by Griff Hosker
“Where were the boats? Were they in the middle of the river or closer to the camp?”
“Close to their camp, Lord Lann.”
Prince Ywain gave me a curious look, “Are you planning something?”
“Not if their boats are close to the camp but if they had been in the middle we could have fired them. Aella is too crafty for such a ruse to work. Adair, was there any sign of horses or movement?”
“No horses my lord but we saw them practising their formations, much as you do.”
“You have done well. Get some rest.”
“What do you make of it Lann?”
I noticed that all three of them were watching my face. I could now see why the king had asked for me. Prince Ywain was brave and a doughty warrior but planning was not his strength. “I think he means to cross the Dunum by boats. If he were heading west then he would have sent out probing patrols. Riderch, when is the tide at its highest?”
“There is a spring tide in about seven days.”
“Then that is when he will cross. We all assumed that he would wait for the crops to be sown and the animals born. He is not waiting for he has brought fresh warriors from his homeland. He can strike at any time.”
“But our forces will not be here for another four weeks.”
Riderch looked anxious. “King Morcant Bulc has no forces in this area. They all guard the homeland. If Aella crosses the river then he can ravage the whole land. The people would be defenceless.”
I looked at the map we had brought with us. If we left the bridge we were risking Aella heading east with nothing in his way. He would destroy all before him but if I was right, then he would capture the whole of Bernicia before we could assemble. “We need to slow him up and make him turn in this direction.”
“My lord, could we not march along the north bank of the Dunum and meet him as he lands. We would have the advantage.”
“We would indeed Garth but if he uses his ships then he can choose where he lands. He could even split his fleet and surround us; it is one of the perils of having such a small force. We must send messages to King Urien and King Morcant Bulc and tell them of the danger. If your king can move his forces south, Riderch, then it may help to slow down any advance they might make.”
“What of Elmet?”
The warriors promised from Elmet had not arrived. “They can fortify this place when they do arrive and supplement your men. What I propose is that we take the archers and the horsemen and make a night time attack on his camp. I will speak with Adair when he wakes but I suspect their numbers means that they will not have a strong guard.”
I could see that the Prince was not convinced. “Will he not then attack us here in the west or even begin his attack prematurely?”
“Either action works for us. If he attacks us here then we can do as we were ordered and slow him up. If he attacks early then we can harry and hinder him for he would have to do that piecemeal.” I shrugged. “It is less than perfect but I can see no other way.”
“Who would we use to attack the camp?”
“The equites and the archers; I would lead the archers in an attack while you and your horsemen were ready to support.”
Riderch smiled, “Fire arrows?”
“Fire arrows and we can try to fire some of their boats. I suspect the warriors they brought from over the sea might not be happy at having their means of escape taken from them. When we have stirred the nest of wasps then we retreat. They have no horses and any pursuit would be slow.”
“And if they did not pursue us?”
“Then we think of something else. I would also have Garth and Riderch take the Rheged warriors along the northern bank in case they do try to cross.”
Garth nodded but Prince Ywain looked shocked. “A handful of our warriors against five thousand fresh and determined Saxons; it is suicide?”
“I told you, my prince, they cannot cross all of them at once; as we found when we fought the Hibernians all those years ago. It is boatload by boat load. And they would not know it was such a small number. If Garth lines them along the bank, double spaced in a single line they will assume that the whole army is behind them. Garth’s task would be to slow them up and not to fight them. If they land in force then he has a fighting retreat. I will use the scouts to accompany him and then we can be kept informed. We will still have enough men here to slow them down. Adair said that it was a day’s ride to their camp which means that it would take them two days, at least to march here.”
“Unless they use their ships.”
“In which case, Riderch, we have them for the bridge halts them and the river here is only wide enough for one ship at a time. I checked when we were digging the ditches.” I paused to allow the ideas to sink in. “Any other plans or thoughts?”
They all shook their heads. “Then we leave tomorrow and Riderch will command the forces that are left here.”
Chapter 9
Leaving all of the scouts but Adair with Garth and Riderch we set off to the Saxon encampment. The steep bluffs above the river were visible almost as soon as we rode over the ridge south of the bridge. It was a clear crisp day and visibility was good. Adair rode next to Prince Ywain and me, keen to add any further information he might have omitted.
“You are sure you saw no ditches and no walls?”
“No, my lord. Their camp was not as ours; it seemed to have no order.”
“Good. And the ships were not beached?”
“No they were facing the northern shore.”
I turned to the prince. “It means they are almost ready to attack. They will be waiting until the river is as high as possible and that will make loading and unloading easier as well as ensuring that they do not ground and damage their boats for they will want the security of knowing they have an escape route.“
I noticed that Ywain was chewing his lip nervously. “What can two hundred men do against such a force?”
I shook my head, “I do not know but if we do nothing then King Morcant Bulc loses Bernicia and King Gwalliog loses Elmet. Your father’s army is not mustered. We have to hold them up for as long as possible and disrupt their plans. This may not work but if it does not then we will think of something else.” I sighed, “Prince Ywain, the Saxons have neither horses nor archers and we do. Not only that but we know that they are the finest soldiers of their kind anywhere. There may on be a few but we are mobile and we are better than the Saxons.”
He looked at me with a look which I did not understand. “How can you be as you are Lann? I began fighting when younger than you and yet you seem to take everything in your stride. You can even send your men off to what may be their certain death without a care in the world.”
“Then you do not know me at all. I care deeply about every one of those men and I believe they will live. I have trained Garth to be as I am and that means he will put the men’s lives first and he will not risk a battle if he thinks he will lose. Had the Saxons possessed horses then I might not have used this tactic but they are slow and they are ponderous. When they try to move swiftly they have no order and my men can beat any other force which is not organised. No, I have sent them to do a job for me and I will see them all again, Prince Ywain.”
He could tell by my tone that he had upset me. “I meant no offence Lann. I wish I could be like you but,” he lowered his voice so that Adair would not overhear. “I do not want to die. I want to return to my castle and my wife.”
“Nor do I wish to die and we will return to our wives and homes. It is those men who fear to die that are most likely to die. Believe that you will survive and you will increase your chances. You ask why we are different. I believe I can defeat anyone.”
“That is because you are the best warrior with a sword.”
“You forget that you trained me, Prince Ywain. Until I worked with you I was an archer. You taught me. You are a great swordsman. Believe that you can defeat every opponent and you shall.”
A change came over Prince
Ywain then; a change which lasted until the tragic events many months later. I think he needed someone to tell him that he could do it.
We did not stop for food. I wanted us in position and then we would eat. The valley of the Dunum was wide except for the place where Aella had camped. Across the river the land was flat and featureless. There was no obstacle before him. I had heard of a Roman Road which ran north and I knew he would make for that. If this plan failed then I would take our mounted men and try to ambush him there. I was not sure this would work but if we could kill some of his men and damage some of his ships then the confidence of those newer troops who had just joined him might be damaged.
We found a wooded area which Adair said was five miles from the Saxons. The men needed rest but I would go with Adair and see for myself the task which faced us. Prince Ywain seemed happy to remain with our pitiful force of archers and horsemen. The land was swampy and low in places with small woods and areas of tangled and unruly shrubs. It would not afford good cover. Night was falling as we approached the camp which was lit by a thousand fires. We dismounted in a small copse and I took my bow with me. Adair still used a sling and he was deadly accurate.
My cloak made me almost invisible as we hurried towards the first of the fires. I could see that they had hunted and fished by the smells which emanated from the camp fires. The noise and banter seemed to indicate that they were in good spirits. I also saw that they were drinking which meant their reactions would not be as they should be. We headed towards the river. As soon as we reached it I could see why Aella had chosen this as his camp. The river had a huge loop which meant he could anchor all of his ships and yet provide them with protection. The water surrounded three sides of the camp and it was just the place Adair had brought me that had neither water nor ditch. I estimated that the nearest ships were just forty paces from the shore. They were easily in range of my archers. This would be where we would attack. His sentries would be complacent and not expecting an attack. They would get a surprise when we did attack.
I led us along the river for I wanted to scout out a retreat. The ground rose slightly and seemed quite firm and that gave me hope; it meant that we could move swiftly and safely. Suddenly I spied something which gave me even more hope. There was a small oared boat moored close to the bank. It was either a Saxon one or one left by the inhabitants who had once lived here. It gave me the last piece of information I needed. We returned to the horses and then headed back to the camp.
I was starving when we returned and I quickly wolfed down some food and washed it down with warm beer. “We can do this Prince Ywain.” Turning to the archers I said, “Gather kindling. I want dry material. Miach find an empty beer jug. Dry it and put kindling inside. We need to light it for the fire arrows.”He had used this before and he nodded before finding one of the many empty jugs.
Prince Ywain seemed ready for the fight.“Well Lann. What do we do?”
“There is a low ridge close to the river; about four hundred paces from it. There are trees and shrubs at the top and it will hide your numbers. You and the horsemen will wait there. We will fire the ships and the camp and retreat. They will only have eyes for me and my men and it will be dark. They are drinking.” I allowed the significance of that to sink in. “You fall upon the flanks of the warriors who chase us; no cheering just kill as many as you can and then join us. They will be their best warriors and they will have their backs to you. Kill, kill and then kill some more but do not risk our men. I will halt my archers a mile down river and when you come we will cover your retreat. “
I saw his smile in the dark. “It sounds as though we do have a chance.”
We reached the ridge and the horsemen could see the camp less than a mile away. “You were right Lann. This will afford us both cover and height.” He grasped my arm. “Be safe. We need the Wolf Warrior.”
At the river we tied the horses to the scrubby bushes. The horses had grazing and they were tired; they would not move. We found the boat. “Fill it with kindling. Adair I want you to stay here and count to five hundred. Then light the kindling and push the boat off. It will float down river.”
“Excellent my lord but if I pull it further downstream then we have more chance of it hitting the other ships. That way I can watch for your arrows and we will be certain.”
“Very well. Miach, detail an archer to help Adair.”
We moved like wraiths though the night. It was long after midnight and I hoped that they would all be asleep. We had identified the best ten archers and we would kill any sentries and then the archers would rain fire down on the camp. Half of the archers were detailed to fire the boats. As we halted I whispered my last command. “I want no heroes. When I say leave then we leave and Miach, if I am dead, then you command.”
His serious, “Yes my lord,” had the desired effect on the men. They would not take risks. We crept to within forty paces of the Saxon camp. Our eyes were accustomed to the night and we could see the sentries outlined by the fading fires. They made our life easy for they congregated in small groups. My archers and Raibeart’s could release three arrows in the blink of an eye and twenty sentries fell to their silent deaths. Without a pause the fire arrows began to soar into the air. There was no one to watch them and I saw the flames flicker and grow as they struck tents, wagons and, from the screams within, men. The archers who had been detailed to the boats had done a good job and I could see many ablaze and, even better, the ghostly shape of the small fire boat sneaking down the river to engulf other ships with flames.
“Use ordinary arrows!” I did not want our position identified and we could now see our targets quite clearly as the Saxons ran from their tents to seek this hidden enemy. Many ran to save their boats and they were slaughtered by my marksmen. I knew that this could not last and someone would take charge. I saw a helmeted warrior point over to us although I knew he could not see us. “One more arrow each and then back to the horses!” We all released and then we ran, like foxes pursued by hounds.
They were forty paces behind us and their eyes were not attuned to the dark. I almost laughed as I heard them trip and fall over dead men, tufts of wild grass, mounds and small bushes. As I ran I notched an arrow and then I suddenly stopped, turned around and released it at the nearest warrior. It was the helmeted leader and the arrow struck him in the stomach. I did not stop to see how he fared, I ran, knowing that they would be warier now.
I heard Adair yell, “Here my lord!” And I ran in the direction of his voice. He had my horse and, as I mounted, I heard the whirr of his slingshot as he killed the warrior who was but twenty paces behind me.
Those who had mounted first also sent arrows at the enemy. “Retreat!”
I glanced over my shoulder. It was as though we had kicked over a wasp’s nest. They angrily buzzed after us. They could now see us and they veered towards the river. This was as I had hoped. “Do not tire your horses. Keep a steady pace!” I had to remember that these were not horsemen; these were archers who had been taught to ride. I knew that we could outrun them. I also knew that the surprise of a hundred horsemen falling among them would be even more devastating if they thought that they were about to catch us.
The angry buzz became louder as they came within thirty paces. Then I turned in my saddle as I heard a wail of anguish and Prince Ywain and his equites hacked and slashed at the unprotected backs of the Saxons. The pursuit stopped and I kicked on. After a half mile I shouted. “Halt! Turn and ready an arrow.” Their eager faces told me that they knew what we were doing. I could see swords rising and falling and hear the clash of steel on steel and wood and then the line of horsemen came galloping towards us.
“Leave a gap in the middle. Rheged to me!” Those at the front veered towards the line of horsemen and gratefully galloped through. Their horses carried armour and they were more tired than we. I knew that we needed to hold the Saxons for a while longer or they would catch horsemen on blown horses. I saw Prince Ywain grimace as he nodded to me and gallop
ed through and then all I saw was a broken wall of Saxons. “Release!” A hundred arrows and then a hundred more punched the line of Saxons back as though they had been struck by a stick. By the third volley they had halted.
I deemed that we had given Ywain long enough and I shouted, “Retreat!” I notched an arrow and waited as my men thundered away behind me. I could see that they were watching me and I also knew that they knew who I was. My cloak and my helmet let them know who I was. I saw a war chief begin to rally the flagging men and I took aim. The arrow went straight through his throat and his stunned warriors stood in awe. I slung my bow, turned around and slowly rode off. Had any of my men done the same they would have had the sharp edge of my tongue but I was making a point; the Wolf Warrior did not fear the Saxons.
Miach was waiting for me and I saw the look of disapproval in his eyes and his tone. “A bit unnecessary my lord. What would Lady Aideen do to me if I returned with just your body?”
“I just wanted them to know who we are and what we are about. They will now fear us a little more and hate us but the fear will give us the edge.”
Dawn was breaking when we halted at the narrow part of the Dunum. It gave us the chance to see to the wounded. Two of the prince’s men had died and others were wounded. He had taken a cut to the leg but it was not serious. I think he was relieved to have been struck and survived. I wondered how my healer was doing. He was probably being more usefully employed in the Saxon camp. We might have even been close enough to see him and the unpleasant thought crossed my mind that one of our arrows could have accidentally killed him. Then the memory of his vision flashed into my head and I knew that he was safe.
I tended to the prince’s wound myself. I had learned much from Myrddyn. “You were right Lann. That felt good. I was unlucky to be struck by the axe, it was meant for another.” I smiled. He was becoming his old self again. “What now?”