ALBION by Drew Cullingham

Author:Drew Cullingham
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Monk3ys Ink
Published: 2023-10-31T00:00:00+00:00

War Band

The Angles had been welcoming to Osric. More so than his own people, the Jutes. Egbin was a posturing idiot, surely not representative of the stock from which he came. Osric hoped that Wulfric, the young Jute who had promised to sail to their homeland and bring back boats and blades, would prove himself reliable. But for now, the Angles seemed like they might be ready to fight.

‘You have never seen your homeland?’ Leofric, their leader, asked Osric as he pulled at his long blonde beard.

‘I was born here, so no. And I don’t suppose I ever will,’ Osric admitted with a tinge of regret.

Leofric waved his hand dismissively. ‘You don’t need to. It’s not what it used to be. Even when we’re not battered between Romans and barbarians, our crops fail, and the weather is shit. We’re better off here, though we could do with a decent scrap. Just to keep our hands in.’ He winked.

‘You would need to swear allegiance to my king.’ Osric was tentative, but he already liked Leofric. He took a long draught of ale, thirsty from the ride up from Calleva. There had been little time to recuperate, and his arse was grateful for the soft fur that he was sitting on. He and the Nobatians had barely stopped for rest, sleeping only short nights by pitiful fires in an attempt to do justice to the urgency that Vitalinus had imbued him with. Shabaka was splendid company, always happy to listen to Osric’s fanciful stories. His brother, Tsekani, was quieter, but always rewarded his jokes with a toothy grin.

‘We are nobody’s vassals,’ the Angle roared before smiling, ‘but we will pledge our swords and shields to his cause if there is reward at the end of it.’

‘I would have thought blood and glory would be reward enough.’ Osric smirked.

‘But they are not your king’s to give. We want something from him.’

‘And I’m sure you will get it.’

Whatever the cost. That’s the negotiating power he’d been given. They needed extra muscle and steel in the fight against the Kaldi, and trained Briton warriors were few and far between in these parts. Osric glanced at Shabaka beside him and was greeted with only a stern nod. It hadn’t been clear how the Angles would react to the Nobatians, but apart from a few suspicious sideways looks, they had made no issue of the exotic archers’ presence. There was something quite imposing about their lean and dark physiques, and the undeniable mystique of bowmen commanded some respect from people with a culture of spears and swords.

‘I have forty good men and women here,’ Leofric said proudly. ‘They might look like farmers, but they were warriors first.’

They didn’t look like farmers. To a man and woman, the Angles looked like they had only to pick up shields and spears to be battle ready. They were nearly all of good fighting age. There were only a couple of children there, and a handful of elders that might be persuaded to stay at home.

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