Hosker, G [Wolf Brethren 02] Saxon Revenge Read Online Free PDF Page B

look my brother flashed at me.  We had to use the time available to stir up this hornet’s nest. “When we leave I would keep a vigilant watch from your walls and keep your gates closed.  Have your mounted men patrolling the settlements.”
    “Why? What do you fear?”
    “I fear that Wach may strike immediately.  He is half a day away as we know and we do not know his mind.” I could see the king sobering up. Perhaps he thought that we had won already.  We had only just begun this war and there would be much bloodshed before it was over.
    I was like a bear with a sore head the following day.  Despite the ale my leg had kept me awake for most of the night.  My brother and Garth recognised the signs and they made sure that no-one upset me. We had chosen a village to the south of Wachanglen. It was like the game with three cups and a pea.  Wach and his men would be guessing where we would strike next.  If I had been Wach I would have had men watching Loidis but our scouts found no evidence of scouts and we set off before dawn.
    The gates on the walled village were closed, as I had expected for the Saxons were not stupid and we halted in the tree line.  The archers tied their horses to the trees while the equites kept watch. “Well brother.  What do we do this time?”
    I pointed at the heads of the guards we could see. “Two things, first we light a fire and then we eliminate the sentries.”
    “Light a fire?”
    “Remember Metcauld?” He grinned.  We had used fire arrows against the Saxons there and we could do so again. A burning village would be as big a victory as one with a corpse covered field. He quickly found some kindling and some pine cones. “Garth, light the fire and we will take out the sentries.” There were eight sentries we could see and I chose ten of Raibeart’s best archers. Raibeart and I told them their targets and, as one, we loosed. All eight disappeared from sight. “Any head which appears then hit it.”
    The fire was going well and Raibeart had his men attaching pine cones to their arrows.  Their flight would not be as accurate but they only had to hit a wall fifty paces away.  We could afford some misses. I turned as a warrior screamed and fell from the wall. The beleaguered Saxons decided that discretion was the better part of valour and no heads risked the instant death which awaited an unwary head. As soon as the fire arrows began to strike the walls I knew that we had won for the wood was dry and flames leapt up from the ramparts. “Now aim into the village.” We were firing blind but if we could light some of the huts or even the hall then we would force the Saxons to meet us.
    Soon we could see flames rising from inside the village and the gates opened and the warband appeared.  They formed a shield wall and began to head towards us. Raibeart’s voice boomed out. “Shift targets!”
    We all began to loose our arrows at the wall of shields which walked resolutely towards us. Few of their shields were as good as ours and I could see splinters appearing in the wood.  They hurried forwards to meet us and to wreak revenge on their tormentors. That would not happen. “Archers mount and retreat!”
    The archers sped into the trees to gather their ponies and escape before the warriors could attack them.  Garth and the horsemen rode hard at the rear of the warband and began thrusting their spears and swords at unprotected backs. A second warband emerged from the village.  It was time to leave. “Garth! Disengage and retreat!” As we fled through the woods I heard the cheers and jeers from the Saxons who thought they had won a victory. The dead bodies of their warriors and the blackened timbers of their walls was testimony to the fact that they had lost. We had not escaped unscathed and two of the horsemen had wounds as had three horses although none were mortal.
    Raibeart was disappointed that we had no booty this time. “Raibeart, we have hurt them. Two of their