Saxon Bane

by Griff Hosker

  My poor little brother was about to break. I saw why he had had the guilty look on his face. It was because he thought he had let me down. I suddenly realised that I was the head of the family now. I not only had my own sons and children to care for but the rest of the family too. I had to be careful with Gawan; I did not want him to break. That thought made me think of my step mother. She would need help too for her heart would lie broken when she found out. I would have to tell Myfanwy. Her world would be destroyed.

  “Brother you need not reproach yourself. Tuanthal was right. Father knew it was coming and he faced his death like a man. He was the true Wolf Warrior. He sent you away to save what he loved, his family and Rheged. He always put himself last. He kept everything inside. I think the only one who peered into his heart was Myrddyn and it will hit the old man hard. It will be harder for the living to bear the loss.”

  We rode in silence for a while. I did not know what the others were thinking but I knew that I was regretting not having spoken to him more. I now remembered all the times we had sat in the solar and he had spoken to us. Now I knew that he was aware of his death it became even more painful. I wished I had told him, when he was still alive, how he was the greatest man I had ever known. If I could be half the warrior, the Warlord, and the father that he had been then I would be a happy man. As we passed over the battlefield which was already covered in the magpies and crows feasting on the dead I smiled, ruefully. This had been his victory. He had planned to perfection and used all of our skills and warriors. Nothing had been wasted. Had he been leading then perhaps the disaster of King Fiachnae mac Báetáin and his wild warriors might have been averted and we would have had a complete victory. That was not our doing. That was wyrd.

  There were a knot of warriors gathered around the knoll. These were the wounded warriors who had not the energy to pursue and they were the scouts sent by Aedh. Our father’s body lay covered with his old wolf cloak. He had not used it for years but it had always accompanied us when we were on campaign. It marked him for who he was. Next to him lay the wolf standard. Both would accompany him to the Otherworld. Neither would go to war again. I looked for his sword. Saxon Slayer was nowhere to be seen.

  Myrddyn struggled to his feet as we approached. He looked pale but his eyes were sharp. The wizard was back. “Where is Saxon Slayer?”

  “Morcar took it.”

  I looked at Gawan. “Then you hold something valuable.” I smiled at Myrddyn. “Father gave the scabbard to Gawan for safe keeping.”

  “He knew Morcar would kill him. He saw it as I did in a dream. At first he did not believe it but after Morcar’s abduction the youth changed. Your father saw it clearly the day that he announced that you would be Warlord. Morcar was the only one who did not celebrate.”

  “If he knew then why did he not do something about it?”

  “Because, Warlord, he was the sacrifice. He had to die so that Rheged could live. His time was over. You cannot change what is planned for you by the spirits. It was wyrd.” Suddenly the old man’s voice became thick with emotion. “You do not think that I enjoy losing my dearest and my oldest friend, do you? I walked the length of the country to serve him and I serve him still. I will serve you as I served him for I can see him in you.” He turned to Gawan, “And in you. The best of the Warlord lives in you both. You, Hogan Lann, are the Warlord and the leader and you, Gawan, are the one who will speak with the spirit world. Together you are more powerful than you father ever was and that was why he needed to die. His time was done. The day of the Wolf Warrior is over.”

  I pulled the cloak back. He looked at peace. “How was he killed?”

  Myrddyn pulled the byrnie to one side and there was a narrow cut. “There, he was stabbed.”

  I could not believe that such a tiny wound had killed a man who had suffered much worse before. “But that is just a tiny scratch. He survived much worse wounds before now.”

  “Aye a scratch from a small blade but the blade was tipped with Wolf’s Bane. It was poisoned and deadly; a scratch would be enough to kill. The witch knew her poisons. It was chosen to kill the Wolf Warrior. He was the last of the Wolf Brethren.”

  “The witch.”

  “The witch, aye. And there I blame myself for I was blinded by her. She used her own witchcraft to blind my senses and I saw what I wished to see. She and her sisters are more dangerous than Edwin or the sons of Aethelfrith. It was she who poisoned the mushrooms and when that failed Morcar had to take matters into his own hand.” He looked at Gawan. “Had your father not sent you then you too would lie dead here. The spirits saved your life. Remember that.”

  Aedh galloped up. “Have your scouts found anything?”

  He nodded grimly, “Aye death. I found the headless corpses of my men close to Stanwyck. There were some of Oswald’s men there.”

  “How do you know?”

  “My men killed two of them.”

  Myrddyn shook his head. “I was blinded by that young witch. This has all been carefully planned.”

  “By Oswald and Oswiu?”

  “Oswald is the cunning one. This was planned from the moment we set foot in Dál nAraidi. He worked on Morcar as the weakest vessel and then used his witch to ensure that his plan succeeded. He has done all of this to get the Saxon Slayer. With that weapon he can win over the Saxons of Northumbria. We have helped them by destroying Edwin’s army.”

  “And what is in it for Morcar?” I found it hard to believe that my cousin had changed so much. “He is no Saxon.”

  “But he would be a king and a king of Rheged ruled by Saxons is better than being no king at all.”

  Gawan showed his disbelief too. “Is he that shallow?”

  “I fear he is. Raibeart was a good leader and a loyal brother but he was not a good father. He indulged his son.” Myrddyn smiled, “Something you could never accuse Lord Lann of. You two were treated in the same way as every warrior he trained and he made no allowances for your blood.” He covered the face with the cloak.

  “Do we bury him here?” As much as I wanted to take my father home I knew that it would take too long and the body would have begun to decompose long before we reached his wife.

  “No, your father saw his tomb. We will take him there.”

  “Where is it?”

  “In the dream cave at Wyddfa.”

  “But his body…”

  “You remember when you were in Constantinopolis, Warlord?”

  “I do.”

  “There were books and papers there about the Egyptians who mummified their dead Pharaohs so that their remains were preserved. I read them and I believe that I can do that for Lord Lann.”

  I did not want to know the details but I knew that it would please my mother to see his face one more time before he was buried. “How long will it take?”

  “We cannot leave until tomorrow.”

  “And Aedh, can your men pick up their trail?”

  “They can but with a head start like that they could be anywhere.”

  “You cannot find them?”

  His faced hardened. “I will find them, never fear, Warlord. I am just saying that this will not be quick.”

  “It does not need to be. We just have to find the sword and avenge the Warlord. There is no greater quest. We have a leader to bury first. Tuanthal gather your men we will leave tomorrow. I will ride to King Cadwallon. He can command until I have found Morcar and the sword.”

  “I will come with you.”

  Myrddyn shook his head. “No Gawan. I need you to help me.”

  My brother paled, “But why?”

  Myrddyn spread his arms. “Because when I die I wish you to preserve my body. You will need to watch what I do so that you can repeat it for me.” His eyes bored into Gawan, “I have dreamed my death too.”

  Chapter 18

  It was night time when I caught up with King Cadwallon. My men and I had changed horses so that we could make a fast time but even so it was late when we arrived. The king and t
he rest of the army had surrounded Eboracum. “He is within the walls of Eboracum with five hundred of his warriors. We have him trapped. He cannot escape, Warlord.” My captain of spears bowed.

  I suddenly saw Bors and the others in a different light. I was used to commanding but now I had supreme command. Even King Cadwallon would follow my orders.

  “We have won a great victory, Warlord.”

  “But at too great a cost.” I told them all that had befallen us.”

  King Fiachnae mac Báetáin looked distraught. It was almost as though his father had died. “This is my fault. If my men had not disobeyed their orders then the Warlord would still be alive.”

  King Cadwallon said quietly, “But this Warlord is still alive and I think that Lord Lann would not have this any other way. Is that not right Lord Hogan Lann?”

  “Do not upset yourself. My father knew he would be killed by Morcar. It was wyrd; it was meant to be. He sent us all away so that only he would be hurt by Morcar. He was a great man with a vision I can only dream of.”

  “Nevertheless I will train my warriors now so that they are as disciplined as yours.”

  “Good for we will need them before too long. We have many enemies to defeat.”

  I looked at their expectant faces and noted that they were all tinged with sympathy. I did not need sympathy. I needed revenge. I forced my mind to clear so that I could focus on the task in hand. I was going to leave them.

  “I am here to tell you that I go to bury my father and then seek his killer and return Saxon Slayer to its rightful home. I will just use Tuanthal and his men. I will not take away any of the equites. Aedh is already hunting Morcar.”

  Penda looked worried. “But what of King Edwin and the Northumbrians? What of the alliance?”

  “The alliance continues. You do not need the Warlord here. Eventually Edwin will surrender and we will have won.”

  “Suppose he does not surrender?”

  “Then he will fight and lose. Either way we win.”

  King Cadwallon grasped my arm. “You are right, Warlord. Go and bring his killer to justice. When Edwin is finished then we will return to Wyddfa and pay homage to the warrior who saved Rheged.”

  “Thank you.

  I took just Garth ap Daffydd with me. He was my squire and almost ready to be an equite. This would be a good test for him but I needed someone I could trust and, outside of my brother and my captains, he was the only one. Oswald had spies in our camp and our army. They did not wear a sign. As Morcar had shown it could be anybody. We took spare horses from my hundred. They were fresher than the ones we had ridden hard.

  Garth talked all the way north. Part of it was to keep me awake but he was also as shocked as any by the treachery. He had grown up in the fort at The Narrows. As the grandson of Miach the archer he knew of the traditions which ran through our army and our warriors. He had known Morcar for my father had placed him with me to test his suitability as an equite. Morcar did not have what it took to be an equite. He had been a good rider and a good swordsman but he did not work well with others. He was intolerant of the mistakes of everyone else yet he saw not his own flaws. Worse than that, he was loath to help anybody. His enlistment had been brief and I wondered what my father had planned for him. That was the trouble; I had not spoken to him when I had had the chance and now the chance was gone forever. I would not be dreaming in the cave. I was a little jealous. Gawan would speak with our father again and I would have to make do with second hand voices.

  I was suddenly aware that Garth was watching me. “Sorry, Garth, what did you say?”

  “I was just asking, Warlord, where would Morcar go?”

  “That is a good question and I have been wracking my brains for an idea. It will be to the west. Hibernia or Manau would be most likely.” At the back of my mind was something which my father had said early on in the campaign. How Morgause had two sisters and the Saxons had put them in different villages. Now that we knew that Morgause had been placed there by Oswald then we knew that the Saxons we had captured belonged to him. At the same time there were at least two more villages on the west coast with two more witches. I could now see the clever plan. Morcar must have been seduced or suborned in Hibernia. I had no idea how. He had been the spy the captured Saxons had spoken of. He had been passing information to his new masters and would have known our route. Oswald had laid his human caltrops well. Had we not stumbled upon Morgause there were two more opportunities. There were two more witches in my land and they would need to be dealt with. If I left them then their evil would grow and multiply.

  “King Fiachnae mac Báetáin should be able to help if they have gone to Hibernia.”

  I knew that Garth was just filling the silence and making conversation but he had stumbled upon something. “He will not be in Hibernia any longer. He knows that we now have an ally there. He will not risk us following there. He will need somewhere he can hide and defend. He will either be on Manau or the west coast. Well done, Garth!”

  Although he looked pleased I could see that he didn’t know what he had said that had brought that reaction. “We will follow then?”

  “As soon as we have changed horses we will try to pick up his trail.”

  “And your father’s body?”

  “The wounded warriors will be a fitting escort for the Warlord of Rheged. The Wolf Warrior may not have his wolf brethren with him but he will have noble warriors who are true of heart.”

  It was the middle of the night when we reached the camp. Tuanthal had many guards around the perimeter. He was taking no chances. The captain of the guard awoke him when we arrived. By the time he had joined us I had reached the fire and there I found Myrddyn huddled under a cloak. His hooded eyes flashed open when I approached. He looked drawn.

  “We will leave first thing, Tuanthal. The wounded warriors and some of your older horseman can accompany Myrddyn and,” I paused as though saying the words might repeat the deed, “my father.”

  “Will we have enough men?”

  “We do not seek an army. We seek a snake and a witch. It will be enough.”

  He half turned and then he smiled as he said, “You will be as good a Warlord as your father. It will just be a different Warlord.”

  He walked to the other side of the fire and lay down. I looked back at Myrddyn whose eyes had searched my face as I had spoken with Tuanthal. There was an unspoken question in my head. Had he finished his grisly task of mummifying my father? He seemed to know it for he nodded and said, “It is done.”

  “How…?”

  He chuckled, “Your father asked me that many times. I find it easier reading your brother’s thoughts but it will improve as time goes on. Like your father I am aware of the passage of time.”

  “Why did you not tell me you had dreamed his death?”

  “Because that was your father’s decision and it was a good one. All the decisions you made were for the best of reasons. Had that idea of his death been in your head you would have made the wrong ones for the right reason.” He closed his eyes and lay back. “All things are written before we are even born,” he said, enigmatically.

  I lay down next to my brother and tried to sleep but I was a death beyond sleep. My mind seemed to be filled with unanswered questions and I found myself wondering if I had done things differently would we have had a different outcome. It was too complicated now. When it had just been our small army led by my father it had been easy to make decisions and to do the right thing. Now we were allied to the men of Cymru, Hibernia and Mercia. We had to think about their men and their leaders. As the Irish had shown they were not always predictable. Would things ever be the same again?

  I must have slept but I did not remember it. I opened my eyes and saw the sun peering over the hills. No one spoke as we broke camp. We had a cart we had used for arrows and I hitched Nightstar to it. My father’s warhorse could carry him home. His days of fighting were over and he would be given his freedom when we had buried the Warlord. I hel
ped Tuanthal and Gawan to reverently place the body in the cart and cover it with the wolf cloak. Gawan looked dreadful. My father, by contrast looked as though he was still alive. Perhaps that was where the legend grew that the Warlord did not die but sleeps waiting to come to the rescue of Rheged. His face was just covered with the wolf cloak and men wanted to see the face of their Warlord. The followers of the White Christ had their saints and their relics. That day the idea of the Warlord of Rheged, the Wolf Warrior, became our relic. Whatever Gawan and Myrddyn had done for my father had worked. Myfanwy could look at the body and see the man she had loved.

  Myrddyn then placed some amphorae with him. I went to ask and Gawan said, “Don’t ask!”

  Myrddyn looked at me sadly, “It is your father’s organs. We shall bury them with him.” I shivered at the thought of what my brother and the wizard had had to do. They both had a courage I could only dream of.

  Our route would be shared for a while. We were both heading west. Aedh and his men had picked up the trail. There would be little point in thrashing horses to death. The weather remained fair and it was unlikely that the signs would be washed away. I was convinced that Morcar would have sailed for Manau but we could not afford to overlook any possibility.

  As we passed Stanwyck all of us looked to the site of my father’s birth and his first fight with Saxons. How ironical that he had died so close to his place of birth, the place where he had killed his first enemy and yet had died at the hand of a blood relative.

  Once we had crossed the high divide the road headed south. The scouts came back and told us that the trail was going towards the coast. “They camped at the deserted church.”

  Myrddyn suddenly became interested. “How far away is the church?”

  “A mile away, perhaps two.” I could see that the scout was desperate to know the reason why but he was afraid to ask.

  “Captain Tuanthal, guard the Warlord until we return. Hogan Lann, Gawan come with me.”