Merlin's Nightmare by Robert Treskillard

Author:Robert Treskillard
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook
Publisher: Blink
Published: 2014-04-01T04:00:00+00:00

Arthur held up his hand in a request for Merlin to stop speaking. The sun would soon reach its zenith, and their chance to successfully ambush the Saxenow baggage carts was slipping away. The scouts had returned with news of the enemy’s movements, and the time had come.

“Go, then!” Merlin said, stepping back. The stone walls of the inside of the blockhouse made his words resonate.

Arthur strapped on his sword and Merlin followed him outside. “I’ll pray that you meet with success.” He fell silent, but Arthur heard what he didn’t say: And that you don’t regret ignoring my advice.

As Arthur marched out into the daylight, he looked out over the camps of the men who now called Dinas Marl home. Many more had found their way back, swelling their ranks to just over four hundred — still a pittance compared to what Vortigern had ruled just a short day ago.

And not only that, but his own leadership of the warriors was in doubt, for other, better-known men began to vie for control and to express their own divisive opinions on their next move. It seemed that Arthur’s slaying of Horsa and his elevation by Vortigern meant little in their minds, and to cement his leadership with them, he had devised his daring new plan.

So when Arthur climbed the ladder and looked out from the walls of Dinas Marl, he cringed. Far away to the south and east the land was dry and brittle. Was he foolish to use fire as a weapon against the Saxenow? Yet the present situation left little choice. Not with Hengist and his Saxenow coming to take their fortress.

Maybe Merlin is right, Arthur thought, and I should just leave with the men. Empty the fortress and abandon these lands to the Saxenow. But the idea smoldered inside Arthur and its fumes blurred his vision. Deep down he didn’t want to concede even one handbreadth of British land to the Saxenow, and if they were going to take it by force anyway, then let it be burned. So be it.

Culann and Dwin approached, and Arthur gathered them in a circle.

“Do you know that old, broken fortress we passed?”

Dwin squinted as he scanned the vale south of Dinas Marl, finally pointing to the horizon. “You mean the one on that hill way over there?”

“You can see it from here? That’s more than a league.”

Dwin smiled. “Can’t you?”

“It’s the one with the road right below it.”

Culann raised an eyebrow. “Is that the place we passed on our way to Hen Crogmen? Now that is an interesting spot.”

“In more ways than one,” Arthur said.

Dwin yawned. “Nice spot for a picnic. Too bad Gogi and his daughters disappeared.”

“A picnic?” Arthur said, knocking Dwin playfully on the head. “A picnic? Look, I need twenty of the best archers along with twenty horsemen and the forty fastest horses we have.”

“Looking for a bit of revenge?” Culann asked.

“No. I just want to defend our land.”

Culann nodded and ran off toward the camp of men while Dwin went to pick the horses.

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