Saxon throne, p.1
Saxon Throne, page 1
Saxon Throne
Book 9 in the
Wolf Warrior Series
By
Griff Hosker
Cover by Design for Writers
Published by Sword Books Ltd 2016
Copyright © Griff Hosker First Edition
The author has asserted their moral right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this work.
All Rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, copied, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written consent of the copyright holder, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.
Prologue
Eoforwic 633
King Edwin was dead. I, Hogan Lann, the Warlord of Rheged, had killed him in single combat. He had been our enemy for many years and the battle of Hatfield had been a surprise victory for us. We had been outnumbered and were an unlikely alliance. Those who write about such things said that King Cadwallon of the Cymri had killed him. It was not true but he led our army and I was happy for him to take the credit. Those who were there and those who were warriors knew that I had killed him. They had watched as I had wielded Saxon Slayer to end his life. It had destroyed Northumbria. The hearthweru had all died with their king. They were true bodyguards and oathsworn to the end. We took away fine mail and weapons, for the Saxons made good swords. The kingdom of Northumbria was split asunder and the divisions of the Saxons became apparent. There were others who wished the throne but it would take time for them to vie for power. King Penda, our Mercian ally, had taken his army back to Mercia and King Cadwallon extracted revenge from the Northumbrians for all of their raids into his land. Osric, King Edwin's cousin, had claimed Deira and ruled as king. It was Oswald, the son of King Aethelfrith, who ruled Bernicia.
It had been many months since our victory and we had spent the autumn and winter in Eoforwic enjoying the fruits of our victory. King Cadwallon also laid waste to the lands of his enemies. The pleasures were in ale, wine and women. I did not indulge myself but studied in the fine library in that ancient city. The pleasure I took in that ended when a messenger from Wyddfa brought me the shocking news that Irish pirates had raided my land and killed many of our people, as well as enslaving others. This calamity had been made worse by the disease which had followed. My wife and the families of those who had taken refuge in our strongholds had been struck by plague. My wife, Aileen, and Gawan's mother, Myfanwy, had not been enslaved; had they suffered that then I would have rescued them. They had wasted and died. I would not even have the chance to bury them, the Bishop of the monastery at St. Asaph had ordered the bodies to be burned to stop the spread of the disease. One of my wife's ladies wrote and told me the news. They were the second family I had lost. I would not have a third. It was my fault she was dead for I had left her to watch over my people. I should have made sure that she was in a place of safety. My life in my former home was over. I had no reason to rush across the country.
Equally calamitous news was that Myrddyn my wizard and my mentor had disappeared. I knew that had he been at Aileen's side she would not have died but he had disappeared before the plague had struck. Many said he was dead, killed by the disease too, but Gawan, my younger brother who was also a wizard, said it was not true. He was in touch with the spirits but even he did not know where the man who had guided my father and then me to rid the west of the Saxons had gone. The remnants of our people had fled the land. It was now a desolate wasteland. We would not return thither. Each night since the battle I had dreamed of my dead father and Myrddyn. I had dreamed of Rheged and the days when my father had kept it safe for King Urien. Even in my dreams the sight of my dead father saddened me. The dream was the only thing which kept me going in the nightmare that my life had become.
I began to tire of the King's court. They ate fine foods and they enjoyed women. Since my sister's death King Cadwallon had been celibate. Now he cavorted and carried on. There were young women who shared his bed. That life was not for me; it never had been.
So, while King Cadwallon and his men feasted and enjoyed all that the Eoforwic ancient city built by Rome had to offer, I mourned. With my father recently slain it seemed that there was just Gawan and myself left from my whole family. There was nothing left for me in Cymru. I decided that when all of King Cadwallon's enemies had been defeated then I would beg to be allowed to rule the ancient king of Rheged. King Cadwallon owed me that, at the very least.
Part 1
Deira and Bernicia
Chapter 1
"You cannot leave me, Warlord, we have not yet rid the land of this Saxon curse. Would you stop so soon? One more push and we can win. I know that Myrddyn, if he lives, would wish you to continue."
"Myrddyn does live and I am not saying that I intend to leave you yet, your majesty. It is just that, with Northumbria destroyed, there will be no enemies left. I will not be needed as Warlord. I am asking for the future; when we have destroyed the power of Northumbria then my job will be done. I would like to go home."
"There are Saxons in the south!"
"But the north is my home and the west is yours. There are no Saxons there. And the ones closest to you, the Mercians, are your allies."
"So long as they live in Britannia then I cannot rest."
This was not the man who had been trained by my father and who had fought alongside me more times than I cared to remember. He had changed and it had been the death of Edwin which had made the change. He began to believe the stories that he had killed Edwin. St. Edwin, the followers of the White Christ now called him. He was revered. King Cadwallon was also a Christian but he was not the same man he had been when we had left Wrecsam. Since my sister, his wife, had died he had grown apart from us.
If he would not let me leave then I wanted the war over. "Then let us set about ending Deira and Bernicia as kingdoms now while they are weak. Osric controls the land to the north of us but it is poor land. Let us strike while it is winter and we are well fed."
"We will do when the land warms up and the grass grows again. First we enjoy all that this town has to offer!"
"But your warriors become fat and lazy, your majesty."
I saw a few of them eye me angrily but none would dare challenge me so long as I had Saxon Slayer, the mystical sword of legend. It was the blade feared by every Saxon.
King Cadwallon did not like my comments. His face darkened with a frown and his tone became harsh. "You go too far, Hogan Lann. Take your wolf brethren and go hunt. We will not stir until the first new grass appears. You have until then!"
"And what of Rheged?"
"When we have defeated the Saxons then I give you Rheged. You can guard our northern borders. You will be Dux Britannicus again. Now go for your sour face spoils the taste of this wine!"
I had been dismissed. I did not mind for it suited me. My wolf brethren were my oathsworn. They were equites all. Encased in mail and with a spear, mace and sword, we were feared by all of our enemies. Even the Saxon shield wall could not stand against us. Wars, age and treachery meant that there were but twenty of us left and our twenty squires. In addition we had Daffydd ap Miach. He led my archers. There were but twenty of those now and they were even harder to replace than my equites. They would come with us. I would take my men and enjoy the company of warriors once more.
We left at dawn with snow in the air. I had been told to hunt. We would appear to hunt but, in reality, I intended to head for Rheged and see who ruled there now. It had been a generation since we had been driven from that land by the Saxons. I had been but a child. We had campaigned there many times but it had been some years since I had been to the land of my birth. My father had died far from that land. All of his oathsworn were now dead too. The last to die had been Tuanthal who had led my father's light cavalry. They too had perished. The war had cost us dear. It had been my men who had paid the price.
I rode at the head of the column with Gawan. We rode easily for Geraint and his scouts ranged far ahead of us and would ensure that we did not stumble into trouble. My brother had not been born in Rheged. We had fled when he had been born and my father had married again following the death of my mother. Now we were both motherless.
"What do you think has happened to Myrddyn, brother? You are in touch with the spirits. Can you see him?"
"I hear his words in my head which is how I know he is not yet in the Otherworld but I cannot feel him. He is not close. Perhaps the plague made him ill. He has powers but he would retire to a cave and heal himself. If he chose not to be found then no one would discover him. You know that."
"Aye." We rode in silence.
He shook his head. "Perhaps I am losing my powers. When we were in Eoforwic then my visions became misty. I could read a little of your thoughts but others were hidden from me."
"Others?"
"I have known the King since we were boys and I could always see his thoughts as I saw yours but since the battle..."
I said nothing. I reflected that I had known King Cadwallon all of his life and I too had seen a change in him since we had finally defeated and killed King Edwin.
Gawan smiled, "Aye brother he has changed. Perhaps I needed to be away from Eoforwic for even now my thoughts are clearer. This was a good decision to leave the court."
We were headin
"Perhaps he thought we needed him no longer, brother? He saw farther ahead than any. He came not with us to fight King Edwin. He might have foreseen the outcome. We have defeated the Northumbrians and the Mercians are our allies."
"Had King Cadwallon struck as soon as Edwin was dead then we could have ended all spark of Northumbrian spirit. This war is far from over and I may not have your foresight, Gawan, but I see danger ahead. Osric is raising an army."
"How do you know?"
"I had Geraint and his scouts riding far behind the enemy's front lines. There are Saxons flocking to his banner. The embers of war are being fanned again in Loidis and Din Guardi. Besides I have a feeling that all is not well in the land."
Gawan laughed, "And I thought I was the seer. I have had those feelings too. In fact now that we breathe this upland air I feel it even more and I sense danger. So, big brother, what do you intend us to do?"
"The King has promised me that I can rule Rheged when Northumbria is finished. I would see now what the land is like." I waved a hand behind me. "This is our army now! The blood of Rheged has been spilled to save the men of Cymru. We cannot make more. None of us have families. When we die it is the end of our line. All that our father did will have been in vain. He sacrificed his life to save me and how have I repaid him? I have lost the army he built up."
"Do not be so hard on yourself. No one could have done more."
We reined in as Geraint waved his hand above his head. It was safe to approach the old hill fort. It had been a hill fort for many years before the Romans had come. Some said it was the ancient capital of Rheged or, at least, what Rheged had once been. The place where my father and his brothers had seen their own family slaughtered by Angles and then fled west had been fought over so many times that no one lived there any longer. It was too dangerous. For us it was perfect. The stream gave us water and the mounds and ditches gave shelter and protection. Half ruined huts remained and it would not take much to turn them into shelters once more.
My men soon had their fires going and food roasting on wooden spits. My archers and squires were set as sentries. The equites first cleaned and oiled their mail and then sharpened their swords. We did this every day even if we did not fight. It became a habit and it was a good habit for it had kept us alive. When that was done my inner circle of family and captains sat with me around my fire.
Lann Aelle was my cousin. He had been my father's squire. The three of us were all that remained from the family. Pol, Dai and Llenlleog were the leaders of my equites. Each led his own knights. Finally Geraint commanded my scouts while Daffydd ap Miach my archers. Both had served my father and now they served me. After we had eaten they looked to me. They knew that I had a reason to bring them across the spine of the country in the middle of winter.
"I will tell you the real reason I left the King. It was not to hunt although well done Daffydd, the meat was excellent. We must make ourselves our own land. Our days of fighting for others is passing. We are too few now. As my brother tells me, King Cadwallon has almost defeated Northumbria. As soon as Deira and Bernicia fall then we shall have a high king again."
My cousin, Lann Aelle, looked around the fire lit camp. "There are few of us to hold Rheged. Our fathers left and took many more than this to Caer Gybi."
I nodded, "But that was when the Angles and the Saxons were on the rise. They are now, in the north at any rate, a diminished threat but let us see. We come to find what the problems are, Lann Aelle. Let us not create them before we get there."
We had all grown up in a constant state of war. Apart from the time when Pol and I had spent half a year in the east at the court of the Roman Emperor we had fought Angles, Saxons, Hibernians, Scots and even the Welsh. It was all we knew and I could see what Lann Aelle was thinking. How could such a small number continue to fight on against such overwhelming numbers? The fact was we had always done so. My equites were brothers. We fought under the dragon banner of Rheged and we were the wolf brethren my father had created. I could not see me ever enjoying even a day of peace. This winter journey would be as close as I would get to that state.
We changed horses for the ride the next day. Our mail meant it was hard on our mounts. We all had two horses. It was why we had squires. My father had borrowed the idea from Constantinopolis. Our squires were young men who led our spare horses and whom we trained to become equites. Like us they fought and operated as one. They were hard to come by and I knew that should the day come when I did rule Rheged then I would need to find a way to recruit such warriors. None of us were getting any younger. Already the first flecks of grey had appeared in my beard. Gawan still looked young but the rest of us wore the faces and bodies of veteran warriors.
The wind blew sharply from the north east. It made it slightly easier than a wind from the west but as it brought flurries of snow it was a less than comfortable ride. I pulled my fur tighter around me. Geraint and his scouts seemed to bear the harsh weather easier than we and they disappeared ahead of us soon after dawn. After we had crossed the high passes to the west the wind abated a little or perhaps we had some protection from the hills. Had Myrddyn been with us then he would have told us how the spirits were watching over us and making our journey easier. Gawan, our contact with the spirit world, kept his own counsel. He was now our Myrddyn.
As we descended the hills towards the valleys and waters of Rheged I felt peace begin to wash over me. These were not the harsh and savage mountains of Cymru, this was a gentler land. It had softer edges. You could choose when to visit the crags and high places and when to enjoy the soft valleys. We had been happy here when I had lived with my father and mother in the old Roman fort which guarded the road to Civitas Carvetiorum; Brocavum. King Urien, the last king of Rheged had valued my father so much that he trusted him with that task. We headed, now, towards that fort.
Geraint had anticipated my wishes. Even though we arrived before dark and could have travelled some miles further he had set up camp. There was less snow here than on the high passes and the half ruined walls of the fort afforded some protection. We had rebuilt the fort in my father's time but that had been burned down. It had been rebuilt since but each time it was in wood and wood burns. We used that which our Roman ancestors had built. It had stood the test of time.
As Gawan and I explored the fort I found myself lost in the memories of when I had lived here. I noticed Gawan had the same look upon his face but he had never lived here. "Where are you brother?"
He smiled, "I am with my wife Gwyneth and my son Arturus. I dream their faces."
"Constantinopolis is far from here but at least they were saved the plague."
"I know, brother, and I am sorry that I have my family and yet you do not."
"I am content. They will be with your mother and she will care for them in the Otherworld."
"Aye, they have come to me in my dreams and they are content. I dreamt well in our father's old home. Perhaps I should not return to Eoforwic. It is not good for my powers. I am pleased that we sent my son to learn at the court of the Emperor. It was wyrd."
"It was and now we must put our two minds to this land and how we can make a home for your wife and son when they return in two years."
When we returned to the fire I gathered all of my men around me and addressed them. "We will use this place as our base. The King said we should hunt." I shrugged, "And why not. There will be little game for it is winter but that will hone our skills. However my real intent is to explore this land and see who lives here. King Cadwallon has promised me this land for my own." I waved a hand around the men before me. "What is mine is yours. We spend seven days here. Daffydd, your archers can hunt while the equites, in five groups with squires ,explore. Llewellyn, my standard bearer shall command the camp and the ten squires we shall leave to guard it."
