The Bretwalda (The Casere Book 4) (35 page)

After a couple of hours following Aga Conn felt inclined to ask an obvious question. ‘We seem to be heading straight for the mountain – I thought the roads went around it.’

‘They are – but why go around when you can go over?’

‘Quicker?’

‘Not if you know a way – and since we arrived, the Makurai have explored the mountains. We know a way.’

They camped the one night on top of the mountain in a cave out of the rain. It rained a lot in Aeaea – which was part of the reason that Dagrun was happy to relinquish the domain – he and the rest of the Ancuman were sick of rain.

The second night they found a room at Zabala, one of the endless numbers of villages that dotted the coastline. This one was larger as it was able to accommodate larger war boats. It had inns and several taverns. Conn had Dagrun create a registry of every single building, farm, and enterprise on the island – an audit – so that when the new settlers arrived, they were able to be allocated to an activity and a property. It was lucky that the Twacuman were not materialistically inclined; they served as they thought best for their community. Conn supposed it was one reason why the Ancuman and Priecuman thought them strange.

The next morning, they boarded a small dhow and set sail. It was only a couple of hours across the straits.

Hamazi was a small island, and they borrowed horses for the ride up the mountain; a foreboding thing that Conn expected was over 1800 yards high. They left the horses at around 1000 yards and climbed the rest of the way on foot. Most of the mountain was covered in heavy tropical forest, and they camped at the tree line. From here they would be climbing over rock and grass to the top – perhaps another three hundred yards.

Despite his endless queries, Aga refused to tell him anymore. She said it was too hard to explain – but it was important that he see it.

They scrambled up the last several hundred yards until they were all standing on what appeared to be a ledge; a ledge carved out of the side of the hill.

‘This is what I wanted to show you.’

They looked around – the ledge was clearly out of place – it had been hewn from the granite that made up the mountain. Conn was none the less confused.

‘Aga, I agree this was worth seeing – but I’m unsure what the hurry was.’

She shook her head in a scolding manner. ‘It is not just this! This made me look further – and if you follow me.’ She went to the mountain side and removed rocks and dirt that he gathered. Soon an overhand appeared and under the overhang was looked like a tunnel. She went in and Conn followed. It was a tight squeeze but there was enough room to scamper along on their hands and heals. It quickly opened up and they very suddenly found themselves in a circular cavern inside the top of the mountain. There was dim light from what was obviously a hole right at the top and even side vents. The room must fill up with snow every winter, and then it would wash itself with the melted snow – the room was very clean. They soon discovered four tunnels – one led to an overhand and a sharp drop down to mountain side – it would be a waterfall in spring. The other two led outside and down the mountain.

Conn was astonished as he walked to room. ‘How on earth did you find it?’

‘We found it together…’

Conn spun around to the voice. A young woman was sitting in the corner, meditating. It was Beowen.

‘Beowen! That explains something.’

Aga smiled. ‘Beowen has been of great assistance. I have always climbed mountains – since I was a girl – and this one just called me to explore it. I found Beowen in Hamazi and together we made our way here.’

Beowen stood and hugged him. ‘Mountain climbing is not my strong point, but I could feel this room.’

‘It’s truly amazing; it is perfectly round and yet there is not a tool mark anywhere.’

‘If you think it is impressive now, wait until the light enters the room.’

‘Light?’ Conn look up at the ceiling – there would have been about a dozen small holes that went through the granite rook to the outside world. ‘Light comes through those holes directly on to the floor?’

‘Not just the floor. You need to wait and see.’

They sat on the floor and waited, and it wasn’t long before a thin beam of light suddenly appeared on the floor; and when it did the floor suddenly lit up. It was like tracks of gems were embedded into the granite floor and the moment the light touched the floor, they were empowered. What was obvious was the outline of a very large island – or even a continent; of which their peak was the highest point.

‘This is the home land.’ Derryth was surprised. ‘This is where all the tribes originated –and this must be …’ he looked around the room with fresh eyes.

‘Must be what?’

‘The garden of the Gyden – all eight Gyden.’

‘Eight Gyden… now I’m confused – I thought there were only seven.’

He shook his head as the light flickered and the map disappeared. ‘There is one more – Asherah. She was the first Gyden…’ Derryth stopped as a light appeared and hit a spot in the floor that must have been a gemstone and the light beamed off the floor and onto one of the wall. The walls were covered in shallow relief carvings that seemed to grow with the light. Immediately they could see five stone chairs appear as if sucked out of the granite walls. The walls themselves appeared as if carved in images of the Gyden and it was obvious who the chairs belonged to; the Priecuman Gyden … Tabiti, Lilith, Badb, Inanna and Astarte. The onlookers had little time to react before the light went out, and they instinctively turned to the next wall.

Conn looked at Aga. ‘I presume that it is the turn of Ishtar and Ashtoreth?’

‘Yes – but Ashtoreth’s chair is unusual – it has a sword standing next to it. The light also doesn’t last long there.’

‘Really? A sword – why would she have a sword?’

It took longer for the light to appear and as soon as it did, the beam illuminated the wall, two chairs drew themselves from the granite wall – not real chairs but their images. The sword however didn’t look so unreal – it was very lifelike, and it was an Ancuman long sword – an ancient one. Conn recognized the sword immediately, and he did something that surprised everyone in the room. He sprinted towards the chairs and dived towards the wall. His swan dive towards the floor was luckily time perfectly – his hand gripped the scabbard just as the light shifted; the chairs disappeared but because he was holding the sword, it stayed, and it landed under Conn as he fell hard onto the hard stone floor, and against the wall.

Derryth raced over as Conn wheezed, gasping for breath, the fall on to the floor knocking the wind out of him. He helped him sit up.

‘What on earth are you doing? I thought you had been attacked by something.’

Conn held out the sword as he still held the scabbard. Derryth took it from him. ‘Look… at ... the symbol…’ Conn wheezed.

Derryth inspected the ancient blade. On the Scabbard was a black claw – beneath the symbol of the House of Axum.

‘The Eagle’s Claw – surely not?’

‘Yep; this has to be the sword of Geirfrith il Axum.’ Conn stood. ‘Why else would Ashtoreth have it. This sword belongs to the Healdend of Kishdah but the eldest son was so bad a war leader, that the father gave his sword to the second son – Geirfrith. That is probably another reason why he was murdered – he refused to give the sword back to his brother. To keep it away from his heirs, they gave it to their Gyden to protect – to keep it from human hands forever.’ Conn drew the blade from its scabbard, and nodded his head with approval. ‘This is a fine blade … it reminds me of …’

‘Of what?’

Conn shook his head. ‘My claymore … the shape of the blade – the edge and fuller are the same but the cross guard, pommel and hilt are different – as is the scabbard – but they are easier to change.’

He looked up as Aga called out. ‘The next light!’

The beam bounced off the floor to reveal a single chair– larger and older, and also one where the images behind were not of her but of her animals amid trees and jungle. As soon as it arrived, it was gone, the image not there long than sixty seconds.

Conn walked over to Aga and Beowen. ‘Thank you – I am indebted.’

‘It’s not finished yet. The last image is the most interesting.’

‘There is yet another Gyden?’

She shook her head. ‘No – I don’t think so. Wait and see – you can make up your own mind.’

The light came after a few minutes and it hit the floor and bounced off the wall. There was no person, just a stone chair, and the chair was carved with a giant motif of a sun in a circle. Around the base was fighting scenes with horses, pikes and long swords.

They were all silence as they stood and watched as the light flared and then went out. The image gone, they looked at each other in curiosity.

‘Just a coincidence…’ Derryth offered.

‘What else could it mean?’ Conn was deeply confused.

‘Why would there be an extra seat at the table of the Gyden…’ Aga asked somewhat rhetorically. She then looked at Conn. ‘What is so special about the sword’

‘This is the sword taken from the Casere by Benelfa il Neritum.’

‘From Sytha?’

‘Yes; and somehow it ended up in the family of the Healdend of Axum. Benelfa would have given it to the Healdend of Himyar – he was leader of the fyrd in Sytha. How it got to the Axum, I don’t know.’

The event concluded, Beowen suggested that they leave; it would be some time before the afternoon sun brought new images.

‘Is it the same?’ Derryth asked.

‘Yes, always the same.’

By now they had escaped the cave and were riding their borrowed horses down the mountain.

‘I do think that it best that we don’t mention it to anyone though.’ Conn offered.

‘People are already confused enough.’ Derryth added.

~oo0oo~

It was another two days before they returned to the castle, and Conn formulated plans for his departure to Meshech. He was about to organize a meeting when Caewyn sought him out.

Caewyn hugged him in greeting. ‘You leave soon?’

Conn nodded. ‘As soon as I’ve sorted things here’

‘Good. I think they’ll need you in Meshech. Don’t worry about Aeaea. We’ll take care of it for you until you return.’

With that he was dismissed.

Chapter 15
The Jarl of Siri

It was just autumn when the walls of Trokia appeared in the horizon. The schooner flew the brown sails with the gold sun and they sailed unheeded past the ships that cruised the coastline. As the weather lightened, more and more ships would take to the oceans to ply their trade – this time with an entirely new destination. It was just as well that there were lots of boats on the seas. At first all of the bigger ones were built and owned by Conn – but as the merchants became richer, they ordered their own. Conn’s shipyards were busy, and the flags of the new nouveau rich merchants dotted the coastline. The largest number belonged to the children and families of his old friend Abrecan. Abrecan was unfortunately not going to be in port to see him – the excesses of being horribly rich finally wore him down, and Conn regretted not being at his ‘sending off’.

All his party was not with him either – Hallvi stayed in Aeaea, with her son. She was happy that Derryth had Elfrea to travel with him. On his ships, Conn had the replenished fyrd of five hundred Twacuman plus the Kerchians, though he was down to four hundred of them.

There were enough people waiting for him at the docks however, including Abrecan’s grandson - Eogar von Aldred – the merchant and artisan classes had taken to using surnames – under Conn’s example – and Abrecan’s family called themselves von Aldred – after the oldest known ancestor they had. Eogar had visited Conn many times in Sytha and was quite a part of the family.

The most important people waiting were his three daughters – Tulia, the sixteen-year-old heir of Trokia, and her sisters Brenna and Ahilda. Brenna was also sixteen, while Ahilda was a mere thirteen. Tall, fit, and athletic, with straight black hair and stark blue eyes, it was obvious that they were his. It had been sometime since he had seen them – he was ashamed that he had never been a real father to his children from Meshech – his kids from Sytha had an improved father, but he was now gone and, he feared, unlikely ever to return.

He hugged his daughters and stood back to pass his eyes over them.

‘Well, haven’t you all grown? And you, Ahilda, I’m sorry to say that I haven’t see you since you were a baby. How is your mother?’

‘Mother is not well, papa,’ she answered evenly, ‘Otherwise she would be here to meet you. She has been taken with a sickness that has kept her in bed for three lunars – the medics say it is influenza; we have had many people die in the town over the winter. She hopes to see you as soon as you can make it.’

Conn introduced his travelling companions and they all climbed into small horse and buggies that took them the distance to the stone castle. A fortune had been spent rebuilding the castle and its walls – and its purpose had been achieved. The Ancuman had been kept out and the people safe. Without control of the sea, the town would almost be impossible to take, and then the lives lost would be so great, that it would hardly be worthwhile.

Inside the castle, Conn was ushered by the Valkeri guards to Aisly’s room. Conn found her sick and frail on her bed. He went and kissed her forehead and she woke. She looked up in surprise and her eyes softened and as she recognized him.

‘That is the first kiss I’ve had in ages – they are afraid to touch me.’

‘I’m tough. I doubt that I’ll catch it.’

She nodded. ‘Yes, you are. So tell me, what is happening in the world of Conn il Taransay.’

Conn spent some time with her explaining his travels – much water had flowed under the bridge since that had last seen. Later she asked.

‘You met our daughters?’

‘I did – they are beautiful like their mother. I expect that it has been hard to keep the boys – or girls – away.’

She nodded. ‘Tulia is a terror – she has every female in the castle whimpering as she walks past – begging to be noticed and seduced. Every lunar another heart is broken, as one lover is replaced with another. She can be uncaring and is very proud. I despair for her. Surprisingly Brenna is nothing like her – and is more interested in boys – but all here know that her father will chose her bedda.’ She sat up, and soup was brought for her, the nurse properly attired in gown and mask. ‘I expect someone will tell you of our battle with the Ancuman – but you can tell me what you expect to do now.

Conn explained his battle plans, and she almost laughed, before breaking into a cough. ‘As well as a heartbreaker like your daughter, you are a devious and cunning old fox. I hope it works. When do you leave?’

‘Within a few days or so – just as soon as I’ve checked that we are prepared, and the people I wait for arrive in time.’

‘Will it be that I live to see your victory?’

Conn kissed her hand again. ‘Of course you will. We are preparing some new medicine for you – some teas and potions that should allow you to recover. I’ll come and see you again tomorrow.’

Over the few days, Aisly did recover from her influenza – but she was still weak for some time. Conn ended up staying longer than he intended – one of his guests were running late. Halla arrived by ship from Cyme, pigeons had been sent as soon as he had been sighted.

Halla was not overly surprised to find that Conn already had two lovers travelling with him – his Ancuman bedda Vila il Jamut, and a Twacuman girl, Aga, from Makurai. Conn did make an effort to “reconnect” with Halla when he could. She was surprised that Vila was not pregnant. So was Conn – and it wasn’t that he was taking precautions.

The latest arrival was Vigbert – Conn decided that he needed him and a company of Axum wiga present to unsettle the opposition, and had requested him come from Jamut. He had been assured that the Jarl of Jamut would take charge of the wiga left behind – which was most of them. There were a lot of supporters of Geirfrith il Axum in the Aebeling’s troops in Meshech and he made sure that he knew about it by intercepting a merchant cog trying to reach the Aebeling, and then letting it go. Njil interrogated a few members of crew on the pretence that he was finding out about the prophesy and what was going to happen now that the sword of Geirfrith il Axum was back and that a rebellion was imminent.

The ships guarding the coast were aware of Vigbert’s ship – one of his junks – and they let the white sails with the black Eagle’s Claw symbol through unheeded.

He went with Brenna and Ahilda to the wharf to collect Vigbert. Tulia was too busy. The girl was starting resent her father’s influence in the town – she was used to being in charge, and she found it extremely galling that people would dart their eyes to him immediately after she gave an instruction – with her mother sick, she behaved as Wealdend, and expected to be treated as such. She also hated the fact that her father, nor Uncle Derryth, were not polite enough to let her win when she trained with them with Bo or sword or bow. She was simply not used to being beaten, and her pride was getting severely dented. Being only sixteen, she resorted to sulking and mistreating her servants and friends. She was becoming a concern to them all.

Brenna and Ahilda, on the other hand, adored having their father there to put their sister in her place.

The politics of everything was confusing Ahilda. ‘So Vigbert, an Axum Thane who is half Sythan, is the descendant of an Axum Healdend who was murdered by his brother so he is rebelling against his cousin the current Healdend in retaliation three hundred years later.’

‘That sums it up, I think.’

‘Isn’t that a long time to wait?’

‘Patience is a virtue’

‘So why is he coming here, if he is rebelling there?’

‘So that the men in the Aebeling’s fyrd can see that the rebellion is really happening – and that the rebels are on the same side as us Priecuman.’

‘Was that bit in the so called prophesy?’

‘Not that I know of – but it should have been.’

The junk eased into the wharf; while the deck bristled with heavily armed wiga. They didn’t carry horses; Conn had prepared animals here for them – as well as barracks for the two hundred and fifty men.

The gangplank lowered, the first off was not Vigbert but someone he didn’t expect to see; Steinvi il Axum.

She raced down the plank and raced into his arms and gave me a big hug. ‘Hello, strange man.’ She said as she untangled herself. She had clearly turned sixteen as her clothes were much more revealing than he was used to. She was going up – and out.

‘Steinvi – what in the name of all Gyden are you doing here? You and your mother are supposed to be in Axum.’

‘Yes, about that. What sort of plan was that – we arrive in Jamut and after a while, my mother and I leave by boat for Volci. So after we got back to Axum, my father refuses to speak to me and locked me up in the women’s quarters. I had lots to tell him as well.’ She rubbed her face when she spoke of her father. ‘Anyway, I got so bored, I decided to leave, and escaped back to Jamut just in time to join Vigbert on his adventure. And here I am.’ She went to Derryth and hugged him and then came back and looked the two girls who looked at her in a very bemused fashion. ‘More of your daughters I presume?’

‘Yes.’ Conn introduced them. They curtsied together.

‘I suspect you outrank me – I am the daughter of a Healdend, and you are both the daughters of a Wealdend, but I’m in your demesne. Vey inconvenient. I hope we still can be friends – I have all sort of friends since he’, she pointed to Conn ‘abducted me and made me a prisoner.’

‘Ignore her,’ Conn suggested, ‘she is prone to exaggeration.’ Vigbert had joined them by this time as the wiga started to disembark. Conn had a Major ready to guide them to their quarters. ‘But you are a complication I didn’t expect.’

‘Conn, you do not have to worry – my father thinks I am dead. I stupidly fell into the harbour and drowned. It was all a horrible accident.’

‘But you obviously didn’t drown – because I taught you how to swim – silly me.’ Conn found a nice beach in Nobatia and then had to teach her how to swim. He looked sternly at Vigbert but he held his palms out as if to say ‘Don’t look at me!’ ‘And how did you get to Jamut – you didn’t swim there did you?’

‘Of course not, silly man. Dagarr was waiting for me – we escaped together.’

Vigbert decided to join the conversation. ‘My father was summonsed to Axum to answer questions. He went to allay suspicion, and they imprisoned him as a traitor – without trial. He was due to be executed in public when Steinvi was able to smuggle him out of the prison – don’t ask me how – and then feigned her own demise and they made their way back to Jamut. She was quite the hero really.’

She smiled at him. ‘Alright then; I guess I was. But it was
so
boring in Axum, I had to do something.’

He looked at them both. ‘So, are you bedda yet?’

Steinvi shook her head. ‘No – but we want to be – immediately. But you are Vigbert’s father so we should be able to negotiate a suitable dowry for me. After all, I am the daughter of a Healdend.’ She looked at Conn and fluttered her eyes. ‘And you are bedda to my aunt…’

Derryth interrupted.

‘I’ll do it. I’m experienced. Shall we have a chat later.’

Conn looked at him quickly. ‘You will not. There is no way you are my agent in these negotiations – you cost me far too many ryals. I’ll find someone else.’ He looked back at Steinvi. ‘Very well – we’ll sort it out. We can do the ceremony tonight.’

Steinvi was aghast. ‘Tonight – not tonight – I have no clothes – I can’t possibly be ready in time.’

‘Yes, you can – Brenna and Ahilda will go shopping with you.’

The three girls raced off with their Valkeri escorts – Trokia was now a very large port and there were lots of people here who he didn’t know personally, so they were always under guard. The large number of Twacuman in the port provided additional, discreet, surveillance – they were his eyes and ears in all places.

~oo0oo~

The ceremony – performed by a folgere of Badb’s – was the highlight of the evening. Steinvi looked stunning in her while silk choli and pink sari. It cost a lot but covered little. The rest of the girls had to dress up as well, so Conn’s purse took a beating. Not of course that Conn actually paid for anything – his bankers simply paid invoices as they were presented - if authorize by seal.

Conn had gone to see his bankers soon after he arrived. Eogar von Aldred was one of the senior trustees of his banking empire. Eogar said they had a problem.

‘So what is this problem? Have we run out of ryals? I know I’ve been spending a lot.’

‘Never that. No, it gold – we have too much gold – and silver – too much of that as well. We literally have mountains of it that we don’t know what to do with – or more importantly, protect.’

‘Just mine?’

He shook his head. ‘No – others as well; the merchants are getting very wealthy, as are the lairds – but the ryals supply has increased tenfold over the last thirty years with the output from mines here and in Sytha. Your mining company is opening up mines everywhere. Even the war has not diminished it greatly as nothing happens without you getting some of it back. The wiga spend ryals on food, wine and women – your vineyards produce forty percent of all wine in Meshech and thirty percent in Sytha; while the food comes either off your estates or is carried by your ships. And the women work in your taverns most of the time. Weapons come from your factories – the circle is endless – and what are we going to do with the gold that comes from Kishdah as the merchants sell goods there.’