The Red And Savage Tongue (Historical Fiction Action Adventure Book, set in Dark Age post Roman Britain) (6 page)

     The kill
caused alarm and panic amongst the riders, who dismounted and attended to their fallen comrade. Armed only with spears, bucklers and axes, Dominic had no fear of any returned arrows.  He quickly glanced over to where Murdoc and the child had been, and on seeing nothing but the bracken pile, was satisfied that his diverting tactics had been successful for now.

     He watched as a fat, bearded man stooped over the fallen man and scanned the edges of the glade
, looking for the source of the attack. He began to bark orders to the others whilst pointing around the clearing.

     Another movement caught Dominic’s eye near the bracken pile, filling him with concern as he saw that Murdoc had merely hidden and not made his escape. He knew the riders would capture and
undoubtedly kill them in retribution for their fallen companion.

     Without hesitation,
he cupped his hands to his mouth and let out a piercing wolf’s howl. Once again the men froze, before looking toward his place of concealment. Again, Dominic emitted a howl, intent on completely diverting the men away from Murdoc and the child. He quickly fitted another arrow before standing up in full view of the motionless and confused men. He loosed his bow and another man fell, causing the others to run for cover. The fat man was to take charge once again. Pointing towards Dominic, he gave out another series of orders, angrily repeating them several times, before the nervous men retrieved and mounted their ponies.

     Dominic now ran to an area of thick undergrowth where he hoped he could confuse and outwit them. He was out of sight as soon as he entered the tangle of bushes. The ponies we
re reluctant to enter the thick prickly web, and the men wasted any advantage they had by trying to coax them through. Meanwhile, their leader screamed at them to make progress, as he became increasingly frustrated and furious with the unfolding of events.

     Dominic could not see his pursuers, but he could guess their position from the noise they
made as they slowly moved through the undergrowth. He was able to flank them, and, oblivious to his own scratches and rents, he emerged back in the clearing and trotted over to Murdoc and the child. Murdoc gave Dominic a look of complete astonishment whilst Ceola fixed him with a wide-eyed stare of fear.

    
‘Dominic, by God, I thought you were long dead,’ said an awed Murdoc, ‘… where have you—’

    
‘We’ll all be dead if we don’t move now!’ urged Dominic, as he pulled the bemused Murdoc to his feet and picked up the cowering Ceola. ‘Follow me, we must get away and hide.’

     He ran with Ceola slung unceremoniously over his shoulder towards the opposite edge of the glade away from the riders. Murdoc followed, looking anxiously back towards the noise now coming from the glade, as the riders emerged from the undergrowth. They continued to run into the gloom of the forest
. Although unburdened, Murdoc struggled to keep pace with the fleet-footed Dominic, and was soon gasping for breath. As they fled, Dominic frantically scanned the surrounding woodland looking for a place to hide—the sound of clumsy, but relentless, pursuit spurring him on.  He knew they could not outrun the ponies. Their only option now was to hide.

  
‘Down here!’ he shouted, as he noticed a huge fallen tree amidst a knot of vegetation.

     The tree had left a deep hollow where its root system had occupied the ground. Dominic jumped in and laid Ceola on the leaf-strewn bottom of the hollow. Murdoc jumped in beside Dominic where they stood in the shoulder-high depression.

     Dominic shook his head. ‘No good, no good, we need cover.’

     He jumped from the hollow and struggled to drag a huge
fallen bough back to their hiding place. Dominic joined him and together they managed to heft the branch over the hollow, completely covering and partially filling it.

     They forced their way back to the floor of the hollow where Ceola lay curled up amongst the tangle of branches. Murdoc gathered her into his arms as Dominic struggled to
fit an arrow to his bow. Stippled daylight played upon their faces as they waited anxiously for the sounds of the hunt.

     Murdoc could see that the hard life of the forest had etched a few more lines on Dominic’s craggy face, but had not managed to remove the rugged determination from his eyes.

     Dominic caught his glance and smiled bleakly. ‘If we get out of this, I’ll help you and your girl get back to your folks. ‘I’ll make—’

     He stopped abruptly, the noise of a snorting pony causing them to freeze. Dominic silently
instructed Murdoc and Ceola to lie flat, giving them a wide-eyed, urgent look to
keep completely still!
Ceola’s eyes were squeezed tight shut as a tear ran down her grimy face, creating a white tracery on her cheek.

     Their pursuers had split up and one of them now searched near the vicinity of t
he fallen tree. He was very close to them—so close they could hear his laboured breathing.

    
Dominic rolled onto his side to see above, pulling back his bowstring, ready to defend their position. The bushes above him rustled, but a summoning shout from a distance away stopped the searcher abruptly. He drew away from the tree and mounted his pony.

     The relief was plain in the hollow, and after some minutes had passed without further noise
, Dominic and Murdoc slowly sat up.

    
‘We stay here ‘til morning and hope they don’t come back,’ whispered Dominic. ‘Here is as safe as anywhere for now.’

     Murdoc could contain himself no longer and hugged Dominic, and whispered
joyously, ‘Oh Dominic, well met, well met! And I thought you dead long ago.’

     Dominic shook his head—
his expression dour. ‘No … these days safety lies in the forest not in the fields. I’ve seen what these bastards do, and I thank the Gods that I fled from village life when I did…‘ He stopped when noticing that Ceola was trembling and staring wide-eyed at his wolf hat. ‘The girl is shaking,’ he said. ‘It’s my hat, I think, that frightens her. Have no fear little one,’ he said gently, as he moved beside her. ‘The snarl has long since gone from its old snout, and now serves only to keep the sun and rain from my silly head.’ He pulled his face at Ceola causing her to smile and bury her face in Murdoc’s side.

    
‘Her name is Ceola and that’s the first time I’ve seen her smile since the raid,’ said Murdoc as he fondly stroked his daughter’s hair. ‘She’s my daughter and we were the only survivors from the village.’

     Dominic looked crestfallen.
‘Your wife and father?’

     Murdoc said nothing, merely looked down and shook his head.

     ‘Who
are
these people and why are they doing this?’ asked Dominic, suddenly angrily.

    
‘They are invaders from the mainland—Saxon folk and others who have always visited these shores,’ said Murdoc, as his own rage gathered. ‘Now the Romans have gone, they come in numbers, and are hungry for gold and land and slaves. They treat us like beasts, and delight in killing. Those they allow to live, they sell across the sea. Some say there are even slave markets on these shores now—in their town of Northwic on the east coast, I hear. Meggan and father were butchered before me, and I’ll avenge them—that I swear. I’ll repay the Saxons for what they’ve done.’

     Ceola had started to cry again
, so Dominic took her from Murdoc and held her close. ‘Don’t worry my little love,’ he said softly. ‘I’ll take you and your father back to my home, deep in these woods, and there we’ll not be found by any of the bad men.’ Ceola slowly warmed to Dominic as he rocked her and soon stopped crying. After a few moments of silence, he handed her back to Murdoc and stood up to peer over the edge of the hollow. The woods were silent again. He sat down again. ‘What are your plans my friend?’

  
  Murdoc sighed. ‘I don’t know—other than to escape from this present nightmare and save Ceola. I’d like to reach some of our kinfolk and settle down again, but it looks like the world has changed forever. Rumours have it that the raiders own kin have started to farm the land near the eastern shore. First, the warriors plunder, and then their families settle the empty fields.’

    
‘Then you must come with me for now,’ said Dominic. ‘I’ve a permanent base by a track once used by the Romans in a deep part of the forest, and there is room there for us all. There, you’ll grow stronger, and can stay with me for the rest of your days if you wish.’

    
Murdoc’s eyes moistened as he listened to Dominic’s selfless and kind offer. He wiped his eyes on the sleeve of his tunic and looked at Dominic. ‘Thank-you, he said. ‘I thought the world had gone bad for ever, but now I know that good men still exist.’ He was thoughtful for a while then asked. ‘You say your base is by an old track. Could this be one that runs westwards? The one I was looking for?’

    
‘Yes, the track
is
ancient and does run to the west,’ said Dominic, ‘although I found it the hard way. Why do you seek it?’

    
‘I thought it may be an easier way through the forest, away from the trouble,’ said Murdoc.

    
‘You’re right, it
is
an easier way through, but it’s pretty overgrown now. I travelled down it for three days westwards and still never found the end. If you want to go that way, you need to get strong again first. For now, though, we need to keep our eyes peeled. Tomorrow should be safe enough to take you back.’

Egbert and a war band of thirty-eight men had ridden out of the village and onto a faint track that ran westwards into the forest. The string of extra ponies that Osric had provided brought up the rear of the group.   

     They journeyed for the rest of the day through the forest on a track that was rough but distinct, making steady progress through the thinner tree cover of the forest edge.

     At dusk, the night fire burned beside a burbling stream. Tomas fed and watered the ponies, then prepared the evening meal with the help of one of the men.

     After they had eaten, Egbert addressed the men.
‘Well my lucky fellows, it seems there’s to be no rest for anyone who displeases Osric. But we’ll get this done fast, because I for one intend to spend the winter mounting whores in Camulodunum. I can also plan strategy in the taverns alongside our leader.’

    
There was laughter from some of the men at Egbert’s obvious slight towards Osric. He now grew more serious. ‘So riders, it’s hard days on the ponies that lie ahead, with few stops and short commons.’ Tomas shivered with dread as Egbert adopted a mocking expression and now turned his stare upon him. ‘But please … no-one must upset the slave-boy. It seems that Osric has taken a shine to the lad. Maybe our leader’s wedding is nearer than expected.’

     There was more sniggering from the men as Egbert walked over to Tomas and cupped the boy’s grimy face in his podgy hand. He g
ave it a series of gentle slaps—his mocking tone mirroring his expression. ‘You must tell me young master how you’d prefer your ale. Mulled … maybe?’.’

     Tomas smiled uncomfortably at Egbert, and could see that his eyes
didn’t mirror his affected mirth. He prepared himself for the inevitable blow that always followed any discourse with Egbert, but before it could happen, Withred removed Egbert’s hand from Tomas’s face.

     He pushed Egbert away, his tone angry.
‘Does nothing Osric say sink into your boar’s head, man! The boy is not to
be
harmed
! If I find one bruise on him I’ll kick your balls to pulp, do you hear me!’

     Egbert’s face was a mask of disdain.
‘Do I hear the voice of Osric’s little puppy here?’ He pushed Tomas away. ‘There … does that satisfy you. The scamp will return in one piece after this trek, so worry not.’ He pointed a threatening finger at Withred, ‘And don’t tell me how I should have my sport.’

      There was a sneer in Withred’s smile as he coldly eyed Egbert.
‘Maybe I
should
tell you. For I’ve seen you have your sport and even by our standards it makes my flesh crawl.’

     Egbert walked to his sleeping place, wheezing as he lowered his bulk into position.
‘If you’ve no stomach for the hunt then fuck off back to your master.’

     Withred
didn’t deign to reply, but instead laughed softly and incredulously before shaking his head and turning away.

     The next morning
, Tomas had the ponies ready and waiting for an early start. Withred received his pony from him. ‘Come now lad,’ 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.