The Eaorl (The Casere Book 2) (28 page)

Almost immediately, the sun arrived, and two new things happened. The first was a barrage of mud balls from the catapults on Njil’s ships – they were specially designed to create a distraction more than anything, and they rained down on the seaward side. The second thing was that the front gates started to open and the drummers outside started a new beat – and as men inside the bailey rushed to defend the front gate they very quickly ran into a company of Sagittari, some of Conn’s best with experience from Trokia, and displaying golden suns shields, charging towards them, led by Uileog of Azali, and a hail of arrows from the Twacuman on the Azure near the gate..

It didn’t take long for the Silekian wiga to surrender and severely outnumbered, the Rakians did the same.

With everyone’s focus on the gate and bailey, Conn rushed out along the azure to the donjon – he knew there were Ancuman there because as he got closer, he began to feel the presence of the Gyden of the house of Axum. She Gyden was angry – again. Nothing seemed to be going her way.

As Conn and Eirnin and two Twacuman wiga headed along the azure towards the donjon, wiga rushed out – the Rakians died – while the Silekians took the opportunity to surrender. The door open, Conn made their way into the third level of the tower, and found the stairs that led them down to where they could hear the Eaorl – there was a lot of yelling and screaming, and they found him in the main chamber – on the second level.

Conn and Eirnin rushed through the doorway; four Rakian guards rush to defend their Eaorl but quickly died. The intruders now looked at the four remaining men. The last four included the Ancuman; another woman, also tall and elegant, the Eaorl, and two Rakian advisors. Conn could hear the Gyden in the Ancuman’s head as she recognized him. She removed her sword and headed for him, while the two advisors ran to a corner of the room and sat on the floor – their hands up.

‘Cowards!’ Mundy, Eaorl of Tegeste yelled as he drew his sword.

‘All yours.’ Conn offered Eirnin.

‘Thank you, Eaorl. Hello Uncle, I have come to avenge my father and grandfather.’

Mundy laughed – ‘Eirnin, is that you? My, you have grown. I was really disappointed when that Moetian bitch of a mother of yours stole you from the castle. How dare she make that decision? I wanted to kill you, and I wanted to have her. I planned to defile her daily – bitch! Still, at least I get part of my dream.’

In the meanwhile the Ancuman woman circled Conn while she looked at the Twacuman wiga standing guarding the doorway, confused. ‘How it is that the Twacuman would side with a Priecuman. Very strange.’

The wiga ignored her and spoke to Conn. ‘We’ll guard the hallway’.

‘Thanks Algiva, we won’t be long.’

She twirled her sword. ‘So you are the one that is causing all our problems – putting off the inevitable and giving the Priecuman false hopes.’

‘You know that this day is lost.’

‘Perhaps – but at least you will be dead – I will avenge those that have died.’

‘Not sure why you can succeed when others have failed – there is only one of you. If Fara and her boy couldn’t kill me – nor Alfvir – what makes you think that you can? Ask your Gyden what she thinks of me – we have met before…’

She was surprised. ‘My Gyden…. how…’ She stopped herself, and snarled. ‘So they are dead... and Alfvir too?’

‘No, he isn’t dead – though the rest are; the other five. I’ve sent him back home on a small boat with a whole bunch of others I captured. I kept the ship.’

‘I think you like to tell tales, Feorrancund. Enough talk, it is time for you to die.’ She engaged Conn with a high level of ferocity; her large sword heavy against the lighter katana. Conn kept thinking he should have brought his broadsword. It was on his horse. But like always she was not as quick as Conn, nor ultimately as skilled, and the realization that this was going to be difficult dawned relatively quickly, as every intended lethal stroke failed to achieve its goal.

Behind them Mundy was fighting the good fight with his nephew but losing. The boy had been intensely trained by the best in the business. She paused when she saw Mundy fall; the young man had avenged his father.

Conn asked her to reconsider. ‘You have no choice – the day is lost – please surrender.’

‘To surrender is to become Theow. I will not be Theow to any man – let alone you. It is bad enough that I had to let that’ she indicated to the fallen Mundy ‘thing think he was giving me pleasure as he fondled my body and had his way with me. Disgusting.’

‘There must be a middle way.’ He blocked another savage blow and pushed her off to the side.

‘Not for the Axum.’ Conn could hear her Gyden urging her on… ‘Kill! Kill! Kill!’

Her death came minutes later – she pushed too hard and too fast and Conn sadly had no choice. As she lay dying, the wakizashi imbedded in her chest; the Gyden screamed her hate until she too was gone. Conn retrieved the wakizashi, collected her necklace and sword, shaking his head. ‘Such a dreadful waste...’

Soon the castle and the town were under total Silekian control, and all Rakians wiga were gathered up and taken to the great hall where they waited judgement. Conn’s wiga systematically collected the deceased, and had the Silekians wiga prepared a funeral pyre. Before they were placed on the pyre, each was identified, and after all the deceased had been properly dealt with, the pyre was lit. It burnt for some hours.

As this was happening, Njil docked and unloaded the hundred Valkeri who would provide security over the castle until the end of the war; replacing the wiga who had served Mundy. Carts, mules, and thousands of tonnes of supplies was then unloaded from the next fifty vessels that docked in the harbour. It would take days. Njil also had a special passenger – Onora, Eirnin’s mother. Conn had requested that she join her son back in Tegeste, and she had brought her bedda, a Moesiak wiga.

While Conn had Eirnin and his mother meet with all the Silekians within the donjon, Conn spoke to all the Rakian, giving them a choice – make a vow of loyalty to Eirnin or get on a boat – some of the Rakians ships that had been captured over the last week were available to take human cargo back to Rakia. Surprisingly, or not unsurprisingly given that he learnt that many were refugees from Fallon’s wrath, all elected to stay in Tergeste, and were more than happy to bow their heads to Eirnin. Conn impressed upon them that the wrath they feared from Fallon would be nothing like what they would face from him if they betrayed that oath.

Conn had planned to stay in the town one night, and had Logistics prepare a huge feast as a celebration. As the main guest, he sat at a table at the front of the great hall, with Eirnin, his mother Onora, and a members of the Witan. Because the Eaorl had betrayed Silekia, many of the Thanes were still the original families; and were known to Onora, and welcomed by her. Imar was another special guest, and sat between Conn and Derryth. As they ate, Eirnin asked permission from Conn for Rheda, his daughter, to join him in Tergeste.

‘With your blessing, I would like her to be my bedda.’

It was a good match but not good politics.

‘You have my blessing but that is some time away – eight years – surely you will take bedda before that.’

He shook his head. ‘No, I would like Rheda to be my primary bedda – I will wait.’

Having Rheda as his primary would mean that her children would be the next Eaorl – if she had a boy. ‘As you wish. That raises a question – who do you nominate as your heir? Mundy has only daughters – and eight years is a long time.’

Eirnin looked at his mother.

‘His father line is of the house of Ilissus – in Rakia now but it was once in Silekia – and we had a visit from the Thane some years ago. I think he would be Eirnin closest male kin. I think his name is … Ceolred or something – I only met him once.’

Conn asked if Tergeste had always been of the House of Ilissus.

‘No – the original house ran out of sons, and the last Eaorl of that house had a grandson from Ilissus that he chose as his heir.’

The number of times that the former Earldom of Ilissus popped up in conversation was starting to irk Conn but there was little he could do about it. He then turned to Imar and asked an unexpected question.

‘Imar – who is your progenitor?’

Imar was surprised and had to think for a moment. ‘My progenitor? I believe that would be Alhart – Alhart il Ilissus.’

Conn shook his head in frustration while Derryth laughed. Eirnin and his mother were very surprised. ‘You also descend from the Eaorls of Ilissus?’

‘Yes – the fifth son of the third bedda of Cynhard. My ancestor became bedda to the heiress of a merchant family, and my line have been merchants or artisans ever since. My uncle owns the livery where we first met.’

Conn had a question. ‘Is there anything significant about Alhart?’

To answer the question Onora sent for a bedda of one of the Thane – she was an aunt to Eirnin and her name was Blerung. The question repeated to her brought a knowing nod of her head.

‘There are several named Alhart in our family – the first arrived on the boats from Sytha. The most famous however was the third Alhart – also called the kidnapper – he was the Folctoga of the fyrd of the last Casere – Goibniu – and is famous for marching the Fyrd the entire length and breadth of Meshech. It took several years.’

Conn’s interest was piqued. ‘Why was he called “kidnapper”.’

‘It is said that, during his march around Meshech, he kidnapped a Folgere from the Cirice in Gatina and made her his bedda. That Folgere is ancestor to all of us because he was old and childless when he stole her and they had one son – Cynhard – who had lots of children.’

‘I would assume then that stealing a Folgere is not acceptable…’

‘No – but it was strange that he wasn’t punished. Goibniu didn’t send a fyrd to rescue the Folgere as has happened at other times when Folgere are taken…’

Later Conn stopped the feast and spoke to them all; impressing upon them the difficult job that lay ahead, and the support they would receive from other parts of Meshech. He then took the opportunity to single out those that had been of significant help. He first explained his medal system – amazement had been expressed already of the medals that many of his men wore – Njil had several, as did Uileog and Godfred. Conn had insisted they wear their formal uniform for the feast, and the wearing of medals was part of that. Presentation was everything.

To those wiga, Captains and Majors, that were present and weren’t continuing on, he awarded them the Silekian campaign medals and any valor medals as appropriate. To Eirnin il Tergeste, he awarded a Gold Star for Valor. The young man had been particularly brave in insisting on his right to defend his father’s honor; and to Uileog he awarded the Gold Start for Valor in leading the Sagittari into the bailey.

Conn than called out Imar; and addressed the gathering.

‘In recognition and reward for his service to Silekia, I grant Imar the rank of Knight Commander in the Order of the Cirice. For this moment on he is to be referred to as Sir Imar; his family will now be able to use the term “von Alhart” as a surname. He is also allocated as permanent chair, as Counsel, to the Witan of Silekia, and I hope that he might also serve Tergeste in that capacity as well.’

Conn than pinned the large gold breast star to the jacket of a very surprised merchant, and then collected another medal and fixed it near the Star.

‘I am also awarding Sir Imar von Alhart a Silver Star for Gallantry; for his bravery in the events leading to the liberation of Tergeste.’

Imar looked down at the medals. ‘I don’t know what to say.’

‘Serve the Eaorl and your homeland well – that is all you need to do.’ Conn shook his hand and then clapped as Sir Imar returned to his table.

After not more than thirty six hours, Conn and Derryth left Tergeste to join the Silekians fyrd as they waited on the road to Azali – he felt that the young Eaorl would do fine – he had his mother at his side, a squad of Valkeri to ensure his safety, and Silekian wiga and bocere trained in Hama and Atrak to guide him in the management of his demesne.

The fyrd had departed Tegeste as soon the castle had fallen and set up camp just out of town. Conn rode in as they waited to leave, and he led them north.

Azali was a twelve day march from Tegeste, and as they passed into the demesne, they found evidence of the Rakians settlers having left in a hurry – many of the villages lay deserted of wiga or Thanes. Uileog divided his fyrd as he went, leaving behind wiga to protect the tilia, and those Thanes that remained who were Silekian, their wiga were gone as they were all Rakian. The villages themselves were in a remarkable state of disrepair, and much like Hama and Haran when Conn arrived so many years ago. The young Eaorl held back his tears to see them in such a state of neglect. They however were the happiest they had been in years – and grateful for the promise of help over the next days and months.

After camping in a field for the night, two days from Azali, Conn was sitting on his stallion waiting for Uileog to return from speaking to a Thane when a tilia passed him by on the way to the fields. The old man stopped and looked at him. Conn smiled and said hello.

‘Is it true that Tegeste is back with Alhart’s house?’