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 Page A
Authors: F J Atkinson
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wolf-man, after conversing hurriedly with them, picked up the girl and ran into the forest with the other man running behind.
Knowing he had very little time to make up his mind, he decided to follow the departing figures and take his chance with them. If they were enemies of Egbert’s group, they stood a good chance of being friendly to him. The noise of the Barbarians in the wood as they shouted to each other finally spurred him into action. He ran into the forest following the small group, just as Egbert and some of the men entered the clearing. Quickly, he melted into the cover of the trees.
He kept a respectful distance behind the others, not wishing to reveal himself in the heat of the pursuit, knowing that the people ahead would have no idea if he was friend or foe. After shadowing them for a short while, they abruptly stopped and he was compelled to hide behind a low shrub. He watched as they jumped into a hole beside a fallen tree.
He was in a colony of beech that had little undergrowth. He looked frantically around, aware that there were few other places to hide if Egbert’s men were to come upon him now. His dismay deepened when he heard the sound of approaching riders—the noise sending him into a panic as he raced from tree to tree, cursing their scarcity in this part of the forest.
The oncoming crescendo from the riders told him his capture was imminent and unavoidable. As he looked around him, close to panic, he saw that dead leaves filled one of the nearby hollows. Scrambling down into the depression, he was relieved to find that the leaf litter was at least an arms length in depth. He dragged a large scoop of leaves to one side, then jumped into the resulting hollow and roughly dragged the pile over him.
His disappearance was barely in time as he heard the sound of voices alarmingly close to him. Only muffled snatches of conversation came through to him under the leaves, but he heard his name mentioned when Egbert called to the scattered members of his group to rally to him at once.
To his horror , he realised they had broken off their search for the men and girl. They were now looking for him! He heard rustling around him as some of the men jumped into the hollow They knew he was under the leaves! Sensing that his discovery, by either wading feet or thrusting spear, was imminent, he prepared himself for capture. Again, a shouting came from above, and this time the volume was such that Tomas had no difficulty in understanding what was occurring.
It was Egbert —his tone frenzied. He stood on the rim of the hollow, and pointed to the inner woods then looked towards the nearest man. ‘Eadmund, you stay here and find the boy, the rest of you come with me. Look who walks in the woods this day.’
CHAPTER SIX
After spending their first full night in the forest, Simon and Martha made good progress along the bank of the stream in the valley bottom. Simon seemed to be familiar with the surrounding woodland, but after a while, he stopped and sat on a rock beside the stream.
Concerned, Martha sat beside him. She was very fond of the old man. He had been a respected and popular figure in their village, but she was aware that he had lived a long life and that he must now be feeling his age. ‘It’s a good idea not pushing it too fast,’ she said. ‘I keep forgetting that many years separate our ages.’
Simon looked at Martha and paused, then laughed for the first time since the raid. ‘You’ve a fair tongue on you lass … but no, it’s not old age, but uncertainty that persuaded me to sit down—I just need to think. I thought I knew this part of the forest, but I’ve slept a good few nights since I was last here.’ After a while, he looked up, and then looked at the stream. He slapped his knees and stood up. ‘We can do no worse than follow the water,’ he said. ‘It must lead to the track
Knowing he had very little time to make up his mind, he decided to follow the departing figures and take his chance with them. If they were enemies of Egbert’s group, they stood a good chance of being friendly to him. The noise of the Barbarians in the wood as they shouted to each other finally spurred him into action. He ran into the forest following the small group, just as Egbert and some of the men entered the clearing. Quickly, he melted into the cover of the trees.
He kept a respectful distance behind the others, not wishing to reveal himself in the heat of the pursuit, knowing that the people ahead would have no idea if he was friend or foe. After shadowing them for a short while, they abruptly stopped and he was compelled to hide behind a low shrub. He watched as they jumped into a hole beside a fallen tree.
He was in a colony of beech that had little undergrowth. He looked frantically around, aware that there were few other places to hide if Egbert’s men were to come upon him now. His dismay deepened when he heard the sound of approaching riders—the noise sending him into a panic as he raced from tree to tree, cursing their scarcity in this part of the forest.
The oncoming crescendo from the riders told him his capture was imminent and unavoidable. As he looked around him, close to panic, he saw that dead leaves filled one of the nearby hollows. Scrambling down into the depression, he was relieved to find that the leaf litter was at least an arms length in depth. He dragged a large scoop of leaves to one side, then jumped into the resulting hollow and roughly dragged the pile over him.
His disappearance was barely in time as he heard the sound of voices alarmingly close to him. Only muffled snatches of conversation came through to him under the leaves, but he heard his name mentioned when Egbert called to the scattered members of his group to rally to him at once.
To his horror , he realised they had broken off their search for the men and girl. They were now looking for him! He heard rustling around him as some of the men jumped into the hollow They knew he was under the leaves! Sensing that his discovery, by either wading feet or thrusting spear, was imminent, he prepared himself for capture. Again, a shouting came from above, and this time the volume was such that Tomas had no difficulty in understanding what was occurring.
It was Egbert —his tone frenzied. He stood on the rim of the hollow, and pointed to the inner woods then looked towards the nearest man. ‘Eadmund, you stay here and find the boy, the rest of you come with me. Look who walks in the woods this day.’
CHAPTER SIX
After spending their first full night in the forest, Simon and Martha made good progress along the bank of the stream in the valley bottom. Simon seemed to be familiar with the surrounding woodland, but after a while, he stopped and sat on a rock beside the stream.
Concerned, Martha sat beside him. She was very fond of the old man. He had been a respected and popular figure in their village, but she was aware that he had lived a long life and that he must now be feeling his age. ‘It’s a good idea not pushing it too fast,’ she said. ‘I keep forgetting that many years separate our ages.’
Simon looked at Martha and paused, then laughed for the first time since the raid. ‘You’ve a fair tongue on you lass … but no, it’s not old age, but uncertainty that persuaded me to sit down—I just need to think. I thought I knew this part of the forest, but I’ve slept a good few nights since I was last here.’ After a while, he looked up, and then looked at the stream. He slapped his knees and stood up. ‘We can do no worse than follow the water,’ he said. ‘It must lead to the track
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