Saxon Bane (25 page)

When they had gone there was just Myrddyn and Gawan left. “Who is this Eanfrith?”

“I had heard the name, Hogan Lann, but I thought he was insignificant for he was not with his father at Wrecsam. We have much to discover.”

The remnants of our mighty army drifted in the next day.  It was a sorry sight. I could see, from their numbers that they had lost heavily. There were but four scouts who remained.  Daffydd ap Miach was at the head of a mere forty archers. Of Bors and Kay there was no sign. Pol and Lann Aelle led in sixty equites and barely ninety squires. They were all that remained.

I embraced Lann Aelle and then Pol.  “Bors and Kay?”

“They live.  Bors took his forty men to Deva whilst Kay headed north.  He had only thirty men with him.”

“Come let us go to my hall.” It was a sparse looking hall as the eight of us sat around the table. “Tell me all.”

Pol and Lann Aelle looked at each other. Myrddyn banged the table. “Come! This is the Warlord! Speak the truth and do not hide anything.  If you do so then we shall surely lose!”

Pol nodded at Lann Aelle who sighed and began to speak. “We were looking at the fort and not to the west. King Cadwallon was sure that Edwin would surrender soon. It was almost a party atmosphere. A few days after you left the scouts to the south reported a fleet arriving in the river.  King Cadwallon sent Pol and I to investigate with Daffydd’s archers.  While we journeyed south a new army arrived, Saxons under this Eanfrith. He is a good warrior and a clever general. They drove a wedge between King Cadwallon’s men and those under Bors and Kay. The Hibernians were also with King Cadwallon.” He shook his head.  “Bors told me that the king tried to attack the wedge with all of his army.  At the same time King Edwin broke out of the fortress and attacked his rear. That was when Dai died. He was defending the standard. The Hibernians fled north.” He shook his head, seemingly unable to go on.

Pol put a sympathetic arm around his shoulder. “Bors sent a scout after us and he and Kay began to retreat west.” He gave me an earnest look.  “It was the right thing to do, Hogan Lann, I mean Warlord.”

“I know and there is no criticism intended.”

“We turned and headed north as soon as we could.  We found King Cadwallon and Penda surrounded by the enemy.  We charged into their rear and there was great slaughter,” he paused, “on both sides. With the armies of Mercia and Gwynedd rescued we headed west.”

“I think we might have escaped unscathed had we not been ambushed by Oswald and Oswiu. We were at low ebb and had crossed the divide when they fell upon us.  We were lucky for most of those who fell upon us were mercenaries but even so their numbers meant that we could not defeat them.  We fought them all the way to the Maeresea.  They retreated when we reached the river. Kay went home as did King Cadwallon and Penda.” He slumped back into his seat. “I am sorry we let you down, Warlord.”

“You did not let me down.  Tell me why did King Cadwallon send his best warriors to investigate the fleet? Surely scouts would have been just as effective?” They both shrugged.

Myrddyn spoke. “Now we know why the ships were waiting in the Lune.  But what I cannot understand is this new alliance. It is disturbing.”

“We shall have to begin again. The wolf warrior may be dead but his legacy lives on. We have suffered a setback, true but the heart of Rheged beats still in this room. I made a misjudgement when I pursued Morcar.  I took myself away from the place where I was needed the most.”

Gawan said, “No, you are wrong, brother. You had to recover the sword.  Had you not done so then Morcar would now rule in Rheged and we would never come back from the loss of the sword.  This was
wyrd
.” He smiled. “There are fewer of us who are left but it is like a wine which is distilled, we become stronger and more powerful.”

I saw Myrddyn nodding his approval. “Before we begin to plan let us all visit the tomb of the Warlord.  It will be good to go there and feel his spirit enter us.”

We set off immediately, despite the weariness of our warriors.  It was just the captains who accompanied us. As we ascended Lann Aelle asked, “Who built this tomb? I have no idea where it is.”

Myrddyn chuckled, “You do; it is the cave where the Warlord and I would dream.  I have just enlarged it somewhat.” He looked at me expectantly. “I have kept the torches burning.”

The day was a dark and dirty one with thick black ominous clouds.  It felt almost like night time. The trees through which we climbed made it even gloomier.  When we emerged from the forest we turned north and there we saw the tomb. As we turned we saw that the lights we had left burning around the bodies now made the wolf entrance seem to come alive.  The eyes glowed, the mouth seemed to open and I smiled.  The Wolf Warrior lived still. This was the sign. Rheged would rise once more.

HeH

The full import of the disaster was brought home to us in the time between Yule and the first lambs.  The Saxons had divided the land up.  Eanfrith ruled Bernicia with his brothers and King Edwin, now a devoted Christian had conquered Rheged and Man.  He now threatened Anglesey. If it were not for King
Fiachnae mac Báetáin
whose men constantly harried his northern borders we might already have been fighting.  As it was he had bought us time. We could begin to build our armies up once more and the sword would go to war again.

We had much to do before we began to start again.  We needed ships and we needed arms.  Much had been lost in the disastrous battle and retreat. We used all of our money to send to the east for weapons. However we could not buy men.  We would have to rely on our new allies.  And that was a surprise.  They had not deserted us.  In fact the opposite had happened.  They were as committed as we were and Penda persuaded King Cearl to ally Mercia with us. My father’s dream and his vision had been good.

At the winter solstice Gawan and I journeyed to the tomb. Myrddyn did not come.  He told us that this was something for the sons of the Wolf Warrior. There were no torches burning when we arrived.  We lit faggots and carried them within. Once the flames burned they threw their light on to the walls and I saw that Myrddyn had had the walls decorated with paintings.  They showed the scenes of the battles in which we had fought and won.

We wandered over to the niche.  Aedh had not been mummified, merely wrapped in bandages but my father’s face looked alive.

I looked at Gawan. He nodded at our father and said, “We have much to do brother.  I know why Myrddyn wanted us to come here alone. We are with the spirit of the Warlord.  We should swear an oath now. He will hear it.”

“You are right. Warlord, we swear that we will not stop fighting until Rheged is free.”

Gawan stepped forward, “And we will be as one mind we two will become one.”

We looked at each other and nodded.  We said, “We are the Wolf Brethren!”

Name-Explanation

Acidus
-
acid

Aidan-
one of Lann’s captains

Aedh-
Despatch rider and scout

Aelfere
-
Northallerton

Aelle-
Monca’s son and Lann’s step brother

Aethelfrith-King of Bernicia and Aethelric’s overlord

Alavna-Maryport

Artorius-King Arthur

Banna-Birdoswald

Belatu-Cadros
-
God of war

Belerion-Land’s End (Cornwall)

Bors
- son of Mungo

Byrnie – mail shirt

Cadwallon ap Cadfan- King of Gwynedd

Caedwalestate-Cadishead near Salford

Caergybi-Holyhead

Caestre- Chester (Deva)

Caledfwlch – Excalibur (in Welsh the name comes from
caled
"hard" and
bwlch
"breach, cleft”).  Literally the sword from the stone

Civitas Carvetiorum-Carlisle

Constantinopolis-Constantinople (modern Istanbul)

Cymru-Wales

Cynfarch Oer
-Descendant of Coel Hen (King Cole)

Daffydd ap Gwynfor-
Lann’s chief sea captain

Daffydd ap Miach-
Miach’s son

Dai ap Gruffyd-
King Cadfan’s squire

Dál nAraidi
- Northern Ireland

Delbchaem Lann-
Lann’s daughter

Din Guardi
-Bamburgh Castle

Dunum-River Tees

Dux Britannica-The Roman British leader after the Romans left (King Arthur)

Erecura-Goddess of the earth

Einar
- A Dane serving the Warlord

Fanum Cocidii-Bewcastle

Felan-
Irish pirate

Fiachnae mac Báetáin
- king of the
Dál nAraidi

Fiachra
-brother of Fiachnae mac Báetáin

Freja-
Saxon captive and Aelle’s wife

Gareth-
Harbour master Caergybi

Garth-
Lann’s lieutenant

Gawan Lann-
Lann’s son

Glanibanta- Ambleside

Gwynfor-
Headman at Caergybi

Gwyr-The land close to Swansea

Hagustald- Hexham

Halvelyn- Helvellyn

Haordine-Hawarden Cheshire

Hen Ogledd-Northern England and Southern Scotland

Hogan Lann-
Lann’s son

Icaunus-River god

Kay
- Captain of the north

King Ywain Rheged-Eldest son of King Urien

Lord Lann
-Warlord of Rheged and Dux Britannica

Loch nEachach
-
Lough Neagh (Northern Ireland)

Loge-God of trickery

Loidis
-
Leeds

Mael Odhar Macha-King of Airgialla

Maeresea-River Mersey

Mag Mell- Welsh for heaven.  This is reserved for those who have attained glory.
Annwn
was also a place of joy when one died.

Mare Nostrum-Mediterranean Sea

Metcauld- Lindisfarne

Morgause-
witch

Mungo-
Leader of the men of Strathclyde

Myfanwy-
Lann’s wife

Myrddyn-
Welsh wizard fighting for Rheged

Nanna Lann-
Lann’s daughter and wife of Cadwallon

Nithing-A man without honour

Nodens
-
God of hunting

Oswald-
Priest

Penrhyd- Penrith,Cumbria

Penrhyn Llŷn- Llŷn Peninsula

Pharos-
lighthouse

Pol-
Captain and Hogan Lann’s standard bearer

Prestune
-
Preston Lancashire

Prince Pasgen
-
Youngest son of Urien

Raibeart-
Lann’s brother

Riemmelth- Prince Pasgen’s daughter

Roman Bridge-
Piercebridge (Durham)

Roman Soldiers
- the mountains around Scafell Pike

Scillonia Insula-Scilly Isles

Solar-West facing room in a castle

Sucellos-God of love and time

Tatenhale
-
Tattenhall near Chester

The Narrows-
The Menaii Straits

Tineus- River Tyne

Tomtun- Tamworth- the capital of Mercia

Treffynnon-
Holywell (North Wales)

Tuanthal-
Leader of Lann’s horse warriors

Uí Néill
– the largest clan in Ireland in the Dark Ages

Vectis-Isle of Wight

Vindonnus-God of hunting

Wachanglen-
Wakefield

Wæcelinga Stræt- Watling Street (A5)

wapentake
-
Muster of an army

Wide Water-
Windermere

Wrecsam- Wrexham

Wyddfa-Snowdon

Wyrd-Fate

Y Fflint-Flint (North Wales)

Ynys Enlli
-
Bardsey Island

Yr Wyddgrug-Mold (North Wales)

Maps

Ireland in the Dark Ages