The Aebeling (7 page)

‘Indeed, that is true. Ingeulfur was the only Twacuman we have ever heard of that became pregnant to a Priecuman.’ She paused. ‘Until now.’

‘Elva is pregnant?’ Conn blurted out the obvious.

Conn was genuinely surprised. He looked at Elva, and she smiled back. He could only imagine that it was something new – she didn’t mention it just a few hours ago – or last night when they were together. He looked back at Brina.

‘I don’t know what to say. Nor do I have an explanation.’ Certainly not one he could share.

Brina stood and moved around the room, collecting a mug of mead. ‘Neither do we... and the Gyden have been strangely very silent on this subject as well. As you know, each Twacuman has a path that is revealed to them by the Wothbora – whether it is wiga or Craeftiga, as soon as the child is known to us. Our Wothbora knew of this child today, but he cannot see its path.’

‘And that is a bad thing?’

Brina shrugged. ‘We do not know – but it is unusual – but then his father is not known to the Gyden, so we presume that it is because of the connection to you. It is certainly something that is unusual; at a time when there is much that is unusual. Things are not as they should be and we don’t know why. The Priecuman nations have had many years recently when crops have failed and people have died from disease or famine. There is also war amongst them again – nothing like that has happened for three hundred years. Unusual events by themselves do not indicate much; but lots of unusual events all at the same time mean something. The most unusual is of course you - the first Priecuman in hundreds of years that understands the language of the Twacuman – as well as being able to get a Twacuman pregnant.’

She paused and sipped her drink. ‘Ingeulfur died with her father fighting the Ancuman – it was the last and final battle, and soon after the Ancuman left Meshech. She was bedda to Torhallur il Halani – an ancient uncle to Derryth, and they had a son Vigmundur. Vigmundur survived the war and later took half of our people to live with him in Piada; to be near the Casere of Meshech. As you know, we lost contact with our kin there over a hundred years ago.’

Conn was aware that since the establishment of Piada, it was usual for the two nations to visit each other regularly, but after the closing of the borders of Halani, it had become harder. However, an annual visit was common, until a hundred years ago when anyone who had left for Piada did not return and none from Piada ever arrived; so people stopped going. No-one understood why.

She paused again to let the knowledge settle. ‘We know that all this has meaning – but we do not know what that is yet. All that being said, it is time for you to leave Halani.’

Conn was surprised at the suddenness of the remark but she continued, ‘It is not because you are not welcome here but because this is not where you are needed.’

Conn was still confused. ‘I don’t understand.’

She smiled. ‘Neither do we; but Caewyn has seen it. She believes you are needed there.’

‘There?’

‘In the Priecuman lands’

‘Oh.’ Conn was about to ask the obvious question when she waved him down.

‘I know what you will ask, because I asked it. None of us have the answer to that question. I’m sure you will discover your purpose as you go. We do know that it is Abrekan’s path is to lead you out of the valley.’

‘As you will, Aebeling,’ Abrekan responded immediately. He seemed as surprised as Conn to the change of events.

Conn was about ask another question when Caewyn stood and came to him. She hugged him. ‘Do not worry – you will know what to do.’ She reached for a chain that hang around her neck, hidden under her tunic, took it off, and placed the chain and its medallion over his head. ‘This is for you. If you ever need assistance from any Twacuman, show this to them, and they will do what they can. It says that you are the Feorhhyrde, and that means that you are our friend, and we are yours’. Then she kissed him on the cheek, stood and walked out. They all watched her leave in silence.

As he watched, Conn fiddled with the medallion and suddenly felt the silence grow in the room. He looked up to see the elders looking towards him in shock; but their eyes were on the medallion.

Brina spoke but no sound was heard, and she cleared her throat. Still croaky, she said ‘That is a special gift she has given you. Sherric was the last to wear that medallion, and he was wearing it when he died. However, it was not on Sherric’s neck when they recovered his body, and it cannot be removed without permission. No one knows what happened to it and it was considered lost forever – I can’t even guess how or where she found it.’ She looked around at the other elders and they shook their heads. ‘She is a special child; it seems that she knows more than what she tells us – or more than she yet understands. I presume she knows what she is doing. What is done cannot be undone; and what is given, cannot be taken back.’ She paused, and then added. ‘It is probably apt that the last person to be called Feorhhyrde was also the last person to understand the language of the Twacuman; but I don’t know that Caewyn knows that. All that is missing is the Torc.’

There was silent contemplation until Conn spoke. ‘Torc?’

‘The Torc of the Casere – created for the first Casere, and lost with the last – nearly three hundred years ago.’

‘Sherric seemed to lose a lot of things…’

‘No – it was Goibniu. He was the last Casere. He was a descendant of Sherric, and ancestor of the Healdend in Silekia. It too has disappeared.’

She seemed unwilling to provide more information so Conn let it lie. Finally, he asked. ‘When do we leave?’

‘Soon,’ Brina answered, ‘you should leave as soon as you are able, when a path through the mountain is clear of snow, but before the snow melts and the lake is unable to be crossed. Where would you go, Abrekan?’

‘I will go back to Lykia; the Earldom of Tabae is on the border, and Eaorl Octa is a good man. I think I can rely on him to be welcoming.’

Brina nodded in agreement. ‘It is good to go where there is a welcome.’ She looked at Conn then back at Abrekan. ‘There might be places where the welcome is not so warm.’

Brina bid them farewell, and they stood and walked to the exit.

At the doorway, the Aebeling called out. ‘Feorhhyrde?’

Brina had used his new title – not without hesitation. Conn turned around. She smiled. ‘There is one last thing. Ingeulfur was my ancestor. Caewyn and I are the only ones left in Halani who descend from the Priecuman Casere of Meshech. There was never many, but we are the last. Somehow that seems significant.’ She turned and retired to her room at the end of the building, leaving Conn to follow Derryth down the ramp to prepare for his departure.

It took them over a week to get ready; Conn now had almost eighty horses and with Abrekan’s forty donkeys, the four of them had a lot of animals to handle – including a pack of dogs – though he was leaving half behind for the moment. Some were being trained to take care of chickens while other cared for goats or pigs.

Derryth and Elva and a dozen wiga were to guide them out of Halani and into Lykia and Tabae; after which they would be on their own. Horses and donkeys with packs only travel thirty miles a day, and it would be at least a seven day ride to the Cotlif of the Eaorl – the last four on their own.

‘But,’ Abrekan added, ‘with all the animals we have, I fear it might take even longer. It will take us hours to load and unload every day.’

‘Are there no villages on the other side?’ Conn asked. ‘Where we could get some help?’

‘No – not for almost two days; the outlying areas of nearly all Eaorldoms are deserted. The populations were never that big to start with but over the last twenty years, they have been devastated by pestilence and famine.’

There was a crowd of people to watch the convoy of animals leave the village, and as they rode past the main longhouse, Brina, with Caewyn holding her grandmother’s hand, waited. Conn stopped and alighted from the horse. Caewyn came to him and they hugged.

‘I will miss you’, she whispered into his ear, ‘but we will meet again soon. You have also given us hope, though my grandmother doesn’t see it yet. When you need me, I will be there, just as you were for me; I’m building a Fyrd for you.’

‘A Fyrd?’

‘Yes, you will need a Fyrd one day – five hundred wiga with your mighty bow, on your horses. They will be magnificent. Oh, and I almost forgot; take special care of any Silekians you find. They need your help, and they will be of use to you. Goodbye.’

‘Goodbye Caewyn; I’ll remember what you said.’ And as she walked back to her grandmother, she turned and waved, and at her heels was the Maremma pup that he had given her. He had only recently found out that her mother had been abducted by Rakians, seven years ago. All the wiga guarding her had been killed, including Caewyn’s father, and her mother and a cempestre had disappeared into Rakia. It made him even more curious why she had not been more distressed when he had rescued them that many months before.

‘Farewell Feorhhyrde’, Brina spoke, ‘Fair travels, until we meet again.’

‘Farewell and thank you.’ Conn said as he rode away, confused. He didn’t know why he was going to need a Fyrd.

CHAPTER 04

On the third day they passed through a narrow valley that provided the entry from Tabae to Halani; around them high peaks still had a covering of snow. The final entrance was a narrow canyon that provided excellent defense against an invasion. Finally in Lykia, they headed downhill into the Eaorldom of Tabae, through an honor guard of wiga who would be going no further.

Derryth was disappointed, ‘It is a long time since we have ridden amongst the Priecuman; so this is as far as we can go today.’ He broke into a broad smile. ‘I think that you will be enough surprise for them all by yourself – I would really like to be there to see that!’

‘I think you have too much fun at my expense, Derryth.’

They laughed together until Derryth got serious and pointed to the forest. ‘Feorhhyrde, do you see the tall trees at the edge of the forest?’

‘I do.’

‘Well, if you need us or you are coming into the great forest, put an arrow in the tree at the highest point. You can see a gap in the branches… at that spot? Then we will come as soon as we are able.’ He looked at Conn suspiciously. ‘Do you think you could put an arrow into that tree?’

‘I can but try.’ Conn responded.

They both laughed, and he hugged Conn and rode away, leaving Elva with him.

Elva smiled. ‘Farewell, Feorhhyrde; until we meet again.’ She reached over and kissed him. ‘It has not been so bad being bed-mate to a Priecuman. I don’t know why everyone complains so much. We will take care of your son.’

Conn was surprised, ‘It is a boy?’

‘Yes, I am told it is a boy’, she replied. ‘In case we don’t see each other before he is born, what name do you wish to call him?’

Conn thought for a while – until the idea suddenly was very clear to him. ‘Jowan. Jowan was my grandfather’s name.’

‘Jowan il Taransay…’ She stopped to consider. ‘Jowan – yes, he is happy with that name.’

Conn laughed, not realizing that she was serious. ‘I’m glad he’s happy. Bid him adieu for me then. And farewell to you as well, Elva, travel in peace; I am truly sorry that we must part.’

‘But part we must; though I don’t believe that it will be for that long. I’m sure that we will see each other again soon. Perhaps you will need to fornicate again – your werhad certainly is large.’ She broke into an even bigger smile. She kissed him again. ‘Travel in peace.’ And with that she rode away. They all waved, rode into the canyon and were soon out of sight.

‘Well, that is not something you see every day.’ Abrekan stated, as his sons led the long horse and donkey train down the hillside through the trees, on a winding but clear path, into the now surprisingly cold and windy Lykia.

It became so windy so quickly that an hour later they decided to make camp for the day, three hours earlier than normal. They found somewhere that they could get protection for the animals from the cold wind that raged up the mountain – and given that it took some time for the four of them to unload the large numbers of pack animals – both donkey and horse – they were almost frozen by the time they settled for the night. They huddled around a fire to get warmth back into their hands and legs. Abrekan was confused.

‘Lykia is usually windy, but this is ridiculous. It’s spring and yet my hands are almost frozen. I had hoped to travel further today.’

After a meal, Conn went to stand watch. The wind had just as suddenly dropped considerably, and despite the animals corralled behind rope and bamboo, they had decided to keep a lookout for a wolf or bear attack. Unlike Halani, Conn could hear wolves off into the distance here in Lykiak, and although they were protected by the dogs, Conn felt inclined to provide some backup. Most were pups and wouldn’t stand much chance against a fully grown and hungry wolf.

It was after midnight when he was just about to retire when he sensed something amiss. A couple of the pups also responded with pricked ears and a small growl. Conn was well hidden in a grove of trees so he stayed still until he noticed shapes starting to move in on the camp from the north. These were not animal shapes – they were humans and they were not very good at it.

He told the dogs to stay and leaving his bow behind, he crept up the hill and away from the camp until he got behind the intruders. There were six of them, all Priecuman, and young; they didn’t have bows, but were armed with short swords. Conn watched them silently split into three and he crept up behind two males who had suddenly decided to argue.

‘You go to the right side’, one demanded in a whisper, ‘I’ll go to the left.’

‘Why am I going left, when we already sent Peig and Rab that way? I should go with you.’

‘No, they are going straight ahead; they are going to scare the horses.’

‘Why would they do that – that’s a stupid idea? We need the horses. They told me they said they are going to the left side and get the jump on those by the fire in their beds. We need to go to the right to get the guy on guard.’