Thanks, Caillagh and TSK! You are both right, this was a period of calm before a gathering storm ...
Chapter Fifteen
As Mabon’s war-band marched north to find the Ebdani raiders, he noticed the clouds moving ahead, as if they were showing the way. A warm wind blows from the south, he thought, even in winter. It was true: as they marched north, the skies turned dark, rain poured down and the snow melted. The lack of snow would make it harder to track the raiders, but Blaidd’s keen eyes soon picked up their trail.
As Mabon’s riders passed an abandoned hill-fort, Blaidd called out to him, pointing to a point on the horizon.
“Do you see, Mabon? There!”
The raiders were marching up the hill, perhaps to seek shelter in the hill-fort.
This was just a small raiding party, compared to the large army which Mabon’s warriors had ambushed.
“This will be easy!” shouted Mabon.
“Perhaps too easy?” suggested Blaidd.
“You have a sharp mind, as well as keen eyes!” replied Mabon. “This could be a trap, to draw us into an ambush. We will ride ahead, while our swordsmen, spearmen and slingers approach the raiders who we can see from here.”
Mabon’s riders passed the raiders and viewed the horizon in every direction, looking for any sign of more enemies.
No further enemies were visible. He watched as Rhiannon led the infantry in a charge. The raiders held for just a few moments, before they were overwhelmed. Mabon led his riders in pursuit of the fleeing enemies.
After the chase, he found Rhiannon kneeling by a dying Ebdani swordsmen. She was speaking softly to him, holding his hand as his life ebbed away. Mabon dismounted and approached.
Rhiannon told Mabon, “This Ebdani warrior told me that he hated the Ebdani nobles who are leading the raiders on our lands and seizing our people as sacrifices. He is ashamed of what the raiders were doing. He only followed them in fear that his family would be sacrificed, if he did not. There are villages in Ireland who would rise up against the Ebdani, if they had support from outside and if they believe that they could win.”
Mabon said, “We could use the ships which the Ebdani used to land their army to transport our warriors to Ireland – we could lead the people against the King and end these raids!”
Rhiannon agreed with him.
“Did he tell you which tribe has allied with the Ebdani against us?” asked Mabon.
Rhiannon shook her head and gently reached out to close the eyes of the Ebdani warrior.
After this victory, Mabon’s war-band marched south, towards Moridunon. They stopped to rest for a night at the druids’ village. Cigfa, the chief druid, was delighted to hear that the raiders had been defeated and the whole village celebrated this victory with their guests. Late that night, Cigfa took Mabon aside. Mabon was feeling safe and relaxed after leading warriors on long marches and into battle. He had eaten well and he had drunk deeply of the druids’ delightful, warming mead. But what Cigfa had to say made him feel sober, rapidly.
“I had a message from the gods, on the night that you left to fight the raiders”, she said. "They showed you and Rhiannon marching into the hall of the King of the Ebdani and slaying him. They showed you marching up to the temple of the Morrigan in the city of the Ebdani, and burning that temple to ashes.”
Mabon had not told Cigfa of the plan which he and Rhiannon had agreed, so this was a surprise – and it sounded like good news, their plan would succeed. But what Cigfa told him next shocked him.
“You must not go there! The gods warned me of the fate of the Silures, the Demetae and all of the tribes of Britons, if you go. Silent warriors will come from the south. They will be many, but they will fight as if they were one man. They will march under birds of prey with fierce claws and shining eyes. They have a terrible purpose. They cannot be defeated. You must not go!”
Shaken by this disturbing news, Mabon found Rhiannon and pulled her away from a group of swordsmen who were telling stories of their brave deeds. Rhiannon listened calmly to Mabon’s report of what Cigfa had predicted.
“The chief druids have advised the Kings of our tribes for generations,” said Rhiannon. “When I was a child, I heard druids advising my father, the King. They usually provide their advice in the form of a story or a prophecy. It is up to us to work out the message which their story or prediction is meant to convey.”
Mabon said, “I understand how the druids would worry, if our best warriors all crossed the sea to Ireland. Our tribes would be vulnerable to attack. We have seen how the people of local villages fled from the raiders, seeking refuge in the druids’ village. The druids have a few swordsmen, but they could not fight a large raiding band on their own.”
Rhiannon replied. “When we return to Moridunon, we should send word to Dagomaros, general of the Iceni. If we inform him of our plan, perhaps he will send men to defend our lands, while we are gone? If he does that, then we will have heeded Cigfa’s warning.”
Mabon nodded and smiled. At that moment, an exhausted-looking man arrived and almost fell from his horse.
The exhausted man spoke, “Where are Rhiannon of the Demetae and Mabon of the Silures? I must find them, I have urgent news from Moridunon!”
Rhiannon called to one of her men, “Bring food and mead for this messenger! Take care of his horse. Now, sit down and tell us what has brought you here in such a hurry.”
The messenger said, “It was the Ebdani! We saw their ships and we thought that we only had to defend the harbour.”
The messenger continued, “We only had a few men, Queen Cerridwen’s household guards and a few old men and boys who volunteered to defend our homes. But the Ebdani surprised us! They had warriors coming in to Moridunon from the land as well as the sea! Our men were surrounded and cut down. Only a few of us escaped. Moridunon has fallen!”