Chapter 18: The final decision

Out of the trees on the pathway appeared about fifty Celt warriors, painted in their war blue paint and wearing thick woollen dresses with belts around their waists, some had human heads hanging from them. I saw that the heads all had blond hair so could have been the heads of the men of the village of Hroth.

It was obvious who the leader was he was out front but he was carrying a short stabbing sword, alongside him was a man carrying a throwing spear, rather than a stabbing spear. They moved to about twenty feet from the gate, with a group about another twenty feet behind them.

"Surrender or we will kill you all just like we done in the other village, I am Kelvin the slayer" The leader shouted.

Maybe I shouldn't have laughed, but he became agitated and started shouting again. "Surrender or die."

"Cedric 40 feet from the main gate is the main party, don't shoot until I say." I shouted down to inside the wall.

"Please go away, or you will reap a terrible vengeance, have you not heard what happened to the last war party that tried to attack me." I shouted at him.

Before I could do anything the spear thrower cast his spear and it went right through Hild's body. I blasted him with my shotgun and he flew back about ten feet. I shouted "Cedric now" and moved my aim at the leader, but Carol had already fired and had blown his leg off, so I left him and shifted my aim to the main group as the first hail of arrows fell. Like fools they looked up as the second flight fell. I started blasting away at the main group and it was like skittles they just stood there, and didn't know what to do against such weapons.

Out of the party of fifty only fifteen were on their feet, but they had thrown their weapons to the ground, and lifted their hands above their heads. I kept them covered as Cedric and his other men went out the main gate and approached them. They were surprised to see that they men approaching them were also Celts.

I could see Hild lying on the ground with her mother at her side; she looked up at me and shook her head. It was at that moment that I had made up my mind to return to my own time and take my son with me.

I got down and went outside and walked up to Kelvin. "You are to blame for all this slaughter. The only one you killed was my wife. So I have sentenced you to death but not by my hand. No, I will have your men do that for me."

There were ten wounded men who were now on their feet and the arrows had been removed from their wounds, Cedric's men were going round collecting all their arrows from the ground and from the bodies of the dead. They had lost fifty percent of their group in less than a minute, and it was obvious that they had no stomach to try anything else.

"Firstly I want you to bury or burn your dead. Then I want you to execute your leader. If you fail to do any of these two things I'll start shooting you one by one." I had no intention of doing it but they didn't know.

"How will we kill him you have our weapons?" one elderly warrior asked.

"Around you are stones, stone him to death."

Without any hesitation ten of the warriors collected stones and threw them with such force that it was obvious that Kelvin hadn't been a popular leader, but it took fifteen minutes before he died. This was biblical punishment and I could see that it was a cruel way to execute someone. He deserved it as there were at least a hundred people in the village of Hroth and these people had not only killed them but beheaded them and carried their trophies on their belts.

"When you bury your dead you will bury all the heads that you carry, you are worse than animals, and I am ashamed to say you are my ancestors."

We lent them spades to assist them dig the grave, but well away from our village. Once all the bodies had been buried, and all the heads placed in as well we removed all their bags from around their necks, I had collected the ones from the dead who had been wearing them. Then sent them on their way back to where they came from. "If we ever see you in our land again none will return, that is a promise, pass it on to your other leaders."

If they arrived in a hurry they departed a lot quicker. Cedric wanted to kill them all, but accepted what I had done.

I returned through the compound to the North of the village, where Hild's body had been prepared for burning on a pyre built of cut branches. Here they wasted no time burying or cremating a body. They were waiting on me to light the pyre, which I did for the third time since I arrived in this land and I hated this task. I stood back as Hild's body was consumed by the fire.

Carol and I returned to our house arm in arm to comfort ourselves. "Carol we are returning to Marjorie the next time the warp is open; I'm going to take my son back with us. At least Hild's genes will take a quantum leap, but I want Charlie to get a good education. I will tell him about his mother when he is older and leave it up to him if he wants to return here or not."