Hosker, G [Wolf Brethren 04] Saxon Blood

by Griff Hosker

  “You lost sight of land?” It was almost unheard of for a ship to sail beyond land. Every sailor was afraid of falling off the edge of the world.

  “It was either that or be captured and we thought that the unknown was preferable to slavery. We waited a day until we were sure that they were no longer waiting and then headed back.”

  I clapped him on the back. “That was bravely done by both you and the captains. You are a sight for sore eyes and I cannot thank you enough.” I then told him of our new problems.

  His happy face darkened, “The treacherous bastard! What a snake! I got back just in time then.”

  “Aye, Pasgen is busy organising the defence but, as you can see, we now need more foot soldiers to defend the bridge and Oswald’s southern wall will become even more important than it was.” As we entered my stronghold I could see that he was working out which men to keep and which men to send to others.

  My resourceful triumvirate of Myfanwy, Myrddyn and Oswald had organised food and beds for the warriors so that by the time we arrived my stronghold was a place of serenity and peace. While Mungo went to check on his countrymen I sought Oswald and Myrddyn. “These men can fight but they need arming.”

  “We have many weapons and armour from the Saxons but they are not up to our usual standard. We were going to melt them down and forge them as better weapons.”

  “We have no time for that. Issue them; we will worry about the quality when we have the time. And we have a new ship here. Get to the port tomorrow. We will pay the captain to go to the land of Gwyr. They have much iron and we can trade wheat with them. At this time of year it will be more valuable than gold and we should make a healthy profit.”

  Myrddyn laughed, “It is not just your brothers who have an eye for business.”

  “If it pays for warriors then so be it.” I pointed towards the port. “We also need a couple of bolt throwers for the boat and four men to man them for this trip. They can train the seamen. See to it!”

  I was so engrossed in my tasks that Myfanwy had to force me to bed. “It will do no one any good if the Warlord is too tired to think and I have a feeling you will want to go with them to the other end of the island tomorrow.” She knew me well and I went reluctantly to bed.

  The men of Strathclyde were all as taken with Mona as the rest of us had been. It was totally unlike the glens and forests they were used to. I saw the wives and the children looking enviously at the neat huts and villages through which we passed. I was riding with Mungo, Hogan and Pol. “I think that the men with families should be based on the island.”

  Mungo looked at me, “Why, Warlord?”

  “It will be much safer for them and it is only fair. The mainland will be a place of war. Let the single men settle there. In time we may well be able to make the peninsula safe but for now let us be cautious.”

  The numbers worked out well. There were forty men with families and they began to build dwellings close to the fort as soon as we arrived. The other one hundred and thirty men were ferried across to the mainland. We went before them and both Calum and Prince Pasgen were delighted to see so many reinforcements. My only worry was that Tuanthal had still not returned. I had come to rely on Tuanthal as one of the most dependable warriors I had ever met. I decided to stay the night for I was anxious to see how they had improved the defences.

  We rose early the next day and Calum proudly took me on a tour while Prince Pasgen patrolled beyond the walls to see Tuanthal and to train his six new equites. As I crossed to the southern wall I saw Miach with twenty trainee archers. He was bellowing and complaining, as usual, but when he gave me a half smile as I passed him I knew that things were going well. Hogan had hinted that he would like to ride with Pasgen but I was determined that he would be trained by Tuanthal. Prince Pasgen was a brave horseman but I knew who I would prefer to guard my flanks in a battle.

  “See, Warlord, we have built three ditches. The slopes on the far sides are steeper than those close to our walls. If any one is trapped there it will be a killing ground for they will not be able to climb out and regain their own lines. We have incorporated a stream into one of them so that it hides the lillia on the bottom.” He smiled, “For a priest Brother Oswald can think up some devilish ways to kill.” We climbed the gate house which looked identical to the one at Civitas Carvetiorum. “We have built two bolt throwers but we are short of bolts.” He shrugged. “We can send sharpened stakes if we have to they will still kill.” He showed me the two towers at the ends of the wall. “Luckily we have much stone and so the two structures are solid but I think we will add more in the winter when I wish to keep the men warm and active.”

  As we approached the front gate I heard a cry from the sentry. “Equites approaching!”

  Tuanthal! I saw Hogan begin to become excited. In truth I was too for I desperately needed to know the information he had. As they rode through the gates I could see that they had had a hard time. There were two empty saddles and at least one horse missing. Tuanthal gave a brave smile as he entered the gates. He turned to his second in command. “See to the men and horses they need a good rest.”

  “As do you Tuanthal. But if you could indulge me and make a short report…”

  “Of course Warlord.” He grinned. “Even after you and Pol had walked for two days you still found time to speak with us and I have just been in the saddle!”

  The four of us went to Calum’s office and I poured a beaker of wine for him. He quaffed it swiftly. “You cannot know how good that tastes, my lord. On with my report. When we left here we headed for the monastery. I spoke with the bishop. The king thought that you had been aided by the monks and he was not happy but as he wished to keep on the good side of the church he left them alone. They were a day ahead and we followed their trail. It was easy. They are not a tidy people Warlord! They tried to ambush us once, which is where we lost the three men but the eighty men they used all died. We buried their arms as we could not carry them with us.” It seems there was much armour and many arms waiting for us when the time allowed. “Eventually they reached Deva and King Iago set about adding to the defences. I think the Saxons had tried to damage it when they left. He will be there for some time.” He took another drink.

  “Your opinion, Tuanthal, will he attack before spring?”

  “If he does then we shall easily win. The roads are becoming impassable.” He pointed to Wyddfa. “We could see the snow atop the mountain all the way back. He has a month at most and then he will be stuck in Deva until the warmer weather.”

  “Excellent and you have done well but before you take a well earned rest I have a boon to ask.”

  “Warlord, you can just command and it will be done.”

  “I know, which is why I shall ask and you can refuse.” I saw Hogan’s nervous face from the corner of my eye. “My son would be an equite and I can think of no better teacher than you.”

  “I am honoured by both the request and the sentiments. I would be delighted.”

  Hogan was still enough of a child to show clear unbridled joy on his face. “When you have rested perhaps you could take some wagons and recover the two piles of arms. We shall need them and perhaps see if you can buy some plough horses from the low lands before King Iago returns. We shall need to breed some larger horses for our heavily armed equites. I think that Hogan would like to be one of the first. Pol can accompany you to show you where we buried the arms.” Pol showed the same delight as Hogan and I felt much better with the report. We had breathing space and it was thanks to the Saxons. Wyrd!

  Chapter 12

  Before I left I spoke with Prince Pasgen. He too had been worried about the larger animals we would need. “I am trying to get breeding animals. The island will be perfect for them but it will take time. Let us just try to use the lances first.”

  ”I agree. The men will find them unwieldy at first but we will persevere. How long do we have?”

  “I cannot see them being ready for war before the spring and that
gives you time to work with Calum and Mungo. The three of you must be of one mind. You need to have signals ready to send for help should you need it. I will not be close at hand and I will rely on the three of you to make the right decisions. Remember you will be the rock on which Iago’s armies break.”

  “We will not let you down.”

  “I know it which is why I will be at peace while I am at home.”

  “Or as much peace as Myfanwy will allow.”

  “And that too.”

  I rode alone across the island feeling more at peace than I had a right to. There was still a threat from King Iago but it was distant. We were now aware of the problem. The other problems, the Saxons and the Hibernians, were also still there but Mungo’s story had shown me that we had done the right thing. The land was now settling down for winter. The summer had been a good one; it was not always so and the crops had done well. The wheat we could sell would make us stronger. The people were happy and waved at me as I rode across the island. The old Roman Road had been a little overgrown before we had arrived but now the trade and the warriors kept it weed free and well used. I wondered what my parents would have made of it all. I suspect my mother would have expected it for she was still in my dreams and those of Myrddyn. But my father… I never got a chance to know him and to talk with him. I determined that I would take more opportunities to speak with Hogan. Myfanwy had opened the door and I would not close it.

  I had a good Yule for it was full of surprises! Firstly Hogan returned with Tuanthal and Pol. I could see from their expressions that they had enjoyed being away from me and with a young leader like Tuanthal. I was not jealous. I would have been surprised had it not been so. They had brought back great quantities of arms and armour. The better pieces were already with Mungo’s men while the others would be smelted and used to make the horse armour, helmets, arrow tips, bolt heads and all the other pieces of weaponry we needed to be ahead of our enemies. Hogan was even happier about his training as an equite. Tuanthal confided in me, privately, that he was the most proficient of his equites with the new longer lance. I suspected it was because it was new to him and he had not used a spear for as long as the others had. He learned to use it as it was meant to be used. We decided that he would lead the lance armed equites leaving Tuanthal to command the rest. The horses they had brought were also welcome. He brought two breeding mares. They looked enormous to me but my horsemen assured me that the stallion we had would cope. He had told me with a twinkle in his eye which showed me that he was happy. They had captured a couple of stray horses on their travels and were already training new warriors.

  The good news from Brother Oswald was that he had set up trading links with the people of the Gwyr. They were more than happy to let us have the iron and they needed the wheat but the real reason was that King Iago had begun to make incursions into the lands to the north of them and they saw him as a predator. The people of the Gwyr were our first allies.

  The captain who had joined us from the north was also happy. The bolt throwers meant that he did not fear pirates and the sea voyage along the coast was much less perilous than the one he was used to. As the shipwrights had laid the keel of our first ship we were on target for the spring. The only delay had been acquiring the wood but once the mill had been built, within Pasgen’s walls, then it soon began arriving and the work began.

  However the biggest surprise came from Myfanwy who told me that she was with child. I was shocked. I had thought I was beyond that stage. I knew that my wife was young enough to have children but I now had grey in my beard and in my hair. She had laughed when I told her. “No husband. You will father many more children.”

  Amazingly Myrddyn had not only foreseen the event he agreed with my wife. “You will sire many children Lord Lann. It is written and they will be powerful allies to you in the future.”

  Myrddyn could be so damned enigmatic. He gave you a taste of the future and then let you stew. But I was happy. I knew that Myfanwy would be a good mother, I had seen that evidence already. I had been worried about Hogan but he was even happier. “I am old enough now not to worry about who will have the affection and I can be the older wiser brother. Besides it will not be long before I sire your grandchildren and so it will be good practice for all of us!”

  That stunned me more than anything else. My son was almost a man in every sense and yet, to me, he was still a child. I also felt just a hint of sadness for I knew his mother, Aideen, would have been proud of him and as excited about him taking a wife as he was. It made me wonder if he had anyone in mind. I decided that the next time we hunted I would ask him.

  Once again we had a winter without snow on the magical island of Mona. To those who had only recently travelled from Rheged and Strathclyde it was nothing short of a miracle and the priests we had made much of it telling the people that it was the work of the White Christ. Of course Myrddyn and those of the old religion dismissed that for the Mother was known to love Mona and to treat it with special care. To me it mattered not so long as people did not starve or freeze to death. As Myfanwy was not far into her pregnancy I took the opportunity of visiting Pasgen’s Palace as Garth and Ridwyn named it. There was a little rivalry and some jealousy between the three of them. I would have expected it of Tuanthal but he seemed above it. Miach was a law unto himself and never worried about anyone else’s position so long as he was in charge of his precious archers.

  Myrddyn and Pol accompanied my son and me. We rode with Tuanthal’s equites. It was not because I was afraid of ambush but because we needed the two leaders of equites to share their experiences of the new weapons and armour. Hogan had become better and better with the lance and I think Tuanthal was anxious to see if the nobles of Pasgen’s command could match him. Our first ship was a month away from sailing and we needed a quay or dock building close to Mungo’s Burgh; I had had enough surprises at Yule, I wanted none from King Iago.

  The settlement close to the island fort was well established and the women bowed as we rode by. After the uncertainty of life amongst the Saxons their new life must have seemed a world away. The walls of the new fort bristled with bolt throwers and sentries. Prince Pasgen had used the new timber mill to build huge stables and warrior halls for his men. The recently acquired armour and weapons were worn with pride by the men from Strathclyde. Prince Pasgen’s personal quarters were also well apportioned. Although he did not have the hypocaust we had had in Rheged he had fireplaces in every room and it was very comfortable even when the wind was blowing from snowy Wyddfa.

  I was, therefore, somewhat surprised when Myrddyn suggested that we spend a two day trip ascending Wyddfa. Pasgen and Tuanthal were also less than happy.

  “You want to take the Warlord up a mountain which may be teeming with Iago’s men?”

  “I do not think Iago’s men will be teeming anywhere at the moment. Besides it will be safe.”

  “I can ill afford to have horses breaking their legs for no reason.”

  Myrddyn gave an exasperated sigh, “Prince Pasgen who said anything about taking your horses?”

  “What about an escort?”

  “We need no escort. We will take Pol.”

  I smiled at the reaction. All of them, thought that I would be mad to do as my wizard asked but I trusted him. He had never lied to me and never told me anything which did not come true. If he said we would be safe then we would be. “I am going. Would you like to come too, Pol?”

  He grinned, “Of course, Warlord!”

  We left the next morning. I knew that Pasgen would send Aedh and his scouts out to watch us but I knew that Myrddyn would have a good reason for the journey.

  We headed south and meandered our way up sheep tracks. Scout was a surefooted horse and I did not worry that he would lose his footing. Soon we left the spindly trees behind and there was snow underfoot. Myrddyn obviously knew where he was going and we rode around the side of the mountain towards the eastern side. I saw only the tracks of birds and a wild cats. There was no
sign that either man or horse had ever been up here.

  “There is a good reason why you have brought me here Myrddyn. It is not just to annoy my captains and make me cold so pray, tell me the reason.”

  “I have told you of the power of the mountain and at this time of the year the power is at its greatest as the mountain awakes from its winter sleep. There is a cave and it delves deep into the heart of the dragon. We will sleep there and we will dream.”

  I heard the sharp intake of breath from Pol. “And what of Pol. You and I know of the dreams but not Pol.”

  Myrddyn was silent and then he reined in his horse and turned to face me. “The spirit who will visit us Warlord, who is she?”

  “The spirit of my mother.”

  “That is the form and the voice she takes and do you think that she will harm Pol.”

  His words were those of a mother chastising a child for being afraid of the dark and I did feel foolish. “You will be safe Pol but if you wish to sleep outside of the cave then I will understand.”

  “No Warlord, I am your standard bearer and I face the same dangers as you.” His words sounded brave even if they lacked conviction.

  We reached the cave towards mid afternoon. We had to dismount to enter. I wondered if our horses would enter but Myrddyn spoke kind words to his and led him in. I stroked Scout. “Come girl, I know that you will not be afraid.” She walked calmly in as though it was not a deep black hole filled with shadows and shapes.

  It took Pol some time to persuade his horse to enter but I did not embarrass him by waiting. There was just a dim light in the cave but Myrddyn had brought kindling and soon he had a fire going. I saw that there were dead branches around the sides as though others had done as we had. The light helped Pol’s horse to settle and we took off their saddles and fed them grain and water. We tied their halters to rocks and then Pol and I explored the cave. It went back some three hundred paces and lowered quite sharply. Even at the end we could feel air and so we knew that the cave went on further. The dim light did not let us see how far and we returned to the fire where Myrddyn was fiddling on with a small cauldron.