by Griff Hosker
It took two days for our scouts to return. "We have found them lord. They have eight warbands and they are camped close by the old Roman fort of Virosidum along the Ray Valley. There is a large fort there and they are using it to disguise their numbers." Geraint smiled, "They have scouts out for there are a number of roads you could take south. They have chosen this one because they think their scouts will give them good warning."
I nodded, "And they will for they will see us head toward them. The road passes by the forest?"
"It is not the main road. It is a minor one but it has a good surface. If you were trying to move across the land undetected then you would choose it."
"They think they know me. If we travel down the road then we will do what they expect us to. Our archers could use the woods?"
Easily for it is not a thick wood."
"And the land on the other side of the road?"
There is a hill and farms."
Llenlleog asked, "Could we hide our equites behind it and then come to the Warlord's aid?"
"You could."
Gawan said, "Then we have the plan."
As the squires who would be travelling with me would be in the greatest danger we gave them short mail hauberks. Geraint looked a little like the spy and he would ride with me riding the white horse. Gawan deduced that it would help us for two reasons. Firstly, it would allay any suspicions they had and secondly, they would not press home the attack on me quite so vigorously. We left the next day. Gawan had wanted to come with us but there was much risk involved in this and I needed a good hand on the tiller.
Aware that there might be spies watching the roads the archers, squires and equites led by Llenlleog and Daffydd took the longer northern road to get into position without being seen. They rode hard and we did not. Even if there were no spies close to our land Geraint and Tadgh had seen a ring of them five miles from the place they had chosen. As we rode I asked Geraint for the detail of the place.
"The Roman fort is a small one, Warlord. It is like the one at Glanibanta. From the looks of the walls it has been abandoned for a long time. The warbands have camps which are spread amongst the wood. As I said it is an open wood. There are many deer there. The village is a small one and they have the leader of the Bernicians there. He has four warbands with him."
"It is not the King?" He shook his head. "Nor the Clan of the Snake?"
"They were Bernicians, lord. I saw their standards. They were not tattooed and they wore helmets. They were not the savages."
"Good," I turned to Kay, "When they attack us we fall back to the village. That will allow Daffydd and his archers to attack those in the woods while their attention is on us. We will be charging towards their leader with half of the Bernicians. They will be confident and that will be their undoing. Llenlleog and our equites will tear through their ranks from the rear."
We camped close to the place we had killed the Saxon scouts. I did not envy the rest of our men. We had the steep sided valley to travel. They had to follow the upper Dunum. They had the waterfall to negotiate. They would be hidden from enemies but the land itself would be a foe to be conquered. As we sat around the camp I saw that Arturus now sat with the other squires. Since the tomb he had realised that he was the future of our people. The squires would be the equites he would lead. He had to get to know them. I saw him describing our night attack. He would be telling them of his error. A good leader had to show his men that they could make mistakes so long as they learned from them.
I was silent for I knew that where we would fight was not far from the village my father and his brothers had been born. It had been the place the Angles had come and destroyed their way of life. Had not King Urien found them then who knows what might have happened. They might have ended as bandits fighting against the Bernicians. It would not have ended well. King Urien had been sent to give the brothers purpose. He and his horsemen had ridden these lands much as we had done. The difference was that we were better mounted, armed and mailed than they had ever been.
We made one more camp before we reached the small Roman Road. We could have done the journey in just two days but I had to be certain that my men were in position. They would have ridden hard. Daffydd and his archers would have tethered their horses and be filtering through the trees. Llenlleog and the equites would be with Tadgh. They would be lined up and hiding below the village. We would be arriving at noon. I had planned that before we left. In lieu of a horn which would alert the Bernicians, we would use the sun as our signal.
We rode in a tight formation. Ahead we could see the high point of the moor but the Romans had built the road south of it. The road ran along the valley bottom. The River Ure was little more than a bubbling stream. It would be no obstacle. Even as we had turned east we had seen the forest. It stretched north to the high ground. My archers would have made their destination easily. To the south I saw the valley sides rise. My equites and squires would have had a harder task. If they had not reached the unguarded side of the ambush then the men I led would be hard pressed to charge uphill and defeat four warbands.
Garth led the men who were posing as equites. Their cloaks hid the fact that they wore no mail but they all had a helmet. With their round shields and the spears in their hands they would look, from a distance like equites. He and his men followed the four real equites and their squires. When we charged we would have eight men at the fore with Garth and his men as two lines behind. I had spoken with Garth and impressed upon him that if our trick failed that he and his men were to ride to the forest. Daffydd ap Miach would be their way home. If they did that then they would be reporting our deaths.
Geraint looked up at the sky. "Warlord, we need to ride faster if we are to reach the ambush at noon."
I nodded, "And you need to get slightly ahead of us. If you were the spy then you would not wish to be caught by your comrades. Ride, Geraint, and take cover when the attack begins. You are a scout and not a warrior."
"I serve you Warlord and I am a man of Rheged. I will fight and if this is my day to die then I will die happy knowing that I have served you." He dug his heels into the flanks of the white horse and galloped off down the road.
We were mailed and we rode with helmets. It was what the Bernicians would expect. We rode in a column of twos. Arturus was next to me and he carried my banner. I dug my heels into the flanks of Star and said, "Remember Arturus, when we charge, drop the banner." He nodded. He had a spear held next to it. "And think back to how we hunt animals. Thrust down and twist else the spear head can become stuck. These Angles wear no mail. You do not need to strike deeply. A horseman with a spear can hurt an enemy on foot; even one in a shield wall."
"Aye, Warlord." I saw him lick his lips. He was nervous. That was good. It would not do to be overconfident on this day.
Our gait was an easier one for riding and the road, while not a perfect surface, allowed us to get up a good speed. I saw Geraint ahead of me. He would drop his arm to his side when he spied the enemy. They would not hide from him. They thought he was the goat leading the flock to its doom. I glanced to the hills to the south of me. The shadows told me that it was almost noon.
Geraint dropped his arm. "Prepare for the ambush!" The village was less than half a Roman mile from us and the last burst of speed had brought us close to where the Bernicians waited. We were four hundred paces below the cluster of huts when the warriors charged down from the forest to the north of us.
"Wheel right." This was where our training would show. As we dragged our reins around to head up the tilled fields by the river we pulled up our shields and prepared our spears. Arturus dropped the standard by the road. It fell into the ditch. We would recover it when the battle was over or, if not, then in the future some farmer would pick it out and wonder what had happened here in this lonely valley.
The Bernicians, streaming from the forest were running downhill. They had little order for they did not need it. They would be attacking the rear of the thirty-two horsemen. I di
d not look back. That could be fatal. We kept our line straight. It was asking much of the four squires to fight a single warband let alone four of them but if Llenlleog was in place then all would be well.
The four warbands emerged from the village and made a double shield wall. Sixty men backed by sixty others faced us. They had a cross behind them and two standards. I saw priests. They were confident. We were two hundred paces from them and the slope meant we were not yet travelling quickly. I chose the spot we would hit. It was in the centre of their line. Not all of the men we faced had helmets but they each had a shield. I saw that some did not have an iron tipped spear but a fire hardened one. They would hurt our horses but not us. When we were just a hundred paces from them I heard the wail of the dragon banner. Llenlleog had unfurled it. The hooves of more than a hundred horses thundered as Llenlleog and my equites charged the shield wall from behind. The village buildings meant it would not be a continuous line but it did not matter for the second ranks of Angles turned to see their new enemy as the eight of us struck the centre of their line.
There was indecision on the faces of the men who faced us. A spear came towards my chest but it was struck without conviction and the Bernician was hit in the throat by my spear. Star's hooves clattered into the back of the Bernician behind and I was through. I urged Star towards the Bernician warlord and his standard. Llenlleog and his men were already ploughing into the Angles.
The priests dropped to their knees and clung on to their crosses. I would ignore those. Their incantations prayers and pleas would not harm me. The Bernician warlord was a different matter. He had, with him, two of his hearth weru and a standard bearer. They locked their shields. I had hoped that I would have Kay and Llewelyn by me but the slope and the Angles through which we had charged broke up our line. I had Arturus and Pol's squire, Gareth, with me. It was not what I wished for but it would have to do. Star was ahead of the other two and I used my horse's forelegs as a weapon. As the spears of the Bernicians were pulled back I reined in and pulled back Star's head. Leaning forward the horns on the new saddle held me in place. Spears were thrust blindly at my horse. One scored a wound along Star's foreleg. It made my horse angry and it clattered down hard with two mighty hooves. One smashed a shield and a forearm while the other crushed the skull of the standard bearer.
When Star's hooves landed I was inside the ring of defenders. As Arturus ended the life of the warrior with the broken arm Gareth thrust his spear at the remaining hearth weru. I rammed my spear at the warlord. His shield had a boss made of metal and my spear merely forced him backwards. I could see that he was torn between killing my horse or killing me. His arms were covered in the marks of combat. He was experienced but perhaps he had never faced a horse before. I wheeled Star to my left which allowed me to strike down. The Angle's spear came at me at the same time as mine went towards his chest. His spear rasped along my mail. Mine was deflected into his left shoulder. The head came away bloody.
I completed my wheel. As I briefly saw the forest to the north I saw that Daffydd had defeated the Bernician warbands. They were fleeing down the valley. Coming around I saw that the priests had taken shelter behind the warlord. Gareth and Arturus were busy protecting my flanks from other members of the Bernician chief's oathsworn. The sounds of battle filled the village but I saw more equites than Angles. It would end when the chief fell. I did something which I would not condone in one of my men. I hurled my spear. The chief was not expecting it. His wounded left arm made him slow to raise his shield and a spear is no weapon to use to stop a missile. It struck him square in the centre of his chest. Thrown from less than three paces it entered his chest and emerged from his back. He stood, briefly, and then tumbled backwards, falling on the frightened priests.
It was over. I drew Saxon Slayer and looked around but we had won. Some of the enemy surrendered. The wounded were being despatched. I took in that Arturus lived as did most of my equites. Geraint rode up on his white horse. He said, "We have broken them, lord. They flee home."
We gathered the prisoners. The priests we did not touch but we took three fingers from the right hands of the warriors. They would live and they could work but they would never hold a spear or a sword. They would not be able to use a bow. The relics we had taken from the priests we burned, along with their crosses. I could see that Arturus was uncomfortable when we did that.
"Go back to King Oswald. Your wounds are a punishment for the treachery of King Oswald and his spies."
Chapter 5
We had lost men but fewer than might have been expected. The warlord and his men's attention had been on the road and the valley. The ambushers were ambushed. The villagers had fled and we spent the night in their homes. The Bernicians had left food and we ate well. We took three days to reach Civitas Carvetiorum. There was no rush to get home and we wanted to conserve our horses. It made it an easier journey for the wounded too. Gawan had dreamed and knew of our success. We sat in the bath house. I had had it repaired. It was luxury and it made us feel civilised. Arturus also enjoyed it and he would normally have been with us but he had stayed with the other squires. They too would be celebrating but in a different way.
"My son did well?"
I laughed, "Do not fish for compliments brother. You dreamed. I saw a hawk above the battle field and know that you know that he did. You lost not a moment's sleep."
He nodded, "I know but the dream world is not as clear as the battlefield."
"Then you have forgotten what it is like to fight in a battle. You know that which is within the length of your spear. For the rest you trust to your men. It is why we win more than we lose for we have men who know what they are doing and can follow orders."
"Yet, brother, there will come a time when even with men following orders explicitly you will lose because there will be a sea of enemies. Are you ready for such a day?"
"You mean ready to die?" He nodded. "I am for your son has shown me that he can be a leader. He is not ready yet but he will be. Have I time to mould the clay of the warrior into the shape of a Warlord?"
"You have. I have not dreamed the time of your death merely the manner."
I shook my head, "That is a comforting thought."
"Besides he needs a bride. Our family's seed must be planted. You and I are the last of the line. Arturus is the only male who lives."
"I will worry about that when Oswald is gone. I must send a messenger to King Penda. He needs to know of this failed ambush."
"Send Agramaine. He has something of the wizard in him."
"As has your son."
"We need to protect Arturus as much as we can until he is ready. A butterfly is beautiful but while a caterpillar and a pupa it is in danger. Let us cosset my son."
I laughed again as the servant brought in more hot water, "Then I ought to keep him from battle."
"Brother, while you fight by his side then he is safe for your death is a lonely one. Arturus is not there."
With that sobering thought I turned my attention to preparing my army for the war that would come.
I sent Agramaine and six archers to King Penda. I gave my equite the wolf boar token. I wrote nothing down but made him commit to memory what had happened. He would take the route we had taken earlier. He would go first to Tatenhale and then Tomwordig.
He returned half a moon later. That was faster than I had expected and it was with the news that he had met the King at Tatenhale. The news I received was that he was building better alliance with his two neighbours in Wales. He would be ready for war when it came. Agramaine brought back the token. The system had worked and I was relieved.
I decided to build up my own alliances. We had had allies to the north. Some had fallen in battle and others had drifted away. I needed to buy time for Arturus to grow into the leader I hoped he would become. I would head north and speak with the King there. Eugein ap Beli was the King of Alt Clut. His enemies were the warriors from the islands and the Picts to the north of him. Myrddyn had once es
caped from the stronghold that was Alt Clut. It was even stronger than Din Guardi but we rarely had to make war on the people there. In the days of Ridderch Hael we had been close. That had been in my father's time and now, whilst not estranged, we had little traffic between the two kingdoms. I took just six equites and squires. I left my archers preparing for the war against Oswald. Agramaine had said that King Penda expected it to be the following year. My pre-emptive attack had weakened him. The thegn I had killed was one of his most powerful warriors.
The land north of the river was similar to my land. It was easy to see why the invaders had found it so hard to wrest it from us. Each town was well defended. I was known and given a guarded welcome at each town through which we passed. It took two days to reach Alt Clut and we discovered that the King was in residence.
Eugein ap Beli was unknown to me. I had met his father once. He was a tall man with brooding, not to say glowering features. In battle he would appear fearsome. When he greeted me, however, his face broke into a smile. "The cub of the wolf warrior! I am pleased to finally meet you."
I could not help but like him. There appeared to be no deception in his face. His arm clasp was firm and he looked me in the eyes.
"And I am pleased to meet you. Our fathers knew each other but thus far we are strangers."
"And we can end that this night. We will hold a feast to celebrate your arrival." He lowered his voice, "And then you can tell me what brings you here for this is unexpected. Is there danger?"
I shook my head, "No more than there is normally. King Oswald, however, is planning to go to war with Mercia. If he wins... we do not know how the land will look."