The Bretwalda (The Casere Book 4) (8 page)

Agingur was offended at the suggestion but didn’t refute it. He was the oldest and most senior Folctoga – as commander of the Saba forces. His fellow commanders included Ingesten, Jarl of Adana in western Himyar, Rendel, the Jarl of Tarsus in Makurai, and most unlikely of all, Volund, a sea captain from Alwa. Farrun was the youngest by far.

It brought Conn back to his earlier suspicions. ‘Volund, just how did you get to be Folctoga of the Alwa fyrd. You have been in Aeaea for years.’

He smiled mischievously. ‘I was attached to the Alwa fyrd in Aeaea due to my experiences in Sytha, and then the previous Folctoga went crazy on the voyage over and jumped into the ocean. We could do nothing to save him and my kinsmen elected me Folctoga in his stead.’

Conn looked at him strangely. ‘You threw an Alwa folctoga overboard?’

Volund was aghast at the suggestion. ‘Of course not! He was Axum.’

Farrun continued, shaking his head. ‘Anyway, Marquis, I thank you for the book and the sword – both of them. Now that you are here, let us eat. We have more pressing matters. The first of which, is what I am going to do with over five thousand wiga if I can’t fight anyone.’ He paused to look at his father strangely, ‘You understand that small technicality I think…’

‘I do. I was counting on it. But I have a plan.’

~oo0oo~

Volund burst out laughing. ‘You are indeed crazy!’

Farrun was speechless. Agingur tried to speak but couldn’t. Volund broke the silence.

‘Although the plan is audacious, it’s also impossible. However, the more I think about it, the more I like the concept – despite its failings. To fail could cause the deaths of thousands; our clans would be exterminated like dogs.’

‘Failure isn’t an option. Consider what we know. Firstly, is it true to say that the Southern Isles are depleted of wiga - especially Axum?’

Farrun agreed. ‘Yes; that had occurred to me – more than once, but the Bretwalda is no fool. The reason I have been able to operate alone is that he controls the ships – I have none at my disposal – so even if I wanted to go home, I can’t.’

‘That is not true anymore – I have over sixty ships waiting in Dor. All carry over 100 wiga and horses each. They will get you to Kishdah within a lunar.’

‘Wait, wait, wait!’ Farrun stood up and moved around. ‘Let me repeat what you said. You have over sixty ships waiting in Dor? The town with the very large walls?’

‘Yes.’

‘I thought the Axum controlled the oceans. They landed everyone without incident.’

‘We let them. There are too many bows on board if you attack a loaded vessel. Much easier to attack the boat after the wiga have left. Indeed, thirty of those in Dor are Axum cogs that surrendered to me soon after you landed. Some didn’t surrender and they sank.’

‘Okay; it is all starting to make sense. I couldn’t understand why it was so easy – after all you do have a reputation. After we landed, it got harder.’ He mulled it even further. ‘The rumour about surrendering that I heard in Aeaea – you had that spread around?

‘I did.’

Farrun was starting to think things through. ‘Okay, and what do we do when we land in Kishdah? There will be resistance. As much as I’d like to lead a rebellion against the Axum, I just can’t see how it can end well. The individual clans are still somewhat, well, self-centred. I don’t know if we can even rely on the Aebelings to rally to our cause.’

‘Tell me about the Aebeling in the Southern Isles; which do we need to protect and which can we afford to lose?’

They were all sitting around a large table in the hall, and wine was being served. Haran wine, Conn noted. There was a pause, and then Agingur spoke.

‘Kolbert il Saba is my cousin – and he is a good man. But we can’t afford to lose any of them because the Axum are their heirs.’

Conn shook his head. ‘Agingur, after the rebellion, there will be no Axum to determine anything. Their rules no longer apply.’

Nervously, the Folctoga looked around at each other and nodded in comprehension. The thought of rebelling was both exciting and terrifying to them.

Volund then went through the list. ‘Kolbert is indeed a good man – as is Svenben in Himyar; Sigkarl in Makuria is old – and he doesn’t have an heir. As for Nobatia and Alwa – well, Borgsyn il Alwa is the only Aebeling that considers himself Axum – because he really is. Kutidi’s grandfather Svengur only had surviving daughters from several Axum bedda – only his bedda from Alwa had a son – Saera, Kutidi’s father. With only daughters, some cousin of the Bretwalda took one of them as bedda – he had the choice – and became Aebeling. He is Borgsyn’s father. In Nobatia?’ He looked to Farrun.

‘The Aebeling is Arnben. He is my uncle and is very unwell. He has a son, Erikurl, who is also unwell. He was born a few years ago. I have no reason to hate them. Arnben was of great assistance to me a couple of years ago.’

Conn looked back at Volund. ‘You said that Makurai doesn’t have an heir. No children at all?’

Rendel, the Folctoga of Makurai, answered the question. ‘None officially. His inclinations are almost exclusively otherwise directed. But he has inadvertently sired a son with a girl who was not his official bedda. She was fifteen at the time. Their son’s name is Eldarr. He is my adopted son as his mother became my bedda.’

‘I see. And where is this Eldarr now?

‘He is here – in my fyrd, as a junior Folctoga. He is a good and capable wiga – like Folctoga Farrun, he achieved his rank the hard way. Although I have raised him as my own, I know his father is aware of him, and has acknowledged him.’

‘So Saba, Himyar, and Makuria have Aebelings that we need to worry about. The question is how do we do that?’ He looked around the table. ‘Farrun, after we land on Saba, what is going to happen?’

Farrun was stunned. ‘After “we” land?’

‘Yes, I’m going with you.’

‘You are intending on going to Kishdah – with your fyrd?’

‘Of course. I don’t think that you can do it without me – not without causing a lot more deaths than necessary. Most of the Axum forces are in Gatina so resistance will be minimal. After I help you rid the Axum from the southern isles, I’ll return to deal with the Axum here.’

Farrun laughed aloud. ‘So you have a whole plan to – what – restore the Healdend to rule.’ He stopped laughing when Conn didn’t join him. ‘You’re serious – but you have forgotten the folgere.’

Suddenly very serious, Conn shook his head. ‘No, never – I will never forget the folgere. That is my sole motivation. They have chosen to attack one of mine and for that they will all pay. They are on the very top of my list. When we get there, you’ll deal with the Axum and I’ll deal with the folgere.’

‘I guess you haven’t forgotten anything then.’

‘I don’t think so.’

‘I’m starting to believe that myself. Anyway, I can’t think of a better plan, so if everyone agrees,’ he looked around and all his commanders nodded, ‘then I guess that is what we do. It will take us two days to be ready to ride.’

‘Good; we will leave in the morning and expect you in a few days after we arrive.’

‘I don’t really know what I’ve got myself into; but okay.’

Conn stood to leave. ‘Farrun, I have another question. You have no Twacuman in your camp? I hear the Aebeling has many.’

He nodded. ‘I chose not to bring any. A report I read – though it was not reported in ANY of the official reports of the military failures in Meshech or Sytha – said that you are called the Feorhhyrde. If you are really the Feorhhyrde, then I could not trust any Twacuman under my command. There was no point in having people here I could not trust.’

‘The Aebeling ignored your advice?’

Farrun smiled. ‘I forget if I remembered to tell him my thoughts on the subject. Besides, as a half breed, he doesn’t listen to me anyway. We’ve had a few clashes in the past.’

‘His instructions would not have been to settle in Kania either.’

It was a broader smile this time. ‘Indeed; he wanted me to attack Kaniak and then Moetiak. A fool’s errand. I would like to think that we would have held our own but eventually we would have all died. Folctoga Volund was very insistent about us NOT attacking your fyrd. So I decided to wait and see what you were going to do.’ He paused before asking. ‘What would you have done about me?’

‘I honestly don’t know.’

~oo0oo~

Conn took his family – except for Sarun and Asbera who wanted to stay with their kin, and headed out the next morning. At the head of the Browns, he headed north towards Dor, a six-day ride. It was not as comfortable as it could be with all the villages along the way deserted and the fields abandoned. Luckily for Kania, they could quickly return to their fields and homes as the Ancuman would be going home, and Farrun hadn’t burned anything to the ground.

As Conn arrived on the outskirts of Dor, he sent forth a messenger telling the Eaorl of Dor that Conn was on his way. The Eaorl was expecting him – he just wasn’t sure when – because Sir Njil was sure to be in the castle already, waiting.

Inside the huge walls, Conn headed for the main hall where Arlen and Brit and their families waited for him; it had been 17 years since Conn had arranged their joining and they had three children together. Conn knew that the eldest, a boy, was serving in the Meshech Navy as a Cadet. Arlen also had several other children with other bedda.

Conn dismounted and gave the pair a hug. It was over ten years since he had last seen them in Rakiak.

Conn looked around. ‘I see that Dor has prospered.’

Arlen bowed gracefully. He was still fairly fit and athletic. Prosperity hadn’t gone to his head – or worse, his waist. ‘With no little help from your kind self. Why don’t you come inside and tell me why I have three hundred ships in my harbour? Njil has been keeping me company but hasn’t been telling me much more.’

After a long discussion and not a few pints of beer, Arlen was extremely bemused. ‘So let me get this right. You are taking the invading fyrd from Kishdah back to Kishdah to invade Kishdah.’

‘It’s not like I’m invading – I’m just helping the oppressed against the oppressor. I won’t be attacking anyone other than Axum – and folgere of course. All good fun stuff.’

‘It really doesn’t pay to get on your bad side! So when do they start to arrive – all five thousand of them?’

‘Within three days. I will leave it to you and Njil to organize it so that we can get them straight on to the ships and away. It should take no more than a few days – and we’ll load the smaller, slower vessels first – the Ancuman vessels. We need to speak to the Ancuman ship Masters – all those that are not Axum of course.’

‘I’ll send for them. I’ll be very happy to get rid of them. They are very good eaters. Thank the Gyden you are paying for their food.’

So by the time the first of the Ancuman wiga arrived, the Masters were ready – their crews more than happy about going home. As it turned out, most of the ships in harbour were crewed by men from the Southern Isles. The Axum had mostly sunk their vessels, and what crews had survived were spread out amongst all the other boats.

Volund and the Alwa forces were the first to arrive, and steady streams of riders started to appear. They were guided down the cobbled streets in ordered columns to the wharf. There they dismounted, loaded their horses on before settling themselves on board. As each ship was filled, it pulled away from the wharf, and was replaced by another. The loaded vessels headed north for open water, and then turned to the north-east for Kishdah.

As the last of the ships were being loaded, Volund went in search of Conn.  ‘Have you considered my request?’ he asked.

‘I have. I trust you to take care of him, so he can go with you.’

‘He is as my son.’ He smiled. ‘In this I actually fear Kutidi more than you. And that says a lot.’

Soon after he arrived in Dor, Volund requested that Sarun be allowed to continue to travel with the men from Alwa, as was fitting for an Aebeling from Alwa.

Later, Conn stood on the docks and watched his third son wave goodbye, for the moment.

‘They grow up and leave you – it is all very inconvenient.’ Derryth mused as the ship slipped out of the harbour.

‘Indeed. Luckily I still have a few more to keep me company!’ He was surrounded by the rest of his children and the girls were all crying – most would be staying in Dor and not going to Kishdah. He had decided to take only his children with Ancuman blood. Having the Twacuman children there would present too many additional problems.

Much to her annoyance, Halla agreed to stay behind to take care of the children that remained.

Because he was leaving her again, she insisted that they spend every night together. In his room that night, with their two naked bodies snuggled up to each other, energies spent, she asked what had been left unasked.

‘So how long do you think you will be away? I’ve only just got you back and you are leaving again.’

‘It will take more than one summer. When I come back, it will be in Trokiak – then I will deal with the Bretwalda.’

‘I will be there waiting. Then will it all be over?’

‘I honestly don’t know. But what I do know is that I seem to have recovered a little energy – looking at your naked body in the moonlight has that effect.’