Pagan Siege (Tribes of Britain Book 5) by Sam Taw (10 best novels of all time TXT) 📕

said, encouraging all his men to copy him. I had to chuckle, watching the giant juggling slippery bladders in his arms as he lumbered over the bridge. It was the only sensible thing to do. The winter ague carried off so many people from both Kenver’s clan and our own before we found the source of the contamination.

It was also how Tallack and his brother came to part ways with the Priest Sect. He'd banished them to the moors after killing their clan leader for tying festering goat carcasses in the water upstream. I recalled how I’d thought we’d seen the back of the priests. Now Tallack was all set to bind himself to one.

Ren descaled and gutted the fish, while the men chopped wood to keep the fires burning. Massen persuaded Tallack to spend one more night on the beach before moving the camp into the huts. His reasoning was to allow Kenver the chance to take up the Chief’s offer to talk. None of us believed that the Alchemist would do so after all his effort to prevent us from retaking control of the mines. I offered to patch up Massen’s shoulder but he declined saying that it was only a scratch. A little splash with sea water and he was content to let it air out.

The body of our young watchman was more of an immediate problem. The flies were gathering in large numbers and there were few places to keep the corpse cool. It wouldn’t be long before it’d stink up the place. The men were reluctant to go near it, in case the Morrighan should mark them as next in line to fall. I must admit, it did give me pause to think that the longer we stayed, the greater the likelihood that Kenver’s men would kill us all by stealth.

The fish was cooked in no time at all, and wolfed down by the men even quicker. With their bellies silenced for a while, Tallack was keen to approach the narrower valley before nightfall. Ren tried to talk him out of it, but he was determined.

“We have no idea whether their entire clan is up there or only some of them.” Ren kept his voice low so that only a few of us could hear. “For all we know, we could be utterly surrounded.”

My gut twisted into a knot. Perhaps I should have stayed on the ship. What use was I at times like this? I didn’t want the men to put themselves in further danger just to protect me.

“That’s why we need to walk up the ravine.” Tallack hissed back. “Let’s see for ourselves where that traitorous kyjyan and his men are hiding so that we may rest in our furs more easily.” The Chief had a point. Without further exploration to get an idea of what we were up against, we were sitting ducks.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Tallack was in no mood to listen to our opinions. Neither Ren nor I were in his circle of advisers. If only Senara had sailed with us instead of riding over land with Kitto. She was exactly what the situation required. I’d never known a better scout than her. I looked about me at the men. They were without doubt brilliant sailors and loyal to a fault but they were clumsy on land. None could match her for stealth.

What surprised me the most, was Tallack’s solution to the problem. In Senara’s absence, he chose young Treeve to take her place.

“You’re small and wily, Treeve.” The Chief said. “Creep up the gorge as far as you’re able. Count their watchers, take note of their positions, and what defences are in our way. Can you do that for me?” He stood close to his lover and smiled down on the lad. I didn’t know whether to be horrified at Tallack’s lack of regard for the crewman’s life or proud that he would put someone he loved in harm’s way to protect the tribe’s best interests. After all this time of distrusting the lad, I suddenly feared for him.

Treeve squeezed the Chief’s arm and smiled. “You can count on me.” He scooped up his weapons, took his water bladder from Kewri, and then ran off beyond the headland into the valley.

The waiting was the hard part, especially knowing that at any moment, we could be overrun by angry miners with their sinewy strength and tenacity. These folks were hardier than any other in our tribe. They toiled come rain or shine, deep underground, hammering, scraping, choking, and dying. It wasn’t hard to see why they resented us.

We profited and lived a bountiful life based on their labour, although my time with Kenver during the winter made me see that he was indifferent to their rough treatment. Our Chief’s laid down a minimum age for the younger miners. Their laws ensured that those youngsters who were required to support their families stayed above ground, breaking and sorting rocks, assisting the smelters and so on, but I saw children no more than six summers underground.

Kenver had no intention of protecting the young, unless they were his kin. Their little hands were raw and bloody from picking at the seams with antlers and dragging the ore to the surface. We had no idea what promises their leader had made to gain their support in the rebellion. If there was a slim possibility of a better life, I don’t blame them for taking the chance.

I stayed close to the fires on the beach, searching for razor clams or buried crabs, anything to add to the pot. Ren and Kewri loitered close by. I was always under their watchful eyes. To be honest, I was glad that they cared. At nightfall, I returned to the most central fire and sat opposite Tallack. I could see that he was fretting about Treeve but doing his best not to let it show. He chewed at the sides of his nails, stood up and paced for a while,