Saxon Bane by Griff Hosker Read Free Book Online Page B

feet.
    He was waiting for me.  He had deigned armour of any kind.  His chest was naked and covered in intricate tattoos. He had his hair spiked high with lime and he held two weapons.  One was a long curved sword. It was longer than almost any other sword I had ever seen while in his left hand he held an axe.  He meant business.
    He pointed his sword at me.  “You can dress in as much armour as you wish, you will still bleed.”
    “And you can shout as loudly as you like, you will still lose. And when you do lose they will say you were beaten by an old man.”
    The barb took the smile from his face.
    The circle surrounded us.  My men were on one side and the Hibernians were on the other. The king stood between us.  “When I say ‘ cease ’ you stop upon pain of death!” We both nodded.  He strode to the side and, clapping his hands, said, “Fight!”
    I knew what to expect and what was coming.  The giant would hurl himself at me with both weapons scything through the air almost before the words were out. He wanted to catch an old man unawares. He would try to kill me and not just to make me bleed.  I could see it in his wild eyes. This would be a stern test of my new shield.  I began to yearn for my solid one which was lined with iron and had a heavy quality I liked. I hefted my new one around.  It covered half of my leg.
    This would be the first combat since my wound.  I was not as mobile as I would have liked and I knew he would soon realise that and take advantage of it. In fact if he had spoken to Aethelfrith’s son Oswald he would know already.  I had to assume that he knew.
    The word ’fight’ had barely left the king’s lips when the Hibernian leapt towards me.  His sword came from above his shoulder and he swung his axe low at the same time. I held up my shield as I swung Saxon Slayer at his axe. The long sword struck my curved shield and slid down to the ground. The new design of shield worked. Saxon Slayer had been sharpened well and a chunk of wood came from the handle of the axe. He stepped back, seemingly surprised that I had survived.  I saw him looking at my shield for signs of damage but there were none. Cunning took over and he feinted with his sword and spun around at the same time.  His axe smashed into my shield and I felt my arm shiver. I brought Saxon Slayer over and it struck the axe where I had weakened it.  The axe fell into two pieces.
      He stepped back and snarled at me. “You are not a real warrior! A real warrior would not need a shield.”
    I smiled although most of my face was hidden by the face mask. “I need no shield to fight someone such as you.”
    I let the shield drop to the ground. My left arm still ached from the blow. His eyes widened with excitement. He now had a longer reach. I was well aware of his advantage. He brought the sword back two handed and, striding forward he swung it with all of his might at my head. In my youth I would have danced out of the way.  Now I had no such mobility and I used Calum’s own trick.  I spun the opposite way and brought Saxon Slayer around. I felt it connect with his back and I pulled back.  I did not want to kill him.
    I heard a cheer from my men and the king shout, “Cease!”
    I lowered my weapon and watched in horror as he swung his own sword at me. My instinct took over and I blocked it with Saxon Slayer. I was angry and I brought Saxon Slayer, two handed in a wide sweep.  He brought his own sword around to block it.  Saxon Slayer struck it and the long sword shattered in two.  As he stood there dumfounded I reversed my grip and smashed the pommel into the middle of his head.  He fell to the ground, unconscious.
    The king strode over. His face was a mask of anger. “That was cowardly from my warrior.  I will have his head for this.” He drew his sword and put the point to the giant’s neck.
    “Before you take revenge I think you might ask him some questions about who put him up to this.”
    I saw