The Aebeling (24 page)

By travelling in and out of streets and side alleys, Imar had them in the vicinity of the north east gate in little to no time. As they travelled they could hear the sounds of men running up and down the streets in a coordinated search.

‘I gather you are not very popular at the moment.’ Imar commented dryly.

‘Not one of my better days. Getting outside might be exciting too.’

‘Maybe not...’

Imar told then to wait in a dark alley as he went to see if the coast was clear. It was a small building with a guard stationed outside. The guard was gone and Imar opened the door to the small building behind the station and called them inside. It was a tight fit.

‘Not quite what I expected…’ Conn added. ‘But a lot better that what I was thinking.’

Imar went to the back of the room and after moving a few boxes, exposed another door, which seemed to open into the stone castle walls.

‘Not many people know about this – but my father was a wiga – it’s a secret passage out of the Keep to the river; you will find yourself a little south of where you want to be but you will be on the outside.’ He looked at the girl who seemed unafraid of Conn. ‘I didn’t think that you were a slaver. I can’t stand seeing them come in with their ‘captives’. I’m glad I could help.’

‘Imar, so am I. If I did it alone, a lot more people would have died. So thank you. ’ Conn handed him ten gold coins.

Imar declined. ‘I will not be able to explain gold Ryals, so do you have any coppers or silvers?’

Conn looked into his pouch; he had several thousand in small coins. ‘This is all I have, but I will get some more to you when I can. Spend it carefully and wisely; I’ll expect that you will be a prosperous man when I return. My name is Conn il Taransay. Someday I will seek your help again.’

Imar took the coins, and thanked Conn, telling him that he would keep an ear open. He handed Conn a horn candle lantern, to guide the way out. Conn lit the candle with a flint, and headed down the passageway. The pony followed; it just fitted. No ordinary horse would have entered the passageway. Oisin was last; she walked to Imar and kissed him on the cheek, said thank you and followed behind the pony.

There was scant light from the lantern but it was enough to get them to the end of the passage, and through the heavy timber door that took several attempt to barge open. From the doorway, another narrow passage traversed the side of the ancient wall until they arrived on the river bank amid trees and bushes.

Finally outside, Conn could see that he was about three hundred yards west of where he planned. He blew his bird whistle three times to advise Daray of his position and by the time they had walked a hundred yards, Daray had ridden up to them. Conn mounted the stallion, and they made a quick exit back to the road and west. The sun was just starting to rise and they needed to find somewhere to hide. They found a deep ditch along the riverside to rest the horses for the day. Daray went and fished in the river for breakfast and a group of riders passed them by, the slaver looked worse for wear; bound to his horse. He was taking the men to his camp, and when they returned, he was not with them so Conn could only presume that they had killed him.

On nightfall, the three riders headed north. They found Wilgar’s trail the next day, and caught them in three, all the time trying not to bring unneeded attention. Regrouped, they continued their trip north to Pelva. Most of the Earldom’s and Burhs in the north of Silekia were now controlled by Rakians, so it was slow going to ensure they avoided detection.

After five days they made contact with a fyrd. It was late afternoon and the group seem to be settling in for the night. Luckily, Daray noticed the wiga before they were seen, and Conn got the group hidden in a grove of trees. As they had just crossed a river to bring them into the domain of Pelva, Conn didn’t know if these were friend or foe.

He sent Wuffa back for Evalyn. When she arrived, he directed her to look at the group with his telescope.

‘Evalyn, I’d like you to look through the end of this tube, and point the other end at what you are looking at. At first it will be unclear but if you pull the end away from you face it will become clearer. With this you can see a long distance. I want you to point it at the trees over there – wiga are setting up camp.’

Evalyn looked at him as if he was crazy but complied anyway. Conn held his hand under the telescope as most people dropped it the first time they used it in shock – but she was clearly made of sterner stuff.

After a few minutes of focusing and pointing, Evalyn was able to see the group. ‘This is amazing,’ she said ‘are you sure it is not magic?’ After Conn assured her it was not, she continued ‘Oh, I can see one of them clearly now – it’s Osric – he is one of my Eaorl’s Folctoga. They must be looking for me.’ She continued to scour the hillside, ‘But I don’t know about the other group on top of the hill.’

‘What other group?’ Conn got the telescope from Evalyn and searched the hilltop – ‘Rakians; and they are intent on ambushing Osric and his men. They must be waiting for sundown.’

Conn moved back to the horses to collect a quiver of arrows. As he turned to leave, Oisin, as was the Twacuman girl’s name asked ‘Would you like me to come with you? Do you have a spare bow?’

It hadn’t occurred to Conn to ask her, but he knew immediately he wasn’t going to refuse – even though she was barely a teen. In Halani, the female was a match for any man there. He handed her a spare bow – made in Hama – from his saddle bags and gave her some of the arrows.

‘Inferior quality – but it should do the job.’ she commented. ‘Are you sure that I can’t use yours? I am much better with a good bow.’

Bemused, Conn handed the girl his bow and took the backup. She smiled as she flexed the string. ‘Magnificent.’

Conn turned to his wiga. ‘Daray, take Wuffa and Wilgar with you to the right and circle round behind them to the west. They will strike as soon as the sun hits the top of the mountain so that Osric and his men cannot see them. Osric has put his camp on the wrong side of the trees. Oisin and I will go down the gully. We’ll have them in a cross fire. I will whistle when I want you to start firing.’

As they moved to position, Evalyn and Valeri were left to calm the horses and mind the prisoners. Evalyn had a horse ready on hand to ride down as soon as the coast was clear. Conn and Oisin took longer to get into position; and by the time they were ready the sun had dropped to its lowest point on the horizon. It was time.

Conn blew his bamboo whistle, and arrows flew immediately. Because they were suddenly being attacked from behind, the Rakians rushed for cover – but as they did, they revealed their position, and Oisin and Conn struck; Oisin’s arrows flew straight and true – but then she did have the better bow!

All the Pelvan wiga could do was race for the protection of the trees – they couldn’t see what was happening. It didn’t take long for the carnage to stop. The Rakians were all dead within ten minutes; and given the all clear, Evalyn rode down the valley to talk to Osric.

When Conn arrived, Evalyn introduced them, and Osric bowed his head in respect and gratitude. ‘Thane, you have the eternal thanks of us all – without your assistance, we would all be dead. Evalyn tells me that indeed all of Pelva is indebted to you for rescuing her as well.’

Osric held out his hand and Conn shook it. ‘I’m just happy that I have been able to help.’

Osric then noticed that Oisin was now standing at Conn’s side. ‘Lady, our thanks go to you as well. Your arrows looked like they were fired by a dozen men.’

Oisin smiled and nodded, but said nothing.

Conn needed to progress thing as it was getting late. ‘We need to get a camp sorted; do you mind if we share yours? I fear that these brigands will be missed by morning and their friends – if they have any – might come looking.’

Osric insisted and offered his men to help bring down Conn’s horses and goods. It was getting dark as they settled down to a light meal of rabbits and pheasant. The dead had been buried, and sentries posted on all points.

As they ate, Conn asked a nagging question. ‘Osric, tell me how you got to be here – you seem too far away to be on patrol and not far enough away to be looking for Evalyn. I gather your Cotlif is still several days ride from here.’

Osric smiled. ‘Very observant of you, Thane. Whilst we have been looking for traces of Evalyn, I’m sorry to say that we had given up hope a week ago. Instead we have had to devote our declining resources to tracking Rakian movements in the area – there seems to be a build-up of wiga – much larger than there should be for so called brigands. I should have had a least 30 men for this mission – but we are stretched thin.’

‘Tell me about what you have been noticing – and I’ll tell you what I know. Maybe I can be of assistance.’ The war in Silekia was really starting to rile Conn, and his inability to do anything meaningful frustrated him.

Two days later they ran into another scouting party, this time led by the Eaorl himself. He was ecstatic to get his young bedda back unharmed, and two days later they were safely within the walls of Pelva. The Cotlif was quite large; and thought it lacked a large stone keep the village was protected by a high timber palisade with manned sentry boxes.

With the animals secure in the livery, they joined the Eaorl and his family for dinner. Although a celebration of sorts, the mood was nonetheless sombre and Conn noted on this to the Eaorl.

Sebbi, Eaorl of Pelva, nodded his head. ‘Yes, it is true. These are sad times. We are under constant attack – our field are burnt, houses attacked; traders murdered. You will have noticed that the domain is deserted except for areas close to the Burh. The Rakians brigands are well organized and are hitting and running – they never finish anything off, just do enough to upset and discourage – and we can’t be everywhere to protect them.’

‘What about assistance from the Healdend?’

‘He is hard pressed; there would seem to be hundreds of bands of brigands out and about. The furthest Cotlifs have been attacked, the Eaorls and his families murdered and the Ceorl and Talia made theow. The brigands now rule in nearly all of the domains north and west of here – as far away as the great forest. And you know about Tegeste – the Eaorl was murdered by his second son, who now rules now in his stead – it is presumed that the first son has been murdered as well. The second son has betrayed Silekia, and is in allegiance with Rakia – and there is naught that the Healdend can do about it.’

‘What are you planning to do? You seem to be packing.’

‘Yes, enough is enough; we are going to retreat behind the ancient walls of Silekiak. I can better serve my people there than here – at least they will be safe and fed. The Healdend can also use the extra blades and bows that we bring as he has lost many. A larger force may be a greater deterrent.’

‘So you are going to desert your fields and villages?’

He nodded sadly, ‘I don’t know that we can withstand another year of attacks – but the crops are in and there was a good crop this year thanks to Inanna. So we will take the harvest and the animals – and live to fight another day.’

‘You said that you have villages along the coast – what are they going to do?’

‘Their boats are too small to make it to Silekia around the southern strait as the current is too fast and too dangerous. So we will burn the boats when we leave.’

Conn hated needless destruction. ‘Do you think that your ships can make it past Tegeste and to Sabatah? I’m sure that they can find sanctuary there – the Eaorl will be accommodating.’

Sebbi considered the suggestion for a while. ‘I will have to consult the Portgerefa of the villages to be certain, but I know our boats have travelled in the past to Tegeste to sell their fish, so it should not be a problem to go past Tegeste – but they will be intercepted and attacked by the Rakians in Tegeste.’

‘I will ensure their safety; it so happens that I have a few ships of my own that will be able to protect your ships. I’ll send for some.’

Sebbi looked at him strangely. ‘Are your ships those new things with the two masks and the brown sails – and the symbol of the sun?’

Conn nodded. He wasn’t aware that they had travelled into Pelva. Sibbe continued.

‘We had a visit from one just the other day – the Portgerefa was terrified at first. He thought the Rakians had invaded. The Captain’s name was Eggar or something. I think that the ship might still be in the port. He was in need of supplies so we sold him what we could – and a lot of goods that we no longer need but that he could sell.’

‘I hope he paid a fair price…’

‘He did – far more than we would have accepted. Would you like me to send for him?’

Sibbe immediately sent a man to the port to see if the ship was still in harbor. Conn sent Wuffa with him.

Sibbe’s interest was aroused. ‘So if they are yours – then it was your wiga that regained Salvia after it was lost to the Rakians?’

Conn confessed. ‘I did help Cathal regain his domain – and I’ll ensure that he keeps it; but how did you learn about that? Cathal agreed not to tell anyone.’

‘Would you believe from Tegeste? One of my fishermen takes fish to sell in the port there – it is profitable for them and we get to collect some information. He overheard a drunk wiga tells the story in some tavern by the dock. The golden sun was etched into his memory, and my fishermen though it interesting enough to tell me. I passed it on to Silekiak, and when my Portgerefa mentioned the same symbol – it seemed a strange coincidence. Anyway, we are all very grateful – it provided resolve when wills were faltering; our first victory in a long while.’

They ate and drank until late. Valeri, Evalyn’s maid was waiting for him when he left the hall. She informed him that Evalyn had asked her to serve as his servant while he was in the keep, and she guided him to a longhouse.

‘That is hardly necessary.’ Conn tried to say.

‘But it is – Evalyn insists. It is the least that she – I – can do to express our gratitude.’ Inside the longhouse, a fire glowed. His travel pack was already there; and a reed and linen mattress had been prepared for him on the floor while a tub was being filled with hot water.