Free Amber Treasure, The by Richard Denning Page A

powerful. In short bursts it can
cover ground with breathtaking speed. There was a very real danger of injury or
death, so we hunted in pairs: each looking out for the other. The forest was
dense and Eduard and I − hunting together − soon lost track of
everyone else.
    We crept along, searching the
undergrowth for movement, for what seemed like hours but without success and I
had just turned round to tell Eduard we should head back, when there was a
snort from behind me. Spinning round, I saw a flash of a red and brown mass for
an instant, before something huge and hard thumped me in the abdomen −
still a little sore from the previous night’s fight − and knocked me
over, stunned and with stars flashing in my eyes.
    Eduard shouted something and then
I heard him charging towards us. The next few moments were all flashing steel,
the roaring of the beast, grunts from my friend and finally a squeal of pain
and then: silence. My vision cleared and when I could see again, I saw that the
beast was dead and Eduard stood triumphantly over it. I dragged myself to my
feet and staggered across to him.
    “Nice work,” I said.
    “Yes, it was, wasn’t it?” he
answered with a grin, never one to be shy of self praise.
    We took the boar back to the
glade and soon afterwards the other groups started to arrive. Aethelric drifted
around us, stopping at each man or boy who had killed a boar and congratulating
them in his vague but enthusiastic way and then he stood, looking a bit lost,
before Wallace suggested that he and Cuthwine escort the Prince and his party
back to Wicstun.
    After he left, we prepared to
carry the wild pigs home, strapped to long branches. Eduard was still proudly
showing Cuthbert the boar he had killed, when Wallace looked around the company
and asked where Hussa was. We all looked up and searched the faces around us.
None of us knew where he was; indeed, no one had seen him since soon after the company
had split up some six hours before. No one, it seemed, had been his partner, as
it now emerged that he had been bragging about his sword until everyone got
bored and he went off in a sulk.
    “Oh, bother the lad: we’ll have
to go and find him!” Wallace was saying, when there was a rustle of undergrowth
nearby and Hussa emerged from the trees. He looked pale, blood was drying on
his face and he had lost his boar spear.
    “Where the hell have you been?”
Wallace demanded.
    Hussa collapsed onto the ground
in front of him then lay there panting for a moment, before replying.
    “Went off on my own, didn’t I ...
my Lord? Thought, I could kill a boar by myself.”
    “Did you?” Eduard asked.
    Hussa gave him a blank look.
    “What do you think? I found one
alright, but it charged me. I missed it with my spear and suddenly it was on me
and I was knocked backwards, tripped on a tree and landed half way down a slope
on my arse.”
    “Dammed idiot, you could have got
killed. Don’t be so foolish in future,” Wallace said. Hussa nodded.
    “No Lord, I won’t.”
    Well, I must admit I felt better.
Hussa had been strutting around the night before, showing off his sword and the
gods alone knew what he and Aidith had got up to. Now though, his reputation
was tarnished. Fool that he was for getting knocked down by a boar, no one
would mind that. Going off in a sulk though, that’s what folk objected to.
    We shuffled off towards home,
tired, but on the whole, happy. Many men had daring tales to tell and after
all, roast pork was on the menu. Soon we were laughing and joking, exaggerating
our own glories whilst snorting in light-hearted derision at the others’
stories.
    We reached the edges of the
forest, where we paused for a moment to rest and drink from a stream before the
company separated − us to go due east to the village and the rest bearing
northeast for Wicstun and beyond.
    As we rested, Cuthbert confessed
to us that he had cheated and taken his bow, but had still managed to wound a
pig and slow it so