Hosker, G [Wolf Brethren 04] Saxon Blood Read online

  Three of the archers were dressed in the dead sentries’ armour. It would not fool anyone for long but, hopefully, we would not have to wait long.

  Myrddyn approached me. “Lord Lann, I will wander to the east and see if I can spy their lines and camp. It would be useful to know how close they are.”

  I knew that he would be careful and I let him go. We sent a couple of men back to the camp for the horses and, as dawn broke we were reunited. When Aedh and his scouts returned we had our small warband again.

  Aedh’s report was worrying. “There are many of them camped my lord. I counted at least five hundred. They have some boats too. It looks as though they have spent some time building them for they look and smell new. They seem to be ready for use and I think they will attack that way.” I knew that Aelle and his defenders had the Roman ballistae but an assault from land and the lake would overwhelm them. “And Pol?”

  He smiled, “He got away! That boy can swim like a fish! He made it safely into the water and we waited until we saw him land. So long as he has not been killed as a spy he should be safe.”

  “Good, you have done well and now you and the archers should rest. We wait for Myrddyn and his news.”

  I rested my back against the bridge and closed my eyes. I was asleep almost instantly. I had total confidence in my men to keep a watch and I knew that I would need to rest as the day promised to be a hard one.

  I was shaken awake by Myrddyn himself. “The sleep of the innocent eh my lord?”

  “What news?”

  “There is a camp of about a thousand men but it is spread all the way from here to the other side of the lake. Their nearest outpost is about five hundred paces that way.”

  I told him of the ships and he frowned. “It means, Myrddyn, that we need to strike today, rather than wait. Pol will have told my brothers that we are close and they will be ready.”

  “Ready for what?”

  “Whatever we manage to pull off. Fifteen hundred men is less than I thought they would have.”

  “I saw fires on the eastern shore. There are more there.”

  “It matters not. We deal with this one thousand first and we use Tuanthal and his men to do it.” I waved over Miach and Aedh. “I want all but one of your scouts and ten of your archers to ride to the end of the small lake. You will approach the Saxon lines. Halt, loose a few flights and then let them pursue you; when they do then sound the buccina. You will lead them on to Tuanthal’s spears. Miach, we will use the rest of your men to attack them in the rear when they follow Aedh. If they do not take the bait and they chase us then we will return here. Myrddyn, you will accompany the scout and get into the fort. Come with me and I will explain what I intend.”

  Myrddyn left with the scout. I said to Aedh. “I want your scouts and Tuanthal’s men to get back here when your horses tire. This is a diversion only. I want them to think that we are Prince Pasgen and it is his men who are attacking from the north. When they see the equites they will think of Pasgen and not the Wolf Warrior. Today we do not unfurl the banner. Let us keep that surprise for them. I want as many of these northern Saxons killing as we can manage and I want no casualties on our side. If you retreat north west first it will add to the illusion and then you can cut through the pass and rejoin the rest of us.”

  “A tall order, my lord.”

  “If it was any other band of soldiers I would not even dream of giving the order but you are all my men and I know that you can do it.”

  Aedh and his men rode away and there were just thirty two of us left. I slung my shield across my back and took out my bow. If I had to use Saxon Slayer then it meant that my plan had failed. We edged towards the Saxon camp. There were plenty of trees to hide us and there was much noise emanating from within. They were sure of themselves and had no fence at all. They relied on the guards at the bridge and, I assumed the same on the other side of the lake. I wondered what had become of Prince Pasgen. We could use his equites. They were the finest I had ever seen. My own were a pale copy. I edged as close as we could get without being seen and then we waited. The signal would be the buccina and, hopefully it would result in the Saxons hurtling north to meet the threat.

  I was wondering if there had been a problem, when I saw the men at the far end begin to grab their weapons and stream towards the pass near the two lakes. I saw a chief yell something and the majority of the Saxons, this time fully armoured, lurched northwards. I turned to Miach. “We kill those left in the camp first.” He nodded.

  “Ready men. Pick your targets!”

  I aimed at a chief who was busy organising the twenty or so men left in camp. The arrow struck him in the neck. I notched another and loosed again. Soon every Saxon left in camp was dead. I saw that they had tents. “You two. Burn the tents and then follow us!” The two archers dismounted and set to work.

  I heard the buccina. We galloped towards its mournful wail. We would not fight on horseback but dismount and use our speed and our accuracy. There was yet another bubbling stream to our left as we rode along the trail. Its noise helped to mask the sound of our hooves. I suddenly saw a knobbly hill, topped by a few spindly trees and, close to it, the Saxons trying to form a shield wall. Tuanthal had arrived.

  “Dismount!” We were a hundred and fifty paces from their rear and we were unseen. We could have been closer but I wanted time to escape when they did spot us. Each man tied his reins to his leg. It stopped the horses from fleeing and was easy to untie when it came time to escape. The eight hundred or so Saxons must have thought it would be easy as the sixty horsemen thundered towards them. Tuanthal’s men had javelins which they would throw. The Saxons did not go in for missiles save for the odd throwing axe. They would be confident that their shields would bear the brunt of the attack.

  “Loose!”

  A trained archer can loose ten arrows in a very short time. After ten he becomes tired but Miach and I hoped that three hundred well aimed arrows would break their hearts as well as their spirits. The first to die did not cause a stir amongst the rest but when gaps appeared, their chiefs turned and saw us. They quickly raced across the grassy turf to get to grips with us.

  “Mount!”

  We had done enough. One of our archers had not tied his reins properly and the throwing axe thrown by the Saxon struck him in the middle of the back. He fell and his horse, in panic, raced after the rest of us, dragging the corpse behind it. We easily out distanced them but I knew they would continue to come. We halted in their own camp. The archer’s horse followed us. Miach cut the corpse free and took the dead man’s arrows. They were more valuable than gold. The dead bodies of the guards formed a rough barrier. We prepared to loose our arrows. The first Saxons to arrive were the fittest and the fastest and they quickly became the first dead. Someone was using his head because the individual attacks stopped and a shield wall appeared.

  Miach grinned, “Three more flights and then let’s get out of here. Aim for their rear ranks.”

  We aimed high so that the last arrows left before the first had struck and then we mounted. We galloped over the bridge through the burning smoke of their camp. I could hear their screaming rage as they saw what we had done. They would be even more annoyed when they discovered how few we had been. We had dented their defences and, more importantly increased their fear. They would no longer be safe in camp. They would build a fence and they would patrol. They would wait for the next attack but that attack would come from an unexpected direction.

  We rode hard for the meeting place which was well to the west of the road. We halted and the men tended to the wounds and injuries suffered by both men and horses. “Shame about Callan, my lord, he was a good archer.”

  “Wyrd! It was meant to be Miach. At least we did not lose his horse.”

  “True but I hate to think of his bow being in the hands of those barbarians.”

  “You know they can’t use them and it takes years to train a man to become a true archer.”

  “Aye I know that
but one day they will get a king who understands that and then may the Allfather help us!”

  Chapter 3

  Aedh and Tuanthal were at the meeting place before us. The slingers were already watering and feeding the tired beasts. They had only had to cross the ridge. We had lost one scout and two of the equites had slight wounds. As Tuanthal said, “We would have taken the loss before we left, my lord.”

  I nodded. He was right. “Any loss is irreplaceable. I just hope that they think that you were Pasgen and his men.”

  Aedh spoke up, “I will send a man to watch them. That way we will know for certain.”

  We fell upon the food we had left and devoured it like wolves. We were starving and we were tired. Miach shook his head. “We need fit men who are wide awake this night. We will sleep now and the boys can watch.”

  I looked at the ten horse guards we had brought with us. None of them was older than eleven summers. “They are young.”

  Miach said quietly, “No younger than you and your brothers when you fought King Aella. They will do the job. Trust them.”

  As I drifted off to sleep I hoped that Myrddyn had made the stronghold successfully. We benefited from the sleep. The boys, who had kept watch, looked as proud as though they had fought a battle. When Aedh’s scout came in and said that the enemy had split his defenders then we knew that our plan was working. The hard part was to come. We moved the whole camp and slowly headed south along the lake. We were attempting to move over a hundred men and a hundred and fifty horses quietly through the forest and it was not easy. It was as though nature was on our side for the midges and biting insects were out in force. They would make life unpleasant for any Saxons on guard duty. Myrddyn had made us all eat garlic and they seemed not to bother us but I knew that the guards at the Saxon boats would be as close to the protective smoke of their fires as possible.

  We halted two hundred paces from the ship which was on the end of the line. I could see that they had built five. They were not as big as the ones we had destroyed along the Dunum but they were big enough. When loaded with warriors they would easily be able to attack the stronghold from the water. We could see that there were lights higher up the hill, away from the water and the pernicious little biting bugs. That was their main camp. The firelight of ten fires showed the boat guards.

  The first part seemed easy. The guards at the fires were silenced. There were only twenty of them and the forty archers did not miss. We left Tuanthal with half of his horsemen while the rest spread out in a skirmish line to warn of any Saxon attack. We slipped aboard the boats. It was as I had expected, they had not left a watch on board as they had no need. We tied the boats together stern to bow after having pulled in their anchors and then Miach and his men boarded the first one.

  “Captain Tuanthal, you and the scouts must remain free. Harass the enemy but we cannot afford one casualty. Remember the signal will be three blasts on the buccina. Much depends upon you and your horsemen.”

  The two leaders grinned. “With respect my lord you sound more like Myfanwy each day. We will do as you order and later perhaps you can teach us how to suck eggs too!” They disappeared with the slingers into the night; their high spirits boosted me as well.

  Miach and I had decided that the archers were best suited for the job of rowing as the mighty archers all had powerful arms. I took the helm and Miach stood on the prow. “Don’t forget that small sail boat there. Tie it to the last ship.”

  “Be like a bloody anchor that will.”

  “Stop moaning and do it.”

  We used hand signals and the oars all dipped into the black waters of the huge lake. I wondered if we were anchored for we did not appear to move. Then slowly, inexorably, we began to edge away from the shore. I leaned on the tiller and the prow headed east into the middle of the lake. We began to move faster and then suddenly we were jerked back. I looked over my shoulder and then realised it was the first of the other ships, dragging like an anchor. We could expect this until they were all floating free.

  I turned the helm so that we were heading north for the fort. I noticed that there was a slight current in the lake; had we not rowed then we would be drifting south. It meant hard work for us now but it would aid us eventually when we tried to escape the lake. Finally the tugs on the stern stopped and we began to make progress. It felt to me as though we were moving like a crab. This was where I needed Ridwyn. He could sail well and I was desperately trying to remember how we sailed from Din Guardi to the Dunum. The black waters seemed to blend into the shore and I worried that we would hit rocks- that would have been a disaster. Suddenly I saw two lights appear and I headed towards them.

  Miach’s voice suddenly sounded from the prow. “Stop rowing!”

  That was the signal that we had reached the stronghold. I saw faces behind the wall and I pushed the tiller hard over. Miach shouted, “Oars in!”

  We bumped against the wooden wall of the outer defences and I knew that we had made it. Willing hands suddenly threw ropes and we tied up the ship and then clambered ashore. The first faces I saw, to my relief, were Aelle and Raibeart. It was dark and I could not see them clearly but, even so, I could see the strain upon their faces and then there was joy as they threw their arms around me. I knew that Miach and Myrddyn would sort out the other boats and I just enjoyed the reunion with my family.

  “Your families?”

  Raibeart nodded, “They are well.”

  “As are mine. Come let us get within the walls.” Aelle led me through a maze of walls to the inner part of the stronghold. I looked at the emaciated warriors and animals moving lethargically around. “It has been hard. Had these ships come to attack us …?”

  “Well I am here now. Did Myrddyn tell you my plan?”

  “He did.” Raibeart smiled, “He seems even more…”

  “Strange? Mystical? Enigmatic? Perplexing?”

  “Aye all of that.”

  “Well be grateful for it. He has used his powers to aid us on more than one occasion.” I had made the plan with Myrddyn but I still didn’t know if it would work. “Have you sailors who know the lake?”

  Aelle nodded, “There are ten fishermen. They will crew the ships. They say there is a river at the far end. The ships may be able to travel a little way down that but there are shallows and rocks.”

  “The further we can travel on the water, the easier the journey will be. It will be harder now than when I travelled south. There are more Saxons and more Saxon settlements.”

  Raibeart began to bristle, “Do not blame us.”

  I held my hand up. “I do not blame you, brother. I am merely stating a fact. I understand why you did not come when I left but do not argue with every statement or the spring will find this land filled with all of our bleached bones!”

  Aelle put his arm on my shoulder, “Forgive me. It has been hard. We are grateful and we will do whatever we must and whatever you demand.”

  “Then get your women and children on the ships. If there is space then put the animals in. The women will have to row but they have all the time they need for there are no other ships on the lake.”

  Raibeart shook his head, “I am sorry brother. I should have known you were not criticising.”

  Pol and Myrddyn ran up to me. I embraced them both. “Well done. Myrddyn, how many warriors do we have?”

  He glanced at my brothers and said, “Forty archers, twenty slingers and a hundred warriors.”

  We both knew that was not enough but I could not let my two brothers see that. “Good. And how many horses?”

  “Thirty.”

  Again it was not enough but it would have to do. “Brothers get your people on the boats. Miach, Myrddyn gather the warriors. We have little time.” I was calculating. We had two hundred men inside the stronghold and sixty without. We were going to take on four hundred men. That was not counting the ones who had been at the boat camp. Events were now out of my hands. It was up to the Allfather and wyrd. The plan was the only one w
e had and the only way any of my brother’s people would survive. I was not sure if we would.

  I turned to Myrddyn, “You go with the ships and lead the people.” He looked as though he would argue. “You are a leader and the others are better warriors. Don’t argue, wizard, just do it.”

  “Very well my lord.” He grinned. “It is good to hear the Wolf Warrior growl again.”

  I watched his back as he sped away. Raibeart, Aelle and Miach joined Pol and myself. My brothers were fully armed and armoured. “Miach, you take charge of the archers. Aelle, they are your slingers. Raibeart I want you to lead the shield wall.”

  They all looked at me. “And what of you?”

  “We have two surprises. Three if you count the fact that they will not expect us to attack. The buccina will signal the attack of my horsemen. Half of the Saxons are waiting two miles up the road and so Tuanthal should be able to fall upon the backs of the enemy. By the time you reach them they will be becoming demoralised. Pol and I will then raise the Wolf Standard in the stronghold. That will enable all of you to slip away towards the west when they race towards the stronghold. We will then follow. Of course by then Pol will have barred the doors to slow down their pursuit.”

  Even Raibeart looked appalled. “That is suicide, I cannot allow it.”

  “You forget brother that you swore an oath to follow the Warlord of Rheged and obey all of his orders. Would you become foresworn?”

  “No but…”

  “Trust me. I will lead you to my island of Mona. You have my word on that. Besides Pol and I can handle four hundred Saxons; although the more you kill the better for Pol and me!”

  We made sure that all of the food that was left was eaten and we piled brushwood and kindling near all of the walls and around the bolt throwers. It was vital that they did not fall into Saxon hands and they were too heavy to take. Aelle looked sad, “I never thought that I would burn my fort.”

  “Things change and we must change with them… or die!”