“Hear me!”he called.For a moment he wanted to laugh.Who washe, to stand between armies and demand that they listen to him?Then the breeze caught Gleipnir, and it tugged in his fist like aliving thing, a sea serpent coiling.He let it fly out like abanner.The runic words burned into it seemed to swirl and dancearound him.The cord that binds the wolf…
“Hear me.I wield Gleipnir.No man will fight here today.”Hewaited for the roar of derision, but none came.Sigurd wasfrowning, listening to Fen for translation, and as for Broccus…Once more Cai swallowed down laughter.He’d never seen such a facebefore.One of Broc’s hounds could have spoken and astonished himless.“I wield Gleipnir, and…I command you to look around you.Lookat the men gathered here—vikingrand old Roman, Saxon farmers, and…” he pattedhimself on the chest, then gestured at the looming rock of Fara,“…and my kind too, the soldiers of Christ.Each convinced the landbelongs to them.At least thesevikingrpirates know they’reinvaders.The rest of us have forgotten—we are too.”
A rumblefrom the hillfort warriors.Cai turned to them—to Broc, meeting thedark eyes that were so like his own.“Yes.The waves of changebreak on this shore, over and over again.There never was suchthing as a pureblood Briton, and…” He paused.Maybe Danan’s draughtwas working on him still.He seemed to stand on a brink.Therewould be a time when conflicts like this one would devour a wholenation.A world.“And there never will be, Broc.Not evenyou.”
Theflickering visions faded.All that was left was the light, the seaair, the vast sky above him owned only by the wind.“Look at thisland,” he said.“It’s huge.It’s empty—I can walk for days and notmeet another living soul.”Clover shifted, and he let her turn sothat he too could see the great wide spaces of his home.“There’sroom for every one of you here—for settlers, not raiders.Men whowill come to build houses and farms, sustain themselves by work,not theft and plunder.No, Broc—listen.We too came here asconquerors.Our Roman fathers tried to seize the land and…and theyfound they could only become a part of it.At least—the only onesleft are men like you, who did, who stayed and had childrenand…”
Cai jerked his head up.He had started to speak to Broccusonly, and the Vikings were waiting.“And now I tell you, men likeme—Christians, who say they serve the word of Christ but have gonedeaf to its meaning—are starting to put out the lights of learningand freedom.I won’t let anyone—vikingror Saxon, Roman or Celt—bringdown that darkness.Not while I have a breath in mylungs.”
Gleipnir stopped its dance.It fluttered down and lay tamelyover Clover’s neck.If there had been any magic init, the powerwas spent.And Cai was finished too.He sat quietly, letting Clovershake her head and snort.Whatever would come next wouldcome.
“Caius!”
Cai turned.Fen was looking upfrom low-voiced conference with Sigurd, and he was smiling.Caiknew that smile.Good luck with this one, monk…
“Sigurd has something tosay to you.He says…” The grin widened.“He couldn’t care lessabout learning and freedom.But he’ll take the land, if you’regiving it away.”
Cai shook his head.His answeringsmile rose up.“Not mine to give.If it’s anyone’s, it’s myfather’s.I’m sure he’ll be willing to step forwards now and dealwith Sigurd for it—by negotiation.”He shot a glance at Broc, whowas puce, his mouth hanging open.“Or they could fight.They’repretty well matched up, aren’t they—his farmers and your pirates.They’d do a grand job of wiping each other out.”
Caius left the battleground.Hetouched his heels to Clover’s sides and turned her head towards thesea.Was it a battleground that lay behind him, or a chamber ofcouncil, roofless and open to the light?For himself, he couldn’tcare anymore.He was done.He had all his work cut out to stayaboard his rocking mount as she surged to a choppy gallop and tookhim away.
Other hoofbeats, faster and lighter.Cai cared about those.Still he didn’t look back.No plough horsecould make such a sound.He risked closing his eyes for a moment.Instantly vertigo grabbed him and he opened them again, and it hadbeen enough—Fen was right there at his side.Eldra fell intoeffortless pace, a swan beside a hard-swimming Addyduck.
Fen put out a hand.“Where are wegoing?”
“I don’t know.The dunes.Just…away.”
“Yes.Good.”
“Not too fast.Clover can’t keepup.”And norcan I.Why is it so hard to breathe?
“You called your warhorseClover?”
“It was short notice.Justride.”
Off the coastal plain and into thehills, where earth turned to sand beneath the turf, where marramwhipped freshly in the wind.Where salt and the manes of whitehorses made the air crackle with life, sustaining Cai a littlelonger—long enough to gallop after Fen deep into the maze of crestsand sandy troughs.
“Here,” he called, when hishold on Clover’s reins began to slip.“Fen, stop here.”
Eldra came snorting to a halt.Fenturned her neatly and brought her to stand beside Clover.“Is itfar enough?”
“Yes.It’ll have tobe.”
“Cai…” Fen took hold of hisshoulder once more.He looked into Cai’s face.Cai didn’t dare lookback.“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.Can you see themfrom here—Sigurd and my father?”
“If I ride back up thiscrest.Wait a moment.Yes.”
“Are theyfighting?”
“No.They’re still where weleft them.They’re…talking, I think, if you’ll believeit.”
Cai chuckled.“Just barely.If you’rehere, though—who’s translating?”
“Does Broccus speakLatin?”
“A little.”
