Amber Treasure, The (23 page)

Sabert snorted at that. “You
don’t tell us anything we don’t already know.”

“Wait, I have not finished,”
Aedann said cooly. “Most of the population have heard the growing rumours of
Owain’s coming and stories are going around that you will be slaughtered by him
here. Those stories have found a very favourable audience.”

“Again, this is not exactly news
to us, Welshman. Your Highness, he has nothing to tell us that we don’t know,”
Sabert said.

“Give him a chance ... my Lord!”
I said brusquely.

“Aye, let’s hear the boy out,”
Harald agreed.

Aedann studied us all for a long
time, remaining silent whilst he appeared to be weighing up what next to say.

“Well, are you going to say
anything?” Sabert said at last, tapping his foot in irritation.

“Will you still tell me you
already knew what I was about to say, if I tell you that right now five hundred
young Welshmen are armed and in hiding in Eoforwic? All they wait for is news
that the battle here is lost. Then they will rise up, kill the garrison you
left there and seize the city for Owain.”

I stared at Aedann: this was news
even to me.

Sabert’s eyes snapped over to fix
me with an outraged glare. “You did not think it was worth telling us this
before now?” he snarled.

I shrugged, to hide my own
ignorance. “Would you have believed the words of a Welshman, or a farmer?” I
challenged him in return.

“Are ... are you ... sure?”
Aethelric asked, addressing the dark-haired youth.

“Yes, Highness, my people are
passing knives and swords around. They are arming and they are waiting. They
await one thing: they await news of a victory here and then they will act,”
Aedann repeated.

Fuming, Sabert stomped over to
the fire and stood by it, warming his hands and glowering with contempt  at my
former slave. Aethelric and Harald were silent, apparently just as shocked and
unsure what now to do. I knew I had to act quickly to take advantage of the
moment, to make sure that Aethelric now made the right choice. I moved forward
to address the Prince.

“So, Highness, if we retreat to
the bridge, as Sabert suggests, Eoforwic will hear of it and the Eboracii will
rise up. Our line of retreat and supply will have gone. Do you dare risk that?”

Aethelric looked confused now.
Sabert was shaking his head, but had no immediate argument to counter my own.

Before he could say anything, Harald,
spoke grimly, “It’s worse than that, Highness.”

Aethelric groaned then slumped
back in his chair and put his hands over his head, unhappy to be receiving so
much bad news. A moment later he looked up and nodded at Harald to go on.

“Well, my Prince, the whole land
from here to Eoforwic was − not long ago − Welsh, occupied by either
the tribes of the Eboracii or the Pennines. There are still many Welsh living
here. If Eoforwic falls we could have an uprising on a huge scale. We could
find a thousand swords and spears marching up Dere Street and attacking us from
behind, at the bridge. That would be that, I think.”

He said this and then glanced
round the room his raised eyebrows challenging anyone to gainsay him. Even
Sabert pursed his lips at the thought and nodded reluctantly. Then the older
lord’s eyes narrowed and he raised a hand and pointed it at Aedann.

“All this supposes that this
Welshman is not a spy. He refers to the Welsh in Eoforwic as his people. Is
that not a giveaway? I say he was planted here to sow discontent and create
disunity. I say let us torture him to get the truth.”

At that, I drew my sword and
stood in front of Aedann.

“This man is pledged to me. I
will not allow any harm to come to him!” I glared at Sabert.

“Do not draw your sword in the
Prince’s hall!” Sabert hissed.

Harald put his hand on my arm. “Your
argument is made, Cerdic, but put the blade down.”

I did and bowed at Aethelric. “Apologies,
Highness, but the point remains. I will take an oath that this man does not
lie.”

Aethelric looked even more
confused, but eventually rallied to ask a question. “If what he says is true,
what must we do, Cerdic?”

I pointed at the reeds that
covered the hard-packed earth of the hall’s floor.

“Stay here: right here. We hold a
fortress and we still have five hundred men. Supplies are plentiful and there
are fresh water springs and a well. We stay and we hold, until my father comes
with Aethelfrith.”

I looked at the lords around me.
Some were nodding and others looking anxiously at each other. The door to the
hall opened at this moment and Cuthbert came in and talked to a guard, who
glanced at me. I nodded at him to permit my friend to enter.

Sabert slapped his thigh in
frustration.

“Supplies are not an issue:
numbers are. Even with five hundred men we will be hard pressed to hold Owain
out of here, even for a day. Unless your father comes tomorrow, all will be
lost.”

Cuthbert arrived at my side and
bent to whisper in my ear. I smiled and then winked at him.

“If we only had some idea if he
was coming and how soon,” the Prince was muttering to himself.

“Maybe we do, Highness. Cuthbert,
repeat what you just told me.”

Cuthbert looked terrified at having
to do that and I could see his hands were shaking.

“I ... I,” he stammered.

“It’s alright Cuth, just say it:
it’s important.”

He took a deep breath then
cleared his throat. “Highness, there are fires to the north.”

All eyes now turned to him.

“A f ... fire? Where?” the Prince
stuttered fearfully.

“Not just one fire, I said fires,
Sire: scores of them. It’s an army out there, it cannot be anything else.”

Harald stepped forward.

“How far boy, how far?”

Cuthbert screwed up his eyes like
he did when estimating a range for his bow. He nodded his head after a moment.

“Perhaps ten miles, maybe more,
but the low clouds reflect the glow.”

“It has to be Aethelfrith!” I
said.

“It could be,” Sabert conceded,
“or your Welshman’s word might already be true. It could be an uprising
gathering to come here, rallying to Owain’s call. Sire, we can’t take the risk.
We must leave now!”

“Sire,” I interrupted
desperately, “if it is my father and Aethelfrith then we have to stay. It’s our
only hope. We must stay and occupy Owain’s army long enough for Aethelfrith to
come and then, together, we can defeat him.”

Harald took less than a second to
agree.

“I say stay!” He slammed his
tankard down on the table.

Suddenly, there was pandemonium
as all the lords began talking at once.

Cuthbert took us all by surprise,
not least me, by shouting at them to be quiet. They all stared at him in
outrage. He spoke and this time his voice was steady, determined and even
noble.

“It’s like one of Lilla’s sagas.
Remember when Urien was attacking Lindisfarne and Firebrand stood on the
causeway ...?” His eyes grew distant as he thought back several years to the
evenings when as boys we had listened to the bard’s tales.

“Come no nearer viper. I tire of
retreat. I will die here or I will prevail here and his bondsmen struck spear
on shield and roared their defiance.”

I was impressed; Cuth had Lilla’s
tone and voice down very well.

Sabert snorted. “This is not a
tale, lad. This is real life. We are all going to die if we stay.”

But Sabert had not noticed the
Prince. Aethelric knew his own limitations: how poor a leader and how clueless
in battle he was. But he had been listening to Cuthbert and would know Lilla’s
words well, for it was one of the bard’s most popular sagas. Something in it
inspired Aethelric. As he stared at Cuthbert, colour came back into his pale
face. The main task or role of a king, prince or lord was to make decisions.
This Prince’s decision, this night, would be critical to the outcome of this
battle and thus to the survival of an Anglo-Saxon kingdom in the North - and
possibly even to the future of the English race. He opened his mouth and made
that decision.

“We will stay,” he said, “and we
will fight and pray to the gods that Aethelfrith comes in time.”

Sabert’s face was dark for a
moment, but then he bowed.

“So be it. It seems that all our
fates depend on the eyesight of this man,” he said. Then, still looking at
Cuthbert, added, “In which case, may I suggest that your Highness sends this
scout to go and find Aethelfrith for us and bring him here.”

“Eh?” mumbled Cuthbert followed
by a hasty, “my Lord.”

Sabert was grinning nastily now.

“Your vision seems sharp and
there is no doubting your agility and speed. Aethelfrith must know that we need
aid quickly, so you can carry that news to him.”

“Yes ... that seems fair,”
muttered the Prince, back to his customary vagueness. “I suggest, Harald, you
look to setting our defences and then, everyone, get some sleep.”

I left the hall with Aedann and
Cuthbert in tow, but as soon as I was outside I spun round and faced the
Welshman.

“Why did you not tell me about
the uprising in Eoforwic, before now?”

Those dark green eyes stared at
me for a moment, before he answered.

“When I arrived in Eoforwic, I
had ideas I was returning to my own people ...”

“Like you said, just now?”

He nodded then shrugged.

“Yes, they are Eboracii. They are
Welsh and I do speak their language, so I felt some bond there. When I heard
them talking, I cannot deny I was excited. For an hour or two when we left the
city my mind was full of dreams of a kingdom of Eboracum reborn − maybe
even your people as slaves for a change.”

His eyes grew distant. Was he
seeing images of my father toiling in the fields while he sat back and drank
mead? If so, he was a fool, for my father worked as hard as anyone.

“If that’s the case, why then
speak now? Your words swayed the Prince’s decision; you must have known they
would?”

“Well, I said I thought these
things for an hour or two. Then, I began realising that I have more in common
with you all,” and at this he waved a hand towards me and Cuthbert.

“ Don’t get me wrong, I’m very
proud to come from the race I do and their past and history belong to me.
However, my present and future belongs with you. Do not forget also that One
Eye is Welsh too, as are his people, and then look at the things he has done.
In the end, a man is more than his people’s past. It’s his friends and
companions, his family and his deeds today, that matter.”

I nodded and then glanced across
at Cuthbert, who I saw had not been listening. He was looking anxious and I
realised he was preoccupied with his mission out into the dark.

“You’ll be fine, Cuth. Sabert
might be an ornery so and so, but he spotted that you are a natural hunter and
scout. No one will see you and you will find my father, I’m sure of it.”

Cuthbert nodded, looking a little
brighter.

“Just don’t take too long about
it!” Aedann grunted.

Cuthbert and I found him a dark
cloak to wear, fresh arrows and bow strings, food and drink. Then, we went to
the north-east corner of the fortress and climbed up to the palisade. We had
one sentry up there keeping watch and I asked him if he had seen any enemy
activity.

“No, my Lord,” he answered and I
dismissed him back to his duty.

The slope beyond the palisade was
acute and the ditch at its base deep. Seeing that, I abandoned a brief idea
that I had entertained, of giving Cuthbert a horse. There was no way he would
get it down there and the main gate was blocked and too well watched by Owain’s
men to go out that way. In any event, he was a poor horseman at best and was
far better on two legs.

We removed one of the upright
posts in the palisade, creating a narrow gap just wide enough for my friend to
squeeze through. He poked his head out and looked around and then turned back
to me, to say goodbye. I placed my hands on his shoulders and looked him in the
eye, “Be careful, but be quick,” I said simply.

He nodded. “Stay safe, Cerdic, I
will be back.”

With that he slid quietly down
the slope, climbed the far side pulling himself up by the tree roots and, with
a last glance at me, was gone between the trees and into the night.

It was now about two or three in
the morning and it would be dawn in less than five hours. Returning to the
fires, I saw that they had burnt low. The men had taken shelter in whatever hut
or building they could find or else, wrapped up in their cloaks, were huddled
near the fires. Harald came past and waved me over to him.

“Right then, the guard is set.
Nothing more to do for a few hours: let’s both get some sleep. We will be glad
of it come the morrow.”

I nodded and realised just how
shattered I felt. I could not be bothered to find anywhere to sleep, so I
rolled up in my cloak next to a fire and closed my eyes. In an instant, I was
asleep.

When Harald woke me, it was still
dark, but a faint glow of light on the eastern horizon told me it would be day
soon.

We roused the men who, groaning,
coughing and complaining, hunched around fires to warm themselves, splashed
water on their faces and toasted some stale bread over the flames, or ate
whatever else they could find. There wasn’t much.

Eduard stumbled over to me,
eating what looked like bacon. I smiled to myself; he always managed to
scavenge something to eat. He looked at me and his face wore an unusually
anxious expression.

“Aedann told me, that you sent
Cuth to go and find Aethelfrith.”

I nodded.

“You think that was wise?”

“Can you think of anyone better?”
I replied.

He thought about it a moment.

“Well no, but still, it’s Cuth.”

“I know, I’m worried too, but he
will be fine. It’s us I’m more concerned about right now. Give me some of that
bacon: I’m starving.”