Hosker, G [Wolf Brethren 03] Saxon England

by Griff Hosker

  “But the sea…”

  “We have built a bridge.”

  The looks they exchanged suggested that Myrddyn was a magician to have created a bridge. “We will return in seven days. If you have any spare supplies then we will buy it from you.”

  The same scene was repeated over the next seven farms. Miach said wryly, “We have a lot of promises my lord but precious little food.”

  “When you fish or hunt you lay down bait. Myrddyn’s honeyed words are our bait.”

  We saw our first settlement on the northern coast. It was a fishing village. The headman was more confident than the others had been and I saw that they had a rudimentary wall of wood. It would not stop my men but it might deter pirates and slavers who would find easier pickings elsewhere. Like Gwynfor he was pleased that there was a military presence and he liked the idea of making money. He promised to bring fish by boat to Mynydd. I liked this better. If we could make Mynydd a market then we would improve the prosperity of that town and save much leg work.

  By the time we reached the narrows we had made contact with most of the northern half of the island. Tuanthal had made a fine fort and he and his men had also built another raft, albeit smaller which they kept moored beneath the fort. “We thought this would enable us to get wood from the mainland. There is little on the island.” He looked at me apologetically. “I am sorry I did not return when we built the fort but I wanted the raft completing.”

  “Do not apologise. You were thinking and planning. That is more important. Come with us now. We have visited the northern half of the island. Myrddyn you take Miach and return the way we came. Negotiate and barter; see what you can get.”

  As I rode with my horsemen I saw more of our people who had built homes. They were obvious, even from a distance as they built their huts in the same way and all of them had a protective ditch running around. I promised that there would soon be a market and invited all of them to the island for Yule. It would not be the cold and icy festival of the north but it would bring us together again to remember those we had left.

  We found more isolated farms and I had now learned enough of the language to be able to do as Myrddyn had done. We were just five miles from the island when we came upon a strange sight. There was a hut and the animals were bleating and lowing pitifully. The place had a deserted look to it. When we dismounted there was the smell of death about the place and we drew our swords. When we opened the door the smell really hit us. There were six bodies within. A whole family had died. Turning to the horsemen I said, “Four of you get in here. The rest see to those animals. Give them water and food.” The men halted in horror at the door. “Take the bodies outside and we will bury them.”

  Tuanthal looked at me. “It might be better to leave them in here and burn the hut.”

  The idea had appeal but there was a nagging thought in the back of my mind; an insistent voice which told me to look at the dead. “No, we need to be able to describe them to others and find out who they are.”

  There was a man and four children. They looked to be between four and eleven. As the woman was carried outside one of the men suddenly started. “My lord. The woman, she is alive!”

  There was a mixture of excitement and panic; what was the cause of death. If this was the plague then we were all in great danger. I had to act urgently. We were but five miles from home. I could take her there and isolate her. “Put her on my horse. Return the bodies to the hut and fire it. Tuanthal leave me three men to drive the animals to the fort and then you return to the narrows.”

  “Lord Lann, is this wise?”

  I laughed, “When have I ever done anything that is wise? I will be safe, believe me. This is wyrd again.”

  The woman was thin and emaciated and she was no weight. Raven bore us both easily. She might have been pretty once but whatever illness she had suffered had ravaged her looks. I rode as gently as I could whilst listening to her rasping breath as the bridge came ever closer.

  I felt quite proud as the bridge and gatehouse loomed up. Having seen the whole island I could see that the only structures of any size were on my island. The gates were flung open when I was recognised. They looked in silence at the body slung across my horse’s neck. I risked a little more speed as I rode the last mile to my fort. I headed for the archer’s hall. It was more isolated and the men who lived there could go into the main hall. As I rode through the gate I said, “Send Brother Oswald to me. Quickly.”

  I dismounted and went into the hall. There were just six slingers inside. “Take your gear and go to the main hall. I need this hall now.”

  “Can we help my lord?”

  “Aye, bring the woman from my horse inside and then take Raven to the stables.” I made a bed of straw which I covered with a leather cloak I found hanging on the wall. “Bring her in, gently, and lay her down.” They did so and then stood around. “You have done as I asked now go; I know not what ails her.” They left and Brother Oswald entered. “Her family is dead and we thought that she was dead.”

  He knelt down and began to examine her. “This is where we need the healer.”

  Leaving him ministering I ran to the door where two of the boys were leading Raven away. “You two. Get your ponies and ride north, find Myrddyn and bring him here. Say the Warlord needs a healer.” They grinned and ran with a bemused Raven in tow towards the stables. I ducked back inside the hall.

  “It looks to be an infection of the chest.”

  “Can we catch it?”

  “You could but we can cure this if we treat it early enough. I can help her but it is the healer who will have to save her. Get the fire banked up and put on some water to boil.” He suddenly realised that he was talking to the Warlord. “Sorry my lord, forgive me…”

  “This is no time to be precious about rank. A life is at stake here.” I got the cauldron and went out to the water butt. When it was full I put it on the fire which was almost dying. I grabbed some dry wood and placed it on the embers and blew. It took me a few moments and I was sweating as though I had fought for an hour but the fire blazed away and the hall was brighter and felt more comfortable.

  “My lord, open her shift and bare her chest. I need to apply this salve.” He took some paste from a bottle and mixed it with a little of the water which was heating. As soon as he did so there was a pleasant smell which seemed to clear my head. I took my knife and slit the thongs holding her shift together. Her breasts were small and shrunken, clear evidence of the illness which had taken her family. Brother Oswald began to massage the paste onto her breasts. I noticed that within a few moments her breathing became less laboured. When he had finished he sat down. “That is all that I can do. I will make a broth for her. I will send one of the girls from the kitchens to sit with her.”

  “No Oswald. I am doing naught else for the moment. I will stay. What should I do?”

  “Keep her warm my lord.” He paused and put his hand on my shoulder, “Despite all your words, my lord, you a good man with a Christian heart.”

  Before I could berate him he had gone. I was tiring of being told I was a Christian! I took my wolf cloak and laid it on her; as much to cover her naked breasts as to keep her warm. She deserved dignity. I watched her and tried to work out her age. If her eldest child was about eleven then she would have been the same age as my mother when she had died. Perhaps that was why I was taking so much care. She looked a little like my mother, with the same hair and green eyes but I realised it felt good to be saving a life rather than just taking one.

  I do not know how long I sat there but when the door opened I saw that it was dark outside and the fire was dying a little. Oswald hurried in with a pan of steaming soup. I went to the fire to bank it up as the priest took a wooden spoon and began to feed her. “Your people are terrified that it is the plague and it has killed their Warlord. You had best show yourself.” I was not sure I ought to. “Go my lord, I will feed her and then you can return.”

  I left the hall and saw that a cold
night had fallen whilst I had watched. I walked across to my warrior hall and found that the priest had spoken true. There were terrified and worried faces watching for me as I strode across.

  Garth was at the gate to greet me. “When you sent for Myrddyn and then did not appear we feared the worst, Tuanthal’s men told us that the woman’s family were dead and we feared the plague had returned.”

  “No,” I raised my voice as all needed to hear my words, “the woman has an illness of the chest. I live and I am well. Go back to the warm hall. I cannot minister to you all.”

  Hogan ran to my side and grabbed me tightly. “I feared you would be taken as mother was.”

  “No my son, and I am sorry that I did not tell you what I was about.”

  Just then there was a drumming of hooves as Myrddyn arrived. He leapt from his horse. “The lads told me there was a sick woman?”

  “In the other hall, Brother Oswald is with her.” Now that Myrddyn was back I could relax. I put my arm around Hogan’s shoulders. “Now then let us go and eat for I am famished!”

  Myrddyn entered the hall an hour later. “The worst is over and she will survive. I have given her a potion to put her into a deep slumber. Brother Oswald is watching her. It was a good thing you reached her when you did or she would have died. She is a lucky woman.”

  I wondered about that. If I had not chosen to take the bodies out of the hut and just burned the dead then she would have died and I would never have seen her. Her face now haunted me. Life and death were in a fine balance and a thread no bigger than a spider’s web was the difference. When I was summoned, late the next morning she had awoken. She tried to struggle to her feet but Myrddyn restrained her.

  “No, my dear, you need to rest. You were close to death.”

  “And I am told that I have you to thank; Lord Lann, Warlord of this land. I owe my life to you and I will serve you in any way I can.”

  “You owe me nothing save to get well…?”

  “My name is Myfanwy, my lord, wife of Rhun.”

  “Well Myfanwy we will move you to a hut in the main compound.” I swept my arm around the hall. “These are the quarters for my archers and a hut with the women will be more appropriate.”

  As I left with Myrddyn he asked, “What will you do with her Lord Lann?”

  I was perplexed, “Do? I do not understand?”

  “Your lives are now intertwined and do not tell me that she does not remind you of your mother.”

  “Well… she can help in the kitchens, we always need workers there.”

  He laughed as he went to his cell. “Do not try to persuade me she means nothing. I can read your mind my lord but I will keep my silence.”

  I hated the fact that he was right but I was now used to being alone with Hogan. My mind could focus on my people and keeping them safe. I needed no entanglements.

  The first market at Mynydd was a small affair but I made sure that Brother Oswald spent plenty of silver and copper. The people of Mona were not used to coins but I hoped that by using it I would encourage them to continue to attend. The second was much more successful and, as it was but fourteen nights before Yule, there was quite a festive atmosphere. I stood on the walls of the old Roman fort and enjoyed watching the people of Mona who were bartering, negotiating and generally enjoying life.

  Gwynfor joined me. He now dressed better and I noticed he smelled cleaner. He stood next to me and bowed, and said shyly, “I want to thank you my lord for coming to Mona. Before you came we were at the mercy of every pirate and raider who wanted to steal from us. When we heard of the armed warriors coming across Mona we feared for our lives but,” he spread his arm, “this is better than any of us could have hoped.”

  I did not know what to say. “I just wanted to save my people from the Saxons.”

  He laughed, “Then you have saved two peoples and we thank you.” He nodded at the people talking with each other. “Every person you can see is better off and that is not just because of your coin; you have brought peace and stability.” He looked at me earnestly. “Promise me you will not desert us.” He suddenly looked embarrassed. “I am sorry my lord, that was presumptuous of me.”

  “No Gwynfor, I am your lord and I owe you a duty as much as you owe me. I shall not leave.”

  Chapter 17

  Yule was joyous. Brother Oswald had fewer Christians but he seemed not to mind. There were many shared areas of belief and the edges of both pagan and Christian religions were blurred. Tuanthal and his men had been over to the mainland and hunted resulting in much fine food. He had left a skeleton garrison watching the mainland and many of our settlers came to the place we had called Caergybi. Gwynfor told me it was the name of the old Roman fort and, as the last descendants of the Romans and the Britons we thought it apposite. We feasted for twelve days which seemed significant to Brother Oswald and to us pagans the right length of time to feast and eat and drink. Hogan got drunk for the first time and it was gratifying to see Pol, now a fine young warrior, watching over him and putting him to bed. Our world was as close to perfection as one could get. I wished that my brothers were with me and hoped that their lives were as safe as ours.

  Myfanwy had shown a remarkable skill with healing, all the more remarkable given the fact that her recovery was down to a spectacular healer. She began helping Brother Oswald and Myrddyn with the day to day medicine they used. She was particularly useful when it came to dealing with the women of my land. She was a gifted midwife. The fact that she had lost her own family made her even more determined to save lives and to bring new life into the world. For my part I enjoyed seeing her around the stronghold and blossoming so much.

  That first Yule on Mona was a happy time. We had an almost perfect world. All that I lacked was the presence of my brothers but they had made their choice and I hoped and prayed that it had been the correct one. We continued to work on the fort during the cold months of winter. There was little else to do but Gwynfor and his boats went out for fish almost every day save when there was a westerly storm and we ate better than we had in Rheged. I could not get over the lack of snow. When it was a clear day we saw Wyddfa and the mainland shrouded in white but Mona seemed immune from the icy snow we were used to at home in Rheged. Perhaps Myrddyn was right and it was protected by the gods as a special place. It was special to me anyway.

  I noticed Oswald and Myrddyn deep in discussion one day; they were just outside the fort on a flat piece of ground. They looked to have a toy they were making. Hogan was too big for such things; he was almost as tall as Pol now and so I asked them what it was. “Remember the men of Strathclyde and their war hammers? It set me to thinking about the Romans. We found some of Brother Osric’s writings in which he describes this. It is called an onager or mule. It is a weapon which throws objects a long distance.”

  The toy looked to be a frame supported by four wheels with a leather cord and what looked like some sort of winding gear. I was curious. “How far can it throw things?”

  “We are about to find out. We have made a scale model so that we can build bigger ones later.” Brother Oswald turned the winding gear until it clicked into place. He put a lead ball, as used by the slingers, in a small piece of cloth and then, at a nod from Myrddyn he released the gear. The small lead ball flew threw the air and cracked into the wall of the fort. The two men whooped and cheered like children.

  “That is an impressive piece of engineering but how would we use it?”

  “The Romans used these in their forts and on their ships but without the wheels. If we repaired the Roman fort we could place a couple there and protect the fishing village from raiders. Remember how much fear fire caused my lord? We can send lighted balls towards any pirates or ships who try to land. If we put a couple on our walls and they threw stones then they would destroy any shield wall.”

  Myrddyn pointed to the warriors inside the fort; they were either practising with their swords or gambling. “We have many idle hands. With wood from the mainland we could
build five or six of these. It may be we would not need to use them but…”

  “You are both right. I will ride to Tuanthal and arrange for the wood. It will give me something to. Pol, Hogan, get your horses!”

  Wolf had been a little bored of late and he enjoyed racing and ranging far ahead of us. There was a cold wind blowing from the east which meant we would have neither rain nor snow but it was a biting wind. Suddenly Wolf went down on his haunches. I did not think it would be an enemy but I was taking no chances. “Weapons at the ready!” I drew my bow and we rode cautiously towards the recumbent Wolf. To my relief I saw a small herd of fifteen sheep. I peered around but could see no homes nearby. They were probably strays. Myrddyn had told me of the Irish raids and these were probably the remnants of a herd which had been forgotten.

  “Wolf!” I pointed at the sheep, whistled and Wolf did what he did best, he rounded them up. He lay down, tongue out, happily wagging his tail. We were six miles from the fort.

  Hogan looked at me admiringly. “How did you do that?”

  “I was not always a warrior. Until I was your age I was a shepherd as were your uncles with Wolf’s grandfather to help us. If you like you could take them back to the fort for me.” I pointed to Poll too, the two of you.”

  “But my lord you will be alone.”

  I laughed, “I think I am safe enough on my own island but if you do not wish to take our own herd back…”

  “We will father, it’s just that…”

  “I know you do not know the commands. One whistle means stop. Two means walk on and three means catch the stray. If you ride behind the herd it will make Wolf’s job easier but, in truth, he could do it alone. I will ride with you for the first mile to see how you do.”

  It gave me much pleasure to see my son doing what I had done all those years ago and they happily took the herd to the bridge. I wheeled Raven around and kicked hard to make up the lost time. The frosty road made for good travelling and I reached the narrows fort just after noon. There would be just enough time to return. Tuanthal had also used beach pebbles to reinforce his foundations and the raft had been made sturdier with a hand rail down both sides. There was a small group of huts gathered close by and I saw families toiling away.