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wizard?”
    “I have prepared a few surprises for our nocturnal visitors.”
    “How are the Hibernians?”
    “Worried. They are more used to cattle raids than assaults on their oppidum.  That is why they had let the ditch fall into disrepair.”
    I nodded and strapped on Saxon Slayer. “Come let us go to the walls.”
    Myrddyn shook his head. “No, Warlord, leave the men of the village to do that.  We do not want our attackers to know that we have almost forty men that they know nothing about.  They will know the number of warriors within these walls.  If they see helmets and armour on the ramparts then they will be suspicious.  We want them confident and eager to punish Fiachra and his warriors.”
    It made sense but I could not see how it helped us. “What do we do then?”
    “I will wait upon the walls.  When they come, you and our new allies will wait by the gate. It is not a well made obstruction and they will easily break it down.  I have prepared the ditches to discourage their use. When they come through the gates then you can kill them.”
    I saw Pol nodding his approval.  It made perfect sense. They would burst through thinking that they had won.  There would be no order to them and we would have the advantage. My men were better than any three Hibernians who often fought without a shield and always without armour.
    “Very well. Pol, bring Aengus here with his men so that I can show them how we fight.”
    Fergus and his warriors joined Myrddyn and became the sentries on the wall; they waited. I noticed that Myrddyn had two torches on the gate tower.  I shook my head. That was a mistake a warrior would not have made.  It ruined night vision. I contemplated removing them and then I realised that I would be seen if I did so and the enemy would be watching us.  It probably did not matter as we just needed the raiders to break through the gate.
    We lay down to conserve our strength but none of us slept.  I watched the moon rise and wondered if they would come this night or wait until dawn.  Would we have had a lost night’s sleep for no reason? A short while later my question was answered when one of Fergus’ men plunged from the ramparts transfixed by an arrow. We rose silently and I led my men towards the gate. We made a wedge with me at the centre. Aengus’ men were just behind us. I saw Fiachra ordering his warriors to throw spears and rocks. Fergus did the same on the other side of the gate. Suddenly I saw Myrddyn hurl a torch to the left and then one to the right. A wall of flame erupted along both sides of the gate and I heard the screams of burning warriors.  Fergus and his men cheered.
    Aengus came to me, “Is it over, Warlord?”
    “No, Aengus.  That is just one of my wizard’s tricks. He has driven them from the ditches and the only way left to them is the gate.  They will enter soon enough.”
    I heard the axes as they began to hack a way through the poorly maintained gates.  The men of the village continued to harass the attackers.  It would infuriate them all the more and make them desperate to get at us.  That all worked in our favour. I saw cracks appearing in the wood of the gate. Had it been daylight I would have seen the attackers on the other side.
    “Ready your weapons but wait for my command!”
    My men chorused, “Aye, Warlord!”
    Suddenly an axe severed the retaining bar and the wooden gates crashed open.  The warriors swinging their weapons to break in had tumbled to the floor.  When the ones rushing from behind tripped over them, I shouted, “Charge!”
    I held Saxon Slayer just behind me.  One of the warriors was just struggling to his feet when I swung it sideways.  He had a helmet but no protection for his neck and the blade sliced through it and decapitated him.  So powerful was the blow that his head flew through the air. I smashed the edge of my shield on the head of the man who was to my left and stabbed forward with Saxon Slayer at the same time.