by Griff Hosker
He inclined his head and said, “That was a clever move. Will he try that again tomorrow?”
“I think not. The logs would have more chance of striking the side of the bridge and jamming. No I think that tomorrow he will try his frontal assault again but he may try something different with the logs on our barricade. Have the men pour oil on them. Make them slippery and hard to grasp it will only slow them up but…”
“Excellent idea, brother.” Raibeart patted me on the back and went to give the orders.
I walked up to Myrddyn. “How goes it with you healer?”
“We have lost two.”
“Which means you have saved more. If you were not here then all would have died.”
He looked at me and understanding flooded his face. “I think that this was also intended my lord but I think that I am destined to help you defeat Aella.”
“Of that I am certain, my young friend. He is a clever opponent all right.”
The men were in good spirits that night despite the loss of the bridge. We built a pyre and burned the bodies of the Elmet warriors and placed their remains in an urn to return to their homeland. The survivors were sombre but desperate for revenge. I knew that the next day would be much harder; the enemy would press us until we burst and then they would be free to ravage the land to the north.
I awoke early the next day and smelled the air. The wind was from the east and something did not seem right. I saw Myrddyn already up and he too was looking east. “What do you see healer?”
“There is a strange feel to the air this morning and I sense danger.”
That confirmed my feelings too. “I think Aella may be up to something.” I summoned the nearest sentry. “Go and wake Lord Garth and tell him to come to me.” He trotted off down the hill to the sleeping warriors. I could see the pinpricks of fires across the river but that did not concern me. We had warriors at the barrier and they were alert but the river was another matter. It flowed through a steep sided valley creating shadows and darkness in which anything could hide. We had placed sentries all along its banks but I knew from our own endeavours that men could hide if they chose.
“My lord?”
“Myrddyn and I feel there is danger along the river. Wake and feed the men and then send Miach and my archers to the east to watch the river. If my brother is awake then ask him to join me.”
We watched in silence as the false dawn broke. It did not aid us and we still peered into the blackness when Raibeart joined me. “Raibeart I think there may be danger along the river and I am sending Miach and my archers to watch it. Your men will need to cover the bridge.”
He nodded solemnly. “It will be at least five days before the king can reach us.”
“I know. I am not worried about food and water nor do I fear an attack across the bridge but the river is something different. We have no ships and we cannot control it.”
“We can my lord.”
We both stared at the young healer who was peering a little close to the bridge. “How?”
“We make a floating barrier. The river flows to the sea. If we tie barrels and logs together and feed them out across the river there,” he pointed at a wide loop of the river, “then when they reach the narrow part they will form a barrier. If Aella attempts to come with his ships they would have to negotiate that obstacle. Our archers could make that an expensive task.” He shrugged. “It would buy us a day and cost but a few bits of wood and rope.”
I slapped him on the back. “I think it is an excellent idea. Brother, go and prepare your archers and I will get Riderch to organise the barrier.”
By the time dawn broke the river was clear, our fears appeared to have been groundless but we put Myrddyn’s plan into operation anyway. The huge warriors from Strathclyde cut the logs and found the timber which Myrddyn tied together. The Saxons from the other bank watched from behind their shields as the first log was lowered into the water. It may have been coincidental but Aella chose that moment to launch his first attack of the day.
I heard the shout from the bridge as Garth ordered the men to prepare and I ran back to the bridge, Riderch and Myrddyn could complete their task unaided. By the time I reached the bridge I could see the wedge heading towards the demolished barricade. They had cleared the bodies and the debris during the night and the warriors had a clear run. I knew that they would run, it was how a wedge worked and I saw Garth already adding more warriors behind the existing three ranks to absorb the pressure. I suddenly remembered the caltrops we had brought with us. They would have disrupted the enemy but it was too late for that. We would have to wait until we had defeated this attack first.
There were ten ranks in the wedge, fifty men in all. That was as many as would fit on the bridge and any more would have been unnecessary. They intended not to break through but to weaken our warriors and allow the next wedge which was already forming up, to complete their attack. Raibeart’s archers were already peppering the wedge with arrows which were released from very flat trajectory. It needed accuracy to strike home but the power of the arrows penetrated the shields and armour of the advancing Saxons. They came relentlessly on and I saw them begin to speed up. I could hear Garth and Riderch ordering those at the rear to brace and then with a crash of metal and wood the two lines came together. There was no opportunity to use swords for the men at the front were tightly pressed hard against each other. The third row of spearmen kept their spears for the rotation which would come once they had begun to fight; instead they added their weight to the wall of men who pushed and heaved. Being taller spear men they had more weight and, with the reserves Garth was able to call upon the Saxons were slowly pushed back. It was a stalemate but that suited me more than Aella for we had to buy time but Aella needed to buy land!
Angus returned. “Yon barrier is erected my lord! It goes from bank to bank and it tangled up nicely in the bushes at the other side.”
“Well done Angus. Now line your men up behind the warriors and have your hammers or whatever you call them ready.” He gave me another grin and his mouth reminded me of gravestones. He would not be a pleasant man to face in a fight.
The Saxon war chief had had enough of the stalemate and he somehow wriggled his sword above his head and brought it crashing down on the warrior before him. The blade slid down the side of his helmet and caught him at the top of the shoulders. Perhaps he cracked his collar bone or penetrated the mail but whatever the cause the man fell and suddenly there was room to swing axes and swords. The front ranks were filled with individual combats from men who had been, impotently, face to face for a long time. It was a vicious fight with every tactic possible being employed. Daggers were stabbed under shields, heads were butted, noses were bitten and men died. I heard Riderch order a rotation as most of the front rank was already dead. The spearmen stabbed and the Saxons recoiled. The survivors from the front rank dragged their bloody bodies to the rear and a second ten took the place of the ones who now faced the Saxons. The fresh warriors pushed the Saxons back a little. I knew that the warriors at the front were suffering and only the war chief remained. This was where we need a warrior like me or Garth or Riderch at the point for the war chief was superior to those he faced.
“Raibeart, the next time we rotate see if you can put an arrow into the war chief; it may discourage the others.” He nodded and selected his straightest arrow. I saw him smoothing the goose feathers with his lips and he notched the missile.
The front rank had suffered almost as many casualties as the first one and Riderch called rotation. I noticed that Garth had placed himself in the second rank which would stiffen the line. As the spears stabbed and the survivors retreated I could see the war chief clearly; Raibeart saw him too and his arrow flew true striking him in the eye. The barb must have entered the warrior’s brain for he fell to the floor like a sack of turnips and my front rank pushed and stabbed the surviving Saxon front rank. All semblance of order went from the Saxon formation and they began to be pushed back. Ther
e were less than thirty remaining and they broke and ran. Raibeart’s archers took care of another fifteen before they made the safety of the other end of the bridge where Aella had built walls of wood behind which his men could shelter from our arrows.
Garth marshalled the men back to the bridge and, waving a hand at me, took his place in the middle. When the next attack came we would have a champion facing the war chief and it would have a different outcome.
Aella wasted no time and the second wedge lurched forwards. This time the rear ranks were stiffened by another forty five men. This formation would last longer and I could see the Saxon king’s reasoning. He knew his men had killed my warriors and he knew we had a limited supply; he had a seemingly inexhaustible number of fresh warriors. It would be a matter of when, not if, he defeated the defenders of Dunelm. Once again there was a crash of arms and metal but, even though they outnumbered us Garth and his men held the line and it barely moved. The Saxons had attacked this time with weapons raised although that cost some of them wounds from Raibeart’s arrows and this was fight to the death from the start. Garth was more than holding his own and their champion died quickly. I could see others in the front rank falling and heard Riderch’s command to rotate. Once again it was flawless but only three warriors stepped back with Garth.
I turned to Angus. “This looks to be a good time to try your weapon out. How many have you?”
“We have three each.” He looked at the press of men. “If we try it here they will not be able to use these against us.” His tombstone grin told me he was happy. “We’ll collect them when they are all dead!”
“I look forward to this demonstration.” He took his nine companions forward. “Riderch give these men some space.” He obeyed me but looked curiously at the ten giants who stood in a line. Angus stepped to the front and began whirling the piece of iron and stone above his head. It seemed effortless. Suddenly he released it and it flew over the heads of those fighting and smashed down in the middle of the mass of men pressing forwards. The splash of red and the sudden gap told me he had struck well. The second man quickly took his place and repeated the action with the same success. “Garth, push the men forwards the Saxons are weakening!”
The next eight missiles totally demoralised the Saxons. They looked up to see the terrifying weapons descending and Raibeart’s archers struck the upturned faces. Others threw themselves in the river and most were drowned by the weight of their armour. It was too much for the ones at the rear and they fled for the safety of their own lines. Soon the bridge was empty of the living.
I summoned Angus. “That was well done. Riderch, have some men with shields protect these warriors while they reclaim their hammers. Retrieve any arrows or weapons that you can.”
As the warriors moved forwards there was the clatter and bang of stones striking their shields but they suffered no casualties. Raibeart and Garth joined me. “That was a fearsome weapon brother. When I saw it in his hands I thought it would not hurt a fly.”
“They are deceptively heavy. I could barely lift it never mind swing it around my head. Those ten warriors are valuable and need to be protected; the Saxons appear to have no answer to it.”
“The bridge helped my lord.”
“Aye it did.”
Just then an archer ran up. “My lord, there are Saxon ships approaching up the river. Captain Miach is engaging them.”
“Good. Garth, take thirty warriors and see if he needs help.” I wandered down to Myrddyn to see how the wounded were faring. The Saxons did not look to be readying another attack just yet but when they knew their fleet was there then they would.
The healer had just finished stitching a warrior’s scalp which had been laid open to the bone. He looked up at me as he stood. “It looks dangerous but he will live and fight again in a few days.”
The warrior gave a weak smile and I patted his shoulder. “You did well today.” I led Myrddyn some way away so that we would not be overheard. “The Saxons have sent ships here what do you think? You were in their camp and know the mind of their king.”
“They will not be the big warships for this river is narrower than the Dunum; they will be the smaller ships. They will be perfect for transporting groups of warriors across the river.”
“He would outflank us.”
“He has enough men but so long as we hold the bridge he can only attack form one side.” He gave me a cunning look. “When you attacked their camp the most effective weapon you used was the fire ship.”
“It was but one ship.”
“Ships are made of wood and caulked with tar and grease; they burn well. Many ships tried to flee the fire and struck each other. You could do the same here where the river is narrower.”
“Thank you Myrddyn. Once again your ideas are our salvation.”
I sought Tuanthal; he and the horsemen were unemployed at the moment. “We need some boats. Have some of your men find as many as they can. So long as they can float they will do. You need to take them beyond our boom. Fill them with wood and other things which will burn. We will try to burn the Saxon fleet. My captain of horse was glad to be doing something. It must have galled him to see the warriors and the archers having so much success and the elite of the army being idle.
I heard a roar and saw that the Saxons had launched another attack. Aella must have been informed of the arrival of his ships. Another messenger found me. “They are trying to demolish the boom, my lord.”
I knew that they would not be able to totally destroy it as one end was secured on the bank near us but they must be made to pay. “Order Captain Miach to discourage them.”
Riderch in the absence of Garth had taken his place in the middle of the second rank. I went to my quarters and donned my armour. It was time that the Wolf Warrior went to war. I sought Scean, my standard bearer. “Come Scean, it is time the wolf bit.”
He grinned, “Yes my lord, I was beginning to feel like a one legged man at an arse kicking contest!”
I went to the reserves that were ready for the next rotation. I chose the smallest warrior. “I am sorry but I will be taking your place. Join the next ten.” Scean stood behind me and unfurled the Wolf standard. Some of the men I would be fighting alongside were wolf warriors but all nine of them swelled with pride that they would be defending the banner. I turned to Angus. “Time for your weapon again I think.”
I watched as they strode forwards. Aella had stiffened his men with better shields and those in the middle held them above their head like the roof of a house. It might have saved a few lives but each missile injured the man with the shield and weakened the formation. I heard Riderch order rotation and we stepped forwards. As he passed me, with blood dripping from his sword he looked in surprise at me. “I need the practice,” was all I said.
I stood with my men behind the front rank. I could see the anger in the faces of the Saxons as they faced the warrior they hated above all others. The warrior in the middle of the front rank fell and I stepped in quickly, Saxon Slayer stabbing forwards to catch the war chief, who had been a little too eager to kill me, in the mouth. The sword went through his head and into the face of the man behind. I quickly punched with my shield and we moved forwards. The men took heart from the presence of the banner and fought harder. The loss of their chief and my sword also seemed to dishearten them. When Angus and his men threw their second weapons we were able to move forwards again. By the third attack we had reached the halfway point in the bridge. Raibeart’s arrows finally drove this third wedge back to the safety of the Saxon side.
“Second and third ranks pick up arrows, hammers and any other weapons. Front rank, protect them with you shields.” This time they all seemed to target me and stones pinged off my helmet and shield. It sounded like someone banging on a metal cauldron but I was quite safe.
Eventually I heard Scean say. “That is it my lord we are done. Let us get back before one of those buggers gets lucky with a stone.”
We walked back to the cheers
of my whole army filling my already ringing ears. It was as though we had won a great victory but we had killed but forty of their warriors. Angus was grinning and cheering with the best of them. “Very good of you to collect our hammers, we thought we had lost them.”
“You keep tight hold of them Angus they saved many a warrior today.”
One of my equites came running towards me. “My lord, Captain Tuanthal has the boats and they are filled.”
He looked at me in anticipation. “Raibeart take charge here. They may come again but somehow I think they may try something tonight.”
“We still have warriors who have not fought and they are keen to copy the deeds they have seen this day.”
When I reached the far end of the defences I could see Miach and his archers raining arrows on the boat. Although it looked haphazard I could see that they were aiming for the rowers and steersmen. They were measuring their flights and conserving their energy. Miach was an old hand at this. On the far side of the river I could see the Saxons who were trying to disentangle the boom. Ten of my archers were making their life difficult; from their laughter my men obviously though this to be a good game. Tuanthal and thirty of his men had gathered ten small boats and rafts. He gave me an apologetic glance. We only found six boats so the lads made four rafts.”
“So long as they float that is all that I care.” I could see that they were all filled with wood and kindling and other flammable material.”Light the first one and push it off; the second a count of forty later and so on. We will let the current do its work and pray that Icaunus favours us. We will make an offering to him later.”
We all watched eagerly as the flames began to erupt from the dry wood and two men went into the shallows and gave the fireboat a good push. The current took it towards the Saxons and I could hear their panic as they saw the small inferno lurching towards them. The second one took a slightly different course, towards the ones in the middle, and the panic spread. Soon all ten were heading downstream. Three of the Saxon ships had managed to get under way and were heading away from the danger. The others had oars out to fend them off but that made them susceptible to Miach and his arrows. One of the ships on the end of the fleet caught fire and it was frightening how swiftly the flames took hold and engulfed it. Soon every Saxon ship was heading downstream. Some of them had fires burning and the crews were busily trying to save their ships. Three of the fire boats followed like malevolent hunters just waiting for a mistake. Had we done this at night we would have had more success but I was pleased with the outcome. The threat had not been eliminated but they would need to cross the river further downstream. The Saxons who had been attempting to get rid of the boom had given up when the ships left.
