Saxon Bane Read online

  “With or without horses?”

  “Without.”

  “We could take twenty but it would be a tight fit.”

  “Thirteen?”

  He smiled, “That would not be a problem.”

  “And try to think of a gift we could take him which he might appreciate.”

  “That is simple. Something gold.”

  “Like a torc?”

  “Perfect. It will take me some time to arrange a cargo.”

  I nodded, “As soon as you can though.”

  “Aye Lord Lann.”

  I left my captain to await the letter from Myrddyn. As I strode along the road we had made from the shore to the fort I smiled to myself. I had not completed all that I had wished but we had, at least, made a copy of Rome here under Wyddfa’s watchful gaze. Our roads and paths had not been made by Romans but we had used Roman ways. Here the people were safe from raids and Mona produced more grain than we could use ourselves. We traded it all over the seas around Britannia and beyond.

  The guards all saluted me as I walked back to my fort. I absent mindedly returned their salutes. There would have been a time when I knew all of their names but these were the sons of the warriors I had fought alongside. They had grown up with the legend of the Wolf Warrior and his sword, Saxon Slayer. They would fight and die for me and I would not even know their names.

  I suddenly stopped and said to the two guards on the interior gate. “What are your names?” It was only later I realised how gruff my voice had sounded. I had not meant it to be. They both looked petrified as though they had done something wrong.

  “Er I am Mungo ap Bors.”

  “And I am Gruffydd ap Llewellyn. Have we done aught wrong, Warlord?”

  It was then I realised that I still had my serious face upon me. I smiled and clapped them both on their backs. “No. I just realised I did not know your names. How is your father Bors?”

  “He serves on the border close to King Cadwallon’s land. He will be pleased you asked after him.”

  “And you?”

  “My father serves with Mungo’s father.”

  “Good. One day you will serve somewhere that does not involve having to suffer stupid questions from grumpy old men.”

  I left them and I knew that our conversation, mundane and inconsequential though it was would be repeated in the barracks. It would be analysed and dissected as though it was important. There had been a time when I would not have needed to ask such awkward sounding questions. I had grown apart from my ordinary warriors.

  By the time I reached my hall I knew what I had to do. I sought my wife. “I will take you to Gawan this afternoon and then I will visit with Cadwallon.”

  She glared at me. “Then why cannot I come with you and see our daughter and our grandchildren?”

  I sighed. I could not do right for doing wrong. “I thought you wanted to be with Gwyneth and her children.”

  “I can visit with them when you return. You men; unless you are planning to slaughter another army you have not the first idea of how to plan things. We can go directly up the Clwyd and save time!” There was no arguing with a woman and she would have her way. Had I said it the other way around I would still have been in trouble.

  I left her and found Tuanthal. “We need an escort to visit with King Cadwallon. When we go to Hibernia I will need ten of your warriors and you. Choose warriors who know how to think for themselves.”

  “Aye my lord.”

  Chapter 3

  As we rode along the Clwyd it came to me that I had not visited the fort here for over two years. The valley looked different. Since I had brought peace the settlers had flooded in and the hillsides and valley bottoms were littered with prosperous looking farms. Sheep and cattle dotted the valley sides. I could have come here with just my wife and Myrddyn and been in no danger.

  As we passed the fort at the head of the valley I reined in. Bors, father of Mungo, strode out to greet me. “An unexpected visit, Warlord.”

  “I am on my way to Wrecsam. How are things here?”

  “Dull. The Mercians keep to their side of the border and Edwin’s men have learned to avoid us. My men crave action.”

  I laughed. “Soon, perhaps, we will remind Edwin of our power. I spoke with your son yesterday and Llewellyn’s son too.”

  His face clouded, “They have not given offence have they?”

  “No, no, they are fine warriors and crave frontier duty.”

  He looked relieved. “They still have much to learn. Garrison duty at the fort is never wasted.”

  We rode over the col at the head of the valley and dropped down to the fertile lands at the eastern extreme of Gwynedd. Many questioned Cadwallon’s decision to have his court so close to the Mercians. Many of his nobles thought that he should live in the fort I occupied. It showed how little they knew of the young king. He had been trained with my sons and he had a keen mind. He had made peace with the Mercians but his presence ensured that no one would try to attack his people. His army was almost as good as that commanded by my son and the Mercians were just grateful that the king of Gwynedd prevented cattle raids and incursions from King Edwin and his Northumbrians.

  As Warlord and the parent of the Queen we were quickly ushered into the royal presence. I saw the Steward’s panicked look as he took in the entourage. He would be wondering how to feed so many of us. I said quietly to him, “We will be here but one night.”

  He grinned with relief, “Thank you, Warlord.”

  He scurried off and Myfanwy linked my arm. “You can be quite thoughtful when you choose.”

  “I have my moments.”

  King Cadwallon looked genuinely pleased to see us and Nanna showed how much she had grown over the years as she fussed over her mother. A few years ago they would have fought like cat and dog.

  “Let us stroll in my courtyard. I am guessing that you have some news to impart to me.” We left the women and the grandchildren.

  “I do, your majesty. Morcar go and see to the horses. We will be leaving at first light.” Morcar looked disappointed but he nodded and obeyed. Myrddyn strode to the other side of the young king he had helped to train.

  “Now that we are alone we can dispense with this ‘your majesty’ nonsense. I would not be king, nor my father before me if you had not made us so.”

  “How is your father?”

  King Cadfan had been wounded in the same war as I had received my injury. “He is as well as can be expected. He is pleased that he is no longer king. His life is much easier.” We reached a courtyard lined with trees and we sat at a bench under an apple tree which had the small fruits already growing. “Now please tell me why you are here.”

  “I dreamed again.”

  “Ah, that normally means something momentous is on the horizon.”

  Myrddyn sniffed, “Not always.”

  Cadwallon laughed, “Perhaps not to you, wizard, but to us mere mortals they are.”

  “I was told to seek an alliance with the Irish.”

  I could tell that had surprised him. “I was not expecting that.”

  “Perhaps it is not that surprising. In the old days of King Urien there was an alliance of Strathclyde, Elmet, Rheged and Bernicia. In your father’s time we allied all of the kings of Wales. It is the only way to defeat the sea of Saxons.”

  He looked up at the sky as he took in that information. Myrddyn and I had taught him to reflect when given news he was not expecting rather than dismissing it out of hand. “There is the danger that if we invite them to help us they may stay.”

  Myrddyn nodded. “It is how the Angles first came to settle. They were invited as mercenaries and they stayed.”

  Sometime Myrddyn could be infuriating. He was now being what the Christians called a Devil’s Advocate. I knew why he did it. He wanted Cadwallon to think more widely about the issue.

  “Yes I know but I have thought this through wizard.” The ground below my feet was made up of small pebbles of different colours.
I took a black one. “Here is King Edwin in the north of the land. He will be in Din Guardi, or as they call it now Bebbanburgh, or Dunelm, possibly, even, Eboracum.” I took a reddish stone. “We are here in Wales.” I found a brown stone. “This is Fiachnae mac Báetáin in Dál nAraidi. I do not intend to invite him here.” I pointed to the red stone. I picked up a white stone and placed it half way between the black and the brown one. “I intend to invite him to Strathclyde. Once he has begun to annoy Edwin then we can bring your army from here and finally defeat him in his own lands. For too long he has fought on our land and we have suffered. Let us make him suffer.”

  The time I had spent in the solar had paid off for I saw the nod of approval from Myrddyn.

  “I have taught you well.”

  I laughed, “You arrogant old wizard!”

  “Will the Irish go along with that? I know not this Fiachnae mac Báetáin.”

  “He likes gold and he is ambitious. He has raided the Saxons before now. I intend to travel to meet with him and see if he will ally with us. I have our smiths making a torc for him. It will appeal to his vanity and to his greed.”

  King Cadwallon smiled and nodded. “Neither of you have ever given me false advice and it would scotch the snake. You know that King Edwin is now thinking of becoming Christian?”

  “Aye I know and this Hibernian is too but apparently they only worry about stealing from fellow Hibernians.”

  There was a pause and Myrddyn said, “And, of course, Aethelfrith’s sons are both in Ireland too.”

  I had defeated their father and his death was laid at my door. They both had a blood feud with me but also with King Edwin. It complicated matters. I shrugged, “I can do nothing about that but I have heard that Fiachnae mac Báetáin also fought against Aethelfrith. Perhaps he will want some more Saxon treasure.”

  We left the next morning having had one of the most pleasant visits I could ever remember. Perhaps it was a combination of the brevity and my impending doom but I made the most of every moment spent with my daughter and her children. I noticed the questioning looks from my wife and the knowing looks from Myrddyn. It was as though I was leading two lives. I suspected, after I was dead, my wife would berate Myrddyn for having hidden the truth from her. The old wizard would easily handle that.

  When we reached St.Asaph, Gawan was not there. He and Hogan Lann had led their equites on a raid north of Deva. Saxon ships had been seen on the Maeresea. The raid would be a warning to them.

  Morcar waited until we were heading back from St. Asaph before he questioned me. “Will I be going with you to Hibernia?”

  “Do you wish to? It will merely be a peace mission. There will be no fighting.”

  “It will do me good to see how the great and the good conduct such business.”

  Myrddyn snorted and Tuanthal laughed. My cavalry commander said, “I would not call an Irish King the great and the good. They are one step away from being pirates.”

  “Then why the alliance?”

  “Our numbers increase slowly. The blood of Rheged is being thinned. Our warriors cannot continue to bleed for this land or there will none left for the future. We need allies who can help us to drive the Saxons from our shores.” I looked at the eager young man. “If you wish to come then you can but you will have to watch silently.”

  He nodded happily, “I can do that Lord Lann.”

  I did not expect Daffydd for a few days and I was able to prepare. I would not need my wolf cloak. Sadly, it was showing its age more than me. I liked to wear it to war for it inspired my men but I would leave it at home. I would take my armour, helmet and banner for they marked me out as the Warlord of Rheged and I had to make an impression on this young Hibernian. Over the past couple of years, influenced by Hogan Lann, we had changed our shields from the round ones we had used to an oval one which was more similar to the old Roman scutum. It was a better shield to use on horseback for it protected the legs better but I missed my old shield. I did like the wolf design which was sharper on the leather covered oval shield.

  I visited with my smiths. I had given them precise instructions. The torc had two wolves cast into it. It was a mixture of gold and copper. The copper highlighted the wolves and the goldsmith had inlaid red stones to form the eyes. It was a beautiful piece of work. Now that I knew my time was growing short I did not worry so much about cost. If the torc bought an alliance then it would save the lives of my warriors and that would be worth it.

  I regretted being unable to speak with Hogan Lann and Gawan before I left. Hogan Lann was my heir and he would be the one who led the people of Rheged once I passed on. I would have to spend some time speaking with both of my sons when I returned. I was aware that I needed the alliance before summer ended. An autumn campaign would catch the Saxons unawares and we could winter on their land.

  When Daffydd returned it was with good news. Fiachnae mac Báetáin would meet with me. They had one port, of sorts, on their northern coast and that was where we would travel. Tuanthal was worried about Irish pirates but Daffydd laughed it off. “We have the fastest ship in these seas. Even if they try they will not catch us. Besides they would not wish to incur the wrath of our host. I discovered that he is a powerful king and feared by his peers.” He looked at me as though it was I who was the wizard. “This is a good alliance.”

  We left three days later. Tuanthal’s men came aboard. They normally rode without armour but, as we had no horses it was decided to impress our would-be allies. They were all issued with the armour used by Hogan Lann and his equites. We had ten spare sets of armour. Poor Morcar was definitely disappointed that he did not get to don one.

  “You get to carry the wolf standard.”

  He did not take that with the grace that I had hoped. I began to realise that he had much to learn yet. His education was only just begun.

  I had raided the central part of Hibernia before now but I had never seen the northern part. We sailed past Manau or Mann as some of the sailors called it. Some of our people scratched out a living there but there were few natural resources save water. It made it less attractive for raiders and so far the Saxons had shown no interest in it. I did not know how we would defend against someone who wished to take it.

  As we sailed along the coast I saw how close Rheged was to the island. Some of our people lived there still but it was a parlous existence. They were hardy. I felt guilty about leaving them to their own devices. Perhaps the spirits had told me of my death to make me do something. Certainly it had made me make this visit and the result might be freedom for many of my people. When we rounded the coast of Hibernia Daffydd pointed to the huge stones made by giants. I found myself in awe of the race that had done that. I wondered where the giants had gone.

  To call the tiny place we docked in a harbour was a little like calling a fishing boat a warship. A few stones had been forced into the sea and some trees dropped next to them to stop ships damaging themselves. That was all that there was to it. I could see a ring fort on the hillside above. No-one was waiting at the jetty for us.

  I looked at Myrddyn. He shrugged, “They are being cautious. You are not only the bane of the Saxons but the Hibernians too. They frighten their children with stories of the wolf man coming for them.”

  I laughed, “And the wizard who flies them in.”

  Tuanthal and the warriors went ashore first. Their armour gleamed in the late afternoon sun. It had been a good choice. Morcar stepped ashore next and he held the banner and watched for Myrddyn. My wizard stepped ashore and seemed to sniff the air. I waited until he gave a slight nod. As I stepped ashore Morcar unfurled my banner and a light breeze set it fluttering above my head. I had no idea how Myrddyn had done it but it had the desired effect. The gates opened and the warriors began to descend to greet us. Morcar stood behind me and my warriors flanked us as we patiently waited for this king to greet us.

  I had the time to watch him as he descended. He surprised me. He was not half naked with tattoos and limed hair. Hi
s hair was tied neatly behind his head and he wore a purple cloak over a blue tunic. His beard was neatly trimmed and he carried a sword in a richly decorated scabbard.

  His guard was more typically Irish. All of them had bare chests although it was hard to tell for the tattoos. None of them had limed hair but they all carried a wild variety of swords. Some had two handed ones and others had wickedly curved ones. They strode arrogantly towards us. The sneers on their faces told Tuanthal and his men what they thought of men who had to wear mail and armour.

  Fiachnae mac Báetáin stood before me. I could understand his words as he spoke. “I am King Fiachnae mac Báetáin of the Dál nAraidi. I have been told that you come here to speak of an alliance?”

  I stepped forward and held out my hand. It was a crucial moment. Would he clasp it in return? I saw his eyes appraising me and weighing up his decision. The silence was almost overpowering. Finally he, too, stepped forward and clasped my arm. “You are older than I thought you would have been.”

  I smiled, “I have been fighting the Saxons a long time. It ages a man.”

  He nodded, “And you must be Myrddyn the wizard.” Myrddyn bowed. “I have heard many tales of you and the Wolf Warrior. Perhaps we will discover the truth later.” He seemed to notice my horsemen for the first time. “And these are your equites; the famous armoured horsemen who carry all before them.”

  “No, King Fiachnae mac Báetáin, these are my horsemen. My equites are fighting the Saxons under my son, Hogan Lann.”

  “But they wear such fine armour.”

  “When you are successful at fighting the Saxons then you can afford such armour for all your men.” When his eyes opened wide I knew that the strategy Myrddyn and I had discussed would work. We would appeal to his greed.

  “Come let us walk to my home.” He nodded to his bodyguard who formed up behind us effectively cutting Myrddyn and me off from Morcar, Tuanthal and my men. From his wry smile I think he meant to intimidate me and Myrddyn. It did not work. I would not be killed by his bodyguards and I smiled easily.