Saxon Dawn (Wolf Brethren) (6 page)

There was a fenced area and six horses of various sizes pranced around.  They were not in good shape and some of them were little more than hill ponies.
I suspected they were bound for the pot. “They are of poor quality but I will take four of them in exchange for the flock.”

He snorted in derision. “I will trade you two and those of my choice.”

“Four or nothing.”

“I tell you what I will do I will give you three.”

“Of my choice?”

“Of your choice and that sword.”

Raibeart burst out, “No, not the sword.”

I held up my hand.  I had a much better sword and
others of better quality hidden by the river. “And the tackle to ride them?”

“I have reins but not the saddles.  I had
a saddle but it is broken.”

I held out my hand, and offered the sword with the other, “Then I will take three, the reins and the broken saddle.”

He clasped my arm but asked, “We have a deal but why the broken saddle?”

“So that we can make more of the
same design.” He nodded, it now made sense to him and I saw him regretting not getting abetter price.  “Come brother, let us go and make our selection while our friend here brings the reins.”The farmer strode off to bring the reins and the girths.

“Lann, why did you let him have your sword?
It was a fine weapon.”

“Because, little brother, I know where to get more.” I tapped the side of my nose and said, “Ssh!”

There was one horse which looked tall enough for me but the other taller horses were old and thin.  I chose to accompany my horse the two smaller ponies who looked sturdier than the nags who would probably die within a day.  I knew I had made a good choice when I saw the sour look on the farmer’s face. I did not want him to now that we knew nothing about horses so I said, “You can put the reins on them for they know you.  We will get to know them on our journey south.”

He saw nothing untoward about this and he fitted the reins.  Raibeart and I paid close attention. “You go south then?”

“Too many raiders from the north around here for our liking.  We seek our fortune south.” I did not distrust him but if any Angle saw the sword he would ask questions and I wanted a false trail for any Angles who chose to seek us.

He brought out the saddle and I could see the crack in the middle which rendered it useless as anything but a template. He put it apologetically on the back of my mount. “I thank you sir.”

“Will you not be riding them?”

“No we will walk them awhile and
let them become accustomed to our smell.” I did not want him to see that we were novices and so we led the three horses south.  As soon as we had cleared the farm and were hidden from view we left the track and headed down a small vale where we could mount our new horses. I took the saddle from the horse I would ride.  “Raibeart, which would you like?”

The decision was made for him as the black pony nuzzled his head.  He grinned, “This one.”

I put the saddle on the other pony it was a golden colour and it reminded me of Aelle’s colouring.  This was
Wyrd
. There was no getting around it; I had to mount my horse.  I was the eldest and it was my duty. “Hold the other two.” Taking the reins in one hand and a hunk of mane in the other I threw my leg over the back of the horse. It did not look elegant, in fact it was downright clumsy but I was on the back of the horse with a stupid grin on my face before I knew it.  I saw Raibeart smiling too. “Give me the spare pony and you mount.”  His beast was smaller and he did it much more easily. I remembered when the king had come the men had clicked their tongues and the horses had moved.  I did so and nothing happened save that the horse looked round at me as though I was stupid.  I wondered if they had ever been ridden. Raibeart stifled a laugh and I reddened.  This was annoying.  Would we have to walk back with them in our hands? In frustration I said, “Come on! Move!” and kicked hard in his side.  To my surprise he moved forwards and I was nearly unbalanced. I jerked the reins around and headed him north again. “Come on Raibeart, let us find Aelle.” The movement of my horse meant that my brother’s pony just needed a click and a slight kick and he followed.

We had gone barely a mile when I found out why men do not ride bareback. Every time he landed it felt as though someone was kicking me in the balls! I was in agony but I dared not speak of it.  I was the head of the family now and I would have to bear it although I doubted that, after this ride, I would have any family of m
y own anyway.

Wolf barked at our approach.  The smell of the horses masked ours. Aelle’s mouth fell open as we rode into the clearing and Wolf cocked his head to one side. I slid, gratefully from the back of the horse and I was pleased that Raibeart too looked pleased to be on the ground. I handed the reins of Aelle’s pony to him. 
“Here brother.  This is yours. We will walk a while. Put your cloaks and bags on the backs of the horses.  Raibeart, our mail can go on the backs as well.”

“Where are we going Lann?”

“To the hidden house father mentioned. Come, we have far to go.  Wolf!” I threw my hand down and Wolf herded the four sheep. 

We had gone but forty paces when Raibeart asked, “But how will we find the hidden house?” 

“Father said it was between our home and the Roman Bridge but not on the road. There are woods and forests to the west of the road so we will look for somewhere which could have been a trail.”

It was not the best of plans but my brothers accepted it for it was
, at least, a plan. “Why the horses brother?  We are no horsemen.”

I could almost hear the pain in
his voice and I suppressed a smile.  I knew the pain he was suffering. “The mail and our weapons will tire us out and we may need to move swiftly.  Besides, “ I shrugged, “we could not keep the sheep.  Regard them as a gift from the gods.”

“And why keep four then Lann?”

“Because Aelle, we will have food should the hunting prove difficult and I have a fancy that the sheepskin will make a more comfortable ride.”

“Why
, does riding hurt?”

Raibeart and I looked at each other and gave a rueful smile. “Oh yes and we will definitely need to make saddles.”

We avoided the stronghold for many reasons and headed up the Roman road.  As the sun began to dip we left the road, for we were now north of our old home and headed west. It would be too late to find the hidden house that day and I sought a quiet place with grass and water for the sheep and shelter for us. The horse found all three for us. My horse, which I had yet to name, began to tug for the left.  At first I tried to keep him on my line but then wondered why? His choice of direction would be as good as mine. He brought us to a small stream. There was some cleared ground with scrubby grass and the remains of what looked to be a woodman’s hut. All three of us knew that we had found our bed for the night. I did not want the horses to wander off and so I tied them together although they seemed happy enough to be with us.  As the animals ate I took out the last of our dried food and we ravenously ate our first food since the morning.

As we lay under the tree, the animals contentedly grazing and Wolf watching from half lidded eyes, we looked up at the moon rising over the trees. “Do you think father and mother are watching us?”

“They may be but, more importantly,” I tapped my chest, “they are always in here,” then I tapped my head, “and in here.  We are part of them as they are part of us.” I smiled at the two of them.  “When I look at you two I can see your mothers, from their eyes to their hair.”

Raibeart nodded. “When I awoke this morning and saw you standing over us I thought that it was father I saw.  You are his double.” 
If my brother has wished to pay me a bigger compliment he could not have done so.

“When I close my eyes I can see our parents and this may sound ridiculous but I hear their voices in my head and it is comforting.
“ We fell asleep with happy thoughts and memories and my night was free from headless Angles and wolves in the night.

We led our mounts the next day, partly because it was easier and also because Raibeart and I still had thighs red raw from riding the previous day. As soon as we found a stream I followed it west.  From what I knew of the land
the hidden house was neither to the east nor to the north as I had traversed them many times when heading for the bridge.  I had hunted in the woods and I knew that there was a stream but I could not remember a building or a trail. Of course I had not been looking for one then. Every time we came across part of the wood which did not have trees growing we explored but found nothing.  It was, of course, Wolf who did eventually find the trail. His ears pricked and he looked up at me; despite the time he had spent with my brothers I had raised him from a pup and I was still his master. “Find, Wolf!”

He trotted off leaving the sheep and horses with us. He came trotting back with his tail high and as soon as he reached me he turned again. “Let us follow him and see what he has found. “ As we made our way through the brambles and elder bushes I wondered at the route.  This was
a tangled mess and no one had come here for years and then it struck me, the last people to visit here, if this was the sanctuary we sought, had been my parents and that had been sixteen years ago.  The vegetation would have grown vigorously since then. I heard the stream before I saw it as it bubbled down the shallow valley. I then noticed that the tree cover was becoming lighter and then we found it. It was overgrown but it was, unmistakeably, a substantial building.  I could see two ditches running around a mound and the remnants of a palisade at the top. There had been gates but they looked to have been burned at some time and had fallen away. “Take out your swords. Wolf!” I pointed at the sheep and the dog dropped to all fours. I strung my bow and notched an arrow.  It looked deserted but it did not pay to take chances. I entered first and I could see that there had been a cobbled yard but it was now overgrown.  The tiled roof looked to have been damaged by fire and violence as had the doors which gaped open on broken hinges. I slowly entered the doorway and saw that the wind had filled it with seeds and weeds; it was definitely deserted. A long corridor led off the first room and we found many rooms some of which still had a roof over them. There were remnants of furniture, some of it usable. At the rear I found what had obviously been the kitchen.  There were damaged pots and crocks littering the floor but there was an oven. I now knew why my mother had dreamed of an oven.  In a wooden hut it was impossible but in this stone house, with a chimney to take away the smoke it was a reality.

“Come we will check the outbuildings but I have no doubt that this is the haven my father told us of.  This was his last gift to his sons.
” We found some stables, obvious because of the stalls and we found that it had a roof.  Even better was the discovery, in the loft space, of two saddles. They looked different to the one the farmer had bartered, having four pieces of wood sticking out but they were saddles and they were covered in leather. We would be more comfortable the next time we rode.

“I will fetch the horses.”

“And I, the sheep and Wolf.”

While my two brothers went to bring in the animals I wandered to the door.  This had been where my father had been safe and his grandfather before him.  I assumed that this had been in his family before that.  It was substantial.  As I looked out of the door I could see the wall and mound which would have deterred any attacker.  We, of course, with a bare three of us, could not hope to defend this place but I felt sure that we would be safe.  I decided that I would find other entrances.  It would not do to wear a path and make it easy for others to find us.

I turned to look at the work we would need to do in the stables and idly kicked some old decayed hay to one side when I did so I stubbed my toe on something hard. I knelt down and was clearing away the detritus of years when my brothers returned with the animals.  Wolf nuzzled me and looked curiously at me and when the horses and sheep were in the stalls Raibeart and Aelle joined me.

“What is it Lann?”

I looked at Raibeart.  “I did not tell you and father that when I found the daggers and the sword I found them buried at the old Roman fort.” I took out my dagger and rapped the floor with the handle. “See it is wooden.  There is something buried here too and grandfather was a Roman soldier.”

Raibeart’s eyes lit up. “You mean there may be weapons here too?”

“Don’t get your hopes up but there is something buried and I cannot see someone burying rubbish eh?  Give me a hand.”

With three of us working and Wolf scrabbling too we soon cleared the edge of the box.  This one, unlike the ones at the fort had a handle and I pulled it open. “It is just sacks!”

I smiled at my brother’s disappointment.  I lifted the sacks carefully already knowing what would be beneath. I saw more sacks but this time they were wrapped around objects.  The first one was long and I almost held my breath as I peeled back the oiled rags.  The pommel told me that it was a sword and the fine jewels told me that it was not the sword of a common man.  It was the sword of a mighty warrior, a lord or a king. As I unwrapped the blade I heard the gasps from my brothers. The scabbard was leather with strange runes and markings upon it. Holding the scabbard in my left hand I withdrew the blade with my right. The light from the setting sun in the west caught the silvery blade and it seemed to shine. “Thank you father and thank you
Belatu-Cadros
.
  You have delivered me a weapon with which to fight our enemies.”