The Bretwalda (The Casere Book 4) (33 page)

‘So what now? The folgere are in cells and the Axum wiga are locked in their barracks. This seems way too simple.’

‘Are there any other barracks of Axum wiga in Nobatia?’ Conn was under the impression there wasn’t.

The Aebeling shook his head. ‘No – only here – but they kept a large garrison here.’

‘Then we just have to wait for Vigbert to sort out the wiga when he arrives. As for the folgere; I’ll send them back with Alfvir. We just need to wait for everyone to arrive.’

‘I will organize quarters for you in the longhouses that are in the inner and outer bailies.’ Eldvir whispered in his ear. ‘Nope, that had been organized already. I feel totally superfluous already.’ He looked at Eldvir. ‘Old man, what say we retire to the mountains and live out our days. With my son gone there is little left for me here. We will just get in Farrun’s way.’

‘An excellent idea master, I know just the place.’

‘Do you have a son?’

‘I do. Derryth has introduced him to the young master.’

Arnben shrugged. ‘Not sure why I even bother.’

By evening, Sir Njil had arrived, and unloaded his passengers. Eldvir allocated an older Twacuman women as Vilotta’s maid and had her being shown the tower house. With Vigbert’s arrival, the barracks had been cleared of prisoners and all those loyal to the Eagle’s Claw were assembled outside of town in a camp that the Meshechians were building.

Conn spoke to the rest of the prisoners in the afternoon. He told them his plans.

They were a little started. ‘You are going to let us go, get our families, and to then take a boat to Axum? Just like that – no executions – no ransoms, nothing?’

‘I will not ask you to betray your Bretwalda – or Healdend as he is now. Next spring, I will be back, and I will be in Axum. You can tell the “Healdend” of Axum this. I will be back and I will see him burn – as per the prophesy. So when you get home, do something different – become a cotter, craftsman or merchant. If you are still a wiga, you could very well die. Boats are being prepared. You will leave as soon as they are ready.

Conn rode out to Vigbert. He now had a full regiment of men, and he was a little confused about what to do with them.

‘I’m thinking Jamut.’

Vigbert was shocked. ‘Do you want me to go to Jamut? With a regiment of men? Surely the Jarl will not be so happy to host a rebellion from his lands?’

‘He won’t mind. All these boats going back to Axum is a cover so that your ten vessels can go to Jamut unnoticed. Alfvir knows that you are involved, and knows about your father. He will be a target. You need to be able to protect him.’ Conn looked around the men who were Vigbert’s Colonels and Captains. ‘Are any of you from Jamut?’

One man stepped forward. ‘Sir, I am. My father is a Thane.’

‘With this many men – and control of the seas, with as much food and supplies as you need, how long can you defend Jamut from invasion?’

Surprised at the question he was nonetheless quick to respond. ‘If there is no danger of being starved out, and the invader doesn’t attack from a dozen sides, probably years.’

‘All sorted then. Vigbert, take your fyrd to Jamut – and also take Asvi and Steinvi with you. You can protect the island from the Healdend, and I will ensure that the island is protected from a general ocean assault. Patience is required here – your objective is to be a thorn in his side. Your presence will annoy and frustrate him immensely – and I want him to lack rational behaviour when I return.’

‘When will that be?’ Vigbert asked.

‘Next spring. Once Meshech is clear of vermin, I’ll return. Now, Eldvir tells me that there is a port north of here – Karatep-jo. I understand that it takes five days. Tell your men to inform their families that they will leave in a lunar, but I need you there in six days. When you arrive, there will be cogs enough for you all to get to Jamut. You will be crowded because I want to reduce the number of vessels. Everyone else will head, I understand, to Clusium-jo. Try not to scare the Jarl to death.’

Before he departed, Conn had another meeting with Vigbert. There was something else the young man could do for him.

~oo0oo~

It was late when he returned to the castle; Finna was waiting for him. She was crying – from a distance, Conn wasn’t sure if they were of joy or of pain.

It was pain. Finna explained that she couldn’t feel the Cirice. She had only just arrived but she had expected to feel the home of Ishtar as soon as she arrived – but it was just numbness. Conn hadn’t been able to feel Ishtar either – but then she was the most reticent of all the Gyden to let him close. With nothing to be done today, he promised to help her in the morning, and they both returned to the great hall to eat. At supper, he informed Asvi and Steinvi what was happening to them; travelling to Jamut with Vigbert.

Steinvi looked at him in confusion. ‘Are you unable to think of a reason to keep us as prisoners? Surely we have value?’

Conn had decided to outsmart her. ‘You have – your father will try and rescue you from Jamut and will be unable to. He will be very annoyed, and I want him to be annoyed.’

‘You are really strange.’

He spoke quietly with Asvi later and she was satisfied with his arrangements. He was going to miss Steinvi, but it didn’t suit his plans to keep her with him.

~oo0oo~

Conn’s slumber was broken by Gunvi. He was in a room on the third floor of the castle. Vila was asleep beside him. She still had the unnerving ability to creep in and surprise him.

‘Feorhhyrde, we think you need to see something.’

Dressing quickly, Conn followed her out of the castle and through the gatehouse. They joined Einrun and Derryth, and walked for some time through the town. They arrived at an open field – the first one that they’d encountered. Fenced off, it appeared to be used by the ostler to pasture horses. They walked into the middle of the field, and they stopped. Einrun held up his hand.

‘Do you hear that – a kind of murmur? It is only here – here it is the loudest.’

Conn did – and because he still had the necklace with Ashtoreth’s stone around his neck; it was more pronounced. However, the stone was fighting the murmur – if that was at all possible – trying to suppress it.

‘How come no other Twacuman has heard it before?’

‘Males of the ninth clan have never been here before. It seems that only we can hear it – and I don’t know why. It’s as clear as night.’

Conn looked downwards – the night was pitch black but for some reason he could see the ground. He pointed down. ‘Speaking of which, does the ground look too bright in such a black night?’

Einrun shrugged. ‘Feorhhyrde, perhaps to you, but to us, the night is never dark. At night, we see better, the less you see. But if you can see the ground, then that is strange. Do know what it means?’

‘I do – or at least I think so. We will find out in the morning. Thank you for telling me.’

Einrun smiled. ‘That is what we are here for.’

When he got back to the castle, Finna was waiting for him at the entrance. He told her what he found.

She suddenly looked happier; she didn’t say anything, she just grabbed his hand and led him to the nearest vacant room, which seemed to be used for storage. She was naked by the time he closed the door.

~oo0oo~

When Conn asked the Healdend for permission to dig a big hole in the field he was surprised. ‘What on earth for?’

Conn explained, as best he could.

‘If you must. Who will do the digging?’

‘The Axum wiga – before they leave. It will be a fitting final task for them.’

He shook his head. ‘We live in strange times.’

With Finna in her travelling clothes – which were much more respectable – she followed Conn to the field. Farrun was organizing workers. There was nothing there but a few oxen.

‘It seems that no one owns the field – it has long been considered haunted.’ he reported to Conn.

Conn organized a grid and they set to work; a team activity of a thousand men in shifts. It didn’t take long to get results; things started to appear after about a yard – stone blocks, tiles, and pillars. The blocks were obviously carved by masons. Once they had one, they came thick and fast. It was obvious that an entire building made of stone had been buried, and the retrieved stones were piled up for reuse. A larger discovery was the huge granite altar that seemed to be at the bottom of one hole. It took them the afternoon to get it out of the ground.

The Aebeling came to visit. ‘So you were right?’

‘Yes – it would seem that the Axum dug a hole and then buried the entire cirice?

‘Have you found the bodies you were looking for?’

‘Not yet. We have a lot of bodies buried in a pit over there – but none are folgere. If you believe the story, after Ashtoreth’s folgere murdered Ishtar’s folgere, a mob killed them all. Then the Axum killed the mob. I’m thinking that this is the grave of the mob as well as the folgere – all the folgere – including her own. They are buried together.’

‘All of them?’

Conn nodded. ‘That is why Finna couldn’t feel Ishtar – Ashtoreth is blocking her.’

‘So how did you find her?

‘Ashtoreth doesn’t block me out so well.’

‘I’m now sorry I asked.’

It was half way through the next day that they encountered the bodies of the Ashtoreth’s folgere – they were buried with reverence in linen bags in a row. Conn had the bones removed after he had collected the necklaces, and had them put directly on a pyre. As the flames hit and the black smoke billowed into the sky, Finna collapsed. Conn suspected something would happen so had Gunvi keep close watch. Without the other bones, Ishtar was free to make her presence felt, and she did it a little too quickly. Conn even felt her – a wave of gratitude rushed over him, and then she withdrew. Her shyness was unusual – if it had of been Badb, she would have been naked and simulating in his mind all form of carnal acts to thank him. If fact, Badb didn’t need an excuse – she simply wanted to fornicate.

Eventually all the bodies – some thirty – were recovered. Their grave was under the other folgere and they were in a mangled pile. Along with the hundred plus of the citizens of Nobatia, they were placed on a pyre, at sunset. Finna had recovered and she had Arnben place the torch amongst the reeds. It took an hour for the pyre to dim, and they went back to the castle. Conn felt strangely relieved – he had accomplished what was obviously one of his ‘labours’ – it was not infrequent that he felt like the proverbial Hercules.

With the completion of the digging works, the Axum wiga and their families were loaded onto cogs and they set sail for Axum. Each vessel carried a special flag – one that granted them safe passage past the “pirate” cogs that ruled the oceans between the Southern Isles and Axum. Vigbert would also have left by now; there would be over thirty ships at sea on their way north.

As they departed, Finna was busy – she had to not only direct the rebuilding of a Cirice, but she had to deal with the girls and women that were called to be folgere. Conn felt he had to help with this last task, when he could.

Conn now waited for the Witan to commence. The Jarls arrived daily, and all were equally concerned and gracious for Conn’s efforts; the greatest thanks came from their bedda and their daughters – who made a determined effort to thank him personally. The Jarl of Kinjan-jo, an elderly lady, cried when she saw Farrun. She even made Derryth cry.

‘Something in my eye’, he told Conn.

Her name was Begena. When told of their plans she mused. ‘So Leptis is trying to get his grubby hand on my demesne, is he?’ What dowry is he asking?’

In Kishdah, unlike Meshech, because bedda were like theow, the fathers all received a dowry. Conn informed her.

‘The upstart. Let me speak to him. I also want to speak to Vilotta and this Asema girl.’ She stood up. ‘Farrun, come with me. Now you have spoken to Vilotta, haven’t you?’

As she wandered off, Derryth looked at Conn. ‘She scares me. I’m feeling sorry for Leptis already.’

Conn didn’t attend the Witan – though Farrun did from the second day, after he had been confirmed as heir to the Aebeling. The second day was more interesting, as the two bedda agreements were approved. Asbera had been convinced that Enbert, the Jarl of Cirta, was a satisfactory bedda – he was certainly attentive enough – and he offered suitable dowry. As it turned out, Conn had to lend the ryals to Farrun, who then lent them to Enbert, who then gave them back to Conn. If she knew, she didn’t let on. Vilotta was surprisingly accepting of Farrun’s new bedda. She even didn’t make her wait.

She complained to Conn and Derryth. Derryth was possibly the only one listening, but Conn wasn’t sure. ‘Have you seen the size of this castle? I need all the help I can get – and I’m pregnant. If I have twins, I’m going to kill you.’ Conn heard that bit. ‘And his carnal needs are amazing – she can have him every night if she wants. And she is very cute… when the cat’s away the mice do play … I was hoping that those folgere would wear him out but no, they make it worse.’

With so much to celebrate, a huge feast was held – one that was replicate throughout the town. As usual, Finna did the formalities of naming the Healdend and the Aebeling, and this time there were no surprises. Conn didn’t expect any – with the Aebeling having made Farrun his heir. The Gyden seemed to trust him.