The Bretwalda (The Casere Book 4) (7 page)

‘No, I don’t think he does. I’m also taking the gambit that someone there does. Someone has to.’

‘That is really helpful.’ She took a deep breath. ‘So who am I taking with me.’

‘Asbera, Sarun, Ewan and Sigrid – and a few others; maybe five – let’s see who wants to volunteer?’

‘Marquis, are you not taking a huge risk? What if there are folgere there?

‘Folgere are never anywhere without Axum to protect them – no Axum, no folgere.’

~oo0oo~

It was midday, two days after his children had left to find Farrun. Conn was pacing up and down, and had been doing so for hours. Derryth was lying down under a shady tree. ‘You know, that is getting very annoying. Can you walk somewhere else? I told you, they were alive when they arrived in Farrun’s camp. He is maintaining a very secure perimeter and we couldn’t get very close.’

‘I know. Still, I have to do something.’

‘Try to do something less annoying then. The trees are unsettled by your movement and they keep complaining to me. Anyway, you said that he won’t kill them when he finds out who they are.’

‘No, he can’t kill them if he knows who they are. It is not considered appropriate amongst the Ancuman to kill one’s relatives. I believe that a Bretwalda introduced that rule to stop the assassination and murder of his children by other children.’

‘Irony in itself.’

They shared a laugh before Derryth continued. ‘Anyway, I’m glad you’re back.’ A year ago, soon after the birth of his son, Derryth had left Meshech and gone to Iladion with Hallvi. Conn had sent for him a lunar before he had departed Sytha for Meshech.

‘So how was the last six years at home?’

‘Okay for the first four; then I was bored silly.’

‘Four years?’

‘Four lunars. There are only so many trees you can talk to.’

‘But you have a child…’

‘He is only three – he doesn’t make much sense yet. And he thinks the trees are telling him jokes so he laughs at them. Young people are so annoying. Anyway, if you are right, all we can do is wait.’

‘I know – but I hate waiting.’

~oo0oo~

A day later, they were advised that two riders were heading their way; and by lunch time they were escorted into Conn’s tent. Conn stood to greet them, and laughed when he saw who one was. He welcomed him warmly.

‘Volund il Alwa, you pop up in the most unexpected of places. I can’t imagine what you are doing here.’

‘Kutidi sent me to take care of Sarun – just in case he turned up. I even had to join the infantry. I’m a sailor. I hate walking and riding. And training even more.’

Conn looked to the second wiga. He looked most uncomfortable at the friendly nature of the relationship that Conn and Volund had. ‘And this is?’

‘This is Agingur il Sinjar in Saba; brother of the Jarl of Sinjar and commander of the Saba forces, and uncle to Farrun and Asbera’s mother Elddis. He thinks I’m a traitor because I’m on speaking terms with you.’

Conn greeted the elderly Jarl respectfully. ‘Jarl, welcome to my camp. Be assured that I am not an enemy of the Ancuman – I am just in opposition to Axum policies that affect me and mine.’

He bowed back and smiled thinly. ‘It seems that you and yours extends to all of Meshech and Sytha – and it would seem now Saba and Nobatia. You and the Bretwalda have more in common than it would otherwise appear.’

Conn smiled back. ‘It has been noted. But I guarantee that my methods are nothing like his and my objectives are different as well.’

Agingur nodded. ‘Perhaps. Not that it detracts from the fact that I owe you a debt of gratitude for saving my niece’s life. She was one of the last of her line.’

‘I am sorry that it was not for longer. I thought her wound had healed.’

‘It had – but the birth caused problems – possibly because it was twins. Also she was very distraught after the event. When twins are born in Kishdah, the weaker one is always left to die. Twins are very unusual amongst the Ancuman – and are considered bad luck. To have twins that are not the same gender is almost unheard of.’

‘Who was the weaker?’

‘The boy – Farrun. He was born second but we were unable to seek a medic because they would have taken him away to die. There are so few of the house of Nobatia – no boys are born to any other than the Aebeling. We were not about to give a boy to an Axum medic.’

‘So how did you hide him?’

‘I had no bedda – so I took a woman as my bedda who is of my clan. She was the daughter and heir of the Jarl of Kinjan and we adopted him. No one knew that Elddis had a son – just a daughter, as would have been a reasonable and expected outcome of being captured and raped.’

Conn interrupted. ‘I didn’t rape her.’

Agingur acknowledged the fact. ‘I know – she told us. But it suited her survival better if that small detail was not widely known. In her shame as a wiga she sought permission to move to Aeaea. She received that and my uncle took her there. The rest I think you know.’

‘I do. I am uncertain on one point. Farrun is known now as of Nobatia but you intimated that he was raised as of Kinjan. When was his identity discovered?’

‘When he joined the Folctoga Military Academy. The Axum are very particular about who goes in. When he was doing so well they investigated further and uncovered who he was but were unable to do anything about it. He is the youngest Folctoga to graduate from the Academy.’

‘Did anyone know that I am his father?’

Agingur shook his head. ‘No, no one knew. Not even me.  Which was just as well – it is not possible to lie to a Folgere. They sent some to question me and even more were sent to Aeaea to question my uncle and Elddis, but they were both dead – and Asbera had disappeared.’ He involuntarily shivered. ‘Damn folgere.’

‘So they are trying to get him killed by sending him to Kania under-resourced?’

‘Yes, that is the conclusion we have drawn.’

‘We’ll have to do something about that.’ Conn turned back to Volund. ‘So are my children safe?’

Volund answered. ‘Of course – Sarun and his kin are now protected by a thousand wiga from Alwa. The only one in danger is the Folctoga. He is a bit confused and requests your attendance in his camp. He is liable to go mad…’

‘We will leave in the morning.’

‘I presume you have a plan?’

‘Volund, I always have a plan.’

‘However’, Derryth interjected, ‘the problem is that people sometimes don’t like his plans very much.’

~oo0oo~

It was very early when they set out; Conn took the rest of his children with him – and the Browns and the five hundred Twacuman. The five companies of Greens were to remain until the Golds collected them on their way to Trokia, with the path now clear, to encircle the Ancuman wiga in Gatina.

After two days of travelling, Agingur set out alone to prepare Farrun for their arrival, which would be late in the afternoon. It was an eerie feeling as they finally rode between the lines of Ancuman wiga into the town of Tamar. It had been many years since Conn had been in Tamar – he had ridden through on his way to Trokia during the war with Gatina. It was much changed. Nice two storied houses sat along neat and ordered paved streets with extensive paving and drainage systems; his town planning guidelines were reaching every corner of Meshech.

It didn’t seem that the Ancuman wiga were destroying the town. A very ordered military camp had been set up outside the town while it appeared that only a small number of residences had been commandeered inside the town. As they rode in; everyone was silent. Conn led less than fifty riders; the rest were setting up camp outside of the town.

They arrived at the main square, and the large house that was the home of the Eaorl. Conn remembered his name to be Cynbald but presumed that his son would have succeeded by now. Agingur waited outside alongside a younger man and the ‘hostages’.

Farrun was almost Conn’s size and build – though he lacked the same complexion. He spoke to Conn as he alighted from his horse.

‘Welcome Conn il Taransay. I am surprised on so many levels – not the least being that I expected someone much older. The Priecuman age much faster than us – or the Twacuman. I presumed that you were Priecuman.’ He indicated to Derryth and Wilric. ‘I welcome the Twacuman as well. It was reported that the Twacuman rode with you in Sytha, but not as many as I understand to be with you now. I see that most of your horses are the dreaded Elfina.’

‘I am lucky to have the forbearance of the Twacuman and the indulgence of the Elfina.’ Conn acknowledged as he followed Farrun inside the hall. ‘I trust that the Eaorl of Tamar is well?’

‘Eoric? Yes, he is, annoyingly so. Exceedingly tedious to talk to because he isn’t versed in much except the growing of crops. I gather you had him spend two whole years learning something called “agronomy”. I had to ban him from talking about the growing of rice. I told him if he mentioned it again I would have him executed.’

‘You don’t like rice?’

‘I do. It is most satisfying. I just don’t want to talk about it anymore.’

As they sat down, Conn introduced Halla to his son.

He acknowledged her. ‘It is said that the women of the famous island of Cyme are more beautiful than all women and more powerful than all men. At least the former I now know to be true.’

Halla almost blushed as she turned and smiled at Conn. ‘I like him already.’

Conn had taken from his horse a long package that was wrapped in waterproof cloth.

‘I have something for you, Farrun – and can I call you Farrun?’

‘If I am to believe everything that has been told to me over these last days, it would seem that you have that right.’ He paused to watch Conn hand the package to a retainer, who handed it to him. ‘I did not require a gift.’

‘It is not a gift. I’ve been keeping it for you. It was your mother’s.’

He un-wrapped it carefully, finally revealing a Longsword. He looked at it carefully. ‘It is a fine blade – ancient, very well balanced. It seems that it is a blessed blade. I see the sign of Ishtar on the handle. And it has another sign on the other side of the pommel. I do not recognize it.’ He turned. ‘Uncle?’

His uncle studied the blade. ‘You do not recognize the device because it is banned. It is not just the old device of the house of Nobatia – that is the one used by Kaleb, the last Healdend of Nobatia.’

‘This is Kaleb’s sword?’

‘It has to be. There is no other like it that I know of.’

Farrun twirled the blade around in his hands. ‘Amazing. It is exactly the same weight and feel as my current blade’

Conn agreed. ‘I hope so. It took a lot to replicate.’

Farrun stood still. He got out his sword. ‘This sword – you made it yourself?’

Conn nodded. ‘I did – and am glad that it found you.’

‘I don’t understand.’ Farrun was still confused ‘How did my mother have Kaleb’s sword? Was it not destroyed by the Axum when they vanquished Ishtar, and subjugated Nobatia?’

Agingur shook his head. ‘So it is said – by the Axum. But it has always been in the family; protected. I think that the Aebeling thinks he has it.’ Agingur then looked at Conn. ‘How is it that you have it?’

‘Elddis left it with me when I sent her back to Kishdah. She said to have it would be dishonourable as the rest of her squad had died. I only realized that something was special about the sword when I tried to replicate it; the handle was unbalanced. So I took off the leather covering and then removed a layer of lead and found Ishtar’s gemstone and the two crests. It seems that it had been in hiding. As to why Elddis had it in the first place, and not the Aebeling, only you can answer that.’

Agingur shook his head in sudden bemusement. ‘Elddis’s grandfather was Bergurl. He hated his brother Bergsten because Bergsten was the heir as his mother was from Axum, even though Bergurl was the elder. Bergurl must have duplicated the sword and switched it.’

‘The sword came with a book. Did you send that to me as well?’ Farrun returned to speak to Conn, having put the sword away.

‘I did. Have you found it of use?’

‘I have. I was given both by one of our Twacuman servants and he used to read it to me at first. It was very strange. He was old and I hardly ever heard him speak but he would sit with me for hours in the forest when I was young and read me the book and practise with the swords. His skills were greater than I’d appreciated. It was our little secret. The book taught me much that our Axum masters did not want me to understand – and I did well at the academy because of that. My squads always won; even when training activities were designed especially for us to lose; much to the annoyance of my teachers. It is probably the reason that I am here. My cousin, Arnben, the Aebeling of Nobatia, needed someone in charge of the Nobatia fyrd, and for a variety of reasons I was chosen Folctoga. When we left Trokia, I was elected Folctoga of the combined forces.’ He looked around the room and found Volund, who turned away to avoid his gaze. ‘I did not understand the support that I received from the Alwa fyrd, but now I suspect that Folctoga Volund knew something I didn’t.’

Volund looked back and shrugged. ‘It seemed to me the only way I was going to survive this war was to be on the Marquis of Kerch’s side – and you were the next best alternative. Agingur would have gotten us killed by now.’