WHITEBLADE

by H A CULLEY

  ‘How many men will he have in Bebbanburg and the surrounding area?’

  ‘No more than fifty in the fortress and perhaps another two hundred within a day’s ride.’

  ‘Very well. We’ll plunder the area for two days. If he hasn’t come out to fight by then, we leave and sail home,’ Fiachnae decided.

  ‘But Grandfather,’ Congal started to object.

  ‘Quiet, boy. I’ve made my decision. You shame me by querying it.’

  Congal looked mutinous and glared at Oswald, but he held his tongue.

  Raiding around the local area produced some worthwhile plunder and a few slaves. Oswald hated doing this to his own people, but agreed to give up his share of what they had looted in Northumbria in return for the release of the slaves. It salved his conscience, but his crew wasn’t happy with the loss of their share.

  Edwin stayed secure inside Bebbanburg’s defences and didn’t attempt to interfere with them, so from Oswald’s perspective, returning there had been a disaster. Word would get about that he had been with the raiders and that would make it difficult for him to return in the future. When they sailed away, he was depressed and nothing Oswiu or anyone else could say lifted him out of his dejection.

  Chapter Nine – Dùn Add and the Land of the Picts

  626 AD

  After the debacle at Bebbanburg, Oswald was content to remain on Arran and he settled down to develop his community at Duilleag Bán na Cille. Oswiu had been shipped off to Iona soon after he had returned and Oswald was surprised by how much he missed his brother’s company.

  Eochaid had also left after a year to return to Ulster at the request of his father. One of the branches of the Ulaidh – the Dál Fiatach – had renounced their allegiance to Fiachnae and had elected their own king. The cause of the rift had been Congal Claen, who had taken a fancy to a girl of the Dál Fiatach and, when she had refused his advances, he had abducted and raped her. Inevitably, war broke out between the two branches of the Ulaidh, the Dál nAraidi being the one that Fiachnae, Congal and Eochaid belonged to.

  The internecine warfare amongst the Ulaidh should have given the Uí Néill the opportunity to seize all of Ulster, but they were still fighting amongst themselves as well. Eochaid didn’t want to leave Oswald after the many years that they had been close friends, almost brothers, really, but he felt that he had a duty to aid his father and sailed in the Gift of God with those warriors who were single and wanted their chance at glory. Oswald watched the birlinn sail down the loch and didn’t turn away until it had disappeared from view.

  He was glad that Rònan was still with him. With Alaric, he was his closest friend now. The Pict was no longer a boy; he came home to find out that he was the father of a baby girl and a year later his wife presented him with a son.

  By the time that Oswiu, now thirteen, returned in 625 AD, Oswald thought that he had resigned himself to living his life out on Arran, but Oswiu brought news that changed everything. Domnall Brecc had fallen out with Connad again and this time it was serious. Fergus of Islay had sided with Domnall and Brennus, King of Lorne, was trying to mediate. Oswald was tempted to stay out of the dispute, until Oswiu told him that one of the charges that Connad had made was that Domnall was harbouring fugitives from his justice, namely Oswald and his family. Apparently Oswald and Acha were accused of plotting to kill Connad.

  Oswald now had no choice; he prepared the Holy Saviour and the Seraphim. Oswiu was still too young to be a warrior and, in any case, he hadn’t yet started his training, so Oswald offered to take him as a ship’s boy again. He could see that Oswiu was disappointed, but he nodded. At least he’d be the senior this time, as the other two boys were eleven and twelve.

  He had no trouble filling both ships with warriors, but he made sure that he left enough behind to man the fort adequately. There had been no more attacks on Arran from Strathclyde, but a war within Dal Riada might tempt Belin to expand his territory. He left Alaric behind this time as his deputy. He’d been training Rònan to be a helmsman; he would now take his place on the Holy Saviour.

  Gytha couldn’t keep the tears from her eyes when Oswald said farewell to his family. She was now expecting their second child and Œthelwald, now three, joined in weeping because his mother was upset. Acha gave them a look of scorn and bade her sons come back safely without emotion. Both twelve year old Offa and his ten year old sister managed to remain equally stoic. Perhaps Oswald wouldn’t have been so keen to escape from the emotional leave-taking had he known that it would be the last time he would see Gytha.

  In August 625, the two birlinns rowed down Loch Ranza and then hoisted their sails as they turned to run down the Kintyre peninsula to Dùn Averty. Oswald found his mood improving as the sea breeze invigorated him. Life with Gytha was very pleasant and he loved his son but, if he was honest, he had missed the adventure and the danger of life as a warrior.

  ~~~

  Aidan had stayed at Loch Ness with Finnian after the mass baptism, whilst a messenger was sent to Iona to ask for a bishop and priests to carry on their work. Finnian was anxious to press on north- eastwards to the end of the Great Glen and then eastwards into the adjacent kingdom of Pentir. However, tragedy struck before the new bishop could arrive.

  Uisdean had never accepted his king’s conversion to Christianity. He believed that it was a phase and that eventually he’d return to the old religion. The chief druid did everything he could to undermine Finnian and Aidan until eventually Murchadh threatened to exile him and his fellow druids. He would have done so long since but a third of his people had stuck with the old religion and they would oppose any attempt to get rid of their priests.

  Finnian had asked Murchadh for his help in building a church for his congregation to worship in. This had incensed the druids, who worshipped in the open at a sacred grove. Uisdean had arrived at the chosen site as work on the small church started and remonstrated with Finnian and Aidan. Both monks remained calm but the chief druid got more and more angry, not helped by the unruffled way in which Finnian responded to his increasing rage. Finally, Uisdean lost control and pulling out the sacrificial knife he used to kill animals on the altar in the sacred grove, he plunged it into Finnian’s chest.

  It slipped between two ribs and pierced his heart, killing him instantly. As Finnian collapsed, Aidan caught him in his arms, crying out in horror. That saved him, as Uisdean was intent on killing him, too, but he couldn’t stab him with Finnian’s body in the way.

  Before Uisdean could do any more damage, Sionn drew his sword and would have killed him there and then but Ròidh, who had been standing by his side, barrelled into him, knocking the much larger priest off his feet and began to pummel his face. By the time Ròidh was dragged off him, he had broken Uisdean’s nose in two places and knocked out several teeth. The druid’s face was covered in blood and one of his eyes had been so severely damaged that he could no longer see out of it.

  ‘I’m glad I’ve never annoyed you,’ his uncle told him as two men hauled him, still struggling and spitting in fury, off the cowering druid. ‘You’ll make a fine warrior one day, Ròidh.’

  The boy’s answer, when he’d calmed down, surprised him.

  ‘I don’t want to be a warrior; I want to be a monk like Finnian and Aidan.’

  ‘But you are my brother’s heir.’

  ‘He has other sons. Ardewr won’t lack for kings, or warriors either, but it does need monks to spread the word of God. No-one else knows yet, but I planned to go with Finnian and Aidan when they left. Now Aidan will need a companion and assistant more than ever,’ he said sadly.

  ‘I think you had better talk to your parents, or were you planning to sneak away?’

  ‘Of course not!’ the boy retorted, affronted that his uncle thought he might. ‘But I was going to wait until the new bishop got here first.’

  The murder of Finnian, who was much respected, even by those who were still pagans, had shocked everyone. They were used to violence and sudden death, but the murder
of an unarmed man was not to be tolerated. Uisdean was tied up and held prisoner overnight. His fellow druids were confined to their hut with guards outside, just in case they tried something.

  The next day Uisdean was dragged before the king for judgement. The pasting that Ròidh had given his face was now much more evident. His damaged eye was completely closed up and had turned various shades of blue and purple. His face, now cleaned of blood, was badly swollen and when he opened his mouth, the front teeth were noticeably absent.

  ‘Do you have anything to say for yourself, Uisdean, before I pass sentence?’

  ‘You cannot try me; I am a druid and your high priest. I demand to be tried by my fellow druids. They will support me in ridding this land of this follower of the false gods.’

  ‘Do you intend to kill me too, as I am also a follower of the Christ? And my son, wife and brother and the majority of the people of this settlement?’

  ‘No, of course not, Lord King. Without the lies of the monk Finnian you will all return to the true faith. My only regret is that I didn’t kill the young monk, too.’

  ‘You are condemned out of your own mouth. My decision is that you will be taken out into the loch, tied in chains and thrown into the waters. Let your gods save you if they can.’

  The roar of approval that greeted this pronouncement left Uisdean in no doubt of the lack of support he now had. He didn’t struggle when he was shackled and pushed into a currach. At least he could die with dignity. He had no illusions that somehow he would survive the punishment.

  On the day after Finnian was buried under where the altar would be placed in the church, Aidan was surprised when there was a crowd of people outside his hut asking to be baptised. Over the coming days more people came to join the Christian faith until there were only a handful left who hadn’t converted to Christianity. Even a couple of the younger druids had come to discuss religion with him and had eventually been baptised. The other three left Ardewr and were not seen again. It was rumoured that they had journeyed north into the Kingdom of Caith.

  Aidan and Ròidh became close friends and the boy spent most of his time with the young monk. Often they went off fishing together, if they weren’t busy helping build the church or ministering to the people. After a while Ròidh announced flatly that he would be leaving with him when Aidan moved on to Pentir.

  ‘What makes you think I’m going to Pentir? Come to that, why do you think that your parents would let you come with me?’

  ‘You are, aren’t you? As soon as the bishop arrives, I mean. My parents won’t stop me. I turned fourteen this summer and I should’ve started to train as a warrior, but I refused. They know I want to become a monk like you and Finnian. They weren’t happy about it at first, but they know I’ve made my mind up. Since I attacked Uisdean, which I now know was wrong of me, my father has seen me in a new light. I am no longer a boy in his eyes, but a man and able to make my own decisions. My mother is less reconciled to the idea, but she’ll accept it in time.’

  ‘I see. Well, if you’re sure, I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have with me as a companion. However, you’ll have to travel to Iona to serve your noviciate before you can become a monk, if that’s what you want.’

  ‘Will you be going back to Iona?’

  ‘At some stage, yes, I suppose so, but not until my mission in Pentir is over.’

  ‘Well then, I can wait until then, can’t I?’

  Two weeks after that the new Bishop of Ardewr arrived with three priests. He was a kindly, if somewhat elderly, man with a wicked sense of humour and Aidan knew instinctively that he was right for the task in hand. He and Murchadh got on well together from the start and Aidan prepared to leave. He waited until the bishop had consecrated the newly completed church and then spent the night there, keeping a vigil by Finnian’s grave, before he and Ròidh set out early the next morning, travelling north-east up the Great Glen towards the mouth of the River Ness and the border with Pentir. Neither had said goodbye. Both wanted to avoid the emotional scene that it would entail; besides, they would return one day on their way back to Iona.

  ~~~

  When they got to Dùn Averty they found that Domnall Brecc had already left, so Oswald continued on around the Mull of Kintyre and headed north-west towards Islay. He was impressed when they sailed into the broad bay in front of the king’s hall. There were fourteen birlinns and several currachs drawn up on the shore. The latter were really little more than large fishing boats which could hold a dozen men, at best.

  Although some of the birlinns were quite small, perhaps only ten oars a side, it meant that King Fergus was hosting some seven hundred warriors or more. He had been told that Dal Riada was able to field some fifteen hundred men in total, but that would include those needed to guard the settlements dotted around the mainland and the isles. He therefore suspected that the force the three kings had assembled probably outnumbered the number of warriors the High King – Connad – could muster.

  However, although it was comforting to know that his side was superior in terms of manpower, Oswald worried that any battle between the two factions could seriously, perhaps fatally, wound Dal Riada as a whole. Normally, the Ulaidh could be counted amongst the warriors of Dal Riada, but now they were as divided as those in Caledonia.

  He had got used to the epithet Whiteblade, but it still came as something of a shock when hundreds of voices yelled it out in acclamation when he walked into the overcrowded hall. That night he voiced his concerns. He was listened to, but the night was devoted to feasting and drinking and it wasn’t the time for a strategic discussion.

  It wasn’t until the following afternoon that the three kings and other leaders present felt well – or sober – enough to discuss how they were going to remove Connad from the throne. He personally controlled the area south of O Ban in Lorne to the northern end of the Kintyre peninsula.

  Connad was said to have improved the fortifications of Dùn Add and planned to defend it with the hundreds of men he had mustered.

  ‘When I was last there it couldn’t have held more than a hundred warriors and even that would mean expelling all the non-combatants,’ Oswald observed.

  ‘What Whiteblade says is true,’ Brennus of Lorne said. ‘However, since then Connad has built another palisade around the Dùn and it can probably now hold four hundred men.’

  ‘What about supplies?’ Domnall asked. ‘For how long could they hold out?’

  ‘We can’t afford a long siege, Domnall,’ Brennus stated. ‘I’m already nervous that I haven’t left enough men behind to defend the Pass of Brander.’

  ‘Connad isn’t exactly a popular king,’ Oswald pointed out. ‘Perhaps we can persuade many of his men to remain neutral when we attack.’

  ‘And how exactly do you propose to do that, Whiteblade?’ Brennus sneered.

  ‘By getting inside the fortress and talking to his men,’ Oswald replied calmly, refusing to take offence.

  ‘Who would be foolish enough to risk their life by doing that?’ Fergus asked sceptically.

  ‘Over half my crew originally came from Dùn Add and they’ve still got family there. They would risk much to prevent senseless bloodshed just to keep a tyrant on the throne. I will ask for volunteers to sneak into the fortress.’

  ‘And who would lead them on such a madcap adventure?’

  ‘I will.’

  ~~~

  Aidan and Ròidh got up after a wet night under a tree and ate the rest of the trout that Ròidh had caught the previous evening by what he had termed ‘tickling’ them. This consisted of waiting patiently until he could get his hand under one and flipping it onto the bank. He had caught four that way, two of which they’d eaten the previous night with some hard bread they’d brought with them, and two the following morning to break their fast. They still had some cheese left, but Ròidh said that, as they had just passed the end of the loch and were now walking along the river, it should only be a few more miles, according to those who had been there, be
fore they reached the sea. In contrast to the previous evening, the weather was sunny and hot and their clothes steamed slightly as they slowly dried out.

  The landscape when they got to the coast was not what Aidan was hoping for. Ròidh had never seen the sea before and was initially disappointed by the meagre expanse of water. It wasn’t what Aidan was expecting, either. Later, they discovered that what they were looking at was an inlet about twice the width of the loch they had just left behind and that, as this went eastwards, it expanded into the Moray Firth before it joined the German Ocean.

  There was a small settlement at the junction of the firth and the river they were following. As they approached, about twenty men and youths appeared, brandishing spears, daggers and axes more suited to chopping firewood than cleaving an enemy in two. Aidan was nonplussed; previously when they had encountered a hostile reception, Finnian had calmed the situation and charmed the inhabitants into giving him a hearing. Aidan found that he opened his mouth, but he just couldn’t think of what to say.

  Luckily Ròidh wasn’t so tongue-tied and introduced himself as the eldest son of the king of the neighbouring Picts. He went on to explain, as weapons were lowered, that Aidan had been entrusted by his father with the task of journeying to see their king, Necton and asked with a smile if they might stay the night and purchase a small quantity of food.

  ‘Prince Ròidh, you and your friend are more than welcome to stay here. My son has room in his hut for your friend and I would be honoured if you would stay with me and my wife.’

  That put him and Aidan in a difficult position. To refuse his offer would be the height of rudeness, but they didn’t know these people. They might be trying to separate them in order to overpower them more easily.

  ‘You are very kind to offer us such hospitality, but we wouldn’t want to put you to the trouble. I can see an upturned boat over there which you are repairing. That will provide sufficient shelter for our needs, but we would be grateful if we could purchase some fish and bread from you.’