8 - ÁEDÁN

Áedán was being tortured by a pounding head pain, but he must not show any sign of weakness. He was seated on a chair in the royal hall of Alt Clut, surrounded by Britons who, in spite of having conspired to overthrow their own king, were now looking at Áedán with eyes full of hatred, seeing him as the leader of an enemy warband that had torched their citadel. Clearly something had gone wrong.

"The terms were clear, no damage to the population and to the city; and you burnt it!", was shouting in that moment one of the conspirators, among a roar of approvals by the others.

How pathetic that was, all these petty chiefs pretending to act boldly, after they had to plead with the enemy to intervene in order to kill their own leaders. If it were up to Áedán, he would gladly execute them all. But King Conall had entrusted him with the task of carrying out the plan in accord with the terms.

The negotiations were going on all the morning. The Britons had nominated as their new supreme leader Neiton map Guipno, a cousin of the late King Tutgual. Even though they were cousins, their age couldn't have been more different, considering that Neiton was in his twenties while Tutgual had been already an old man. Neiton and his supporters claimed that his father had been king before Tutgual. Áedán was pretty sure that Guipno map Dumnagual had not been a king of Alt Clut, maybe a temporary ruler for a short period. But in any case he didn't care. Those were the Britons' own feuds, not his business.

In that moment a conspirator stepped forward, interrupting the other one who was talking: "Áedán!", he shouted. Áedán was struck by that man's insolence. Until that moment he had been called 'General' or 'Commander Áedán' by the other Britons gathered in the hall.

"Áedán, I am Cynan map Deigr", said the impudent, "and I accuse your warband of having deliberately tried to destroy the Rock of Alt Clut! Before we proceed with any negotiation, we must know who lit the fire and how!". Where Áedán had heard that name before? Oh yes, Deigr had been another of his mother's brothers, as they had been Guipno and Clinoch, Tutgual's father. So even this Cynan son of Deigr was one of his Briton cousins. If Áedán recalled correctly, Deigr had died not long time earlier during a military campaign.

"The hubris of you Cruthin will harm all the future relations between our kingdoms! We aren't bound to respect the terms if the people responsible for the fire will not be handed over!", continued Cynan amongst loud noises from the rest of the Britons. A part from the sophisticated words he had used, it was at least clear that Cynan considered Áedán a pure Dalriatan, since Cruthin was the word the Britons used to name the Dalriatans. Áedán knew that its meaning was pejorative, but that didn't matter. It mattered that these plotters didn't see him as their cousin at least!

While Cynan was carrying on with his accusations, Áedán recalled the dramatic moments of the previous night.

The sky had been partially cloudy but clear enough for them to distinguish the profile of the coast in the moonlight, most of the time at least. The Briton scarred spy had been with them on the ships, at his own risk, and he had guided them pointing at where to navigate and where to dock.

Most of the guards on the ramparts were in cahoots with the conspirators. When Áedán's ships arrived, hidden by the night, the guards either didn't notice them or they didn't call the alarm on purpose. Some of them opened the lowest gate for the invaders, as the scarred spy had promised. Everything had seemed so easy. The Dalriatan soldiers, helped by the moonlight and by the compliance of the guards on the lowest ramparts, had climbed the steep steps up the hill, silently and without torches. Only when they had arrived at the saddle they had met a fierce resistance by other Briton guards and ultimately by Tutgual's Royal Guard. At that point had started a hard battle, lit only by the moonlight and by the faint light of some torches, under a hail of arrows and spears shot from the highest ramparts. Several soldiers and a few officers had fallen before they could force the upper gate which led to the summit of Alt Clut. Áedán himself had been hit by a spear, though the weapon had just glancingly scratched his helmet, leaving him in a daze for a while, but unhurt. The fight had involved only the soldiers and the male members of the royal family, while the houses on the saddle of the hill had remained undamaged and the population unscathed... Until the fire. Nothing caught fire on the hilltop, where Áedán and his soldiers faced a terrible battle against the Royal Guard and the royal family itself. Eventually, at the end of the battle, many dead bodies were scattered all over the place, at the top gate, on the ground, even inside the royal houses within the ramparts at the summit of the Rock. By the end, Áedán's sword was dripping with blood. Tutgual's family had been almost exterminated: two of his sons and his right-hand brother had died in the battle, while a third son and his family were missing. Some Britons had complained that the dead body of Prince Morcant, Tutgual's firstborn, was disfigured beyond recognition, but nothing they could do to make it recognisable.

Tutgual himself had died sword in hand, surrounded by his guards and his brother, who had died with him. As for Tutgual's daughters-in-law and their children, they had been taken by the soldiers and given to the conspirators.

Even if that was an action of war commanded by his king, Áedán couldn't help but grieve in his heart for his own wife, whose family had been destroyed. Before Áedán left Dún At, she had actually pleaded for him to be merciful with her own father and brothers. Áedán had promised to do his best to avoid blood. But that didn't end well.

"Cynan, soften your tone!", exclaimed in that moment Rónán, the highest commander of Áedán's army, who was standing just next to him. Áedán was brought back to the present by his shout.

Rónán was maybe the only officer in Áedán's retinue who could understand and speak the language of the Britons. Áedán had instructed him to leave the conspirators make their complaints until they had finished, but Cynan's tone had eventually gotten on Rónán's nerves. Better like that, Áedán's headache was pounding and he was looking forward to ending the meeting soon.

"If you listen to me, instead of finding excuses in order to weasel out of the agreement", continued Rónán speaking to Cynan, "I will explain what happened, even though I suspect that you all know it already".

The Britons disliked those words and murmured loudly. But Neiton in person raised his hand to stop the noise, and gestured to Rónán to carry on. The murmuring quieted down, though not immediately.

Rónán looked at Áedán, who nodded in agreement: better if it was the general to speak, since Áedán's headache was torturing him.

"We entered Alt Clut without a fight", resumed Rónán, "and everything was going as planned, until some of your guards on the highest ramparts started to shoot a hail of flaming arrows! It was a shower of fire at some point, and of course eventually some of the arrows ended up setting some of the huts on fire! The population panicked and the fire spread out of control, and nothing of that was our fault! Maybe you don't know all this because you were far away from the Rock when it happened!".

Cynan, red in the face, was about to reply, but Neiton stopped him with a hand on his shoulder, and stepped forward. "The Dalriatan general is not lying", said the leader of the conspirators, in a loud voice: "I was there last night and it's true, Tutgual's guards shot flaming arrows from the top of the Rock downwards, and some of them ended up burning some houses. How the fire spread so quickly all around, I don't know. But the primary responsible of shooting flaming arrows is Tutgual's Royal Guard, most of which, by the way, has been exterminated in the attack". Neiton had a good eloquence and diplomacy: Áedán noticed that he had used the word 'Dalriatan' instead of the pejorative 'Cruthin'. And he had not finished: "I would like, though, to answer to the Dalriatan general. Many of us were at the Rock too, last night, and we took part in the battle. So, don't you Cruthin try to claim that you did the job alone!". The Britons welcomed those words with a cheering roar. Áedán was greatly disappointed.

Then Neiton raised his right hand again, and when the noise stopped he looked all around in the hall: "There is one more issue that hasn't been discussed. Riderch and his family have not been found in Alt Clut. May I remind you all that in this moment he is a threat, since he could lay claim to succeeding Tutgual to power, as his only surviving son".

"Long are gone the times when a woman could lay claim to power more successfully than a man", laughed an old bearded Briton.

Neiton was not amused: "Morcant's widow and her children pose as much a threat as Riderch, but we hold them captive and we will decide how to deal with them in due time". Then he looked Áedán in the face and he said: "We must find Riderch, and I remind you that one of the terms of our agreement was that all the close relatives of Tutgual must be arrested. So if Riderch is not found and arrested, our agreement is jeopardized. I will send envoys to all the corners of Alt Clut and even outside the kingdom, to summon him here. But I hope you Dalriatans will also do what is in your power to find him".

A stabbing pain hit Áedán on the forehead. This isn't a headache, he suddenly realised. The stab was exactly on the spot where he had been hit by that spear, during the night. He had not felt any pain during the hours which followed the attack, maybe because of the thrill from the battle, who knows.

Áedán touched Rónán, who ducked to him, and he told him with a soft voice: "We must go now".

Rónán nodded, then he spoke to the Britons: "We have discussed about all the issues. Now Commander Áedán will think how to proceed and then we will meet again when decisions are taken".

A low murmuring spread across the hall, but once again Neiton raised his hand: "Commander Áedán mac Gabráin, I trust that all the terms of the agreement will be fulfilled, and I will wait for your summons". Áedán nodded to those words, and after that the gathering was over.

The Dalriatan leader, not feeling well, stood up and walked towards the exit, escorted by his personal guards and by Rónán and his soldiers. Suddenly he felt lightheaded. Maybe he had stood up too quickly.

While his forehead was pounding, he thought: I must not pass out... I must... Then he saw the floor drawing vertiginously close, and everything went dark.