given news he was not expecting rather than dismissing it out of hand. “There is the danger that if we invite them to help us they may stay.”
Myrddyn nodded. “It is how the Angles first came to settle. They were invited as mercenaries and they stayed.”
Sometime Myrddyn could be infuriating. He was now being what the Christians called a Devil’s Advocate. I knew why he did it. He wanted Cadwallon to think more widely about the issue.
“Yes I know but I have thought this through wizard.” The ground below my feet was made up of small pebbles of different colours. I took a black one. “Here is King Edwin in the north of the land. He will be in Din Guardi, or as they call it now Bebbanburgh, or Dunelm, possibly, even, Eboracum.” I took a reddish stone. “We are here in Wales.” I found a brown stone. “This is Fiachnae mac Báetáin in Dál nAraidi . I do not intend to invite him here.” I pointed to the red stone. I picked up a white stone and placed it half way between the black and the brown one. “I intend to invite him to Strathclyde. Once he has begun to annoy Edwin then we can bring your army from here and finally defeat him in his own lands. For too long he has fought on our land and we have suffered. Let us make him suffer.”
The time I had spent in the solar had paid off for I saw the nod of approval from Myrddyn.
“I have taught you well.”
I laughed, “You arrogant old wizard!”
“Will the Irish go along with that? I know not this Fiachnae mac Báetáin .”
“He likes gold and he is ambitious. He has raided the Saxons before now. I intend to travel to meet with him and see if he will ally with us. I have our smiths making a torc for him. It will appeal to his vanity and to his greed.”
King Cadwallon smiled and nodded. “Neither of you have ever given me false advice and it would scotch the snake. You know that King Edwin is now thinking of becoming Christian?”
“Aye I know and this Hibernian is too but apparently they only worry about stealing from fellow Hibernians.”
There was a pause and Myrddyn said, “And, of course, Aethelfrith’s sons are both in Ireland too.”
I had defeated their father and his death was laid at my door. They both had a blood feud with me but also with King Edwin. It complicated matters. I shrugged, “I can do nothing about that but I have heard that Fiachnae mac Báetáin also fought against Aethelfrith. Perhaps he will want some more Saxon treasure.”
We left the next morning having had one of the most pleasant visits I could ever remember. Perhaps it was a combination of the brevity and my impending doom but I made the most of every moment spent with my daughter and her children. I noticed the questioning looks from my wife and the knowing looks from Myrddyn. It was as though I was leading two lives. I suspected, after I was dead, my wife would berate Myrddyn for having hidden the truth from her. The old wizard would easily handle that.
When we reached St.Asaph, Gawan was not there. He and Hogan Lann had led their equites on a raid north of Deva. Saxon ships had been seen on the Maeresea. The raid would be a warning to them.
Morcar waited until we were heading back from St. Asaph before he questioned me. “Will I be going with you to Hibernia?”
“Do you wish to? It will merely be a peace mission. There will be no fighting.”
“It will do me good to see how the great and the good conduct such business.”
Myrddyn snorted and Tuanthal laughed. My cavalry commander said, “I would not call an Irish King the great and the good. They are one step away from being pirates.”
“Then why the alliance?”
“Our numbers increase slowly. The blood of Rheged is being thinned. Our warriors cannot continue to bleed for this land or there will none left for the future. We need allies who can help us to drive the Saxons from our shores.” I looked at the eager young man. “If you wish to
Myrddyn nodded. “It is how the Angles first came to settle. They were invited as mercenaries and they stayed.”
Sometime Myrddyn could be infuriating. He was now being what the Christians called a Devil’s Advocate. I knew why he did it. He wanted Cadwallon to think more widely about the issue.
“Yes I know but I have thought this through wizard.” The ground below my feet was made up of small pebbles of different colours. I took a black one. “Here is King Edwin in the north of the land. He will be in Din Guardi, or as they call it now Bebbanburgh, or Dunelm, possibly, even, Eboracum.” I took a reddish stone. “We are here in Wales.” I found a brown stone. “This is Fiachnae mac Báetáin in Dál nAraidi . I do not intend to invite him here.” I pointed to the red stone. I picked up a white stone and placed it half way between the black and the brown one. “I intend to invite him to Strathclyde. Once he has begun to annoy Edwin then we can bring your army from here and finally defeat him in his own lands. For too long he has fought on our land and we have suffered. Let us make him suffer.”
The time I had spent in the solar had paid off for I saw the nod of approval from Myrddyn.
“I have taught you well.”
I laughed, “You arrogant old wizard!”
“Will the Irish go along with that? I know not this Fiachnae mac Báetáin .”
“He likes gold and he is ambitious. He has raided the Saxons before now. I intend to travel to meet with him and see if he will ally with us. I have our smiths making a torc for him. It will appeal to his vanity and to his greed.”
King Cadwallon smiled and nodded. “Neither of you have ever given me false advice and it would scotch the snake. You know that King Edwin is now thinking of becoming Christian?”
“Aye I know and this Hibernian is too but apparently they only worry about stealing from fellow Hibernians.”
There was a pause and Myrddyn said, “And, of course, Aethelfrith’s sons are both in Ireland too.”
I had defeated their father and his death was laid at my door. They both had a blood feud with me but also with King Edwin. It complicated matters. I shrugged, “I can do nothing about that but I have heard that Fiachnae mac Báetáin also fought against Aethelfrith. Perhaps he will want some more Saxon treasure.”
We left the next morning having had one of the most pleasant visits I could ever remember. Perhaps it was a combination of the brevity and my impending doom but I made the most of every moment spent with my daughter and her children. I noticed the questioning looks from my wife and the knowing looks from Myrddyn. It was as though I was leading two lives. I suspected, after I was dead, my wife would berate Myrddyn for having hidden the truth from her. The old wizard would easily handle that.
When we reached St.Asaph, Gawan was not there. He and Hogan Lann had led their equites on a raid north of Deva. Saxon ships had been seen on the Maeresea. The raid would be a warning to them.
Morcar waited until we were heading back from St. Asaph before he questioned me. “Will I be going with you to Hibernia?”
“Do you wish to? It will merely be a peace mission. There will be no fighting.”
“It will do me good to see how the great and the good conduct such business.”
Myrddyn snorted and Tuanthal laughed. My cavalry commander said, “I would not call an Irish King the great and the good. They are one step away from being pirates.”
“Then why the alliance?”
“Our numbers increase slowly. The blood of Rheged is being thinned. Our warriors cannot continue to bleed for this land or there will none left for the future. We need allies who can help us to drive the Saxons from our shores.” I looked at the eager young man. “If you wish to
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