Beowulf - Curse of the Dreygurs - Chapter 8
Into the Lands of the Brythonian
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Chapter 8
Glappa ordered his men to get his mount as he quickly stepped into the throng of Angle men, heading to the entrance. Beowulf turned to Ida and thanked him for the honor, bowing before he followed Glappa’s lead. The men following their respective leaders scrambled across the hall amid the din of voices and the yelling of orders. In a few moments, the room was nearly empty of warriors, leaving Appa with his father.
“Do you believe they have a chance?” Appa asked. Ida said nothing as he walked away, thinking about his decision and trying to stop his constant coughing. His son followed him into the back room, where a few slaves were attending to the warriors who survived. One slave came to the Appa, bowing before them.
“The men grow weaker. They need more help than we can give them, my lord. The scratches are like poison to them,” the slave lowered his voice.
King Ida nodded his head and told the slave to help them as he could. After the slave had left, Ida put his hand on his son’s shoulder, leading him out of the room.
“Tell those that can walk to get their mounts and gather all the equipment and horses from the dead. We will go back to Bamburgh, where I can gather more men. The next time we come against these beasts, we will destroy them,” the king insisted.
“And what of those that cannot go?” Appa wondered aloud. “I would expect the dreygurs might return.”
“Keep a slave with the men to help them meet the gods and let the slave know that when he returns to Bamburgh, I will give him freedom.” King Ida stopped and lowered his voice. “They don’t need to know that the monsters might return.” Appa nodded, coldly calculating, like his father, that the slave and wounded were being sacrificed. As they left the room, the son again asked about Beowulf leading the charge against the dreygurs.
“These Geats cannot destroy the monsters that roam this land,” Appa told his father. “Why are you sending Glappa along?”
“You would do well to observe those around you. Those men who follow Beowulf showed me skill and experience in their armor and weapons. Their hard eyes and visible scars reveal seasoned fighters. The fact they follow someone who is so young should give you pause. Your brother, Glappa, noticed this when he asked me to join them,” The old man said with a satisfied smile. He enjoyed the shocked expression that Appa gave him.
“I know if your brother dies along with your cousin, you will not shed many tears. But your belief that such men cannot defeat these creatures is troubling. You would be wise to learn from such warriors. A king must know how to protect his position. Before sending my message to King Heardred, I knew about that youth and his warriors. Beowulf has a claim to the throne. However, he submitted himself to Heardred’s rights as the direct heir to the king. For such an act, he became the champion of the Geats and his adventures come across the sea to us. If he and his men succeed against these dreygurs, Glappa will become quite famous as well.”
Ida chuckled to himself as he continued his slow walk.
“And you might consider this, my son. If they fail in their quest, you must answer to rumors of why you choose to stay behind with me?”
Appa’s expression soured when he realized his devious father had just put him in a precarious position. If Glappa died, the aldermen and other nobles of Bernicia would never trust Appa. Gazing after the king who left the building, Appa decided he must change the situation.
Moving away from the fort at Segedunum, Beowulf and Glappa rode together. The group followed the trail of footprints. Their path led them into the lands inhabited by the Brythonian, the original inhabitants of Bernicia. Glappa briefly described with great pride how his father and his people drove out Morcant Bulc and his followers only a few years before. After the defeat, the Brythonian king resettled in the wilderness of Gododdin between Rheged and Bernicia. The area became home to many outlaws and raiders. It was a no-man’s-land between the Angles and the Brythonians.
The old cobblestone road quickly gave way to a rough two-lane path filled with ruts and mudholes. As the group crossed the river into the bandit area, every fighter understood their journey might be a one-way trip. The warriors formed into two lines as Beowulf sent Weohstan and Osberht ahead as scouts.
“The trail seems to lead us towards the Sigemund hills where they must be heading. I believe we should make camp soon. The hills are the evil place of a hægtesse, the worst type of witch,” said Glappa.
Beowulf noticed the change in Glappa’s tone. He shared his new comrades’ concerns. Witches were a demon in human form, able to bring plagues upon the lands. Most often, a hægtesse came forth in vengeance for some wrong committed in the past. Such a creature would bode evil for them, especially at night.
“Have you ventured into this area of Gododdin before?” Beowulf asked.
“No, King Ida has forbidden it. The Angles have kept away so not to entice our enemy to gather more allies. Morcant Blanc is a cagey overlord but lacks strength in numbers. We only have tales and rumors, but those people who have come from the areas all say his warriors remain away from the area.”
Glappa scowled lightly as he paused before continuing.
“Rumors came to us of a great danger from these hills in the north, near to a village called Routhebiria. The attacks from the monsters appear to be pushing villagers from the north into Bernicia. That is the reason my father asked for you and your men. To keep Morcant Blanc away, he considered it better to have an outsider enter this wilderness area first.”
He shook his head while Beowulf mulled over the words. The explanation gave him insight into King Ida’s thinking. Better to have Beowulf and his men to find out about the monsters. And it’s easier and better for the king to blame the Geats if something went wrong.
“Before the dreygurs attacked last night, I didn’t believe such monsters existed,” Glappa sighed, mostly to himself.
“I wonder if the villagers inside Routhebiria brought forth these creatures.”
Weohstan suddenly joined the conversation from his position on the other side of Beowulf. Glappa gave him a glare for interrupting, but the warrior simply smirked. Weohstan made it clear the king’s son would not intimidate him. His loyalty and deference remained with Beowulf.
“That is an interesting thought.” Beowulf, immediately attempted to lower the tension.
“I want to know why they are coming from this area. It might lead us to understand what is behind this. The gods don’t send monsters unless there is a reason.”
“That is what we thought of after they left this morning,” Glappa agreed as he turned his attention back to the road. “Our warriors know nothing of armor we saw on the undead.”
“According to Ecgberht, the creatures have Roma armor, and they carry ancient weapons. However, since the Romans burned their dead, he believes they must be bandits or outlaws, their bodies thrown in the mounds.”
“Still, these creatures don’t need weapons. Even with decaying bodies, the dreygurs did terrible damage with their teeth and their tremendous strength. What’s the reason for carrying them?” Glappa wondered aloud.
“Even if you die and come back to wander lands, would you forget your sword?” Weohstan asked.
Glappa shot him a glare before nodding slightly.
“I overheard your men talking about the bodies you saw at Caer Urfa,” he kept talking to Beowulf.
“These monsters attacked our lands at the place where my father would meet you. Plus, they nearly overran us at Segedunum. That is suspicious to me.”
“Too much to be a coincidence,” Beowulf agreed. “It appears someone knew we were coming. Whoever knew this planned to keep us apart.” He looked ahead with a gleam in his eye.
“Now, these creatures retreat into the lands of your enemy. Perhaps they wish to welcome us and lose their head?”
“It seems too unlike dwarves from what we know,” Weohstan grinned while shaking his head at Beowulf’s bravado.
“They have no powers of such foresight. Besides, they would bring their own attack coming from the underworld. My coins are on a hægtesse causing this trouble.”
Glappa remained quiet for a while. The sound of the rhythmic hoofbeats echoed in the ravine they rode through.
“A witch could be the cause, I suppose. But we’ve not heard of such a creature following the villagers who came into our lands.”
Glappa nodded to himself.
“Still, it seems unlikely. King Ida believes dwarves must be stirring up trouble. It’ll probably take a little gold placed in a gateway to make all of this go away. My father sent me several gold coins for this. Whatever we find, we must be careful once we cross into this wilderness area. The Brythonians have spies among the villagers. We cannot afford to run into Morcant Bulc and men.”
The men riding nearby were not sure if Glappa told them the full story as they shot knowing glances at each other. They questioned the Angles, who appeared too willing to let others do the fighting for them. Hushed conversations between the men left many of them with a bitter taste toward their new allies. As he rode in silence, Beowulf failed to catch the reactions of his men. His thoughts remained on the monsters and the glory of defeating them.
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