Osbert bowed. ‘Eaorl, it is a pleasure to finally meet you. Your reputation is larger than life.’
Conn shook his hand. ‘I hope I don’t disappoint you in person – there is always that risk.’
They talked as they walked back up the streets to the donjon; Conn complimenting Sileas on her work building the town. When they arrived inside the great hall, it was full of people – much to Conn’s surprise – including Anissa, Daray, Cliona and children. Wuffa and Wilga joined them for dinner, as did Njil. They also had room in the dungeon for Alfvir.
It was good to see Daray and Cliona again; the Aebeling looked well, and by all accounts was ruling as instructed; fairly and wisely. Their sons Curran and Cenric were tall and strong, and they both looked like a smaller versions of Driscol. Bettina – the girl he had rescued near Tegeste was also there – she was now Daray’s bedda, his second. She was delighted to see Conn again; she hugged him as much as her pregnant frame would allow. All the Eaorls of Lycia had turned up as well. Daray explained as everyone finally sat down for the lunch feast.
‘We decided to hold the Witan here in Atrak this year – given that you have arrived back.’
‘I’m not a member of the Witan…’
‘Yes, that did occur to us. So we decided to fix that problem.’
He stood up and a bell was rung to indicate silence.
Daray spoke loudly. ‘Since my elevation to this position of dubious honour,’ (laughter), ‘I have not had the opportunity to formally thank the Thane of Haran for his role in making it possible for me.’ Everyone clapped. ‘I cannot reward him with money as he has more than the rest of us already.’ Everyone laughed. ‘Indeed he has more of everything than any of us – including more children than the Eaorl of Neh.’
The Earl stood. ‘I find that hard to believe. I have twenty – I can’t afford twenty but I have twenty.’
Conn stood. ‘On last count – thirty – and I can afford them!’
The hall broke into laughter and it was some minutes before the Aebeling was finally able to continue.
‘So as I was saying; there is only one thing that the Thane doesn’t have in Lykia that we can award.’
He gestured and donjon staff released tapestries around the wall – starting with the crest of the Aebeling of Lykia – a new crest that symbolized the union with the house of Moetia. That was followed by the crests of each Eaorl; and the last one of these to be unfurled was one with a golden sun on a saffron background. The crests were all in roundels – of the new style created by his Heralds.
The Aebeling then started to read from a proclamation. ‘Conn il Taransay; Eaorl of Kadesh, Eaorl of Eriak, the Baron Barek, the Baron Gambi, the Baron Hebal, the Baron Ushu, Thane of Hama, Thane of Faleri, Thane of Atrak, Thane of Rupina, Thane of Ebusos, Thane of Azaba, and Thane of Oxmon – I hope I have that right – I am empowered by the Witan of Lykia to raise you to the position of Eoarl of Hama, as well as the Baron Faleri and the Baron Atrak, in the demesne of Lykia.’ Everyone clapped and cheered. ‘Please come forward to accept the documents of proclamation.’
Conn did so and hugged the young man. He was truly touched. They resumed their celebration which lasted for two weeks – intermixed with meetings of the Witan where they discussed Conn’s plans for Silekia, and how Lycia was not going to be involuntarily involved.
The current Eaorl of Abela was Cairpre, son of his old friend, and Conn had meetings with him and Wilgar when he could. Some years previously, Conn had purchased a demesne – Azaba – from him close to the border with Silekia, and had built what a military outpost – barracks for a thousand men and followers, as well as all logistical support for that number, including stables and warehouses. Azaba was overflowing at the moment, and the training areas were crowded as they prepared for the “invasion” of Silekia.
Eirnin and Alduni were assigned to Wilga with a new rank of Cornet, and everywhere Wilga went, they went, either training hard with the Fyrd, or joining them as they practised with sword, bow and lance.
Conn also visited his girls – they spent every morning at “school” with several hundred other children. Conn had schools opened everywhere in Lykiak; and as teachers were trained they were sent out to every village and were instructed to teach every child – not just the children of the Thane or Eaorl. The best of their students were sent to Atrak at the age of seven, to finish school and then attend “University”. The family of every child sent to Atrak for schooling was compensated financially to ensure Conn didn’t miss out on the best talent because their families need them to help work in the fields. Gender also didn’t matter – become a bocere was promoted as a pathway to honor, prestige – and wealth – as Conn paid his senior bocere very well
In the harbour, ships arrived and departed in increased frequency; bringing goods in from all harbors in Meshech, while others took food and armaments to Silekia. The Wealdend was aware of and very excited about Conn’s plans. They were ready to move when he was – and despite the fact that the majority of Silekia was in Rakians hands, the eastern portion wasn’t – the Eaorls of Jasi and Gelah had been able to prevent any further advancement along the coast – after Plevan had been abandoned – and the walls of Silekia had prevented the town being taken – notwithstanding the inexhaustible supply of food and weaponry that the control of the ocean provided Conn the ability to do.
They were waiting for the river that provided the border between Lykian and Silekia to become passable before they could ‘invade’. They were biding their time. Conn was in Atrak having breakfast with his daughters when a wiga rushed in to see him.
‘Eaorl, there is an unusual ship sighted from the lookout and it is with two of ours.'
‘Good. Excellent! And about time too.’
Conn headed to the docks, walking down the long pathway from the donjon through the town.
His herd of daughters walked alongside and behind him.
‘Father, what kind of ship is it?’
‘I call it a cog – but I don’t know what it is called in Kishdah.’
‘So it is an Ancuman ship.’
‘Indeed. I captured one just like it in Gatina – but it was half the size of this one.’
The cog was tied up first and the two schooners docked along behind, and they watched as dockworkers prepared all the ships for disembarking; fixing gangways between the vessels and the docks. First down from the Cog was Njil, and he was followed by a few Ancuman – probably bocere because they were not dressed as wiga – and then others who looked like Silekians. They were, however, not dressed as Silekians – they wore a loose fitting, and richly colored tunics over baggy trousers that were close fitting at the bottom. Over the top they wore a long woollen coat that reached down to the knees.
Njil did not have any of them bound, which made Conn assume that none were dangerous, and he studied the group dynamics as they walked towards him; of the Priecuman, it was obvious that the younger of the two women was actually in charge – the others seemed to be her staff.
It was turning into an interesting day. Njil arrived with a big grin on his face.
‘You’re going to love this.’
Conn hadn’t a chance to respond before the younger woman pushed past the Ancuman to address him.
‘I understand that you are in charge of these pirates. What is the meaning of this outrage?’ She looked Conn up and down as she spoke, and then stopped. ‘You look like a Samarian. What are you doing here?’
Conn was still surrounded by his children and Alana, his eldest, asked the obvious question. ‘Who are the Samarians?’
The young woman answered without thinking. ‘They are a tribe of people who live in the far south of Sytha. They herd cattle … but we have not had contact with them for many years.’ She stopped herself. ‘That doesn’t matter anyway – I would like my question answered. Who are you to commandeer my ship – are you the Healdend? And why did you do it?’ She was becoming increasingly flustered as Conn looked at her curiously. ‘Just wait til
l my father hears about this!’ she stomped.
‘How do you imagine that he is going to hear about it? Are you going to swim back?’ While she flustered, unable to respond, Conn continued. ‘I’m sure that we will have time for discussion later. My guards will appoint you some rooms. We will meet later when you have had a chance to eat and wash.’
She was just about to rebuke him when he walked past her to the Ancuman prisoners. There were about twenty. She was about to follow, but guards stepped in and blocked her way, and directed her up to the donjon. Njil joined him and Conn asked him how many had died.
‘About ten – before they were ordered to surrender. The vessel was grappled between both ours before they chose to quit. Very determined they were.’
Conn looked over the group of men. Only one was of Axum – he was a court official of some kind. The rest were sailors and were all from the Southern Isles.
‘Who’s in charge?’
The official stepped forward, proud and prejudicial.
‘I am…Feorrancund.’
Conn did not react immediately. Slowly he asked. ‘Can you swim?’
‘Swim? Of course not… only fish swim…’
He didn’t get the sentence finished when he found himself flying through the air and out into the harbour. He spluttered to the top and flailed his arms about wildly. Conn nodded and men went down the stair to the floating docks and used hooks to reef him back in. He was brought back to Conn. He looked like a drowned rat.
‘If you would like swimming lesson two, we will maintain our airs and graces. Otherwise we will be polite. My children are here.’ Conn noticed that the Ancuman men behind did not seem at all put out by the treatment of their leader. Some tried to hide their smiles.
‘So, again, are you in charge?’
‘Yes, yes, I am. My name is Yngvi, official envoy of the Bretwalda of all Ancuman.’
‘I see – and you were on your way back from Sytha to where exactly?’
Yngvi didn’t want to answer – that was clear on his face. He looked sideways at the water. He didn’t seem to like his odds. He finally answered.
‘Kishdah, we are returning to Kishdah.’
‘Thank you Yngvi. Wasn’t too hard was it? You will now be taken to the cells where you will stay until I let you go. You will find food and a bath. I expect that you will be comfortable – excluding the fact that you are my prisoners. I will arrange for your personal effects to be removed from the vessel … and yes, I insist that my men collect your effects. Don’t bother asking.’
‘Healdend, but what do you propose to do with us? The Captain was not forthcoming?’
‘I am not a Healdend – I am Conn il Taransay, Eaorl of Hama. You will be here a week at most – then I’ll let you leave.’
‘I don’t understand…’
‘I have a message I want delivered to Kishdah – to your Healdend.’
The official corrected him. ‘Bretwalda – Farolfur is Bretwalda of all Kishdah.
Conn refused to answer more questions, and wiga escorted the prisoners to the dungeon. Conn walked back to the donjon with his daughters, answering any questions they had – which was a lot. He had a job to do first – he went to the communication center and send a pigeon.
Chapter 19
By lunch Conn had returned to join the Sythans; they were waiting for him – impatiently. As he arrived they were introduced to him. The talkative one was Lile, daughter of the Healdend of Sytha. Her maid was Ciannait, while her officials were Rearden, a medic, Turlough, a bocere, and Tuathal, a wiga.
‘An Eaorl? Since when does an Eaorl have ships that cross the seas and attack another people’s crafts? That is beyond my comprehension.’
‘Since the owners of that craft attack and kill the sons of Healdend,’ Conn answered bluntly. He sat and ate and drank as he recounted the events that had led him to send ships out to capture an Ancuman vessel. ‘That explains why I have the vessel – it doesn’t explain why you were on it.’
She had calmed down a bit through Conn telling of the death of Bran. She took a deep breath and started. ‘Sytha and Axum have been negotiating an assistance agreement. They agreed to send us wiga to assist us in our war with the Pontians, and in exchange, we are providing technical advisors’, she pointed to the men who sat behind her, ‘gold, and a bedda for the Bretwalda’s son.’ Conn noted her detachment from that statement; or at least her resignation. She continued. ‘I am on my way to be that bedda.’
Conn was confused; he was also direct. ‘To an Ancuman? I understand they like their meat very fresh. Are you not a little old to be bedda? How old are you?’
‘I have survived twenty five winters. I have spent my life since fifteen as a Folgere.’
‘Folgere? Chastity is not a virtue of Folgere…’
She almost blushed. ‘There are two kinds of Folgere – I have served my Gyden with devoted study and meditation – unlike some of my sister’s methods of serving our Gyden…’
‘So why the change of heart?’
‘The Bretwalda of the Ancuman insisted on the eldest daughter. I am my father’s eldest daughter – of his first bedda. And for some reason my Gyden gave her blessing. At first she refused but then suddenly changed her mind.’
Conn nodded and contemplated. ‘That makes sense. The Ancuman believed in primogeniture – so if they couldn’t be the eldest son; then second best would be the eldest son of the eldest daughter – especially if the male relatives were all ‘eliminated’’.
She was confused. ‘What do you mean – eliminated?’
‘Lile, the Ancuman are intending to betray you. I suspect that as soon as you have a male child, you would have suddenly died. But by then they would have your son and a claim to Sytha. If they had wiga in Sytha, over time, they would have eliminated all of your brothers and their sons until your son was the only heir. Then they would have claimed Sytha for themselves.’ When Conn said this he noted that neither Tuathal nor Turlough were that surprised. It would appear that not all were in agreement with the agreement.
Lile cried out impulsively. ‘That is not possible – they would not do that that. Yngvi would never betray us. He is my father’s friend.’
‘Yngvi – the Axum official – I met him on the dock?’
‘Yes – he has been a member of my father’s court for ten years. He had helped in putting together the agreement.’
‘What are the terms of the agreement?’
Lile shook her head. ‘I don’t know the details.’ She looked to her advisors. They shook their heads as well. ‘Yngvi has it. None of us have seen it.’
Conn called Wuffa over and whispered in his ear. He nodded and left the room in search of Njil.
‘We might have a little chat with Yngvi. So what do you think of my village?’ He directed this question at Turlough.
‘This is a village? What are your towns like?’
After a few hours of Conn interrogated the visitors slowly and carefully, as they drunk and ate, Wuffa returned with Yngvi, and directed him to a chair. Conn offered him wine, first serving himself from the same bottle to reassure him that it wasn’t poison. After his first timid sip, he drank heartedly.
He toasted Conn. ‘Sir, this is the best wine that I have ever tasted. I am glad that I had a chance to taste it before I died.’
Conn turned to business. ‘Yngvi, I understand that you negotiated a treaty between the Healdend of Sytha and your Bretwalda. Are you able to show me the agreement?’
His sobriety quickly restored, he responded as expected. ‘Alas, I cannot; the agreement was lost or destroyed when we were so savagely attacked by your … ships.’
‘Quite so. You don’t have a copy then?
‘No, I do not. And I am sorry, but I cannot tell you what is in the document. I will not betray my people.’
‘I wouldn’t ask you to.’ Conn looked at Njil and he walked over and handed him a pouch; leather but waxed so that it was waterproof. Njil had returned some time ago and nod
ded to him, before sitting down. As it was handed to him Conn observed that the colour drained from Yngvi’s face.
‘Where did you get that?’ He demanded when he had found his voice.
‘On your ship – but as you say, it cannot be your document anyway. Didn’t you just tell me that yours was lost?’ As Conn started to open the package, Yngvi started to rise from his chair but he found two hands on his shoulders keeping him in his place. Lile and the Sythans had sat quietly during the entire exchange, but their interest rose as Conn opened the document and read through. He handed on pages that he had read to Wuffa to read after him. Whenever Yngvi wanted to say something, Conn raised his hand to stop him. After the last page, Conn looked up and addressed Lile.
‘I can only assume then that this is not the agreement signed by the Healdend of Sytha – though it does look like his seal. For argument sake, however, let’s pretend that it is.’ He looked at Lile, ‘On the surface, this is indeed a very generous deal that Yngvi has organized for you, Lile; extremely if not too generous by half in my estimation. Basically in exchange for 2 million Ryals and you, the Ancuman would supply five hundred wiga within three years; to be housed and cared for by Sytha, and an additional five hundred within three years after that, to be paid for by Axum. They are to be trained with and housed with the Sythan forces.’ Conn looked at Tuathal. ‘How big is the Sythan Fyrd?’
‘About one thousand fully trained wiga.’
‘So an extra thousand Ancuman wiga would make it very strong indeed. But what if the Ancuman suddenly turned against the Sythans – from within the barracks and on the field? How would you stand?’
Tuathal shook his head. ‘I don’t really know – but the element of surprise would be devastating.’
Conn shook his head. ‘With these numbers – if I was in charge, I would eliminate your entire Fyrd in a night. All thousand before the sun rose. And if I can do it, I’m sure that the Ancuman can as well.’ He looked at Lile again. ‘As I presumed, the product of your loins has a special mention in this agreement; it clearly states that your child is an heir in the event of the death of all of your father’s descendants. How many does he have?’
The Eaorl (The Casere Book 2) Page 26