Hosker, G [Wolf Brethren 05] Saxon Slayer

by Griff Hosker

  Aedh and his scouts left after dark. The captain was going to land them on the other side of the headland from Felan’s fort. We both thought this would be the best place to land our attacking force but Aedh would confirm that. As we watched it sailing west Myrddyn said, “There is much responsibility on that young man’s shoulders.”

  “There was as much on ours when we were both younger than he is now. He will cope. He has been doing this for a long time.”

  Myfanwy was not certain that my decision was a sound one. “If we had not been in danger would you be doing this?”

  “He has attacked us three times now, my love. One of these days he will get lucky and he will hurt my family. I cannot risk that. With the bulk of our army on the mainland we need to know that the Hibernians will not be a threat. I am sending a message to the whole of the island; if you come to my land then I will punish you. They only understand force. We will be fighting our neighbours ere long. I would like to do so without looking over my shoulder.”

  She nodded. Myfanwy was clever and I had learned to explain things truthfully to her. “Just make sure you come back safe.”

  “Myrddyn says that the blue stones will protect the wearer and I believe it too. Keep the stone safe and it will keep us all safe.”

  She took her crown and looked at the jewel. “It does comfort me when I wear it. I just feel overdressed.”

  I laughed, “You can wear it around your neck if you wish like a torc. I am sure that Myrddyn or Ralph could adapt it.”

  She brightened. “I wanted to do that but I didn’t want to offend you. You seemed so proud of the crown.”

  I shook my head. “The pride was in you not the crown. It is yours to do with as you choose.”

  “Then I will see Ralph tomorrow.”

  I spent the next day at Caer Gybi, anxiously awaiting the arrival of ‘The Wolf’ and my scouts. Despite my words to Myrddyn I was not certain that they would return safely. If I had been with them then I would have been confident. Many things could go wrong as I had found out when I had been ambushed by Iago’s men all those years ago. It does not do to be overconfident. The sun was beginning to set in the west. I wondered if they might return after dark. As soon as I saw the prow of my ship I felt relief. Aedh’s wave made me relax just a little.

  I forced myself to wait in Gareth’s office but I was desperate to hear their news. They filled the tiny office when they arrived. “And?”

  “And we have found a place to land. It is close to where the captain dropped us. There is a gentle rise and a walk of less than a mile before you reach the fort. The ships are moored in a line across the river, it makes a sort of bridge and there is a warrior hall on the northern bank. I think they use it to protect the harbour. Felan’s fort has one building for the warriors and one for Felan. We did not go inside but we could see all of this through the gate. He had many visitors this morning. I was not noticed. There is a settlement on the river half a mile away and the people there appear to be fishermen. He has no more than forty men in the fort. We counted twenty but they were the guards on the walls and gates.”

  “How many north of the river?”

  “A couple of hundred but that is an estimate. We counted as best we could but we were across the river.”

  “How many ships?”

  “There are ten. They were the size of the ones which attacked you Warlord.”

  “You have done well. We will return to the castle and we will tell the others your news. We will be crossing the water soon. I do not want to waste another day waiting for him to act.”

  We worked out the rest of the plan that night. Pol had arrived and was keen to get on with it. “We will not take spears, sword and axes only. There will be no banners.” I saw the look of disappointment briefly flick across Lann Aelle’s face. “I want the men who go to be volunteers. If we have to leave in a hurry we cannot wait for those who are wounded or late.” I glared around the room, “That includes me.”

  We left during the afternoon when the volunteers had been chosen. Every warrior wished to come. We had thirty archers aboard ‘The Dragon with Myrddyn and the rest of the men were with me on ‘The Wolf’. The wind was favourable but we still took some hours to cross. I could see no towers in the headland above the beach but we disembarked quickly. The two ships put about as soon as they could. By the time we were half way up the slope they were tacking towards the north. Aedh led the way with three of his scouts. The others spread out in a thin screen to warn us of anyone approaching.

  As we had expected the gates were closed and there were guards on the walls. We had expected nothing less. There were just ten sentries, four on the main gate and the other six spread around the walls. We used our shields to lift ten warriors up to the walls. Four warriors raised each of the men selected to climb over the walls. They had no helmets upon their heads and they carried only daggers. Lann, Pol and I stood watching with bows at the ready in case they could not silence all of the sentries. We watched as, one by one the guards were killed and their bodies lowered to the walk way. Each of my Wolf Warriors could move silently, like a shadow, and the sentries were all despatched without a sound being heard by the warriors sleeping in the warrior hall. I gave my bow to one of the scouts as did Pol and Lann. It would only get in the way now. We swung our shields around to our front and drew our swords. This was now warrior work.

  We ran around to the front gate and the men who had killed the sentries descended and opened it. Ridwyn took most of the men towards the warrior hall. We left two on guard at the gate. I took Pol, Aedh and Lann Aelle towards the hut we assumed was Felan’s. There was a guard dozing at the door. I nodded to my nephew. He moved to the side and approached the guard from behind. He stepped behind him and drew his blade across his throat. There was a slight gurgle and the dead sentry was lowered silently to the ground. We stepped inside and we saw Felan with three young women and a boy draped around his bed. There was the heavy, sickly smell of drink. They were all half asleep but the appearance of three heavily armed warriors woke them immediately. The four young people tried to hide behind Felan. The years since I had last seen him had not been kind to him. He was now bloated and overweight. His face had the red blotchy look of someone who drinks too much. There would be no honour in killing this treacherous chief but that would not stop me. He would die as quickly as I could manage it. This was for the sake and safety of my people.

  “Felan, tonight you are going to die. You are a worthless warrior who is as deceitful as a snake. Three times have you tried to hurt me; the last time you made the mistake of attacking my family and that I never forgive.” I pointed Saxon Slayer at the others on the bed, “You four are only guilty of poor judgement and I will let you live but spread the word. If any one tries to hurt me or my family then this is the justice they will receive. Now go but go silently or my men will kill you!” I could hear the sounds of combat as my men slaughtered the men in the warrior hall. The four grabbed furs to cover their naked bodies and they raced from the hut, terrified looks on their young faces.

  When they had left I pointed at the sword above the bed. “Felan, take your sword so that, even though you do not deserve it, you can join your oathsworn.”

  He looked terrified and he cowered against the wall of his hut. “Let me live. I promise that I will never attack you again!”

  “You have made that promise already! Take your sword or you will die where you lie.” He could see that I would do as I had promised. He grabbed his sword and his shield and faced me. He was not a good warrior and he weakly hacked at my shield. Even though I could see that his sword was a good one I barely felt the blow. I brought my sword over my head and split his skull and his body down to his chest. I saw his heart briefly beating before he slumped to his death. He died quickly. “Pol, take his sword!”

  Pol grabbed his sword and we ran outside. I saw Ridwyn who was gathering the men together and tending to the minor wounds. “Fire the fort.” We went to the main gate to look at
the harbour. I could see our two ships. They were close to the line of moored vessels. The fort being fired would be their signal to destroy the ships. I felt the wall of heat as Ridwyn’s men set fire to the huts and the walls. “Ridwyn, form a wedge and lead the men down to the ships.”

  The four of us tucked in behind the wedge as we ran down the gentle slope to the harbour. I trusted Aedh’s information and did not think there would be any more men on this side of the river but I was taking no chances. We reached the harbour as the first ship was fired. Daffydd greeted me. “My archers killed the sentries silently.”

  “Good, rejoin ‘The Dragon’. Ridwyn take the men and board ‘The Wolf’.”

  The flames from the fort had awoken the warriors on the southern shore. They raced down the hill towards their ships. Already half of the ships were on fire. Suddenly a rain of arrows from my archers fell on the Hibernians, many of whom were half dressed. Some of them made the first ships. I could now see that there were gangplanks between the ships. It was both a crude bridge and a barrier to the inner harbour. Myrddyn had timed it well and the bolts, covered in Greek Fire hurtled, like flaming comets, towards the last ships. As the men took shelter on the boats they were engulfed in flames. The deadly fire took hold quickly and could not be extinguished with water. The ones who threw themselves in the water to douse the flames continued to burn and Daffydd’s archers loosed more arrows to slaughter the warriors who raced down the hill. Felan’s fort was like a beacon for them and they were running to the aid of a king they did not know was already dead. The whole of the river was lit by the flames from the inferno and I could see, on the lower slopes of the riverbanks, the bodies of the warriors slaughtered by my men. Discretion led the rest of the Hibernian warriors to scurry back to their hall. Too many of their braver comrades lay dead and their cries and screams could be heard above the crackling of the flames.

  As we tacked around to head back to sea I shouted, “So dies any Hibernian who dares to attack the Warlord of Rheged!” The words echoed in the night. I did not know if they had heard but, standing at the stern and lit by the flames, I could be seen.

  There was an eerie series of sounds as we sailed east across the brightly lit waters. We could hear the screams of the dying and the gurgle of ships as they sank. It felt like a people dying. Felan and his line ended that day. His brothers were killed by Ridwyn’s warriors in the warrior hall. With his oathsworn slain there were was no one left to lead his decimated people. Other leaders took advantage of his death and moved in with their own warriors. Felan’s lair had been an attractive one. The rest of the island took my message to heart and we were never again bothered by Hibernians. They raided further south, in Cymri and they raided the Saxons but my taste of terror left them in no doubt about their destiny if they tried to cross swords with me.

  As we headed through the dark I wished that I had done this before and then Miach would still be alive. I resolved then to be more ruthless and decisive. My mistakes cost others their lives. Pol came over with Felan’s blade. “My lord, here is the king’s sword.”

  “It is yours Pol.”

  He looked at me in disbelief. “But Warlord, it is the sword of a king!”

  I pointed to Lann. “He has the sword of a king and I do too. Why would I need another? You have earned the sword for the service you have done me and my son. Take it and give it the honour it deserves.”

  None of us felt any exultation. We had rid the world of a rat. We did feel safer and it was a statement for the rest of our neighbours. We began to hear the stories from the sea captains who visited our port after travelling around the rest of Britannia. Kings were openly fearful of the wrath of the Warlord. The Dux Britannica was seen as an instrument of the Empire. I supposed Phocas took some credit for that but he deserved none. It also heralded a period of peace for our people. The Saxons and King Iago appeared to have taken heed of our actions. They knew that to take us on they would need to be far stronger than they were. The Saxons withdrew to north of the Dee and King Iago to the land to the east of that river. They began to build defences against us. Our scouts and spies told us that they feared that we would invade them. We had no such intentions but it allowed our three allies to build their armies and to recruit from the disaffected men of Gwynedd. As the year drew to a close we were as secure as we had ever been.

  We also received embassies from other nations. The kin of the men of Strathclyde sent envoys seeking an alliance with us. Although we could not see how that would benefit us soon we went along with it as it sent a further message to the Saxons that we were far from finished. Our trading partners also increased as other nations, too far away to be allies, saw us as a viable port with which to trade. Soon we were taking more in revenue than we were spending and even Brother Oswald was happy. As I looked at Saxon Slayer I wondered about that night in the cave and the changes it had wrought. Our star was rising and we had the support of the spirits. It was a good time for us all.

  Chapter 15

  The peace last until the year that the Emperor Phocas died and Emperor Heraclius took control of the Byzantine Empire. We heard of the war and the end of Phocas from traders. We had it confirmed when an Imperial ship arrived with a message for me from the new Emperor. There was no envoy. I read the letter which addressed me still as Dux Britannica. Myrddyn stood watching me as I read the document. Brother Oswald looked quite concerned.

  I handed it to him when I had read it. It was not something I would keep from my most private advisers. “Well?” asked Myrddyn.

  “It seems he is a warrior like me. He took no offence at our saving Phocas and he appreciated my gesture. He wishes me to continue to be Dux Britannica and he will continue to support us.”

  “Yes Warlord but he makes no mention of any finances to accompany it. It is an honorary title and costs him nothing.”

  I smiled at the priest. He sounded almost petulant. “I know Oswald. Let us just say that Phocas’ gold was a gift from the gods.”

  I saw Myrddyn’s smirk. Brother Oswald could not say that it has come from his White Christ and he had to choke in the thought that it had come from some pagan deity. “Besides it does not change us or what we do. Since Felan was killed we have had peace for these last years.”

  Myrddyn wagged an admonishing finger towards the east. “Iago is planning something. Aedh’s scouts have told us that there are new warrior halls being built close to the frontier and Aethelfrith and his people should now have recovered from the disease which killed so many. I believe that war is coming and coming soon.”

  Now that Nanna and Gawan were so much older we could travel to visit Hogan and his three children on the mainland more frequently. Myfanwy always preferred younger children and the fact that Hogan had such a young family drew her to them like a moth to a flame. Myrddyn never minded the trips either as he spent increasingly long hours in the cave beneath Wyddfa. His power seemed to be growing and his warnings of war were a sign that we ought to visit Hogan once more.

  I never thought of myself as getting older but Myfanwy noticed the grey in my beard and my hair. Myrddyn never seemed to age which was a constant source of annoyance to my wife. There was no getting away from it though; all of us were getting older. In the case of Hogan, Pol, Lann Aelle and Daffydd they were just coming into their prime. Our prime was long ago. Mungo, Garth, Prince Pasgen and Ridwyn were like the strategoi of Constantinopolis, they would be great leaders in war but not in battle. I knew that they would be resentful when I told them that they could no longer fight in the shield wall or in the fore of a charge but I needed them to use their minds. We had plenty of brave and resourceful young men who could take risks.

  Hogan had had quarters built for us at his castle. As it was only now used to train recruits then there was plenty of room. Our finances were so stable that we could afford to pay our warriors and we had many recruits. Some still came from north of the wall while others came from the far south west of the land. Many were young warriors desperate to
fight alongside the legends of Britannia. I knew that we were the legends. The tales of our swords and our deeds were told and retold over and over again. The killing of Morcant Bulc and the death of Felan, both in their own castles were both popular sagas. There were many embellishments; Myrddyn had flown us into Din Guardi. He had summoned a dragon to burn the fleet of the Hibernians. The ten ships became a hundred. The handful of warriors we killed became an army four of us slaughtered.

  The legend of the sword drew them in too. The young men who joined us all asked, without exception, if they could swear their oath on the blade of Saxon Slayer. This was another reason for our visit, there was another batch of recruits who were ready to take the oath. I did not mind for I knew that they would never break that oath. Since the spies had infiltrated our army and nearly caused a disaster not a man had run nor had anyone spied for an enemy. That was largely down to the power of Saxon Slayer.

  Prince Cadfan joined us for the ceremony. We trained his recruits although they did not swear on Saxon Slayer. The night before the ceremony we had a small celebration of our own. My army was now the largest it had ever been and was ever likely to be. We had our equites and squires who were a potent mobile force. We now had over one hundred well trained archers and fifty slingers. There were three hundred warriors in my shield wall and another three hundred manning the forts and castles. Finally we had Aedh and his fifty scouts. They were now acknowledged as the masters of their trade. They could hide within ten paces of a warrior and he would not know. They could traverse mountain passes that would trouble a goat and they could pass for Saxon or warrior of Gwynedd with ease. It was their reports which had worried Myrddyn. Added to which I think he had divined a threat.