Chapter Ten
The Rescue
It was quite late now and the wind was blowing up a gale so that the rain, having started lightly, was now pelting down. Around us, the Welsh warriors took shelter and waited for the storm to pass. We could not avoid the rain and within minutes were soaked to the skin and it soon felt as if my limbs were frozen solid. Wallace was still groaning as he dangled next to me, but was getting weaker with the passing hours. The weight of his body pulling on his broken arm was obviously causing him agony.
The rain started to lighten after half an hour or so of torrential downpour. Soon afterwards, I noticed that there were groups of the Welsh warriors gathering on the parade ground nearby. Some were observing us with vague interest, but I was sure that it was not only the spectacle of us three Angle warriors that drew them here. More emerged, until at least two hundred of them were standing around in the gathering gloom. All were armed, well equipped and looked ready for the march.
One of them, with a grey cloak wrapped tightly round him, came towards us. He peered at us from a short distance away and then came even closer. As he did, I looked up and now I saw the man’s face. For a moment I stared at him, not understanding what I was seeing. For it was not the man I was half expecting to see at any moment: it was not Aedann the traitor, coming over to gloat at us, but to my great surprise the face belonged to the missing red-haired lad, Hussa.
Well, I might not get on with him, but I did not really care who rescued us. I wondered how he had escaped, but then thought I did not care about that, either. All that mattered now was that he was here, disguised as a Welsh warrior, and coming to free us. He stepped closer and our eyes made contact. As they did, my heart sank in despair, for all I could see in them was triumph, contempt and hate. He wasn’t going to free us. He had come to gloat.
“So then, you have been caught and will die here,” he sneered, “and your father will mourn another son.”
“Hussa, try and get a knife and cut us down. Although maybe it’s best to wait till the Welsh go away,” Lilla said.
Hussa frowned.
“Now, why would I do that, when I can watch you suffer?”
“Hussa, what are you saying?” I asked.
“Dear me, Cerdic, but you are rather dim. Don’t you realise I have joined Samlen? Who do you think it was told him about your mother’s jewellery and where to find the Villa?”
“You? I thought it was Aedann.”
He blinked at that and did not immediately reply. Then he snorted.
“Did it not occur to you that we might be working together?”
Wallace groaned and Hussa glanced over at him, impassively, then back to me.
“Why, Hussa, why?”
“Well, revenge upon you and your family, obviously, but there is more than that. Since my mother died I have nothing in Wicstun, so I have spent less and less time there. I have been travelling a lot and one day, soon after she died, Samlen captured me. I had been out in those woods, beyond the Villa, where we hunted boar. I must have been going further and further west and eventually, I reached the ford on the river and realised I had gone clean through the woods. I was turning to head back, when I was attacked by about a dozen warriors. They took me across the river and brought me in front of Samlen. He was at a camp in that bit of land between the rivers.
“Gods, but he is a monster. I was terrified and tried to get them to let me go, but he just laughed and hit me. He said he wanted to know about Wicstun − how many men were there; what loot there was and so on. He seemed to be planning a raid. I refused to tell them but ...”
Hussa shuddered now and seemed to be reliving something horrific. He did not speak for a couple minutes. Next to me, Wallace was wheezing and then suddenly his chest was wracked by a coughing fit. Finally, Hussa spoke again.
“I don’t think I am very brave to be honest. That’s another thing your family seem to have over me,” he added with a glance in my direction.
Lilla now spoke.
“So, they tortured you and you betrayed us.”
Hussa nodded.
“At first I told them tales about there being five hundred warriors at Wicstun and how fierce they were, but they did not believe me. They laughed and then hurt me some more.
“In the end, I told them anything I thought would interest them. Samlen wanted to know about treasure, so I told him about anyone I knew of who had money or precious items. He then let me go. He said he wanted to know more. He said he was coming one day and if I did not keep returning to him with more information, he would kill me. Then, he gave me some money. Not much ... just a little. But I had none myself and what he did give me would feed me for a week. Then, the week was up and I needed more money, so I went and told him about the Fyrd training and who Lord Wallace was and anything I could find. He paid me again and ... I kept on doing it.”
He looked me up and down.
“I have good reason to hate you and your family, that’s true. So, when I won that tournament on the day of the muster, I was ecstatic. I had triumphed over you, in full view of the people I hated. Not just in full view either, but actually on their land and I had bested their son, as well.”
“So that is why you betrayed us?”
“Quiet, Cerdic, let us hear him out,” Lilla murmured, wearily.
“In my pride, I thought I could conquer something else. I thought Aidith might succumb to my charms,” Hussa went on, with a laugh. I tensed at that and glared at him.
“Did she?” I asked. He shook his head.
“No. Oh, she was happy to spend an hour or two with me, but when I started telling her what I thought about you and your family, she grew angry and in the end went off and left me. I spent a lonely night with just that sword for company.”
“Poor chap, my heart bleeds for you,” Lilla said, his tongue dripping with sarcasm.
“Quite. Still, I did have the sword and the next day I took every opportunity to brag about it and told everyone how famous a warrior I would be. In the end they got fed up with me and told me if I was so good, why not catch a boar on my own. I said ‘I will’ and off I went.”
“Yes, I know that bit, what then?” I asked.
“Well, I just went and found Samlen and told him about the amber jewellery. Any fool could see it was priceless and I knew that he would be interested. He told me to hide for a while, in order that the company would be delayed returning home, then he could sneak past us. He said that once the raid had begun, to come and find him and I could join his warband and share in its riches.”
Lilla hissed.
“You betrayed your country!”
Hussa spat.
“My country! Don’t give me that. I've never felt Deira was my country. There I had no past − thanks to Cerdic’s family, and certainly no future. Here I can make a new life.”
At that point one of the Welshmen called out something and Hussa answered in Welsh.
“Did Aedann teach you that?” I asked him.
He smirked at that question and shook his head.
“Oh, I’ve picked up a bit of the language these last few months, certainly. One more thing, Cerdic − just to show it has been worthwhile me coming here,” and he pulled out a silvery object and twisted it. It caught the moonlight and reflected an amber glow.
“That’s part of my mother’s earring!”
Hussa nodded.
“There should be enough here to buy a nice house somewhere: slaves and whatever else I want. I would ask you to say thanks to your mother, but you will never see her again, will you?”
“Bastard!”
“Yes, and we know whose, don’t we?” He snarled and then turned and walked away over to the other warriors. Samlen One Eye was now amongst them and mounted on a horse. He glanced towards us then he rode across the parade ground and past us, followed by his companies, which now included Hussa. They were marching across the parade ground, not exiting via the southern gate − which we were facing − but goin
g past us towards the west or north gate; I could not tell which.
After they had gone wherever they were going, the warriors who were left behind to hold the fort set a watch on the walls and then most of them retired to their barracks. So, it was the case that after half an hour we were completely alone: three miserable prisoners left out to die in the wind and the rain. I twisted round and looked at my two companions. Wallace was starting to shiver and he seemed to have drifted into an uneasy sleep, disturbed by twitching and sudden moans. He was pale, sweaty and looked truly terrible and I was certain he would not live to see the morning. So, I turned to Lilla.
“We have to escape now: there are not many guards. If we can get free from these bonds, we might stand a chance.”
“Not sure I’m going to be much use,” the bard mumbled.
“Come on man! We have to try.”
Then, I heard the scuffle of feet on the stony ground behind us, felt a cold blade touch the skin of my throat and then someone spoke.
“Evening, Master, what are you hanging about there for?”
I twisted around on the rope, trying to see who it was, although I already recognised the voice. It was the man I had come here to find and to kill. The man who had betrayed us ... or so I had thought. Yet, now it turned out that Hussa was the traitor, but was Aedann his partner as Hussa claimed? If what Hussa had said was true, was Aedann coming to kill me now? Maybe ... or maybe Hussa had betrayed us to Samlen, but Aedann had still taken his chance to escape and join his people. In that case, Aedann might not be in league with him ... or there could be yet another explanation. I needed to know.
“Aedann, that is you, isn’t it? I whispered.
“Yes, Master.”
“If I’m your master, why is your blade at my throat?”
The blade twitched, the point moving upwards so I could now see it more clearly.
“Let’s just say I wanted a little security before we spoke. I saw the look on your face when you were running towards me in that village yesterday − yes I did spot you. You were going to kill me, until that big oaf caught up with you, weren’t you?”
I twisted round further, so I could just see the Welshman’s eyes and I glared at him. “Damn right, I was − and I tell you what. You promise me right now that you did not betray us, or I will come and kill you after all.”
Aedann laughed.
“You're hardly in a state to make such threats and even if you were,” Aedann moved nearer and stretched up to whisper close by my ear, “I would like to see you try!”
He raised the blade and I tensed in anticipation of having my throat cut, but it moved away from me and upwards. Aedann had stepped across to stand to my left and was reaching above me, pulling himself up on my shoulder and then sawing at the rope. Suddenly, it gave way and I found that my legs − numb and cold as they were − simply folded away beneath me and I collapsed. With a cry of alarm, Aedann overbalanced and ended up on top of me.
“Get off me!” I hissed and tried to push him away with my hands, but they were as weak as my legs and had no feeling, so it was a feeble effort. Aedann pushed himself up and then suddenly crouched back down.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Hush − guards!” he whispered.
By now it was full dark and the clouds above us blocked the moonlight, so that the visibility was poor. I peered at where Aedann was looking, but at first saw nothing. Then, appearing abruptly out of the gloom, I could see two guards idling towards us, spears rested over their shoulders and shields slung. They were talking to each other and neither looked our way until, when they reached twenty paces away, one of them glanced at us and cried out in alarm. By then, Aedann had leapt like a cat at them and already had buried his blade in the throat of one. The first warrior went down, blood gurgling from his mouth. The other man had a few moments to react and swung his spear off his shoulder to lunge at Aedann. Aedann deftly stepped to the side, let the point pass him and was now inside it, closing in and then stabbing the dagger into the belly of the second man. He gave a scream of agony and then collapsed to the ground, blood spurting out of the wound. Aedann was on top of him now, one hand over the man’s mouth to stifle his cries and with the other ... he cut his throat.
My slave, panting hard, wiped the knife on the dead man’s cloak and then pulled himself to his feet and scanned the nearby buildings for more enemy warriors. I held my breath, until it was obvious that none were coming and then breathed out, slowly. It had taken barely half a dozen half beats and two men now lay dead, whilst the fort around us slept on: silent and dark.
Aedann turned to me and cocked his head as he looked down at me on the ground.
“Bet you’re glad you let me practice with you, now!” he said, then bent down and held out a hand to pull me to my feet. The blood was flowing in my limbs now and I found that with a slight stagger I could walk again. Aedann went to pull his hand away, but I held it fast and asked him the question that was foremost on my mind.
“Aedann, what is going on?”
I had been convinced the slave was the traitor who had told One Eye of the amber treasure. Yet, would a traitor kill his own kind? Then, there was also Hussa’s confession. But, if Aedann was not a traitor why had he run away? I opened my mouth to ask again, but Aedann shook his head.
“Not now, we need to get into shelter and hide. Help me cut the others down,” he added in a whisper and moved first to Wallace.
As soon as Wallace’s hands were released he slumped down with a moan and Aedann had to support him to prevent him falling to the ground. I stumbled over, legs still weak and helped him as best as I could manage. I could only just feel my arms, but as life returned to them I was able to take over holding the still unconscious Wallace, whilst Aedann went to release Lilla.
“Thunor’s balls!”Aedann exclaimed and looking up, I saw that Lilla was standing next to his rope and had clearly freed himself. The bard just shrugged.
“Secrets of the profession,” he murmured and winked at me.
“Could you have got free at any time?”
Lilla nodded.
“Then why leave it till now and why tell me you were not much use?”
“I told you, I want a story and that story needs heroes like you two ... besides which, it was an interesting experience,” he said, rubbing his wrists.
Intrigued, I wanted to ask more, but I could see he was as tired as I was so, as with Aedann, questions would have to wait.
“Where now?” asked Lilla. I looked at Aedann and raised an eyebrow.
Aedann pointed the dagger to a nearby building where the roof had all but fallen in. It looked dark, cold and abandoned. “There first, I don’t think they use it, come on!” Lifting Wallace across his shoulders, he set off at a staggering trot and Lilla and I, both too exhausted to argue, stumbled along behind.
The nearest door in the building, which opened directly onto the parade ground, was blocked with rubble from the roof, but Aedann led us down between the building and the adjacent barracks to a side door. He glanced inside then entered and we followed. This first room was filthy: the roof’s timbers were so rotten that some had collapsed opening a hole in the roof, which admitted the damp, miserable weather. However, there was an inner door leading on from it and Aedann walked over and pushed that one open. This second chamber still had an intact roof and so was reasonably dry, although very cold. Wooden frames − maybe from beds or cots − were dotted here and there in the room, although the bedding had long since rotted away. Aedann glanced around the room then lowered his burden gently to the floor.
“This seems to have been used as an infirmary for their sick and wounded,” he said. “The Elmetae do not use it, so we should be safe here, for a while.”
Wallace was shivering violently now and we needed to get him warm, somehow.
“I think we should start a fire,” I said, rubbing the life back into my arms and trying to stop my teeth from chattering.
“If you
do, they might know we are hiding here,” Lilla pointed out.
I nodded, but then shrugged.
“If we do not, Wallace will die. He is soaked through and very cold. That break to his arm and then the wind and rain was too much for him. We must warm him up, dry his clothes and examine that arm.
“I can treat his arm,” Lilla said quietly, “I have studied a little of such things.”
“Grettir would be good too, if we could get him. He has been in enough battles to have picked up a thing or two,” I mused. “Anyway, let’s try and get a small fire going. Maybe over near the door, so the smoke will go that way and it will take a while to show itself. It’s dark − with luck the Welsh won’t notice it.”
Lilla and Aedann gathered wood from the broken bed frames and then Aedann produced a small amount of tinder and a flint, which he started striking to get a spark on the tinder. It took a few minutes to catch, but a small yet cheering fire was soon going and I could feel the warmth gradually creeping back into my cold bones. Wallace had recovered consciousness, but seemed unaware of what was going on. Aedann took off his own cloak and laid it over him and slowly, the Lord of Wicstun stopped shivering quite as violently, although he remained barely aware. We pulled him as close to the fire as we dared then the three of us huddled round the flames, our clothes steaming.
“Now that we are here, we must decide what to do,” I said. “But, before we do that, I must know what you are doing here, Aedann. When you left without word, we assumed you’d run away with the Welsh. Then, when we heard Samlen had come looking for my mother’s jewellery – the amber treasure as he called it - I thought you must have told him.
Aedann shook his head. “Is that what you now believe?”
“Well, Hussa has admitted to being the traitor, but ... well you tell me. What are you doing here? Go on, Aedann, why did you run?”
“These people are not my people, despite what you say. Oh, we are all Welsh but I am Eboracii − the people of the Kingdom of Eboracum, or Eoforwic as you would call it. Samlen is Elmetae.”
“So?” I asked. “What’s the difference?”
“We are different tribes. Just because we speak the same language and you lump us all together as ‘Welsh’ does not mean we see ourselves as the same.”
“But, you always teased us about Owain and his allies coming to drive us English away.”
“Well, the point is you English had me and my family as slaves. I hated that and if Owain came and wiped you out so much the better. But when Samlen came he treated my family just as badly as he did everyone else.”
As Aedenn related what had happened, I began to understand: when Samlen raided the Villa, he had taken Gwen and Caerfydd − Aedann’s parents − away. Not, as we had believed, to freedom but to yet more slavery. Given the choice of slavery under my father or under Samlen, Aedann had apparently seen my father as the lesser of two evils.
“So, when my parents were taken, I followed,” he said. “It was easy enough to find a spear and shield, and in the dark I could pass as an Elmetae warrior. I followed the warband back here and then hid in another of these abandoned buildings. The night before last I located where Samlen was holding the prisoners, but they were too well guarded for me to free them.”
“Where are they?” I interrupted, hungry for news of Mildrith.
“Why here, right here in the fort. In one of the other barrack blocks further back, in fact. I was able to find which one and listen to Samlen talking to that Peredur about what they planned for them. Evidently there is a huge slave market in Loidis and in a few days they are to be transferred there and sold.”
My spirit had soared at the news that the prisoners were here, but then sank just as quickly when I learned they were to be moved to the Elmet capital. That was a big city, with thousands of inhabitants and once there, I would not be able to find Mildrith. So, we needed to act now: free the company, then the prisoners and get away - and all very quickly.
“So,” Aedann continued, “having found them I went away to think what I was going to do. I needed food and so went to barter for some in that village. It was lucky for you that you got stopped and dragged away before you had got to me. No one else saw you hiding in that thicket apart from me, although one young girl insisted she had seen Saxons near the village and they sent word here. After I left the village, I scouted about until I found your warband and was going to talk to you when Peredur jumped you. All I could do was follow at a distance. When I saw the three of you tied up, I realised that now was my best chance,” Aedann finished, then he put a hand on my shoulder.
“There is more, Cerdic − and you know this bit already. When I overheard Samlen and Peredur talking, I learnt something. Samlen was bragging about the success of the attack and showing Peredur your mother’s jewels and your uncle’s sword. Peredur said how lucky Samlen had been to find the jewels, but Samlen said it was not luck; he had already known about them from his tame little Saxon.”
“Hussa ...” I hissed.
Aedann nodded.
“So, Hussa lied about you, but the rest is all true then. I wondered at first if he was just ... oh I don’t know, making it up to get back at me, perhaps. Right then,” I said between gritted teeth, “I’m going to disembowel the bastard!”
Lilla and Aedann looked at each other, but said nothing.
After a moment, Lilla coughed.
“So then,” he asked, “how do we escape?”