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Authors: Griff Hosker
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that, when the other sheep were s laughtered we could use their skins to make riding a little easier. We rode mailed and armed. The horse and ponies could rest while we scouted; they were transport and that was all.
The closer we came to the old hill fort, the more familiar became the scenery. We had spent most of our lives within a few miles of the ramparts and ditches; Raibeart and I could almost navigate without the use of our eyes. We knew of a copse a mile or so from the north gate. We tied the horses there and left them under the watchful glare of Wolf. We had travelled less than two hundred paces when we smelled them. It was a mixture of fire and different men. We could have turned around then for I knew the answer to the quest. The Angles had occupied the fort. Dawn was still just a faint lessening of the dark and I gestured us forwards. The gate, we knew was blocked, but the rain would have washed away some of the earth used to pack the trees and make an impassable barrier. Had we still occupied the site then some of us would have been given the task of putting more soil and turf there but the Angles had not had time yet and we climbed the wooden ties which were like steps cut into the ramparts.
As I edged slowly towards the top I took off my helm and slowly eased my head up abo ve the top log. I could see a handful of fires burning and tendrils of smoke seeping from the shelters erected by the invader. The burning of the huts which had seemed petty at the time now seemed justified as the Angles suffered on the sodden turf beneath branches and pine. I could see that they had taken down the twenty heads; they had received my message. Aelle grabbed my arm and pointed to the west; there was a solitary guard on top of the mound some forty paces from us. Luckily he was peering in the opposite direction but he would, inevitably turn, and when he did so he would see us. I notched an arrow and half raised myself. Perhaps the slight movement alerted him but, whatever the cause, he turned. He made it an easier strike as my arrow took him in the throat and he was pitched from the wall, landing with a dull thump in the bottom of the ditch. There was no time to see if the others had heard and we fled back to the horses. We quickly mounted and I led us towards the road in the east. They would easily see our tracks in the mud but, once on the road it would become more difficult to track us. Dawn broke as we approached the bridge of the fort. I did not turn towards home but carried on across the bridge.
“Why cross the bridge brother?”
“Because, Raibeart, I do not know how good they are at tracking and they may be able to follow us on the road. We will just make sure.” I grinned, “We may get a little wet but we will disappear, trust me.”
Once across the bridge I turned west through the bushes and headed down to the river. There was a shingle bank and after we had negotiated it I led us into the water and headed upstream. Our father had told me that horses were good swimmers and this seemed the opportunity to try out his theory. The water was flowing quickly but it only came up to the haunches of my horse and he kept his feet all the way across. The other two were only swimming for a few paces and then they, too, were walking again. I watched for the shingle and stone I knew were ahead and took us out of the river about a mile upstream from the bridge. It would take a skilful tracker to follow us there.
Raibeart appeared a little downcast as we stabled and fed our mounts. “Is that it then Lann? One Angle killed and we flee with our tails between our legs.”
Part of me wanted to do as I had when he was a boy and cuff him about the ears but he was a warrior now and he needed to know my mind. “We went there to find out if they had returned and they have. Now we can plan to hurt them, knowing that they are there. We know that it would be impossible for three of us to
The closer we came to the old hill fort, the more familiar became the scenery. We had spent most of our lives within a few miles of the ramparts and ditches; Raibeart and I could almost navigate without the use of our eyes. We knew of a copse a mile or so from the north gate. We tied the horses there and left them under the watchful glare of Wolf. We had travelled less than two hundred paces when we smelled them. It was a mixture of fire and different men. We could have turned around then for I knew the answer to the quest. The Angles had occupied the fort. Dawn was still just a faint lessening of the dark and I gestured us forwards. The gate, we knew was blocked, but the rain would have washed away some of the earth used to pack the trees and make an impassable barrier. Had we still occupied the site then some of us would have been given the task of putting more soil and turf there but the Angles had not had time yet and we climbed the wooden ties which were like steps cut into the ramparts.
As I edged slowly towards the top I took off my helm and slowly eased my head up abo ve the top log. I could see a handful of fires burning and tendrils of smoke seeping from the shelters erected by the invader. The burning of the huts which had seemed petty at the time now seemed justified as the Angles suffered on the sodden turf beneath branches and pine. I could see that they had taken down the twenty heads; they had received my message. Aelle grabbed my arm and pointed to the west; there was a solitary guard on top of the mound some forty paces from us. Luckily he was peering in the opposite direction but he would, inevitably turn, and when he did so he would see us. I notched an arrow and half raised myself. Perhaps the slight movement alerted him but, whatever the cause, he turned. He made it an easier strike as my arrow took him in the throat and he was pitched from the wall, landing with a dull thump in the bottom of the ditch. There was no time to see if the others had heard and we fled back to the horses. We quickly mounted and I led us towards the road in the east. They would easily see our tracks in the mud but, once on the road it would become more difficult to track us. Dawn broke as we approached the bridge of the fort. I did not turn towards home but carried on across the bridge.
“Why cross the bridge brother?”
“Because, Raibeart, I do not know how good they are at tracking and they may be able to follow us on the road. We will just make sure.” I grinned, “We may get a little wet but we will disappear, trust me.”
Once across the bridge I turned west through the bushes and headed down to the river. There was a shingle bank and after we had negotiated it I led us into the water and headed upstream. Our father had told me that horses were good swimmers and this seemed the opportunity to try out his theory. The water was flowing quickly but it only came up to the haunches of my horse and he kept his feet all the way across. The other two were only swimming for a few paces and then they, too, were walking again. I watched for the shingle and stone I knew were ahead and took us out of the river about a mile upstream from the bridge. It would take a skilful tracker to follow us there.
Raibeart appeared a little downcast as we stabled and fed our mounts. “Is that it then Lann? One Angle killed and we flee with our tails between our legs.”
Part of me wanted to do as I had when he was a boy and cuff him about the ears but he was a warrior now and he needed to know my mind. “We went there to find out if they had returned and they have. Now we can plan to hurt them, knowing that they are there. We know that it would be impossible for three of us to
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