by Griff Hosker
“Then send them home.”
“And what good would that do? We need more men and any other recruit would be suspect. This way we know whom to watch.”
He grudgingly agreed with me. “But listen, you do not need to send all the way to the wall for stone. There is ample just ten miles to the south west of this castle, on the way to Aelle’s fort. We passed it on the way here. You could cut your journey time by half.” I slapped him around the shoulders. “But I will build up my defences, for, if what you say is true then any enemy denied this passage into the heartland of Rheged would then travel north and my home would be in the way.”
“Is it defensible?”
He laughed. “It is said that the old people who lived before the Romans built a mighty castle there and the Romans made it stronger. It is defensible and, like you, I will build up my forces although, unlike you, I will have to draw on the treasure I captured from Wach!”
After he had gone I mounted five men and Brother Oswald and rode towards this cache of stone. I gave Garth his instructions. “Begin building the gatehouse over the bridge today and deepen the ditch. With luck and, if the gods are on our side,” I saw Oswald’s stern look, “all the gods, even the White Christ, then we can begin the wall in three days.”
As we headed south west Oswald, seated uncomfortably on the gentlest horse we had, admonished me. “There is only one god Lord Lann.”
“And how do you know this?”
It was as though no one had ever asked him the question before. “Well his son…”
“No, I did not ask about this White Christ but about this one god. We have gods who fathered sons on earth. I do not deny your White Christ was the son of a god, I am just not convinced that he is the son of the only god.”
He seemed perplexed by this. “Well the Bible…”
“Who wrote this Bible?”
“Men such as me who lived in the past.”
“And did they all live at the same time?”
“No, they spoke of God over thousands of years.”
“So how do you know it is the same god? Perhaps there were a number of gods who spoke at different times to the different men. Your god may well be the same one as one of my gods but I am not convinced that there is only one. I look around and see the differences in men: the noble King Urien and the cowardly King Morcant Bulc; the cunning King Aella and the incompetent King Ida. And it is the same with ordinary men, we too have many differences. I am a warrior and you are a man of peace. I believe it is the same with gods.”
I smiled as I saw him consider these arguments and I concentrated on finding the stone. I had not yet travelled this route for we had normally been heading east to face the Saxons and not south through this lush and verdant land. It was a land of high hills and, as soon discovered deep lakes. None were as big as Wide Water but the hills were like mountains in places and I was hopeful that we would find a source of stone. There was a narrow valley and then the trail began to climb up a steep sided hill. Once we crested the rise I could see the stones which littered the side of the hill. This was perfect; we would not even need to quarry.
I halted and turned to Oswald. “Will this stone do?”
In answer he dismounted and brought out the small hammer and chisel he had had the smith make for him. He found a rock the size of a small child and searched it with his fingers. When he seemed satisfied he placed the chisel at and angle and then struck the rock. He repeated the action along a line I could not see and then he returned to the middle and this time, when he placed the chisel in the now visible groove, he hit it with all his strength. The rock cracked in two and I could see that there were clean lines. “Yes my lord, “he beamed, “this will indeed do.”
“Is that magic priest?”
“No, my lord, it is what the Greeks called science. I read how the Romans used to break rocks and it worked.” He held up the hammer and the chisel. “We will need bigger ones than this of course but I ordered the smith to being making them.” He gave me a wry smile. “You will have to wait a while for your new weapons of war.”
We found four wagons that we could use to haul the cut stone the next day and I left half the men with Garth to continue working on the wooden wall and gate whilst I took the rest with me. I took the recruits with me for I needed to gauge their mettle and to see if I could discern if any was the spy. I half wanted it to be one of them, for that would vindicate my belief that my other warriors were loyal but, at the same time, I wanted these men to become part of my retinue.
Brother Oswald took charge. He was a good teacher with patience far beyond mine. He knew the men slightly better than I did for he had to deal with them on a daily basis. He chose his eight stonemasons carefully. He chose pairs of men. One of them was always a huge muscled warrior but the other sometimes looked as though a strong wind would blow him over. As they started to cut I wandered over to him and asked him about the choices.
“The man with the chisel needs to be clever and make wise choices. If you hit at the wrong point then you may split the rock but make it unusable for a level wall.” He shrugged. We can use all the stone but we need regular sized pieces for the gate and foundations.”
As we watched the first stones split I asked him about the wall he would build. “The men will dig a deep wide ditch. It will be as wide as a man and as deep as his legs. We will put the larger flat stones on either side of the ditch and build it to the height we require. The odd shaped stones will be rammed into the middle.”
“Will you be using the Roman mortar you told me about?”
“If I had the materials I would but we will use river clay. It will bind it and make it hard but we will need to renew it each year.“ He stroked his bald pate reflectively. “It might be a good job for the time after the harvest before the frosts. Even children could do it.”
I had noticed that one pair was working faster and more efficiently than the rest. “What can you tell me of those two? They seem to work well together.”
“The smaller one is Myrddyn. He comes from Wales and travelled a long way just to serve you. He is both clever and resourceful. He can both read and write. I am not sure he is cut out to be a warrior; it might be a waste to mis-use his talents.”
“How might you use this warrior then, if not as a warrior?”
“I would like to train him as a healer. He shows potential and it would be an asset to your retinue. A healer could save wounded men.” He pointed at my leg. “Had you not had a healer, Brother Patrick, you would now be lame.”
I could see the wisdom in his words. I will consider it but there will be no harm in his training as a horseman anyway would there?”
“No my lord.”
“And the other?”
“He is from Bernicia. He is the brother of someone called Riderch. He says you know of him?”
“Aye, he is a good warrior and the best man that Morcant Bulc has in his army. What is his name?”
“Ridwyn. He is a powerful warrior. See how he swings that hammer. That is why they are working faster than the others. Myrddyn has seen that he needs fewer blows and he spaces his chisel differently to the others.”
I watched the men working well as a team. The ones loading the wagons did so diligently and clearing the quarried stones to enable the stone cutters to work quickly. “Which one is Llofan?”
He threw me a curious look and then pointed at a warrior who was almost as big as Ridwyn. “The tall one there, the warrior who looks as though he has a bad smell under his nose.” I had noticed him before because whilst the others were working happily and bantering with each other he worked alone and seemed not to care whom he caught with the stones he carried. “I am curious my lord, why did you ask about him?”
I drew him to one side. “Garth said something about him which disturbed me. That he did not seem to work well with the other men. I can see for myself that this is true but what is your opinion?”
“He works hard it is true but he is a solitary m
an. When I was paying the men their stipend I heard them talk and he seems to be one that they all fear in some way. The other two from Bernicia, Ridwyn and Ardal, do not bother with him much which is strange as all the others who came together still sleep in the same part of the warrior hall. Llofan sleeps well away from the others.”
“Perhaps it would be wiser to send him back to Bernicia.”
“It might be wiser my lord, if you train him as a warrior and an archer and then when the kings come for the Christmas celebrations you can suggest to King Morcant Bulc that this man is so well trained that he would be a valuable leader for the Bernician army. That way you will ingratiate yourself with the king and rid yourself of a problem.”
It was a solution but there was something about this that I did not understand. “But why did he join if he is such a loner?”
The priest shrugged. “Perhaps some kind of feud at home, who knows? One of the others from Bernicia might be able to tell us. I will ask questions.” He saw my worried look. “Discreetly of course.”
Llofan apart, I was happy my recruits. They worked hard, Llofan included, and there was none of the griping and moaning I might have expected. I would never truly know them until I had fought alongside them but I was happy. I would speak with Garth about Myrddyn. What the priest had said had made sense.
Garth had finished the wooden wall when we returned. I told him of the plans for the stone wall and he smiled. “You were right my lord. This makes the men even stronger and digging such a ditch will be good for them. I explained to Garth about Oswald’s thoughts on Myrddyn. “He is a good man my lord. I had him earmarked as a future leader. Tuathal speaks well of him but I agree with Brother Oswald. A healer would be worth more than five warriors. We can always get more horsemen but unless we take Brother Oswald with us…”
“No. The Brother is too valuable here and if we take a healer with us then it should be one who can fight as a warrior too. I am glad that I spoke with you it has helped me to make up my mind. Send the young man to me after the meal and I will talk with him in the solar.”
A day in the open working hard gives a man an appetite and I ate well. Brother Oswald had used some of his honey to make some mead and it washed the food down well. I played with Hogan for a while until one of the slaves came to me. “My lord there is a warrior waiting for you in the solar. He says you sent for him.”
“Thank you. Take my son to his mother.” I could see, as I approached him, from the look on Myrddyn’s face that he thought he was in trouble. I smiled. “Sit down Myrddyn, you are not in trouble but I need to speak with you about… well we shall come to that. First, tell me your story. How does a man from Wales find himself in Rheged?”
He visibly relaxed. “My family lived on the Holy Island close to Mona. My parents were killed and sisters enslaved by Hibernian slavers.” He saw the question in my eyes. “It was wyrd which saved me. I had been looking for one of our lost sheep; I heard it bleating from below the ground and, when peering for it, I fell down a cleft in the rocks. I must have banged my head. When I came to the sheep was licking my face and I was at the bottom of a ravine. I shouted but no-one heard me. When I became accustomed to the dark I saw that the ravine became a cave with a pool. I led the sheep there and we drank. I thought that we were doomed to die in the deep, dark hole. I lost all hope.” He looked shamefaced. “I am sorry to say my lord that I cried.”
“There is no shame in that.”
“I must have fallen asleep but I had a strange dream or perhaps I was awake, I know not. A woman came to me from the water. She was beautiful and said that I would not die and there was a way out. She said to reach for the sun. And then she said, and this part made me wonder if I had misheard the first thing she had said, for she said that when I escaped I should serve her son in Rheged,” I suddenly felt an icy shiver run down my spine, “her son with the magical sword and the cloak of the Wolf. She told me to seek you, my lord.”
I would not have believed the boy but I could see no reason for a lie and the water and my mother were part of my dreams too. There did not appear to be deception in his eyes. Was it possible that two people could share the same dream and fate? I saw him looking at me. “And you obviously did escape. How?”
“I was confused which son she meant but I could see light above me and I knew that if I had fallen down then I should be able to get up. I had a coil of rope about me. We often carried one for sheep were always slipping down the cliffs. I tied the sheep about me and I began to climb. At first it seemed too high but I persevered. I kept putting one foot in front of the other and just climbed. The words of the water spirit kept running through my mind. I had heard of Rheged and its powerful king but I knew nothing of a sword and a wolf.” He nodded at me. “I can see it now but while I was climbing I was confused. I think that helped me to take my mind from my task and I suddenly found myself at the top of the cleft. When I emerged I could see the burning buildings that had been our village. I found a family which had escaped and they told me of the raid. We buried the dead and I decided that another power, greater than man, had determined my fate. “
There was silence in the solar, as the last rays of the sun dipped into the west. I still had many questions for the young man before me. “When was this?”
“Over a year ago.”
“Over a year? It took that long to find me?”
He laughed. “No, my lord. My mother’s father still lived. He was a holy man in a different part of the island. I went to him to tell him of my mother’s death and of my dream. It was he who told me of you and he said that it was wyrd. He said I needed preparing and he taught me some spells and some healing. He told me that he had waited for such a vision and then he could pass on his knowledge to me.” Myrddyn paused. “It seemed he was waiting to die but could not until I was trained. I learned many spells and much of his magic. He died in the spring and I journeyed north to find you.”
I did not doubt one word of his story and I could see the hand of wyrd and the gods all over this. “I believe you for I will now tell you why I have summoned you. Brother Oswald tells me that you would be wasted as a warrior and would be better employed as a healer. I agree with him but you joined as a warrior so what are your thoughts?”
He looked suddenly relieved. “I joined to serve you my lord and warriors were what you wanted. I would like to serve as a healer but my training was not complete when my grandfather died.”
“And wyrd has delivered you to the land where Brother Oswald will teach you what you need to know. But you should know that he will try to convert you to the White Christ.”
“That will be an interesting experience,” he paused, “for both of us!”
I laughed. “Welcome, then, Myrddyn my healer. Brother Oswald does not know what is about to befall him. For the time being you will continue to train as a warrior; the skills will not come amiss and I will speak with both Garth and Brother Oswald to arrange your future training.” And so Myrddyn entered our lives and nothing was ever the same again.
Chapter 6
I spoke with both Garth and Brother Oswald the next morning and explained my decision. They both nodded their agreement. I sat back in my chair. It had been ordered to be made for me by Aideen and it was padded; it was the most indulgent thing I had ever owned. It was as comfortable as sleeping on a bed. I looked at Brother Oswald. “You know, of course that he is a pagan and he believes in magic and witchcraft.”
Garth looked in amazement at both of us. Brother Oswald did not seem ill at ease with the idea. “There are many things the pagans believe which do not contradict my beliefs as a Christian and, to be honest, Lord Lann, I relish the meeting with a new mind. If I can increase my knowledge then that is a good thing and the boy seems Christian in attitude if not religion.”
I laughed, “As pragmatic as ever. Garth, he will continue to train under Tuanthal but tell him that he has my permission to spend as much time with the Brother as he needs; without, of course, drawing atten
tion to himself.”
“And what of the spy?”
Garth was suddenly aware that he had spoken in front of the priest and his face went white. I held up my hand. “You can always speak freely before the Brother. He has my complete trust.” I saw the holy man swell with pride and I wondered what penance he would have to do for such a sin. “Garth and I suspect that there is a spy or traitor within these walls.” I explained how we had gleaned our information.
“Your logic is good my lord. Like you I cannot believe that men who have fought and bled with you would betray you but there are others within these walls who are not warriors; slaves, smiths, cooks, maids. Any of them could have connections with the Saxons.”
I slapped my leg. “This is why this man is so invaluable to me. We need to keep watch for any one who leave the fort after dark.”
Garth looked puzzled. “Why after dark my lord?”
“We have patrols out during the day but not the night. “ I looked at the priest. “Can you arrange a shift system which rotates my officers? I want one of us on duty at night.”
“That would be Garth, Tuathal and Miach.”
“No, Brother Oswald, you are forgetting that I am an officer. I will share this burden.” I could see from their faces that they were not happy about this but I would share this burden with my men. I had to feel what they felt and experience what they did otherwise, like great kings, I would lose touch. I remembered my beginnings which were humble. I had been lucky to achieve what I had but I would not throw it away for the lack of a little sleep. ”And we need to find other officers to work below us. We can pay them more. I think we need another three for the warriors and another one for the slingers and the archers. That will be a start. And I want older warriors to be recruited to be the garrison. When we war next year I want to leave a garrison here to protect my wife, my family and Brother Oswald and his bees!” Their laughter told me I had the gauge of my men.
Aideen became not only broody about the castle and the family but about the warriors. One evening as she lay in my arms and we listened to the heartbeat of our unborn child she said. “It would look better if all your men looked as you do.”