by Griff Hosker
Raibeart and his men were trotting down the valley after the column and I saw the line of archers awaiting us to join them. There was no hurry; our horses could out run the Saxons and Miach waited until the Saxons were a hundred paces away and then he loosed his five flights. The Saxons were ready and held up their shields. They had to stop to do so and even then some of the arrows found gaps and I heard the shouts as Saxons were hit.
Raibeart’s men formed a line behind Miach’s. “Dismount. Now breathe slowly and ready yourselves.” As soon as Miach’s men had finished they led their horses to a spot ten paces behind us. “Loose!” Again they held up their shields and the effect was the same. We were buying time for the column and the price was our precious arrows. I could see the stiffening corpses which showed our success. “Pol, take the scout to Raibeart and then rejoin me.”
The Saxons were wary now and had taken many casualties. I led my men to join Miach and the wedge changed to a shield wall and continued down the valley. Miach looked at his rapidly emptying quiver. “We only have twenty left my lord.”
“I know. We cannot afford them to hit shields only. We will watch them. Follow me.”
My brother was now leading the column due east. From our vantage point I could see the estuary. Had the Saxons had a better leader then they could have headed due south from their camp and cut us off but, instead, they had tried to catch us and that gave us the lifeline we needed. The ridge we were on headed south east. By keeping to its top we prevented the Saxons from using it and every moment took the column further away from danger.
Pol galloped up. I could see excitement all over his face. “The head of the column has reached the estuary. We have seen the equites on the other side!”
Once we lost the ridge then the Saxons could use their weight of numbers to their advantage. They could not know how few arrows we had left but our lack of aggression would give them a clue. “Are there any more obstacles twixt here and there?”
“There is a small stream and then a hill and some woods.”
I made up my mind. “Good. We will use the stream. Take me to it.” I could see the ridge dropping down to the sea and I yelled. “Captain Miach, follow me. We ride swiftly.” We galloped away, taking the Saxons by surprise. We dropped over the ridge line and I saw how close the estuary was. The stream was no obstacle but any body of men crossing it would become disordered. Behind it lay the woods. Once again we disappeared from the view of the Saxons.
“Captain Miach, take your men and prepare an ambush behind those trees on that hill. I will lead them to the sea and you can attack their unprotected backs.”
“That is just ten arrows each Warlord!”
“Then make every one count.” Shaking his head he rode off. We crossed the stream and halted just forty paces away. I looked over my shoulder and saw that Miach was already hidden from sight. “We are not going to release our arrows together. You are Lord Raibeart’s men, and I know that you can hit the dick on a fly if you want to!” They laughed. “When the Saxons come,” just then the first of them appeared three hundred paces away over the ridge, “then we make them pay. Spread out and your task is to kill as many Saxons as you can. When your quiver is empty then mount and ride to Pol. I will join you.” As they began to align themselves I turned to Pol. “Place yourself below the hill. If I fall then lead the men along the estuary. Miach will do the rest.”
“If you fall I will rescue you!”
“You will obey my orders, young Pol, or I will be looking for another standard bearer!”
“Yes my lord.” He rode off. he was a good warrior but he needed to learn discipline.
The Saxons were now approaching the stream. As I had thought they could not keep a shield wall together as they stepped down and across its rocky bottom. I saw one warrior slip without the aid of an arrow and then Raibeart’s men began to kill them. There were many warriors who did not have a full face helmet, and they were the first to die. I killed one who had had his shield up but when he slipped it dropped a little, I saw his face and he died. As they formed up, just forty paces away, we changed targets to hit the legs of those warriors who did not have long mail shirts. The wounds were not life threatening but they stopped pursuit. Finally, when they were thirty paces away we aimed at their heads and their chests. Unless they had expensive armour, the arrows would penetrate. Had we had full quivers it might have ended there but we did not. I glanced around and saw that most of the archer’s quivers were empty. “Ride!” I loosed my last two arrows and then I joined them. The Saxons roared in anger and frustration as they hurtled after us.
I could see that most of the archers had reached Pol and I shouted. “Lead them along the estuary Pol.” I was annoyed, he should have obeyed orders and I would have to speak with him later; if there was a later.
The horses were now tiring. They had been ridden all day with little food and virtually no rest. I had to hope that the Saxons were tiring even more. My spirits rose as I saw that they were spread out more than they had been before and we had certainly whittled down the numbers. “Pol, keep riding. Make them think we are fleeing.” I was counting on the fact that they would not have counted our men and would not be expecting the ambush. I deliberately slowed down to encourage those at the front to hurry after me. It also saved my horse a little because I had my armour on and, although he was a powerful beast, he could not run all day with me on his back. I glanced over my shoulder. The leading twenty warriors were just fifty paces behind. These were fit men. I hoped that Miach would allow them to pass before he loosed at the main band of a hundred men who trailed further behind. Looking back, at the stream, I could see the last twenty Saxons limping along, gamely trying to keep up.
Suddenly I heard the whoosh of the arrows followed by screams as Miach’s archers struck. Five flights were enough to halt the main band who held their shields up and then he changed his target and the twenty who were closest to me died to a man. My archers joined me and I could tell that the Saxons had had enough. If the equites had been with me we could have slaughtered them all but I was happy with the victory we had had. We had escaped their trap and now just had the long journey home.
Chapter 5
We caught up with the column sooner than we had expected. Myrddyn had chosen to camp on the estuary. In fact we could see, if we went from the dell he had chosen to the river, the Saxons limping northwards on the other side.
“I took the decision Warlord, not Tuanthal. If you wish to blame someone and to berate one of us then it ought to be me.”
“Why would I do that?” I was as mystified as any by my wizard’s reaction. Although, to be honest, they all seemed equally afraid of me. Was I so bad tempered and intolerant these days? “I can see nothing wrong with the site but I am interested in knowing why you chose this one.”
“Here we have fresh water. However the main reason is that everyone is tired; you and your warriors especially. We need to rest and, when I saw how few Saxons remained after your valiant efforts I knew that we were in no immediate danger. You had sucked the spirit from the Saxons.”
“Do not flatter me wizard!”
“I speak the truth. But the real reason is that I think we can avoid the Saxon settlement at Prestune. We can use the road we did the last time when we travelled south.”
It was such an obvious answer that I berated myself for not thinking of it. “Excellent. Then we camp here.”
Tuanthal and Pasgen had had time to scout for miles in every direction and there were no Saxons to be seen. We put out pickets and slaughtered some more of the animals. While the food was cooking I walked the camp with Tuanthal and Myrddyn. “We need more horses.”
“That is easier said than done, Myrddyn. They are as rare as hen’s teeth in these parts.”
”Let me take some of my men and range further ahead of the column. Now that we have Pasgen we can spare six or seven of us.”
“He is right, Warlord. If we have more horses then we can move faster. It too
k four days for us to reach here from Wales. It will take at least twice that moving at the speed we are and the longer we are on the road the ore chance the enemy has of seeing us.”
“”Like me, do you think they will follow us when we venture further south? Perhaps we have broken their will.”
Myrddyn shook his head. “Aethelfrith has to follow us. He lost you and now he has lost your brothers. He was been outwitted and beaten by you on too many occasions. There are others who seek his throne and, until he defeats you he is under threat from within.”
“Very well. Tuanthal, you had better choose your men and leave first thing.”
“I will my lord!” Tuanthal, was still a young man at heart and loved adventure. I envied him the freedom to ride without anyone giving him orders. I would be tied to the slow moving column and all would be looking to me to make decisions. He raced back to the camp to choose his men and begin his quest.
I turned to Myrddyn. “And now the dream!”
“Ah yes the dream. Your mother came to me and told me that Pasgen was alive and then she told me to beware those who pretend to be friends.”
“She warned me of dragons. That makes no sense at all.”
“Of course it does.”
“ The Welsh are the dragon. I can see that but they are our allies and there is no reason for betrayal.”
“There doesn’t need to be. Remember Morcant Bulc.”
I remembered the king who was so jealous of King Urien’s success that he had had him killed. Myrddyn was right. “Let us keep this suspicion to ourselves eh? It may not be true and I would not like to lose the only friend and ally we have over a misplaced word.”
“As you wish, but the spirits have yet to be wrong.”
When we reached the camp Myrddyn sat with my brothers, Pasgen and Miach to pore over his maps. To me they were truly magical. They showed land we had never seen before. They were the result of Brother Osric’s long life. Each time some returned to Civitas he asked them of the land through which they had travelled and he had carefully drawn his maps. As he received more information the maps were refined and what Myrddyn held were the culmination of that life’s work. The wizard pointed to the road painted red on the map. It ran straight and true. “That is the main Roman road. We have travelled it before and know its course.” He waved a finger at the area to the west. “This is where we are. As you can see there are neither roads nor settlements but there are valleys and passes. By heading towards the south east we can, effectively, disappear.”
Miach sniffed. “But we can be tracked. There are hundreds of people and animals. Ort perhaps you have some magic to hide us?” Miach, of all of us, was sceptical of Myrddyn’s powers although he was happy to take any advantage the young healer gave us.
Myrddyn pointed at the sky and smiled. “We have all lived in this land to know of the rains. When we cross towards the road we will be travelling on rocky parts of the land. When the rains come they will wash away all evidence of our passing. If that is magic then,” he waved his hands around like a village conjuror, “ so be it. However we can spread our tracks by putting our horsemen further away from the main column. I estimate that we will be at the road by early afternoon tomorrow and then we will not have to worry about tracks.”
Raibeart and Aelle both understood maps. “You have travelled this road before brother. How long to reach our destination?”
I shook my head, “I am not sure Aelle. We went more directly the last time. Since then Deva has been occupied by Saxons and we will have to travel further east. There are also Saxons who are now attacking Gwynedd. It could take ten days, it could take eight days. Much of it depends upon what Tuanthal discovers.”
Myrddyn, Miach and Pasgen could see that my brothers had many questions for me and they took their leave. With Tuanthal gone Pasgen would have to get to know the equites better and Miach had the rest of the warriors to organise.
When alone with me, my brothers relaxed. They could speak to me without thinking about their words. They could be honest. “Will we get there Lann?”
“Yes Raibeart, and I know that you fear for your family.”
He started, “Are you becoming a wizard too that you can read my mind so easily?”
I laughed and began to relax myself, “No but I was as worried as you were when I travelled with Hogan. I had just one to worry about but you have a wife and children and you have had to flee before.” Raibeart’s face hardened at the memory. He had had to be rescued by my warriors when he had fled Elmet with his father in law, the King of Elmet. He had lost many men and almost lost his family. “The difference this time is that we are not being closely pursued.” I pointed across the estuary. “Our pursuers have been beaten. They will return but by then we will have along lead and their speed will weaken them. I am more worried by what we do not know. Who lives along our route? Will we have enough food? Those and many other questions, questions we do not yet know. We three will have to find answers to these unknown questions.”
Aelle nodded. “You have become a thinker as well as a warrior brother.”
“You were always the thinker Aelle. I have learned from you.”
“No Lann, you have vision such as Myrddyn has. You are good for each other. It is as though the two of you are more powerful because of the other. It is wyrd!”
Freja and Maiwen brought us food. I smiled when I saw the subtle look my brothers gave to their wives; they left us alone. I knew that it meant some more questions and the two brothers did not want their wives to hear the answers. I had been married and I knew why men kept such secrets from their women.
We ate for a while and then Raibeart asked, “And what of the island? What happens when we reach it?”
I could not quite understand where he was going with these questions and I frowned as I said, “You will be home, of course.”
Aelle said, “No Lann, Raibeart asks where, on the island, we will go? Mona is your home and your people live there. It is not like Wide Water where no one lived. There are the people of Mona and your people who followed you from Rheged. Will they be happy about being displaced?”
I smiled, now I understood. “No-on will be displaced. The island is large and there are many fertile places as yet, without people. The Irish had been raiding the island for years and using it for slaves. It is only since I arrived that the practice has ceased and then there is the mainland. The King of Gwynedd, Beli, was happy for us to occupy it as the ones who lived there were brigands and thieves. You need not worry about your destination. It is the journey which vexes me the most.” I looked at the two of them. “Where do you wish to be?” I could see they did not understand me. I suppose we had been absent from each other’s lives for some time and lost each other’s ways. “You have lived in close proximity and harmony for some time. Would you continue as such or would you wish to have your own towns which were separate from each other?”
“We will have to think on that and then there is Prince Pasgen.”
“I know Aelle and I am worried. He and his men have lost all family. We all know that family is important. I will ask Myrddyn on our journey south but, for the moment, just watch him for me.”
We struck the road towards early afternoon and I sent Aedh and his scouts in a ring, two miles ahead. Prince Pasgen split his horsemen so that half were a rearguard a mile behind us and the rest a vanguard a mile ahead. Finally Miach and his archers lined the two sides of the column, ready to react in case of danger. The first part of the road was devoid of all life, human and animal and, when we camped I asked Miach to send out a couple of hunters. “We will begin to run short of food soon and we know that those who are not warriors can cope with tiredness and they can cope with hunger, but not both at the same time.”
“We have seen precious little so far, my lord.”
“I know but even squirrels or rabbits would provide some sustenance.”
Tuanthal returned at noon the next day. He had eight horses, of varying quality with hi
m. “Five were wild but three we liberated from their Saxon owners.”
I immediately became alert to danger. “Saxons? Where? To the south?”
“No Lord Lann.” He pointed to the west. “North of Prestune. We led them north to make them believe that was our direction of travel. It is why we have taken so long to reach you.”
I hated this veiled, unknown area into which we travelled. I felt blind and helpless. I trusted my scouts and I trusted my men but I needed to judge myself. “Tomorrow I will lead your scouts and you can remain with the column.”
His face fell. “Have I displeased you Warlord?”
“No Tuanthal but I must share the riding and the responsibility. I will just be gone for one day.”
At camp that evening the others also tried to gainsay me. The only one who remained silent was Myrddyn. Raibeart asked, “Why do you not add your opinion wizard? You know that my brother values your opinion.”
“It matters not. I have not see his death yet. Besides it is good if he can see the road.”
Miach snorted and pointed to the nearby cobbled way. “We can all see the road wizard!”
Myrddyn shook his head, “I mean the way ahead rather than this Roman Road we travel. He has decisions to make which he can only make if he knows what lies ahead.”
Myrddyn was hard to fathom. Sometimes he would argue with you and you couldn’t see why and at others he agreed with you for no good reason. Wyrd!
Tuanthal ensured that I had his five best warriors with me. Tadgh, Rafe, Gwillim, Adair and Rowan would one day each lead ten men. They were not only accomplished equites but they were all good scouts. Three of them had been with me since I first went to Castle Perilous and I knew them well. None of us wore armour or carried shields. I had Saxon Slayer and my bow. Arrow numbers were now becoming critical and I would have to husband my supply.