Free Hosker, G [Sword of Cartimandua 05] Revolt of the Red Witch by Griff Hosker Page B

“What about the bairns and Ailis?  Aren’t we going after them?”
    “No we are not. This is a huge warband.  We have picked off the minnows but do you think that, if we managed to surprise them, they would not kill the captives?” Each trooper dropped his head for they knew he spoke the truth and yet they could not leave those children as captives. “And what of the rest of the province?  What of the land which has not been raided?  Who is there to protect it? You saw the garrison we passed as we rode north.  We are the only defence for the province and we are a thin defence at best.  As much as I want to rescue Ailis, and by all the gods I do! I cannot jeopardise everything we have won so dearly.” His shoulders sagged and his voice broke a little.  “If the Parcae allow then Gaius and his comrades will do what a thousand men cannot. When you pray to the Allfather ask him to watch over our comrades.”
     
    Macro had slept in a small dell not far from Coriosopitum.  He had not seen any sign of either raiders or Romans.  As he left the dell and came to the fort he looked at the tracks; they had all gone west.  He decided he would have to risk the road.  He discarded his helmet and rolled his cloak up.  He had to look like a deserter, which of course he was, or a mercenary.  For the first time in his life he regretted being such a larger than life character that people remembered.  Every battle in which he had fought had been a backdrop for his heroics and he knew that friend and foe alike remembered him.  The beard he was growing could not disguise the shoulders and his size but they might make an enemy think he had deserted.
    He found the field of battle where the ala had destroyed Manus’ band. As he gingerly inspected the bodies he could tell that it was the ala which had destroyed them.  He recognised the arrows and the design of the javelins.  He could see no evidence of small feet and he deduced that this band had had no captives with them.  From the tracks he could see that the ala had moved south; that decided him.  Now there were only four warriors who could rescue his family and he was one of them.  The sooner he found the other three the better. The trail of the main warband cut a huge swathe through the landscape.  Gaelwyn would have to be blind not to deduce the direction. He needed to find a way to observe the barbarians and find Ailis without the enemy finding him. He rode a parallel course to the band. When it was nightfall he would move closer to the camp and spy upon them. He was confident that he could dispose of any scout or guard whom he met.
    He rode along the ridge way skirting in and out of the trees.  It was not an easy route but it afforded him a clear view of the narrow valley that he knew both his friends and his prey would be taking.  When he saw the spiral of smoke in the distance he almost shouted with joy.  Such a column of smoke meant a large camp; his friends would never advertise themselves so clearly.  With luck it would be the barbarians. He gently nudged his weary mount down the hillside his route clearly marked by the smoke.  Within the hour he would know if his son was there and within a couple of hours he might have saved his son.
     
    Gaelwyn the hunter had finally seen Ailis.  Gaius had to be restrained for his immediate reaction was to run to her. “No Gaius, let us watch.  We know where she is kept and the children. We can spend a day or two watching how they guard her and then we can work out how to rescue them all.”
    Over the next two days, as the ponderous column of raiders and captives crept ever northward they saw how difficult a rescue might be.  The captives were tethered together and four guards surrounded them during the night. “Just too many of them.  We could take three guards but with four one would see us and then the alarm would be sounded.”
    “We will have to try and negotiate then Marcus.”
    “It will have to be me