by Griff Hosker
As we were at the top of the col we were able to view the darkened road ahead. There was the hint of a moon and it showed that the next few miles would be perilous indeed. The trail we would take was narrow. It looked, from where we stood, to be less than two hundred paces from the sea to the rocks and foothills. If the Welsh had their wits about them then this would be the perfect place to keep warriors to watch for us. We would have to tread very carefully.
The track was little more than a well worn sheep track but it meant that there were few loose rocks to disturb and we made good progress. We both moved silently; there was no need for words. I strode ahead and Pol trudged behind. It was because of the silence that we heard the waiting warriors. Instead of waiting and watching, they were talking. I could also smell the wood smoke and knew that they were not far ahead. I waved my hand for Pol to lie down and then, drawing Saxon Slayer I edged up the rocks to my left to peer ahead and spy out the land. I was totally dark with my helmet and wolf skin covering my head and not even the whites of my eyes showed as I peeped over the rock. There were four guards and they were seated around the fire. Two were sleeping and the other two looked like they were playing a game of dice. More importantly there were two horses tethered to a large rock. That decided me. I had been contemplating sneaking around them but that was a risk. When I saw the horses I knew that they would catch us but they were a gift from the gods if we could slay their masters.
I retraced my steps to Pol. I took the standard and laid it down. I mimed taking out a sword and then pointed in the direction of the fire and held up four fingers. I pointed to the left and then at Pol. We had fought together long enough for us to understand without words. He nodded and then dragged his finger across his throat. I nodded and smiled. He hefted his shield and slipped up the rocks. It would take him longer to reach his position but he would be able to see the four men clearly. I would have to remember where they were as I went along the easier route. The danger was the horses which might give the alarm when they smelled a stranger. I had no choice. I had thrown the dice and I would have to see which way it fell.
The going was much easier for me and I found myself below the level of the track. I could see that the men had their backs to me and the fire was before them. When they turned at any noise I would be, briefly invisible and I would have to take my chances. Luckily for me they were not wearing armour and I still had on my mail. I boldly stepped forwards and, miraculously the horses did not neigh nor did they appear to hear my approach until I was three paces from them. The man who was to my left must have sensed a movement from the corner of his eye for he stood and stared at me. I did not hesitate. I swung Saxon Slayer and it struck him between his head and his shoulders. I withdrew the blade and swung backhand at the second surprised warrior who half turned to see me just a pace away. His head flew across the trail. Pol had leapt towards the sleeping men. He hesitated to kill them and they sprang up at the noise. He reacted then and killed one but the second had been sleeping with a dagger close by and he stabbed at Pol, the blade sliding across the mail. I stabbed him in the back and he fell to the ground.
“Secure the horses!” While Pol did so I checked to see if there were any other warriors hiding or sleeping nearby and there were none. Pol returned and I saw a tendril of blood. “Come you are wounded.” He looked down at the blood in surprise. I ripped a piece of linen from one of the dead men and balled it and then poured some of the aqua vitae on to it. “Jam this under your mail and tighten your belt around it. We have no time to look at it now.” He took the damp linen and grimaced as the fiery liquid burned the wound. “You were lucky Pol! You could have died. Never hesitate. If you can kill then do so! Mercy is for the Christian and not the warrior.”
“I am sorry Warlord but he was asleep.”
“Unless you want to sleep forever just kill them. It matters not if they are awake or not. Now get the precious standard and we will get out of here.”
By the time he had returned, chastened, I had checked to see if they had anything of value about them and they did not. “Here, help me throw their bodies into the sea.” He cocked his head and looked confused. “It will take them some time to discover what has happened to them. When they come here and find no horses and no guards they will think they either deserted or pursued us. Both suits us.” After the bodies were thrown into the sea we went to the horses. I laughed, “Now I see why they did not give us away. They are our horses captured in the ambush!” Wyrd!
We now had less than twenty miles to go, we were horsed and we were still armed. “We now take a chance and ride. If we see any Welsh warriors before us then we will just ride through them. They will think we are their own men until it is too late.”
It was dawn by the time we saw the island of Mona in the distance. It loomed like a dark shape from the sea but to me it looked beautiful for it meant home. We were still not safe but we were close enough to be able to touch the familiar rocks of our land and that was enough for me. I saw a glow ahead and wondered if it was the fire of Prince Pasgen’s sentries. When the Welsh voice shouted, “Slow down you mad buggers! Where’s the fire!”
“Ride like the wind!” I drew Saxon Slayer and ploughed through the small camp. The Welsh warrior who had spoken died with my blade in his throat. I heard a scream from my right as Pol killed another. A third loomed up on my left and hacked at me but the blow was taken by my shield and I punched him away, his weapon still embedded in the wood and metal. And then we were through and it was an open road.
“Warlord! They have horses and they are pursuing us.”
Our horses were tired and this looked to be a short escape. I leaned over the saddle, “Come on girl! Not far to go now.” I stroked the mane of the huge chestnut and she kicked on. Her companion copied her and we began to pull away a little. I knew that it could not last for we were mailed. If these were like the other sentries then they were not armoured. Suddenly I detected a faint glow and it looked to be less than two hundred paces away. It was Pasgen’s fort. I began yelling for all I was worth. “Wolf Warrior! Wolf Warrior ho!”
Then Pol shouted, “It is the Warlord of Rheged!”
I had no idea if they had heard us until there was a whoosh of arrows over our heads and then a light as the gates were opened showing us the way ahead. We had survived and we had returned safely to my land.
It was one of Aelle’s men who greeted me. “We thought you were in Deva! Who was chasing you?”
“The Welsh. What happened to them?”
“Four of them are dead and the rest have fled.”
“Good. Take me to the commander of the fort I have much news.”
The first thing that I did was to put the fort on war readiness and then I sent two riders, one to Mungo’s Burgh and one to my stronghold requesting a meeting with my leaders. It was lucky that I had returned safely to my fort or the whole of my land could be in danger. For all that I knew King Iago was marching towards Mona right at that moment. As I drank the watered wine I made sure that we had Pol’s wound dressed. It would not do for him to die of a poisoned wound.
The garrison had all been alarmed by my sudden arrival and they were all alert to danger. I was pleased to see that two bolt throwers had been manufactured already and the road leading to the gate would be a death trap to any attacker. “How many men do you have in the garrison Captain Calum?”
“Twenty archers and forty warriors. We have five scouts too.”
It was not as many as I had hoped but it would be enough to deter a quick attack. My worry was that King Iago was close by with his whole army. The fort was solid but lightly armed men could still cut it off by scaling the slopes of the hillside. We had not yet completed those defences. Perhaps this was a good thing and we could see how we might need to improve the defences. The problem was that we had planned on fighting the Saxons and not our allies. We were now in the same position that Raibeart, Pasgen and Aelle had been in Rheged. We were surrounded by enemies and without friends.
It was close to sunset when we saw the Red Dragon banner of King Iago Ap Beli approach from the north. The coast road twisted and turned making it difficult to estimate numbers. It looked like it was just his bodyguard but I was under no illusions. The rest of the treacherous snake’s army would be close at hand. “Make sure the bolt throwers are loaded.”
This was where I missed Miach’s archers. Had they been present then we could have picked off any of the Welsh we wished. It was not worth showing them our secret weapon for such a few men. I waited with Pol next to me on the newly finished gate. He had my banner but it remained furled. I peered down into the ditches; as yet they had no traps or lillia in them. We would need to remedy that soon. Perhaps it was no bad thing for I saw King Iago giving both my fort and the ditches a close inspection. I was glad that we had built three ditches. It looked like we would need them.
We had made the fort like the Roman ones with a gate at each end allowing for swift passage of troops. I heard the clip clop of hooves and turned to see Prince Pasgen and his equites. He waved a greeting and I felt much better. We could now deal with this king, whatever he threw at us. We had the best soldiers on the mainland and they were all gathered in this fort.
The king and his banner rode forwards. “Who is the commander of this fort? I bring news of the Warlord of Rheged, Lord Lann.”
I nodded to Calum who spoke, “I am Captain Calum, your majesty, what is the news?”
“Surely you will not keep the king of this land outside you fort to bandy words like a seller of fish?”
The words sounded reasonable but I was more than a little suspicious. There was a ridge running along the coast which could hide thousands of men and the king must have know that he only needed a few to overwhelm the half staffed fort. I shook my head at Calum.
He spread his arms, “I am sorry your majesty but the lord of this land is Prince Pasgen of Rheged and I cannot admit anyone without his permission. Were it just myself I would admit you in an instant but the prince is a stickler for protocol.”
I saw the prince laughing as he heard his name taken in vain. King Iago began to become angry. He was unused to be refused anything. “Prince Pasgen rules this land with my permission. I am your king.”
“I am sorry your majesty but none of the men in this fort, or indeed the island has, so far as I know, sworn allegiance and fealty to you.” He paused and glanced mischievously at me, “Not even the Warlord. What is this news? The last we heard he was visiting you at Deva.”
I suspect that the king was now unsure of my whereabouts. He had expected either me to speak or, at the very least, be granted admittance. Now that neither had happened he was puzzled. “That is my news. He did not arrive and when we searched for him we found some Rheged warriors slain. They must have been ambushed by bandits or Saxons.”
“That is grave news. I will send a messenger to Prince Pasgen immediately. Thank you for the news. Our dead comrades, were they buried?”
Again the question had not been expected. The king looked desperately for help and then said, “I believe my men did see to them.”
Calum should have been an actor. He smiled and said, “We are grateful to you for that and we thank you for your news.”
Suddenly the king erupted with rage. “Enough of this. I demand that you open the gate. Do so or you will all be slaughtered!”
Calum’s tone became more serious. “With one hundred bodyguards? I fear that many of your oathsworn would die in the attempt.”
The king laughed and wheeled his horse around to retreat behind his shield wall. “Perhaps this may change your mind!” The dragon standard lowered and raised twice and suddenly there were three thousand warriors lining the ridge and the road. “Now, see sense and let me in. If he were still alive then the Warlord would order you to do so.”
I now understood the king’s attitude and stance. He had been told that we made the fort but I was slain. I remembered the attack and the blows we had taken. Pol’s blood would have made them think that one of us, at least was wounded and whoever led the men had gambled that I was, at least, wounded.
I nodded to Pol and stepped forwards. As my banner was unfurled I said, “I would not presume to take my name in vain, Iago Ap Beli. My captain has done all that I asked of him and, as I recall, the hacked and chopped bodies of my bodyguard were left for the crows,” I paused and pointed a finger at him, “by your men acting under your orders!”
While that was not news to his own men, to the garrison it was shocking and startling. I heard a murmur run around my fort. I held up my hand for silence. “What say you to that? Is it honourable to invite a man who was your ally to your home and then to have him ambushed and murdered? I know that your father would not have done so and I cannot see your son doing that either.”
“My father was a great king but he was not strong enough. He should have shackled you years ago and I will now do it. I know that you have less than fifty men in the fort and you will all die unless you surrender.”
Pasgen joined me at the gateway and said, quietly. “We have a hundred men from the island on their way here now.”
“I am not worried. They cannot take it now. Have your men come to the walls but remain hidden. He will have a shock soon enough.”
“I am waiting and I am not a patient man.”
“Oh I am sorry. Were you expecting me to wet my breeks and surrender in the face of your army? Remember Iago Ap Beli. I have been fighting better warriors than yours, the Saxons, for my whole life and I see nothing before me that makes me worry. Do your worst but I warn the men of Gwynedd. If you start a war against my people then you had better win for we do not forget treachery.” I paused to let my words echo around the cliffs. “And you may have a dragon on a banner but I have Myrddyn the Dragon Wizard and I know which one I would fear!”
I could see that my last barb had struck home. The men of Gwynedd were fearful of magic and Myrddyn was renowned as a magician. I could see them look at each other in apprehension. King Iago roared, “Enough of this! Attack!”
I nodded at Calum whose archers were ready with their bows. They stood and the twenty bows loosed their arrows. The Gwynedd standard bearer saved the life of the king as he thrust his shield to protect him but four arrows pierced his neck and he fell dead, the standard dropping to the ground.
“See how the Dragon Standard is fallen. It is an omen. Myrddyn is not here but his magic protects us all.” I saw Pasgen look at me and I gave a slight shrug. I said to him, quietly, “Had I the men then I would not need deception but I use every weapon available to me.”
The archers continued to loose their arrows as the bodyguards dragged the king away from his dying horse. The first of the shield walls came bravely on. The narrowness of the land meant that their wedge was only ten men wide but fifty deep. I hated to be so ruthless but I had to teach them a lesson. “Bolt throwers ready! Aim at the wedge.”
When they were just ten paces from the first ditch, their shields covered in arrows I roared. “Now!”
At that sort of range the bolt went through men as though they were parchment. They tore through mail, bodies, armour as though they were not there. There were two lines clearly visible in the demoralised shield wall and my archers took advantage, raining their lethal flights on the stunned men. The bolt throwers reloaded and I dropped my arm again. The effect was just as good and there were now fifty dead and dying men. They were brave but they turned and ran. They had never fought against such lethal machines before and they had no answer to them. I saw Iago’s shoulders slump and he ordered a withdrawal. He had planned a sneak attack and it had failed. His men, holding their shields up for protection, trudged back along the coastal path. Thanks to the foresight of Myrddyn and Brother Oswald we had a weapon hundreds of years old which terrified our enemies.
Chapt
er 11
By the time that Mungo’s one hundred men had joined us I felt much happier. Mungo’s Burgh was still adequately defended and I knew that Tuanthal, Myrddyn and Garth would soon be joining me. Mungo’s men were solid and dependable fighters. I gave Calum and Prince Pasgen a brief explanation of what had occurred and then made sure that Pol got some rest. His wound was not life threatening but I needed my brave standard bearer well again. I thanked Bishop Stephen for his liquor had, no doubt, helped to save Pol’s life.
I went to the stables to see the brave mount which had carried me to safety. Pasgen was just as keen a horseman as I was and he joined me as I went to rub down the chestnut and feed her some grain. “This will be my new horse.” I looked at the saddle which was hung nearby. Sometime the equite would mark the saddle with his name or that of his horse. I did not want to rename the horse unless I had to. The equite had been able to write and he had carved his name in the leather. He had been called Seargh and I now remembered him. Tuanthal had had high hopes for him. I would thank him for his horse in the afterlife. He had also carved the name of his horse under his own, Scout. “Well Scout, you are my horse now.” She nuzzled my hand when she heard her name. “A strange choice for the name of a female but it seems to suit.”
Prince Pasgen nodded. “Perhaps there is a story behind her naming. It does her rider great honour that the Warlord chooses to ride her. Seargh will be happy beyond this life now.”
It was half way through the next day when the others began to arrive. My captains, wizard and son arrived first and I had to spend some time telling them of our adventures. Myrddyn did not seem surprised by the treachery. “The dream Warlord, it did warn.” He smiled. “It appears that my former countrymen can be cowed by the threat of a wizard. Perhaps we should bear that in mind for the future.”