by Griff Hosker
“Now we take prisoners.” When I gave the order I saw the sadness on men’s faces. My warriors were noble. I could think of other warriors who would enjoy inflicting pain on women but Garth and I had chosen our men well. Four farms later and we had six women and four children wailing and bemoaning their fate. They were tied to our horses but we were now close enough to Loidis to be safe from reprisals. I assumed that Wach would have been drawn east and would be seeking us around our first burnings.
It was almost dark when we wearily trudged through the gates. My leg was an agony and I could see that the horses, too had suffered. We would not be riding the next day. We needed rest; besides I hoped that we had achieved our ends and provoked the Saxons into an attack. King Gwalliog was pleased to have slaves. They were a valuable asset and would be put to work in the kitchens. They were led to the blacksmith’s to have their metal collars fitted. It gave me some consolation to know that they would not be treated as Monca, Aelle’s mother was, and be made a sex slave for a warrior. They would be treated well for King Gwalliog and his people were kind. They would, however, still be slaves and the children would grow up serving their masters.
“You look tired, brother.”
“I am, Raibeart. Tomorrow we rest and prepare for battle.”
“Have you the second sight? Can you know that the Saxons will come?”
“If they do not come then we will go to meet them for it will mean that we have defeated them. We can strike as we did today and that will make the Saxons flee. He either fights us or leaves. Wach is the son of Aella; he cannot afford to have us rub his nose in the burnt out buildings of his people. He will come.”
Chapter 3
It was two day’s later when we were about to leave on a patrol to find the Saxons that the scouts I had sent ahead of us spotted the enemy. The Saxons were filtering through the woods a mile from the walls and my men hurried quickly back to me. “We return to Loidis. Raibeart keep ten warriors with you and harry them. I will sound the horn when we are prepared.”
We had discovered that King Gwalliog possessed one of the old Roman battle horns called buccina and we had begun to use it to signal in battles. Today we would frighten the Saxons with its cry. The guards at the gate were curious at our sudden return. “The Saxons are here. Prepare to defend the walls.”
King Gwalliog was armed already and striding towards me, the joy of battle upon his face. “At last we meet them beard to beard!”
I could not help but smiling at the older warrior who still relished battle. “Let us show them who they face. Run up the standards!”
The men at the gates were ready with the two standards and they rose above the main gate. I knew which one would anger and annoy the Saxons; it would be my Wolf standard. The wolf cloak I wore above my armour marked me as the Wolf Warrior they both dreaded and hated while my shield had the image of a wolf painted upon it; I was not easy to miss. I dismounted and walked gingerly towards the walls. Today would be a test of Brother Patrick’s skill and the ability of my leg to endure a battle on foot. I would not have the support of a horse and I would have to stand on the battlements to fight. One of the slingers ran towards me with my bow and quiver. “Here my lord, I thought you might need it.”
“Thank you Targh and make sure you keep your head down. I would have you grow into a warrior to stand besides me in my shield wall.” I saw him glow with pride and he ran to tell the other boys of the praise from his lord. When I reached the top of the ramparts I saw that Raibeart and his men were facing a couple of hundred Saxons. The walls were fully manned and I shouted, “Sound the horn!”
The horn gave a mournful moan. It did not have the same effect as the dragon standard of King Urien but, as our men galloped back, I saw that it made the enemy halt and look to their leaders. Wach was there. I had never seen him before but the warrior with the helmet like me and surrounded by similarly attired mailed warriors had to be the son of Aella. We had poked the bear with the stick and now he was here. The wily warrior showed his cunning by bringing his men from the woods slowly and aligning them with the better armed at the fore. My archers would score few easy hits. They kept coming from the greenwood like ants from an anthill. He had brought every male Saxon he could. The fate of Elmet would be decided this day.
I heard feet on the ladder and Gwalliog and Raibeart joined me. “That is a large army brother.”
“I know. Put your archers on this wall and below. We can direct their aim from the walls.”
King Gwalliog looked at me his face showing that he would brook no argument. “My men will defend this wall.”
I bowed, “As you wish.” It was his stronghold but I knew that my battle hardened men would do a better job. “Garth put our warriors on the other walls.” Garth’s face frowned then he shrugged his shoulders and nodded. At least the Saxons had few archers and they would have to close with the walls and our men who stood there; but we were outnumbered.
There were two thousand men facing us but only five hundred were warriors with shield and helm. I could not see any archers and, of course, they had no horsemen. I could see movement from behind the front ranks which were now two hundred paces from our walls but I could not work out what it was. I was suspicious and I remained alert to a trick or a trap. They were within bow range but I knew that we could inflict more damage at closer range. As I looked at the ditch I could see that we should have used a drawbridge as we had at Civitas Carvetiorum but it was too late for that.
The Saxon line came forwards steadily. Wach and his bodyguard were not in the front rank. I did not take this as a sign of fear but of strategy. He would not wish to waste his best men in the first brutal attack where they would face the arrows and swords of the defenders. It was one of his father’s tactics and he had used it effectively before allowing his weaker warriors to be slaughtered. The warriors at the front held their shields tightly to their helmets affording them the most protection from any missiles hurled from the walls. They had learned. I could see that Raibeart and his archers were ready and I nodded. He would make the decision for the first loosing of the arrows. I aimed my bow at Wach. He was over two hundred paces away but it was worth the arrow just to let him know we had the range. I loosed. A sudden flurry of wind came up, wyrd, and the arrow moved to the left. It struck the surprised warrior to Wach’s left in the throat and every warrior around the war chief raised their shields! I saw Raibeart shake his head but Gwalliog’s men all cheered. It was only one warrior but we had first blood. I wondered how his farmers and untried warriors would feel knowing that we could kill them at two hundred paces.
Raibeart’s command almost took me by surprise as one hundred arrows soared up and over the ramparts. The subsequent four volleys came in rapid succession. The plunging trajectories of the arrows and the relative short distance meant that over a hundred and fifty men fell and their bodies impeded the others. Suddenly the warriors at the front parted and I saw what had caused the disturbance at the start of their advance. They had a log on wheels. They were going to ram the gate.
“Brace the gate! They have a ram!”
King Gwalliog’s men had spears and javelins and they began to hurl them at the straining warriors who were pulling the mighty oak. Some fell but other brave warriors took their places. I could tell that Wach had his warriors fired up and they hurled themselves at the wall. I turned to King Gwalliog. “Your majesty, if you mount your horsemen then they can leave by the south gate and attack in their flank when we are ready.”
He looked at me dubiously. “Is this a trick, Lord Lann, to give your men the glory of victory?”
I shook my head. “The glory will come from the attack by your horsemen and mine as they slaughter the Saxons.” He was not convinced. “They have no horsemen and the warriors at the rear have no armour. One hundred and twenty mounted men can cause large numbers of casualties if we time the attack well.”
“Very well but I will lead them!”
“As you wish. I will sound
the buccina when I judge the time ripe for an attack and we will time it to coincide with our own attack from within. Garth, send our equites to the king.”
Just then we heard, and felt, the thump as the ram struck the gate. “Bring boiling water. Raibeart, target the men on the ram.” The problem with this strategy was that it took the arrows away from their main battle line and that would allow them to close with the walls but if we lost the gate then we would lose the battle, and the war. I heard the clatter of hooves as the horsemen mustered and then Garth was at my side. “Bring half the men from the other walls; put half behind the gate to repel any who get through and put the others on the walls.”
The men of Elmet had braced the gate as best they could but it would not hold. The redoubtable Brother Patrick led the women with the boiling kettles of water. “Good man. You men take the kettles and give the men on the ram a good dousing!” The archers were unable to strike the men on the ram as they were now protected by the shields of warriors sent forwards by Wach. “Raibeart start thinning out the warriors who are preparing to assault the wall.” I heard the whirr of slingshots as the Saxons tried to hit my archers. “Slingers, take out the men with the slings.”
Suddenly there was a hiss followed by screams as the four huge kettles were emptied over the ram. Boiling water found its way through mail and burnt and scalded the warriors. They dropped the ram and Raibeart’s archers ended their misery.
It was a brief respite for more Saxons ran forwards to take up the ram and we now had no more water. “Raibeart, take command here and I will join Garth to attack those who breach the gate. Make them pay a heavy price for the entrance.”
Raibeart’s nod was worth a hundred warriors; he would not let me down and I joined Garth and my warriors at the gate. Garth grinned at me as he took his place on my right. “We will show them my lord. It is blade to blade that will give us victory and Saxon Slayer will prevail.”
The hundred men with us gave a huge cheer, making those on the ramparts look around. I drew the sword which had come to me, as though willed from above and as I raised it the cheers became a crescendo. I hoped that their better and braver warriors had perished with the ram but I had seen Wach and his bodyguard and knew that there were at least a hundred warriors who would give a good account of themselves. I glanced up and saw Tadgh duck behind the ramparts; I caught his eye and he waved. “Remember you must survive to become a warrior of Rheged.” He nodded and popped up to hurl a stone at an unseen enemy.
I watched as splinters flew from the gate and knew that it would not be long. We were in a wedge formation and we would have to hit them as soon as they broke through. Raibeart had sent down ten archers to kill those wielding the ram and I hoped that the ram would block the gate and make our task easier. I also wondered if my leg would support me; it still felt stiff and I would need to move swiftly. I was the point of the wedge. Much hinged on how I could lead my warriors.
With a groan and a crack the gate gave way and the ram lurched forwards. Raibeart’s archers were good and ten of the men with the ram fell; the whole ram dropped like a stone and I leapt forwards. “Rheged!” I stepped over the two dead warriors. The first warrior I killed was prone on the ground and I severed his head. The man behind had no time to react as I smashed my shield into his face and stamped on him as I leapt over the dead bodies. I knew one of those behind would despatch him and I was eager to block the gate with my men. Suddenly we were ahead of the ram and outside what had been the gate; I yelled, “Shield wall!” My men’s training took over and, quickly, we had two solid lines of fifty men. I could see the enraged Saxons who ran at us falling to Raibeart’s arrows. It was vital for it splintered their wedge and they struck us piecemeal rather than a solid mass of men and metal. They had only fought the men of Elmet and, even though they were our allies, they were not the men who fought besides me that day. We had confidence in each other as we hacked and slashed at every Saxon we faced until their first wave was dead. It had been an unfair match up as each of their warriors faced two of mine.
Wach and his bodyguard formed up and I could see the anger and the hurt in their eyes. They were but fifty paces from us. These could not be damaged by Raibeart and his archers. The best that the bows could do was to weaken their shields. Tadgh and the other slingers had ended the threat of the enemy slingers and were adding their attack to that of Raibeart. It kept the shields of the Saxons up and that limited their sight. We had a chance. They would be expecting us to stand and take whatever they offered but we would take the attack to them. “Wedge!” I felt the men behind me move and I shouted, “Buccina, sound the charge!” I raised Wolf Slayer and roared, “For King Urien and Rheged.” My men almost pushed me forwards as we raced across the body littered ground to meet their warriors.
Wach was not in their front rank. There was a warrior with an open helmet while wielding a double handed axe. I feared him not. I had already slipped a dagger into my left hand and my shield was studded with metal. There was no axe made which could dent it but I would use it as a weapon. I watched him raise his axe to swing it at my head. The man was brave but a fool. I ducked slightly and, as we met, punched hard with my shield. The men behind him meant he could not go backwards and the blow took all of his wind. I was too close to use Saxon Slayer and I head butted him to the ground. As I stepped over him I stamped on his face and felt his nose and his skull crushed beneath my boot. Their wedge was no longer whole!
I heard Garth roaring encouragement to our men and felt the whole line lurch forwards. Although they had more men to push forwards the constant barrage from arrows and stones was negating the effect of numbers as men tried to hide from the wicked barbs and stones which Raibeart and his men rained down upon them. As the men before us thinned a little I was able to swing Saxon Slayer over my head. Few warriors owned a helmet which could withstand it and I cracked open the helmet and the head of the warrior who bravely faced me. Many warriors wished to be the one to kill the hated enemy of the Saxons, the Wolf Warrior, but they had neither the skill nor the weapons to do so.
Wach and his bodyguard were forming up as the remnants of their vanguard were vanquished. They had endured much and, I suspect, had marched all night. My men had had a hearty meal and a good night’s rest. We could fight all day without tiring. Wach and his elite warriors would be a true test of the skills of the Wolf Brethren. Two of the Saxons came for me with Wach close by. One had a spear which he jabbed at my eye while the other hacked over arm with his axe. The rim of the shield deflected the spear but the axe struck at the same time. I felt the spear head slice into my cheek. I raised the shield and thrust blindly with my sword. I felt it sink into flesh and saw the axe man’s eyes fill with fear as the sharpened steel entered his groin. I sensed, rather than saw, the axe as it scythed towards me and then Garth’s shield turned it away to embed itself in the dying axe warrior next to him. Before the warrior with the spear could strike me again I punched with my shield boss into his face. He took the punch well but he opened his body slightly and I slid Saxon Slayer through the mail on his left side; the blood which dripped from my sword told me I had wounded him and he stepped backwards. We all knew that to step back in a shield wall was to invite death and so it was. The warrior to my left pushed forwards and stabbed the wounded man in the throat.
Garth was busily engaged with Wach who was desperately trying to reach me. I heard the clash of arms from ahead and heard the wail as King Gwalliog and his horsemen struck the men at the rear of the Saxon line and began to butcher them. I noticed that the arrows were now falling further away and that meant that Raibeart could see the enemy lines faltering. “On, men of Rheged! One last push and we shall prevail!”
Wach’s guttural Saxon almost spat in my face. “Not before you die at my hands, killer of women.”
I did not bother to answer him and deny his lie. He was angry and that was a weakness. I slew the fierce faced swordsman who hacked at my shield and then turned to face Wach. There were two of
us fighting him; no honour in that but we not seeking honour, we were seeking victory. He could not stand against two of us and his men, desperate to aid him were hacked to the ground by my shield wall which still retained its integrity. It was Garth who struck the mortal blow. As Wach’s axe embedded itself in my shield Garth’s sword took off his head. The Saxons who were oathsworn did not flee but pushed even harder to redeem themselves by saving their leader’s body. They were slaughtered to a man. When we stood amidst the pile of bodies I glanced up and saw that Raibeart had led the garrison to pursue the fleeing Saxons. King Gwalliog and his horsemen were hurtling towards the woods and the last of the Saxons. I could not have fought any more for my leg was sending waves of pain through my whole body. All I wanted was to lie down and sleep.
I raised my helmet and Garth’s face filled with concern. “You are wounded my lord.”
“I think it is a scratch.”
“I think not my lord, I can see bone. Brother Patrick!”
The priests and women had also followed Raibeart and were tending to the wounded. The young priest shook his head. “Are you determined to die Lord Lann? Your wife will not be happy when you return to Rheged.”
I gave a painful grin. “At least spare me the fire this time.” Suddenly my legs would no longer support me and I saw their faces get further from me as I slumped to the ground, to lie on the bloody, gore spattered ground.
Brother Patrick reached down and held a cloth to my face. “Garth, get your men to carry him. He has lost much blood. Another hour and he would be dead.” He shook his head. “The sword may be magical my lord but you must remember that you are mortal. Take more care.”