by Griff Hosker
Adair was brave enough to ask me a question. “How do you know they are in three columns my lord?”
“Good question. I do not know for certain but if it was one column they would have used the road alone for it is less muddy and if it was two columns then the other column would have been on the right for that is the Saxon side. I may be wrong but at least we now know what to look for.” By the time we had covered four hundred paces we could see that I was correct. There were, clearly, three columns and from the ground it was a large army.
Adair said, “Lord Lann, they have horses, there are droppings.”
“Well done Adair and now we have the tricky task of trailing them. We will return to the west and follow that column. If they spot us we have an easy ride back to the king but remember, if we are surprised you have to get back to the king to tell him. You return for no-one, not even me.” They looked shocked but they nodded. We re-crossed their tracks and I led them north. This time I did not need to tell them to be ready to loose; they were alert.
The Roman Road headed straight and true towards the bridge but I knew that there was a parallel, older trail which ran to the west. I led them up there and we made good time. The trail came out on the bluff overlooking the bridge. There we saw the Saxons. There had to be almost two thousand men and I saw that they had come prepared. There were ten horses, obviously for scouts, and a small contingent of archers. They had learned their lesson. They were camping in the old Roman fort and I hoped that they would not dig up the boxes that I still viewed as my unclaimed treasure.
“We have seen enough. Now we tell the king.”
We had to ride across country for a while until me met the road we had left some hours before. The column had made another fifteen miles and we met them as they were building a camp. Aelle was there already reporting to the king and Ywain. Raibeart arrived as I strode over to give my report.
“They are camped at the Roman fort.”
“That confirms what Aelle told me. He came across their scouts not far from the bridge. What we need to know are their numbers.”
“Two thousand with some horse and some archers.”
“Then we are outnumbered.”
“We defeated them before when we were outnumbered your majesty.”
“Then they had neither horses nor archers.”
“But there are few of them.”
He seemed distracted. “We will need King Morcant Bulc and his men.” I did not think we did but it was not my place to say. “I will send a rider to speak with him and ask for his help. It cannot be a despatch rider he would not know them. It must be someone he trusts.” He looked at me.
I shook my head, “Your majesty, if we meet the Saxons you will need all your leaders.”
Prince Ywain said, “He is right father. It should be some else.”
King Urien pondered and then said, “One of my bodyguard, Bladud!”
Raibeart looked as unhappy at that as I was but at least it took his unpleasant and hateful face away from us for a while. While the king went to tell Bladud, the four of us stood around the fire warming ourselves. “They will leave men at the bridge to protect their retreat and deny us a crossing.”
“I know. How can we get across without a battle?”
“We use a night attack. If we send warriors across the river then they can attack from the northern side while the army waits at the south.”
“If my archers waited on the southern bank they could support your attack.”
Ywain seemed relieved that someone, at least, had a plan. “How many men would you need?”
“They will not have left a large force and with Aelle’s archers and Raibeart’s men supporting across the bridge I would need twenty.”
Raibeart’s face fell. “Why you brother?”
I grinned, “It was my idea and I am the elder brother.”
By the time the king returned we had sorted out the fine detail. “Bladud will have to swim the river and then cross the road in the night. I asked the king to meet us at the Roman fort by the river where we camped, Chesters. It is on the Tyne some thirty miles north of here. If we could get ahead of the Saxons we could hold them there; if not then they could use the Roman Road and destroy Rheged. We would need to hold them there until King Morcant Bulc could reach us. The problem is how to get by the Saxons who control the road and the bridge.”
“Lord Lann has an idea.”
The king waved a hand for me to continue. “If I could slip across the river and surprise the guards he has left then we can get the army across the bridge by midmorning. If we split the army and send the two cavalry forces north they could hold the fort and then we could bring the bulk of the army by a forced march.”
Ywain looked dubious. “Forced march?”
“The Saxons will make camp at night. Tomorrow night we do not. We carry on marching north. You and the king will hold the fort. We will rest when we get there and hope that King Morcant Bulc has joined us.”
Although we debated for another hour there was no other plan. It seemed ridiculous to split the army but we had no choice; if we did not get ahead of the Saxons then we would have to chase them all the way back to our own lightly held capital and Chesters was the only place we had that we could defend. The king reluctantly agreed and I went to choose my men.
I led my twenty men before dawn and we hurried along the road to reach it by dawn. Raibeart and Aelle had their chosen slingers and archers while Gildas and the two princes brought the rest of the army and the wagons. Eight hundred paces from the bridge we halted and we descended to the river. It was but thirty paces wide for the snow had yet to melt. We found enough driftwood and dead logs to help us to float over the middle channel. In the end it was but six places where we had to rely on the wood. We scrambled ashore, chilled to the bone. I took out my secret weapon. I had brought a small skin filled with Rhydderch’s Fire and I gave each man a mouthful. For those who had never had it then the experience appeared to be magic. For Garth and my own warriors it was a reminder of home and all the more welcome for that. We moved cautiously as we watched the black sky turn grey as dawn approached. I halted the men as I heard the noise of the Saxons leaving the camp. I found a place close to the bank from which we could see both the bridge and the fort. The rest was welcome and I could feel the blood rushing back into my ice cold legs. When the thin sun finally rose I saw the guards walk down to the bridge. We moved towards the fort using the cover of the trees. The army had gone and they would just be watching the road south. The gates of the fort, as with mine at Castle Perilous, had been destroyed and the Saxons had just placed guards there. There were four gates and I sent Garth and three men around to the east gate. I took the north for that was the one from which they would send warning to their army that they had been found. The other four I left by the west gate. I would launch the attack and that would be the signal for the others. My brothers would take care of the bridge, of that I was quite certain.
I took out my bow and peered at the three guards who lounged at the north gate. A fourth was asleep. I pulled back my bow and as the arrow soared took out a second. My men raced forwards the moment I had loosed and they reached the sleeping man and the survivor before the two men hit by my arrows had bled to death. We had no idea how many men were within the fort and we raced along the main road in the fort looking for Saxons. When I met with my brothers and my own men in the middle I knew that we had succeeded.
“Strip the bodies of arms and throw the bodies in the river. If the Saxons return I do not want them to know what became of their men.” Garth and my men scurried off to do my bidding. I grinned at my brothers, “Come wolf brethren let me see if I can magic some treasure.” I led them to the places I had found the buried boxes. I picked up a discarded Saxon sword and began digging. Soon the first wooden box appeared and I ripped off the top to reveal arrows and bows. “If you dig, here, here and here you will find more.”
Soon their archers and slingers had uncovered si
x boxes. Some contained armour, badly rusted but serviceable, some strange metal devices with wickedly sharp points and some spears. While Garth, now returned from the disposal of the bodies, distributed it Raibeart asked, “How did you know?”
“When I used to go off hunting I was not really hunting. I was here finding this treasure. It is where I got the daggers, swords and nails and now we have it all.”
By the time Gildas brought the army over we were rested, dry and had better arms than before. I gathered the men around me. Gildas as always had deferred to me as had my brothers. This was, in the absence of the king, my army. “The King and Prince Ywain have gone north to the fort on the Tyne close to the old Roman wall. Between us and them is a Saxon army of two thousand men. The only chance we have of defeating them is to get to the fort before they do. That means marching all day and all night. I have promised the king that we can do it. Can we?”
The roar told me that we could and we set off at a steady pace. The two young princes brought up the rear, Gildas was in the middle and I walked with my brothers at the front. “The problem is the wagons Lann. “
“I know Raibeart, they are slow and they are noisy.”
“I was just wondering how they would fare once we left the road as we must if we are to overtake the Saxons.”
”We could use the ponies of the despatch riders.” We looked at quiet thoughtful Aelle and waited for him to elaborate, as we knew he would. “When we are close to the Saxons we empty the wagons and load the draught animals and the ponies and leave the wagons. Once we have lost the Saxons we can return to the road.”
And that was what we did. I rode ahead on Blackie to spy out the Saxon army. My brothers objected but, as I told them, I had the most experience of scouting and the best horse. They could not argue with either statement. As the afternoon drew towards night I rode hard. I saw, ahead, the glow in the distance which marked their camp. I left the road and entered the forest. I had to make sure they were camping and they were and I needed to find an alternate route north. I rode back a mile down the road and waited for the army. They were not long. The column halted and we began to unhitch the horses while Raibeart told the despatch riders that they would now be leading their ponies. I sent Aelle and Gildas and the bulk of the army through the forest to the west of the road. Aelle would ensure their silence and I would bring up the rear with Raibeart, the pack animals and my own warriors.
I was acutely aware, as we made our way along what was little more than a footpath, that it only took one inquisitive Saxon or one with a weak bladder to end our hopes of passing them without incident. I hoped that whoever had watched over me until now would continue to do so. The despatch riders excelled themselves. They knew their ponies well and they coaxed and guided them with the aplomb of a wizened old carter. My brothers had bows at the ready as did Garth and my men. When I saw the glow fade into the distance I knew that one part of this impossible task was over. I led the horses through the trees to the road some eight hundred paces distant. When I reached it I saw Gildas and the princes, relief exuding from their faces.
“Well done but now it is the hard part of this enterprise. We have another twenty miles to go before dawn and, unless I miss my guess, it is about to piss down with rain!”
I was indeed prophetic and the rain soaked through every item of clothing. What it was doing to the armour did not bear thinking about but we kept on going. I saw a warrior sat on a milestone at the side of the road. “What is the matter warrior?”
“I am sorry my lord but I cannot go any further.”
“Do you see these young lads, these despatch riders? Are they stopping or are they dragging themselves and their ponies. No. If you stay here then the Saxons will find you I the morning and they will gut you like a fish. “
“But sir I am tired. I cannot march another twenty miles.”
I nodded. “A fair point. Could you march another one hundred paces?” I added in a wheedling tone. “One hundred, that does not sound so bad does it?”
He struggled to his feet. “A hundred paces? I could do that.” And he did. I made sure that every time he stopped I was close by and I just inclined my head. He even started grinning. “Another hundred then is it?”
I rested the men after ten miles. They ate some dried meat and sipped some water although they were so wet that water was the last thing that they needed and then we went on. We were five miles from the fort, according to the milestones when dawn broke from the east. The rain did not stop but the sun gave the men hope and even my reluctant walker smiled at me and said. “Just a few miles to go now, my lord. We might actually make it!”
I had to keep chivvying the men at the back to keep up for I was not sure how fast the Saxon horde would move. I did not know what time they would have broken camp. If they caught us now then we were finished for no-one could fight yet. It was with some relief that we heard the hooves of Prince Ywain’s men as they rode to meet us. “Just two miles to go, and my father has ordered food to be made ready.
“These men need some sleep then food. Did your men get some rest?”
“Aye we arrived before the sun set. They are rested. If the Saxons come today we will have warning.”
I almost collapsed with relief. If my men could only get a few hours sleep then we stood a chance. Then it would just depend upon the capricious Morcant Bulc. If he came in time then we had a chance and if not then our friends would only find a pile of bleached bones.
The king insisted that we slept first before the princes and Gildas. He knew that we had had the fight and the earlier start the previous day. I felt like I had just put my head on the ground when I felt his arm rouse me. “It is noon and the Saxons are five miles distant.”
I jumped to my feet. “Has everyone had a rest?”
King Urien smiled. “Yes Lord Lann, even the princes and the despatch riders. Like you they only had a few hours sleep but with hot food inside them they are prepared. However now we must prepare our battle for I fear Morcant Bulc will not arrive before the Saxons.”
The fort had been built to withstand attacks from the north and the defences to the south were not as extensive. The king and I walked the frontage of the wall. There was a rudimentary ditch which had been gradually filled in. We would not have the time to deepen it. “We could fill it with these,” I held the strange pieces of metal we had recovered from the fort in my hand.
His face lit up. “These are caltrops and were used by the Romans. They are so made that, no mater which way they land there is always a point sticking up. They were used against cavalry but you are right they will hurt the Saxons and slow them down and that is what we need to do; slow them down to allow our allies to reach us.”
“I will get the men to cut down some of those trees to fashion stakes. It will delay them and allow our archers more time to thin them out before they reach me and my shield wall.”
The king looked to the left and the right. His horsemen would be at a disadvantage. They would have to charge up hill but at least their presence would deter a flanking attack. “I think we will use the same tactic we did on the wall. Place the archers and slingers on top and the shield wall before it.”
I looked at the wall he spoke of. It was barely as tall as my leg to the knee but it would allow them to fight over our heads and the wall would prevent us being pushed back. I also reflected that it would cut off our retreat. I knew, however that retreat was not an option we would stand and fight and either win or die.
“Garth, organise some of the axe men to cut down some trees and make them into stakes I will show you where to place them. Lord Gildas sow those strange metal devices we found in the ditch.”
He looked puzzled, “I thought they were badly made nails.”
“No the king says they are called caltrops and designed that way.”
While they went off I sought Aelle and Raibeart. “We will fight as we did on the wall again. Aelle put your boys on the flanks of Raibeart’s men and you can all st
and on the stump of the wall. It will give you a clear line of sight over my men.”
“When do we loose? As soon as we see them?”
“No, we are putting traps in the ditch. If you can send three flights before they reach it then we may sow confusion. I am placing stakes after the ditch to slow them down then. By that time you will be choosing your targets.”
“Come brother let us pace out the distances and put markers where we want to hit.” I noticed the ever reliable Garth organising the men to drive in the stakes just behind the ditch. There were not enough of them but they would break up the Saxon line and that would, inevitably, help.
I strode back to the camp to don my armour and my helmet. The enemy were not in sight but when they came I would not have any time and I suspected I would be wearing it for the foreseeable future. Aideen had told me she could sew and so it proved. She had made me a padded undergarment to wear beneath my armour and it stopped the chafing I had suffered. She also made a small cap out of the same goose down filled cloth and I wore that beneath my helmet. I had not been idle on the winter nights, after we had satisfied each other; I had made leather coverings for the back of my hands. I had studded them with nails. I had witnessed warriors losing fingers as a blade had slid along the sword guard. No fingers on a battle field meant death. The palms were uncovered but they were protected any way. I had tried them out and I could even loose an arrow wearing them. Finally I donned my wolf cloak over my helmet and my armour. I was as protected as I was going to be.
I drew my sword and my daggers and went to the grindstone where I sharpened all three blades. The other men stood in awe, watching the sparks fly from the sword know as Saxon Slayer. It was hard to believe that this shepherd boy of five years hence was now a champion with a reputation.
I heard the thunder of hooves and hurried to our lines. Other warriors had raced there too and it was with some relief that we saw it was Ywain and his men. There was one empty saddle. “They are a mile down the road. They attacked us with their scouts and archers. We lost one but they lost ten.”