by Griff Hosker
“True but you will only get ten.”
He pouted a little. “Then you will not pass.”
“Ah,” I smiled the smile my men called the wolf smile and the one which terrified my enemies. I could never understand why. I reached around and brought out my helmet which I donned. “If I had a mind, Gareth of Witherspool, I could ride through your village alone and slay every man woman and child within. That is not my intention but I will not be robbed.”
He vainly held up his sword. “We will stop you Lord Lann!”
In one sudden and swift movement I drew Saxon Slayer and sliced though his blade. The effect was instantaneous. The others dropped their weapons and started to run back. “Stop! I have not finished.” I slid my sword back into its scabbard and removed my helmet. “You are a brave man Gareth. That could have been your head.” I counted out ten coins. “Keep that first coin I gave to you for your courage. Here are the ten I promised. When my people have crossed the bridge then they will buy any spare supplies you wish to sell. Is that fair?”
A faint smile appeared on his relieved face as he took the coins. “It is fair, Lord Lann.” He hesitated and then pointed at my cloak. “Would I be correct in saying that you are the Wolf Warrior. The one the legends say kills Saxon kings and can fly with his wizard.”
I saw Myrddyn’s hand cover his smile. “I am the Wolf Warrior and I have killed many Saxons.”
“Then thank you my lord for sparing this fool’s life.” They opened the gates fully and I waved Tuanthal and the others forwards.
Myrddyn chuckled, “That story is growing. Soon you will be a dragon slayer.”
We rode through the small hamlet and it was pitifully poor. The pigs and goats wandered around their own filth inside and the children that we saw looked thin and emaciated. It was such a contrast to my people who would be coming through later. We rode through and crossed the bridge. Tuanthal and his men began to lay out the camp. I left the horses with Pol and Hogan and walked back to speak with Gareth; I took Myrddyn with me. The headman walked eagerly towards us. He had almost died and now was the richest man in the town. I suspected that most of the silver would find its way into his hands eventually.
“Is there anything else I can do for Lord Lann?”
“We are heading for Deva and then Wales.”
His face fell. “My lord, the Welsh tribes are a wild and violent people. They eat babies!”
Myrddyn snorted and I smiled. “It does not matter we will go there. Now there may be more people following us. You will know they are with me for they will wear the wolf skin. They are to be allowed across without charge.” I saw the indignation on his face and I held up my hand. “I will pay ten silver pieces for the crossing. You have my word.” Gareth nodded; satisfied that he would be rewarded. “I will reward you and your settlement for good service. I will provide better arms… when you earn them. Now tell me about Deva.”
“There is a violent warband there my lord. They are Hibernians and we all know what mad bastards they are.” I nodded my agreement. “They do not charge to cross their bridge. They kill any who come.” He suddenly looked apologetic. “If you travelled upstream you could have crossed this river at a ford.”
I had already worked that out. The whirlpool and the narrowness of the river suggested that it was not the Tinea or the Dunum. “I do not mind. It is worth the ten pieces of silver to have a friend. “I looked at him. “You are my friend aren’t you?”
He dropped to his knees and kissed my hand. “Oh yes my lord. Had I known it was you I would not have been so foolish!”
I lifted him up. “How many Hibernians are there?”
“Many my lord, many more than your ten men and two boys!”
I almost laughed. He had no concept of my army yet. When they arrived he would understand. “Good. I am pleased.”
Just then Aedh galloped up to me. “My lord, Captain Garth is half a mile up the road.”
“Good, tell him to cross the bridge and we camp on the other side of the river.”
I amused myself by standing next to the headman as first the horsemen, then the archers followed by the wagons and carts and finally the warriors crossed through the hamlet and over the bridge. Gareth looked over at me with a wry smile on his face. “You could have slaughtered us all and not even noticed it. Why did you pay?”
“Because my land was stolen from me by violent Saxons; I will fight for my people but I will not take from someone who has so little.”
He knelt again. “I know it means little to you my lord, but I pledge allegiance for my people. We will be your oathsworn.”
I raised him up. “Good and I will send men, when we are settled to make your town secure and better protected for you are important to me.”
As we walked across the bridge Myrddyn said, “That was well done my lord. That was worthy of King Urien.”
“That, Myrddyn, is the most complimentary thing you have ever said to me.”
After we had eaten I gathered the counsel around me. I had gradually collected them as we rode south. There was Myrddyn, of course and brother Oswald, as well as my officers but there was also a Bernician a warrior of Strathclyde and two men from my the villagers. I wanted them all to have a say in what we did.
“We will wait here and rest for two days. This is a safe place and it is easily defended. Some of our people need recovery time and we can hunt and fish for supplies. Gareth and his people will sell us surplus supplies although I fear that they will be poor quality. Brother Oswald, find a good Saxon sword and a shield and helm and give them to him. They have sworn allegiance. We will leave twenty men here and take the rest to Deva. The Hibernians are there and they will be slightly more belligerent.” Even Brother Oswald laughed at that. “The gods have been kind to us.” Brother Oswald’s face turned sour at that but we cannot expect it to last. Harder times will come. Autumn will be upon us soon and we will have no crops to reap. The Saxons will be reaping our work in Rheged. We will have to tighten our belts but we can do this. We are but a few days away from our new home. Now is not the time to weaken.” Their cheers told me that they were in good spirits and I went to sleep happier than I had been for some time.
I took all of my men, apart from the twenty guards, as I hoped to avoid conflict. A show of strength might make the Irish capitulate but Garth was not hopeful. “The Irish are all mad buggers my lord and will as soon fight to the death as talk.”
Myrddyn was more positive. “They are also very superstitious. Let us see if we can bewitch them eh?” The old Roman fort was built right next to the river and controlled the bridge. I suspected there might be a crossing upstream and I sent my scouts to find it. We unfurled my Wolf Standard and the Dragon Standard to impress these warriors, whom Myrddyn had assured us, were superstitious.
The ditch around the walls had rubbish in it and the sides had begun to crumble. It had ed. So far as we could see there were no traps in the bottom. The walls were manned before we reached the gate but there did not appear to be an overwhelming number of men. Tuanthal and his men rode the perimeter and estimated that there were less than two hundred of them. We outnumbered them but tackling a Roman Fort, no matter how much it had decayed and fallen into disrepair, was no easy matter.
As with Witherspool we approached to two hundred paces. My archers and warriors spread out behind me, their arms gleaming in the sunlight. Myrddyn spoke Hibernian if we needed it and he was standing next to me. I did not wait for them to speak first, instead I took the initiative.
“I am Lord Lann, Warlord of Rheged, and I ask permission to cross this bridge over the Dee.”
My answer came from two warriors who put their rears over the wall and shat in the ditch. “Miach!”
“With pleasure my lord.” Four arrows flew and each arrow punctured each one of the four buttocks on show. The men dropped back within the walls and the rest ducked below the parapets.
“As you can see, we are able to be quite persuasive.”
; A tall red headed warrior appeared on the gatehouse and shouted, “Kiss my fucking arse. You want to get across the bridge then fight for it.”
“I suspect this may be a bit bloody my lord!”
“Surround the fort and begin to dig a ditch. They may have bows so keep it more than two hundred paces from their walls.” The problem the Hibernians had was that they could not man every part of the wall. We could. I summoned Miach. “As soon as it is dark then begin to loose fire arrows into the fort. It won’t hurt them but it will annoy them. “I gestured Ridwyn over, “Get your Strathclyde boys to make a few hammers. I don’t think they will have met them and it will worry them more than the fire. Garth, Take fifty men and begin to dig beneath their walls at the corner.”
Myrddyn said, “I will join Miach. I have a few surprises for them.”
We soon had a better ditch than they did protecting us and we had tents erected. The arrows of Miach and Myrddyn surprised even me. They flamed in blues, reds and yellows as they soared over the walls. They looked magical although I knew it was a wizard’s trick. The hammers of the men from the north soon hammered at the gates of the fort. The wood was old and fist sized holes began to appear. I wondered at the panic within as they took the punishment, unable to fight back. Garth and his men were hidden in the shadows and worked silently; removing earth from the base. Apart from the archers and Garth’s fifty men who were digging, the rest of the army slept comfortably. The Hibernians did not.
When dawn broke we could see fires burning in the fort and the gate looked to have been weakened. Garth and his men had returned before dawn satisfied that the corner closest to us had been weakened sufficiently to succumb to an attack. I rode to the gates again. “Do you allow us crossing?” I saw the archer and raised my shield so that it took the missile. The Hibernian archer plunged over the side with four arrows in him. The rest disappeared from view.
I turned to Garth. “They want to do it the hard way. Attack!”
The slingers moved forwards followed by the shield wall and then the ranks of archers. Tuanthal took his horsemen to the far end of the fort and I knew that there would be indecision amongst the Hibernian leaders. Where would we attack? Which was the feint? The slingers cleared the walls and then retreated behind the archers. The warriors reached the wall without losing a single man. The archers picked off every face they saw. Garth and his men began to tear rocks from the bottom of the wall with the picks that they carried. The work of the previous night was being rewarded. The Hibernians realised what they were doing but were powerless to intervene. The archers and slinger slaughtered any who showed themselves on the walls. Suddenly, with a crack, the corner collapsed and we could see inside the fort. If the Irish expected my men to make a suicidal charge they were wrong. My archers loosed volley after volley to clear the ground just inside the corner. When Garth was satisfied I heard him yell, “Charge!” and two hundred mailed warriors rushed over the debris and into the fort. I led the rest of the warriors towards the gate and, by the time we had reached it, it was open and my men were slaughtering the brave but badly led Hibernians who died to a man. We now had our own stronghold. We controlled the road into Wales.
Garth brought me the tally of dead and it was remarkably light. None of the defenders had survived. We could tell from the poor quality of their weapons that they had not been particularly successful as brigands. They had been fortunate to happen upon a deserted Roman fort and a bridge. I left Myrddyn healing the wounded and Garth stripping and clearing the dead. My people could now camp within sight of the fort. I took Pol and Hogan back to the rest of my people.
Gareth was obviously in awe of the Hibernians and when just three of us returned he assumed that the rest had died. “I am sorry you have lost your army my lord.”
I laughed, “I can see that you know little of war my friend. The Hibernians are no more and I will have men in the fort from now on. Should you need aid then send there to the captain.” He nodded with a look of amazement which was comical. “Brother Oswald, start our people to the fort. Pol will lead you.”
“Yes my lord.”
“Tell me Gareth do you have any dealings with the Saxons?”
“No, my lord. They are rumoured to be to the east but so far we have not had any dealings with them.”
“If you hear of them then send a message to Deva and you will be rewarded.”
The headman looked at me, almost shyly, “My lord, are you rich?”
I shook my head. “No Gareth but I use what gold I have for my people. What is a leader without his people eh?” I leaned forwards. “Perhaps you should think on that headman.” The caravan was slowly winding down the road towards Deva and I took my leave. “Thank you for your hospitality and pray that the Saxons do not come for they are a cruel people.”
We reached the fort just after dark. There was hot food ready as the Irish had not lacked supplies and we had a comfortable night when the rains lashed down. We had found our fort at just the right time. The next morning I gathered my counsel around me. “I have a mind to keep a garrison here. What do you think?”
One of the villagers ventured. “There are two families who are tiring of the journey and I think they would like to settle here.”
“Good. Garth, are any warriors feeling the same?”
Mungo, the new leader of the men from Strathclyde stood. “We serve you my lord and I believe we would like to stay together. This would be a good place to live. “He grinned. “Besides I think they want to start families sooner rather than later and some of the men have formed attachments to the single girls.”
Micah snorted, “More like going at it like bunnies if you ask me.”
Mungo flashed an irritated look and I waved my hand at Miach to be silent. “I would be more than happy about that for you are doughty men. I know that you will repair the fort and protect it and the road. I would appreciate it if you kept an eye on Witherspool. That bridge is almost as valuable as this one.”
“I will my lord.”
“Good. We will send supplies here when we have reached journey’s end.”
“And how far is that my lord?”
“Good question Mungo. Myrddyn?”
“Almost a hundred miles and there is the sea to cross.”
I could see that the farmers on the counsel looked dismayed. “The island will afford protection from the Saxons and with Mungo here and his men prospering we will be even safer but if any want to settle on the way they are welcome but remember this.” I pointed at the mountain in the distance; Myrddyn had said it was holy and called Wyddfa.”There may be tribes around here who are hostile. There may be a king of this land who would object to incomers. I can only protect those who settle on the island. This may be a good place to settle but it will be the first to feel the wrath of the Saxons. Mungo knows that do you not?”
“Aye my lord.”
“So speak with your people and we leave in the morning. Across that bridge is Wales. That is the start of our new life.”
Chapter 15
There was a low range of hills to the south of us but the Roman Road was unerringly straight as it crossed them. The estuary of the river was to our right as we headed westwards. I could see how the Irish had happened upon Deva. They could have sailed their ship right up the estuary. I suspect they came as pirates and slavers but found the pickings around Deva easier than the rigours of the sea. There were more homes and farms along the valley sides but we saw no people. It was not surprising that we encountered none for we were a mighty host. Gareth’s perception of a large army was probably like the people here. We did not bother any although if they had come to speak with us they would have seen that we meant no harm.
The Roman Road enabled us to make good time. Tuanthal and his scouts were excited as they reported the sea some fifteen miles ahead. We found a sheltered campsite overlooking the estuary and my warriors dug a ditch. The people had seemed harmless but there were forests which seemed to creep towards Wyddfa and who kne
w what they contained.
Although many of the women and some of the men complained about the length of the journey, to the children it was just an adventure. With the tireless energy of the young, they ran and raced each other between the carts as we trudged along the road. I noticed, as we set up camp, that there were few single girls or women left. The only ones were little more than children. The war widows soon found men to look after them and the girls had their choice of lusty young warriors. Of course once they were all coupled then I would have warriors who wanted women and that was a problem I would have to deal with at some point. Myrddyn’s skills meant that no-one had succumbed to either sickness or wounds. He had saved all those who fell ill. It was strange; the closer we came to his home the more skills he seemed to show. His power was growing. He attributed it to Wyddfa where he had spent time with his grandfather. Certainly it was the highest mountain I had ever seen and would have dwarfed Halvelyn. I had never before seen snow on a mountain top at this time of the year.
The next day we crossed the ridge into the valley and saw the sea. I knew that this was the same sea we had seen from Rheged but it seemed somehow, more exotic. Tuanthal suddenly galloped in. “My lord there is a large settlement in the next valley. There are thirty buildings and some of them are large enough to be warrior halls.”
“Garth, take charge of the column and keep moving but be alert. Tuanthal bring all of your riders. Myrddyn , you had better come with us.”
We were no longer following the road although, as we rode, Tuanthal told me that the road passed close by the houses. When we crested the rise above the buildings I could see no defensive wall. I was puzzled. “We will ride down but be careful it looks innocent but like the rose, it may have hidden thorns.”
We were halfway down the slope when Myrddyn said, “I know what it is. It is a monastery. Brother Osric told me about them.”
I had heard the word but I was unfamiliar with its function. “A monastery?”
“Yes priests like Brother Osric live together to pray to God.”