by Griff Hosker
It was not to be as easy as that. The autumn rains began that night. It was as though the gods had been saving all their water and decided to drop it upon us. It felt as though we were swimming in Wide Water. There was little point in searching as we could not even see beyond the end of our horse’s heads. It rained for two days and when we emerged from our fort it was to wade through a muddy morass which sucked your feet into the ground.
“You had better take your men and search as far as the sea but I fear we will see no tracks now. I will take Myrddyn and go with Tuanthal. We will ride and search to the east. They will have suffered in the rain as much as we have. Perhaps they will have reached Edwin’s lands by now. Lann Aelle, go with Aedh and his scouts. These Saxons may have come from the battle at the wall.”
“What of the boys?”
“Einar can work on their sword skills.” I saw the disappointment on the faces of my son and the prince but they had learned to obey my commands.
We spent a fruitless day riding along a sodden, soaking land. The crops which had not been gathered in, and there were mercifully few of them, had been ruined. We saw many farmers repairing the storm damage. None had seen any sign of Saxons. That was a relief; I would not have wanted the farmers and their families to suffer. However it was also a worry, for where had the Saxons gone? I still worried about the purpose of this mysterious band.
As we rode disconsolately back to Penrhyd, Myrddyn tried to deduce what their purpose was. “How many men did Aedh think there were?”
“He thought that there were at least fifteen.”
“And they were armoured too?”
“Some were. We had seen where their prints had sunk deeper into the soft earth suggesting that they had mail on them. They had no horses.”
Myrddyn shrugged, “The Saxons rarely do. This has me perplexed. There are too many together to be survivors from the battle and their route does not fit a pattern. If they were raiders they would have raided the villages along the way.”
Penrhyd loomed up ahead. “Perhaps they had raided to the south and were heading home. Hogan Lann may have information which will shed light on this.”
“He may but you would have seen evidence of that. There would have been pack animals or captives footprints. Still we will have a clearer picture when we speak with your son.”
Lann Aelle and Aedh were waiting for us. “We saw nothing. We spoke with the farmers along the wall and they said they had seen Saxons but it was only one or two and they were heading east. None had been seen in the days before the rain.”
That left just Hogan Lann. He had had the longest journey and it was almost dark before the sentries saw him. As I peered south I suddenly realised that I had not seen Einar or the boys. “Have you seen my son?”
The sentry grinned, “Not since this morning Warlord. I saw them heading yonder.” He pointed to the west. “They were dragging your Dane with them. I think they were eager for a lesson.”
I laughed, that was typical of my son and the prince, and then the thought struck me that they should have returned. I would have to speak with Einar. He knew better than to keep the boys out too long. I knew that he was inordinately fond of the boys but he had to be in charge of them. I descended the stairs to greet Hogan Lann.
His worried face showed me that he had news and it was not good. “When we reached the coast we found Daffydd and our ships. It seems they came upon a Saxon ship on the night of the storm and they attacked her. There was one survivor he told our men that he had come from Man.”
“Where is he?”
“He died of his wounds.”
Myrddyn nodded sagely, “It explains the raiders but what were they doing so far from their ship? And why did they not do anything? We have found their tracks and yet they seemed to do nothing. This has posed more questions than it has answered.”
I felt a chill run down my spine; the boys were in danger. I knew it. I had done Einar a disservice. He would have returned before now. Something had prevented him from doing so. “I want every man not on guard duty ready to search with a lighted torch. Einar and the boys have not yet returned from their training. We will search the woods to the west. It is where they went hunting. I fear they may have run into this band of Saxons.”
As the others ran off Myrddyn said, “Or that may have been the purpose of the raid?”
That thought was unpalatable but suddenly made sense. It would have been typical of King Edwin and his cunning plans and yet the fact that the ship had landed in the west did not make sense. Something was not right.
I grabbed a torch and joined the men who ran from the fort. Einar and the boys had gone on foot. They could not be far away. I kept thinking of reasons why they would be late and therefore safe. The thought which dwarfed all of the others was that Myrddyn was right and this Saxon incursion had a purpose.
We heard a shout within moments of entering the wood. I ran to the sound and found a sight which filled me with both horror and fear at the same time. We found the bodies of two Saxons. They had been killed by sword strokes.
“Spread out and go carefully. Look under every bush. My son and Einar are somewhere close by. These dead Saxons are not the only ones. We seek a war band.”
I scoured the ground before me. I could see churned up tracks and broken branches. Someone had moved at speed through the undergrowth and they had not worried about secrecy. This was the sign of a flight and a fight. I saw blood spatters on the leaves and branches. Prints in the soft ground seemed to radiate in every direction.
One of my men up ahead gave a cry. “Warlord!”
I ran through the woods in the direction of the voice. Einar hung, barely alive; he had been nailed to the tree like the White Christ. The wounds on his body showed that he had fought his attackers bravely. There were many cuts and injuries. Myrddyn was at his side in an instant and he ordered the men to support his body while he removed the nails. My faithful Dane opened his eyes and murmured, “I am sorry my lord. I have failed you.”
“No, you have not.” I was about to ask him where my son was, when Myrddyn removed one of the nails and Einar passed out. It was a mercy as we were able to take him down quickly. We laid him on the ground and Myrddyn began to patch him up.
“The rest of you search the woods and find the boys.”
Aedh said, “Watch for tracks and be careful.”
I nodded my thanks. Aedh was right and I should have thought of that but I was angry. Anger always clouded your judgement. I was angry at what they had done to Einar; I was in no doubt that this was the work of Saxons and I was angry that I had not watched my son and the Prince of Gwynedd more carefully.
Myrddyn shook his head and said quietly, “He is beyond saving, Warlord. I do not know how he has lasted this long. Most of these wounds would have killed a normal man before now.”
Einar opened his eyes. They were filled with pain. He began to speak and we had to lean close to him to hear. “They gave me a message. They said you can have your son and the prince back when they get Caestre. If you follow then they will disfigure the boys. You have until the Yule.” He winced in pain, “Warlord, a sword!”
He knew he was dying. I handed him Saxon Slayer. He smiled as his hand gripped the hilt. “I will wait for you in the Otherworld, Warlord.” When his fingers released my blade we knew that he was dead.
“Carry this brave warrior back to the fort. We will bury him with honour.”
Myrddyn looked at me. “This then is Aethelfrith and not Edwin.”
“I know.” Edwin had no interest in that fortress on the Dee but Aethelfrith knew its importance. If he could regain that then he could carve out his own kingdom and regain Northumbria that way. I was not bothered about Saxon politics. I wanted my son and Cadwallon back. This also explained why they had come in a ship from the west. He had moved from Hibernia to Man.
The others returned. Hogan looked angry too. “The three of them put up a good fight. We found seven more dead Saxons in the woods
. They took my little brother south.”
“I know. Einar died but he told me that it was Saxons who took them and they will be heading south. They will go to the coast for their ship and then they will head for the Dee. They are holding the boys hostage in return for Bor’s castle at Caestre.”
“We will hunt him down and kill him.”
I shook my head. “No, my son, I will hunt him down. You will be needed here. This may be a ruse to lure us away. It may not be just Aethelfrith but a complicated plan devised by the wily Edwin. It would be foolish to risk all that we have regained just to chase a will o’ the wisp over Rheged. I will go with some chosen men. This does not need an army and one of us must stay here to safeguard Rheged. I gave my word to King Cadfan that I would care for his son as though he was mine. Besides I am the one who must avenge my oathsworn, Einar.”
They all tried to dissuade me as we headed back to Penrhyd but I had made up my mind. I knew Aethelfrith and I knew his mind. It would have to be me who followed him.
“Myrddyn, I need you to stay here and advise my son. He will need your help.”
Alone out of all of my men Myrddyn neither begged to accompany me nor to dissuade me. He knew my mind better and he understood my reasons. “Be careful, Warlord. This Aethelfrith has gambled once and lost to King Edwin. He will not care if he hurts Gawan and Prince Cadwallon.”
“I know. Aethelfrith may not even be with them. He may have sent some men to do his bidding.”
“I am thinking it will be either him or his sons. He had already lost much face. He could not ask others to risk the Warlord’s wrath. Who will you take? “
“Lann Aelle, Aedh and ten of Tuanthal’s warriors. We need to move swiftly. I do not need equites; they would only slow me down. I will take the ten best that Tuanthal has. We will need to ride hard. They have a head start on us.”
“You will leave tonight?”
“Aye. We may be able to overtake them. They will go to the coast first. When they do not find their boat then they will head south and we may well be able to ambush them by heading due south.”
“You risk losing them.”
“I know where they will be heading but we can move northwards anyway. There are only a couple of passes south that they can use.”
“Warlord, take my advice. Follow their trail. Your son is clever and he knows you will follow. He will leave signs, if he can, for you to follow.”
I was now on the horns of a dilemma. My heart told me to get ahead of them but my mind trusted Myrddyn and his wisdom.
“If you follow them you will still have opportunities to get ahead of them but you need to find their whereabouts.”
“Very well.” Later on I thanked all the gods that I had heeded the wizard’s advice. Had I not done so then my son would have been lost to me forever.
It took some time to gather the men and the spare horses. When we did leave it was almost moonrise. Aedh was confident that we would be able to pick up their trail. “The rains have left the ground muddy. This will be the only large body which has travelled south since the rains. When we come to the mountains it will be more difficult but by then it will be daylight.”
And so I set off with twelve warriors to rescue my son and the Prince of Gwynedd. We were not the largest force I had ever led, but we were the most determined.
Chapter 10
The men we chose were all good warriors who had fought the Saxons many times. I could rely on them not to panic, even when faced with overwhelming numbers. The enemy numbers were still uncertain. We took bows as well as javelins; it was one of our major advantages over the Saxons. I needed to be able to fight the Saxons wherever I found them. The spare horses enabled me to take my mail shirt. Although we had only seen the tracks of fifteen men it did not mean that Aethelfrith did not have more warriors waiting for him. The numbers did not worry me. My only worry was that something would happen to my son and Cadwallon before I reached them. The taking of a hostage did not necessarily mean that they would be returned unharmed.
We reached the site of the ambush and we followed the trail which was as clear, in the moonlight, as though it was day. The mud had been churned up by many feet. I let Aedh do his job and we rode in single file behind my hawk eyed scout.
As dawn broke we found ourselves in the craggy land to the north of the two lakes. The Saxons were leading us through the highest peaks of this land towards the coast and we would not be able to use the advantage of our horses. I smiled grimly to myself; Myrddyn had been right. In many ways the route the Saxons had chosen made it easier for us to follow. There were few places where they could deviate from their path. I now had a good idea where they were headed. The coast south of Alavna was sparsely populated and the Saxon ships could land unseen.
We were approaching the peaks known as the Roman soldiers when Aedh held up his hand. “Warlord, look!”
We saw a line of stones made into the shape of an arrow. They pointed towards the old Roman Fort in this steep pass. We had been going in that direction but it was good to know that either Gawan or Cadwallon had their wits about them. It confirmed that we were headed in the right direction.
“I hope they are careful, Warlord. If the Saxons know what they are doing it could cost them dear.”
Lann Aelle was right and it spurred us on. We passed the fort and I wondered why we had not thought to fortify it ourselves. Then, as I looked around, I answered my own question. It was a bleak outpost. Its only purpose was to stop invasion from the west and to guard the pass. I was really thinking what I could have done to protect my son and the answer was that there are some things beyond our power. It did set me thinking. The Romans had known how to protect what belonged to them. It was when this fort had been abandoned, over two hundred years ago, that the problems had begun. When time permitted I would sit with Myrddyn and Brother Oswald to examine all the places the Romans had built their forts.
My reverie was interrupted by Aedh. “I think we should rest, Warlord.”
My captain of scouts was right. We had to conserve our horses but I was loath to let the lead become too great. I nodded. “But just a short break. They will not halt.”
“They will, uncle, as soon as they get to the coast they will have to stop and await their ship.”
We fed and watered the horses and chewed on dried meat. I tasted nothing. My mouth moved and swallowed but it was an unconscious act. I was picturing the warriors who were heading west. I was seeing them prod and poke their captives with their weapons and I could imagine the terror the two boys were experiencing. I just wanted to leap on Mona and gallop to the coast. I would slay them all. Then I stopped my speculation. They would kill the boys as I watched. I knew that as surely as I knew that the sun rose in the east and set in the west. We not only had to catch them we had to do so without their knowledge. Aedh was right to counsel caution. I had brought the right men with me. Hogan Lann would have fed my fears and we would have galloped in recklessly.
We had not ridden more than half a mile when we saw the sea. There was a small settlement of fishermen who lived by the shore and I wondered if they might have seen the Saxons. We proceeded cautiously towards their cluster of huts and left the road. There were woods and copses which we used for cover. Aedh took us towards the village. It was north of the route the Saxons were taking but we had horses and we could use the sands to get ahead of them.
The smell of putrefying flesh assaulted us. This time it was not the flesh of Saxons which had burned but the villagers. The men lay where they had fallen but the women and children of the village had taken shelter in their huts and they had been fired. Their burned bodies turned the stomachs of even the hardest warriors. Some of the women had not had an easy death and we saw their bodies showing what they had suffered before they had died. My men were grim faced as we searched for survivors. They were used to seeing men slaughtered but not women and children. It hardened their hearts even more against the Saxon kidnappers.
We found no sur
vivors. “Looking at the bodies Warlord, they did this when they first landed. They are beginning to decay already.”
I nodded. Aedh was correct. “Take the bodies to the beach and we will bury these fisher folk close to the sea.” It was not just a romantic gesture. We would be able to bury them quicker.
We left the desolate and devastated village and headed south. Soon we found evidence that the eight men we pursued had been joined by others they had left at the beach. “It looks like there are now eighteen of them.” Aedh pointed to the slightly smaller footprints. “See, this is Gawan and this is Cadwallon. They have different footwear to the Saxons.”
We were all relieved that they were still alive. We pushed on harder now. The rest at the fort and the burial had increased the Saxons’ lead and we hurried south along the coast. It was easier going but it would be just as easy for the Saxons. They would be making good time too.
We had travelled less than five miles when the trail turned inland to cut the corner of the estuary. This was our chance to gain the initiative and lay an ambush. “Aedh, take two men and keep after them. We will get ahead of them, on the other side of the estuary.”
Aedh knew me well enough to know I would be able to communicate with the three of them. The rest of us rode hard along the coast. It was a longer route than the ones the Saxons would take but our horses could maintain a faster pace. I was pleased, yet again, that I had chosen Mona as my mount. She just kept going and was the most comfortable of my three horses to ride.
I knew where the Saxons were heading. The coast began to turn south about sixteen miles from where we were. We were heading east and they were travelling towards the south east. They would have to camp before they got there. I could probably predict their camp site. The forests came close to the shore and there was a stream. It was not far from the small village of Cark. I hoped they would leave those people alone. Once they camped then we might have a chance to rescue the hostages. That was now my priority. All the work I had done to secure King Cadfan his kingdom would mean nothing if I lost his son and heir. The Saxons I could kill any time but first I had to have my son and my ward safely in my hands again. I pictured the estuary and began to plan how I would trap them. They would camp close to the forest and the stream. We would be able to see them from our vantage point on the other bank. I had Aedh to stop their retreat. Soon I would have my son and the prince back.