addled I felt. I was so tired that I could scarcely keep my eyes open, let alone think of a way out for my tribe.
Derwa noticed my nodding head. “Get some rest, Aunt. We’ll need to be fighting fit for when…”
Cryda and Tallack both shot her a look.
Derwa adjusted her tone. “Come, I’ll walk you back to your hut and watch Blydh for a time. Let’s give the elders time to think.”
I remember walking back through the boggy camp, wishing that the boards extended to my hut and thinking that the elders hadn’t a clue how to solve our difficulties. The rest was a blur. It had been more than two days since I had any real sleep to speak of, and even then, all I could do was nap for a short time.
Derwa seemed all the more attentive since her husband’s revelation. Perhaps she took some of the blame for his silence on herself. By all rights, he should have dragged her back to his tribe in the mountains and forced her to perform her duties. Instead, Glaw let Derwa make all their decisions. She treated him with utter disdain and almost rejoiced when he rode off to hunt in the west of our lands. Perhaps if she had met him half-way and tried to build a relationship together, he would have told her about the copper sooner. It would have solved many of our problems of metal supplies, had we known that the deposits were right under our noses.
I kept my musings to myself, yanking off my soaked cloak and muddy shoes and climbing under my furs. Kewri had watched Blydh virtually all day and was as tired as me. The look of relief on the gentle giant when Derwa sat on the edge of Blydh’s bed was so noticeable, it made her laugh. It took moments for me to fall into slumber, despite the low moans of Blydh across the hut from me. I had worried myself into a state of exhaustion.
When I awoke, it was still dark outside and the fire was low. It took a little while for me to gain my bearings and see who was shaking my arm. The silhouette was of a young woman, but she was taller and leaner than Derwa. I sat up and realised that it was Senara. She was as stealthy as she claimed. No one else had heard her enter. Kewri, Derwa and Blydh were all still fast asleep.
“What is it? What did you find out?”
She held my cloak out for me to put around my shoulders. I took that to mean that her news should be heard by the Chief and elders too. Retracing my steps across camp, I called out to Tallack in his shelter and heard someone inside grumbling about the intrusion.
I should’ve spoken to my nephew about that young Treeve. He had notions of high status for himself, which gave me pause for thought. The last of Tallack’s bed fellows was now sleeping with the Chieftain of the Duros in the next valley.
“Tallack, summon the elders. We have new information.” I shouted, before leaving him to dress. We hurried over to the Long Hut. The slaves had at least kept the fires burning inside. When Senara lifted the door panel away for us to enter, the heat hit us in a great wave. I was glad of it, having come from my warm bed straight out into the cold air. It was long before dawn and none bar the watchmen were about camp. It was fortunate that Faolan’s deal with our enemy had granted us this reprieve, but it would not last for long.
If there were any spies in camp, word would reach Ealar and his brother Greum that their father and sister were our hostages. With this knowledge, the Duros would be at our gates within hours. When the majority of elders and Tallack’s best warriors had assembled, Senara and I stood before the top table to give the Chief her news. The warriors all tittered behind their hands at Senara as she took the bow and quiver from her back and rested her axe on the floor. I gave them such a glare for their poor attitude.
“If you get injured in the battle, you might find me out of resin when you’re howling in pain. Such brave fellows like you can make do with a little willow bark.” That wiped the sneers from their faces. If they had to put up with all that a woman has to tolerate, they wouldn’t be so quick to judge.
“Chief Tallack.” Senara began. It surprised me how confident she was in speaking in front of so many men. It made me wonder whether she had been forced to take charge at her family homestead. Where had she acquired such skill with axe and blade prior to coming here?
“Chief Tallack. Fur Benyn charged me with scouting along the coastal path and to tally the number and whereabouts of the Duros. I come back with all I have learned.”
In truth, I had not expected her back so soon. She must have ridden like the wind and fair worn out that poor horse, but then she is half the weight of the menfolk and less of a burden to carry at speed.
Tallack looked her up and down. At first, I thought that he was deciding on her attractiveness, but his eyes rested on her weapons, not the curve of her body. “And what did you discover?”
“There was no sign of the Ivernii ships. Fur Benyn said that they flew the green banners of Iwerdon. None of the vessels I saw had those, but I saw plenty bearing the blue of the Novantae. They have made anchor around the headland near to the mouth of the River Sid.”
“How many?” Tallack sat forward, trying to keep his composure.
“More than your fleet, even before some were sunk and all were filled with fighting men.”
I faced her. “Did you happen to spot a large unlit beacon on your travels?”
“I did, yes. It’s on the highest point of the headland above the salt pans. I thought Chief Tallack might have arranged it to be there, to call back his fancy ship.” Senara jabbed her thumb out towards my nephew, puzzled.
“Call it back?” I asked.
Tallack rubbed his forehead. “I sent Renowden, Treeve and a few of the men to take it out to sea. It’s too vulnerable to leave in the estuary, even if we do need our warriors here in camp.”
That struck me as odd. If Treeve was in the middle of the Channel with Renowden on the Ph
oenician ship, who was in Chief Tallack’s shelter a short while ago? “Were there any boats left in the estuary?” I asked.
“Only the damaged ones and two of the Chief’s. No others.” She said.
Where was Ealar and Faolan’s great ship? Had he sailed to meet up with his older brother’s fleet so that they could all move in a coordinated fashion upon seeing the lit beacon?
“And the Duros? Did you get a good look at them?” Tallack continued, while I mused over who his latest conquest might be.
“Yes, Chief. They are over the rise to the east of here, but the marshland extends right along this valley for quite some distance, so they’d find it hard going to come at us on horseback without sinking into the bogs.”
“How many would you say?” I asked.
“Hard to tell, since while I watched them, a large party rode away from camp to the north-west, but I’d say more than twice our numbers.” She peered around to look at the expressions on the warriors’ faces. They seemed more anxious of the Duro attack than Senara did, and she saw them with her own eyes. They were not jeering now.
“They’ve split into two forces. They’ll come at us from either side.” I said. The elders murmured in agreement.
“Well, if they come at us from the west, they’ll have to cross the cleared training grounds before they can reach us. We’ll pick them off with our best shooters.” He turned to one of his warriors standing close by. “Did you finish the submerged spikes in the river alongside our eastern wall?” The man nodded solemnly in response. Tallack tried not to appear worried for the sake of his reputation, but the sweat bled through his tunic at the neck and chest. The fire was not kicking out that much heat.
“Well at least we know what we’re in for. We can rain arrows down on them from the western battlements and hope that our defence structures hold to our east.” He looked at me and then back at the warrior maiden. “Was there anything else you think we should know?”
