Read Online The Red And Savage Tongue (Historical Fiction Action Adventure Book, set in Dark Age post Roman Britain) by F J Atkinson - Free Book Online
Authors: F J Atkinson
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he said firmly, ‘try to keep up with us as we start moving—better that than annoy Egbert eh? You would do well to avoid his temper.’
‘I know that,’ said Tomas, ‘I’ve felt what he can do when he’s pissed off, or when he’s not pissed off for that matter.’
Withred mounted his pony and looked down to Tomas. ‘That may be true, but just keep up with the pace.’ He heeled his pony, setting it to a trot into the misty morning.
They had been travelling for three hours when they came upon the clearing. Here, bracken had colonised most of the area and offered little opportunity for the growth of other vegetation. The ponies had made slow but steady progress, and Egbert had fallen to the rear of the line of riders for the first time that morning, leaving a man named Cerdic at the front.
Cerdi c was one of the three who had chased Martha and Simon into the forest. The lambasting he had received from Osric, as well as the enforced journey into the deep woods, had left him in a dejected and morose mood, and he had spoken to few of his companions since leaving the village. As he looked ahead, a movement caught his eye, alerting him to a man dropping to the ground with a small girl. He was about to inform the others when Dominic’s arrow hit him in the hollow of his neck, causing him to fall backwards and dead over his pony. Withred, who was directly behind, almost trampled Cerdic’s body as it hit the ground.
Egbert, seeing Cerdic fall, rode quickly to the front to see what was going on. The other men looked about the glade nervously, expecting to come under fire again. Egbert straightened after examining Cerdic, and urgently started to give out orders. ‘He’s dead, and killed by one man,’ he assessed, ‘otherwise there would’ve been more arrows. Withred take three men to search that corner of the lea, the rest of you come with me.’
The men were about to start their search when a piercing howl ing froze them rigid. Looking over to the noise, they saw Dominic’s wolf head hat staring at them from behind a bank of bracken, sixty paces away.
One of the men, a stringy warrior named Aelred, blanched at the sight. ‘Let’s get out of here,’ he quavered, ‘the wolf God would have us pay for our deeds.’
Many of the men began to nod and murmur agreement as they gathered in a protective huddle. Again, the blood-curdling howl came, but this time the man showed himself to the group and released another arrow. Aelred fell, hit in the left cheek, the arrow emerging through the back of his head.
Egbert looked down, astonished, at the dead man, and immediately began to chivvy and slap the men out of their torpor as he realised what was happening. ‘That’s no wolf God you fucking rat brains—it’s a fucking wild man. Get on your ponies and deal with him NOW!’ He turned to Tomas. ‘Bring my mount now you little shit, and quickly before I forget my pledge to Osric!’
Egbert mounted, and galloped across the glade. He entered the thickets near to where they had seen Dominic. ‘See, there is his bolt hole. Dismount! The ponies will not go through the thorns so we must follow him on foot.’ He waved two of the men past him. ‘You two blockheads go ahead and hack a way through.’
Left alone in the clearing, Tomas once again considered his chances of escaping. He had come close to a beating the previous night and knew it was a matter of time before the men vented their frustrations upon him. An unsuccessful pursuit of the wolf-man would almost certainly mean that a furious Egbert, regardless of Withred’s earlier warning, would hammer him.
He finally made up his mind when he saw the man in the wolf’s head hat return to the glade and run over to the rock face that reared up on its eastern side. Two other figures emerged from the pile of bracken that lay at the foot of the cliff, and the
‘I know that,’ said Tomas, ‘I’ve felt what he can do when he’s pissed off, or when he’s not pissed off for that matter.’
Withred mounted his pony and looked down to Tomas. ‘That may be true, but just keep up with the pace.’ He heeled his pony, setting it to a trot into the misty morning.
They had been travelling for three hours when they came upon the clearing. Here, bracken had colonised most of the area and offered little opportunity for the growth of other vegetation. The ponies had made slow but steady progress, and Egbert had fallen to the rear of the line of riders for the first time that morning, leaving a man named Cerdic at the front.
Cerdi c was one of the three who had chased Martha and Simon into the forest. The lambasting he had received from Osric, as well as the enforced journey into the deep woods, had left him in a dejected and morose mood, and he had spoken to few of his companions since leaving the village. As he looked ahead, a movement caught his eye, alerting him to a man dropping to the ground with a small girl. He was about to inform the others when Dominic’s arrow hit him in the hollow of his neck, causing him to fall backwards and dead over his pony. Withred, who was directly behind, almost trampled Cerdic’s body as it hit the ground.
Egbert, seeing Cerdic fall, rode quickly to the front to see what was going on. The other men looked about the glade nervously, expecting to come under fire again. Egbert straightened after examining Cerdic, and urgently started to give out orders. ‘He’s dead, and killed by one man,’ he assessed, ‘otherwise there would’ve been more arrows. Withred take three men to search that corner of the lea, the rest of you come with me.’
The men were about to start their search when a piercing howl ing froze them rigid. Looking over to the noise, they saw Dominic’s wolf head hat staring at them from behind a bank of bracken, sixty paces away.
One of the men, a stringy warrior named Aelred, blanched at the sight. ‘Let’s get out of here,’ he quavered, ‘the wolf God would have us pay for our deeds.’
Many of the men began to nod and murmur agreement as they gathered in a protective huddle. Again, the blood-curdling howl came, but this time the man showed himself to the group and released another arrow. Aelred fell, hit in the left cheek, the arrow emerging through the back of his head.
Egbert looked down, astonished, at the dead man, and immediately began to chivvy and slap the men out of their torpor as he realised what was happening. ‘That’s no wolf God you fucking rat brains—it’s a fucking wild man. Get on your ponies and deal with him NOW!’ He turned to Tomas. ‘Bring my mount now you little shit, and quickly before I forget my pledge to Osric!’
Egbert mounted, and galloped across the glade. He entered the thickets near to where they had seen Dominic. ‘See, there is his bolt hole. Dismount! The ponies will not go through the thorns so we must follow him on foot.’ He waved two of the men past him. ‘You two blockheads go ahead and hack a way through.’
Left alone in the clearing, Tomas once again considered his chances of escaping. He had come close to a beating the previous night and knew it was a matter of time before the men vented their frustrations upon him. An unsuccessful pursuit of the wolf-man would almost certainly mean that a furious Egbert, regardless of Withred’s earlier warning, would hammer him.
He finally made up his mind when he saw the man in the wolf’s head hat return to the glade and run over to the rock face that reared up on its eastern side. Two other figures emerged from the pile of bracken that lay at the foot of the cliff, and the
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