by Griff Hosker
“But the prisoner did not mention King Edwin’s name.”
I suddenly saw it all clearly. “He did not Lann Aelle because he is still to arrive. It is the fyrd and the men of this area who have reached here first. He has further to travel with his main army. They will have needed to sow their crops and gather their new born animals. We have stumbled upon an invasion.”
I turned to my cousin. “Lann Aelle, take five squires and ride to King Penda and King Cadwallon. Tell them that the Northumbrians are heading south and that we have found their supplies.” I had had no word from the first riders I had sent and I feared the worst.
“What will you do, cousin?”
I laughed, “Irritate them and slow them down. They will try to get to their supplies and we will stop them.”
Lann Aelle took off his armour. It was speed he would need and not armour. After they had left I issued my orders. “We make this more defensible. The squires, slingers and half of the archers will guard its walls. Tonight we rest but tomorrow we begin. We will ride north again but this time we know where the Northumbrians will be. They will not ambush us again.”
As I lay in the hall I could not sleep. This was wyrd. The Northumbrians would have caught both kings unprepared had we not ventured north and yet the forest would cause them problems too. I knew that they had a large burgh at Caer Daun. I needed to scout that out. I needed to find Edwin. It would take many days for the two armies to reach us. Lann Aelle would reach them by tomorrow and they had begun the muster but the Mercians were, like the Northumbrians, foot warriors. It would take at least three days to reach us. The decision made, I slept.
“Llenlleog and Pelas, find Aed. You will not need your armour today.” I could see that they were intrigued but they left to do as I had bid.
Gawan saw me talking to them. “What are you up to brother? Where is your mail?”
“I will not need my mail today. I am going to take the scouts north and find Caer Daun. You and Pol command in my absence.”
“Others can do this brother.”
“I know but only I can decide the best strategy to defeat Edwin. I need to know his defences and anticipate what he will do.” I could see that he was not convinced. “We have a great opportunity here. King Edwin thinks that we are the only force between him and Mercia. This is like the attack last year. He does not know that King Penda and King Cadwallon have mustered their armies. We have surprise on our side. I am not going to fight. I am going to watch. I wear no armour for I will be swift.”
When my men were ready I mounted Star. There were just eight of us. We were all armed with bows. “I may be away for two or three days. Your task is to keep the equites at the edge of the forest and harass the Northumbrians if they come. Do not enter the forest.”
Pol shook his head, “This is madness. You will be entering the forest.”
“We will be nowhere near the road. Caer Daun is not in the forest. It is to the north of it. We will move swiftly.”
We rode out of the north gate and I headed north west. The forest was not like the ones in the Land of the Lakes where the trees were close together. Here they were oak, birch, elm and ash. There was little undergrowth and there was light.
I kept the scouts with me and we rode in single file. Aed was the most experienced and he led. I used Llenlleog at the rear for he had a calm head and made wise decisions. We stopped at noon when we found a clearing with a small stream. We saw no signs that anyone had visited it recently. There were only animal tracks. When we set off again I headed slightly east for the land began to fall away slightly and I knew that Caer Daun lay on a bend in the river. It was a short while later that the forest began to thin. We stopped when we saw the stumps of felled trees. The Saxons had been here.
Aed and Dai dismounted and examined the land around the stumps. “The stumps are weathered. This is not recent.” He pointed to the north east. “There is a track way there and I think they took the trees that way.” I could see the furrows cut in the soil.
“From now on we use hand signals. Keep your bows ready and silence any Northumbrian that we see.”
The forest ended suddenly. Once again there was evidence of tree felling and we looked down on the river valley. “Dismount and keep hidden. Aed check the ground for footprints.”
I crouched behind the stump of an oak. It must have been a mighty tree for the bole was as wide as I was tall. I saw that there were many men camped by the river. The burgh itself was busy with warriors coming and going. Here was Edwin’s army. The ground before us was hidden by a depression in the ground but it mattered not for we were well above the river. There was a bridge and more and more warriors were marching from the north. I felt we had seen enough. I was about to order my men to mount when two dozen warriors leapt up towards us. They had advanced unseen from the depression.
Pelas and Llenlleog had their bows in their hands and two arrows were loosed to strike two warriors. My bow was hanging from Star’s saddle and I pulled my sword and ran towards the advancing Northumbrians. I felt naked for I had no helmet, no shield and no armour. I did have my gauntlets and I grabbed the spear head and brought Saxon Slayer down to bite into the neck of one warrior. I felt a blow to my side which made me gasp in pain and I punched with the hilt of my sword. I heard a grunt. As another spear jabbed towards me I spun and, still retaining the spear head, swung the haft to smash into the side of the warrior’s head. He fell stunned and I plunged my sword into his throat.
“Come, Warlord, we are mounted and I have Star.” I turned and ran towards the sound of Pelas’ voice. Two arrows flew dangerously close to my head and I heard screams behind me as my pursuers were struck. As I mounted I saw that two of the scouts lay dead but the Saxons had lost eight warriors. Even as I turned Star to wheel away another Saxon fell to Llenlleog’s arrow. Aidan and Dai had saved the two horses from their dead scouts and we saw the eaves of the forest looming up. The horses had rested and we began to increase our lead. We did not stop for half an hour and then we halted to rest and to see if we were being pursued.
It was only when I stopped to adjust the girth that Pelas shouted, “Warlord, you are bleeding!”
I looked down. The blow I had felt had been a sword and it had sliced along my side. I was bleeding freely. Llenlleog took charge. “Aidan and Dai, watch the trail for pursuit. Aed, find the trail home. He lifted my tunic. “Pelas, there is a flask in my saddlebags and some bandages bring them.” He examined the wound. “This is deep, Warlord. You have lost much blood. Do you feel unsteady?”
“A little tired, that is all.”
“Then sit.”
I did as I was told. Pelas brought the flask and bandages. “This will sting, Warlord.” He poured some of the liquid on my wound. It burned. I knew what it was. It was the spirit his people made from apples. “Pelas, hold the two edges of the wound together.” As he did so, Llenlleog poured a little of the spirit into my mouth. It too burned but I felt warmth inside of me. He took out a bone needle from the pouch he had on his waist and some cat gut. This will not be pretty Warlord, but it will slow down the bleeding.” He threaded the bone needle and began to sew. It did not hurt as much as I had thought for the spirit had numbed it somewhat. I did, however, begin to feel faint. This is what came of fighting without the protection of armour. Llenlleog worked quickly. “Pelas, the bandage.” He wrapped the bandage so tightly that I felt it hard to breathe.
By the time I had my tunic on once more Aidan and Dai had returned. “They are following but they are more than a mile behind.” Aiden grinned, “We hit two more with arrows. They will be more cautious now.”
“Find Aed, I sent him ahead. Pelas, let us help the Warlord on to Star.”
Once I was mounted Llenlleog used a piece of rope to tie me to the saddle. “I am not a piece of meat!”
“Until we get you back to Gawan and have the wound seen to properly, you are. Pelas, lead the Warlord’s mount.”
We set off and I was placed, like a piece of
baggage, in the middle. Pelas kept giving me anxious looks as we made our way south. I had no doubt that the Northumbrians would have heard my men call me Warlord. They would pursue and I became increasingly tired. I felt my wound begin to stiffen as the spirit wore off. The dull pain became a throbbing pain. It served to keep me awake. It began to draw on to late afternoon. I found that I was thirsty but I would not ask my men to stop. It was too dangerous. I hoped that Aed and Llenlleog could find the way back to the captured burgh. A night in the woods which would soon be crawling with Edwin’s men did not appeal.
I briefly closed my eyes and felt immense relief. I panicked and opened them again but I was tiring and I closed them once more. I enjoyed the experience and I kept them closed. Suddenly I felt hands on my legs and we were stopped.
“Watch him Pelas! There are men ahead.”
My eyes jerked open and it was night time. Pelas looked up at me anxiously. He looked relieved when I spoke, “Any water?”
He handed me a water skin, “You had me worried, Warlord. If Llenlleog had not tied you to the horse you would have fallen.”
“Where is he?”
“Aed heard men ahead and they have gone to see if there is a way around them.”
I knew that if I was anyone other than the Warlord I would have been left for I was endangering the rest and the news we bore was vital. I heard the leaves move and I went for my sword. The pain was too much. I felt like Myfanwy; helpless.
Aed appeared. “There are some Northumbrians ahead, Warlord.”
“Are they searching for us?”
“Llenlleog thinks not. He has the other men with him. It looks like they are a band of hunters but it may mean there is a warband camping in the woods around here. We are close to where we were ambushed.”
There was a sudden scream and then the noise of combat followed by total silence. Despite the pain I pulled my sword from my scabbard and we watched for whoever came out of the dark. It was Llenlleog and my scouts. They had a hind over the saddle of one of the spare horses. “They are dead but we had best hurry in case others heard their cries.”
Although I felt more awake I allowed Pelas to lead me. It would not do to fall from my horse. When we reached the edge of the forest it was hard to tell for the night was so black that it all looked the same. By the time we reached the burgh even the others were almost as tired as we were. It was just a relief to see the lights from the hall as the gates were opened. I saw Pol and as I opened my mouth to speak blackness enveloped me.
Chapter 20
When I came to I stared up into the anxious faces of my brother and Pol. “You had us worried, brother. That was a serious wound although our new equite made a good job of stopping the bleeding. He could make a healer if he chose.”
I tried to sit up but Gawan restrained me. “You rest. It is barely morning.”
“What of the Northumbrians?”
“Pol here has kept his patrols out and they have killed the few scouts sent by Edwin.”
“They have a huge army. If he heads this way we will not be able to hold him.” I waved my left hand around the hall. “Not in this burgh anyway.”
“It will take him some time to make his way through the forest. And we can bloody his nose. At the very least we can deny him his supplies. This hall and the stores will burn well.”
I sank back, “Very well. I will rest but I want waking the moment that the Northumbrians appear.”
When I was woken it was after noon. Pelas brought me some water. “Thank you Pelas for last night. I would not have made it home without you.”
He seemed embarrassed. “I am your squire, Warlord. How would it have looked had I returned without you?”
I drank. The wound did not feel as bad and, when I lifted my tunic, I saw clean bandages. Gawan had obviously used some of Myrddyn’s herbs. “Are the Northumbrians close?”
“Captain Pol is still out with the equites. We do not know.”
“Then help me to dress and I will speak with Gawan.” He looked at me dubiously, “I need to make water in any case. Come, Pelas.”
He reluctantly aided me. I strapped on my sword even though it felt uncomfortable against the bandages and the wound. Men’s faces looked worried as they saw me emerge but I waved and smiled; it reassured them. I climbed the stairs to the gate. Gawan glanced around and shook his head. “You cannot obey instructions, can you?”
“I feel fine. I am not certain I could fight yet but I can walk and I can look. Tell me what has happened.”
“We had a messenger from Lann Aelle. The Mercians and the Cymri are on their way. He said they should be here in three of four days.”
“Will we be granted that time?”
He shrugged. “We had put traps in the ditch and deepened them a little. If they attack at night we will be warned and I have men detailed to fire the halls if they get too close.”
“I would like those supplies for our men.”
“I know but sometimes we cannot have what we want.”
The light was fading in the east. I caught a movement from the forest and I pointed. It was Pol. I had no idea how many equites he had taken but I saw no empty saddles. He glanced up and shook his head as he rode through the gate.
I made my way, slowly, down to meet him. “Well?”
He shook his head. “We killed their scouts again but they are getting closer. I think they will be here by noon tomorrow.”
“Good. Come, I am hungry as you will be and we can plan. There is plenty of food for us, at any rate.”
The archers and squires who had not been on patrol had prepared a feast and we ate in the hall. I was not lying; I was ravenous. As we ate I gave them my thoughts. “This burgh is small and we have an advantage for we have more warriors than the garrison. We will keep the archers and the squires within the walls. I will command here.” I held up my hand to silence their arguments. “The two of you will be needed to lead your men.” I waved my knife in the direction of the forest beyond the walls. “Split the men into two groups. You will each lead one. Before dawn you lead them to the east and the west and you hide them from the Northumbrians. I will keep Llewellyn and the buccina. Pol, you take the dragon banner. I will sound the buccina when the time is right and you can sweep down on their rear.”
“When will the time be right, brother?”
“When they have seen me here and know I command and have committed an attack on the walls. If they see me in here they will believe that my horsemen are here too.”
They looked at each other and Pol asked, “And if we fail?”
“Then I will fire the burgh and we will escape.”
“You are taking a risk.”
I sighed, “What else can we do? Should I lie in my bed and wait for them to come?”
“No, brother, but we could fire the burgh and flee south to meet with our allies.”
“This way is better. King Edwin cannot know that Penda and Cadwallon are coming. Do we want him to bolt again and hide in his burghs? This is our chance to end this, once and for all.” I smiled, “I am awake now and I can make the decisions again. When I am in the Otherworld, brother, then the choices will be yours.”
He laughed, “You are incorrigible and just like father!”
I smiled, “Compliments are always welcome.”
The horsemen left before dawn. Despite his protests I had Pelas help me into my armour. Llenlleog understood. “Your uncle is a warrior. It is what we do.”
As I went to the walls I could smell the effect of the horses. We had no stables and the horses had soiled a large area of the burgh. It could not be helped but it was not pleasant. One advantage of having the horses outside the walls was the fact that they did not add to the effluent within. I frowned; that was not our only problem. Once we were besieged we would have to husband our water. When the day was over I would send the squires to gather in as much water as they could manage.
I only had four mailed warriors within the burgh. All of the rest were ei
ther archers or squires without mail. Any with mail had gone with my brother and Pol. I was gambling that King Edwin would send just a vanguard to the burgh. He might know that we had taken it but his people would have reported a force of equites. He would be confident that his warriors could defeat us. I hoped that he would never contemplate that I would put my handful of equites outside of the walls. As he had shown before King Edwin was a cautious commander. He took no risks. For my part it was not much of a risk. I knew that we had many men hurrying up the road. We could run at any time but I wanted his men hurting and softening up for the Mercians and the Cymri.
The scouts had been accurate. It was late afternoon when the first Saxons emerged from the forest. The cautious King Edwin brought out over five hundred of his men and formed them into a wedge. On the flanks he had the same number of lightly armed men. Some were the fyrd; they were the farmers who went to war when needed with whatever weapons they had to hand. They guarded the flanks and I could see that King Edwin regarded them as expendable. They would buy time for his elite warriors who wore mail. I knew then that I had the measure of this Saxon.
They moved forward cautiously so as not to break ranks. The burgh was Saxon built and they would know their own design. Pol and Gawan had added to the defences: they would not expect that.
“Daffydd do not release your arrows until I tell you. Let us make it a surprise.”
My plan was to wait until they tried to cross the ditch. The bridge over the ditch was now behind the gate as an added defence. The shields were locked and the heads hidden behind them. With their mail they were almost impossible to hurt. I knew that the enemy would be supremely confident. When our foes were just twenty paces from the ditch I took off my helmet. “I am the Warlord of Rheged! Go back to your king and tell him not to waste the lives of his brave warriors. If I chose I could come amongst you with my squire alone and destroy you.”
As I had expected that infuriated the warriors and they began to bang their shields and chant. I nodded to Daffydd. His men could send flights over and shower them but that would waste arrows. Instead his best archers looked for the tiny chinks in the shield wall when men lowered them slightly as they banged. An arrow flew and struck a warrior on the face. The arrow pierced his cheek. The feathers looked strange sticking from the side of his face. A second who had turned to look at his neighbour died when the arrow came in at an angle, hit his cheek and continued into his shoulder. A flurry of arrows thudded into mail and bodies. Another warrior fell before they regained their solid line. They came forward slightly faster than they had hitherto. The arrows had made them wary and they kept their shields up. As they descended into the ditch more warriors fell to my archers. However it was the traps at the bottom of the ditch which caused the most damage.