by Griff Hosker
“Now I know why we were ambushed. It was an accident. They were hunting for you and found us. I have no doubt that Edwin will send even more of his warriors to scour this land for us. He will not take kindly to an attempt on his life. The woods do not suit our horses. We will cross the river and head west.”
Aed spoke up. “Warlord, the waters are too high for us to ford. We will need to cross north of the fortress.”
He was right. The land around the fort was swampy and the water levels were high. We had had a wet early part of the summer. “In that case we will head east and skirt the swamp. We will find a route north. Tomorrow, Aed and Dai scout to the east. Felan scout to the north.”
As we headed east on a damp and wet summer’s day I wondered if I had been a victim of my own arrogance. I had led us to a small victory but we could be trapped in land which did not suit my horses. The land through which we travelled was, indeed swampy. We found that, at times, we had to lead our horses rather than ride them for the weight of our horses and our armour was too much and the beasts began to sink in the swampy, muddy land. It slowed us down. Daffydd and his archers formed the rearguard and I was not worried about an attack from that direction but the further north and west we went the closer we would be to Eboracum. Edwin’s hunters would be on our trails. If he was to be married then he would have many men at his wedding who could be used to augment his own forces. A human hunt was the finest sport known to man.
I walked between Gawan and Myrddyn who was light enough to ride; he wore no mail. “Can either of you see light at the end of this tunnel and a way out of our dilemma?”
Gawan shook his head but Myrddyn said, “I have not dreamed your death.”
“That is reassuring.”
“Of course that does not mean that you cannot be captured but I do not feel that you are in danger. King Edwin has a large area to search and we are small in number and swift. If your plan was to focus the attention of King Edwin on Northumbria and not on Mona then you have succeeded.”
It was ironic but I had. We were in grave danger but Myrddyn was right. Warrior for warrior we could beat anything which Edwin could throw at us. The problem would be if we were found with nowhere to run.
We were now heading north. Felan found us. “Warlord they had men barring our route north.”
We had travelled over this land when we headed to the forest. With the river to the west and the fort ahead of us then King Edwin could put a line of warriors like beaters to halt our progress. It would stop us escaping.
“How many are there?”
“He has war bands spread out.” He dismounted and walked to an unmarked piece of muddy earth. “Let me show you.” He took out his sword and marked the river, the fort and the marshes to the east. “The gap we came through is six miles across. He has fifty men every half mile or so. And there is a bigger warband just a mile to the north of them. We could break through one of the smaller warbands but they would be alerted and we would be surrounded.” He turned and pointed. “They are just three miles away.”
The land was very flat and we had no vantage point from which to spy our enemies’ dispositions. The only places where one could see some distance was from the tops of Eboracum’s walls. If the weather cleared then we would be visible from there too.
The others must have seen the concern upon my face. Then Pol said, “Warlord, remember when we played those games in Constantinopolis, the ones with the elephants, horsemen and so on?”
“Yes Pol. The strategos said it would make us better generals.”
“There are fifty men in each warband; is that not right Felan?”
“Aye it is.”
“We have thirty one archers and twenty four squires. Most of the squires now have mail and good weapons. There are three scouts. We use the archers to weaken a warband and then the squires charge them and break through.”
Lann Aelle shook his head, “But Felan has said that there is a larger warband waiting for us and the others will move to surround us.”
Pol smiled, “And they will do so but we will use the equites to charge the next warband when it goes to attack Daffydd and the squires. We will be hitting them from the side.” He pointed to the packhorses we had brought with us. “We have twenty lances. They will break any warband. When the squires have ridden through the first warband they do not head north but they head east. That way we destroy two warbands and we have broken their first cordon.”
“That still leaves the larger warband. How many are there Felan?”
“I could not get close enough to ascertain numbers but it looked to be more than a hundred.”
Pol looked at me and said quietly, “And that means we would be evenly matched. Did you not tell me that one equite was worth two Saxons? We outnumber them in ability if not in actual warriors!”
I glanced at Myrddyn for confirmation. “I cannot see a flaw in the plan, Warlord, but perhaps a refinement? You should attack at dawn and use the dragon banner for both of the charges.”
“But we only have one!”
“Then tonight we make another. It is not difficult and your squire, Pelas, has small neat hands.”
“And where will you be, wizard?”
“I shall be with the squires for they may need my magic.”
“In which case I shall lead them.” Lann Aelle had made the decision for me and I was pleased. He was a good leader and the squires all looked up to him. He had been a squire more recently than the rest of us.
We only slept for a couple of hours as we needed to be moving early. Dai and Aed had reported hounds moving from the south. Edwin had sent men into the forest to flush us out. They would drive us towards their waiting warriors. The muddy ground and the wet day had both come to our aid and he had, temporarily, lost us but we were in grave danger of becoming encircled.
We had to keep Felan with us for he knew precisely where the enemy was. Lann Aelle led away his men with their new banner. They had Myrddyn and Daffydd to lead them; I was not worried. They were three sound leaders who would not panic. We moved forward and saw the lights from the fires of the warband we would attack. Kay had wondered why we did not attack at the same time as the squires. “Because we need to kill as many as possible and if we attack a moving warband then we will know that we have succeeded for they will not be able to form a shield wall.
We waited in the dark and waited for the noise of the attack. We were just six hundred paces away in the dark. It was nerve wracking. I knew, in my head what would happen. The archers would move closer, on foot, and loose from the shortest range possible. After five flights they would mount their horses and Lann Aelle would lead the attack. The wailing of the dragon banner would be our signal but we also knew that the screams and cries of the wounded and dying would carry great distances at night. We would attack as soon as we heard the wail of the dragon banner. None of us were mounted yet. We were saving our horses and keeping a low profile. There was no moon but it paid to be careful.
As soon as we heard the cries in the night I said, “Mount!”
The camp ahead of us soon filled with noise as men grabbed the weapons which were already to hand. They would race to the sound of their comrades being attacked. I knew that all would be dressed for war. Men would sleep and rest in their armour. The wailing of the dragon was the signal. I was not carrying a lance but those around me were. I raised my sword, kicked Star in the flanks and we leapt forward. There were two lines of thirty one warriors and we were bearing down on fifty Northumbrians who were expecting an enemy to their fore. This was open farmland and we had few obstructions before us.
The night aided us for they heard the hooves but were unable to judge the direction from whence we came. As soon as our dragon banner wailed some of them looked around. By then we were less than a hundred and fifty paces from them. They panicked. Some continued running east and some stopped and tried to face us. Both were the wrong decisions. The warband just spread itself out and became thinner. The lances to my lef
t and right punched holes in the Saxon shields. I saw the warrior who had been spared a spear looking relieved until my sword smashed down and caved in his skull. We just appeared out of the dark night. And then we were through. I wheeled, as did the rest, to the sound of the hooves and I saw, to my great relief, Lann Aelle and Myrddyn leading the squires. I turned north.
Some of the lances had been shattered but it mattered not. We still had more than twenty amongst my men. We kept a steady pace as the three scouts took us towards the large warband. I could imagine their anxiety as they had heard the twin wailing dragons and the thundering hooves coming from the night. I was thankful that the night was as black as Wyddfa’s cave. It added to the eerie feel.
Ahead of me I heard the Saxon horns blowing. Whoever was in command was attempting to gather their forces together. They were too late! We had the advantage that we could just head north. If we met the Saxons then we would fight them and destroy them. The Saxons were racing to the aid of their comrades but the noise in the night made it harder for them to work out where the danger was. The Allfather had helped us by giving a cloudy, moonless night. Dawn was still an hour away. By that time we would either lie dead or be running free.
Although we were moving swiftly we still maintained our lines. All rested on my equites. The squires and the archers would follow us through the hole we punched in the Saxon line. Suddenly I saw movement ahead. It was the Saxons and they were moving obliquely across our front to reach the stricken warbands. They saw us as we saw them. The fact that they were running and we were galloping meant that they had little time to lock shields. The long spears and lances punched through their flimsy wooden wall. Those of us with swords and maces used them to batter through the shields. Our horses’ hooves were deadly weapons. Men fell to the floor, struck by the horses and the hooves of those following crushed skulls and shattered their limbs as they lay prone on the ground. We cut a bloody hole through the heart of the warband. My archers did not use their bows but their swords were as effective in such a confused field. We kept going until I felt the stones of the Roman Road beneath Star’s hooves. I halted. “Felan ride to the south and see if we are pursued. Aed, find us somewhere to camp to the north and west.”
As I turned to view the lathered horses and weary warriors I saw the thin light of early dawn in the east. “Pelas, see how many men we have lost.”
I dismounted, as did all of my equites and squires. The horses had ridden further and faster than was wise. They needed to be cared for. We would walk north for a few hours unless we were pursued. I saw men gulping water from their skins and then pouring some in their hands for their horses. Man and rider were as one. We suffered or succeeded together.
Pelas returned with the count of our losses. “Two archers, three squires and one equite, Aneurin, Warlord.”
It could have been worse but the equites were hard to replace. We had lost three and there were four less squires to replace them. It was unlikely that we would know how many men we had slain. I suspected it was many times the number we had lost. I also knew that many of those who had not been killed would have been crippled and unable to fight in a shield wall again. King Edwin would hunt for us and that meant that he was less likely to attack Mona. If Fergus and Aengus could succeed then we would have bought Aelle the time to build up Mona’s defences.
Dawn had broken when Felan returned leading two of our horses. “I found these wandering after us. Their riders were dead. I found their bodies. The Saxons are not pursuing. I saw them looking to their wounded.” He smiled. “There were many of them.”
When Aed returned he led us to the Nidd. It was a three hour ride but we could defend the narrow gorge if attacked. We had visited there once with my father and Myrddyn. We had found a cave with a Roman sword and witches made of stone. It was a good place to hide as the Saxons shunned it, fearing the dead and the spirits. We would use it to help recover the horses and to plan our strategy. It was now long past midsummer and soon it would be harvest time. This would be the opportunity to hurt the Northumbrians.
“Kay and Daffydd, I want sentries a mile out from the camp. Use pairs of men; one sleeps while one watches.”
“Aye, Warlord.”
Myrddyn pointed to the cave, “Gawan that is a cave of the dead. I will sleep there. The spirits may talk to us.”
“And I will join you.”
Pol, Lann Aelle and I watched as the two men walked happily into the cave of death. It frightened me but not my young brother. It was just the way we were. Pelas took Star off to feed and water him. Both had served me well.
Although I was tired I needed to talk. I went with Pol and Lann Aelle to the river. The soothing sound of the water rushing over the stones was reassuring. It reminded me that Icaunus was close by. He had oft times protected us. We had yet to lose a warrior during a river crossing.
“Lann Aelle, where do you think that we should raid?”
“I think south and east will be too dangerous at the moment. We know where Edwin and his men are. They will be searching for us. Oswald and Oswiu will have discovered that we have killed their men and he will be scouting the east.”
“You are saying that we should work north and west?”
“We know the land and we have a shorter journey to our cache of weapons should we need it.”
“You counsel well.”
Pol threw a stone into the bubbling waters. “What do you make of the brothers, Warlord? It seems they are not part of Edwin’s army.”
“I think they are allies but it may well be that they have ambition. Perhaps we could ferment discord.”
“How?”
“I am not sure. When my brother and the wizard have dreamed, they may have thoughts on it.” I stretched as I yawned. “We will leave tomorrow afternoon. We can strike at Stanwyck. It is not far from here and we can rest there once we have captured it.”
“You are sure that you can capture it?”
“It is the one place I am certain of. Our fathers were born there, Lann Aelle. It was from thence that the Saxons first drove our people west. We will capture it and this time we destroy its defences. They will not use it again.”
I thought I would sleep well but it came in fits and starts punctuated by pictures in my minds. They made no sense. I saw Irishmen fighting Irishmen. I saw Caer Gybi burning. I saw dragons fleeing west. When I woke I did not feel rested. It was late afternoon and my warriors were all asleep save for the sentries. I wandered to see Star. Pelas was sound asleep and close by. I stroked Star and examined him for injuries. I knew that Pelas would have done so already but he was my horse still and I knew him better than any. He appeared unharmed although I noticed he looked a little gaunter than usual. I spied a wild apple tree by the river. I wandered over and picked three of the riper fruits. I took a bite and they seemed a little sour to me but they were Star’s favourite treat and I took them back to him. He savoured each one as he ate it. The sour taste did not seem to bother him. After letting him drink from the river I tethered him again.
I strapped on my sword. I needed no mail yet. I walked the camp until I came to the first of the sentries. I spoke quietly for one was sleeping. “Have you seen aught?”
“No Warlord.” The squire looked up at the cliff and the cave. “This place frightens me. I was told that there is a cave yonder and within it lays a stone witch.” I nodded. “And yet your brother and the wizard sleep there.”
“The dead do not frighten them. They walk in the world of the dead but I am like you, Dai son of Daffydd, I prefer the living to the dead.” I noticed that he was wearing a short byrnie. “Is that Saxon?”
“Aye Warlord, Pol gave it to me after we had routed the warriors in the forest.”
“Good, then soon you will be an equite.”
“It is my dearest wish, Warlord.”
Dai was not from Rheged. His father, Dai, had been King Cadwallon’s squire and then leader of the oathsworn. When he had died fighting the Northumbrians he had been or
phaned and the king had asked me to train him as my father had trained him and Dai. It seemed his allegiance was now to me.
My brother and Myrddyn came down after dark. We had all woken and were busy cooking hot food. We felt safe here for we were far enough to the west of the road to be safe from Edwin, at least for a while. Pol and I were sat with Lann Aelle when they came. Both had a worried look upon their faces. “Did the dreams not go well?”
“They were dreams,“ sighed Myrddyn, “but their content was somewhat disquieting.” He nodded to Gawan, “Your brother can tell you. I need to make water.” He shrugged, “It is my age.”
Chapter 8
“Did you dream the same?”
“I do not know but Myrddyn seemed to know what I had dreamed.”
“And there is trouble?”
“Dreams do not tell you what is; they just give you glimpses into what may be. I saw Fiachnae mac Báetáin falling and then there were waves of Saxons flooding over the Roman Wall and they fell upon Deva. There were Hibernian ships stretching across the horizon and they hid Mona from my sight. I saw King Cadwallon and he lay slain with King Edwin and Oswald standing over him.”
The dreams sounded catastrophic. Usually there appeared to be some ray of hope or a solution to the problems they suggested but the spirits seemed to offer only despair. I wondered if Gawan’s state of mind had affected his dreams. Myrddyn only had himself to think on. “You were worried about your family. Perhaps that affected your dreams. “
“Perhaps but Myrddyn had seen the same too. And then I saw many ships leaving Manau and sailing to Mona.” He hesitated. “Mona was burning behind the wall of Hibernian ships.”
Lann Aelle said, “It is a sign that we should return home!”
I shook my head, “That would be a mistake. We have been here just a short time and yet we have already achieved much. Another two or three moons might be all that we need.” I turned to Gawan, “You said yourself that you do not know when these events will take place, if they take place at all.”