Chapter 23: Summer/autumn 878 AD

Scott and Gabrain made a flying visit back to Dalriada to set some of their plans in motion. They set a general muster of men in train, picking up Lachlan and Colmgil on their way to Inveraray. Scott received the most wonderful news when they landed and made their way up to the house. He could see right away that Eilean had put on weight, her small frame unable to conceal even a slight variation. He looked at her and watched a huge grin spread over her face. His own face must have looked questioning because without any words between them she nodded as if to confirm his unspoken suspicions.

"Can it be? My little elf, with child? After all this time?"

"Mommy Eilean is having a new baby Dadda." Said baby David.

"I had given up all hope Scott, but now... it is good is it not?"

"Good she says, it is way better than good. It is like a miracle! You will give me a daughter almost as beautiful as her mother, I swear it. God be praised!"

Scott hugged each of his wives, Fiona and Hella obviously as excited as he and Eilean were. He stooped and picked up David, realising from the weight that the boy was already growing apace.

They shared a celebration dinner that evening, prawns in abundance to keep Scott happy. Thereafter his wives kept him up late as they demanded attention after his weeks away campaigning, their use of the wooden replica only a poor imitation of the real thing.

The next day messenger pigeons were sent out to the various camps in Loarne to begin mustering these men too. Everything was frenetic as the lords tried to have everything in place as quickly as possible. Scott and Gabrain discussed their plans with Lachlan and Colmgil and the part they wanted their friends to play.

One interlude in all their activity was a special one - the Dalriada geologist presenting Scott and Gabrain with little ingots of silver, the first of the metal refined from the Strontian ore. Scott asked how the man had progressed in training up assistants, keen to begin assaying the lands in Ayrshire and Galloway. The geologist assured Scott that he had men available to begin this work immediately.

Scott had one final favour to ask the geologist, Donald was his name Scott now discovered.

"Donald, the alchemists are not making the progress I had hoped for. I have it in mind that you could serve Dalriada well once more my friend. I am aware from my travels that the men in Arabia and Persia seem to be more advanced in these matters than elsewhere. Would you be willing to take ship there and seek to recruit a master?"

Scott concealed the fact that he knew this about the Arabs from his own time, history recording the fact that the Persians in particular had made great strides. Donald looked happy at the prospect of a trip to such exotic lands and agreed to go, happy when Scott explained he would make sure several longships travelled with him to provide escort.

Less than a week later all the necessary arrangements were in place and Scott and Gabrain took leave of their womenfolk once more, embarking for what they hoped would be the final cleansing of Galloway.

The victory at Wigtown had added a further twenty longships to Dalriada's already large fleet, now more than fifty ships at their disposal. The full muster of the Dalriada lordships had raised seven thousand men this year and they were all crowded onto twenty-five longships. Scott had sent word ahead as to how the ten thousand already in Galloway should proceed. He spoke to Gabrain, suggesting the King should land at Carrick and go with Colmgil to lead the larger host. Gabrain was certainly now old enough and experienced enough to lead such force and that would leave Scott and Lachlan with the Dalriada contingent.

The plan was elegantly simple. Gabrain would put skeleton crews on twenty-five longships and have them beat up the length of Luce Bay, forcing any Norsemen there onto the land at Glen Luce.

Scott would likewise have skeleton crews sail his twenty five ships up Loch Ryan to force any Danes there ashore at Stranraer.

Gabrain would lead the remaining Galloway force of some eight thousand, one thousand of them cavalry, towards Glen Luce, taking his time to allow the Danes to merge their forces from both Glen Luce and Stranraer to face him.

Scott would have the majority of the Dalriada force landed at Port Phàdraig (modern day Port Patrick) and advance behind the Norse so that the two Scots forces would have the Danes between them. Scott planned to march to Dùn Reicheit (modern day Dunragit) and launch any assault from there.

Scott and Lachlan led their ships to Port Patrick. There was a natural cove here; a sandy beach, surrounded on their right hand side by rocks while on their left rose a steep cliff-face. Fifteen hundred men were left to man the ships and they watched them sail northwards again, preparing to sweep up Loch Ryan.

The five thousand five hundred remaining Dalriada men helped re-assemble the wagon that had been brought with them to hold Scott's balloon. He was still determined to see the balloon effectively used in battle and one of the benefits of landing on Na Rannaibh (modern day The Rhinns of Galloway) on this side of the Norse was that he would have the prevailing winds behind him hopefully.

They took their time marching eastwards, giving Gabrain and the Norse time to move into the positions Scott hoped they would. Spring was turning to summer and the low growing Gorse bushes were in full bloom, their yellow flowers brightening the landscape as they followed the path of the Pitanton Burn. The pipes were kept silent meantime, as they tried to conceal their presence from any Vikings in the area.

There was only ten or so miles to march to Dunragit and Scott had to call a halt as they were making good time. Scouts at last brought back intelligence to confirm the Danes from Stranraer and Glen Luce had joined forces and were now facing Gabrain's host across the flat plains of Dunragit Moor. Scott had guessed this might be the site the Danes would choose, as it would limit the impact of Gabrain's horse, the conditions underfoot not good for them. The scouts indicated that the two forces seemed evenly matched as to numbers, the Norsemen numbering perhaps seven thousand.

Between them though the two Scots forces numbered over thirteen thousand so when Scott's force showed themselves the Danes would recognise they were at a serious disadvantage. Scott decided he shouldn't delay the point where that happened any longer and ordered the Dalriada men to now hurry forward, pipers at last permitted to blow for all they were worth.

An hour later Scott could clearly see the Norsemen, spread over a front perhaps half a mile wide, Gabrain's force visible beyond them. Scott had the balloon readied and leapt into the basket with one of his lieutenants to go aloft. He had prepared another little surprise for the Norse; his raven and arrow device was now painted large on the balloon for them to see who it was they were facing.

The arrival of Scott's force took the Danes completely by surprise and they were bemused as the balloon began to rise into the air, the wind drifting it towards them.

Gabrain chose this moment to unleash his first attacks on the Vikings, a number of hastily built trebuchets beginning to fire various loads towards them. Scott and his lieutenant began to use the hand pumps to spray oil over the Norse below, the oil pots that had been fired by Gabrain's trebuchets having already started fires at certain points within the body of Viking men and the new flow of oil feeding these. A sudden surge in their forward movement shook Scott.

"My Lord, we are adrift!" Called his lieutenant beside him in alarm.

"Ignore that man, continue to pump the oil while we are over the bastards. Come on, quick as you can!"

Scott looked out and could see two additional forces hastening to join the fray. He had planned that the crews on the longships should beach their ships at Loch Ryan and Luce Bay and rush to swell their numbers. A further fifteen hundred men rushed from the north and two thousand from the south and it was clear the Norse were also now becoming aware of that - they were boxed in on four sides.

As the balloon drifted beyond the Norse, Scott and his friend stopped their pumping and looked down on the battle. Swathes of the Viking front were now engulfed in flames and Lachlan and Gabrain had advanced their men to begin firing volleys of crossbow bolts into them from front and rear. Scott could clearly see Gabrain looking up at him as he drifted away on the breeze.

The man beside Scott was clearly terrified, more terrified perhaps than if he had been on the ground in hand to hand combat. Scott simply reached under the brazier and turned off the stream of hot air that was feeding the balloon. Slowly it became clear that they were descending, the battle long since out of sight. Scott glared impatiently at the ground as it slowly came closer, too slowly for his liking. Scott tried to take his mind off of the delay by explaining to the man beside him what they would have to do when the basket hit terra firma.

At last the basket crashed down and Scott and his friend leapt from the basket, rolling over as they landed and watching as the balloon collapsed and the wind dragged the basket for some distance before it was snagged in a stand of trees.

Scott didn't even look at his comrade, he scrambled to his feet and began to run back the way they had come, the cloud of grey/black smoke in the sky a clear indicator of the direction he needed to go.

Before long he could see a small knot of horsemen galloping towards him. As they neared he could see there were six horsemen, Scots, and they were leading Albannach behind them, or at least trying to lead the great horse as it seemed to be straining to outrun them. Scott's heart leaped at the sight of the horse, already carrying its horse armour. He would forever afterwards swear that the horse recognised him and it tore itself from the grip of the man holding his reins, his speed increasing immediately to leave the others behind. He pulled up in front of Scott, rearing on his hind legs before pawing the ground in anticipation of what was to come. Scott realised that the quick-witted Gabrain must have been aware enough to order these men to follow the balloon.

Scott waited for the other riders to catch up before flinging on the top armour and helmet they carried and grabbing the tear-drop shield and lance, couching the lance as he urged Albannach to return to the fray as quickly as he could. Once more the great horse carried Scott swiftly and surely. As he neared the battle site he could see that little actual fighting was still going on, the majority of the Norse dealt with.

There was one tightly packed group however, which was clearly making better progress than their friends. Scott could see this group was hacking its way steadily to where young Gabrain was sitting on his horse, the Ayrshire men around him less experienced and proving less than effective against their Norse opponents.

"To me men of Dalriada, to me!" Screamed Scott as he aimed Albannach at the centre of the group of Danes.

"LAAACCCHHHLLLAAANNN!" He cried.

Scott could actually see his friend's head snap round at the sound of his scream, taking in the position at once, his face falling in horror as he tried desperately to disengage and head in the same direction as Scott.