by Griff Hosker
“It is not as refreshing as beer but the taste is warming.”
Brother Osric nodded enthusiastically. “Yes it is a winter drink, especially on a cold day like this. Now your report was interesting but there were many things you left unsaid.” His eyes felt as though they were boring into your mind, “Things to do with the king.”
I started. Was he a witch? Could he read my mind? “I wanted to give you what actually happened at Din Guardi, Brother Osric, and not my opinion.”
“Your opinion is valuable to me. Some men’s opinion I disregard but you are an honest warrior and, more importantly, you are intelligent. That is a rare combination. You may tell me all and I will assess the importance of your words and your opinion.”
I told him everything, including his attempt to subvert me to his side. “Interesting. Were you not tempted? From what you say you would have been rewarded with titles as well as treasure.”
“I gave my word to the king and,” I felt uncomfortable saying this, “I like King Urien and believe he is an honourable man. For me he is the only chance this land has of freedom from Saxon rule. King Morcant wants, I think, power for him alone and thinks nothing of his people. He was not concerned with the raids on his farmers for he was safe in his stronghold. I do not think Urien would hide away if his people were suffering.”
“You may be right, although kings sometimes have to act in ways which make the people suffer, for the good of the land.” He looked at me shrewdly, like a thrush assessing how to get into a snail shell.
“You mean like leaving my home to be attacked because it was too far away to be helped?”
“I knew you were clever. I mean exactly that.”
I nodded. “He could have done little save garrisoning our hill fort and my father and the others would have resented that. I think my home was destroyed because we did nothing to help ourselves. That will not happen to me.”
“Well I have enjoyed our little talk. The king took the army out on a march to prepare them for the coming campaign. They will return tonight.” He looked out of the window. “Probably within the next hour.”
I had no idea how he estimated time. I knew that the priests used candles and hourglasses to measure time but I did not understand it. He was like a magician who had knowledge hidden from us.
My brothers and Ywain were pleased to see me. Even as their men were making their weary way back to the barracks they asked question after question. I felt as though I was being attacked by arrows not words. Later, when my brothers and I took a walk by the river I told them all that I had told Brother Osric. They both insisted upon seeing the wound in my back. “I was grateful for the extra protection of the wolf skin and I am glad that we have a spare. Make sure you both wear it over your mail for it will help to protect you. And how are the slingers and the archers coming along?”
“Much better. We have more recruits now and with sixty archers and thirty slingers; we are now a force to be reckoned with.”
“I do not understand why the bow is not used more. Perhaps warriors just want the easy route of the sword.”
“Is it easy brother?” Aelle rarely used his sword.
“I find it so. It just seems to come naturally.”
“Could I learn?” Although he was older than Raibeart something had happened when he was young to take all the confidence from him. Monca had never told us about just what the father of Aelle had done to them both but whatever it was, it had damaged Aelle. Perhaps she had confided in my parents; we would never know.”
“Of course and we will teach you.”
The king sent for me the next day and I met him in Brother Osric’s office. As there were just two seats I stood. It was obvious to me that he had been briefed by Brother Osric but what he had told him I did not know. “Did you see many Saxons, Lann?”
“Yes, but only on the island. The problem the king has is that come the spring and more clement weather they can raid all up and down the coast and the king…” I hesitated, unsure if I ought to carry on.
“Go on. I must have honesty from my men.”
I bridled a little; I had always been honest with him. “The king seems happy to stay in his stronghold which overlooks his enemies. He can stop raids which are close to the castle but they ran raid as far south as the Dunum. Once they learn that they can sail up that river then our lands will be in danger.”
“Thank you. That is a worrying thought. Now, and tell me true, can we beat them?”
I smiled, “Easily. They have neither archers nor horsemen and even on their island they are vulnerable. We raided and destroyed half of their ships with but thirty men. With an army we could defeat them completely.”
“Who is their leader?”
“He is a king called Ida. The king told me that one of the Kings of the Saxons was called Ida but I am not sure if it is the same man.”
“I am pleased that you are back; the men have missed their wolf warrior with the Saxon Slayer.” He held up maps which I knew Brother Osric had been making for him. “We have begun to march the men to prepare them for a long campaign. Brother Osric told me the Romans used it as a way to toughen their men up. We will take them out again tomorrow and march to the coast and back. You say that you managed to travel across from King Morcant’s land in two days?”
“Riding a horse, yes.”
“Then we should be able to do it in three. I will send north for King Rhydderch and his army. They are stout warriors but they had neither horse nor archers. I suspect you and your archers will be in action more than the rest of the army.”
“My brother has told me that they are trained well and have responded to their new weapons. They will not let you down.”
“Good but remember, soon I want you to take over half of the men at arms with Ywain. It is blade to blade which will win us this war.”
I did not take Blackie the next day. There was little point other than to make me stand out from my men and I chose to march alongside them. I did however wear my new helmet. I picked it up from Aed as soon as he began work. He was proud of his handiwork and I was ecstatic. The new golden metal gleamed like gold. I knew that it was not, it was a mix of bronze silver and iron but it made the helmet look magnificent. The enlarged eye pieces had been lined with the same metal and the face mask now looked like a face complete with teeth and a grim grin. “You have excelled yourself Aed. Was there enough metal left to make it worth your while?”
“Aye. I have used it on the new sword for the king.” He showed me the king’s new blade and the golden metal ran down the middle. “It is easier to engrave and the king would have words written on it.” He looked to the heavens. “Brother Osric will have to write them and I will copy them for I can neither read nor write. It is you sword which made him order one. He says that two such swords will drive the wolves from our land.”
I put the helmet on and was delighted with the vision I had. The first time I had worn it I felt as though I could only see ahead; now I had good vision all around but I had better protection. When I approached my men I laughed behind my mask as I saw their jaws drop. My wolf cloak marked me as Lann but the mask made me something else. I removed it and the king and his men rode up. “A fine helmet; a trophy from the east perhaps?”
“Yes your majesty although it nearly cost me my life.”
We marched along the old Roman Road with the wall and the river to our right. To reach the sea we would have to march more than twelve miles and the same distance back. If nothing else it would make the men fitter. My brothers and I had the advantage of caligae soles on our boots and the marching was easy. Some of the older men struggled with poor footwear. I regretted not bringing more of the precious footwear from the fort.
We were half way there when the king halted the column and summoned his officers. I left Raibeart in command and hurried to his side. “The scouts have reported an Irish fleet in the estuary. It looks as though they have planned a raid. They are not expecting us. They think we will be s
afe in our stronghold.” He threw me a knowing look. “I intend to use the Roman wall as our bastion and ambush them. We will let them land. I will take my bodyguard east towards the gate a mile down the wall. The rest will remain here under the command of Ywain my son. As soon as they land our swords and spears will form before the wall and the archers and slingers on the wall.” I could see that he intended to use the same strategy which had worked against the Saxons. I thought it might well succeed against Hibernians who had not met it before. “We will then charge them from the flank and the only place they will have left to go will be into the river or the sea.”
As he rode away I sent Aelle and his slingers to crawl on top of the wall and act as lookouts. Ywain and Gildas organised their men into ranks. We had devised a strategy which used the spearmen with shields in the front rank; those without shields in the second and the sword and axe men in the third. They stood behind the wall waiting for the command to take up their positions. Aelle slithered down. “They are almost ashore.”
“Position your slingers in front of the spearmen and assault the m as they advance. Then retreat to the flanks.”
I nodded to Ywain. He roared, “Men of Rheged take your positions.”
The two hundred men quickly climbed the wall and descended on the other side. I could hear the ping of stones as Aelle and his boys set to work and I was gratified to hear an occasional scream. “Archers to the wall!”
Out men quickly took up their positions. Once at the top I was daunted by the number of ships. There were twenty and each one looked as though it held thirty to forty men. We were outnumbered but they were not organised and all that they saw was the small number of spears and bows close to the wall. “Pull!” Each man now knew what to do and the bows came up as one. “Loose! Pull! Loos! Pull! Loose!” After three flights I looked at the Irish. They had been caught unawares. Many were killed as they struggled up the muddy bank while others had yet to don helmets or bring their shields around. The slingers were also causing much damage and the attack stalled. I wondered if the ships which had yet to disembark would turn and run but their leader was made of sterner stuff. I heard orders barked out and those on the river bank formed a shield wall. It would stop casualties from a mass of arrows but my men could now aim.
“Archers! Kill them and show them how well my brother Raibeart has trained you!” I saw Raibeart look around in gratitude and the archers began to pick their targets. I saw the surprise on faces as arrows found the narrow gap between shield and helmet. Soon there was no gap but my men began to aim at the Hibernian’s thighs. The range was only forty paces and the arrows did terrible damage. Finally their leader had had enough of taking punishment and, as he now had over three hundred men ashore he launched a wild attack. As soon as he did so my archers had easier targets but that meant they ran out of arrows quickly. I looked down at my empty quiver. “Raibeart, take charge of the archers. I will join Prince Ywain.” He nodded and I saws that he still had six arrows. Either he had brought more or he had been more careful than I had. I joined the left hand side of the front rank. It was the most vulnerable part of the line and I knew that while Ywain was on the right it was Gildas on the left and he was the less experienced of the three of us.
My archers still had spare arrows and they were slowing down the enemy. It would soon end. The screaming, snarling faces of the Irish were desperate to get to grips with the fleas and gnats that had irritated them and caused so many casualties. I drew my sword and I felt the line bristle as the men realised that the mystical sword was going into action. I watched as Aelle and his slingers fled to the security of the wall just behind us. They had plenty of stones and they would continue to hurl them at the enemy even when the archers ran out of arrows.
There was a clash and roar as the Irish hit our line. The spears might have shattered and broken but they caused many casualties amongst the brave warriors in the van of the Irish attack. I had no spear but I took the swinging axe from the tall warrior on my boss and twisted the shield so that the blade ended embedded in the mud. I brought the sword overhand and stabbed downwards between the shield and the helmet. When he tried to bring his shield upwards he just succeeded in directing the sword into his own throat and he gurgled his life blood away. The press of men was so great that it was a pushing match. We had the advantage that we had a wall behind us and still had men with spears who could jab and stab above the front line. The disadvantage was that when the men with the shields in the front rank fell then the warriors who replaced them were shield less. Their leader was in the middle and he was a powerful warrior. Soon he began to drive in like a wedge, threatening to split our forces in two. “Aelle! Take out the leader!”
Suddenly stones and lead balls began to thunder and crash around the leader and the warriors closest to him. Most did no damage but at least five struck the warriors who were near to him and our line stabilised. I could see that the Irish were concentrating on the middle and I yelled again. “Raibeart, bring the archers to me!” They might have no more arrows but all had a sword and half had a shield. If we could pressure the enemy’s right flank then the King and his horsemen might have a chance. I could not use my sword’s blade but I could use the pommel and the guard. I was able to punch the warriors in the face. The ornate pommel had sharp edges and I blinded two warriors. They would not use the same technique on me for I had the face mask. When the pressure dropped on my left arm I punched hard with the shield and had the satisfaction of punching over a warrior. As I stamped on his nose I slid my sword in his throat and, for the first time we moved forwards. “Gildas! Get to my right.”
Gildas was a good swordsman but a little slight. He could stab while I pushed. I felt a shield at my back and then Raibeart stepped next to me. He grinned at me and I grinned back before I realised he could see naught but the mask. When I heard the ghostly wailing of the standard I yelled. “Now push. Let us drive them back into the sea.”
I was determined to make my way to the leader of the Irish warband. If he died then the rest would lose heart. They still outnumbered us but I hoped that the attack on their flanks might make them return to their ships. The warrior before me was fighting a spearman on my right and I had no compunction in sinking my sword through him. I pushed so hard that the blade stabbed the man next to him and Gildas killed the man to their right. Suddenly there was a hole in their line and we had our own wedge, informal though it might have been. Raibeart pushed hard on my left as I punched hard at the warrior before me. I could hear stones crashing into the helmets and faces of the men before me and they held their shields up to defend themselves. They left themselves vulnerable and the shorter swords of the archers stabbed upwards ripping savage wounds in the Irish warrior’s bodies.
The Irish leader, wielding a double handed sword had managed to clear enough space to swing it around him and he was causing carnage amongst the spearmen. He was encased in mail, including his head, and Aelle’s slingshots were having little effect. The warrior to his right, a bodyguard turned to face me. I struck down with my sword; the blow was so hard it shattered his sword in two and continued to slice downwards from his neck, piercing mail and skin to lay him open like a butchered deer. He still had a surprised look as he fell dead at my feet. The huge sword was still keeping all at bay. I held my shield above my head and dived to hack at the knee of the leader. Although he had mail it could not withstand Saxon Slayer and I felt it bite into bone. He roared with anger and tried to smash his sword down upon my head. I lifted my shield higher and I was almost driven into the ground by the force but the double layers of leather and the iron held the blade fast and my sword came up under his arm to emerge in his neck. The spurting blood showered us all but a collective wail form the enemy went up as the huge warrior fell. His few remaining bodyguards gathered about the body, to become fodder for the angry spearmen and swordsmen while those at the rear fled through the red waters of the river to reach the safety of their ships. The horsemen of the king drove the last remnan
ts into the water where they were slaughtered before they could escape. All but two ships escaped but they had a skeleton crew on board. It would be many years before they risked a slave raid on Rheged’s coast.
The aftermath of any battle is never pleasant and this one was no exception. The Irish, regardless of their wounds were killed while those of our own too badly injured to be healed were given a merciful death by their comrades. We all had some skills with wounds and those with cuts and lighter wounds were dressed and bandaged. A fire was started to cauterize the deeper wounds and the king sent his bodyguard back to the city for wagons. I went over to Ywain. “It would be quicker to use those two Irish boats and row back to the fortress. It will save time.”
“I will get men aboard them.”
I took off my helmet. It had, undoubtedly, saved me from serious injury but it was hot wearing it in battle. Aelle and Raibeart joined me and we embraced. Every battle was your own personal battle and you saw only those men who fell around you. I was always grateful to see their smiling faces. “Thank you, brother. Your boys did well. I could hear the missiles striking them.”
Aelle’s face became serious. “We need more metal shot. They are more accurate and they cause better wounds.”
I gestured at the battle field. “Get your boys to gather up as much metal as they can before it is taken as booty.” As he left I said, “We had better collect any undamaged arrows.”
Raibeart looked at the scene of devastation and carnage. “I think there will be precious few of those.”
“You are right. We need to carry a spare quiver for all the men on horses. We will use our four horses to do so. It almost cost us dear when we ran out.”
When he had gone to organise the men I walked to the river to wash my face. The water was a muddy red colour but I was beyond caring. I needed cooling down. When I stood Ywain and Gildas were next to me. “That was well done Lann. I was terrified of having to face that huge warrior. Were you not afraid?”