by Griff Hosker
I turned to Lann Aelle, “Now, the buccina.” As the Roman horn sounded, Tuanthal ordered his men to halt. They wheeled around and began to hurl their javelins at the Saxons. We were doing it in hope rather than expectation but we needed their attention on us so that our horsemen would have a better chance of catching them unawares.
Cadwallon asked, “Warlord, why does one half of the warband hold back.”
I looked at where he was pointing and saw that he was right. Less than half of the Saxons had been committed and I could see King Edwin with the half who waited well above the ford. Then we heard the eerie wailing of Prince Pasgen’s dragon standard. I saw the Saxons look fearfully to their right and then the wall of metal erupted from the woods. The long lances of Hogan Lann reached almost a horse’s length before them and even Prince Pasgen’s spears would be able to kill and keep the rider safe from the swords of the warband.
The Saxons turned to face this new foe. It was brave but futile. As the horses rode over the front ranks the rear ranks fled from the lances. These were seasoned warriors and they ran in better order than I had expected. This king had brought some of his best warriors. They ran to the protection of the warband above the river. Something was not right. I looked at the warband but I could not detect what it was. The equites wheeled to pursue them and wreak havoc on them. The two leaders dressed their ranks so that, as they climbed the slope, they would hit together.
“Captain Tuanthal, take your horsemen and support the equites.” The horsemen eagerly joined the squires who were following up the heavier horsemen. When the warband broke they would be able to pursue them for longer.
Suddenly it all went wrong. The warband at the top of the hill now held long spears, longer than the lances of my son’s men and they began spearing the horses. The armour they wore on their heads and chest gave them a little protection and I saw, to my horror, horses falling and their riders falling to the ground where axe men raced out to butcher them.
Before I could react Daffydd galloped out to see me. “Warlord! A despatch rider has come from Civitas Carvetiorum. There is a second warband and they are besieging the fortress!”
I had been duped. “Sound the recall!”
My men were well trained enough to obey signals, even if they disagreed with them. The last two to reach the fort were my son and Prince Pasgen. The prince was furious. “We had them beaten! Why did you recall us?”
“Firstly you were not winning. Look at your dead equites. And secondly the Saxons are attacking your fort. You two take Tuanthal and Aedh. Ride west and destroy the warband. Leave the squires here with me.”
Hogan Lann looked at the warband which was making its way towards the ford. “You do not have enough men.”
“If you two destroy the other warband and raise the levy then we might still survive. It is our only hope.”
He looked determined as he said, “We will return.” He grasped Gawan’s arm. “We will come back for you little brother.”
“Inside the fort.” The Saxons jeered the horsemen as they rode away and we slammed the gate shut. We were now trapped in our fort and we were outnumbered.
I raced to the gate tower. I saw that Daffydd had placed all his archers on the front wall and in the tower. The local men were guarding the other three walls. “Lann Aelle, spread the squires out between the archers and the other men. Einar, keep the two boys close to you.”
Before he ran off Lann Aelle handed the Wolf Standard to Gawan who clutched it proudly. “Myrddyn, what can we do?”
Myrddyn glanced at the walls. The local men all had a weapon and half of them had a shield of some description but only a few had a helmet. “It will be up to the archers and the squires to hold on. We have no artillery here. They will soon close with the walls and hack their way in. Our only advantage is that this is green wood and may not burn very well. We will need to be clever” He looked at Gawan, “Gawan give that to Cadwallon and come with me.” My son looked disappointed and ready to argue but Myrddyn smiled as he said, “Or should I take the prince to help me make magic?” Cadwallon had the banner thrust into his hands as Gawan hurried after Myrddyn.
I heard the arrows being released as Daffydd’s archers tried to pick targets where their arrows could do the most good. The wedge which crossed the ford was filled with mailed men. Targets were hard to find.
I drew Saxon Slayer. If we held, it would be because we refused to give in and die. We were outnumbered and facing a seasoned warband. I needed to encourage my men and discourage the Saxons. “Behold the bane of the Saxons, Saxon Slayer. Today, my brothers, my blade will taste Saxon blood again and they will hurl themselves in vain at our wooden walls. Do not let them gain entry to the fort and we will prevail.” I then shouted in Saxon. “Today you die, Aella, and it will be at my hand!”
Lann Aelle had returned and asked me, “Why did you not say that King Edwin will die today? It would have disheartened his men.”
In answer I pointed to the knot of warriors behind the rest. King Edwin stood there under his banner. “He will not fight today. He is in no hurry. He knows he has a whole day to create a hole in our walls and then he and his oathsworn will flood through and take the glory. It will be Aella of Dunelm who will challenge me.”
The wedge came closer. “Have the pila ready.” We had a very small supply of Roman pila. We used them with our shield wall. The two halves of the spear were joined by a piece of weak metal. When it struck the metal broke and the spear dragged down shields and was unusable. We only had forty of them but the squires held them ready with a larger supply of javelins. They would have to aid the archers. The problem with the javelins was that the Saxons could throw them back at us!
“Throw the pila!”
The Saxons had not encountered these weapons before. They held their shields up to talk the blow and then found that it became heavier and dragged their arm down. Daffydd and his archers had been waiting for such an opportunity and they poured arrows into the gaps which suddenly appeared. Soon there was a pile of bodies over which the other Saxons had to climb.
Aella showed that he was a wily old fox. He had his men throw the bodies into the ditch which gave the attackers a wider front as they could step on their dead comrades. And now we had no more pila.
“Now use the rocks!” We had gathered a limited supply of rocks to hurl down but nowhere near enough. We had all assumed that the battle would be between our horsemen and their shield wall. I knelt down to pick up a rock which was as big as a man’s head. I hurled it down and it struck a shield with a boar’s head design on the front. I heard a scream. A crack appeared and I knew that I had broken his arm. Even if he still fought he would not last long. Others were more fortunate with their rocks and managed to smash Saxon skulls.
Even with all our efforts and the many dead Saxons before us, they made the gate and I heard them swinging their axes. Daffydd and his archers now had more of a target and he began to pick off the men with axes who hacked at the gate. We did not stop the work but we were able to slow it down.
“Daffydd, you take charge here.” I turned to the prince and Einar, “Let us go down and make ready for when they break through.”
Cadwallon and Einar followed me. The young prince still clutched the standard in his left hand and held his seax in his right. He looked nervous. I put my hand on his shoulder. “Do not worry Prince Cadwallon. You guard my back. Einar will watch over you.”
He seemed reassured and I saw the smile on Einar’s face. He was a warrior through and through. He believed, as I did, that he could defeat anyone who came through the gate. I saw Myrddyn and Gawan hurrying by with two pails filled with something. He laughed as we went by. “We have put the water on to boil but this will give them something to think about.”
He and Gawan raced up the stairs and they poured the contents of the buckets down to the ground before the walls. I was surprised when I heard no screams but the axe blows on the door lessened. As he passed me I held out my hand and aske
d, “What was that magic?”
“Pig fat! It will make the entrance a little slippery. Oh it will not stop them but it will buy enough time for us to get the boiling water. I have another surprise too. Come apprentice, we still have much to do.”
Gawan went off happily with the wizard. I turned to Lann Aelle. “Bring down ten warriors from the rear wall we will meet them with a wedge of our own.” He hurried off and I took my helmet off. “Einar, you and the prince stand directly behind me. I want the banner to stand quite clearly above me. I must be the target for their attack. You stand on the right and Lann Aelle will take the left.” I paused. “Have you stood in a shield wall before?”
He nodded, “Once or twice. I prefer to fight alone. The shield wall is not used as often by my people but I know what to do. I will protect your side.”
The axe blows on the door increased which meant they had rid themselves of some of the pig fat. Myrddyn, Gawan and four of the women who had sheltered in the fort came by with steaming buckets of boiling water. This time, when they emptied the contents, there were screams of pain as the boiling water found its way through mail and armour.
Lann Aelle and my diminutive wedge appeared. We formed up and waited. I was pleased to see that he had ensured that his ten warriors all had spears as well as swords. It was not much but it would give us a slight advantage in the initial encounter. I hoped that their better warriors would be dead before they breached the gate. The discipline of my men would then carry the day.
Myrddyn’s tricks worked but, inevitably, the cracks began to appear in the door. I shouted up to Daffydd. “How goes it?”
“They are paying a high price Warlord. The ditch is filled with their dead. We are using many arrows.”
He did not say it but I knew that meant they were running out. Once the threat of arrows was gone then the Saxons would use all their warriors. I hoped that Myrddyn had something else planned. As the rents in the gate became larger I moved my men a little closer to the gate. “Keep your shields locked tight. I know that you horsemen do not usually fight this way but it will do no harm to try it just once eh?” Their laughter told me that they would do as I had asked.
I turned when I heard the commotion behind me. Myrddyn had brought out a long object. He stopped when he was next to me. “This is wyrd, Warlord. It seems the men of Penrhyd had killed a wolf last week and were preparing a surprise for you. I sewed the head on to a pig skin. It is filled with pig fat, seal oil and kindling. It will burn well.” He tapped the side of his nose, “It also contains a quantity of Greek Fire. I always have enough ingredients for a small demonstration. If they try fire then they will get a shock.”
I could see how that would work but I was not sure of the wolf’s head. “And the head?”
“That was your son’s idea. He will be a wizard warrior one day believe me. He said that if you stood there and said you would fly amongst the Saxons and slay them then it would frighten them. You could duck down and we could send the corpse to burn them. The survivors would report that you flew amongst them, killed them and then reappeared on the walls.”
“And, of course, the legend of Myrddyn the wizard would be enhanced.”
“Of course. We will stay on the walls and advise you. We have more water to boil and I will use that when I judge the moment to be right.”
I knew that I could leave the walls in the hands of my wizard and my archer captain. When they broke through, and it would be soon, the warriors who would be waiting beyond the ditch would race forward. They would come as a rabble and my men would be able to kill more. When they crowded near to the gate then the boiling water would be even more effective. Of course, all of that hinged on me and my thirteen men stopping their attack. The followers of the White Christ believed that the number thirteen was unlucky. I hoped it would be, for the Saxons.
The gate was now almost in pieces. I wondered at the cost the Saxons had paid. As I saw daylight through the gate I resolved to make a double gate and have a gatehouse. The Roman forts were able to attack the men trying to force a gate. We had not had enough time for that. We would have to make time.
“Brace yourselves. As soon as I give the command we march forwards and throw them back. Sword leg first!”
I had seen plenty of shield walls collapse when men marched with the wrong leg first. We were too few to be able to afford such disasters. Lann Aelle, Einar and I all held our swords above our shields. We would be stabbing the first Saxons through the gate.
Suddenly the gate gave way as an axe sliced through the bar holding it. I saw the Saxon who would die first. He had used the axe two handed and he stood triumphantly with the axe above his head screaming his war cry. He grinned as he saw my wolf banner and shield. Before he could move I shouted, “Forward!”
We were only four paces from the gate. We moved swiftly and Saxon Slayer went through his open mouth and out of the back of his head. I saw Einar do the same to the mailed warrior before him. He managed to stab through the mouthpiece of a face mask to kill his man. The press of men behind me and the dead before us allowed me to step forwards and bring Saxon Slayer down on to the helmet of the warrior trying to get close to me. They had no cohesion. They had been so concerned with smashing through the gate that Aella had not had a wedge ready to exploit their advantage.
We marched through them all the way to the ditch. They tried in vain to get to our flanks but the archers and equites kept them back. I watched as Aella tried to organise his men. He stood at the head of a newly formed wedge. They began to advance. We had achieved our objective. “Back. Keep it steady. Sword leg first. Cadwallon keep that banner waving.”
I wanted them to come on again as recklessly as the first time. We had severely reduced their numbers. If we could hold out for the night then we might have a chance when the equites returned. As we stepped through the gate I saw the squires ready with wood and the bodies of the dead Saxons. Even as we stepped back through they were filling the gate with a new, grisly and macabre barrier. Some of the bodies had fallen down the other side which would allow the Saxons to climb. I hoped that they would for we could deal with that.
“Lann Aelle, stay here with the spearmen. Keep them at bay. I will go to the walls and annoy them a little!”
“Yes, Warlord.”
“Come Einar and Cadwallon.” I glanced down and saw blood on the prince’s short sword. “Your first kill. Well done.”
“I am not sure he was dead, Warlord.”
Einar laughed. “He was, my prince. You gutted him like a fish.” Cadwallon swelled with pride at both the deed and the praise.
I stood on the ramparts. I could see Aella forming his men up into a shield wall. Beyond them I saw King Edwin and his oathsworn on the hill, framed by the slowly setting sun. I took off my helmet and shouted in Saxon. “I had thought to fight warriors today and not women. I have two boys here who have not lived sixteen summers and yet the three of us could have dealt with the rabble you sent at us.”
Lann Aelle laughed and Prince Cadwallon asked him what I had said. When Lann Aelle told him he took out his bloodied sword and shook it at the Saxons.
“Do you see? The boy is keen to get at you again. It is a pity that your king is not made of sterner stuff. He sits and watches while you and your women die. At least Aethelfrith fought us warrior to warrior.”
Aella raised his sword. “We will soon get to you and I will split you from the nave to the chops.”
“How about you and I settle this matter here and now? We will meet in the middle and save men lives.”
I thought for a moment that the old warrior would do as I asked but one of the men behind him spoke urgently to him. I could see that he did not like what he was being told but eventually he nodded. “No Warlord, my king forbids it. But fear not. I will fight you before the night is out.”
I put my helmet back on. “It is a pity you have not got a better king. Perhaps when I have slain you I will slay him. Perhaps I could be King of the Saxons eh?
”
Gawan asked me, as the Saxons prepared their assault, “Why did you insult him so much? You have always told me to treat your enemies with honour.”
“It gave me no pleasure for I think Aella is a noble warrior but I needed to goad them and plant doubt about their king at the same time. They will attack us tonight and, with Myrddyn’s magic, we will defeat them without the need for Hogan Lann and Pasgen.”
They began to advance. “Make sure you have some fire arrows ready.” Daffydd nodded. I could see that they were determined this time. They sent their best warriors, all of them mailed. They did not use axes this time; they had swords and shields.
Myrddyn said, “Wait until they are all in the gateway and then we will begin our magic show!” I could see that he was enjoying this but Einar’s face showed his lack of understanding. He would soon see the power of Myrddyn’s magic.
Aella was attacking with about two hundred men. They funnelled in to the gate. The squires and my archers thinned them out a little but the main effect was to make them even tighter and without a gap between shields. It would make them hard to defeat in a conventional battle.
Myrddyn said, “Stand, Warlord.” I did so. Myrddyn stood. Behind him Cadwallon and Gawan held the wolf pig ready to throw. Myrddyn shouted, “I am Myrddyn the greatest wizard in the west and I transform Lord Lann, Warlord of Rheged into a dragon to destroy Rheged’s enemies!”
I dropped down and the boys hurled the missile. Four of Daffydd’s archers pierced it with flaming arrows and it suddenly erupted into flame. The oil and fat ignited and shot out covering the front fifty warriors and making them burn. The ones behind tried to douse the flames but it was in vain for the Greek Fire kept burning.
“Now Warlord!”
I descended the stairs and climbed out through the shattered gate. I stood on top of the bodies slain earlier and I roared, “The Warlord of Rheged strikes down all of his enemies thus!” I raised my sword and Daffydd’s archers launched the last of the fire arrows at the fleeing Saxons. I turned and walked back into the fort to the cheers of my men.