his men boarded the only enemy ship which still floated. My men pulled bedraggled and half drowned men from the river. I think their surprise at being rescued by those they thought would slay them confused them all. The six men we pulled from the river shivered in a huddle close to the dragon prow. I waved Aiden over. "Find out which ship contained Kara and Elfrida."
He nodded and went towards them. He was less intimidating than we were and he had a way with people which made them talk to him. I went to the steer board and looked to the north. I knew that Kara and Elfrida could not have survived this battle. Unless they were on the ship which my son had captured then they were dead. I began to plan my revenge. I would slaughter every villager we had captured and then I would raze Tintagel to the ground. They would remember when they dared to rob Dragon Heart of his most precious possession; his family.
Suddenly I noticed that Aiden was approaching me and he was grinning. I wondered if the fall the previous day had had a delayed effect and he had lost his mind. What could he find in this that made him smile?
"Jarl Dragon Heart, Kara, Elfrida and the other women were not on this ship or any of the others. They are on Ynys Môn. The ships contained grain only. Angharad and her men landed at Ynys Cybi. Your family is safe!"
I felt like cheering and weeping at the same time. "What does this mean?"
"It means we have a ship full of grain and we know that our family is safe… for the moment."
"What does Angharad intend?"
"That I do not know. These are the crew and they only knew that their cargo was landed at Caer Cybi."
"And that is enough. Erik, take us back to the jetty. We have much to do," Already my mind was working. My family was not safe yet but they were not dead! Our enemies would not know that we knew where they were. "Aiden, find out where they will be on Ynys Cybi. If they tell me they shall live and not be enslaved!"
Erik had the ship turned around and the men began to row us back down the river. I saw the questions on the faces of my Ulfheonar. I could not answer them yet but I now had more hope than I had had when the sun had set.
As we nudged to the jetty I said, "Erik, lift the mast. I want us to be ready to sail."
"Aye Jarl."
Aiden joined me. "There is a sacred grove close to Caer Cybi. They have a hill fort there and the men believe that they would be taken there."
"Do you believe them?"
He smiled, "Jarl as soon as they knew who you were they would have sold their mothers into slavery! They told the truth."
"Good then get a map drawn from their words so that we can sail there and rescue our family. If they cooperate then they will live"
I stepped ashore and waited for Wolf Killer and his ship to join us. Haaken and Cnut clambered over the side. "Well?"
"They are on Ynys Cybi. The High Priestess took them there. I know not why but it means they are alive still."
The relief was obvious on both their faces. "What will we do?"
"We have time now. First we punish this Mark of Tintagel."
"How?"
I smiled. I had spent the long hours waiting for the tide to turn thinking of this. "The only way onto the castle is by the bridge. We destroy the bridge. They will not die but they will take many days to escape. I will not forget this Mark of Tintagel and when I have killed his sister I will give thought to how I might destroy him. We send the ship with the grain and the slaves back to Úlfarrston and we go to Ynys Môn and the holy island of Ynys Cybi. They will think that they are safe. They are not!"
My son was distraught when he landed, "They are not on board the ship we took! They must have drowned!"
I shook my head and put my hands on his shoulders. "They were not aboard the two ships which sank. They contained grain. The fishes will eat well this night! Our family is on Anglesey. We will go and find them."
"We sail tonight?"
I smiled, "There is no hurry for the longer we delay our arrival the more
He nodded and went towards them. He was less intimidating than we were and he had a way with people which made them talk to him. I went to the steer board and looked to the north. I knew that Kara and Elfrida could not have survived this battle. Unless they were on the ship which my son had captured then they were dead. I began to plan my revenge. I would slaughter every villager we had captured and then I would raze Tintagel to the ground. They would remember when they dared to rob Dragon Heart of his most precious possession; his family.
Suddenly I noticed that Aiden was approaching me and he was grinning. I wondered if the fall the previous day had had a delayed effect and he had lost his mind. What could he find in this that made him smile?
"Jarl Dragon Heart, Kara, Elfrida and the other women were not on this ship or any of the others. They are on Ynys Môn. The ships contained grain only. Angharad and her men landed at Ynys Cybi. Your family is safe!"
I felt like cheering and weeping at the same time. "What does this mean?"
"It means we have a ship full of grain and we know that our family is safe… for the moment."
"What does Angharad intend?"
"That I do not know. These are the crew and they only knew that their cargo was landed at Caer Cybi."
"And that is enough. Erik, take us back to the jetty. We have much to do," Already my mind was working. My family was not safe yet but they were not dead! Our enemies would not know that we knew where they were. "Aiden, find out where they will be on Ynys Cybi. If they tell me they shall live and not be enslaved!"
Erik had the ship turned around and the men began to row us back down the river. I saw the questions on the faces of my Ulfheonar. I could not answer them yet but I now had more hope than I had had when the sun had set.
As we nudged to the jetty I said, "Erik, lift the mast. I want us to be ready to sail."
"Aye Jarl."
Aiden joined me. "There is a sacred grove close to Caer Cybi. They have a hill fort there and the men believe that they would be taken there."
"Do you believe them?"
He smiled, "Jarl as soon as they knew who you were they would have sold their mothers into slavery! They told the truth."
"Good then get a map drawn from their words so that we can sail there and rescue our family. If they cooperate then they will live"
I stepped ashore and waited for Wolf Killer and his ship to join us. Haaken and Cnut clambered over the side. "Well?"
"They are on Ynys Cybi. The High Priestess took them there. I know not why but it means they are alive still."
The relief was obvious on both their faces. "What will we do?"
"We have time now. First we punish this Mark of Tintagel."
"How?"
I smiled. I had spent the long hours waiting for the tide to turn thinking of this. "The only way onto the castle is by the bridge. We destroy the bridge. They will not die but they will take many days to escape. I will not forget this Mark of Tintagel and when I have killed his sister I will give thought to how I might destroy him. We send the ship with the grain and the slaves back to Úlfarrston and we go to Ynys Môn and the holy island of Ynys Cybi. They will think that they are safe. They are not!"
My son was distraught when he landed, "They are not on board the ship we took! They must have drowned!"
I shook my head and put my hands on his shoulders. "They were not aboard the two ships which sank. They contained grain. The fishes will eat well this night! Our family is on Anglesey. We will go and find them."
"We sail tonight?"
I smiled, "There is no hurry for the longer we delay our arrival the more
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