Chapter Eleven
Kailen’s grey eyes tracked Aurelia and Bran as they left the orange glow of the campfire, disappearing into the safety of the night’s darkness. Safely away from the lascivious gaze of the War Party leader, Aiden.
Kailen had never liked the Venicones tribe. They buried their dead in stone lined burials instead of allowing them to return to the earth like the Druids preached. The Venicone’s Holy Men, a secular Druid faction which was ostracised by Kailen’s own tribe’s Holy men, were deep into archaic mysticism and what human sacrifices to the Gods could get for their own needs. Their belief system and dealings with other tribes was often strained and dishonest. Anyone dealing with them had to sleep with one eye open when a Venicone was about.
Kailen couldn’t have turned the war party away. It was customary for his people to give shelter and supplies to others on the road. To not do so was the height of rudeness and could lead to the breakout of a very nasty fight, not to mention a feud that will drag both tribes into it. It was the last thing the Silures needed on top of everything else.
He had a feeling he was going to regret this whole night come morning.
Kailen turned to face Aiden head on, so there could be no misunderstanding between them. “I’m going to say this once and only once as I don’t like repeating myself to the ignorant.”
“Am I the ignorant in this scenario?” Aiden said lightly, throwing back the rest of his drink down his throat, the liquid spilling down the sides to collect at his chin.
“Either that or you are just plain stupid. But I’m going to give you the benefit of doubt and go with ignorant at the very least. You and your men asked me and mine for hospitality and I freely gave it. You are welcome to the food, to the drink and to the fire.”
Kailen’s eyes narrowed and his voice dipped lower. “But that offer does not extend to our war spoils. You have asked for her to be your own and I have refused you. My word is the end of the matter. You so much as look at her in a manner that displeases me and I will rescind my offer of hospitality. If you talk to her, push yourself onto her or try to take her with you when I have made myself clear and I will tear your head off your shoulders and make an example of you to your men on what happens to people who cross the Silures. Do I make myself clear?”
It was impossible to tell what was going on behind those glittering eyes of the Venicone. He was like a serpent, serene expression on the outside but a slippery slithering motion on the inside that didn’t bode well for anyone that stood in his way.
Aiden leaned against the saddle bag against his back and stretched his legs out in front of him, the very picture of nonchalant ease. “Are you threatening me, Kailen?”
“It’s not a threat, Venicone. I’m simply stating a fact.” Kailen replied with the same nonchalance.
Aiden smiled thinly. “All of this over a woman. I didn’t think you had it in you.”
Kailen shook his head. “No, not over a woman. It’s a matter of honour and common fucking decency to your hosts. So are we of the same understanding or do I have to wet my blade with your blood?”
Aiden held his hands up in a placating gesture. “We are of the same understanding, Kailen, do not fret. She isn’t my type anyway. Far too skinny, I prefer my women with curves I can lose myself in. Now, if you’ll excuse me, sleep is calling my name.” With one fluid motion, Aiden was up and heading in the opposite direction that Aurelia and Bran went, clapping his men on the back in comradery as he passed them.
“I do not trust him,” Vaughan whispered to Kailen, taking Aurelia’s place and throwing his cup away with a sneer. “He has no honour to speak of. None of them have honour.”
“You and I are of the same mind,” Kailen replied. “But I cannot break the guest rule without good reason. He has not overstepped his bounds other than words that can be revoked.”
“A shame.” Vaughan snorted. “I would have liked to see you beat him within an inch of his life.”
Kailen smiled a small smile. “We have the whole night yet, we could get lucky before they leave.”
After a moment, the smile faded and the air grew serious once again. “I don’t want him anywhere near Aurelia.”
Vaughan nodded. “As good as done. Bran won’t let anything happen to her.”
“Even so,” Kailen said. “We don’t take any chances. Not with her.”
~
Aurelia woke sometime in the early hours of the morning, when the first pale fingers of dawn filtered through the darkness. A very fine mist had settled on the ground, making everything hazy and dreamlike.
Aurelia turned over on her side, dragging the blanket closer around her for extra warmth. Blinking rapidly, she squinted into the darkness to see the hunched silhouette of Bran with his blankets around his shoulders, head dipped to his chest in slumber. Aurelia couldn’t help but smile sleepily at the sight. He had been guarding her all night, and must have dropped off to sleep not long ago.
Now that she was awake, maybe she could wake him up and trade places with her in the blankets and get some decent sleep before the camp breaks-
There was a sound to her left and her head turned to its source, eyes scanning the darkness. It could have been an animal foraging in the thick grass, or the horses being restless and pawing at the ground but she had grown used to the sounds of the night in this new country and she knew it wasn’t any of that. She could have sworn it sounded like booted feet shuffling towards her.
There, the movement sounded again. She spotted a darker shadow in the darkness but she could still track it as it got closer to her. Her throat closed in panic. Aiden. It had to be Aiden. Not wanting to alert him that she was awake, she carefully crawled out from under the blankets on her belly, and made slow progress towards Bran.
She cast a quick glance behind her to see the shadow closer and she could just make out the hulking figure of Aiden, his hand Axe drawn from his belt and gripped in his hand. The sharp edge reflected the light of the dawn and caught her gaze. Her heart leapt in her throat.
Stifling a sound of dismay, she turned around to resume her crawl. She wasn’t the only one to spot Aiden either, as Bran suddenly rose to his full height and let out a bellowing roar that could have woken the dead.
So, not actually asleep then, she thought wildly.
And with that, all hell broke loose.
The sound had caused her to freeze in mid-motion, eyes wide, as she watched Bran rush towards her. He was surprisingly agile for his size and, before Aiden could get to her, Bran seized her by the arms and yanked her to her feet and behind him like he was her human shield.
The whole camp was in motion, everyone out of their makeshift beds, weapons at the ready and calling to each other in their language. Kailen’s men seemed more alert than the others, whether that was because they had less to drink or they were expecting something, she could not say.
Peering around Bran’s arm, Aurelia’s eyes widened as she saw Aiden standing stock still with a blade to his neck. The blade belonged to Kailen who stood behind Aiden, his face a mask of ugly rage.
Kailen was speaking into Aiden’s ear, words clearly enunciated but didn’t give away what he was feeling. Aurelia didn’t understand a word of it.
Aurelia touched Bran’s arm to get his attention. “What is he saying?”
Bran paused a moment. “I don’t think you want to know, It’s… not very nice.” He finally replied.
“The short version without the curses?” She asked hopefully.
Bran grimaced. “As you wish. Kailen is calmly expressing his disappointment at the Venicone breaking the guest rule by attempting to harm his War Prize.” Bran was silent a moment, wincing. “Kailen is now numerating what he is going to do to him, all very unpleasant and unrepeatable.”
It was Aurelia’s turn to wince.
Aiden started talking, voice hoarse from straining his neck away from the very sharp blade, but it was too late. A trickle of blood ran down his neck to stain the collar of his shirt from where the edge of the swor had nicked the skin it was resting against. When Bran wasn’t forthcoming with a translation, she looked to him and saw he was red in the face.
“I, um, won’t repeat that part. It wasn’t very courteous.” He hedged.
Aurelia raised her eyebrows. “I’m going to take a wild guess and say it was about me.”
Bran shrugged his shoulders uncomfortably. “The Venicone were born without any manners.” He offered sheepishly.
Aurelia patted him on the arm in a show of comfort and he took her hand and squeezed it.
Kailen suddenly shoved Aiden away from him, causing the man to stumble but still keep his feet under him. The hand axe was roughly taken from him by one of Kailen’s men and in its place they gave him a sword that was fashioned like Kailen’s own. A ring of men formed around them.
“What are they doing?” Aurelia asked apprehensively. “Why have they armed him?”
“It is a fight to the death,” Bran replied. “Kailen is offering him a warrior’s death for his transgression against the Silures.”
“It is more than he deserves for such a slight,” The man next to them growled, watching the two men circle each other. “I would have stuck him like a pig until he squeals.”
Aurelia let that sink in for a moment, ignoring the colourful words the man had used. “But doesn’t that mean Kailen could get hurt? If they fight like equals?” She directed this to Bran who nodded. “If they fight like equals, Kailen could be the one to die and Aiden to triumph?”
“It is a possibility.” Bran agreed gruffly. “But, no offence little lady, you haven’t seen Kailen fight.”
Aurelia opened her mouth to disagree but Bran shook his head.
“That wasn’t a proper fight, not really. Kailen comes into his own in hand to hand combat. He has never been beaten in any contests. I would not want to stand against him.” Bran said grimly.
Aurelia looked up at him, a little frightened. Bran was a big man, incredibly strong and fierce. If someone like him could be beaten by Kailen, then just how strong was the war party leader?
Aurelia glanced back to the fight with new eyes. Could this really be happening? She had spent hours of every day since her kidnapping fantasising about Kailen’s death at her hands and now this could be the moment where he finally dies and she didn’t know how she felt about it.
The thought of Kailen dying at the hands of someone like Aiden didn’t sit well with her. Aiden was the lowest of the low; worse than dirt, and if she was really honest with herself, she didn’t want Kailen to die like that.
She felt a stab of guilty conscience. Shouldn’t she wish for his death, no matter the way it happened? He had brought her such misery, kept her bound and alluded to her uncertain future living on this earth. She should prey for his death.
But if he died, what did that mean for her? If Aiden killed Kailen, would she be Aiden’s war prize now? What did that mean for her? At least with Kailen, she had some semblance of protection, of stability.
“Watch,” Bran said to her. “And see.”
And she saw.
~
The Roman army campaigned several times in the territory of the Venicones, but they were never permanently conquered and occupied. The Venicones were one of the few groups in northern Britain at this time that buried their dead in stone lined graves, such graves and cremation burials are very rare in other parts of Britain before the Roman period. Archaeologists suspect many Iron Age peoples often practised complex funeral rituals in which bodies were naturally allowed to decompose.
A druid was a member of the educated, professional class among the British people. While the best known among the druids were the religious leaders, the druid class also included law-speakers and doctors. Little is known about the ancient druids. They left no written accounts of themselves, and the only evidence is a few descriptions left by Greek, Roman, and various authors and artists. Recurring themes emerge in Greco-Roman accounts, including that the Druids performed animal and human sacrifice and believed in a form of reincarnation. Julius Caesar claimed that they were one of the two most important social groups in Celtic Society (alongside the equites, or nobles) and were responsible for organizing worship and sacrifices, divination, and judicial procedure. He also claimed that they were exempt from military service and from the payment of taxes, and that they had the power to excommunicate people from religious festivals, making them social outcasts.