Caradoc of the North Wind - By Allan Frewin Jones Page 0,39

Llew. ‘And if true, it means that he must either seek provisions by dint of conquest, or see his army starve.’

‘Will he let loose war in such weather as this?’ asked another counsellor. ‘Surely not?’

‘If need drives him, he may have no other choice,’ said the king. ‘A hard reply from us may force his hand.’ He looked around at the other men. ‘Are we prepared for the hordes of the east to come at us?’

‘We must try to hold him back for a little,’ said one of the men from Gwynedd. ‘For the passage of a moon, at least, to allow us time to return to our king and have him send the levies across the mountains. Two thousand men can we provide for the succour of Powys, but they cannot be gathered all in a moment.’

‘I would say the same,’ added Hywel al Murig, among the men of Gwent. ‘Can we send some serpentine response that will set him on his heels for a while? King Tewdrig will send warriors now that the conflict in Powys is ended, have no fear, but it is many leagues to the southern kingdom, and many leagues back.’

‘A cunning reply, my lord, will maybe forestall an attack,’ said Angor.

‘But what words of ours might make him think we wish to negotiate a peaceful settlement?’ asked Drustan.

‘Why do we not suggest an old course of action?’ said Prince Llew. ‘In times past, the mayhem of warfare was often averted by the surrender of tracts of land to a strong enemy. Perhaps we could let him believe we will offer to hand over some of our eastern cantrefs to him, if he calls his army off.’

‘Land for peace,’ said Dagonet. ‘That may work, at least to give him pause.’

‘He may feel the need to send word to King Oswald before he makes such a bargain,’ said Drustan. ‘And we can reinforce the eastern citadels while he waits on a reply.’

‘Good, good,’ said the king, his eyes glinting. ‘Gull the mighty general with false promises, then.’

‘To lie would make us no better than a Saxon,’ blurted Branwen. ‘We cannot win the day with falsehoods, my lord. And he will surely not believe we would truly give up our lands to him uncontended?’

‘In his arrogance, he may,’ said Dagonet.

‘But my own home of Cyffin Tir lies on the eastern borders!’ cried Branwen. ‘He cannot think I would surrender my homeland to him!’

‘That need not be a problem,’ said Llew. ‘We shall tell him that Branwen ap Griffith is dead or fled … or devoured by the demons she worships.’

‘Or imprisoned by the king for her dark sorceries and insolent ways,’ added Angor with a cold smile. ‘That would not be hard for Ironfist to believe.’

Indeed, not! As it’s something you already wish were true!

‘My lord king,’ said Branwen, looking into Cynon’s unreadable face. ‘Ironfist is a liar and an oath-breaker – but must we walk that same path?’

‘For the charging bull, an arrow to the heart will suffice,’ replied the king, eyeing Branwen sharply. ‘But for the venomous serpent, slithering through the long grass, stealth and subtlety are the tools best suited to the task.’ He raised a hand. ‘We will slow the great general of Mercia down with talk of treaties, and of land to be given over to King Oswald. We will send word that we wish for a meeting between our most wise counsellors – his and ours – in some place where the safety of all is guaranteed. Some neutral ground where none should fear ambush.’

‘And while we negotiate the terms of this meeting, so we shall send to Gwent and to Gwynedd and to Dyfed for reinforcements,’ said Llew. ‘I like this council, my lord. And by the time Ironfist realizes he has been fooled, we’ll have gathered an army to hold him back!’

The king rose and reached out his hand to the prince. ‘And you, my noble lord of Bras Mynydd, shall be our General-in-Chief, to lead our armies to victory.’

Branwen stared at the king in alarm and dismay. This was getting worse by the moment! Cynon was handing over the army to Prince Llew? To the man who had till a few weeks past been seeking his death on the battlefield? It was madness.

‘My lord, may I speak with you alone?’ she asked the king. She had to make him realize Llew could not be trusted. If Cynon gave the prince of Bras Mynydd command of the army, he