Yseult: A Tale of Love in the Age of King Arthur (58 page)

Arthur poured a glass of wine for each of them. "We need to learn more about the army Cerdic is leading north."

Cai took the glass Arthur offered, nodding. "I will send more scouts out with specific instructions."

"They should try to get close enough to discover what languages the soldiers speak around the campfire at night," Drystan suggested.

"At least Pasgen is no longer playing coy," Bedwyr said.

Arthur took a sip of his wine, an uncharacteristic smile playing around his lips. "Yes, he has suddenly become a great partisan of British unity."

"Should we try to flush the Saxons out of hiding?" Cai asked.

Arthur put his glass down and began to pace. "That is what I would want to do, but I'm afraid they may intend to draw us out, catch us where our position is not as strong. We are lucky Pasgen has maintained the defensive earthworks in these hills."

"With Cerdic an unknown quantity, we can't risk leaving Aquae Sulis unprotected," Drystan added.

Bedwyr's sardonic smile turned up his lips. "Oh, it will not be unprotected: Pasgen will see to that."

"But it will not be protected enough," Arthur said. "He has a force of five centuries at his disposal — large by the standards of many regional kings, but not enough to defend all the roads leading to Aquae Sulis."

He stopped pacing, and by the look in his eyes it was obvious he had reached a decision. "We will send a cavalry troop of no more than a century into the hills south of the Abona with express orders to flee if they are attacked. The Saxons will wait to move until reinforcements have arrived, so we also need to increase the watch along the Sabrina Estuary. Bedwyr, you see to it that the beacons and signal stations of the Downs and the local hill-forts are checked. Drystan, I want you to have word sent to Gwythyr, Natanleod, and Oneon on our eastern front, see if they can spare any troops from the defense of the border to Ceint."

"And until we receive word?" Drystan asked.

Arthur finished off the wine in his glass and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "We wait."

* * * *

Luckily, the waiting was a busy waiting. Once the first cavalry unit found signs of the Saxons in the hills south of the Abona River, Arthur's troops harried their ranks whenever they could find them. Lookouts were established on the northern coast, the longboats of the Saxons destroyed, and an extra century of cavalry commanded to the town of Trajectus between Aquae Sulis and the deserted port of Abona. Scouts were coming and going constantly, and Arthur and Pasgen met every day, working out the distribution of fighting men on the hill-forts overlooking the Abona River and the major roads.

While preparations progressed satisfactorily, not all the news was good. Two of the scouts sent to spy on the forces Cerdic was leading north never returned, and the others could only report that the army had disappeared from the Cunetio road as if a thousand men had never existed.

Once again, Arthur paced the confines of his tent within the ramparts of Caer Baddon. "There's no other explanation," the Dux Bellorum said. "Cerdic has turned traitor and gone over to the Saxons."

Drystan and the other men standing at attention said nothing. It was obvious to all that Arthur was right.

"We will have to assume Aquae Sulis is to be attacked both from the east and the west," Arthur continued. "We have troops guarding the roads in all directions, but if the Saxons receive reinforcements before they attack, as I suspect they will, ..." His sentence trailed off, but none of them needed elaboration.

"Why are you so sure they will wait for reinforcements?" Cai asked. His convalescence had been long, and he now walked with a limp, but he was as tall and broad and goldenly impressive as he had ever been.

Arthur stopped pacing and stood in front of them, counting his reasons off on his long, broad fingers. "One, they were not prepared to winter in Abona, which means they have been foraging and living off the supplies they took from the villas they raided last autumn. Two, they know we are in a good position here, the town fortified, and the surrounding hills giving us a defensive advantage. Three, if they had felt strong enough after the battle of Glevum, they would have attacked last fall, despite the heavy rains. A number of those who escaped the battlefield were most likely seriously injured, and by the time they felt well enough to make the journey all the way to Ceint, the weather was too uncertain for their longboats."

Bedwyr nodded. "The Saxons will send as many men as they can to try to crush Arthur the Bear."

Arthur crossed his arms in front of his chest across his purple surcoat. "But we cannot afford to pull too many troops from our eastern front, as much as I would want to. Cerdic is somewhere between Aquae Sulis and Calleva, and his army would most likely fall on any reinforcements that came via the Cunetio road."

They were all silent a moment, contemplating the seriousness of the situation. Drystan noted the creeping gray at Arthur's temples and the lines on his forehead which seemed to get deeper with each battle.

A signal trumpet sounded outside in the camp, and they all looked at each other.
Was it good news or bad?

Arthur gave a curt nod, and they left the tent as quickly as they could.

A lookout was already hurrying to Arthur's tent when they emerged. "A large troop on its way from the south —reinforcements, Dux!"

"From where?" Arthur asked.

"They are on the Roman road from Lindinis and carry the banner of the Durotriges."

Drystan felt a smile break out over his face. "Cador!"

Arthur wore an answering smile. "Indeed. Perhaps we should lead the welcoming committee for our cousin?"

Although it had only been a little over nine months since Drystan had last seen Cador, his younger cousin had changed. Any boyishness that had still clung to his features last summer was gone, and a day's growth of beard darkened his fair face. He led a unit of over one hundred horse, as far as Drystan could judge — both mounts and men much needed.

When Cador dismounted within the earthwork ramparts of the hill-fort, Arthur took him in a quick, tight embrace and then pushed him back to arm's length, smiling. "Well met, Cousin. I don't have the words to tell you how welcome you are in Caer Baddon."

Cador grinned, and Drystan caught traces of the boy in his expression. "Oh, I think I can imagine."

Drystan came forward. "Cador. It is good to see you again."

"And you, Drys." They embraced.

"How are your mother and sister?" he asked when they released each other again.

Cador gave his mount into the care of a soldier and then turned back to Drystan. "Well. They asked me to send greetings."

"Any news of the campaign in the east?" Arthur asked.

Cador sighed. "Last fall, we were barely able to hold the Saxons back until the rains came. But Oneon and Gwythyr began to receive reinforcements from a number of neighboring kings even before the weather changed. There were enough that I was able to return to Dyn Draithou for Christmas."

Bedwyr joined them, taking Arthur by the elbow. "The new arrivals need refreshment, my friend. Perhaps we can continue the discussion of war after they have had something to drink and eat and washed off the grime of the road."

Arthur gave a wry grin. "Yes, of course."

The gathering broke up, and Drystan returned to the tent he shared with Kurvenal. His friend was seated on a stump, a wax tablet on his knee, working out the wording of a letter to Brangwyn, if Drystan was any judge.

Kurvenal looked up as he approached. "Good news, I take it?"

Drystan nodded. "Cador has arrived with cavalry reinforcements."

"Good." Kurvenal's smile was distracted, and he immediately bent over his tablet again.

Drystan ducked into the tent and looked around at the meager belongings of a soldier's life. Should he also write Yseult? But what was he to say? He could tell her of Cador's arrival, could tell her of the waiting, could ask for news of his "brother." But he could not tell her of what was in his heart, as Kurvenal could tell Brangwyn, could not describe to her how he thought of her every night while lying on his pallet, his fingers laced behind his head as he stared at the inside of the tent, listening to the sounds of the camp die away; could not tell her how he imagined, over and over, a future that didn't exist where the two of them could be happy together.

He sighed and took up his own writing tablet.

* * * *

Three days later, longboats were sighted in the Sabrina Estuary, heading for the mouth of the Abona River.

Arthur sent 150 mounted warriors to make the Saxon landing difficult and harry their ranks from a safe distance, but he did not want to split up the forces amassed on the hills surrounding Aquae Sulis more than necessary — especially now that they were sure Cerdic led an enemy army. Given their disadvantage in numbers, they could not give up their advantage in position.

Arthur was determined to choose the battleground this time. A small cavalry troop was sent east to try once again to determine the whereabouts of Cerdic's army. They would be as prepared as they could be.

Cador had taken up residence in Drystan and Kurvenal's tent: the kings of the Durotriges had sent men and mounts, but did not have tents enough for such a large-scale campaign. Arthur had Owain move the Ergyng forces his father Madoc had spared from the defense of Corinium to Banner Hill to the east, north of the Roman road to Cunetio. Pasgen guarded the western entrance to Aquae Sulis, and Manawyd, the hero of Tribruit, held the hills south of Aquae Sulis. Lot's sons Gawain and Gaheris held the hills directly south of Caer Baddon and east of Aquae Sulis, on the opposite side of the Abona River.

While they waited for the enemy to advance, their duties consisted of participating in regular scouting and raiding parties, acting as lookout for signal fires, patrolling the perimeters of the hill-fort, and, always, practicing their fighting skills: running up and down the steep slopes of Caer Baddon, charging and retreating with their mounts on the hillside, practicing their skills with sword and spear and bow and arrow. Some troops specialized more in one discipline than another, but Arthur insisted that all his men be prepared to fight in any kind of battle situation. An archer could run out of arrows and be forced to draw the sword at his hip; a member of the cavalry could have his mount killed beneath him and be forced to fight on foot.

They were waiting, but they were not bored. Below the surface, tension permeated the camp, like the constant humming of bees in summer, something a man only noticed when he first became aware of it but which soon was no more than part of the environment.

Ten days after the Saxon longboats were sighted, Drystan was riding up Caer Baddon after taking messages between the other camps on the neighboring hills. The Saxons were nearing Aquae Sulis. Dusk was falling, a sharp wind from the west grew sharper the higher he climbed, and suddenly an eagle flew out of the dark corner of the sky to his right, crying out in a shrill voice that sent a shiver down his spine.

He stopped, and time stood still.

The signal fire on Banner Hill leapt to brilliant life.

Drystan dug his heels into the flanks of his mare and charged towards the earthen ramparts on the flat top of the hill-fort.

The camp was a flurry of activity at the signal, the soldiers gathering in the area empty of tents on the southern edge that Arthur used for mustering the troops. By the time Drystan arrived, beacon fires were burning brightly on all the hills surrounding Aquae Sulis.

As Drystan dismounted just inside the ramparts, Arthur strode into the midst of the waiting warriors. The Dux got up on one of the stumps they used in place of chairs, and the milling men grew still.

Arthur looked around at his audience in the growing twilight. "As you all know, the beacon from the east means that Cerdic's troops have been sighted and are advancing on Aquae Sulis. I do not yet know how close they are or whether they are already deployed; we must wait for the messenger from Banner Hill for that."

Cador brought a torch from somewhere and took up position next to Arthur. "Thank you, Cousin," Arthur said and turned back to his men. "It is doubtful Cerdic's army will try to sneak past our defenses under cover of night — they are too many not to be detected. But in case they do try, we must increase the men at the guard posts. I would like the commanding officers to report to me. That is all. Sleep, for tomorrow we will most likely fight."

When the impromptu gathering broke up, Drystan brought his mount to the pen near the entrance of the earthworks and rubbed her down. There would be time to wash up before joining Arthur and the others in the main tent. The leaders from the other defensive positions would need some time to get to Caer Baddon to discuss their strategy, after all.