Saxon England by Griff Hosker

Author:Griff Hosker [Hosker, Griff]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Sword Books
Published: 2013-12-07T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

For the first time since I had fought alongside my brothers my first reaction was to check that Hogan was intact. He was covered in blood but none of it was his. He looked at me and threw his arms around me. “I was always proud of you but today…” and he burst into tears. I felt like crying myself but I just held him. I was proud of him. He had faced an enemy who must have seemed as numerous as ants and he had not flinched. He was my son.

The worst part of any battle is the aftermath. It matters not if you win or lose you still have to see who paid the price and that day was expensive. The heaviest losses had been amongst the horse although it was they who had caused the rout of the Saxons. Lord Gildas lay dead and Prince Pasgen had a bad wound. Over a hundred had been slain and many others were wounded. We had only just over three hundred warriors who could stand in a shield wall again. Calum had died as had the faithful Riderch. Both would be welcomed in the Otherworld but I would miss Riderch most of all for he chose to change his country and that was a choice made because of me. Our archers and slingers were largely intact and we had only lost two hundred other warriors. It could have been worse. Even though the Saxons had lost many we could see, from their camp fires which burned across the river that they still outnumbered us.

We sent Prince Pasgen and the rest of the wounded back to Civitas. Before he left the prince gave Tuanthal the dragon standard. “I watched you today, Captain Tuanthal, and you deserve to carry this into battle. I will never need it again and my brother deserves it not.”

Tuanthal was touched by the gesture and was about to refuse the honour when I said, “That is the symbol of Rheged and so long as you carry it in my retinue then Rheged will be free.” I thought that Prince Pasgen would fight again but, as he had lost some of the fingers on his left hand as well as being hamstrung, I did not think he would be leading his warriors. His was a serious loss.

We buried our dead but kept apart Lord Gildas, Riderch and Calum for they were the leaders of their people and they were buried with their arms in honour of their prowess. After we had stripped the Saxons of anything worth taking we burnt their bodies as their comrades watched.

When it became obvious that the Saxons would not attack again for a while I sent the soldiers back home, keeping just the horse, slingers, archers and shield wall. Garth gave me a worried look. “They might be waiting for us to do as we have done and then they will flood across.”

“No Garth, Myrddyn and I agree.” I pointed across the river.

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