“If you see more thanseven, kindly keep it to yourself.”
Marcus remained silent.Caistraightened up.He sheathed his sword and turned to thewhite-faced men dropping their drill postures and looking out tosea.“Brethren of Fara!”One by one they fixed their attention uponhim.He felt it like separate weights, barbs sinking into hisflesh.“How many times have we seen Viking fleets on their way tothe fishing grounds north of here?And even if it isn’t so—even ifthey’re bound for shore—it’s broad daylight, and they’re a long wayout.When have we ever had this much warning?Every man here knowshis task.”No one stirred a muscle.Eyes fixed unblinkingly on him,as if he on his own could make the nightmare disperse.“What’swrong with you?Come on!”
Fen touched his shoulder.The caresswas hidden, warm, the press of a palm to his spine.“Fear wipesmen’s minds,” he said softly.“Fear can drag them to hell evenfaster than Aelfric would want.”
Cai took one long breath.“Wilfrid,”he began, if not with kindness, then calmly at least.“Don’t beafraid.You know the men appointed to you.Take them now, and herdthe goats and the sheep into the caves at the foot of the cliffs.Gareth, you and Cedric tell the villagers to do the same, then helpthem pack what they can carry and send them on their way inland.They should head towards Traprain Law—my father might take them in,if worst comes to worst.Hengist, have your men carry all ourgrain, our fruit and salted meat into the cellars.And you, Marcus,stop gawping and do as you’ve rehearsed—gather all our weapons atthe armoury and see they’re clean and ready.Well, what are youwaiting for?Go!”
They turned and filed out.Even Eyulfknew his place in this emergency and ran off after Hengist to helpcarry the grain.Cai looked after them.There was order and purposein their departure.He didn’t fool himself that it weighed in thebalance against seven or more Viking sails—the fret had closed innow, sealing him off from the truth—but he’d done what he could.Inthe silence of the drill yard, the sea wind moaned.“I’ll go andfetch Dagsauga and the ox calves.If I set off with them now, Imight get them to safe pasture by dusk.Do you think Eldra will beof any use to us?”
“In a foot battle?No.Icould do some damage, but they’d cut her out from underme.”
Oh, you assume you’d beriding?Butthere was no point in challenging Fen’s arrogance there, not havingbeen on the receiving end of those battlefield horsemanship skills.“I don’t want to use her like that.”
“Neither do I.”
“Then can you take her outto the fields beyond the Coldstream ford—you know, the place wherewe…”
“Er, yes.”
“And take the farm ponieson leading reins.The further we spread our assetsaround…”
“Yes.And yes, I will comeback.”
Cai flinched.“I never askedthat.”
Fen stepped up close to him.Hebrushed one fingertip across the tiny cut on Cai’s throat, thenpassionately took his face between his hands.“Your eyes ask it.Your bloody beautiful mouth asks, in all the words you don’t say,every time you look at me.Caius—you and your brethren took me in.You saved my life.You could have tied me up in a wickerwork boatand shoved me out to sea, but you didn’t.You gave me food,clothing, work to do.My own kind abandoned me.Who am I going tofight for, if these sails don’t pass by?”
Cai unfastened his sword belt.Hecouldn’t bear the dragging weight of it round his hips.Hestruggled out of it and dropped it on the turf.He’d have torn astrip off another man for treating his weapon so, but he was blindwith tears.He had cut Fen too—a thin red line across his cheekonly now starting to bleed.He leaned his brow against Fen’s, andFen took hold of the hair at his nape and held him strongly.Thewind spiralled up from the cliffs—a raider’s wind, inshore, richwith scents of autumn.It vortexed around them where they stoodmotionless, a season’s first leaf-fall blowing in itswings.
Chapter Fourteen
One man too many.It was better thanone too few, but Cai couldn’t work it out.The night had come downblack and hard, and in his urgent tracks from lookout posts toarmoury to storerooms, he didn’t have time to worry too much aboutthe unknown figure.It was quick and thin, familiar somehow in theglimpses he had of it.Only when Cai rounded the stairwell of afirelit corridor and crashed right into the fragile shape did herealise.He snatched back the cassock hood before the strangercould try to dodge past him.“Oslaf!”
“Yes.Forgive me,Cai.”
Forgive him?Cai could have kissedhim.He still looked frail, but a few weeks of his grandmother’scare had taken the death-shadows from his eyes.“What in God’s nameare you doing here?Why have you been hiding from me?”
“My brother came back fromshepherding with tales of a fleet on the horizon.I had to come.Iwas afraid you’d pack me off home.”
“No, not this time.We needevery man we can get.Are you strong enough to lift asword?”
“I think so.”
“Go and find Fen and makesure.He’s down at the armoury.He’ll put you through somedrills.”
“They are certainly coming,then?”
“We still don’t know.Atnightfall they were still a long way out, but…”
“Caius?”That was Gareth.He was such a changed man from the night of the first raid, when anaxe through the shoulder had driven out all trivial fears of theflesh from him.He was pale now, but Cai noted with gratitude hissoldierly bearing.He came up close before he spoke, kept his voicelow.“Cai, Brother Fen says we should make ready.The tide hasturned.The Vikings are making for land.”
Cai had to conduct himself at least aswell.He braced against the painful leap of his heart.“Understood.Go at once and give the signal.”He turned to the boy.“Oslaf, I’msorry.We don’t have time to make a warrior of you just now—willyou go and help Hengist guard our stores?”
“Whatever you command.ButI wish I could have fought with you.”
“I know.And you will againone day.But you’re too dear to me, for Benedict’s sake and yourown.”
Cai watched him dart off.From thenewly built bell tower, a low, insistent tolling began.The bellwas new too, or newly purchased—a tradeoff from the smith atBerewic for part of their rich apple crop and some mead.Cai hadwatched his brothers proudly lift it into place only the weekbefore.Had these things been done just in time for hell and deathto rise up out of the waters and knock them back down?At least theupper level of the church had been built in willow and daub, notstone.That would save them some trouble next time.
