by Griff Hosker
I nodded, “He would have learned, had he lived to ignore such things. He is in Valhalla now and he died well.”
One of the sentries shouted, “My lord, someone approaches.”
I ran to the fighting platform above the gate. As I reached it I saw two of the armoured riders approaching with open palms. I shouted, “That is close enough!”
The leading rider took off his helmet. “Do you not know this means peace?”
“Aye I do but your dead cousin attacked us when we approached. I thought you might be similarly treacherous.”
A scowl passed over his face then he seemed to recover. “I am Eorl Eardgarth and I rule this land for the king.”
“I waved a hand at the dead warriors littering the ditch, “You aren’t doing a very good job then are you?”
That angered him. “When I bring him your head then he will be pleased!”
“Then try but many others have attempted that and failed.”
“What is your name Viking?”
“I am Jarl Garth the Dragon Heart of Man and I intend to stay here until the island of Anglesey is free from Saxons. We ridded ourselves of you upstarts on Man; we will do so here.”
“If you surrender I will allow you to leave the island and return home.”
“Very generous. I will make the same offer to you.”
His answer was to wheel his horse away. I turned to the sentries. “Keep a close watch I do not trust them.”
I needed to take off my armour for I had worn it all day. The healers amongst my warriors were in Aelle’s hall dealing with the wounds we had suffered. The Saxon slaves were busy preparing food, closely watched by the women of Rheged. There was no love lost between the two groups. Snorri, who had emerged unscathed from the encounter with the horsemen had found some ale and he brought me a horn.
“Thank you Snorri. How was your first battle as an Ulfheonar?”
In answer he looked over to Haaken and Cnut. “Those two are an inspiration. When the Saxon horses appeared they did not panic and we formed a ring of spears. I would have run had they not been there.”
“No, you would not. I felt like that too. Every warrior feels like running when outnumbered it is the natural thing to do but you have to believe in yourself and your comrades. No matter what the odds you will always be superior to any enemy you fight. Once you know and believe that then all else is meaningless.”
“Thank you Dragon Heart.”
“Find the headman of the village and bring him to me. I would speak with him.” I needed to find out if there were any more surprises awaiting us.
When he returned the warrior stood stiffly. I waved him to a seat. “Sit and drink. I have much to ask you.”
He gratefully swallowed down the ale. “Tell me of the people of Rheged. How did the Saxons manage to defeat them?”
“I think that some of those who protected this land forgot their purpose and looked for glory. The warlord you found, Lord Lann, he lived in the golden times when the Saxons feared his mighty armoured horsemen. After he died his son continued to make the Saxons fear us but his cousin tried to take power and many of the warriors who defended us died in a useless civil war.” He drank some more beer. “This was long before I was born but I heard the stories. The Saxons took advantage and began to encroach upon our land. While we had the Cymri as allies then we were protected but, when I was a boy they betrayed us and the last warlord, Gawan, was ambushed and slaughtered along with his knights. Those who survived were enslaved.”
I realised then that had been my grandfather. It matched the story my mother had told Prince Butar. Raibeart had halted when I nodded, “Pray continue.”
“Myrddyn the wizard…”
“He was still alive?”
“Aye, he was old beyond years but he lived still. He told us to defend this island, the one you call Anglesey. Then he disappeared but before he left us he told us not to fear for one would come from the west who would save Rheged once more.” He looked at me nervously, “Is that you lord?”
“I come from the west but as for the rest…” I saw the disappointment in his eyes. “I tell you this, I will fight the Saxons and I will rid the land of them but I not sure I am this saviour.”
He laughed, “That is the White Christ religion. They have a saviour but you are our saviour.” He pointed to the shield. “That and your wolf charm tell me that, for Lord Lann and his men were the Wolf Brethren who fought beneath a wolf banner with a dragon standard.” He touched the dragon. You have the sign of the dragon too. If you cannot save us then we are lost.”
“Tell me about the Saxons. These are the first I have seen riding horses.”
“That is because they copied our horsemen. When we retired to the island we fought them but they landed in their ships and there were too many of them. Our families took refuge in Caer Gybi which is a powerful fort but we were betrayed by self serving traitors and enslaved. They took the armour from our dead warriors and used our horses.” He banged the table with his fist making the other warriors stare. “They have not the skills our men had. They merely copy.”
“What other weapons do they have?”
“There are some machines that were from the Roman times. They fire a long spear. You have to beware them. They can pass through armour.”
That was worrying, “Do they have many of them?”
He shook his head. “When they break they cannot repair them but they still have some on the walls.”
“Anything else?”
“The horsemen have fine armour and it is hard to penetrate. Luckily the secret of the fire died with Myrddyn.”
“The fire?”
“He had a fire which was magic. It could burn even on water. The Saxons feared it.” He looked wistfully east at the mountain. “It is a pity he is no longer here. The Saxons were terrified of him. Mothers would frighten naughty children of him and what they called his black arts.”
“I have never heard of him. What was his story?”
“It was said that he was found in a cave at Caer Gybi and trained on Wyddfa by his grandfather the wizard. He had a vision and walked the length of Britannia to serve Lord Lann. In those days the Warlord was just a young warrior. Myrddyn could fly in the air and make himself disappear. He was a mighty force who fought for Rheged. It is said he could pass amongst the Saxons and they knew him not.”
“He sounds like a formidable wizard.”
“He was.”
“And this Eorl, what of him?”
“Pah, he is no warrior. I have never heard of him fighting himself. He lets others fight while he directs them.”
“You fought the Saxons?”
He stiffened. “I stood in the shield wall with my father. I know what makes a warrior. You are a warrior. You are young but I can see that you have the skill and, like Lord Lann, you have a mighty sword. We have heard of this god touched sword even on this island.”
“What happened to the sword of Lord Lann?”
“It disappeared when his son died. It was said that it was thrown into a lake in the far north, in Rheged. The place we call Wide Water. It was said to be ancient and came from before the time of the Romans. It was never defeated. All our bad fortune came when the sword was lost.”
“What do you think this Eardgarth will do?”
“He will try to attack tonight. But he will not come himself. It will be just his warriors. He will keep the horsemen to protect himself.”
“I thank you for your words. When we leave I would have you rule here as my jarl.”
“Jarl?”
“It means lord, it is a Norse word.”
“I would be honoured.”
I sought out Haaken and Cnut. They had eaten and looked much better than they had when they had first arrived in the village. “Have the men make up faggots of wood and find as much seal oil as they can.”
“You have a plan?”
“Something Raibeart said to me. They will try to attack tonight I think. We wil
l throw faggots into the ditch and then ignite them. We will see them and be able to loose arrows at them.”
“Unless they send in the armoured men.”
“Raibeart thinks not. Anyway we will try this first. I will get some sleep while I may. Wake me if they come.” I smiled at Haaken, “You should talk to Raibeart. He is an interesting man and he has done much.”
I lay down on the furs previously occupied by the deceased Aelle. I was soon asleep and it must have been a deep sleep for I dreamed. There were dragons and wolves; horsemen and battles and then there was a blade plunged into my back.
I awoke with a start and Haaken was over me. “They are moving my lord.”
“Thank you Haaken.”
He turned as he was leaving, “You were right about Raibeart, he is an interesting character.”
“Olaf and Harald, help me with my armour.” My two shadows had slept across the door to my chamber. With two men to help me I was soon ready. I pointed to the torch burning in the corner of the hall. “Bring that.”
I stood in the chill night air and I wrapped my cloak even tighter about me. The hall had the fuggy warmth that made you feel cosy. This air woke me as quickly as a douse of water. Haaken pointed to the shadows just a hundred paces from the wall. They were moving. The Saxons had made the mistake of all moving together. It was like one giant shadow creeping along. My Ulfheonar would have done it more slowly and in ones and twos.
“Have the torches ready,” I hissed.
I saw that the torches were all held below the parapet. Stacked along the walls were small amphorae which I knew would contain the seal oil they had found. I smiled. That seal oil had probably been traded, at some time, by warriors such as us. They would give light but not ruin the night vision of my men. We knew our business. We were not part time warriors. We had chosen a way of life and did it well. The ones who crept, badly, across the open space were part time warriors who played at war.
They were now almost discernible and I waved my arms to instruct the warriors to lower themselves behind the walls. All of us put our heads below the parapet. I tried to put myself in the Saxon’s shoes. They would see a wall which was apparently empty of warriors with the light from torches within the village. They would think we slept. It would encourage them to move forward towards the walls.
I felt and heard something touch the wall and knew where they were. I stood. “Now!”
Olaf threw his torch at the faggots below. Others did the same. The Saxons looked up in surprise as the dried bundles burst into flame.
“Now Harald!” Harald picked up the amphora with seal oil and hurled it at the group of Saxons who were cowering beneath their shields and awaiting the arrows. The jug smashed and the oil gushed over them. The flames soon struck the oil and the shields and men were engulfed in flames. The more they moved the more that they spread the oil and soon the ditch was an inferno of burning men. We watched as the flaming survivors raced away to roll themselves on the grass in an attempt to douse the flames. Beneath us, in the ditch, were the writhing bodies of the dying. The archers picked off those who managed to avoid the flames and the oil.
Chapter 16
When dawn came we saw the full extent of the success of our trap. There were blackened charred bodies below us and already the chuffs, crows and magpies were feasting on the still warm bodies. I knew that Eardgarth would still have enough men to assault us but I wondered if he had the will. It would cost him many more men to defeat us. He would have to lead his men. From what Raibeart said he was unlikely to do that.
By mid morning, when we had all eaten and rested those who had watched in the night, the enemy had not come. Then one of the sentries shouted, “My lord, it is Jarl Erik!”
I ran to the tower and saw, coming from the south, the rest of my warriors marching in a column towards us. Eardgarth would not be assaulting us this day. The guard on the other tower shouted and I ran the length of the wall to see Eardgarth’s warriors slinking back to St.Cybi.
When Erik arrived it doubled the number of warriors I could use. We could now afford to send back some more Saxon slaves to the fort.
“How goes it brother?”
“We found a village like this one. They did not fight hard and we captured much grain and slaves.”
I frowned. If what Raibeart said was true then there might well have been sympathetic islanders there. I explained to Erik what we had discovered. “I am sorry, my lord. I have let you down.”
“No, you were not to know.” I summoned Raibeart, “Do you have someone who can speak to some prisoners? I need to know which would wish to swear allegiance.”
“My son could go, he speaks Saxon too.” He waved over a tall young man, “This is Tuanthal. He will go with your men.”
“Cnut Whitebeard, take Tuanthal here, the wounded and the prisoners to the fort. He will let you know which of the prisoners are to be released and returned here. Then I wish ‘Wolf’ to be brought to St.Cybi. Leave your warriors who have fought here at the fort and return with those yet to be blooded.”
It took some time to gather carts for the wounded and the weapons collected from the Saxon dead but by noon the small column headed south along the Roman Road. Raibeart gave us a warrior called Daffydd who acted as our guide. He was a small, wiry man and we found that he had been a shepherd on the hills below Wyddfa. He hated the Saxons as much as we did.
“Raibeart, we took a village to the south when we first came. They swore allegiance to me. I would have you take some of your men to let them know that we now control this part of the island and to the south. I would have all your people know that help is at hand.”
“I will do so. The dragon and the wolf have returned. The land will grow again!”
As we left the village Jarl Erik glanced into the ditch. “A gruesome end.”
“From what Raibeart told me the warriors who were here before the Saxons had an even more frightening weapon.”
I told him of the fire that burned even on water. “Then how did the Saxons defeat such a powerful people? They should still rule here now. Just look at those armoured horsemen. If there were as many as Raibeart told you then how could they have been defeated?”
“Treachery, from within and without. Their allies betrayed them and there were those who thought that they knew best. It is a lesson we have learned to our cost. Jarl Harald was trusted by both of us and he nearly made us pay for that belief.”
“Who can we trust?”
I looked him squarely in the eye. “Each other and those who have sworn an oath to us.”
“Then that is a small band indeed.”
I shook my head and laughed, “Numbers are not what is needed. We have a band of brothers and each one is worth ten of any other war band. I lost two Ulfheonar yesterday and they will be sorely missed but I counted forty dead Saxons. That is the measure of our men. It is not the quantity, it is their quality. We will never number much more than a hundred and I would not have it any other way. I do not wish to rule an Empire. I want a world which is safe from Saxon incursion and the curse of the White Christ. I would have the world of Prince Butar. That is enough for me.”
Erik pointed to the road ahead, “Then why do we advance on this fort which will be hard to take?”
“Raibeart and those who lived here first wish to live in freedom. If we drive the Saxons from here then they will prosper and so will we. They will trade the grain we need and then we can raid the lands of Northumbria again. There are still riches aplenty there.”
We found the bodies of our dead comrades. The Saxons had not had time to despoil them and their weapons lay with them. We took Erik’s golden wolf arm band. That would go to his wife and his son. Then we laid them with their weapons in their hands and covered them with the wolf cloak. Every warrior laid soil upon the bodies and the burial mound rose as high as a man. It was a fitting memorial for two brave warriors. When we passed the mound in the future, we would remember them.
We saw the rock
y stronghold from some distance away. The land fell before us and I could see the craggy rock which loomed ahead. The walls of this stronghold were of stone and not wood. They were ancient. Even at this distance I could see that. The Roman Road was as straight as an arrow. The Romans had cleared the land on both sides of the road and although some growth had returned there would be no ambush. We were able to push on at a healthy speed.
We had seventy warriors and I knew that we would, probably, be outnumbered. I knew, too, that there would be frightening weapons of death but I was confident that I would find a way in. It is strange but the visit to the cave had changed me. The rumours and the stories had shown me that I might be descended from something more than a slave and a Saxon. The cave had shown me what I could become. It showed me the blood that coursed through my veins was ancient. I owed it to a long dead warlord to try to rectify the mistakes of those who had come after. The tomb had also made me think of my legacy. Raibeart still spoke in reverential terms of those from the past. He had told me, proudly, that his name had been passed down from father to son from the time of Lord Lann and that the first of that name had been the warlord’s brother. He also told me a legend that the warlord’s other half brother had Saxon blood in him. Wyrd! That was me.
I would leave something for my son Arturus and his sons. The name of Dragon Heart would be remembered.
Beorn and Snorri were scouting ahead and when they came running back I halted the column. Beorn pointed to the island, now clearly visible. “The island is connected to this one by a wooden bridge. There are remnants of a stone bridge.” He paused, “It would be death for any who tried to cross that bridge. There are archers on the other side and something else.”
“What was it?”
“I have never seen the like before. It is as though Thor had made a bow for himself but it was too big to hold.”
