THE POWER AND THE GLORY by H A CULLEY

Author:H A CULLEY [CULLEY, H A]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Orchard House Publishing
Published: 2017-04-21T22:00:00+00:00

Elfin returned the next morning to say that he’d reluctantly agreed to what Oswiu had suggested.

‘Good. Thank you for that. Now we can get on with the attack on Domnall’s stronghold. You’ll be pleased to hear that Alweo’s experiment worked well last night. His horse swam both ways with him hanging onto its mane. The last of my contingents has just arrived and so I suggest we launch the attack at dawn tomorrow, provided we can get everyone across the river in time.’

‘I suggest you speak to your man who has just arrived first, Bretwalda. It seems the Picts are on their way.’

‘Man? What man?’

Just at that moment Catinus appeared in the entranceway to the tent.

‘This man, Cyning.’

Oswiu, whose face had creased into a frown at the slightly sarcastic way that Elfin had said Bretwalda, immediately changed to an expression of welcome.

‘Come in Catinus. You know King Elfin, of course.’

The two men smiled at one another and each clasped the other’s wrist in friendship.

‘What happened about Ardewr?’

‘Morleo has been accepted as king and you are invited to appoint an eorl to rule Penntir until such time as Bruide is old enough to rule himself.’

‘I see, and where is Bruide now? Is he to remain in Penntir.’

‘The council thought that might be rather dangerous for him so I’ve brought him with me. He is to go to Lindisfarne until he’s old enough to be trained as a warrior.’

‘Hmm, he’ll be joining Ruaidhrí then.’

A germ of an idea was beginning to form. Bruide and Ruaidhrí were too young as yet but if he gathered together several sons of nobles who were starting their training to be warriors, they could become Ecgfrith’s companions without it seeming odd.

‘Is Garnait on his way back to Hyddir?’

‘Not exactly, Cyning. He and Drest are leading the warriors they had brought with them to the council through Pobla heading for Glen Falloch. I understand that from there they will head south down Loch Lomond and recapture the territory Domnall has seized.’

‘Good. But that doesn’t help us here, where the bulk of Domnall’s forces are.’

‘Well, it may, if you can drive him out of the hill fort.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Garnait has agreed to advance as far as the isthmus between Loch Lomond and Loch Long, which is the border between Strathclyde and the Land of the Picts in any case, and hold it against Domnall. If he flees north to get back to Dalriada he’ll be trapped between us and the Picts.’

A grin lit up Oswiu’s face. Even Elfin had stopped scowling and was now smiling broadly.

‘Catinus, you’re a genius! Perhaps I should make you Eorl of Penntir as a reward?’

‘That’s very kind of you, Cyning, but I’m very happy being Ealdorman of Bebbanburg.’

Not only did he not want to exchange his comparatively comfortable and secure home for the wilds of the Pictish kingdom, but he knew that the appointment would cease once Bruide reached maturity. However, Oswiu seemed to know what he was thinking.

‘Don’t worry. You will can

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