by Griff Hosker
I pushed my men and my horses hard. I had more on my mind than the condition of horses. My son’s life was at stake. I was relieved when we reached the small wood overlooking the estuary. The Saxons would have to pass close to the wood in order to carry on their journey south. We could see no sign of them which allowed us time to set up an effective ambush.
We secreted the horses towards the rear of the woods and then began to construct a natural barrier made from hazel branches and blackberry vines. It would enable us to use our bows and prevent the mailed Saxons closing with us. We were outnumbered and we would need to whittle their numbers down.
As the afternoon settled towards evening one of the warriors watched from the top of a tree. Suddenly he whistled and pointed to the west. They were coming. “Ready your bows.”
I hoped that they would camp and allow us to recapture the boys that way but if they pushed on then we were ready. I shinnied up a tree to get a better view of them. Aethelfrith was there, I recognised his helmet and his shield. The two boys were in the middle of the war band and each was led by a warrior. The boys both had a tether around their neck. There were nineteen Saxons in all. I wondered where the extra warrior had come from. A small outcrop of rock hid them from our sight for a short way. We waited for them to emerge. It soon became obvious that they had stopped. Aethelfrith had not chosen the camp site I had expected him to.
I was about to order my men to follow me to their new camp when I heard a whistle from above. The sentry pointed out to sea, to the south. A Saxon ship was edging into the estuary. They were not camping; they were going to sail away.
“Get your bows and horses.”
I had anticipated too much and my son would pay the price for my arrogance. I shook my head; there was no point in feeling sorry for myself. I had to deal with this new situation. Time was of the essence. We were a mile away and the ship was arriving rapidly on the rising tide. By the time we reached the beach, the first of the warriors was already wading out to the ship. As we galloped up the rest turned to face us. I heard Aethelfrith ordering the warriors to hurry.
“Use your bows and stop them!”
Lann Aelle had the best horse and he hurled himself to the sand before the rest of us were close. He loosed an arrow and the warrior holding Gawan fell to his death in the foaming waters. Gawan did not flee but tried to help Cadwallon. It was his undoing and Aethelfrith grabbed his tether and tugged him from his feet. He was dragged unceremoniously towards the waiting ship.
I reached my nephew and I drew my bow. My arrow thudded into the back of Aethelfrith’s shield making him stagger but he kept going. One of the warriors on the ship ordered those in the sea to attack us. There were twelve of them who obeyed and they turned to advance towards us. We had no choice but to loose our arrows at them. Aethelfrith was sacrificing his oathsworn. Three fell to a foamy death but the other nine charged us through the surf. I drew Saxon Slayer and threw my bow to the ground. I ran at them and I used my sword two handed. I swung the blade in an arc. The first warrior was struggling to gain secure footing in the treacherous sand and my sword sliced through his throat.
A second warrior tried to gut me with his sword but I twisted Saxon Slayer in the air and parried his blow. I put my shoulder into his shield and pushed hard. He too struggled to find purchase in the sand and I brought Saxon Slayer down. It smashed his sword in two. I hacked at him as I passed and felt the blade bite into flesh making the darkening sea redder. I had to get to my son.
Aedh and his two warriors had ridden along the surf and they crashed into the last of the Saxons. I turned to the ship and saw, to my horror, that Aethelfrith had the two boys on board already. He stood at the stern looking triumphant. The Saxon took out a knife and grabbed my son’s left hand. “I told you what would happen if you followed me!” He raised his hand slowly and then brought it down. His knife sliced across Gawan’s hand and chopped off his third and fourth fingers. The dropped into the sea and I saw blood spurting. His scream was masked by the sound of the surf. Aethelfrith pointed at me, “I will come to Caestre at the winter solstice. The fort will be empty or these two will die!”
“Aethelfrith, you cowardly dog! Come and fight me as a man!”
As the ship edged back towards the sea I heard him laugh. “And why should I do that? I have your son and the young prince. Your days are ending, Warlord; let us hope that you are wise and save your son or he will be waiting for you in the Otherworld.”
My shoulders sagged. I was defeated. I would have to do as he said. I could not risk the life of Cadwallon and I would not risk my son. I watched as a torch was applied to my son’s wounded and scarred hand and I heard his screams across the water. It felt like a knife cutting into me. My son had paid for my arrogance. By the time I had turned to wade back to shore Lann Aelle and Aedh had the two survivors. Both were wounded.
My men had dragged them clear of the surf. Lann Aelle held his dagger to the throat of one of them. My nephew could speak Saxon as well as any man and he chose his words carefully. “I will ask you a question. If you answer me honestly then I will put a sword in your hand and give you a warrior’s death. Do you understand?” The man nodded. “Where will Aethelfrith take the boys?”
Without hesitation the warrior said, “Hibernia.”
Lann Aelle nodded and slit the man’s throat. He went to the other warrior. “He lied and he has paid the price. I will ask you the same question.” I saw the terror in the man’s eyes as he watched his comrade’s blood drip down the edge of the blade to make dark blobs on the sand. “Where will Aethelfrith take the boys?”
“I cannot betray my lord.”
In answer Lann Aelle pricked his throat with the dagger. He broke the skin. “It is you choice. Tell me the truth and you will get a warrior’s death.” He leaned in and spoke as a friend, “Besides would not Aethelfrith like to get his hands on the Wolf Warrior? If you tell us then the Wolf Warrior will go to Aethelfrith’s home. Your king can kill him.”
I could see the torment in the Saxon’s eyes. It sounded plausible and he knew that he would die anyway. Aedh held out the warrior’s sword for him and he smiled sympathetically. I think it was Aedh’s face which convinced him. He closed his eyes and said, “The island of Man. He has a camp there.”
Lann Aelle nodded to Aedh who handed him his sword. The warrior smiled his thanks as my nephew ended his life.
Aedh said, “How did you know the first one lied?”
“He answered too quickly and there was no truth in his eyes.”
“Get their weapons. We head north. Hopefully we will find a ship to take us to this island.”
My men never questioned my orders. There might only be a handful of us but they would follow me anywhere. Loyalty was something created over many years. Our horses were tired and it was depressing to travel back along the same road but there was no other way. I had to get to Alavna and hope that Daffydd would call soon.
It was deep into the night when we reached the port the Romans called Alavna. The sound of our horses brought the headman and his men, armed, to the gate. I was recognised immediately and welcomed into the stockade.
“Have any of my ships been here in the past week?”
“Aye, Warlord. Two of them put in five days since and when they saw a Saxon ship they left.”
I worked out that they must have been patrolling to see if they could find the Saxons. It was just bad luck that they had missed the second ship but a hope rose within me that they might be fortunate and come upon them now. We were all so tired that we collapsed in the headman’s hut and slept like babies.
I had bad dreams. I kept seeing Aethelfrith cutting pieces from Gawan’s body and I could do nothing about it. It was as though I was sinking in the estuary sands and watching my son dying piece by piece. I awoke sweating and breathing heavily: it was still dark. I rose quietly, without disturbing my warriors and went to watch the sun rise. I was still peering out to sea when Aedh and Lann Aelle joined me.
“What I cannot understand, Warlord, is why Aethelfrith is doing this. It does not get him his kingdom back and it risks your enmity.”
“He has that anyway and it makes sense for him to capture Caestre. He was the one who conquered Man. It makes sense that the people there would support him rather than Edwin but if he is to challenge Edwin he needs a base and Caestre is perfect. He knows how strong it is and I would guess that he has scouted it and seen that Bors has made it strong again. We have done the work for him. Do you think that we could retake it if we gave it back to him?”
Aedh shook his head, “The Saxons could never take it. Bors would be too strong for them.”
“And what of the hostages? Will he return my cousin and the prince as he has promised?”
“He said it in front of his oathsworn but he does not have to return them whole. We have pursued them; he told us the consequences and that will give him licence to mutilate them as he chooses. It is why we must get to the island as quickly as we can. Aedh, send a rider to Penrhyd. He can tell Myrddyn and my son what we are about.” Aedh nodded and left. We would be one warrior short but it could not be helped. I had to let the others know where we were going.
I know that it was impulsive but waiting has never been something I have been good at. I like to be active and I paced up and down the beach. My eyes scanned the horizon until they became sore from the salt and the wind. Aedh and Lann Aelle tried to keep my mind on other things but it was difficult. They talked of anything save the Saxons and my son. It did no good. I was my own biggest critic. Hogan Lann had been a cause for worry when I had had to leave him at home but he had been safe within the walls of my fort and behind the shields of my men. I had tempted fate by bringing Gawan so close to the battlefield and into the stronghold of the Saxon.
Eventually the two of them decided to distract me by asking of my plans for our assault on Man. “Do we know what the island is like?”
“No. I would imagine that Daffydd would have an idea.” The memory of the attack by the Saxons when I had last sailed south suddenly surfaced. Why had ignored that attack? I could have done something about it. This made me even angrier with myself. I knew that the Saxons were there, less than half a day from Mona and I had left them undisturbed. I was paying the price for that omission.
“We will be going into the lair of our foe. Every man will be a potential enemy.” Aedh was a scout and we were now making him a warrior who would have to fight warriors in the shield wall.
Lann Aelle shook his head. “Not necessarily. The Saxons have only been there for a few years. The people who lived on the island since before the time of the Romans will be there. They may have no love for the invader.”
Aedh was right. I knew the island was small but we would have to find where they kept the boys quickly. We would need all the help we could get. Another day passed and there was still no ship. When we saw Hogan Lann and the column of horsemen approaching I knew that my message had got through.
My son dismounted and embraced me. “Your message made Myrddyn angry. He is fond of Gawan. He would have come with us but I told him we needed speed.” Myrddyn had never been a good rider; he could stay in the saddle and that was about the extent of his skill. “We have brought another ten men for you to take with you.”
“This is a task for a small group of men and not an army.”
“I would be happier if they were aboard the ship. The last time you sailed you were undermanned. We are using the squires to patrol with the other horsemen. It is good we have not compromised our strength.”
I felt happier knowing that I was leaving a safe Rheged. Perhaps the good feelings we had felt had transmitted themselves to the gods, for a sail filled the horizon. It was Daffydd. We had all our weapons ready. We would board as soon as he reached us. We would leave the horses. It would have been too difficult to board the ship with them anyway, especially if we had to leave Man in a hurry. That was a likely end to this madcap adventure. I did not think that the Saxons would just allow us to go in, rescue the hostages and leave easily. We would have to fight our way out.
The reception party he viewed made Daffydd leap ashore before the boat was even tied up. I told him what had happened and asked, “Did you see the Saxon ship?”
His face fell. “I saw one yesterday but it was on the horizon and close to Man. Had I known…?”
“Had you known, you could have done nothing. This will need warriors and not sailors. Do you know where Aethelfrith will go on the island?”
“Not for certain but there are four settlements on the coast. Two are so small that Aethelfrith would not use them. The other two have jetties for boats. One is on the southern coast and the other faces east. That is the one I believe he will use.”
“Can you drop us close enough for us to walk there?”
“The island is so small that you can walk its length in a day and its width in half a day. I could sail along the coast and see if the ship is there.”
I shook my head. “No, I do not want him alerted. I believe he would kill them if he knew that we were on the island. We will need to be in and out so quickly that he will not have time to react. We will need you to be on hand so that we can escape.”
“If I drop you at night I could sail into the harbour and pick you up from there.”
“Good. I will leave you half of my men to boost your crew.” I looked at the sky. “And we have wasted enough time. Get the men on board. Hogan Lann, you are in command until I return.”
His voice was husky as he said, “Make sure that you do return.”
The men I chose to take on the island with me were all the most skilled at both hiding and killing silently. Apart from Lann Aelle and Aedh I took Tadgh who, small and lithe could move as silently as a fox. There was Drugh who had been with us since he had been a despatch rider. He was skilled in all type of weapons but he was as good with a bow as any man. The brothers Garth and Wem made up the seven. The two brothers were as strong as bulls and yet they could hide almost in plain sight. All of us had the ability to both adapt and change to unforeseen circumstances. We all took out shields, swords as well as bows and daggers. Aedh and Drugh even took the sling shots they had used when despatch riders. The rest of our force we would leave on the ship.
I asked the captain what he knew of Man. “My father told me that there were people like us on the island but the Saxons came there when they could not capture Mona. I do not know what happened to the people.”
“Tell me more about this island of Manau?”
“It is a compact rock not far from our land. There is one larger hill in the middle of the island.” He smiled, “If it were ours I know that you would have placed a watch tower there for I have been told that from its peak you can see the whole island.”
Once again I had not defended some of the people of Rheged and, as on the mainland, they had paid the price.
“We will find where the hostages are held and we will wait until they are all asleep. If we can take out the guards, when it is quiet then we can recapture the boys. Garth and Wem, your task will be to guard the boys and get them to the ship.” I looked earnestly at both of them. “We will buy you time to get to the ship. I trust you both and I know that you will not let me down.”
“We will get them to safety, Warlord. We so swear.”
That left four of us to be a shield wall while the wily Aedh watched for anyone coming from the side. We would be a small group but we had all fought together before. We trusted each other and in the heat of the battle that was often worth more than mere numbers. It was important that every warrior knew his job well before he was called upon to carry it out.
The coast loomed up as the sun set on the western side of the island. We could see an occasional flicker from the northern settlement. Our captain told us that this was just two or three huts but we did not wish to risk being seen. We sailed along the coast as though we were just another trader. The fact that we had a sail and no oars helped. We passed a smal
l stream which gave us a backup point for our rescue should the settlement prove too difficult.
“If I have to sail from the harbour without you I will come here. “ Our captain pointed to the small hill. I will drop you on the other side of this hill.” He ordered the sail lowered and we drifted, with the tide, toward the beach. His men dropped a small skiff into the water. “I will return at dawn.”
Aedh, Drugh and Tadgh were rowed ashore to scout out the land. “If you are not in the harbour and I need you I will loose a fire arrow into the sky. I am leaving you with enough men to secure the landing.”
“I will destroy any Saxon ships I see. It will distract them from your quest.” He clasped my arm. “I pray that you are successful.”
“I will either be successful or I will be dead. I do not leave this island, without my son.”
The skiff returned and we descended. It was now so dark that I could not see the shore. As the sailors rowed I looked back and saw that the ship itself was barely visible. That meant that our arrival might escape notice. The water was icy as I stepped ashore. I swung my shield around and looked for Aedh. A figure slid down the rocky slope ahead of us. It was my captain of scouts. “There is a path leading to the town. Tadgh and Drugh are both guarding the top.”
Lann Aelle placed himself at the rear and we followed Aedh as he climbed the slope. Drugh waved his arm and we flattened ourselves against the hillside. I took off my helmet to enable me to see the town more clearly. Below me I saw the pin pricks of light from the roundhouses. Aethelfrith was so confident about his island that there was no wooden wall around the twenty or so huts and buildings. It was a sizeable settlement. We could see little else and we would have to descend to get a closer look.