by Simon Lister
She leapt from the saddle and raced for the main hall shouting out to the gathering warriors for someone to see to her trembling and lathered horse. They ignored her request and followed her into the hall knowing that something had to be gravely amiss for her to have ridden her treasured horse so close to death.
Ceinwen was standing by the doors watching her approaching friend with growing apprehension.
‘What is it? What’s wrong?’ she asked as Morveren tore open the doors and burst into the hall. She followed her with the warriors crowding in behind them.
Gereint and Elwyn had been sitting by one of the fires talking with Gwyna when Morveren raced into the hall. They stood and watched the growing commotion by the doors as Morveren hurried towards them.
‘Is everyone ready to leave immediately?’ Morveren gasped when she stood before them.
‘Yes. That’s what Arthur ordered. You found the Adren?’ Gereint replied.
‘The legion too?’ Morveren asked.
‘Of course,’ Elwyn answered.
‘The Adren?’ Gereint asked again.
‘Yes. Lazure’s ten thousand were a hundred miles north of the Haven two days ago. Morgund’s gone to warn them. Arthur’s shadowing the Adren and he’s ordered everyone at the Haven to sail for the West immediately.’
There was uproar in the hall as questions rained down on her.
‘We’ll never make it!’
‘What happened to the Uathach patrol tracking them?’ Gwyna asked amidst the shouting.
‘Abandon Britain? It’s already winter in the West!’
‘They’ll never evacuate the Haven in the time they have!’
Gereint clambered up onto the table and roared for silence. ‘The questions can wait! We leave for the Haven now!’
As the warriors pushed their way out of the hall Morveren turned to Gereint and said above the noise, ‘Arthur said to cut across the Estuary. It’ll be quicker!’
‘What about the tide?’ someone shouted out.
‘I’ve been checking that and the winter high tide isn’t due for another ten days!’ Hengest answered from the crowd.
‘Good, but by the gods we’ll never get there in time. We leave immediately!’ Gereint shouted out above the noise.
Gwyna put a hand on Gereint’s arm to get his attention and pitched her voice so only he could hear, ‘Ruraidh and I will ride ahead – I’m afraid the people from the North won’t want to board the boats. Most of them have never even been on the sea let alone sailed for the Western Lands. I’ll be able to convince them.’
Gereint nodded, ‘Good luck and don’t push your horses too hard, we won’t be stopping for anyone!’
Gwyna pushed her way through the warriors to collect Ruraidh and two of her trusted warriors. They were the first to leave Whitehorse Hill.
As they were riding out the gate Ceinwen was standing before Ethain, ‘Arthur ordered me to stay close to you - to help you and protect you,’ she said, unable to keep her voice from implying the opposite, ‘I’m going to the Haven. So are you.’
‘But that’s where the Adren are heading isn’t it?’
‘That’s why we’re going there.’
‘We’ll never get there before Lazure. Wouldn’t we be better trying to defend Caer Cadarn?’
Ceinwen stared at him with disgust.
‘Besides the boats would have sailed before either we or the Adren get there,’ Ethain lamented.
Ceinwen despised the whining undertone to his words thinking she would have to force him to get on a horse but Ethain was thinking about what he had just said and he added quickly, ‘Well, if we’re going then let’s get going, eh?’
Ceinwen watched him leave the hut uncertain whether to be suspicious or surprised at his sudden change of heart. Her instinct told her to be suspicious and she followed him out into the constant rain.
Within half an hour the war band were racing for the Haven leaving Caer Cadarn empty behind them; Gwyna was already five miles ahead.
*
Kenwyn stood at the beginning of the stone wharf that led to the anchored tall ships. The crowd in front of him was pushing to break through the cordon and the mass of bodies swayed forward forced onward by those behind.
The first thing he had done after the shock of Morgund’s news had subsided was to gather together all the crews of the ships into the long hall. He and Aelle had explained to them the situation and what they intended to do.
The first priority was to ensure that the ships were ready to sail. As the time for the perennial journey was close at hand the twenty sea captains were able to report that little needed to done and, apart from bringing on board the spare canvas sails and the new ropes, the ships were seaworthy enough to sail straight away.
The second priority was to get all the harvest and livestock on board. In the time left to them this was going to be extremely difficult but if word got out about the approaching Adren then panic would make this almost impossible so Kenwyn ordered everyone present to keep the news of the Adren army to themselves for now.
The final priority was to get all the people now crowding the Haven onto the ships. Kenwyn stressed that it had to be done in that order. If the people learned of the Adren army then they would understandably panic and force their way onto the ships but if the ships were not seaworthy or if they hadn’t been able to load the supplies then they would all die either on the crossing or in the Western Lands.
Keeping the news of the Adren army from the people was crucial to saving them. And also impossible. Inevitably the crews of the ships told their families or kin and Kenwyn had only managed to load half the supplies before chaotic panic gripped the Haven and the dock became besieged with people desperate to board the ships.
If it hadn’t been for the narrower approach to the wharves then Kenwyn would have been unable to stop the crowds from spilling onto the half-supplied ships. As it was, it was all the crews could do to hold the populace at bay while Kenwyn alternatively begged and shouted at them trying to make them see reason and allow the provisions to be loaded.
Seren watched the confusion from the stone courtyard of the harbour master’s house. She wore a loose cape as protection from the cold squalls of rain blowing in from the sea. Beyond the harbour the white-capped waves raced shoreward, driven by the strengthening westerly wind. Her cape flapped open as a gust whipped across the town and she clutched it tighter about her chest. She glanced down at the Elk Stone clasped in her left hand and smiled sadly to herself. When Aelfric had brought it to her earlier on she had immediately thought it signalled the end to the unspoken hope that she and Arthur may yet share a future. Aelfric had seen the distress in her eyes and had quickly said, ‘Arthur told me to tell you it was for your daughter, his daughter.’
He had been relieved to see some of the anguish leave her face as she accepted the pendant. He was standing with her now in the lashing rain and he saw the sad smile cross her face. They both glanced back towards the warmth of the house where the infant was beginning to cry once more.
‘Thank you for bringing me the Elk Stone, Aelfric,’ she said then hesitated before adding, ‘Is Arthur well?’
‘Yes.’ Aelfric thought back to Caer Cadarn and wondered if he told the truth. With Cei and Trevenna’s deaths the mission in the Shadow Lands had failed and, although he did not know exactly what that mission had been, he knew that it had been imperative for victory over the Adren. Despite defeating the Adren on the banks of the Isis and despite the thousands they had killed between the Causeway and the Winter Wood it now looked like nothing could stop Lazure destroying the Haven and what remained of the warriors of Britain. Arthur had ordered the abandonment of Britain and now their final defeat seemed inevitable. And if the chaos below could not be controlled then Arthur would lose those he had sought to protect as well. He noticed that Seren was still looking at him and he shrugged, unwilling to share his thoughts with the stranger from the Veiled City.
‘Animals! Stupid animals,
look at them! They’re condemning themselves to death, and it’s no more than they deserve.’
They both turned to look at Terrill who had joined them by the stone wall. He was staring with open distaste at the heaving mob down by the dock.
‘Crowds act like animals and this one is panicked but those people don’t deserve to die at the hands of the Adren. Nor did your people. If your leaders had trusted Arthur most of them would still be safe and alive – if not in the Veiled City then here.’ Aelfric answered calmly.
‘And you call this safe?’ Terrill laughed bitterly, ‘Who is this boy? And what’s he doing here?’ he asked Seren.
‘This is Aelfric of the Anglians. He had a message for me.’
‘A panicked animal just needs calming,’ Aelfric said and pointed down to the crowd. He smiled briefly to Seren, nodded to Terrill and left them without saying anything further.
‘That child’s not normal, even by their standards,’ Terrill said sourly, not caring if the departing Aelfric overheard him.
‘He’s more than a child.’
Terrill looked at her and saw the excitement on her face as she stared at the crowds below them.
‘It’s Arthur,’ she said quietly and pointed to the two riders at the back of the milling crowd.
Terrill looked at her with an open and equal mixture of revulsion and despair. ‘That bastard killed your father, destroyed our city and left you with a child, and you still love him!’
‘I see you’re picking up some of the local language, good for you Terrill, perhaps one day we’ll fit in after all, eh?’
‘He betrayed everything!’ Terrill shouted, his face contorted by all the hatred and despair that had festered inside him since the fall of the Veiled City.
Seren’s playful charade shattered and she turned on him with a vitriol he had never seen before, ‘Enough! My father betrayed my people! How many times do I have to say it? Is it possible that you’re as stupid as you are jealous? Kane led my father into the darkness and he followed, the fool. Arthur might not have been able to save my city but he would have tried. He certainly would have saved my people. My father gave him no other choice than to tear everything down and bury as many Adren as possible. And still he fights to give his people and my daughter some hope for a land to live in! What have you done? Well? What have any of us done? Answer me!’
Terrill stared at the girl standing before him; her fists clenched, rage in her voice and hatred on her face.
‘Nothing! You’ve done nothing! Our people’s sole contribution to the war against the Adren was to lead the Britons into a trap and betray them! What a fine legacy we’ve left my daughter! I’m ashamed of my people and I’m ashamed of you! Get out of my sight! You disgust me!’
Terrill stumbled backwards ashen-faced and groped his way back through the doorway leaving the girl who had been his life-long love behind in the rain that still swept across the Haven.
*
Arthur and Balor pushed their horses deeper into the crowd.
‘Get back!’ Arthur roared at the crowd and turned his horse to force its way sideways into the throng shouting for Balor to do the same in the opposite direction. Gradually those at the rear began to back further away leaving room for those in the middle to do likewise and the two horsemen pushed their way to the front where Morgund stood with Kenwyn.
‘What’s going on here?’ Arthur shouted to them.
‘We’ve got half the stores loaded but then word got out about the Adren and this lot are demanding to get on the ships!’
Arthur turned and surveyed the crowd who had quietened and were now watching warily to see what would happen next. His horse sensed the danger and Arthur reined it in tightly as he stared at the faces in front of him. The quiet turned to silence.
‘We have time!’ Arthur roared at them, ‘The Adren are coming but we have enough time!’
A wave of fear rippled across the crowd.
‘How much time?’ A man shouted from two or three rows back.
Arthur focussed on him, ‘Enough time to load the supplies and then get everyone aboard!’
‘We’ll be slaughtered if the Adren get here first!’ The same man replied to general shouts of agreement around him.
‘If we don’t load the supplies first then every one of you will die of starvation wintering in the West!’
‘We’ll take our chances! It’s better than facing the Adren!’ The man shouted, more to those around him than to Arthur. They agreed and readied themselves to break through the cordon.
‘Where are the war band? They’re supposed to protect us! Isn’t that why we pay them a share of our crop?’ The same man yelled out, emboldened by the support around him. Others took up the shout and the fear-fuelled anger of the crowd increased.
Arthur dismounted and slowly led his horse to Kenwyn and gave him the reins. The crowd watched his every move. He turned and stood facing them. Then he walked towards the man who had already said too much. The crowd parted before him and backed away. He spoke loudly and clearly as he made his way towards the man.
‘I will not let you or anyone else dishonour the fallen. The war band have fought and died for a year to keep you safe. Time and again they’ve faced the Adren. Out-numbered a hundred to one. The legion. People like you. They too faced the Adren. And they too died to protect you.’
Arthur stopped before the outspoken man and his friends.
‘They had courage!’
They fell back before his anger knowing that they were all dead men but Arthur took his hand away from his sword hilt and looked into each face before adding, ‘I will not let you endanger everyone else. You will do as I say and you will live.’
The man glanced at his friends but they would not meet his eye; they too were quailing before the still simmering violence of the warlord.
‘You,’ Arthur said directly to him, ‘And you four, take that cart through the line to the ships and then come back for the next one.’
They looked at him and Arthur pointed to the nearest loaded cart that was marooned in the crowd. Those around the cart hastily stepped away from it.
‘Now!’ Arthur roared at them, ‘Have you forgotten that the Adren are coming?’
The fear of their immediate danger from the warlord, coupled with the reminder that the Adren were getting nearer every hour, spurred them into action and they hurried over to the cart.
‘The rest of you! Kenwyn and his captains will give you orders. Obey them and everyone will get safely to the West!’
The fear and tension in the crowd broke as Kenwyn’s men immediately began passing among them shouting various orders and directing people. Arthur made his way back to Morgund and Balor.
Morgund was unhappily handing his friend a knife with a splendidly carved bone handle. Arthur watched them.
‘He bet you were going to kill them,’ Balor said, grinning as he slipped the knife into his belt.
‘The day isn’t over yet,’ Arthur replied, ‘We’ll stay here for a while to make sure the loading continues then we’ll ride to the ridge and watch for the war band.’
‘And the Adren,’ Balor added.
‘Do you think there’s enough time to get everyone away safely?’ Morgund asked cautiously, still nettled he’d lost his favourite knife.
‘No,’ Arthur replied, ‘but without the supplies loaded first even those we do get away will die.’
All around them the loading of the ships had resumed. Arthur looked up through the rain towards the harbour master’s house and thought he saw someone standing in the courtyard. He wondered if it was Seren.
*
Seren saw Arthur looking up towards the courtyard where she stood and raised a hand in greeting but Arthur was already turning away and her greeting went unacknowledged. The rain felt colder and the familiar feeling of emptiness suddenly returned. The rainwater was sweeping across the stone floor, swilling around her feet and spilling out through a small gap in the wall forming a waterfall that fell
down to the houses below. She watched it for a while lost in her thoughts then taking a deep breath she turned her face to the leaden skies waiting for the wave of sadness to pass, hoping the rain would somehow wash away the sense of futility that the sadness always brought.
She recalled the way she had spoken to Terrill and cringed inside knowing it was both unfair and cruel to have spoken such about his unsaid feelings for her. The memory of his reaction made her bow her head in shame. She knew she had no right to speak to him in such a manner especially as he had been one of the few to have stood by her over the last year. She also knew that there was no way to take back what had been said; it would change their relationship forever. Something else to feel sad about, she thought, and with a heavy sigh turned back towards the warmth and shelter of the house. She stopped dead staring at the figure in the doorway.
‘You look more upset than your baby sounds.’
She ran to him and hugged him, ‘Merdynn! We’d heard so many things and knew so little! I had no idea if you were alive or dead!’
‘I know the feeling,’ he answered with a smile.
‘Come inside!’
‘Splendid idea,’ he replied not having left the shelter of the doorway.
‘Have you seen the little one? It’s foul out there. Does it always rain so much here?’ The questions spilled from her and she reminded him of the child she used to be. He let her ramble as he sought out a warm, dry cloak for her. When they were eventually seated in front of the fire, he with a hot drink and she feeding the infant, Seren finally became more serious, ‘The Adren are close, aren’t they?’
‘Indeed they are.’
‘Will we have time to get away?’
Now that Seren had finished feeding the infant Merdynn leant forwards to take a closer look at the baby.
‘That seems to be Arthur’s plan. Either way I’m here to make sure you’re safe,’ he said offering the baby his little finger to grasp, ‘She has her father’s complexion but your eyes,’ he said, returning his attention back to Seren.