Saxon Dawn (Wolf Brethren) (18 page)

“My brother has told me that they are trained well and have responded to their new weapons
. They will not let you down.”

“Good but remember, soon I want you to take over half of the men at arms with Ywain. It is blade to blade which will win us this war.”

I did not take Blackie the next day.  There was little point other than to make me stand out from my men and I chose to march alongside them. I did however wear my new helmet.  I picked it up from Aed as soon as he began work.  He was proud of his handiwork and I was ecstatic. The new golden metal gleamed like gold.  I knew that it was not, it was a mix of bronze silver and iron but it made the helmet look magnificent.  The enlarged eye pieces had been lined with the same metal and the face mask now looked like a face complete with teeth and a grim grin. “You have excelled yourself Aed.  Was there enough metal left to make it worth your while?”

“Aye.
  I have used it on the new sword for the king.” He showed me the king’s new blade and the golden metal ran down the middle.  “It is easier to engrave and the king would have words written on it.” He looked to the heavens.  “Brother Osric will have to write them and I will copy them for I can neither read nor write. It is you sword which made him order one. He says that two such swords will drive the wolves from our land.”

I put the helmet on and was delighted with the vision I had.  The first time I had worn it I felt as though I could only see ahead; now I had good vision all around but I had better protection. When I approached my men I laughed behind my mask as I saw their jaws drop.  My wolf cloak marked me as Lann but the mask made me something else.  I removed it and the king and his men rode up. 
“A fine helmet; a trophy from the east perhaps?”

“Yes your majesty although it nearly cost me my life.”

We marched along the old Roman Road with the wall and the river to our right.  To reach the sea we would have to march more than twelve miles and the same distance back.  If nothing else it would make the men fitter.  My brothers and I had the advantage of caligae soles on our boots and the marching was easy.  Some of the older men struggled with poor footwear.  I regretted not bringing more of the precious footwear from the fort.

We were half way there when the king halted the column and summoned his officers. I left Raibeart in command and hurried to his side. “The scouts have reported an Irish fleet in the estuary.  It looks as though they have planned a raid. They are not expecting us.  They think we will be safe in our stronghold.” He threw me a knowing look. “I intend to use the Roman wall as our bastion and ambush them. We will let them land.  I will take my bodyguard east towards the gate a mile down the wall. The rest will remain here under the command of Ywain my son. As soon as they land our swords and spears will form before the wall and the archers and slingers on the wall.” I could see that he
intended to use the same strategy which had worked against the Saxons.  I thought it might well succeed against Hibernians who had not met it before. “We will then charge them from the flank and the only place they will have left to go will be into the river or the sea.”

As he rode away I sent Aelle and his slingers to crawl on top of the wall and act as lookouts.  Ywain and Gildas organised their men into ranks.  We had devised a strategy which used the spearmen with shields in the front rank; those without shields in the second and the sword and axe men in the third.  The
y stood behind the wall waiting for the command to take up their positions.  Aelle slithered down. “They are almost ashore.”

“Position your slingers in front of the spearmen and assault the m as they advance.  Then retreat to the flanks.”

I nodded to Ywain. He roared, “Men of Rheged take your positions.”

The two hundred men quickly climbed the wall and descended on the other side. I could hear the ping of stones as Aelle and his boys set to work and I was gratified
to hear an occasional scream. “Archers to the wall!”

Out men quickly took up their positions.  Once at the top I was daunted by the number of ships.  There were twenty and each one looked as though it held thirty to forty men.  We were outnumbered but they were not organised and all that they saw was the small number of spears and bows close to the wall. “Pull!” Each man now knew what to do and the bows came up as one. “Loose! Pull! Loos!  Pull! Loose!” After three flights I looked at the Irish.  They had been caught unawares.  Many were killed as they struggled up the muddy bank while others had yet to don helmets or bring their shields around.  The slingers were also causing much damage and the attack stalled.  I wondered if the ships which had yet to disembark would turn and run but their leader was made of sterner stuff.  I heard order
s barked out and those on the river bank formed a shield wall. It would stop casualties from a mass of arrows but my men could now aim.

“Archers! Kill them and show them how well my brother Raibeart has trained you!” I saw Raibeart look around in gratitude and the archers began to pick their targets. I saw the surprise on faces as arrows found the narrow gap between shield and helmet. 
Soon there was no gap but my men began to aim at the Hibernian’s thighs.  The range was only forty paces and the arrows did terrible damage. Finally their leader had had enough of taking punishment and, as he now had over three hundred men ashore he launched a wild attack. As soon as he did so my archers had easier targets but that meant they ran out of arrows quickly.  I looked down at my empty quiver. “Raibeart, take charge of the archers.  I will join Prince Ywain.” He nodded and I saws that he still had six arrows. Either he had brought more or he had been more careful than I had. I joined the left hand side of the front rank. It was the most vulnerable part of the line and I knew that while Ywain was on the right it was Gildas on the left and he was the less experienced of the three of us.

My archers
still had spare arrows and they were slowing down the enemy.  It would soon end. The screaming, snarling faces of the Irish were desperate to get to grips with the fleas and gnats that had irritated them and caused so many casualties. I drew my sword and I felt the line bristle as the men realised that the mystical sword was going into action. I watched as Aelle and his slingers fled to the security of the wall just behind us. They had plenty of stones and they would continue to hurl them at the enemy even when the archers ran out of arrows.

There was a clash and roar as the Irish hit our line.  The spears might have shattered and broke
n but they caused many casualties amongst the brave warriors in the van of the Irish attack. I had no spear but I took the swinging axe from the tall warrior on my boss and twisted the shield so that the blade ended embedded in the mud. I brought the sword overhand and stabbed downwards between the shield and the helmet.  When he tried to bring his shield upwards he just succeeded in directing the sword into his own throat and he gurgled his life blood away. The press of men was so great that it was a pushing match.  We had the advantage that we had a wall behind us and still had men with spears who could jab and stab above the front line.  The disadvantage was that when the men with the shields in the front rank fell then the warriors who replaced them were shield less. Their leader was in the middle and he was a powerful warrior. Soon he began to drive in like a wedge, threatening to split our forces in two. “Aelle! Take out the leader!”

S
uddenly stones and lead balls began to thunder and crash around the leader and the warriors closest to him.  Most did no damage but at least five struck the warriors who were near to him and our line stabilised.  I could see that the Irish were concentrating on the middle and I yelled again. “Raibeart, bring the archers to me!” They might have no more arrows but all had a sword and half had a shield. If we could pressure the enemy’s right flank then the King and his horsemen might have a chance. I could not use my sword’s blade but I could use the pommel and the guard.  I was able to punch the warriors in the face.  The ornate pommel had sharp edges and I blinded two warriors. They would not use the same technique on me for I had the face mask. When the pressure dropped on my left arm I punched hard with the shield and had the satisfaction of punching over a warrior. As I stamped on his nose I slid my sword in his throat and, for the first time we moved forwards. “Gildas! Get to my right.”

Gildas was a good swordsman but a little slight.  He could stab while I pushed.  I felt a shield at my back and then Raibeart stepped next to me. He grinned at me and I grinned back before I realised he could see naught but the mask. When I heard the ghostly wailing of the standard I yelled.  “Now push.  Let us drive them back into the sea.”

I was determined to make my way to the leader of the Irish warband.  If he died then the rest would lose heart. They still outnumbered us but I hoped that the attack on their flanks might make them return to their ships. The warrior before me was fighting a spearman on my right and I had no compunction in sinking my sword through him.  I pushed so hard that the blade stabbed the man next to him and Gildas killed the man to their right.  Suddenly there was a hole in their line and we had our own wedge, informal though it might have been. Raibeart pushed hard on my left as I punched hard at the warrior before me.  I could hear stones crashing into the helmets and faces of the men before me and they held their shields up to defend themselves.  They left themselves vulnerable and the shorter swords of the archers stabbed upwards ripping savage wounds in the Irish warrior’s bodies. 

The Irish leader, wielding a double handed sword had managed to clear enough space to swing it around him and he was causing carnage amongst the spearmen.  He was encased in mail, including his head
, and Aelle’s slingshots were having little effect.  The warrior to his right, a bodyguard turned to face me.  I struck down with my sword; the blow was so hard it shattered his sword in two and continued to slice downwards from his neck, piercing mail and skin to lay him open like a butchered deer. He still had a surprised look as he fell dead at my feet. The huge sword was still keeping all at bay.  I held my shield above my head and dived to hack at the knee of the leader. Although he had mail it could not withstand Saxon Slayer and I felt it bite into bone. He roared with anger and tried to smash his sword down upon my head.  I lifted my shield higher and I was almost driven into the ground by the force but the double layers of leather and the iron held the blade fast and my sword came up under his arm to emerge in his neck. The spurting blood showered us all but a collective wail form the enemy went up as the huge warrior fell. His few remaining bodyguards gathered about the body, to become fodder for the angry spearmen and swordsmen while those at the rear fled through the red waters of the river to reach the safety of their ships. The horsemen of the king drove the last remnants into the water where they were slaughtered before they could escape. All but two ships escaped but they had a skeleton crew on board.  It would be many years before they risked a slave raid on Rheged’s coast.

The aftermath of any battle is never pleasant and this one was no exception.  The Irish, regardless of their wounds were killed while those of our own too badly injured to be healed were given a merciful death by their comrades. We all had some skills with wounds and those with cuts and lighter wounds were dressed and bandaged.  A fire was started to cauterize the deeper wounds and the king sent his bodyguard back to the city for wagons. I went over to Ywain.  “It would be quicker to use those two Irish boats and row back to the fortress
. It will save time.”

“I will get men aboard them.”

I took off my helmet. It had, undoubtedly, saved me from serious injury but it was hot wearing it in battle. Aelle and Raibeart joined me and we embraced. Every battle was your own personal battle and you saw only those men who fell around you.  I was always grateful to see their smiling faces.  “Thank you, brother.  Your boys did well.  I could hear the missiles striking them.”

Aelle’s face became serious.  “We need more metal shot. They are more accurate and they cause better wounds.”

I gestured at the battle field. “Get your boys to gather up as much metal as they can before it is taken as booty.” As he left I said, “We had better collect any undamaged arrows.”

Raibeart looked at the scene of devastation a
nd carnage.  “I think there will be precious few of those.”

“You are right.  We need to carry a spare quiver for all the men on horses. We will use our four horses to do so. It almost cost us dear when we ran out.”

When he had gone to organise the men I walked to the river to wash my face.  The water was a muddy red colour but I was beyond caring.  I needed cooling down.  When I stood Ywain and Gildas were next to me. “That was well done Lann. I was terrified of having to face that huge warrior.  Were you not afraid?”

“Shitting myself, I always am
, but somehow that helps me to think a little clearer. I reasoned that once he began his swing it would be hard to reverse its direction and so it proved. Half the skill in fighting is letting your opponent defeat himself.” I pointed to their swords.  “You can of course make your weapons more effective.  I punch with my sword guard and the sharp edges cause wounds.  Notice on my boss, there is a nail protruding.  I put a fresh one in each time I fight. But I have decided that I want two sheaths for daggers on the inside of my shield. When you are fighting close, sometimes you cannot swing your sword but a dagger could be used.”

“Ah there they are
; my heroes who held the line magnificently. “ King Urien was obviously proud of his son and his nephew. He embraced them in turn and then hugged me. “When I saw the numbers and how you were pressed I thought that all was lost.”