The Eaorl (The Casere Book 2) (34 page)

She told him what she knew about the fate of that trip. ‘The ship that visited Moetia with Conchobarre was attacked by an Ancuman ship on its return – nearly everyone aboard died because they decided to fight – and that they we needed to know about the return on the Ancuman. So they fought until they were close enough to send five wiga as messengers; they gave each a piece of timber that floated; water and food, and in the middle of the night they left the craft and followed the stars home. Of the five, only one made it; they were in the ocean for three days. As soon as our ancestors learnt of the Ancuman, we retreated to the mountains. Our villages on the ocean were taken down; the harbours destroyed, and our larger ships taken apart as well.’

‘So you never knew of the death of Conchobarre?’

‘We knew that she had died but then everyone died. We did not know of the heart-stone.’

‘The strange thing is, if it hadn’t gone to Moetiak, it would never have been found.’

‘That is true, Feorhhyrde, so her death must be a thread in the tapestry of your story.’

‘My story?’

‘Life is a picture like a tapestry made up of countless threads. The Gyden teach us that each thread for your picture is given to you by a different person, day or event – some place in time. Some happen while you live, some happen before you were born – sometime generations before. On Conchobarre’s death, threads from her tapestry passed down through all of Moetia and ultimately Derryth and you. Everything is connected. Past, present and future.’

She looked at Conn thoughtfully for a while as they rode.

‘The problem with your tapestry is that I feel threads that make no sense to me; I see lines; I don’t see a picture.’

‘Brina said that there was a thread that connected me to her…’

‘Indeed – I feel it – it is the same one that connects you to me. I just don’t understand what it is.’

The trip through Mylae was fortunately free of issues; the Eaorl had a small fishing village on the coast, but their fishermen hadn’t travelled too far out in the ocean in fear of Conn’s vessels, though Conn had changed his orders on Mylae ships – they were now immune from attack. Nonetheless, Conn avoided travelling during the busiest hours and travelled much later into the event than what was usual for this time of year. The Twacuman had excellent night vision so they made up lost time that way.

As soon as they crossed into Piada they travelled more freely; and it wasn’t long before they started climbing the heavily forested mountain range. Without a guide, you would have difficulty in getting anywhere.

They found a pathway that didn’t seem to have been well used; Allynne said that the villages were over the top of the range, as the population was quite small. It was slow going and the group became strung out. Lile travelled at Conn’s side – he thought that going into Twacuman territory was starting to freak her out.

‘I thought you were getting over your fear of Twacuman.’ Conn asked.

‘I am – it is not that; it is the forest; it feels like it is closing in on me.’

‘There is something strange about the forest – it is starting to affect me as well.’

Conn noticed it more as soon as they crossed the range and started the downhill trip. Conn had a niggling feeling about it – and a million questions.

It wasn’t long before they were met by a group of horses; and from the group a single horse emerged, and as the rider got closer, Conn could see that it was Jowan.

He jumped from his horse, and rushed to hug his mother and then his father.

‘Father, thank you for coming – I didn’t know what else to do.’

Conn introduced his son to the other surprised visitors and they were soon able to travel quicker as the going improved where the paths got wider. By the end of the day, they arrived at a village sent at the peak of a large valley that headed west. It was a beautiful setting, but the eerie feeling was even stronger here.

Jowan led them into the longhus and as their eyes became accustomed to the light, they saw a group of people sitting and waiting for them. Jowan introduced them to the Healdend, whose name was Aelfmund, and he was Oisin’s mother, and Allynne’s brother.

The Healdend welcomed them as food and drink was brought to them, and Allynne told him of their travels. Aelfmund thanked Conn again. ‘The people of Piada, like Halani, are indebted to you, Feorhhyrde, and we will do what we can do repay our debt. It is a strange story about the heart-stone; to our knowledge it has never been here – and I do not understand why it or how it could have been brought here.’ He paused to drink. ‘Interestingly, you speak of the Sacerd in the Cirice of Inanna – I believe you are the first visitors we had since another Sacerd visited…’

Conn was startled. ‘Sacerd? A Sacerd visited Piada?’

‘Yes, many, many, years ago – it is the only one we have ever seen in Meshech.’

‘Do you remember when she was here?’

The Wothbora and the Healdend exchanged glances before one spoke.

Allynne answered the question. ‘I believe that it was soon after the war between the Silekians and the Rakians – and when our neighbours became Rakians. Does this mean something to you?’

‘It does. You say that Oisin is sick?’

‘Yes; it was not long after she returned home that she started to feel unwell; we did what we could but it is if she was being attacked by something that she could not fight. A month ago she became unconscious for large amounts of time – it is all we can do to wake her to eat. We know that she is dying but Jowan insists that you will be able to save her.’

Conn stood and removed an amulet from the pouch on his hip. He took it to the Allynne. ‘Do you know what this is?’

She looked and nodded. ‘It is a Haligdom. But not one I’ve seen before.’

‘It belongs to those that follow the Gyden of the Ancuman. Somewhere here is a larger one – and it is what had made your people weak and sick – and it is what is attacking Oisin. I can feel it. But it must be very powerful for it to protect itself again your awareness.’

Conn continued. ‘The only chance that Oisin has is if I can find it – but it doesn’t like me much. It has tried to kill me twice already. This time it will be harder to stop it.’ Conn looked at Elva. ‘You know what to do if I pass out...’ She nodded and he placed the necklace around his neck. Immediately the Gyden recognized him.

‘You! But it doesn’t matter. You will never find me here. Here I am too strong for you. I will destroy you… and after that the girl who dared to try and find me. Such arrogance.’

Conn was starting to think that ‘it’ was right; the strength of the presence was immense. Shutting it out as best he could, he wandered around inside and then went outside, Elva stood at his side. The trouble for the Gyden was that he could feel its anxiety and whenever he got closer to where the stone resided, the anxiety grew. After walking around the village he centred his attention on a single building. It was very old. ‘What is this building?’

Allynne answered. ‘It was once a guest house – when we had visitors. Now it is used as a warehouse.’

As with all their buildings, there was a gap between the floor and the ground; in Halani it was high enough to house animals – here it was less and less than a yard off the ground. Conn requested that people to clear everything from around the building, and very quickly that was achieved. Conn could see under the building, and not being able to stand was going to make this even harder. He started to crawl and it was not long before the sweat poured out of every pore in his body. The pain was becoming intense but his mind held. He thought he felt Inanna, Lilith, Badb and Tabiti in the dark recesses of his mind but he couldn’t be sure. All he was sure that all that held a rushing tide of pain out of his head, was a thin barrier of mind control.

At the centre of the floor, he found a timber post and as he looked around the post, he saw a hole that had been carved into the post. It had been done in a hurry; it would have been done late at night while the village was asleep.

Conn used his knife to dig into the hole and his work revealed a perfectly round black stone. No wonder it was so powerful. He could feel the Gyden screaming at him through his mind shield, pounding against the barrier, a barrier that was starting to show minute holes, and he could feel the black light seeping through. Every second was critical as his strength was fast disappearing. As he crawled out from under the building he tossed the stone on to the ground. He removed the amulet from around his neck, and he felt the relief – but that was the easy part. She could still attack him because she knew where he was.

Most of the Twacuman had stepped back; everyone could all feel the energy in the stone now; they knew that the Gyden was very angry, As Conn struggled to stand upright, Elva handed him a flat piece of granite.

He dropped it on the ground and picked up the black stone, placing it on the slab. He looked at Elva, and she handed him a large rock.

Conn was becoming so exhausted that he was about to pass out; but he knew if he did, his unprotected mind wouldn’t stand a chance – ‘it’ would kill him. He tried to raise his arm with the rock but failed; was about to try again as he felt a hand on each shoulder; and was immediately stronger. He lifted the rock and brought it down on the haligdom with all the force he had left. The last thing he felt was a scream of anger and frustration – with so much hate that it defied description.

He woke up two days later; Ailidh was sitting by his bed. ‘Hello sleepy head. You gave us a bit of a fright there. Are you sane?’

He laughed feebly. ‘Just as sane as before. How is Oisin?’

‘She is much better – she had been eating like a horse for two days. As for your sanity, I’m not sure that could ever be classed as sane. Allynne tells me that what you achieved is not supposed to be able to be done. A Haligdom is part of the Gyden herself; you have destroyed part of the Ancuman Gyden.’

‘I didn’t destroy it – I just made it change places. Every time I have done that, I find less dust than I should – I’m sure that it is back where it belongs. Anyway, I’m famished – is there any food left –or has Oisin eaten it all.’

Oisin came to see him the next day; she was still weak but was able to move around, and she apologized for putting him at risk. She explained that the reason that she came back was because she knew it was time, and when she got back she could feel the Gyden – and it was when she sensed where it was, it attacked her.

Conn thanked Derryth and Allynne when they came to see him.

They were confused. ‘I’m not sure what we did – you were starting to fall backwards so we stopped you. If there was something else… we didn’t feel anything unusual.’

Conn asked Allynne if she knew anything more of the Sacerd.

She nodded. ‘Derryth and I have been meditating in the woods – and the wind has reminded us of old stories. Her name was Odharnait. She was a Gatinan Folgere, but she wore white. She came to us after the Gatinans had closed down the Cirice in Gatinak and Inanna’s Cirice had been closed down. She wanted sanctuary.’

Conn shook his head. ‘What she wanted was somewhere to hide the heart-stone. Fortunately the haligdom is not a proper guard-stone – but it was one powerful enough to allow Odharnait to become a Sacerd, but ultimately not strong enough to stop Conchobarre from feeling the heart-stone and Oisin from feeling the haligdom. Do we know what happened to Odharnait?’

‘She died. It is said that she went into the ocean and didn’t return. A strange thing to do…’

‘Perhaps – but if she was a Sacerd who no longer had the protection of her haligdom because it was in the building, I suspect that her betrayal would have been very quickly discovered by Tabiti and Inanna. That haligdom must have been very powerful to hide her mind from two different Gyden – to the extent that her mind was so pure that she could both betray them and become a Sacerd. It was her that caused her sisters to be slaughtered in Gatina and for Tabiti’s heart-stone to be placed with a guard-stone in Mylae.’

‘So without the haligdom, she would have been going mad.’

After a few days, Conn was finally able to join everyone in the longhus; Aelfmund did a long speech about how grateful the village was, and Oisin just gave him a hug and kiss. Conn was about ready to go home, and certainly Lile and Ailidh were. They had enjoyed their time in the village but it was getting a little cold in the forest. Conn wasn’t intending to ride; he had made alternative arrangements and they would head to the coast tomorrow.

He had a final question of Aelfmund.

Aelfmund couldn’t help him. ‘We do not know why Goibniu stopped being Casere, but the stories say that it was caused by the inability of the Priecuman to see past their own rewards. My grandfather said to me that if the Priecuman lack unity, then disunity is preferred. But what he wanted, we do not remember.’

The feast continued until late and the next morning they prepared to leave. They rode to the coast; where a ship waited for them. Conn had sent wiga ahead to light a beacon for Njil, who had been waiting for a day.

Oisin and Jowan told him that they were not going with them. They were still needed in Piada – Elva was also staying for the winter. They would ride out in spring and meet Conn in Tovio.

Derryth gave him a hug. ‘Now don’t do anything silly while I’m away will you. Tell me again what the plan is again for spring?’

‘We are going to lead a rebellion.’

‘A rebellion? Wonderful, I’ve always wanted to be in a rebellion. Who are we rebelling against?’

‘Fallon, my new Healdend. I find his leadership illegal and degrading to the people on my demesne.’ Conn told him about the Eaorldom of Ilissus.

‘Do you have any people in your demesne?’

‘None that know I’m their new lord. I just hope they are appreciative.’

‘Of you turning up and leading them into a war? Good luck with that. I’ll see you in spring.’

Back on the ship, Njil told him that Eggar had returned and was waiting for him in Silekiak, and as soon as they returned, they organized to meet him. It was fairly easy; Turlough was staying at “The Salty Eel”; where the top floor was reserved for Conn.

Lile greeted the man with a hug; Conn asked him about the voyage.

‘Very comfortable and fast. Your ship caused great consternation as we arrived – no one had seen such a splendid vessel.’

‘And the Healdend?’

‘He is well – he sends his best wishes to you and Lile.’ He looked at the girl. ‘He is saddened that you have to be under such duress.’

Lile smiled. ‘It is hard to call it duress. Let me tell you what we have been doing.’

An hour later an amazed Turlough had to get her to stop talking.

‘It would seem that you have had quite an adventure… anyway, to business.’

He reached for a bag, withdrew and handed over two documents; the first was that one that Conn had prepared for Turlough to take with him.

‘My Healdend has accepted the terms of your offer; and his seal has been affixed.’

Lile tried to sound a little miffed. ‘Just like that he gives me away again. No negotiation? No demanding of better terms?’

Turlough took her seriously; ‘Lile, the terms are incredibly generous to Sytha; your father did not wish to put those at risk.’

Lile sighed, with a sly smile. ‘Yes I know; still…’

Conn was reading the separate document – a proclamation that he was now the Marquis of Rila in Sytha.

‘Turlough, it is excellent news. As you will have noticed, there are a lot of ships in this harbour – there are even more in the other two harbors. I have prepared a flotilla of fifteen vessels. Seven, under the command of Njil, will go with you to Sytha with the wiga, while the other fleet will head to Rila under Eggar’s command. They are another five hundred men – but I am also sending two companies of my Engineer Corp. I suspect that within two week you will be on your way again.’

‘So soon?’

Conn nodded. ‘I assumed that the Healdend would agree to my terms so they have been standing by. The only difficulty is that the ships have not been idle. I presume Eggar has been able to make copies of all the maps that are available?’

‘Yes, indeed. And also the trade agreement has been approved. My Healdend was most impressed with the goods that you sent.’

‘Well, by summer next year he will be doubly impressed. I’m sure Wuffa will be able to put together a flotilla of ships to satisfy all needs in Sytha. Anyway; we have a feast to attend tonight with the Wealdend.’

Lile stood up suddenly. She looked at Conn. ‘Eaorl, I feel the need to have a word with you in private.’

Conn was surprised. ‘Now?’

‘Now – if you don’t mind…’

Conn looked at Turlough with a confused smile and stood and followed Lile out of the room and up the stairs. She arrived at his door and opened it, directing him to go ahead. He did, and she followed him inside. She closed the door, and turned and started to take off her clothes. She directed him to do the same.

Conn complained. ‘But the handfasting ceremony is tonight.’

She shrugged. ‘I don’t need a ceremony – I’ve been watching silently as you have been fornicating with all the others and but now it is my turn. Get on the bed.’

Conn was down to his pants, and he was undoing his buckle. ‘I thought you weren’t that kind of Folgere?’

‘I wasn’t – but I learnt a
lot
watching them.’

~x299~

Ailidh performed the official ‘handfasting’ ceremony that night – and the feast celebrated the union. Of all his bedda, Lile was only the third to whom he had actually performed a handfasting ceremony – the others was Fiona il Gatina and Granuaile il Mazra. Not that Conn had broken any rules – and none of his children were considered “illegitimate” – that concept simply didn’t exist. It was because none of the other women he had slept with were considered “off limits” in any way – all had been “given away” in the past by their families in exchange for a dowry. Widowed, divorced, or “downgraded” bedda were totally free to do as they wished. When Conn made the request of Ailbe in Gatina, he had expected that it would have been a girl of sixteen or seventeen to turn up – Fiona did instead. As for Granuaile, her father “gave” her to him.

Conn moved back to Mantu soon after Turlough and the flotilla had departed for Sytha; it was a location close to his wiga and the new dock were much more conducive to the loading and unloading of livestock. He needed to get a thousand horses into Ilissus if he was to make his rebellion real – and there was no dock yet in Ilissus able to unload his ships. His Logistics Corp was working on the problem with him – the major problem being that horses did not like floating pontoons.

The Engineer Corp was heading to Piada as soon as the weather allowed, with the objective of building a dock there. Jowan was waiting for them; he was going to use Piada as a staging post – and the extra hundred wiga that they could provide would be very useful in Rakia.

Mantu was also his communication center, and Fiona in Gatina informed him that the failure of the Rakians in Silekia, along with their isolation, was causing tensions within Rakia – and the loyalty of some of the Eaorls was being called into question with talk of treason. Those in the firing line were Syra and Hera – both now led by his former captives – so Conn decided to complete one extra mission before the “rebellion” commenced.

Lile was very quickly pregnant, much to her annoyance, and she moved to Tovio with Sileas as Conn, Elva and Derryth departed for Gatina. Both had just returned from Piada when Conn informed Derryth of his new plans.

‘You want to do WHAT?’ He was a little exasperated.

‘Go and visit Fiona in Gatina – I’m sure she is missing me.’

‘A simple rebellion you said. Just three thousands of us against ten thousand of them – and now you want to have a holiday in Gatina before you rebel, to fornicate with one of your bedda. Priecuman….’ He shook his head but accepted another Lykian Bitter from Conn. ‘I think it made more sense when I was running around the forest, naked, trying to get in touch with my inner self.’

‘I’m not touching that. To be honest, there are some people I want to speak to on the way.’

Two days later Conn led out a group of ten Twacuman wiga. It would take at least twenty days to get to Eriak, travelling in the foothills of the mountains that defined northern Rakia – into Mylae and then into Syra and then Gatina. Being early spring the herds of sheep and goats that would make their way up the higher pastures had yet to arrive and Rakia was impoverished enough to be lightly populated away from the coast. Years of war and other deprivations had restricted growth.

After eight days, they were in northern Syra and his scouts spotted a group of riders camped in a small glade. It should be Leodhas, Eaorl of Syra, and the colours on the riders suggested that. Nonetheless, they watched the group silently for an hour before Conn fired an arrow that embedded itself into a tree trunk a yard in front of Leodhas’ eyes. They all jumped to his feet and drew their swords. Leodhas inspected the arrow, told them to put their swords away and waved Conn in.

‘You do like to make an entrance don’t you, Eaorl.’ Leodhas spoke as Conn dismounted.

Conn shook his hand warmly. ‘It has been a while, Leodhas, and I hear that you are too the Eaorl! What happen to your brother?’

‘Sadly for him, he died from an illness – with only a young daughter. I am raising her and her mother is my bedda.’

Behind Leodhas, another figure stepped forward. Conn recognized him instantly.

It was Ibor of Lipara.

‘Ibor – I did not expect to see you. You are a long way from home.’

He smiled a sad smile. ‘I try to stay as far away from home as I can. I serve as Leodhas’s Folctoga. There is not much fun to be enjoyed anywhere near Rakiak.’

Conn introduced the two men to Derryth and Elva as they joined him. They were very surprised to see Twacuman. Conn explained the whole Feorhhyrde thing. They were stunned. They sat down around the fire. Leodhas was direct. ‘I hope you have a plan to get us out of this mess we are in.’

‘Have you heard of Ilissus?’

They had – but not the finer details.

Leodhas burst out laughing, ‘Alric will go apoplectic when he hears that. Gyden, I’d like to be there to see that – but it is still too risky. I might laugh. What do you want us to do?’

‘Not get yourself killed for starters. But I’m expecting that you might like to join the rebellion – and ask to be returned to Gatina. Devnet, I expect, will be happy for you to return and a fryd of three hundred will provide you with additional protection against any reprisals.’