Hosker, G [Wolf Brethren 05] Saxon Slayer Read online

  Saxon Slayer

  Book 5 in the

  Wolf Brethren Series

  By

  Griff Hosker

  Published by Sword Books Ltd 2013

  Copyright © Griff Hosker First Edition

  The author has asserted their moral right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this work.

  All Rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, copied, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written consent of the copyright holder, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

  Dedication

  To my new readers in America, Canada and Germany!

  Table of contents

  Chapter 1 Page 5

  Chapter 2 Page 47

  Chapter 3 Page 68

  Chapter 4 Page 89

  Chapter 5 Page 112

  Chapter 6 Page 136

  Chapter 7 Page 158

  Chapter 8 Page 179

  Chapter 9 Page 201

  Chapter 10 Page 218

  Chapter 11 Page 241

  Chapter 12 Page 262

  Chapter 13 Page 280

  Chapter 14 Page 302

  Chapter 15 Page 316

  Chapter 16 Page 335

  Chapter 17 Page 354

  Chapter 18 Page 374

  Epilogue Page 388

  Map Page 391

  Glossary Page 393

  Historical note Page 397

  Other books Page 400

  Chapter 1

  Mona 604 AD

  It was a pleasant morning to be riding across Mona with my son Hogan, the Prince of Gwynedd, Cadfan, and my squire Lann Aelle. A couple of years ago I would have needed my horsemen as an escort but since the dark times when the Welsh and the Irish attacked us we had secured our land. The treacherous attempt to attack from within by the Saxon spies had been thwarted and my land was at peace once more. We had paid a heavy price with some brave warriors perishing. I thought of those men as we travelled over the old Roman Road towards the Narrows and the land of Prince Pasgen. He was a potent reminder of our past and a symbol of the power that we had once possessed. He was the last of the true kings of Rheged. He was the last of the Romans. I smiled to myself. I was now, by the grace of the Roman Emperor, Dux Britannica. I was the last Roman lord of the province of Britannia. That in itself was a cause for mirth as the only parts under my direct control were the island of Mona and the peninsula below Wyddfa. It was a start and in a year or so we could begin to expand our control.

  I glanced over to the young Welsh prince who had sought sanctuary in my land. His father was King Iago. He had betrayed me and even had his own son, Cadfan, imprisoned at the behest of his step mother. Prince Cadfan would be a better king than his father when I had wrested Gwynedd from the tyrant. I would never be a king. I did not want to be king. I was happy with the title, Warlord, bestowed on me by King Urien of Rheged,. I would never stop fighting the Saxons although I knew we could never defeat them; there were too many of them. They grew like weeds.

  The young prince was engaged in a lively conversation with Hogan Lann, my son and heir. It would be about weaponry and wars for both were powerful warriors. My son had grown immeasurably both physically and mentally after he and Pol had visited Constantinopolis and the Emperor of the Eastern Empire. He was now a full grown man. Many said that the only one who could best him in combat was me, his father. That would never happen. I would never fight my son but it was a measure of his standing amongst the finest warriors in the whole of Britannia.

  Glancing behind me I saw Lann Aelle taking in every word of two of the three men he admired most. Those three were Hogan, Prince Cadfan and Pol my former squire and the warrior who had trained both my son and Lann Aelle. Lann Aelle was also my nephew which made him even more special to me.

  “You are quiet father. Do you yearn for war again?”

  I shook my head. “I may be Warlord and Dux Britannica but I never yearn for war. I am happy that we have the time to prepare for war. There is little point in fighting unless you can win and with a strong army and well trained warriors, we will win.”

  “There Cadfan, that is how a Warlord thinks.”

  I heard Cadfan laugh, “That is how a wise man thinks. He does not rashly rush into war without thinking of the consequences.”

  If there was a bitter note to his words it was understandable. His father, King Iago had launched a sneak attack on our fort and he had lost many of his warriors. The king had blamed his son for the defeat but it had been a bad plan and been badly led by the king. It was why we now had Prince Pasgen on the mainland with a solid fort and defences. He protected our pontoon bridge across the Narrows which guaranteed our safety. We would be crossing it soon to help Prince Pasgen and his men begin the building of the monastery I had promised Bishop Stephen. He was bishop of the monastery of St Asaph and there were many acolytes who wished to be monks. Bishop Stephen was a wise man and knew that the monastery at St Asaph could be raided and attacked by many enemies. His new monastery, St. David, would be within the protective wall of Prince Pasgen’s defences. I was not a Christian, nor was Pasgen but we tolerated them for they were kind to us and they did not try to convert our warriors. I was not certain how a warrior could be a Christian for the religion promoted turning the other cheek. The thought made me ask a question of my son. The question had been rolling around my head for some time.

  “Hogan, are the warriors of the Emperor Phocas, Christian?”

  “Yes father, why?”

  “I wondered how they reconciled the teaching of the White Christ and the need to kill the Emperor’s enemies.”

  Hogan and Pol had spent some time in the east with the Emperor and they had studied the military theories in the schools there. They had both come back full of ideas and it was they who had created our own Cataphractoi. “They have dispensation to fight the enemies of the Empire although they are not supposed to fight other Christians.”

  “But they do.”

  “Yes father, they do.”

  “Their belief is not as strong as ours then?”

  “I think they are, what was the word Andronikos used? Ah yes I remember. They are pragmatic.”

  I laughed, “Which is a way of saying that they ignore the tenets of their religion when it is inconvenient. Now I understand.”

  We reached Mungo’s Burg which was the first fort we had built on the island of Mona. Mungo led the men of Strathclyde who had fled the Saxons who invaded their land. He was a doughty warrior and I knew my front door was safe. He came with us across the waters to the mainland where Prince Pasgen met us with his equites. Since he had come south the prince had become his old self and regained some of the confidence he had lost when his brother, the king, had betrayed him to the Saxons.

  “Welcome Warlord.” He waved his arm at his equites. “The new warriors are coming on are they not?”

  Hogan was the expert in horsemen and he answered for me, “They are Prince Pasgen and they are a credit to you.”

  “Ah, Hogan Lann, would that I had the armour you brought back from Constantinopolis then my men would truly be invincible.”

  My son and Pol had the full armour and weapons of the Cataphractoi. We had bred horses which could also carry the armour and my son and Pol were building up a powerful force of equites who would soon number ten. The lack of the expensive armour was the only thing which limited their numbe
rs but Ralph, our blacksmith, was producing better armour each month as he learned the techniques after studying the new armour.

  “Your men are a credit to you and there is no force of men on the mainland who could stand against you.” I saw my son nod approval at my comment. He was becoming a wise leader. It had been the right thing to say to Pasgen for he still needed reassurance that he and his men were successful. When he had come south with me he had been the leader of a defeated and demoralised force.

  We did not have far to travel and when we reached the site Bishop Stephen and his monks were already there labouring away. These were not aesthetes, these were working monks. They stopped their work at our approach,

  “You do not need to toil, Bishop Stephen. I told you that my men would aid your monks.”

  He shook his head. “It helps me to work with my monks and stops me getting above myself. God made us all equal and I like to think that we are still equal in his eyes. This teaches me humility.”

  That was where I disagreed with the bishop. If all men were made equal then we would not have kings who tried to take the land of others but this was not the place for that debate. “Are you happy with the land we have given to you?”

  “It is a good place. There is a stream and the lord has seen fit to give us these stones.” He pointed to the stones which littered the base of the mountain. Again, I would have disagreed with him, as would Myrddyn my adviser and wizard. We believed that the mountain and the Mother had given us the rocks but the bishop believed that everything good came from God.

  Just then a rider from Pasgen’s fort galloped up. “My lord, the prince has sent me; a ship has come for you from Caer Gybi.”

  A sudden shock of fear raced up my spine. Had something untoward happened at my home? Were my family safe? Perhaps the Irish had raided again. Hogan saw my fear. “Let us return to the fort father and we can find out if this is a cause for concern or not.”

  “I am sorry I could not stay longer, Bishop Stephen.”

  “It was good of you to come. May the lord watch over you and your family.” He made the sign of the cross which seemed to be the way the Christians had of casting a spell.

  I knew he meant well and was being kind. “Thank you, bishop. I look forwards to seeing the building take shape.”

  When we reached the fort I saw ‘The Wolf’, one of our four ships. Brother Oswald was on board. He was the cleric who administered my lands. He was a good engineer and a wise man but his presence put my mind at rest. If there had been danger at home then he would not have left. He was waiting patiently for me. “I am sorry to drag you away from the bishop Warlord but a ship has come from Constantinopolis. It is the strategos, Andronikos and he wishes to speak with you. I thought a ship would be quicker than a horse.”

  “And you are right. Come let us get aboard.” I turned to Prince Pasgen. “If you could send a couple of riders with our horses back to Caer Gybi.”

  Prince Pasgen nodded and then smiled, “Perhaps Hogan Lann might send back a couple of the new maces for my men to try; if he has any to spare of course.”

  Hogan laughed, “I think we can find a couple. You should have been a horse trader Prince!” They clasped hands and we boarded.

  With a favourable wind we could be home within a few hours for the ship could drop us at Castle Cam and we would save a journey from the port. The priest had no idea why the strategos had come but he told us that it was an Imperial ship and not a cargo ship. I wondered what had brought Andronikos all the way from Constantinopolis. He was an important man and an adviser to Emperor Phocas. I asked Hogan for he was wise beyond his years and knew the strategos better than I did.

  “It has me interested too. He rarely leaves the palace. When we initially saw him, it was his first mission for the new Emperor. He is one of the few strategoi who is trusted by Emperor Phocas.”

  “You see that I cannot understand. I trust all of my captains and all of my leaders. If I did not then I would rid myself of them.”

  “And therein is the fundamental difference between us and them. In Constantinopolis there are factions and plotters all vying for position. Men smile but not with their eyes. It is a very dangerous place. The Emperor is not a popular man. He has to keep a tight rein on all of those around him. He came to power through the military and he ended the reign of a line of families.”

  I suddenly saw a similarity. “So in many ways he is like me.”

  Hogan said, slowly, “Yes, I suppose so but he is more than a king. He rules vast lands which are far bigger than you can imagine.”

  I laughed, “I was not getting above myself son. I was thinking of our backgrounds. Mine is military as is his.”

  “Yes but you are a warrior, he is not. He was a leader but he could not understand you standing next to your men and fighting alongside them. You piqued his curiosity.”

  My curiosity was also aroused by this visit. It had come at an unusually quiet time for us. The Saxons were busy with minor wars between themselves and King Iago was trying to subjugate the other kings, Cloten and Arthlwys. As for the Irish, we had beaten them twice and soundly both times. I think they were wary of us. If the chance came and someone invaded us then, like the wild dogs that they are, they would fall upon the bleeding carcass but until then we were safe.

  My stronghold, Castle Cam, hove into view. We had named it Castle Calm but the people pronounced it Cam and it had stuck. We headed towards the beach. There were small boats drawn up on the sand and I saw men rushing to row out to us. Soon we would discover what had prompted this visit. Garth, the captain of my garrison, was there to meet us as we stepped ashore.

  “I am sorry to have cut short your visit to the bishop Warlord but Lord Andronikos seemed quite keen to speak with you.”

  “There is no problem, Garth, besides I am interested in what he has to say to me that brings him from the other side of the world. I assume that my wife has made him comfortable?”

  “She has, Warlord, and don’t we know it!”

  My wife was not backwards at coming forwards. Title and position meant nothing to her and if a guest were to come then she would want everything to be perfect. I suspected that Garth was more than glad to have me back. The men at the gates saluted as we entered and I saw my wife with son Gawan in her arms and Nanna, my daughter holding her hand. Behind the three of them stood my wizard, Myrddyn, and Andronikos the strategos from Constantinopolis. Nanna ran to me as I walked towards her and threw herself into my arms.

  “You said you would be away tonight!”

  I kissed her, “Well I couldn’t bear to be away from you so I came back.”

  “I’m glad. I missed you.” She pointed at Andronikos. “We have a visitor.” She leaned in and whispered in my ear. “He smells like mother when she has bathed and put on perfume and he has a slippery beard.”

  I whispered back. “Thank you for telling me but it would be rude to mention it to him.”

  She nodded, “I won’t say a word.” She saw Hogan behind me and squealed to be put down. “Hogan!” She threw herself into his arms. I was lucky with my family and I knew it.

  Myfanwy hugged me and whispered, “Why is he here?”

  I murmured back, “I have no idea.”

  Andronikos dropped to one knee. “Warlord, the Emperor sends his greetings and congratulations on your great victory over three enemies!”

  “I thank the Emperor. We will go inside so that we can talk more freely.”

  We went to my solar. It was the place I felt the most comfortable and the most protected. There was but one door in and a guard stood outside at all times. He was there to protect my privacy, rather than my life. Myrddyn joined us, unasked. He was my adviser and I trusted him in all things. I knew that my wife and Brother Oswald would deal with the feast but this was more important. This was statecraft. We had settled into the chairs when there was a knock on the door. The guard peered in and looked embarrassed. “Warlord, it is your son. He seeks admission.”

&nb
sp; What did Hogan want? “Admit him and thank you.”

  I threw a questioning glance in my son’s direction. His eyes pleaded with me. “I was anxious, Warlord, to hear what the Emperor’s envoy had to say.”

  I looked over to the strategos. “Will it be a problem if my son sits in on this conversation?”

  Andronikos smiled, after my son’s comments aboard ‘The Wolf’, I wondered if this was Byzantine politics. “He is more than welcome, Warlord, and he may even aid our discussions.”

  “Then you may stay.” I noticed the hint of a smile on Myrddyn’s lips.

  There was a silence which could have been awkward but my son and my wizard’s smile made it just seem like the preparation for a discussion. Andronikos looked me squarely in the eye. “Emperor Phocas would like you to come to Constantinopolis.”

  I think that took everyone by surprise. Even Myrddyn looked, albeit briefly, shocked but he quickly regained his composure. Hogan’s face lit up like a winter bonfire. I was more cautious. “I am honoured by the invitation but I wonder what prompts it?”

  “You, Warlord, are the talk of the capital. You defeated three enemies, all of whom greatly outnumbered you in a very short space of time. Everyone wants to know how you did it.” I remained impassively silent. “You are the ally of the Emperor. You have had success more than any other and he is anxious to meet with you and learn from you. He, like you, is a warrior and he feels a face to face meeting will profit both of you.”

  I remembered my son’s words and wondered how much was the truth and how much was lies. “It is an honour but I am needed here on my island. We have a perilous hold on the land and our enemies could return at any time.”

  I saw the pleading look in Hogan’s eyes once more. “Warlord, your enemies will not return for a year or more and the Emperor Phocas will only keep you away from your home for a short time. Two sea voyages and a month in Constantinopolis are all that he asks from you.”

  Hogan could not keep silent any longer, “Father it will be a wonderful opportunity for you. You will see the greatest city in the whole world!”