by Griff Hosker
I joined my two warriors as they led their fifty man patrol around the outside of the swamps. Sometimes the horses sank to their haunches but those occasions were rare and we found ourselves at a beach with the fleet less than fifty paces away. The boom was moored across the river and consisted of logs joined by ropes. Although there were a few warriors guarding it I could see that it would not take much to disrupt it and make it a menace to the fleet but the time for that was to come. More importantly they had spread their ships out so that they had sea room between them. I intended to change that. I turned to Miach. “Tomorrow, when you come with Tuanthal I want you to loose arrows at the ships furthest away. I want them closer together and nearer to the shore.”
Tuanthal looked sceptical. “They will know what we are about my lord.”
“True but what is the alternative? They will huddle together for self protection. When they do so then we will stop hitting them.”
When we returned to our camp I confided in Raibeart and Myrddyn; they needed to know what the plans were and I wanted their ideas. Both of them made sound suggestions. I looked at the progress on the causeway. Within two days we would be in a position to attack. We had those two days to plot a way through the bogs to the walls. That night Myrddyn, Raibeart, Pol and, I crossed over to the wall. We sank into marshes, we fell into pools but we made it to the wall. There were no guards; we went a long way in each direction, just to make sure. They were relying on the land to protect them. As we returned we marked the path with rocks which were only visible from the north. Anyone watching from within would not see them. As a test of our skill I sent two of my remaining warriors over the next night and they came back cleaner than we had; it had worked.
When I approached Angus and told him what we had planned for the Saxon fleet his face lit into an inevitable grin. Myrddyn had worked out how to make the missile burn. “We have a mixture of oil and wax with this resin from some pine trees. The problem will be the rope; you will need to be quick or it will burn through.” Angus looked quite happy at that. “And the other problem we have is that we have to keep this a secret until you attack the fleet.”
“That will not be a problem.”
Chapter 14
The Saxons finally reacted to the causeway when it came within a hundred and thirty paces and they charged out to assault the builders; we lost our first men as we completed the last thirty paces. The eight men who died were a small price to pay and we left ten archers to discourage them from destroying our work. That night King Urien briefed the officers and kings. He made no mention of the attack on the fleet or our attack on the walls; instead he said that we would have a night attack the following night led by the warriors under the command of Riderch and Garth. King Rhydderch Hael and King Gwalliog wanted to lead their men too but King Urien persuaded them that this attack was to test for weaknesses and the real attack would come in the morning. I saw King Morcant Bulc and Bladud glance in my direction as my name had not been mentioned but they could not ask the reason without drawing attention to themselves. I had more on my mind, for we would need to dress without armour for our foray. I would be leaving my banner and Saxon Slayer at the camp; what we were about needed stealth and not brute force.
The Saxons were no fools and the building of the causeway had warned them of some impending attack. The wall facing the gateway bristled with warriors. Garth and Riderch formed the men up as though they were going to attack and to keep the Saxon’s attention on our warriors. The timing would be difficult for we were not exactly certain how long it would take for us to reach the wall but, even if the attack began early, it would not matter much. I led the way hidden from prying eyes by my wolf cloak and a route which took us away from our camp and through scrubby, untidy bushes which seemed filled with thorns but gave good cover. Even though we had scouted the wall twice and seen no sentries it might just be that they chose this night to patrol. Raibeart had an arrow notched in case there was one on the wall. We were a hundred paces from the wall when the horn sounded three times, its strident notes sounding unnaturally loud in the silent night. A moment later the black night sky was lit by a flaming arrow arcing into the walls. Riderch and Garth would be leading the warriors to attack the walls at the front of the stronghold.
We hurried the last few paces to the wooden walls. They had used wooden stakes as high as a man. Two of my larger warriors held their shield and Pol jumped on to the top. They slowly raised him and he peered over. He leaned back and whispered, “Clear.” Although whispering was unnecessary as the battle at the gate was raging and nothing could be heard above the clamour and clash of metal on metal. Pol lithely jumped over and all along the wall pairs of warriors hoisted over archers. Raibeart and I were the first of the warriors over with Scean a close third. We had only brought twenty warriors but they would be enough to do what we had to do; make a hole for the rest to pour through and protect the precious archers.
We attached ropes to the top of the palisade and, with the archers inside pushing and the rest of us pulling, we tore a thirty pace section of the wall out of the ground. While the archers watched for any curious Saxons, the warriors dismantled the demolished wall to build a barricade we could use as a refuge. It was infuriating for me to hear the noise of battle but neither see nor participate. We just had to do our job as best we could. We sent a scout back to tell the king that we had succeeded; we had another way into the fortress. Leaving Myrddyn in charge of four warriors and ten archers to guard our escape, should we need it Raibeart and I led the rest of our force towards the main gate.
We wandered through the untidy camp filled with dung pits and tents. We would not see the front gate for the hill ran away from us and bushes and trees hid it. The experience was nerve wracking as we watched for Saxons who could approach from any direction and for the mess we had to avoid. Suddenly we stopped as we heard a roar. For the briefest of moments I thought that we had been seen but, in the sky to the south I saw flames leaping into the air. Their fleet was afire and the roar was from the garrison. “Form a defensive line. We will soon have company.”
Raibeart and I stood in the middle, Pol and Scean guarding our backs. Next to us were the forty archers and, before us the handful of warriors with locked shields. Someone had ordered a war band from the front gate to go to the river and deal with the threat there. The forty two arrows took them completely by surprise; none had their shields up and they were not looking for danger within their own camp. A second volley and a third left the handful of wounded Saxons to be despatched by my warriors. I waited for a second assault but, so devastating had been our attack that no alarm had been raised and we moved slowly forwards. The foliage ended just where the hill dropped away and we could see the bitter battle between the warriors who were armed and armoured in the same way. I had the chance to look beyond the gate and I could just make out the kings and the body of horsemen they held in reserve to assault the stronghold when we broke through.
There were more than enough targets for us but we had to choose the correct ones. Raibeart pointed. “If we concentrate our arrows on the men just behind the main gate then Garth should be able to push through.”
“You heard Lord Raibeart. On my command, loose and keep loosing until we have no arrows left.” We had left spare quivers at the refuge. If we failed here then we would have to make a last stand there. I hoped it would not come to that.”Loose!”
The rain of arrows was devastating. The hill meant they plunged down and there were no shields to protect the backs of the warrior; it was as though they were being attacked by their own men. It had been some time since I had used my bow but I kept pulling until I thought my arm would drop off. I put my hand into my quiver and it was empty.
I saw Pol’s ginning face. “That is it my lord, now it is time for the sword.” He held out his hand and I gave him my bow. I drew the sword I had chosen to use. It was shorter than Saxon Slayer but it was handier in confused night fighting.
Our rain of arrows ha
d had two effects: Garth and his men had broken through and two hundred warriors were climbing the hill towards us. If I had run out of arrows then the others would have too. If we retreated there would be two hundred less warriors to fight Garth and his men as I knew they would follow my wolf banner. “Retreat! To the refuge.”
This time we took no care and ran as fast as we could oblivious to any mess and noise. I was pleased to see that the men we had left had made the barrier higher. We would have somewhere to defend. Arrows flew over our heads and I heard the screams as they struck the pursuing Saxons. We ran around the sides of the barrier and took our places behind it. The archers frantically grabbed the quivers and began killing the Saxons who had almost caught us. I punched my shield at the face which appeared before me and then sliced across his bared throat. Pol had sharpened this blade as well as Saxon Slayer but I knew that within the hour it would be dull for there were many bodies for it to kill. Raibeart had drawn his sword as had Scean and the three of us formed an island with Pol using a spear thrown at us by the Saxons to jab at any leg he saw. Ten of our warriors lay dead before us, overwhelmed by the sheer numbers but they had bought enough time for the archers to make their presence felt and the Saxons were desperate to get to me and my wolf standard.
Suddenly there were no Saxons before us. They were dead or dying. “Quickly find any arrows out there. Pol, come with me and we will see how the battle at the gate goes.”
As we ran I risked a glance over my shoulder and saw that the sky was bright with the conflagration on the river. That part of our plan had succeeded. When we reached the ridge I could see that Aella had formed a huge shield wall. There had to be two thousand men in concentric circles. It seemed he had gathered all of his remaining warriors and was making his stand, much as we had attempted at Dunelm, at the top of the hill. We did not have enough archers to whittle the band down to size and it would be up to Garth, Riderch and the other warriors to resolve the conflict.
“Pol, bring Raibeart and the others here.” We could, at least, keep the Saxons pinned down but I could see from my vantage point that Garth and his men had slowed up considerably.
Raibeart and the twenty archers who remained joined us. “Let us try to help Garth. Aim at the warriors before him.” I knew that Garth could defeat any Saxon but, with a fresh man to deal with each time you killed one the odds soon went in favour of the enemy. When we ran out of arrows we became spectators and that was harder than anything I had borne before. The Saxon lines were shrinking but, as they did so they had more men available to face ours and when I saw Garth fall I felt sure that we had lost.
I heard the horn sound fall back. Raibeart looked at me. “We have failed.”
I shook my head. “No we have not. That was not ‘retreat’, that command was ‘fall back’. It is King Urien who commands and he is giving the men some rest.” I pointed to the east. “Look dawn approaches and with it comes hope. They do say it is darkest before the dawn well so it is but we have not lost and,” I pointed to the south, “from the fires we can see then Angus has, at least, destroyed some of their fleet.” I turned to the archers. “Get yourselves swords and shields we will add our weight to the fray.”
Although they did not have the mail of the heavier armed swordsmen my archers were strong and quick. They would use their speed to achieve victory. I heard the horn sound charge and looked down to see King Urien and the other kings charging the Saxons with their equites. There were three lines and I knew that would be a hundred warriors in each line. I wondered if he had taken leave of his senses for their horses would be halted by the wall of shields and they would be defeated. I held my breath as they closed to within thirty paces and then breathed again as they all hurled a javelin or a spear and retreated. The second line and the third repeated the action and then Riderch led the warriors back up the hill for a second time. They had had a brief rest but the Saxons had been decimated by the javelins and spears. I could see Aella busily reinforcing his sagging front line.
Suddenly a warrior appeared from behind me. It was one of Tuanthal’s men. “My lord, we have fired the fleet and they have either fled or sunk. Lord Angus asks for instructions.”
“Tell them to join me here.”
My hope rose with that news but I saw the remnants of the fleet defenders join Aella. He too had been reinforced and now he knew that he was cornered. He had no escape. He either defeated us or he perished!
I had intended to join the attack but I decided to wait until I too was reinforced. Riderch and his men had closed with the Saxons and I could see that his brother was to his right. They were a formidable combination and I knew that they would hold the Saxons but I was not sure how we would break their shield wall. We were evenly matched and the Saxons had the advantage of higher ground. Tuanthal galloped up. He had thirty men with him and Angus huffed and puffed with his fifty warriors and the twenty archers under Miach. We now had enough men to cause some problems for Aella.
“Well done Tuanthal. You have done well.”
He grinned. “No my lord, Angus and his men were the secret. They hurled their flaming rocks.” He nodded to Myrddyn who was tending to some of the wounded. “Your concoction worked well healer. The ships were so close together that they set fire to their fellows. The ones, who could, fled and then we attacked the men on the shore. They fought well but then a messenger came to them and they withdrew.”
“Have you javelins?”
“Some of us have; why?”
“I want you and your men to charge the Saxons and release your javelins at thirty paces.”
Tuanthal looked at the handful of men he had left and then at the Saxon horde. “My lord it will be like spitting into the wind.”
“No Tuanthal it will make Aella think we have a larger force than we do. With Miach and Raibeart’s archers we can cause problems here and then Angus and I will attack their shield wall.” I pointed down the hill and raised my voice so that all could hear. “We cannot win the battle; that will be King Urien’s task but we can distract the enemy. We are not going to throw our lives away for when we have assaulted them we will withdraw and they will think we are retreating. When they do so then the archers will attack them and the horse can charge.”
Tuanthal nodded, “I am sorry for doubting you my lord.”
“Do not worry, Tuanthal, I sometimes doubt myself.”
Angus thrust a huge ham like hand around my shoulder, “I like you wee man! You are a mad bugger. Life is never dull when you are around.”
We formed into our lines as yet unobserved by Aella who was busily feeding more men into the front ranks as Riderch hurled his men at the Saxon lines. Tuanthal’s javelins and Miach’s arrows did little damage but they did alert Aella to our presence and as my standard began to move towards the Saxons he quickly moved reinforcements to that side of the perimeter. Angus was to my right and he carried a huge two handed sword. His men were to his right and to my left I had the ten warriors and archers left from our attacks. Angus swung his sword and I looked on in amazement as he sliced off three heads in one blow. I took advantage of the gap and stabbed forwards at the next man in line. The men from Strathclyde were awesome and must have terrified the Saxons.
Behind me I heard Scean. “My lord, we are about to be surrounded.”
“Retreat!”
The men were ready and everyone struck out with his shield and moved swiftly back. As the Saxons tried to close with us Raibeart and Miach rained arrows at them and Tuanthal’s men raced in dealing death with their long swords. Riderch and his men sensed the hesitation and pushed forwards, shrinking the perimeter even more. The Strathclyde men with their king then added their own deadly hail of rocks and hammer to pound and grind at men already reeling from continuous attacks. Whereas our men were able to gain some respite whilst another arm attacked the same Saxon warriors each faced different foes; we were on all sides now.
I heard the recall sound. “Tuanthal, when the king attacks so shall you. Raibear
t and Miach support the horsemen when they charge in.” I knew that our attack would be as a pinprick but if it divided the Saxon attention then so much the better. I saw Myrddyn with our wounded. His presence in this campaign had saved so many warriors that I thought about asking Brother Oswald for another three for the rest of the army.
He glanced up at me. “So far my weapon has remained sheathed.”
“No Myrddyn, for you have used a more powerful weapon, the weapon of your mind.”
I heard the call for the charge and the horsemen thundered in. This time they were ready with their shields but all that that did was to make the shields unwieldy as they could not free them of the javelins; when they tried the arrows ended their attempts quickly. The next attack would be the last. Riderch and Ridwyn now led a wedge towards the Saxons while Prince Pasgen and the men of Elmet led another. King Urien was making two parts of the shield wall weaker. “How many arrows brother?”
“Less than five each.”
“Then loose them and arm yourselves with swords. The next time I order charge we all go in and support the king.”
Their arrows fell on the unprotected backs of the men in the front ranks and I could see the shield wall was precariously thin. Then I heard the sound for the charge and the wailing of the dragon standard told me that it was King Urien and his equites who were charging. They charged in a wedge at the point between Pasgen and Riderch. It takes a brave man to stand up to charging horses and the Saxons had had enough. They broke. We too charged but it was not a wedge we all ran as individuals. My aim was not to break through but make the Saxons think we were attacking from all sides.
As the Saxons ran before the mailed horsemen Aella’s bodyguards formed a defensive ring around their king; they were the elite and they were oathsworn. Other Saxons still fought but none could stand before the King, his men and his fellow kings. King Urien’s blade flashed in the first light of dawn and I could see the blood running in rivers from its silvery edge. The Saxons who faced us were nervous and, glancing over your shoulder is not effective when you are fighting warriors who mean to kill you. Even Pol with his seax and small shield was able to pierce the defence of warriors who feared what was behind them as well as what was in front.