by Griff Hosker
The chastised scout was eager to please. “Yes Warlord.”
We headed north. The visit to the cave appeared to have brought us good fortune. This was going far better than I had dreamed possible when we had set out from Penrhyd. The fort was in an even worse condition than I remembered it but at least it still stood as did the bridge. We crossed the bridge, which was firmer than the last one we had used, and found the fort. Lann Aelle looked at his new home somewhat nervously.
“Remember nephew, that you do not have to start anew. The Roman legionaries did the hard work four hundred years ago. We just have to repair what time and the land have tried to reclaim.”
Myrddyn pointed to the river where stones had fallen in. “There are materials to hand.”
Gawan suddenly grinned, “And cousin, this is the best site we have seen so far.”
“Why is that cousin?”
Gawan pointed to the river. “Our ships can sail here and bring other materials from Wyddfa.”
I was pleased with Gawan. He was using his mind. “Indeed Lann Aelle, that means that we can use the Roman cement. This will be a formidable fort.”
Myrddyn pointed to a small ruin close to the river, “And unless I am mistaken, that is a Roman Bath. Who knows, you may have a fort to rival Carvetiorum?”
Later that same day, while the warriors all toiled to repair some of the walls, the last of our scouts rode in. “There are no Saxons to the south. We almost reached the Maeresea and we saw none.”
The other scout pointed south, “There are many farms and the people there are our people. They speak our language.” He nodded eagerly. “This is good and fertile land. The people are pleased that the lords of Rheged have returned.”
With a low wall completed around the damaged sections we slept easier. While we ate a frugal meal using the last of our rations we held a meeting. “Send two of your men to Wide Water to bring some food for us. Two more should go to Brother Oswald. We need Daffydd to sail here with some building materials and arrows. You may need to defend this land over the winter.”
“But the scouts have reported no Saxons.”
“Aethelfrith is not far away and we have not yet scotched that snake. Vigilance, Lann Aelle.” I looked at the map Myrddyn had. There were many gaps and blanks. A red line marked the Roman Road and a couple of red dots the villages we knew of but that was all. “Tomorrow I would go and see what lies close to here. I will take Tuanthal, Aedh, Lann Aelle and Prince Cadwallon. We will just need Aedh’s scouts. The rest can work under Gawan and Myrddyn. We can make the ditch a ditch once more and not a repository for rubbish. Perhaps my wizard and his apprentice can make this fort the strongest in Rheged.”
Gawan’s face showed that he was up for the challenge.
We donned armour when we rode. I was still smarting over the ambush which had cost Einar his life. The ten warriors we took were all heavily armed. Their role would be as escorts.
We headed south west, towards the coast. It was the least explored of all the land. We rode steadily, passing small farms and houses which were dotted about the land. The people hid when we rode by and I could not blame them. By noon we had travelled twenty miles or so and were ready for a break. In the near distance we saw the smoke rising from a small village. It lay on a low ridge. This was a large village. They had no stockade but they had a small river for water and the land overflowed with crops. I was a warrior but I could see the value of such land.
As with every village the people hid. I took off my helmet and dismounted. “I am Lord Lann, Warlord of Rheged.”
As soon as I spoke the people came out. An old headman, older even than me, came towards us. “Welcome, my lord, I am Osgar the headman of this village. We do not have much but would you break some bread with us. My wife has just made a batch.”
The rules of hospitality were quite clear; I had to take some or risk offending him. I nodded to Tuanthal; he would take care of the men and ensure that we were safe.
“This is my nephew and the lord of this land, Lann Aelle.” Lann Aelle nodded at him and the man narrowed his eyes. “This is Prince Cadwallon of Gwynedd.” The title impressed both him and his wife and they bowed as they led us into their hut. This was not a roundhouse but a long, oblong building. There was a fire but it was at one end and I noticed that there was an oven above it.
There were four rustic chairs made of larch. I wondered if they would take my weight; I was wearing armour. Hospitality dictated that I should sit. Osgar’s wife brought us a wooden platter with bread and homemade butter. Osgar gestured with his hand for us to eat. The bread was still warm and although the flour was coarsely milled it was delicious and reminded me how long it was since we had eaten.
Osgar said, “Lord Lann you said earlier, lord of this land. I did not know that there was such a lord.”
I was about to speak when Lann Aelle did it for me. “You are right headman. There was no lord but Prince Pasgen has returned to rule Rheged and we have defeated the Saxons in a battle far to the north. The Warlord defeated the Saxons at the old Roman fort at Deva and we now have men there. So I have been asked to guard this land.”
It was a well delivered speech and Osgar was impressed.”I hope you were not offended by my question. It is just that I remember when you left the last time Lord Lann. I was tempted to follow you to Mona but I stayed with my brothers. The Saxons killed them and for the next few years we had to pay tribute. Then we had a few years of peace, save for the Irish who raided us. Two years ago the raids and the tribute began again.”
Those events tied in with when we had been successful and defeated the Saxons. “We are back now and Lord Lann Aelle will be building a fort to the north of you. But tell me, why have you no stockade?”
He shook his head ruefully. “We had one but the Saxons took it as a sign of defiance and punished us. They destroyed each one we built. We cannot fight them.”
Lann Aelle’s face became angry. “That stops now!” I think he took Osgar aback. The headman had been deceived by my nephew’s youth. He did not know his inner strength as I did. “We will bring you weapons and teach your young men how to fight. How many men are there in this village?”
“Fighting men?”
I laughed, “You mean there are men who would not defend their homes because they were either too young or too old? My brothers and I fought the Saxons when we were children. All of your men can fight. It is how we stopped the Saxons. There is no difference between a farmer and a warrior.”
“I am sorry my lord. It is just that when you have never won it becomes harder to fight and easier to lie down or bow your back.”
“And that is my fault for I deserted you but I am back now. How many men?”
Thirty. Five are like me old, fifteen are boys or young men and the rest can fight.”
I stood, “Come Osgar. Let us speak with your men.”
We left the hut and I saw that a crowd had gathered around Tuanthal and his warriors. The boys and the young men were looking at their weapons and their horses and I could see the admiration on their faces. Aedh was not there and I knew that he would be scouting.
“I am the warlord of Rheged and I am here to ask the men of this town to help us to defend this land against the Saxons and the Irish.”
Most of them looked happy about that but one surly looking man spat and said, “Fight? With what? We don’t have fancy helmets and iron shirts like you do.”
His tone was insolent and I was tempted to smash him into silence with the back of my hand but I needed their compliance and I did not know how many of the others would side with him.
I pointed to the scouts. “These men do not have armour and all of these began fighting when they were,” I looked around and saw a boy no more than seven years old, I drew him to my side, “the same age as this boy.” I pointed at one, Miach, “How did you fight Miach when you were a boy?”
Miach stared at the insolent man. I knew he too wanted to hit him. “I used a sling and rode a
pony carrying messages. When I became older I learned to use a bow and became a scout. It is easier to fight than to let a Saxon walk all over you.”
I pointed at Prince Cadwallon. “This youth has fought and killed Saxons. If you wish it then it can be done. We will provide you with weapons and we will bring men to show you how to use your weapons.”
The insolent man was still not convinced although the other men all looked eager. “And where will you be? Miles away in safety I expect.”
Lann Aelle began to move forward, his hand on his sword. “Yes I will but you will have Lord Lann Aelle here and his fort is but two hours ride away to the north.”
“He is but a boy!”
Miach had had enough and he leapt towards the surly faced man and picked him up with one hand. The man was not small and I could see that he was shocked. “I have had enough of your insolence. You are not fit to kiss the ground these two lords walk upon. One more word from you and the Saxons will not need to kill you for I will.”
“Put him down Miach. The man obviously does not understand that he has a chance to make his village and his family safe.”
The man spat on the ground and shouted, “This is not my village and I will not stay here to be insulted by bandits.” He stormed off.
Miach said, “I am sorry my lord. I should not have lost my temper.”
Before I could say anything Osgar said, “He only arrived seven days ago. He was hungry and we fed him.”
I did not like that. I gestured Miach over. “Follow him but do not let him see you. I mistrust him. And , Miach, you did not do wrong. My men must speak for themselves. It is our way.”
He smiled, “I will find out where he goes.”
I turned back to the rest of them. “Will you fight?”
They all cheered and the insolent man, who was at the end of the village, turned to see what the noise was. I nodded to Lann Aelle. He clasped Osgar’s hand. “Would you command the men of this village for me?”
“I would be proud to.”
Chapter 13
We spent the next few hours giving basic instructions to the men of the village. We found that all the boys had slingshots and many of the men had bows. I would soon bring them swords and show them how to make shields. This was a good start.
Tuanthal drew me to one side. “We could begin to make a stockade. It would give them something to do and I noticed that they have already begun to cut their hedges and trees. Instead of making a fire with them they could make a wall.”
Lann Aelle agreed and we told Osgar of our plan. It soon transpired that their idea of a stockade was just a fence around the outside. It was no wonder it had been destroyed so easily. We showed them how to dig a ditch and use the earth to make a mound. With the larger branches placed equally on the top and the thinner ones between they soon had a defensible village.
“I do not wish to anger you, Warlord, but this will not stop them.”
“No because it is unfinished. We can do this in an afternoon but it will take many days to cut bigger trees and put them on the inside of this wall. By Yule you will have a sound fort and you can defend yourselves. Nature has given you this ridge and this water.”
Just then Aedh rode in. “Warlord, there are Hibernians. I found a village to the south of here. It has been destroyed sometime in the last seven days. The men were killed and the women and children taken as slaves; at least I assume they were. I found only dead men. Their trail led to the sea.”
Osgar was appalled. “They were good people!” he looked around in panic. “What can we do? We will be next.”
It was too far to the fort to be able to take the whole village and if we were caught on the road then we would all die. “Aedh, send a rider to the fort and ask for twenty men. We will hold them here until they arrive.”
The scout selected looked at me, “But Warlord we will not be able to get back before morning at the earliest.”
“I know. We will be here.” As he rode off I said, “Get the horses under cover. Osgar, get your men here and we will organise them.”
The headman hurried off, pleased to be able to do something to help prevent this catastrophe.
“Will they come today, uncle?”
“I do not know. If they took their captives back to their ship then they would have then been searching for another village. I hope not. If our men can reach us by tomorrow then we can find them and stop their raid.”
There was the sound of a horse and we all drew weapons. It was Miach. He threw himself from his horse. “That man I followed, we should have killed him. He is a spy. He went to a Hibernian war band just three miles away. He is one of them. They are heading here.”
I turned to Osgar. “Get the women and children to collect stones for the slingers. Make sure we have food and water to hand.” I saw the worried look on his face. “Do not worry. If wyrd brought us here in time to face these slavers then we were not mean to die. At least not all of us!”
When he had gone I said, “Miach, how many?”
“At least fifty and perhaps seventy. I saw them moving and it is just a guess. I am sorry.”
“Do not be sorry. You may have saved these people and this village.” My men did not need telling what to do. Aedh took four men and went to the west wall. Tuanthal took the other four and went to the east. There was no gate but there was an entranceway. “You two will be with me. Prince Cadwallon, stand behind me to the right. Lann Aelle, you will stand to the left. Osgar, spread your men out between mine and support us.”
I heard an, “Aye my lord,” but I did not turn.
I strung my bow. “The spy will have told them our numbers and who we are. They will rush here because they will hope we have gone and the village will be an easy target.” I looked at the sun. “We have plenty of time left for killing. Use your bows and take them out before they reach the ditch. Tuanthal’s men are brave but they have little armour and are not used to this type of fighting.”
As they strung their bows I made sure that my shield would slip around quickly and I slid the dagger I had sheathed on the shield in and out of its scabbard. It was a secret weapon which had stood me in good stead before now.
Aedh shouted. “They are here!”
The war band jogged up behind their leader. They were typically Hibernians. Only the leader had a mail shirt and it was only a short one. Most were bare chested, showing their tattoos and scars. I was glad that I saw no bows. Most of them had a helmet and all had either a sword or a spear. They outnumbered us by at least fifteen men and in terms of armed men they outnumbered us three to one.
I notched an arrow. They were a big target. In my prime I could have loosed an arrow more than four hundred paces but these days I was not too sure. I waited until they were three hundred paces from us and loosed one arrow and then two more in quick succession. My men all did the same. Over thirty arrows sped through the air. Some men were hit by more than one arrow but we still felled a number and they raised their shields. The next shower did less damage but they were moving slower now and they were not as confident as they had been.
It was now time for accuracy. We only had twenty arrows each. I saw the villagers loosing their arrows and the boys slinging stones but they were an uncoordinated force. They did make the Hibernians form a shield wall which was a good thing but they caused few casualties. They had to move more slowly. They took weapons and shields from the dead so that the forty five who advanced on us were all armed with a weapon a shield and a helmet.
The three of us were exposed and suddenly Prince Cadwallon yelled, “Slingers!”
I pulled my shield up just in time and felt the stone crack off the metal boss. I was wearing my helmet but the blow would have stunned me and disheartened my men. “Thank you squire. You are doing well.”
He looked nervous as he asked, “What if they rush us?”
“They will rush us and soon. When they do drop your bow and lock your shield behind mine. You have mail and a good shield while they
have no mail and piss poor shields. Your sword can break them. They will try to push us back. Show them you are stronger.”
“Yes, Warlord.”
“And now let us tell them who we are eh nephew?”
He grinned, “Yes Uncle.”
“I am Lord Lann Warlord of Rheged. Leave now and you may live. I have killed almost as many Irish as Saxons. Fear me for I am merciless.” I pointed Saxon Slayer at them and they halted. I had destroyed a whole village after they had raided my home. Every warrior had been slaughtered and it had kept us safe for many years. I hoped they would be intimidated.
The leader stepped forwards, “I am Brian son of Felan and I am not afraid of you. You killed my father but now you are alone and without your knights. I will kill you and eat your heart.”
Tuanthal’s arrow thudded into his shield and made him step back. I heard Tuanthal’s voice. “Fourteen warriors are more than enough to deal with a rabble like you.”
That enraged them and they hurled themselves at the three of us. I knew that Brian had not planned that for they came at us piecemeal. A bare chested, red headed warrior with a crude tattoo on his chest roared at me and thrust his sword at me. I deflected the sword with my shield and swung Saxon Slayer to decapitate him. The blood covered those following and the head bounced in front of those on the side. Because they had attacked us in the opening of the stockade they were funnelled into a small area and Aedh and Tuanthal were able to attack their flanks. The slingshots from the village boys also did more damage as they rained down on those at the rear.
Lann Aelle was dealing easily with the Hibernians. He was experienced and knew the weak spots of an enemy but the prince was under pressure from the men to his left. He was holding them but he was not killing them. In battle you needed to kill more of the enemy. I half turned, Lann Aelle could cope with the men he fought, and I swung Saxon Slayer sideways at the warrior fighting Prince Cadwallon. It bit into his neck and carried on. The man fighting me tried to take advantage and he lifted his sword to strike, as he thought, when I was unprepared. I punched my shield boss into his face and his nose erupted in a gory mess of blood, bone and gristle. As he slid to the ground I stabbed him with Saxon Slayer and stepped forwards.
