Winter's Blossom: The Seasons of Arthur

Chapter 52

We left in the last light of the dawn, hoping to exploit the wolf light to catch a headstart. I led, and I felt the fear within me as I did so.

I had never led so many men as this before. As well as my own band, Cei and his band of almost a hundred and fifty warriors followed me too, and at the back of it all were Lancelot's fifty cavalrymen.

If there is a God then he surely hates me, I thought as the night closed in. It was so dark! The stars were blotted out by clouds and it made it hard for me to judge my way so that, at times I was simply doing nothing more than trusting my sense of direction and that let me down. I only realised my mistake when I stumbled across the stones of the Roman road. Initially I froze, and cringed inwardly as the man behind me bumped into me with a clink of mail and a curse. 'Shut up.' I hissed at him, even has my already taut nerves threatened to snap at the whiny of a horse.

We waited for ten minutes in the dark like that, not moving just crouching down. It began to rain, and I didn't even notice at first. I was wet with sweat anyway as we marched but I then I began to feel the prickle of cold begin to hit me as the first drops began to fall, and then with the suddenness of northern rain it became a downpour. I could barely see in front of me but I could hear the ringing beat of rain against men's mail and helmets, the echoing beat of rain against wood as men tried to use their shields to stop the rain falling down on their heads.

Cei suddenly appeared besides me. 'What's happening?' his shadowed face was pale in the darkness and I could hear the uncertainty in his voice. I stared at my boyhood friend, knowing the lack of experience he had and resenting the abject faith he was putting in me to make a decision and to lead. It was Lancelot who spurred me into action though. He came running up the side of the column. 'Damn it Culhwch,' he snapped. 'We haven't got all night. What the bloody hell is the hold up?'

'I was waiting for the rain.' I lied, not wanting to voice my dread to Lancelot, the dread that I was incapable of doing the tasks I had to do, not only lead this warband but to rescue the woman I loved. 'The rain and the darkness will cover our movement.' I said, and with that I glanced back over my shoulder. 'On your feet.' I hissed. 'Let's go.'

I almost tripped on the side of the road as I stepped onto it. 'Watch your footing.' I whispered behind me, and heard the hushed tones of men passing the message further ack, even as the heavy tread of mailed men thumped on the stone road. 'Let's go.' I whispered. I struck a hard pace along the road with long lengthy stride that every few hundred yards we would break into a five-minute jog. It was the gait we used to eat the miles quickly in a short period of time. I still led, and tried to pear forwards through the sheet of rain, barely able to see the road in front of me. Somewhere to the east lightening flashed and moments later I heard the distant rumble of thunder and I felt a thrill of superstition ripple through me. There was just something about being in the middle of nowhere at night, under threat and with the flash of lightening.

I caught movement in the periphery of my vision and saw Cei, breathing heavily, emerge through the sheeting of rain looking like a drowned rat, his long brown hair plastered down his pale face and his patchy stubble dripping with water. 'Are you sure we're going the right way?' He asked, spitting the water from his mouth.

'There's only one road.' I pointed out. 'And it's stone, we can hardly take a wrong turning.'

'Well it's so bloody dark how and wet, how do we know we're not running right into them?' Cei persisted his questions, and I could hear the doubt in his voice. 'We must be almost there by now.'

I knew that, but then again, I had thought we would be there already and had the same fear of running into the Scotti settlement, or hearing a horn howl it's warning through the night as we ran into their scouts but nothing. I tried to pear ahead for inspiration but saw little and so looked up into the rain, hoping to see stars.