by Sam Taw
Kewri drew level with my horse, looking to me for direction. Below us, at the sides of the river, all our bowmen and woman lined up together and took aim. The warriors at the northern fringes bore spears and shields. Our mounted fighters brought up the rear.
Tallack stood on the sand bank closest to the ship. “Surrender, Greum, and I will make your journey to Cernonnus quick and painless.” He shouted so that all may hear. After a few moments, he grew impatient. “If you drag this out until we reach a bitter and bloody conclusion, I will flay your sister and have your father’s eyes plucked out by the gulls at low tide.”
Still the Novantae men stayed beneath safe cover. Were they hoping that they could out wait us and let the tide carry them back out to sea? We had them surrounded. Daylight peeped over the headland. They could not hold out much longer.
Ealar stood up from behind the port side and fired a single shot directly at Tallack, before flattening himself against the hull. A defiant act of one who had never seen battle. Greum must have known that their prospects were grim, even if his little brother still had hope. Everyone watched Tallack step to his left by one pace to avoid the arrow.
“I haven’t got all day, boys.” Tallack yelled. “I have to get back to see to your little sister. By all accounts, she’s quite the ride, or so my men tell me.”
Ealar bobbed up once again, fuming and indignant, but his wiser brother tugged him down by his arms. One of our bowmen took his chance and sent a bolt into the ship. It skimmed the port side and embedded in Ealar’s chest. The deep grunt and wheeze told us that it found its mark. Wood creaked, boots scraped frantically as Greum cried out and scrambled to catch his kin.
“We’ll take you down one at a time if we have to.” Tallack yawned, inspecting his fingernails.
A moment later, a howl that tore at my heart rent the dawn in two. Ealar was dead. Was our Chief going to wipe out this whole tribe for the sin of betraying us?
One of Tallack’s warriors shouted to him. “We should burn them. Set the ship ablaze. One flaming arrow to the sail, a few more to the men.” His growl challenged Tallack’s leadership. The men were beginning to think him weak. I knew why he delayed. It was a swift and sturdy vessel. Not quite the beauty of his own foreign ship but worthy nonetheless. A prize for any fleet. Tallack needed to replace those boats he lost. It was a decision of which old Aebba would have approved, but then he had already earned his reputation as the Wild One.
Tallack was practically untested. If it came down to a single fight between Greum and Tallack, as it had done with the leader of the Duros, I was not sure my nephew would win. I’d seen Greum in action before. He was a grisly and tough warrior, with many summers of experience more than Tallack. Mystical sword or not, I could imagine us losing our Chieftain, just at a time when Blydh was unable to take over. It was a tense moment. Our men grew restless, smacking their spears and axes against their shields in a rhythmic beat for an answer.
What would our untried Metern decide?
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
The longer the warriors clattered their weapons against shields, the more flustered Tallack became. Would he choose to massacre all those aboard the ship in a gory blaze, or call out Greum to face him in single combat? Our men were spoiling for a fight. They’d tasted victory over the Duros and were desperate for more, particularly when we outnumbered those remaining Novantae. I was proud of what our tribe had achieved, especially our women folk, standing tall with courage and determination. Would they still be keen on killing the boys of Skotek mothers even when they had no hope of winning?
Our men kept up the noisy racket, demanding retribution. The women held firm with their arrows nocked and well-aimed, but stayed silent and poised. Would compassion win out over a display of strength? Tallack stole a glance towards me. I was too far away to whisper my opinion. This was his decision to make alone.
Digging the Sword of Cernonnus into the wet sand, he rested both his hands on the hilt. “Burn them down, boys.” He yelled. The men cheered. The women looked at one another and then back at the boat. I knew what they were feeling. A surge of shame. Those men carrying torches, walked along the row of bowmen and women, lighting their bolts.
“They can have a floating pyre.” Tallack smirked to his trusted crewmen. I wondered if he would have made the same choice if Renowden had been at his side. At a time when he could have shown mercy, my nephew chose malice. Faolan’s wife would suffer the loss of her entire family, at the hands of their former guests.
On my nephew’s command, all the arrows were set loose at the exact same time. Those fired by the women, were aimed at the Novantae men, giving them a swift ride to the Summerlands. Our men aimed high, catching the bundled fabric of the sails and storage lockers in the stern. A few of the Novantae scuttled about stamping on flames and plucking out the arrows, but there were too many to extinguish. The fire caught hold fast, spreading from dead men to rope, from beards to hair until all we could hear were their screams. Flesh singed, fat melted, eyes exploded before their spirits could leave their bodies. It was a cruel way to send them to their forefathers.
Black smoke billowed across the estuary. Burning embers danced across the water and settled on the mud flats. Our warriors and shield maidens retreated from the rising tide and climbed up to the river banks. There we stood, until the last cries of terror were silenced. I should have been glad. Our enemies were defeated. The danger was over.
As I stared out at the charred remains of my cherished friends, a tear escaped from my eyes. It couldn’t be stopped. I tugged on my pony’s reins and cantered along the coastal track before my nephew could see me. He would want me to be proud of his achievements, but my heart was as blackened as Faolan’s ship. If this was how he treated cornered enemies, what had he planned for Faolan and Sorcha?
There was also Tallack’s half-brother to consider. He too was bound and gagged and under guard. Keen to fill my mind with purposeful work, I hurried back to camp to check up on Blydh. I had no time for feasting and singing in the Long Hut to fuel our warriors’ blood lust.
What hurt the most, was that it was my twist on Tallack’s original plan that had resulted in so much death, but I knew that if we hadn’t prevailed, I would most likely have been killed alongside my family. As distasteful as it was to me, it was a necessary course of action that could not be avoided.
When Kewri and I got back to the compound, Treeve was taking his turn to guard the prisoners. How could Tallack trust him after all I had told him? He was in full view of all the warriors returning from the estuary, so I didn’t make a fuss. It was up to our Metern how he chose to deal with him. I let Kewri take the ponies to the pen, while I carried a few logs inside my hut for the fire.
Cryda was at Blydh’s side, much as we’d left her during the night.
“How is his fever?” I asked her. It was important that we reconciled. She was the twin’s mother. She had to know that I had justifiable reasons for keeping Brea’s duplicity a secret. At least she had a peaceful winter, thinking that her husband’s murder was avenged.
“No better.” She snapped at me. I thought about her predicament for a time. She hated both of Aebba’s other wives. I couldn’t imagine that Cryda was annoyed at me for pointing the finger of blame towards the wrong one. Her animosity could have only been the result of Aebba’s final resting place. She had begun elaborate arrangements to have the rest of his bones interred on a tor on the moors. It was to have a massive quoit erected above to demarcate the boundary between our land and that of the Durotriges. Cryda had already waited for almost a full cycle to lay him to rest. I could understand her not wanting any further delay.
Every joint in my body cried out for rest. My mind spun with weariness, yet I knew that I had to crush more holly leaves and brew another broth for Blydh’s fever. I dragged myself over to the bunk and touched my hand to his forehead. For all her moaning, Blydh did not seem to be quite so bad. There was still hope that my medications would work.
Kewri came in and fell onto his new bed, rolling into the furs. I envied him. Sleep was something I wanted more than food, more than ale, more than anything. As soon as I had chopped the leaves, I scooped them up with the knife and tipped them into a cup.
“Can you boil some water and pour it to half full over the holly? I have to sleep.” I asked her.
“I’ve been awake all night too, you know, and I have a young baby to tend to as well.” I’d forgotten about this side of her, the spoiled privileged daughter of a Chieftain, and former Ruvane. I was too tired to argue with her. Putting the cup on the bed before her, I turned around and fell onto my own bunk fully clothed.
That was all I remembered. I must have fell from consciousness the moment I lay my head down. When I awoke, it was to the sound of chopping wood and men shouting in the compound. From the position of the sun, I judged it to be midday or thereabouts. Kewri was up and seeing to the goats, Cryda was asleep at the side of her son, who still made no sound nor movement. His skin was cooler, but his scalp was angry with vile humours and pus. I managed to clean him up without waking Cryda and then left the hut before she could tear into me again.
A different guard was watching over the prisoner shelter. I wondered if anyone had been inside to inform the occupants about their kin. Tallack was wandering about the Long Hut in just his leggings when I walked inside. There were people all over the place. Some were bunked down on the rushes, wrapped in their furs and cradling their young tightly in their arms. Others surrounded Tallack near to the top table.
He displayed his battle-axes and the mystical sword for his warriors and crewmen to envy. “See how the bronze is notched from hitting the blades of others. Both will need to be washed to remove the Duros woad and blood, and straightened out before my brother and I can use them again, but then I probably won’t need mine. It bears no comparison to my Sword of Cernonnus. I gave it quite the battering, severing the heads of so many Duros at our gates, yet look how unmarked it is…” He lifted it for the men to see. Tallack had cleaned off the stains, buffing the silvery metal to a sheen. “I think I will have the axes mounted over the tall chairs on the wall here. What do you all say? They would be a fine tribute to the gods when our time came.”
Tallack almost choked on his own words. None of us knew whether Blydh would pull round from his current state. His careless mutterings made him realise that those tributes to the gods, might be needed sooner than everyone thought.
More stew and bread were brought in by Tallack’s slaves through the back door. The rich smells and meat juices woke many of the overnight guests. All within camp were ravenous, except for me. I couldn’t face eating a thing. There were more unpleasant tasks to address, and the quicker they were sorted out the better.
I was pleased to see that repairs to the south gates were underway. It proved that our people were resilient under duress. As much as I wanted to relax and put the whole episode behind us, there was still the question of how to deal with our prisoners. Kerensa’s death also gnawed at my mind and irritated me beyond belief.
I looked in every corner and under every bench and table in the Long Hut, but Treeve was not there. Tallack was too busy bragging to his men to think of the loose ends that could unravel at any moment. Ducking back outside, I hovered close to the hostage tent. My nephew Paega, was bound alongside the Novantae.
He was a pitiful thing, but still my kin and the brother to Derwa. She too was nowhere to be found. Neither she nor her husband had played any part in the battle with the Duros or the ambushes at the Exe Estuary. She was equally as vocal as her mother had been, and yet she chose now to be silent. Something did not feel right. Her behaviour at any other time was loud and commanding. She was descended from a long line of priests, who by their very nature craved attention and respect. When it was not bestowed freely, they were prone to achieve their aims with staged performances, claiming that they had the ear of the gods.
There had to be an explanation for her absence, and I was determined to uncover what it was. Still aching from the previous days of exertion, I rushed towards the hut she and Glaw had taken over as their own. Calling out, I pushed through the door skins but found no one at home. A quick spin around, told me that none of her possessions were laid out like they usually were, trinkets from Tallack’s travels, jewels from her father, furs from the bunk. The place was almost bare.
I couldn’t believe that she would leave without pleading to Tallack to spare her brother’s life. They may not have been close as children, but he was her true blood after all. A thought struck me then. What if she had no intention of pleading for Paega’s life? What if she was planning on securing his freedom another way?
Retracing my steps, I returned to the shelter and cleared the guard aside. “Have you checked that all is well in there of late?” I asked the man, who in turn shrugged. Scoffing at his incompetence, I bobbed through the entrance and saw Faolan, who was beaten with his head lolling on his chest, and Sorcha, who looked equally abused. Where was Paega? I called out to the guard, who poked his spear through first and then his head.
“You have let one escape you kyjyan fool! Run and tell the Chief!” He did as I commanded, but after he’d gone, I wondered if Paega’s escape was during this man’s watch or Treeve’s. One may be incompetent, but Treeve I would not trust as far as I could throw him. I took a moment to think about where Derwa might have led him, which was long enough for Sorcha to notice my presence.
“Why would you do this to us? What did we ever do to you?” She croaked up at me. It was obvious that she had no memory of how I addled her mind with resin and ale to extract Faolan’s devious plan. More to the point, she was unaware of her brothers’ deaths. I couldn’t face being the one to put her in the picture. Call me a coward, but it was Tallack’s place to decide her fate. It didn’t make me feel any less shame for my part in the whole affair.
Outside the tent, the warriors were mobilising a search party. They couldn’t have got far, even if they were on horseback. That notion gave me an idea. Derwa was always fond of horses. Her particular favourite was the pale tan pony belonging to Tallack. I couldn’t see her leaving without taking it with her, at least to carry their belongings. Hurrying to the horse pen, there was my beautiful stag among the ponies, looking quite content with his lot. The antlers were already showing signs of growth. I wished that I could stop them altogether, for the longer they protruded, the closer he came to sacrifice at the hands of my nephew.
Inside the enclosure, I scanned all the horses that I could see. There was my old pony, ever the faithful. He trotted over and nudged me for a handful of grain but I had none to give. Behind him stood the bay mare. She was still in the pen with all the others. In fact, I couldn’t see that any of our usual horses were missing. If Derwa and Glaw were on foot, they would still be close by. Perhaps they were within the forest to the north. I grabbed my pony’s rein and led him outside the gate. It wouldn’t take long to grab a few things and go out and look for her.
By the time I had walked him up to my hut, I heard such a commotion on the eastern side of the island. The noises came from the wooded area, close to where I’d spotted Treeve disposing of Kerensa’s body. The men had already located them. They hadn’t even made it beyond our walls. I closed my eyes in despair. It was understandable that Derwa would want to see her brother free, but to defy the Chief in doing so was crazy. He would have to make her punishment an example to all, or risk losing his fearsome reputation.
When I opened my eyes again, Tallack’s men were prodding Derwa and Glaw with the tips of their spears, forcing them into the Long Hut to hear the sentence for their crimes. Paega was bound at the ankles and wrists, laying on the sodden grass. The warriors slid a pole through his bindings and carried him like a dead animal ready for skinning.
More than anything I wanted to turn and flee. There was nothing so stomach wrenching as seeing your kin turn on each other. Leaving my horse tied to the goat pen, I ambled over to hear their fate
. Tallack would have to pronounce guilt there and then, to show the men his leadership qualities.
The crowds parted inside, allowing the warriors to carry the trussed up Paega right to the end. They dropped him on his back in front of Tallack, on the table where I normally sat. Someone had shoved a ball of grass into his mouth to quieten his cries. Derwa hissed at the men prodding her forwards. Her husband dawdled, as though he was untouchable, and to a certain extent, he was.
We couldn’t afford to anger the whole of the Ordoviches by killing their heir. Especially after we’d spent so much time securing a truce. One thing that was still in our favour, was the discovery of copper on our land. We no longer needed the Ordo supplies to keep us in bronze weapons and trade goods. We were wholly self-sufficient.
Tallack balanced his sword across his lap. He couldn’t tear his gaze from the thing. Now that he had tasted victory, he begun to believe that he was more than favoured by Cernonnus. That was a dangerous state for us all. His complacence had filtered down to his men, who were reluctant to perform their duties, favouring drinking and telling stories in their stead.
“Tut, tut, tut.” Tallack shook his head at his sister. “It’s come to this, has it? Of all the people in this land, Derwa, I thought that you and I would remain steadfast.” In this respect, I agreed with him. He’d been nothing but loyal to the girl, making sure that she always had what she needed and caring for her when she was sick during the winter. He had been attentive and loving, even if he spent little time listening to her childish prattle.
“What did you expect? You think I was going to leave my sole surviving kin for you to carve up honouring Cernonnus. You have plenty of Novantae scum for sacrifice. You shan’t have Paega.”
“Dear little sister. We’ll do as we wish with Paega. His life was forfeit the moment he sided with our enemies.” Tallack shouted across to his men. “Build him a cage. If he wants to act like an animal, we’ll treat him like one, until Blydh is well enough to take his life from him in whichever way he sees fit.” The warriors lifted the ends of the poles and carried the moaning beast from the hut.