by Griff Hosker
Prince Cadfan had grown into a fine warrior. He had his fanatically loyal troops had fought off many smaller attacks from his father’s forces. He had three hundred warriors under his command. They were mainly men of the shield wall and scouts but as Hogan pointed out that was all that they needed so long as we had the equites. The two were not merely neighbours, they were good friends and, as I knew, that could sometimes make the difference in a battle.
He sat next to me as we ate. “I envy you your sword Warlord. My men will swear loyalty to me tomorrow but they will covet Saxon Slayer, as I do.”
I put down the bone I had been gnawing and leaned back in my seat. “You have a sword do you not?”
“Aye my lord but it is no Saxon Slayer.”
I laughed, “Do you know who named it Saxon Slayer?”
He looked at me in surprise. “Is that not its name?”
“It was not until I slew some Saxons and called it thus.”
“But I know that it is a sword older than the Roman Empire.”
“True but they did not call it Saxon Slayer. The Romans did not name swords. It is our people, the Celtic peoples and the Saxons who do that. I did not know it was a famous sword but I knew that it was a good one. Does your sword have a name?”
“Why no; it is just an ordinary sword.”
“And it will remain one until you decide otherwise.”
“What should I name it?”
“The sword will tell you. The next time you use it and it performs a great deed then that will be its name. Lann Aelle’s sword is Bear Killer. He has never killed a bear with it but the name suits. There will be a name and your blade will let you know.” I paused, “Now that you know that you need a deed.”
Understanding filled his face. He looked at his sword anew. “It is not as well decorated as Saxon Slayer.”
“Then decorate it yourself. Ralph and his smiths can engrave on the blade. You can use precious stones if you wish although they do take a lot of looking after. Better to have a well decorated scabbard and keep the blade functional. Men will see the scabbard and remember that.”
“Thank you Warlord. You have been better than a father to me and I am grateful. You have told me things a father should have done. You have never lied to me and every piece of advice you have given me has been as precious as gold. I will not forget.” His shoulders sagged. “Although it is unlikely that I will ever be able to repay you for my father seems to grow stronger.”
“Does he Prince Cadfan?” The question in Myrddyn’s voice made us all suddenly think about the prince’s statement.
“He has more troops and more castles. Does that not make him stronger?”
“He has more men than the Warlord but if he brought his whole army to battle and fought the Warlord, without any allies, who would win?”
“The Warlord of course!”
“And why?”
“He has better soldiers who are better armed and better trained. The Warlord is a better leader.”
“The Warlord is ill. Would the army still win?”
“Yes for Hogan would lead or Prince Pasgen…” He smiled as he listened to his own words. “It is not the number but the quality.”
“And you have the quality. You have many of your father’s best troops for they deserted to you. Now if you cannot train good leaders in case you are ill too… well…”
“Point taken! There is hope then Myrddyn?”
“There is always hope and, generally, good wins out over evil.”
My two allies had also built up their forces. While they were still not strong enough to take on Iago alone he dare not attack both of them. The marriage had cemented the alliance creating a country unified in some ways and it ran from the Dee in the north to the south of the land. It was like Rheged had been in the past; our backs to the sea and our enemies before us. The difference was that we had a better alliance. There was no weak link like Morcant Bulc and no dissension in our ranks.
Wit our five ships patrolling the waters off our coast we had early warning of danger. It was while we were on the mainland that they brought us news of a Saxon fleet. Daffydd had grown into a great leader. His cousins were the other four captains and he ruled them with an iron fist. His father the great Gwynfor had passed away peacefully the previous year and Daffydd was now the head of the family. He ruled the family the same way he ruled his fleet.
“There are fifty ships my lord.”
“Do you think they are heading here?”
He shook his head. They appear to be gathering at the Maeresea and the Dee. If I was Iago I would worry. Even if there were but forty warriors on each ship then they could easily assemble two thousand warriors. Deva could fall to those sorts of numbers.”
“Keep a watch on them. If they attack Deva then Iago might be driven away but I do not think it would bode well for us.”
Myrddyn and I walked along the beach that night discussing the news. “We have information from Aedh and his scouts about Iago but we do not know what the Saxons are up to.”
“Then we should spy on the Saxons.”
“That is a little risky. They have no one south of the Dee. They would be suspicious of a newcomer would they not?”
“Perhaps, although if the newcomer came from, say Mercia or the East Angles, then they would be less suspicious as they would appear to be from their own people.”
“It would take some time.”
“It would but if we found out what they were up to then it would be time well spent.”
“And you have someone in mind I take it?”
“Yes, me and Lann Aelle.”
I was shocked, “My nephew? Why?”
“He is resourceful. He looks like a Saxon and can speak it like a native. He has all the skills needed as well as the courage which others might lack.”
“Would he be safe?”
“As safe as you were when you travelled with me.”
I knew that Lann Aelle would be safe but I still fretted about him. He was like Hogan and Gawan, he was another son and I could not bear the thought of his life being thrown away. “How would you reach them?”
“We would leave from Ruthin and head east until we were beyond Iago’s lands then travel towards the Roman fort and approach Caedwalestate from the east. There was a Saxon settlement there before Aethelfrith; perhaps there still is. We will say we are seeking service with a Saxon lord to find glory fighting the Welsh.”
“That might work but Lann Aelle has to agree.”
Myrddyn laughed. “And you think he will not jump at the chance! He will be serving you and the boy idolises you. He will do it and I will keep him safe. I promise.”
Of course Lann Aelle agreed and they left the next day. To help them sneak through the enemy lines I went with Tuanthal, Pol and a patrol of equites. We would make a raid on one of Iago’s settlements. It would make Iago look inwards and it might give us an insight into his plans. We escorted the two, now dressed as Saxons, as far as Yr Wyddgrug. They headed east and we headed towards Gwersyllt which lay to the north of Wrecsam. Aedh and his scouts had told us that there was now a warrior hall there and they had begun to dig a ditch. It was not far from Wrecsam and might just be part of the defence of Wrecsam. If I had been Iago then that is what I would have done. It was, however, less than fifteen miles from Ruthin and could be reached over the Clwyd Hills. I had wanted to see for a while what sort of force he had there and this was the perfect opportunity.
It was also the first chance I had had to see the squires and equites operating together. The equites were not wearing their armour. They would don that once the squires had located the camp. The squires were half a mile ahead of us and were just as effective as Aedh’s scouts. We were less than two miles from our goal when they returned. “The camp is ahead. We have left two men watching.”
The squires then helped the equites to dress in their armour and mount their heavier horses. Leaving two squires behind to watch the mounts we moved towards the warr
ior hall. The horses moved much better than the last time I had seen them. Half of the equites had a long spear and small shield while the rest had a larger shield and javelins. As we had ridden Tuanthal and Pol had assured me that the combination worked well. Each warrior also had a sword and a mace. I just relied on Saxon Slayer.
We reached the two scouts and saw, below us, the warrior hall. The ditch did not look deep but that could be deceptive. The warriors were not in the hall but were in front of the ditch, practising. I could see that they were a mixture of traditionally armed warriors and warriors armed with javelins and little armour. They would find no difficulty infiltrating through the passes in the hills. Now I knew what they were about I could plan.
“Tuanthal, how do we disrupt them?”
“Send the squires to attack the flanks while we charge the middle. They will run but the ditch will slow them down and we can use the javelins.”
“I am here to watch. You command!”
“Thank you Warlord.” Pol commanded the spear armed warriors and I rode with them. Tuanthal led the javelin armed men. We emerged from the woods and trotted down the gentle slope. The squires had galloped off and I saw them charging into lines. The warriors saw them and they turned to face this small annoyance. Suddenly they saw us as the horses hooves thundered across the ground. Some tried to stand and some fled. The ones who stood were the warriors in mail. The long spears allowed Pol and his men to strike the shield wall above the shield in the unprotected throat. I had no such luxury but I sliced down on bare and vulnerable heads as I galloped through.
We reached the ditch and I heard Pol shout. “Halt!”
They took out their maces and began to strike at the lightly armed warriors who tried to get close. Their weapons could not pierce the armour either of the horses or the equites and they fled. The javelins from the squires were hurled to strike them down.
“Fall back!”
We retreated in good order and reached the woods quite quickly. We had not killed many but we had frightened them. My intention had been to make Iago look to his defence rather than to attack and I hoped I had done that.
As we rode back, the equites now without armour Pol asked me, “How was that Warlord?”
“Interesting but without the squires you would not have achieved your objective. Once there is a barrier your spears are useless. If they had had men with axes then you would have suffered a defeat.”
“Which is why we need the squires and when they become equites they appreciate the efforts of their brothers far more.”
I had learned much and had valuable information for Aidan. “When we reach Ruthin then you may continue on. I will stay for a few days.”
Pol looked appalled. “But how will you return to Lord Hogan?”
“I believe there are scouts who do the journey. If you are worried about me then I will travel with them but I feel quite safe in my own land.”
I told Aidan of my fears. “The enemy can slip lightly armed men over. I know too well how easy it is for them to slip over a wall and catch sentries unawares. We need to make it almost impossible for them to sneak soundlessly close to the wall.”
“And how do we do that Warlord?” The question came from curiosity rather than insolence.
“There are many pines cones close to here and pebbles. Lay a circle of them around the ditch. Plant blackberries, hawthorns and roses. They will tear at them.”
They will take some time to grow.”
“But when they do they will act as early warning. Put game birds, geese and chickens close to the ditch. They will alarm you.”
I stayed a couple of days with Aidan we continued to come up with improvements for this vital bastion. I enjoyed the challenge of devising defences hitherto not used. I went with the scouts to the east and south and approached the defences I knew were there. It was then we had an idea. We were approaching through the bushes which were four hundred paces from the walls. We had cleared a large area to enable our bolt throwers and archers to have a clear field of fire. One of the archers cursed as yet another blackberry grabbed at him. One of the others said, “My lord, if we wove some of the bramble shoots together they would form a barrier. They are still a defence even in winter.”
It was an excellent idea and we spent the rest of the morning making nature our defender. Out mailed gloves protected our hands but we all had scars and cuts on our faces. We next stood close to the hedges and looked at the fort. We could see the ditches quite clearly and the trail the scouts used to return to the fort. “Do you always use these paths? Even at night?”
“Yes Warlord.”
“Then let us dig some pits. You scouts go to the ridge and make sure that no one observes us.”
I had every warrior not on sentry duty digging pits. We carefully stripped away the turf and dug holes about the depth of a man’s leg. We embedded a stake in the bottom of each one and then covered the top with thin branches. We put a layer of the soil we had removed and then the turf. The spare soil was deposited in front of the walls as extra protection to the stone base.
“Captain Aidan, make sure that your men only use the track and then aim your bolt throwers to cover it. If you are attacked at night then you should be able to ensure that any warriors cannot get close without being noticed.”
“Will you return to the valley today Warlord?”
“No it is getting late and I am of an age now where I need my rest.”
The scouts had gone hunting once they had ceased watching for observers and we ate a fine wild pig. They were a fine set of warriors in this last outpost of my land. I loved being with them for it reminded me of my home in Rheged. To our front were only enemies and to our rear the friends we protected. It was a black and white existence.
I had worked hard and fell immediately to sleep. I was awoken by one of the scouts. “Warlord, Captain Aidan sent me for you. There are warriors outside the walls.”
I grabbed Saxon Slayer and followed him. Aidan was on the walls. “The sentries heard men coming through the blackberries. There was too much noise to be animals.”
I looked up and saw that there was no moon. They had picked a perfect night for an attack. “We wait now for them to spring the traps. Have your archers ready to loose as many arrows up into the air as they can and have your bolt throwers clear the trails.”
It was nerve wracking; waiting in the dark for an enemy you knew was creeping up to the walls. Suddenly there was a scream followed by another. “Now captain!”
The bolt thrower cracked and the arrows soared into the night. There was a roar as the enemy realised that they had been seen. “Loose a fire arrow!”
As the fire arrow rose into the black sky it illuminated the land before the fort. There were hundreds of warriors, most of them lightly armed. I could see in the brief moment of light that many were in the traps and others had been struck by arrows but there were many of them. They raced to the walls. Every warrior and scout stood alongside me at the top of the ramparts. The men of Gwynedd screamed their charge and hurled themselves at the walls. The javelins and arrows thinned them out and the few who reached the walls were slain easily. Dawn was but an hour away when the attack faltered and we waited for dawn to see what remained.
Over forty warriors had died. Others were so badly wounded that they had their throats, mercifully cut by our men as they cleared the field. We had the weapons collected and the bodies piled on to a pyre. When we lit and sent them to the Otherworld it was a message for King Iago. We were ready and we were waiting.
The scouts escorted me and the spare weapons and armour. Hogan had the worried look of a mother rather than a son. Myfanwy, too, was pleased to see me. “We were worried when the others returned without you.”
“I will not worry until Myrddyn dreams my death. Besides it was most productive.”
I sat with Garth, Hogan and Myrddyn to discuss my findings. “Iago is training lighter armed warriors who can use the high passes. We need a message sending to Pri
nce Cadfan. His father will try there next. We bloodied his nose at Ruthin but he will learn from the experience. All of our frontier forts need to be more creative in their defences. We were able to take Felan’s stronghold far too easily. If our enemies learn from us they will begin to use the night as we do to make their strikes.”
Myrddyn ruminated and then said, “Fire.”
We looked at him. Garth smiled and said, “A little elaboration would throw light on your idea.”
“Precisely! Each night the fort lights four braziers two hundred paces from the fort on each of the four sides. They will throw enough light off to show anyone who is approaching. It is a cheap way of defending the forts. The warriors collect dead wood anyway. It would be a way of clearing the forests back further to copse the smaller branches and use them as firewood.”
Hogan nodded, “That would work. Cadfan might find a problem at Nefyn.”
I shook my head, “Nefyn has much driftwood. His men could collect it from the beach. But he needs to increase his patrols into the mountains.” I pointed at Wyddfa. We are lucky here. The mountain is so steep on this side, especially since the rock fall, that Iago cannot approach closely but Nefyn and the Mawddach are a different matter. Perhaps you could send a message to Morag’s father advising him of Iago’s plans.”
“I will. The men are wondering when you will gather our allies and destroy King Iago. If Cadfan were king then all of our resources could be used against the Saxons.”
“It will be soon. We are ready but our allies are not. They have much catching up to do. The worst decision would be to attack early and be defeated. When we attack I want us to win and win decisively. As soon as Iago is defeated then the Saxons will expand; at the moment he is a buffer between us and them. If they took Deva then we would have to fight for our lives. Next year. Tell your men to be patient.”