by Griff Hosker
After the meal I stood and nodded to Lann who scurried away. “Today is a most important day for us here, at our home and our castle. We have been invited by the Emperor Phocas himself to join him as an ally. We have decided to accept this offer of friendship.” They all banged their beakers on the table, much to Myfanwy’s annoyance. I glanced at Andronikos who smiled and nodded. “And we have a little gift for the Emperor. It is a poor copy but it is some of Brother Osric’s writing. Next time a ship arrives from Constantinople there will be better copies ready.”
I could see from his face that the Greek was touched by the gift. “I thank you Warlord and can I ask, have you accepted the title.”
“Yes strategos, I will be Dux Britannica.”
“Then you will need this as well.” He took out a wooden chest. I did not know how he had brought it in unseen. He took out a chain with a pendant. There was a golden image of the Emperor and around the side writing which said, Dux Britannica. He placed it around my neck and bowed and then he took out a magnificent silvered helmet. It had mail hanging from it and enclosed the face apart from the eyes and the mouth. Unlike my Saxon helmet it was made in one piece. The top had a white plume sticking from it. It was the most beautiful piece of armour I had ever seen.
I saw the envy from my warriors and admiration from my wife who said, “Well go on, put it on, you know you want to.” She knew me so well. I put it on and heard the cheers and roars from the room. It felt light and I found that I had good vision. It was cleverly made.
When I took it off Andronikos said. “It is the type worn by our Cataphractoi. This one was mine.”
“I cannot accept your helmet!”
“Please I will never need it again and,“ he gave a wry smile, “I have seen yours and this guarantees that you will live a little longer.”
The celebrations went on long into the night but Andronikos like Myrddyn and me, drank sparingly and the three of us were the only ones up early the next morning. We took a stroll along the cliffs to the south of the castle.
“This is a perfect spot for a castle and this looks well built. I noticed, as we sailed north, that the only solid looking castles were Roman and the rest were built in wood.”
“They call us the last of the Romans and we like the stone forts.”
Myrddyn had been desperate to ask questions and now he began, “Strategos, the Greek Fire recipe?”
He smiled, “I have a copy in my room I shall give it to you.”
“The Warlord has not asked but how will we communicate?”
“A good question, Myrddyn. I will send letters with the ships which call here. There will be a ship a week from now on. I hope that you will have plenty to trade.”
Myrddyn gave a confident nod. “We will. Now that we have the alliance we can plan accordingly.”Myrddyn should have been a Greek and I wondered what was running through his mind.
“I would like to have some of your younger officers visit with me so that they can learn of how we make war.”
“I can already think of a couple who would like to do that.”
“Good. Let me get back to Constantinople and make the arrangements. I am glad that I was chosen to meet you.”
“And I am pleased too. It was beginning to feel lonely here at the edge of the world.”
“Well now you are closer to the very centre of the known world, the Emperor.”
Chapter 15
The signal towers proved their worth as the days began to shorten after midsummer. The sentries could see far out sea and the odd ship which had come close to the isle had been seen and reported. The wheat was growing well and both Gareth and Brother Oswald were calculating our profits. The first of our new horses had been born and, although we would not yet see how good they would be they were at least healthy. That month also saw the birth of many children on the island the result of unions between young girls and widows and the soldiers who now wanted families. It did seem particularly precocious of the gods to smite us with the Hibernians. The signals came from the north reporting that Irish ships were in our waters. Tuanthal led his equites, now eighty strong, to assess the threat. Garth and Ridwyn made sure that the warriors were ready to march and Miach prepared his flying column of archers. Our plans had long been in place.
As Lann polished my sword, which he had already sharpened he said, cheerfully, “You will get to wear your new helmet Warlord. Are you excited?”
How could I tell him that it was not exciting it was a deadly business? He had been spared the true horror of war in his first fight but I knew that when we stood in a shield wall and fought another then he would know that war was not exciting. “I have worn it before.”
“Yes my lord but the enemy have not seen it! They will flee when they do.”
“I hope so,“ I said wryly, “it will save many lives.”
We now had to wait until Tuanthal returned although I hoped that our two ships would see the signal and investigate. An attack from sea would disturb an enemy’s plans. Then signals began to come from the south too. Had we two attacks? I summoned Aedh and Miach. “Investigate the southern course. I hope that we do not have two attacks. Take your mounted archers; you may be able to deter them a little.” No matter how many men invaded or attacked us I was confident that I could defeat it if it was one force but I had not enough men for two attacks. We had three hundred warriors for we had had many recent volunteers but I would need to leave at least one hundred to defend Castle Calm and Caergybi. I intended to fight with two hundred warriors, eighty equites and sixty archers. I knew that every settlement would have up to one hundred men who could fight and some had more. I hoped that the signals had ensured that everyone had made a fort safely.
One of Tuanthal’s men galloped in just before noon. His horse showed how hard he had ridden. “Warlord, there are six Hibernian ships. They have landed four hundred men.” My mind took in that they must have been big ships or very overcrowded. Then it struck me that some may have landed and returned to Ireland. “The captain is watching them.”
“Have they destroyed anything?”
“They have burned a small village but it was empty. They have reached your brother’s Burgh.” Aelle’s calm demeanour would make everyone feel safer and with my horse watching them they weren’t going anywhere. Had I not had the second signal I would have taken Garth and a hundred men and sent the Hibernians packing but I had to delay. I would not risk a trap.
I sent for Garth and Ridwyn. “Ridwyn take eighty men and march to Aelle’s Burgh. There are forty foot archers who can accompany you. Your presence may send them home.”
“Do you want us to attack them?”
“Only if you think you can win. We will have to wait until we see what is going on in the south.”
They were ready to march and they set off. They were fit men and could travel almost as fast as the equites. “Garth, make sure the men have been fed. We will have to march fast.”
Aedh’s scout galloped in with the bad news from the south and Raibeart’s Burgh. “Ten ships have landed close to your brother’s fort. There are five hundred Hibernians and they have surrounded Lord Raibeart’s Burgh. Captain Miach is harassing them with arrows.”
“Myrddyn, you take charge of the defence here. Let Tuanthal know the situation and send a messenger to Mungo. If they have not already sailed I want The Wolf to the south and The Dragon to the north. Garth, get the men and let us march. Lann, lead our horses.” It was not fair to ride while my men marched and it would save Scout in case I needed some hard riding later on.
We took the coast road along the cliff. It would afford us a good view of their ships and was the shortest way. I smiled as Lann struggled to keep up. He had the horses to lead and it was a little unfair but he had to learn about war the hard way by doing it. We were five miles from Castle Calm when we saw the first burning farm. I sent one of the scouts to investigate and his bleak face told the story before he opened his mouth. “They are all dead!”
Garth shook his head, “Perhaps they were the first ones and had no warning.”
“Perhaps.”
We saw the ships and they were lying less than half a mile off shore. Their captains must have been confident for there were many rocks in that part of the sea and if the wind came up they could be wrecked. Garth came next to me. “How do we do this, Warlord?”
“Not the way I intended. We will have to do it the expensive way; a wedge to break them up and destroy them. We have to get across the island. Tuanthal and Ridwyn cannot defeat four hundred men, they can only watch.”
Raibeart’s Burgh was built on a low ridge above the sea. He had wooden walls and a single ditch but he had no bolt throwers. They had been planned for the future. If Miach was harassing the enemy with his archers then we might be able to reach them before they had breached the gates and walls. As we reached a rise about a mile away I saw that the Hibernians were already at the walls and were trying to fire them. I could see tendrils of smoke rising. “I want us to double time to reach them. We will go in a column until we are a hundred paces from them and then we go into wedge formation. Garth you will be on my left; Lann and Pol behind me. Tie Scout and the other horses to that tree.” As Lann obeyed me I put on my new helmet and the men cheered. We began to run.
The Hibernians were using the tactic used by Iago’s men. They were hacking at the walls with axes. I could see the defenders loosing arrows, hurling spears and throwing rocks. Miach and his archers were trying to thin out the Hibernians but the shield wall was holding. I would not give them the chance to form ranks and face us; we would make a wedge at the run. I trusted my men and their training. “Wedge!” I would be the point of attack and I focussed on the warrior I would strike. I led us towards the extreme left of their wall. He was, by his armbands, weapons and stature a chief and we needed to take those warriors and leaders out first.
Between the roar of their attack and the crash of their weapons they had no idea we were coming. I knew that Miach and his archers had seen me and that they would aid us with their missiles. We were less than twenty paces from them when we were seen and by then it was too late. “Unfurl the banner!”Raising my sword I roared, “Rheged!” and smashed my blade through the helmet of the surprised, shocked and soon, very dead chief. The weight of warriors behind me took us into the flank of their attack. The men on either side of me slashed and hacked too and soon we were deep in the heart of their shield wall. Only their shields faced us and they struggled to turn to present their swords, axes and spears. Many were simply knocked to the ground. Some of those were trampled to death while others were stabbed by the men in the middle of the wedge. The warriors who were attacking the wall were suddenly aware of the slackening of support and Miach and his archers took advantage to thin them out too. Already we had achieved our first objective; the settlement was no longer under attack and I hoped that Miach and his archers would join the defenders. Their arrows would do more damage from their ramparts and they would join Raibeart’s men in a joint arrow attack.
I heard the sound of drums ahead and knew that we would soon be surrounded as our wedge drove deeper into their lines. As I took off the head of the man before me I said to Garth, “We need to get in front of the wall. We need to wheel right!”
“Aye my lord!” It was a difficult manoeuvre. The left side had to hold while those from me to my right had to turn right and clear the men who were attacking our flank. We would then have to retreat backwards and I hoped that Raibeart and his men would be ready to support us. Garth shouted. “Right wheel!” As he held his position I gave a half turn right to stab Saxon Slayer through the unguarded side of the Irish warrior next to me. Pol was stabbing with the banner; it now had a spear head and was a lethal weapon while hacking with his sword. Lann’s seax flashed out like a serpent’s tongue to strike flesh whenever it could and then we had a shield wall.
“Rheged! Walk backwards.” We began to retreat the thirty paces to the damaged wall. We had some space for the Hibernians were still disorganised but that would only be a brief respite. Once they saw that we were moving backwards they would hurl their warriors at us in that wild way the Irish had. The wedge had become three lines with a small gap between them. The first of the Hibernians came at us one by one and they died to a man. I had drilled into my warriors that the enemy had to be killed, even if it took two or three men to do it. Then a huge bare-chested warrior wielding an enormous war hammer threw himself at us. An arrow flew from behind us and struck him in the shoulder but it did not slow him up. The hammer connected with Con, the warrior next to me and his whole skull disintegrated. I dropped to one knee and drove my sword up through his stomach, through his chest and out of his back. As I stood I punched with my shield and his body slipped noisily from my blade and crashed into two warriors behind him.
Pol shouted, “We are at the wall!”
“Here we hold them. Lock shields!”
With our shields together and our blades before us we were like a huge piece of armour and the half armoured Irish rushed at us. There were so many of them that, had we not had the wall behind us, then they would have driven over us but all that they did was kill their own warriors in the front rank when they drove them on to our weapons. All the time they were pushing hard to get at us arrows and stones were flying over our heads from those on the walls to kill those behind who were giving their weight to the attack. As the pressure slackened then the bodies would fall and another warrior would be pushed forwards onto a blade. Our shields were too good and our weapons were superior. The end was inevitable and they fell back leaving a wall of dead before them.
I heard a cheer from within as the Irish stepped backwards over the dead and the dying. We had stopped them but what I did not know was, had we won? They retreated back to the shore. I heard Garth yell, “Get any wounded inside the burgh. The warriors at the front, despatch the wounded.”
“I want a prisoner!”
“You heard the Warlord, the least wounded can be captured alive.”
I did not take my eyes from the Irish in front of me. We had hurt them and, had I had Tuanthal with me, then they would be defeated. However there still enough of them to attack again. Then I saw them move slightly south to a sandy ridge. It soon became clear that they would be making camp and I sighed with relief. I hated fighting when I did not know all. I needed to know how many men were left in this burgh before I could plan on defeating the Hibernians.
Behind us the gates opened and the men at the rear began to enter. Raibeart came out and embraced me. “You came just in time. We had killed many but this was a huge warband.” He patted the wooden walls, the walls which were now charred in places. “Thank the Allfather you ordered these to be erected.” As I took off my helmet he added, “Miach told me of the attack on Aelle’s Burgh. How did they fare?”
“I know not. I sent Tuanthal and a handful of warriors and archers for it was a smaller band.” I looked out to sea and saw the ships slowly moving down to the camp site. “How many ships landed these warriors?”
“There were twenty.”
As we went in I rubbed my beard. “There is something amiss here brother. I cannot see twenty ships here.”
“Nor can I but my men told me that some of them disappeared over the horizon after they had landed the warriors.”
“Which makes me wonder why and where did they go?”
“Let us feed you and your men and clear away the damage. We can talk better on a full stomach.” He looked at the helmet in my hands. “The new helmet stands out on the battlefield. It appears to shine like a beacon. It is a fine piece of work.”
I handed it to him for him to feel the weight and examine the skill in the manufacture. “It is and I barely noticed that I was wearing it. It is cunningly made. Ralph, my smith, has been trying to copy it, without success I have to say. If we all had these then we would have an advantage over any foe.”
Garth and the last of our warriors entered and deposited the arms and helm
ets they had gathered. “There is still more to be gathered, my lord.”
“I will get my people to do that brother.”
While Raibeart organised the collecting Garth took off his helmet. “We lost fifteen dead. It could have been worse.”
“We had surprise on our side. They did not expect us to attack as soon as we arrived. They will now be planning how to end this.”
“They lost many men, Warlord. I do not think they can defeat us now.”
“If this was the only band then I would agree but what of the band on the other coast? What if they joined here? They have cleverly divided our forces. It is not like the eastern end of the island where the two forts can see each other; here we are vulnerable to an attack from anywhere. We will have to prepare for the morning and see what comes. Organise the men. Pol and Lann go and fetch the horses. Scout will be fretting to be so close to a battle and not be involved. I will find Miach.”
Miach strode over to me, a large cut running down his grizzled cheek. “Did you get too close to one of them?”
“Aye, the little bastards hid in the dunes and tried to pull us from our horses. They failed. We lost five good men though.”
“It was worth the cost for it held them until we arrived. Gather any spent arrows and after food we will plan the morrow. Send one of your men to Tuanthal to discover how it goes there.”
Raibeart told us, over food, about the attack. “The men on the tower saw the ships as they approached and lit the beacons. The people began to come in but there were few from the north and the beacon there was not lit.”
“I believe that is why we received the message late. They must have landed men up there and they killed those close to the beacon. Someone has been spying.”
“When they landed they formed into a shield wall on the beach and then advanced. The ditches and the arrows slowed them down a little and we killed many but there were too many of them. When Miach arrived and began harassing them at least it stopped them trying to burn the walls.”