by Griff Hosker
It soon became obvious that if we were to stay on the trail we would have to risk being seen for the trail took the high level. We dismounted and hung our helmets from our saddles. We would make ourselves as small as we could. As noon approached we stopped in the lee of the hills. The wind was from the east and it was a relief to be away from its icy blast. We were eating the last of our venison when Star whinnied. Someone was approaching. We all drew our swords and stood, as one. We made a triangle so that we were back to back. If we were to die then we would sell our lives dearly.
Geraint appeared over a rise to the north of us. He had a bandage on his head and his arm was in a sling. He dropped to a knee, "Warlord! I have found you. I spied you five miles since and I have been following you. I am the last of your scouts."
We sheathed our swords. He looked exhausted; he looked almost grey. He had been hurt and he was exhausted. His horse was lathered. It could go no further. Pol took the weary mount while Agramaine and I began to tend his wounds. He began to speak as we cleansed his ugly wounds with vinegar. He barely winced at the pain. His arm had been laid open to the bone. Agramaine said, "This needs fire or he will lose it."
"See to it." The head wound looked worse than it was. He had suffered a blow from a metal weapon. "What happened to you?"
He shook his head as though trying to eradicate the memory. "I was with Daffydd ap Miach. By the time you charged our bows would send an arrow barely forty paces. He ordered us to draw our swords and charge. We used our horses." He smiled, "The Bernicians did not think we could fight as well as we could. When they began to hack our horses, he ordered Tadgh and me to find you and tell you that they were finished. Tadgh could not obey the order for he was hewn in twain by an axe. I did as I was ordered although it pained me to do so. The captain and his men made a circle and took many with them. As I reached the river I saw that they had all died. I could not get across the battlefield for there were to many enemies but the north was empty. That faithless Angle, OEthelwald of Deira, had led his men to join with the Clan of the Snake. They fell upon King Penda."
Agramaine had a fire going and he and Pol came over with water and some dried venison. "Eat and drink for you need it."
He shook his head, "I have more to tell you. The Warlord needs to know."
I nodded, "Get the fire hot so that the wound is sealed. Go on Geraint." I spoke gently for I could see that he was upset.
"The battle had spread out well to the west as men fled. Not all of the Saxons who had fought had died. They were pursued by vengeful warriors. I saw Eorledman Ethelbert fall. It was as I looked for a route around the battle that I spied Gawan leading equites to King Penda's aid. Pybba and the Mercian hearthweru fought to the last around the King and his standard. The King fell to Lang Seax's long sword but our equites still charged to save him from butchery. Their horses were hacked and the equites and squires slain. It was horrible and terrible to watch. They took many of the Clan of the Snake with them but they died."
My heart sank. Gawan was dead. "How did Gawan die? Did he suffer?"
Geraint shook his head, "He did not die, Warlord. Lang Seax fetched him a blow with the flat of the blade. He was struck in the head and then he fell. I watched them bind him." He looked ready to pass out.
This was worse than the thought that my brother was dead. Agramaine said, "Warlord, his horse is out on its feet. If Geraint has ridden as far we must tend his wound and we must give him food. He will die else."
He was right and I nodded, "Geraint, you have done well. We will talk more when you have had food and you can order your thoughts. I must find a high place."
I walked to a large rock which was a hundred paces from our camp. I would be exposed but I no longer cared. If it brought the Clan of the Snake to me then I would have vengeance for my men and my brother. I stood on the rock and holding Saxon Slayer aloft and the wolf clasp on my cloak I closed my eyes and said, "Myrddyn, I know not where my brother lies. I need your help. I cannot leave and return to Rheged without knowing what has happened to him!"
There was nothing. The sound of the wind filled my head and my ears. Myrddyn had abandoned us. Then I heard the shrill cry of a hunting hawk and I looked up in the sky. Circling above me was a hawk. Then I heard Myrddyn's voice in my head, 'You will not return to Rheged. Your feet are now on a path which will take you to your death. The Clan of the Snake are heading home. They have wagons for their booty. Your brother lives, for a while, at least.' Then the hawk swooped and plunged to the ground. It rose and in its talons was an adder. It wriggled until the hawk's beak snapped off its head. I knew what I had to do. I had to take the head of the Clan of the Snake. I had to slay Lang Seax.
When I returned Geraint looked better. A little colour had returned to his cheeks.
"Myrddyn has spoken to me." My equites clutched their wolf clasps. "I must face this Lang Seax. He has taken Gawan and my brother is still alive. I believe that Lang Seax means to have sport with him and then kill him."
"He could be anywhere!"
"No Pol. He will be where he feels safe. He will be south of Wyddfa. There he has a stronghold and he has his ships. He will have more men there. Geraint has said that many of the Clan died. He will need his men. He has gold now. He will want more and Rheged will be where he gets it. To stop the Clan of the Snake I must cut off its head."
"There are just four of us, Warlord."
"No Agramaine, there is just me. I will do this alone."
Pol shook his head, "You would face a warband alone?"
"Geraint, how many of the Clan of the Snake survived?"
"They fought Mercians protecting their King and our equites, lord, more than half were killed or wounded. I knew that you would be south of the battle and I had to cross the Saxon lines to reach you. I found many of the Clan of the Snake dying on the road where they had been abandoned but Warlord, there are still more than a hundred of them."
I nodded, "Then I will kill them one at a time. I cannot leave my brother in their hands. Tell Arturus and Llenlleog what I do."
Agramaine said, "I am coming with you Warlord. You shall not die alone."
"And I. We are equites."
"I am the last of the scouts. I will come with you."
"No Geraint. We cannot leave Arturus wondering what happened to his father. Would you wish Arturus to seek his father and take on the Clan of the Snake?"
"No, Warlord."
"We cannot save Gawan but we can stop them from hurting him before they kill him. Tell Arturus that if we do not return then we are dead and if we do return..." I shook my head, "that will not happen."
"And Saxon Slayer?"
"Saxon Slayer will die with me!"
We stayed with Geraint for the rest of the day and the night. We used the time to plan what we would do. I reasoned that as the Clan of the Snake were on foot we were quite likely to be ahead of them. They had to cross the Dee at Deva to get home and there were men there. Ethelbert had left an old warrior, Egbert, in command of a garrison of twenty men. If we could reach the fort before the Saxons then we had an opportunity to slow them down and inflict some casualties. The men of that part of the world had much to thank Ethelbert for. They would wish vengeance on his killers.
We parted from Geraint on the western side of the High Divide. There were no words left to say. We spoke with our eyes and our hand clasp. Geraint had to live else the last stand of the men of Rheged would not be told truly.
The plain ran all the way to the sea. The cloudy skies had given way to a blue sky. It was not warm but we could see a long way ahead of us. Our horses had had almost a day's rest and we were riding downhill. It allowed us to push them harder.
"Which way will they go when they have crossed the Dee, Warlord?"
"I think they will go the direct route, to the south of Wyddfa. If they go the easier way, the coast road, they risk being attacked by the Welsh. They might not fight for King Penda but a hundred Saxons passing through Dogfeiling might tempt them to ac
tion. Once we have his scent we will be like a hunting hound. No matter how much he twists and turns we will follow."
It was late when we reached the fortress. I knew that word of the disaster would not have reached them yet. The Queen and Peada at Tomwordig would know but the stronghold was three days hence. Egbert smiled when he saw us, "Do you bring news of King Penda's victory, Warlord? We are honoured to have such a noble emissary."
I dismounted and shook my head, "I am a harbinger of doom. Your King, your Eorledman and the flower of Mercia lie dead. They were betrayed by the Welsh and butchered by the Saxon mercenaries of the Clan of the Snake."
The old warrior's face fell. "I have lived too long. I served the Eorledman's father. I was in his hearth weru. He was a good man."
"Aye he was."
He had a shrewd mind. "Then what brings you here, Warlord, for Rheged is far to the north?"
"The Clan of the Snake have my brother, Gawan. They are heading home and I would stop them here. They have booty and the only way across the river is by this bridge."
"I have but twenty men."
"And I have three. We will be outnumbered four to one. We will lose."
He laughed, "You do not sweeten the medicine do you, Warlord?"
"We might lose but there may be a chance for us to rescue Gawan and to kill enough of them to stop them being a threat to you and your people."
He nodded, "For myself I do not mind but there are young warriors here."
I turned to look at the bridge. It was close enough to the walls for stones and arrows to be used as missiles. It was just wide enough for a cart or a small wagon. "If we blocked the bridge with trees then your young warriors could use stones and arrows from the walls. They would not be at risk. When they send warriors to clear the bridge then those of us who wish to could sally forth."
Pol said, "And if they swim the river?"
"They have booty. There is no one pursuing them. If they are able then they will try to clear the bridge. Perhaps, if Lang Seax sees me, he may decide to end the blood feud here."
Egbert was happy. "I will have the young men hew the blackthorn and hawthorn trees. They needed clearing anyway. If we tangle them together they will be hard to shift and they will tear their hands to shreds while they do so."
While they set about that I said, "It is a shame that the Romans built this to stop the Welsh. If the fort was on the other side of the river we would be able to guarantee that they would not escape. If they use shields then they can clear the bridge and escape us."
"Warlord you are using what there is. This is wyrd." Pol was right. There was no use in worrying about what we did not have. The road passed close to the fort and that would have to do.
The chopping and hewing went on into the night. We stabled our horses and prepared our weapons. Egbert had plenty of food and we ate our first hot meal in many days. It helped me to sleep soundly. That night, as I slept, Gawan came to me or at least his words did. I saw him not. I almost did not recognise his voice for his words were thin and reedy.
'Brother, I know that you are close. I can sense you. I am doomed to die, but you know that already and you are sacrificing yourself. They have taken my eyes and my fingers. They feared my magic. They have only left me my tongue so that they can continue to question me. I fear that this night will see them take my manhood. They have no honour and they punish me because Lang Seax fears you, Brother. He runs from you. He thinks that you pursue him. It is little enough but it may help. I know I am close to Wyddfa for I feel its power. I am close to death now, brother. The next time I see you will be in the Otherworld.'
And then he was gone. I woke with a start. They were close. I roused my two equites. "They are close. Let us find bows. It has been many years since I used one but our arrows may help to thin their numbers." They stared at me. "Gawan came to me in a dream. They are close. He has been blinded and tortured."
I needed say no more. It was some hours until dawn but if this was our last day on earth then we had eternity for sleep. We found the armoury. There were throwing spears as well as bows and arrows. Neither the bows nor the arrows were as good as the ones we used but they would have to do. The gatehouse was the closest place to the road and we took our weapons there. The original Roman Road had passed through the fort. The road which now ran around it was not Roman made. It was rough and it was ready. The bridge was a hundred paces from the walls but the road, separated by a double ditch was less than forty paces. With the elevated fighting platform and our strength then we had a chance to use the throwing spears to good effect. The two young sentries looked at us as though we were mad. Not long before dawn we left the fort and took eight spears. We buried the shafts in the soil at the side of the bridge so that the tips were at groin height. Then we disguised them with ivy. For a day the ivy would remain green and appear as though it was natural. To get around the timber barricade they might try to climb the parapet. The first ones to do so would die. We had also found an old Roman buccina. We placed that on the fighting platform too. Then we hurried back inside.
As dawn broke Egbert brought the rest of the garrison to the walls. I told him what we had done and he nodded his approval. "I have eight older warriors who are willing to stand with the Warlord and his equites. With me that makes twelve any more would be unlucky."
I smiled, "That sounds a little like Christian talking."
"My wife is one. Let us say when I fight I follow the old ways but, in my home, I place my hands together. Today I am a warrior once more."
It was the fourth hour of the day when we spied them. We had all eaten and prepared ourselves for war. We heard the sound of wagons and I waved the men to hide beneath the parapet. I peered through the gap in the stone. The Saxons snaked down the road. Lang Seax rode at the fore and he was on an equite's horse. It was Garth's. I saw that he had taken mail. He was too big for it to have been Gawan's. It was the overlapping metal type. It was Pybba's. Tethered to the back was a shambling bloody figure. It was Gawan. He wore just the white shift and he was barefoot. There was blood around his middle and his hands had neither fingers nor thumbs. His nose and eyes had been taken. I wanted to fly from the walls and to kill Lang Seax there and then but Gawan was surrounded by ten of Lang Seax's warriors. I would be dead before I reached him.
They stopped when they were level with the gatehouse. Lang Seax glanced over. He saw the closed gate but appeared not to think it represented danger. He turned and shouted, "Some of you come and clear this bridge!"
It was what we had waited for. The twenty men who came did not bear shields; they left them by the cart. Agramaine said, quietly, "I have counted more than a hundred and twenty Warlord."
"Let us see how many we can kill with our first arrow shower." I peered again and saw the twenty men approaching the bridge. "Now!"
I had a bow and I aimed it at Lang Seax. The arrow was not a true one. It did not fly straight but still managed to hit his leg and drive into the side of the horse. He could not control it as it reared and he was thrown to the ground. Sadly, the horse protected him. He was on the wrong side for me to hit him. I flung the bow to the ground. Already the archers and slingers had killed ten Saxons. The men sent to the bridge ran back for their shields. I hurled a javelin and hit one Saxon who fell and brought down two others. As the two struggled to their feet they were slain too. One man reached his fellows who had all raised their shields.
Lang Seax's head appeared above the horse. Pol sent an arrow at him but it just struck the saddle. The Saxon shouted, "I thought you dead Warlord. See your brother now. No longer the pretty little wizard he once was." He grabbed the rope and pulled Gawan towards him. He put his hand over his bloody sockets and said something to the warrior next to him.
Gawan shouted, "Rheged and the Warlord!"
The Saxon grabbed Gawan's tongue and slice it. I stood and hurled my spear. It was aimed at Gawan. I would put him from his misery. A fluke breeze diverted it and it sank into the side of the head of the Sax
on who had taken his tongue.
Lang Seax laughed, "You will know where to find me Warlord for I will leave pieces of your brother for you to follow!" He was taunting me. He turned to his men and shouted, savagely, "Clear the bridge!"
Egbert said, "Warlord, he does not know how few men we have. If he did know then he would send them round to the other gates!"
I nodded and shouted, "Make them bleed. The more we kill here the fewer will escape!"
This time the Saxons had shields to protect their bodies but their legs were vulnerable. I threw another spear and it hit a shield square on. It must have driven almost through the willow boards. The warrior was struggling to hold up the shield and one of Egbert's men hurled a stone which hit him on the side of the head. The first two ran into the spears and fell mortally wounded into the river. They began to clear the trees but it was at a cost. Another twelve fell before they managed to remove them.
"Now it is our time. Pol, sound the horn. Let them think we sally forth with an army." Even as the buccina sounded I saw Lang Seax, using his horse as a shield, lead his oathsworn across the bridge. Those who had cleared the bridge joined them. The Saxon wagons were next and they had forty men to protect them. The gates were flung open and I led eleven men to attack them. The others on the wall targeted the drivers of the wagons. Those three had no protection and they died. When they did the wagons stopped, blocking the road. With my shield before me and a freshly sharpened Saxon Slayer held above me we ploughed into the Clan of the Snake. These had no mail. My first blow struck across the chest of the leading Saxon. It bit deeply and blood spurted. I punched my shield at the man next to him and as he reeled I whipped my sword across his side.
A Saxon thrust his spear at me and it struck my knee. Pain coursed through my body as it tore into the bone. I punched him in the face with the hilt of my sword. As he lay on the ground I smashed my shield across his windpipe. The Saxons were organizing now. They had realised how few we were. Two of the Mercians fell dead and I believe we might have all been killed had not the younger warriors in the fort suddenly dashed out and, cheering, charged to reinforce us. Even so it was desperate. One of the Saxons had an axe. He had just used its edge to slay a Mercian and he back handed the head into my side. I felt something break. I brought my sword across in a wide sweep before he could reverse the weapon and took his head.
