by Griff Hosker
He saw what I meant and smiled. He showed the warriors how the armour fitted together and he showed them his two shields. They were mightily impressed by both. One greybeard came over to touch my wolf skin. “Warlord, is this the famous wolf skin worn by the Wolf Brethren?”
“It is. This is the first that I slew and was the beginning of the Wolf Brethren.”
He stroked it as though it was precious. A younger warrior asked, “Warlord, what are the Wolf Brethren?”
The older warrior snorted, “If you listened to the tales told by your elders then you would know. The Wolf Brethren were the finest warriors of Rheged and they fought for King Urien. No one ever defeated them. They are the oathsworn of the Warlord and it is a great honour to be accepted as one.” He looked at me, “Is it true that the only warriors who are Wolf Brethren have to kill their own wolf?”
“Aye, they do.”
The older warrior looked triumphantly at the youth, “That is a real warrior.”
That evening, at the feast, we were bombarded by questions and Myrddyn, once again recounted his stories. King Arthlwys asked me, “Do all your warriors wear such fine armour Warlord?”
The hall became silent and I saw the relief on Myrddyn’s face that he would not have to tell more tales and could enjoy the beer. “All of my equites are clad from head to foot in such armour and twenty have their horses in the same armour. My shield wall all wear a coat of mail and have a helmet, shield, sword and spear. My archers and slingers either wear an iron helmet or leather one and they all have leather armour and carry a seax.”
There was a collective intake of breath. “Then I can see why you have been so successful.”
“It is not just the armour, King Arthlwys; we have stone walls and we keep men training all the time.”
The older warrior who had spoken to me before, asked, “Who tends the fields and produces what you need?”
“Because we have peace many people flock to our land as peaceful settlers and we trade with many people. We make goods that they want.” I pointed to King Cloten, “On our journey here I arranged to trade weapons with King Cloten. We can do the same for your king and your people.”
King Arthlwys looked thoughtful. “What do we have that we could trade with you?”
I smiled and spread my arms, “I do not know but I am sure that you have goods of value.”
They began to talk amongst themselves and Myrddyn coughed and said, “What of the gold and copper in your land?”
That caused a sudden silence and the king looked curiously at Myrddyn. “I know you are wizard but how do you know of such things? We have neither.”
He laughed, “I am a wizard but I know this by reading. When we were in Constantinopolis and we were finding out about the Warlord’s sword I read of the gold mines and copper mines close to the river at Cefn Caer. It was one reason why the Romans came to Cymri. They built mines and took the ore out of the Mawddach.”
There was a hubbub of noise and the king turned to the older warrior who had been speaking with me earlier, “Tomas, you are the oldest warrior and my father’s closest adviser. What do you know of such things?”
Every eye was on the old man and I saw him rubbing his beard as he trawled through his memory. “Now that I recall there are holes in the ground that people said were Roman mines but they are hundreds of years old and, as far as I know, had neither gold nor copper in them.”
Myrddyn smiled enigmatically. “It may be worth sending some men to explore them then. The books I read said that the copper and gold were in rich seams beneath the ground. If you know where the mines are then…”
Tomas smiled, “It is worth the effort my king. I could take some of the younger men and we could visit the mines.”
King Arthlwys beamed and looked happy for the first time since we had seen him. “Your coming was propitious and I can see why your wizard is held in such high regard. We have few men in this land but they are brave. If we are to holdback the rapacious King Iago and the Saxons then we need weapons and armour such as yours. I will come with you tomorrow and escort you to your land for I have a mind to visit with you.”
I could see the disappointment on King Cloten’s face. “I would be delighted but would King Cloten like to accompany us for I have much to discuss with the two of you and I prefer to speak to a man and not an envoy. When I give my word I like to look a man or a king in the eye.”
Both kings smiled. King Arthlwys said, “My friend, King Cloten is more than welcome and it will be a pleasant journey through my beautiful land.”
We had grown in number since we had left Gwyr. We all travelled on the small horses from the hills but Lann and I were the best armed and Lann preened as he saw the admiring glances from the poorer dressed warriors. Tomas and his miners left us after we had crossed the Mawddach and headed upstream to Cefn Caer. I hoped that Myrddyn was correct and this was not a wild goose chase. I spent each day talking with the two kings about my plans for an alliance of the people of Cymri. The two of them were happy to join with me but felt that they did not have the men that I did and would be the poorer partners.
“It is true that my warriors have experience and skill but that can be passed on to you. I see the alliance as a means to help each other. If King Iago tries to take land from either of you then you will send a message to me and I can bring my army. King Cloten already trades with us and the ships are a speedy way to send messages. As you will see when we reach Wyddfa, we have a bridge to bring men across to aid you.”
Once we had crossed the river we were close to the land of Gwynedd. Both kings became wary. “If you wish to return to your kingdoms then please do so. You have been more than kind to escort us thus far.”
“No, Warlord, we said we would escort you home and so we shall. This land was mine when Iago’s father ruled but we have lost it since.” King Arthlwys spread a hand at the twenty warriors who escorted us. “We are poorly equipped to take on Iago’s warriors.”
“Let me worry about that and your twenty warriors will be worth five times that number of King Iago’s, believe me.”
The land through which we travelled was much like the land around Wyddfa. The mountains almost touched the sea and there were few people in this harsh land. The few settlements we did pass through welcomed King Arthlwys. I could tell that the land was ripe to return to Ceredigion. We had scouts out before us for this had the potential to be hostile territory. As we were approaching the end of the Llŷn peninsula, we could see Ynys Enlli and the small monastery just off the coast. There was a sudden clatter of hooves as the scouts raced back towards us. “Your majesty there is a fort up ahead and it is occupied. It is the ancient fort of Nefyn.”
The two kings exchanged nervous looks. “How big is the fort?” The scout looked at me as though he did not understand the question. “Is it as big as your king’s castle?”
“No, it is smaller.”
“Does it go from the mountains to the sea?”
“No Warlord. There is a road which passes between them.”
I summoned Myrddyn, “I know you do not have our maps with us but you drew them. How far are we from Pasgen’s fort?”
“Thirty miles or so. What do you have in mind?”
“I think we can use your magic to get by and if not then my sword will have to suffice.” I turned to the two kings. “Will you trust me?”
King Cloten laughed, “I am keen to see Saxon Slayer in action and we have run from Iago long enough. Let us follow you.”
We headed along the coastal road. The fort was ancient and was high above the beach. The hill upon which it stood was high but it was no mountain. I could see that it had been built in ancient times as a refuge. The fort was too far away from the road to hinder our progress. King Cloten said, “We could ride swiftly along the road and pass the danger.”
“No, King Cloten, we will keep this pace. Do not forget we have a wizard with us and as I can see Wyddfa in the distance I know that his power is growing
with each step.” Myrddyn rolled his eyes but the warriors all looked in awe at my wizard. “Tell me Myrddyn, will the men of King Iago bother us?” I inclined my head slightly and Myrddyn gave the slightest of nods and closed his eyes.
“No, my lord. They will not stop us!”
“Then let us proceed as though it is not there but ready your arms in case they are foolish enough to attack the Warlord, two anointed kings and the great wizard, Myrddyn.”
It was all a matter of confidence, of course, but I was gambling on the fact that the garrison here would not be the best warriors in King Iago’s army. I did not ride swiftly along the road but used a gentle gait. I kept glancing casually to my right and the hill fort. We were level with the gate when it opened and thirty warriors poured out. There was a mailed, mounted warrior leading them but the rest were armed much as the men behind me. “Turn and face them but do not dismount yet.”
I kept my sword in its scabbard as they tumbled down the hillside. When they were a hundred paces from us, I shouted, “Halt! Who dares to approach the Dux Britannica, the Warlord of Rheged with unsheathed weapons?”
Their leader halted them. “This is not your land, Roman, this is the land of King Iago and he is your sworn enemy. You harbour his treacherous son.”
“And what was his treachery? To be the first born? Get back to your hill fort before I lose my temper.”
“We outnumber you and there are more men in the fort.”
As soon as he spoke I knew that he had few men left in the stronghold and he was not confident of his men. “I drew my sword as I spoke, “Then bring them down and let them meet Saxon Slayer.”
I heard a sword being drawn to my right and I heard Lann Aelle say, “And Bear Killer!”
Rather than laughing at my squire some of the warriors behind their leader looked at each other uneasily. Their leader must have sensed it. “Then let you and I fight Roman. I think your reputation is ill deserved and I, Beli ap Llewellyn will fight you and take that sword as my prize.”
“So be it!” I dismounted and hefted my shield to my left. He had no confidence in his men and that showed. He was either a brave man or a foolish man to take me on in combat for I had a reputation. I suspect he thought it had been inflated. He would soon learn differently.
He had an open helmet and he was armed with an axe and a shield such as mine. His mail shirt went to just above his knees. It was not well looked after. As he approached me I saw that there was little metal on his shield and it would not take much to destroy it. He also carried a short sword; he was no swordsman. He was eager to get it over with and he launched himself at me, swinging his axe from far behind him to gain as much power as he could. If he had struck me he would have done some damage but it was an easy blow to avoid. I stepped to the right and gave his shield a mighty hit with my sword. Saxon Slayer was sharp and it was powerful. A huge splinter of wood fell from his shield and I saw the look of horror on his face. He stepped back and readied his axe for a second blow. I did not give him the time he desired and I lunged forwards with my own shield while swinging Saxon Slayer in a horizontal arc. Another huge splinter flew off the now battered shield and I could see cracks appearing in the rest of it. He was now moving backwards; I have learned that this is not a good way to fight for you cannot see the ground behind you. He tripped over a rock and fell to the ground. I could have stabbed him there and then but I swung at his shield instead. He held it above his head for protection and the blow shattered it leaving him the metal boss in his hand. He rolled to his feet, terror now on his face. I threw my shield down and took Saxon Slayer in both hands. He swung his axe at my middle and I pivoted round and brought my sword down to sever the hand holding the axe. He fell screaming to the ground.
While everyone stood around watching, some in awe and some in admiration, Myrddyn leapt from his horse and tied a cloth around the warrior‘s arm to stop him from bleeding to death. He gestured at the nearest warrior from the fort. “Take your leader to the fort and cauterize the stump with fire. He will live.”
I picked up my shield and looked down at the white faced warrior. “You are a brave man Beli ap Llewellyn but a foolish one.” I turned to the rest of the garrison. “Iago ap Beli is a bad king. His son resides with me. You are brave men. I offer you the chance to join Prince Cadfan, King Cloten or King Arthlwys for these two kings, and Prince Cadfan are worth following.”
I walked back to my horse and mounted. As we rode away I saw that ten of the warriors joined us while the rest took their wounded leader back to the hill fort.
“You could have killed him.”
“I know, King Cloten, but sometimes mercy is better. Those men may have been his oathsworn and would have felt honour bound to avenge his death. We would have beaten them but some of your men might have died and it was not worth it to gain passage along a road. Choose your battles.” I waved at the ten men, now grown to twelve who followed us. “And we have more warriors for our armies.”
“How do you know if they will be any good?”
“I don’t but I have warriors who can train them.”
He and King Arthlwys looked at me in amazement. “You train your warriors?”
I turned to Lann Aelle, “You see this youth behind me.” They nodded. “I would bet that he could defeat most of your warriors in single combat. He has been trained by the best. When I go into battle it is Lann Aelle who watches my back and I know that no enemy will get by him. He is trained, as are all my men. I will show you when we reach my fort which should be by sunset.”
The last few hours of the journey were quite pleasant. The wind abated for the first time since we had reached Britannia and Wyddfa almost seemed to smile upon us. When we were within two miles of the southern gate I sent Lann Aelle ahead, “Go and tell Prince Pasgen that he has guests this night.” Although the Prince was no Myfanwy I knew that he would appreciate a warning that he had thirty odd visitors arriving.
We halted a mile from the fort, partly to give Prince Pasgen more time to ready himself and partly to allow our new allies to view the fort. “Do you see? We did not make the mistake they made at Nefyn; we have a wall from mountain to the sea. No one gets by without our permission.”
“How did you build the walls?”
“With my men and we took the stone from the shore and the lower reaches of Wyddfa. It is not difficult.” I looked at Myrddyn, “As my wizard will tell you these are nothing compared with Constantinopolis where the walls are three times as high, twice as thick and there are three times as many; that is a wall!”
We approached slowly so that they could see the power of prince Pasgen’s Palace. Cloten pointed to the bolt throwers. “What are they?”
“They hurl a spear up to half a mile and they can go through armour, men and horses as though they were not there.”
King Arthlwys looked at the gate as it swung open and then glanced down at the moat. “The weak point of any fort is its gate and yet this one has three ditches and many archers. This could not be taken in a year.”
“It could be but only by an army such as mine or that of Rome.”
The sentries waved to me as we entered but I was pleased to see that they had arrows notched in their bows in case we were coming in under duress. Prince Pasgen rode up with ten of his equites. Even I was impressed. Their armour glistened and the white plumes made them look like giants. He had them all riding greys and the effect was almost like the sun blinding you. The prince leapt from his horse and gave a slight bow. “This is a welcome surprise, Warlord. Lann has given us the short version of your epic journey but I look forwards to hearing the full story after we have eaten.” He bowed to the two kings, “Welcome King Arthlwys and King Cloten. I have quarters for your majesties in my castle and there is plenty of room in the warrior hall.” I threw him a questioning glance. “Nothing to fear Warlord but I sent out a large patrol of twenty equites and twenty warriors to see how Bishop Stephen was faring and to ensure that the Clwyd Valley is still free of I
ago’s men.”
I turned to the kings. “Come, I think that you will enjoy your visit.”
Chapter 6
We stayed with the two kings for two days at the fort and then I left with my two companions and Daffydd to reach Caer Gybi. I offered the two kings a voyage back on one of my ships but they were determined that they could make their own way home. Both were full of ideas and they had divided the twelve new recruits evenly. I was pleased that the storm had blown up; if it had not then I would not have met my two new allies. Wyrd! I think they were secretly hoping that the garrison at Nefyn would try to attack them. They had gained in confidence on our journey north.
Prince Pasgen had sent messengers to Caer Gybi and Hogan, Pol and Prince Cadfan met us along the road to escort us the last few miles. The first thing I noticed was how relaxed and happy Hogan now was. It had done him good to run things in my absence and I now regretted the thoughts I had had when in Constantinopolis.
“Why did you not return by ship?”
Myrddyn answered wryly, “We did but the ship almost sank.”
“It is being repaired in Gwyr and will reach us in a few days. I wanted to be home.”
There was a glint in Hogan’s eye when he said, “Didn’t trust me eh? You thought I would make a mess of things.”
I laughed, “No, in fact carry on ruling my land for a while and let me become acclimatised to this chill and this cold.”
It was his turn to laugh. “We felt the same when we returned but you have not been away as long.” There was a pregnant pause. “Was there a problem?”
“Let us just say that I do not think we will be getting any suits of armour any time soon.”