Saxon Fall (21 page)

I briefly closed my eyes and felt immense relief. I panicked and opened them again but I was tiring and I closed them once more. I enjoyed the experience and I kept them closed.  Suddenly I felt hands on my legs and we were stopped.

“Watch him Pelas! There are men ahead.”

My eyes jerked open and it was night time. Pelas looked up at me anxiously. He looked relieved when I spoke, “Any water?”

He handed me a water skin, “You had me worried, Warlord. If Llenlleog had not tied you to the horse you would have fallen.”

“Where is he?”

“Aed heard men ahead and they have gone to see if there is a way around them.”

I knew that if I was anyone other than the Warlord I would have been left for I was endangering the rest and the news we bore was vital. I heard the leaves move and I went for my sword.  The pain was too much. I felt like Myfanwy; helpless.

Aed appeared. “There are some Northumbrians ahead, Warlord.”

“Are they searching for us?”

“Llenlleog thinks not.  He has the other men with him.  It looks like they are a band of hunters but it may mean there is a warband camping in the woods around here.  We are close to where we were ambushed.”

There was a sudden scream and then the noise of combat followed by total silence. Despite the pain I pulled my sword from my scabbard and we watched for whoever came out of the dark. It was Llenlleog and my scouts.  They had a hind over the saddle of one of the spare horses.  “They are dead but we had best hurry in case others heard their cries.”

Although I felt more awake I allowed Pelas to lead me.  It would not do to fall from my horse. When we reached the edge of the forest it was hard to tell for the night was so black that it all looked the same. By the time we reached the burgh even the others were almost as tired as we were. It was just a relief to see the lights from the hall as the gates were opened. I saw Pol and as I opened my mouth to speak blackness enveloped me.

When I came to I stared up into the anxious faces of my brother and Pol. “You had us worried, brother.  That was a serious wound although our new equite made a good job of stopping the bleeding.  He could make a healer if he chose.”

I tried to sit up but Gawan restrained me.  “You rest.  It is barely morning.”

“What of the Northumbrians?”

“Pol here has kept his patrols out and they have killed the few scouts sent by Edwin.”

“They have a huge army.  If he heads this way we will not be able to hold him.” I waved my left hand around the hall.  “Not in this burgh anyway.”

“It will take him some time to make his way through the forest. And we can bloody his nose. At the very least we can deny him his supplies.  This hall and the stores will burn well.”

I sank back, “Very well.  I will rest but I want waking the moment that the Northumbrians appear.”

When I was woken it was after noon.  Pelas brought me some water.  “Thank you Pelas for last night.  I would not have made it home without you.”

He seemed embarrassed. “I am your squire, Warlord.  How would it have looked had I returned without you?”

I drank. The wound did not feel as bad and, when I lifted my tunic, I saw clean bandages.  Gawan had obviously used some of Myrddyn’s herbs.  “Are the Northumbrians close?”

“Captain Pol is still out with the equites.  We do not know.”

“Then help me to dress and I will speak with Gawan.” He looked at me dubiously, “I need to make water in any case.  Come, Pelas.”

He reluctantly aided me.  I strapped on my sword even though it felt uncomfortable against the bandages and the wound. Men’s faces looked worried as they saw me emerge but I waved and smiled; it reassured them.  I climbed the stairs to the gate.  Gawan glanced around and shook his head.  “You cannot obey instructions, can you?”

“I feel fine. I am not certain I could fight yet but I can walk and I can look. Tell me what has happened.”

“We had a messenger from Lann Aelle.  The Mercians and the Cymri are on their way.  He said they should be here in three of four days.”

“Will we be granted that time?”

He shrugged. “We had put traps in the ditch and deepened them a little. If they attack at night we will be warned and I have men detailed to fire the halls if they get too close.”

“I would like those supplies for our men.”

“I know but sometimes we cannot have what we want.”

The light was fading in the east.  I caught a movement from the forest and I pointed. It was Pol. I had no idea how many equites he had taken but I saw no empty saddles. He glanced up and shook his head as he rode through the gate.

I made my way, slowly, down to meet him. “Well?”

He shook his head. “We killed their scouts again but they are getting closer.  I think they will be here by noon tomorrow.”

“Good.  Come, I am hungry as you will be and we can plan. There is plenty of food for us, at any rate.”

The archers and squires who had not been on patrol had prepared a feast and we ate in the hall. I was not lying; I was ravenous.  As we ate I gave them my thoughts. “This burgh is small and we have an advantage for we have more warriors than the garrison. We will keep the archers and the squires within the walls.  I will command here.” I held up my hand to silence their arguments. “The two of you will be needed to lead your men.” I waved my knife in the direction of the forest beyond the walls. “Split the men into two groups.  You will each lead one. Before dawn you lead them to the east and the west and you hide them from the Northumbrians.  I will keep Llewellyn and the buccina.  Pol, you take the dragon banner.  I will sound the buccina when the time is right and you can sweep down on their rear.”

“When will the time be right, brother?”

“When they have seen me here and know I command and have committed an attack on the walls. If they see me in here they will believe that my horsemen are here too.”

They looked at each other and Pol asked, “And if we fail?”

“Then I will fire the burgh and we will escape.”

“You are taking a risk.”

I sighed, “What else can we do?  Should I lie in my bed and wait for them to come?”

“No, brother, but we could fire the burgh and flee south to meet with our allies.”

“This way is better.  King Edwin cannot know that Penda and Cadwallon are coming. Do we want him to bolt again and hide in his burghs? This is our chance to end this, once and for all.” I smiled, “I am awake now and I can make the decisions again.  When I am in the Otherworld, brother, then the choices will be yours.”

He laughed, “You are incorrigible and just like father!”

I smiled, “Compliments are always welcome.”

The horsemen left before dawn.  Despite his protests I had Pelas help me into my armour.  Llenlleog understood.  “Your uncle is a warrior.  It is what we do.”

As I went to the walls I could smell the effect of the horses.  We had no stables and the horses had soiled a large area of the burgh. It could not be helped but it was not pleasant.  One advantage of having the horses outside the walls was the fact that they did not add to the effluent within.  I frowned; that was not our only problem.  Once we were besieged we would have to husband our water. When the day was over I would send the squires to gather in as much water as they could manage.

I only had four mailed warriors within the burgh.  All of the rest were either archers or squires without mail.  Any with mail had gone with my brother and Pol. I was gambling that King Edwin would send just a vanguard to the burgh. He might know that we had taken it but his people would have reported a force of equites. He would be confident that his warriors could defeat us.  I hoped that he would never contemplate that I would put my handful of equites outside of the walls. As he had shown before King Edwin was a cautious commander.  He took no risks. For my part it was not much of a risk.  I knew that we had many men hurrying up the road.  We could run at any time but I wanted his men hurting and softening up for the Mercians and the Cymri.

The scouts had been accurate.  It was late afternoon when the first Saxons emerged from the forest. The cautious King Edwin brought out over five hundred of his men and formed them into a wedge. On the flanks he had the same number of lightly armed men. Some were the fyrd; they were the farmers who went to war when needed with whatever weapons they had to hand. They guarded the flanks and I could see that King Edwin regarded them as expendable.  They would buy time for his elite warriors who wore mail. I knew then that I had the measure of this Saxon.

They moved forward cautiously so as not to break ranks. The burgh was Saxon built and they would know their own design.  Pol and Gawan had added to the defences: they would not expect that.

“Daffydd do not release your arrows until I tell you. Let us make it a surprise.”

My plan was to wait until they tried to cross the ditch.  The bridge over the ditch was now behind the gate as an added defence. The shields were locked and the heads hidden behind them.  With their mail they were almost impossible to hurt. I knew that the enemy would be supremely confident. When our foes were just twenty paces from the ditch I took off my helmet. “I am the Warlord of Rheged! Go back to your king and tell him not to waste the lives of his brave warriors. If I chose I could come amongst you with my squire alone and destroy you.”

As I had expected that infuriated the warriors and they began to bang their shields and chant. I nodded to Daffydd.  His men could send flights over and shower them but that would waste arrows.  Instead his best archers looked for the tiny chinks in the shield wall when men lowered them slightly as they banged. An arrow flew and struck a warrior on the face. The arrow pierced his cheek.  The feathers looked strange sticking from the side of his face. A second who had turned to look at his neighbour died when the arrow came in at an angle, hit his cheek and continued into his shoulder. A flurry of arrows thudded into mail and bodies.  Another warrior fell before they regained their solid line. They came forward slightly faster than they had hitherto.  The arrows had made them wary and they kept their shields up. As they descended into the ditch more warriors fell to my archers. However it was the traps at the bottom of the ditch which caused the most damage.

Pol and Gawan had concealed them with branches and twigs.  As soon as they stepped onto the sharpened stakes all their discipline went.  They screamed in pain and their cohesion went. My archers could not release their arrows fast enough to hit all of them.  Once enough had died the traps were hidden by the bodies of the fallen and they locked their shields once more. I looked to the warbands.  They were now all committed. Their attention was on the burgh and on me.

“Llewellyn, sound the buccina!”

As soon as the strident note of the Roman horn sounded the Northumbrians in the ditch paused. They looked for danger. They saw just the archers and the slingers who were now close enough to hit helmets.  A lead ball at thirty paces can render a warrior unconscious and my boy slingers were keen to impress the Warlord. When there was no change in what they could see they began to attack the wooden walls with their axes and swords.  The wailing of the dragon banner was the first warning that not all was well.  As Pol and Gawan’s equites hit the lightly armed fyrd, a human wail went up.  The unarmoured men were slaughtered.  The cries of the dying made the armoured men look around and more died as Daffydd’s arrows struck them.  The circle of horsemen closed with the rear ranks of the shield wall, for the fyrd were either dead or fled.

Many were too slow to react and were speared by the deadly lances. I saw that King Edwin was trying to get reinforcements into the fray but it would be too late. The shield wall broke assaulted as it was from two different directions, and they ran. I saw some of the younger equites chasing after the fleeing Northumbrians.  “Sound the buccina!” As it sounded most turned and returned to the walls; slaying the wounded as they did so.  Two equites, caught up in the moment, chased after the Northumbrians and they were butchered by Edwin’s reinforcements.  We had done better than I had hoped but I hated the waste of two young equites. We opened the gate and my men entered. We had bought another day. We also had good news, for an hour after my men had returned Lann Aelle and his scouts returned.  “The men of Mercia are two days behind me.”

“That is good news. We need to buy two more days then.”

That evening as we stood on the gate and saw the fires which ringed the edge of the forest to the north, Lann Aelle said, “That will not work a second time.”

“No. But I wonder if the Allfather will work some magic for us?” I looked at Gawan.  He was as enigmatic as Myrddyn at times. “This Edwin is a Christian now. He will want his people burying.  Perhaps we negotiate a truce tomorrow so that he can collect his dead.”

Pol laughed, “Would he be so foolish when his main army is as close as it is?”

“It is only the risk for the rider who goes to negotiate the truce.  I believe they will honour it.  After all they are Christians now.” I could hear the sarcasm in his voice.

“I agree with my brother.  Even if they do not agree to the truce then the negotiations can eat up some time and bring Penda and Cadwallon ever closer.”

“Then we choose someone with a silver tongue.”

I laughed, “We choose no one; for the speaker is chosen already.  It is me.”

“Why you?”

“There will be no fighting tomorrow and they will be more likely to send for the king if the Warlord comes to negotiate.”

Gawan nodded, “You are relying on your reputation.”

“I am and that is why I will just take Llewellyn and Pelas with me. I want to show them that we are not afraid.”

Pol and Lann Aelle spent the rest of the evening trying to persuade me not to go.  Gawan came to my aid.  “Neither Myrddyn nor I had dreamt his death yet.”

Pol snorted, “Did you dream the wound the other day, Dreamer?” Gawan shook his head, “We cannot afford to fight the Northumbrians without the Warlord.  Even if we have Penda and Cadwallon with us it is your brother that the warriors on both sides will look to. Today they hurled themselves at the wall to get to grips with him. Young boys in Northumbria dream of becoming the hero who slays the Warlord. It was your father and now it is your brother.  The warrior matters little it is the title and the reputation which draws them.”

I put my hand on Pol’s arm. “And you have argued wonderfully for me to be the one.  Thank you, old friend.  And now I am tired.  We will leave at dawn. Lann Aelle, inform your son and Llewellyn that I need them.”

Kay waved as the last of the water carriers returned.  We had every container we could muster filled with water.  We were prepared.

I regretted my decision as I began to don my armour. Raising my arms for the leather byrnie was painful enough but when I lowered them after the mail shirt was lowered was agony.  It would take a few days for me to be able to fight. It did, however, gleam as did my helmet.  Pelas had polished them well.  He must have been up all night for Star gleamed as we left the burgh.

My men were stood to on the walls and we rode slowly across the field of battle.  The bodies still lay where they had fallen.  The smell was already beginning to fill the air and I could see where rats had begun to gnaw at them. “Remember Pelas, keep your hands from your weapons.”