by Griff Hosker
It was late afternoon when we saw the harbour of Al-Jazīra. Just over a mile away it was a busy port. It was filled with ships belonging to the Caliphate of Córdoba. Had the wind failed or turned then we would have been in trouble. Lars reported figures clambering up the rigging to lower the sails. Erik laughed when Lars’ words came to him. “With this wind and the current, we will be beyond the straits by the time they reach us. I will back ‘Heart’ against any galley in our sea!”
He was proved correct. As we raced out into the more familiar sea of Ran the look outs reported that the galleys had turned and headed back into port. Although not stormy the seas into which we sailed were livelier than the Blue Sea. The waves were bigger and, as we had to head north soon we would need to row for the wind was from the north and the east. That had suited us in the Blue Sea but we did not wish to be driven west. We also needed supplies. We would have to find somewhere to raid. We had been loath to raid Córdoba when in the Blue Sea for we did not wish them to seek us out. Now it did not matter. We would soon be in waters that were Frankish and filled with drekar such as ours.
I spoke with Aiden and Erik, “Do we land sooner rather than later?”
Erik looked at the sky. It was filled with clouds. At this time of year that was unusual and a summer storm could often be more violent than one in winter. “Aye, jarl, I would be happier. Night is coming on. There are some small bays and beaches which will afford us shelter if a storm does break.”
We turned north and east to take us close to the coast. Aiden had charts with a couple of beaches marked upon them.
“Out oars! Furl the sail!”
We had not rowed for a while but now we would need to. The coast was visible. It was a dark line on the horizon. I saw our new passenger alone at the prow, under the awning. It was the first time he had been alone since he had joined us. Sámr and Germund would need to take an oar as we were rowing into the wind. It would be a hard pull.
Haaken sang my song, the song of the slave. It seemed appropriate somehow.
From mountain high in the land of snow
Garth the slave began to grow
He changed with Ragnar when they lived alone
Warrior skills did Ragnar hone
The Dragonheart was born of cold
Fighting wolves a warrior bold
The Dragonheart and Haaken Brave
A Viking warrior and a Saxon slave
When Vikings came he held the wall
He feared no foe however tall
Back to back both so brave
A Viking warrior and a Saxon slave
When the battle was done
They stood alone
With their vanquished foes
Lying at their toes
The Dragonheart and Haaken Brave
A Viking warrior and a Saxon slave
The Dragonheart and Haaken Brave
A Viking warrior and a Saxon slave
I walked up the centre of the drekar and stood by the young man. I smiled. I said, “Soon we will be on land.” I knew that some of our words were the same and I hoped he understood. He smiled. I had not seen him smile until that moment. It was a beginning.
Chapter 15
It was almost dark when Siggi, at the mast head shouted, “Breakers ahead. I spy a beach.”
“Slow the beat.”
I gestured for our passenger to rise and pointed. He nodded. Lars and Sven ran forward. They each held a rope, hammer and a stake. After tying the ropes to the two metal hooks at the bows they stood on either side of me. Siggi said, “Haaken One Eye said that you used to do this, Jarl Dragonheart.”
I nodded, “Aye except the waters were the waters of Norway, Hibernia and Mann. They were a little colder than here.”
“There Lars, one day we could be jarls too!”
I laughed, “You are Vikings. You can be whatever you choose!”
They both clambered up and held on to the prow. Lars shouted over his shoulder. “Back water, Captain, we are there!” Without waiting for the oars to stop he and Siggi leapt as far forward as they could. I heard the intake of breath from our passenger. Lars was taller and the water came up to his waist. Siggi was smaller and a wave washed over his head. Undeterred the two of them struggled up the shingle and sand beach. The drekar had way upon her and continued to follow them. It was as though she was alive.
I peered into the gloom of dusk but I saw nothing. The wind was from the land and I smelled no smoke. I had known of ship’s boys who had been killed as they had attempted to secure a drekar. When I heard the sound of mallets driving the stakes into the sand then I knew it was safe. Other ship’s boys came and ran out two gangplanks into the sea. They gestured for me to leave. I took our passenger’s hand, “Come, this can be tricky.” I was not sure if he understood but he clambered up and followed me through the sea to the beach. I smiled as he wobbled once we were on the sand and shingle.
With swords drawn Sámr and Germund joined me. Our passenger let go of my hand and walked with the two of them flanking him. They were well on the way to becoming oar and shield brothers. When Olaf Leather Neck landed he led twenty men to scout out the land beyond the sand dunes. Meanwhile a fire was prepared but not lit. Although the wind was blowing from the sea we would not risk a fire until we knew we were safe.
Even as we gathered driftwood the first signs of the change in the weather and the storm appeared. The wind increased. Erik ordered the ship’s boys to run two more lines from the stern to secure the ship. He had an old sail brought from the ship to provide shelter in case it rained. When Olaf returned he had with him the butchered carcasses of two goats.
“You can light the fire. There is no-one who is close. These two were wandering. We found no water!”
Aiden pointed to the skies, “I would not worry about that. Rain is coming.”
Our galdramenn made the fire while the goats were butchered. The sail was secured over twelve spears. It would sag if it rained but that would give us water. We brought a pair of small empty barrels ashore to fill. As the wind increased in force so the rain began. We huddled under the awning while the goat stew cooked. We would have been as dry on the drekar but we would not have had a fire.
Sámr, Germund and our passenger were talking. Aiden joined them. Haaken came over to me. Haaken asked, “What do you think will happen to him?”
“He can stay with us or we can leave him with Isaac in Bruggas.” We had letters from David ben Samuel to deliver.
“Would he want that?”
“The old man is a good master. That is some time off, Haaken. We have many leagues to sail. You know the Norns.”
He touched his head where Aiden had placed a small piece of metal, “Aye I do jarl.”
The stew took some time to cook. Olaf Leather Neck came over, “The men need beer or wine lord. We have had enough water. Could we not raid? We could have the better part of a moon before we reach home”
Haaken nodded his agreement, “Olaf is right. We do not seek Holy Books nor glory. So long as the town does not have a wall we can be in and out quickly. Take food and wine and make the last part of our voyage a little more pleasant.”
I saw no harm in it and so I nodded my agreement. I should have been warned by Aiden’s face. We had passed the Pillars. His power was returning. He sensed danger in that course of action.
Sámr came over with his platter and that of our passenger when the food was ready. “We have a name for the slave we rescued.”
Aiden frowned, “How so? Has the Allfather spoken? The Norns? Has he done something to merit a name Sámr Ship Killer?”
The grin did not leave his face, “Aye, galdramenn. We heard more of his tale. His people were horsemen. They raided the Bulgars from the north. He remembers that his father led his people and that he lived in the largest hall. His father was a king and he was a prince. He is Baldr!”
I smiled, “He has you there, Aiden, Baldr is Norse for prince and it suits. How does he feel about that?”
/>
“Germund told him what the name meant and he liked it. He said it was a link to his past.”
“Then it is so.” I suddenly stopped, “He is a horseman? Like Hrolf the Horseman?”
“His people ride horses. He remembers riding before walking. Why Jarl Dragonheart?”
I shook my head, “Nothing but it is wyrd, is all. To have two horsemen come into my life is unusual.”
Olaf Leather Neck had brought his bowl of stew over. “That does us precious little good. We need warriors and not horsemen.”
Sámr had the confidence now to argue with Olaf Leather Neck. “His people are fierce warriors. Germund had heard of them. He may not be a warrior like us but he will have it in his blood to fight.”
I had much to think on. That night the storm burst upon us. Erik and his crew of boys and navigators went back aboard but the land anchors held. We were dry but as the sail filled with water I wondered if we would have a soaking before dawn. Aiden had anticipated the problem and he had the barrels filled. The awning dipped but held when we tipped the water into an empty barrel. We boarded the drekar with blue skies above us and an almost benevolent sea before us. With a wind from the south and west we could sail north and find a town or a village to raid. We would avoid the walled city of Qādis. It was one of the most powerful of strongholds. We decided to raid further north. If we raided south of Qādis then there was a chance that they could block our escape north.
When the wind shifted a little and was blowing east north east, it allowed us to cut across the bay of Qādis. We would be out of sight of land and away from the main seaways. It took a day and a half for the winds were not strong. Having had hot food and filled our water barrels we were not overly concerned. Baldr’s lessons continued. It was not as hard as might have been expected as there were many words he and Germund shared in their own languages. It helped that Sámr was keen to be able to speak directly with Baldr. They were of an age.
We were not far from the place Sven Stormbringer had been attacked. The people here were not friendly. We hove to just below the horizon. With sail furled and sea anchors out we waited for darkness. The lookouts had spotted the land and the tell-tale smoke from homes. Aiden had found the place we would raid: Cerro da Vila. There were risks involved as there was another mighty Arab fortress just twenty miles up the coast. Al-buhera was almost as strong as Qādis. We had not had to row and the men were rested. We donned our mail. We would be going ashore and there might be men defending the town. According to the information we had there was a harbour but no wall and no castle. The fortress of Al-buhera was deemed enough to deter attackers. They did not know Vikings. When darkness was complete and we deemed that all of those in the small town were abed, Erik ordered the sail lowered and we headed into shore.
Sámr and Germund would not be coming on the raid. Neither had mail and I wanted them to watch over Baldr. He had been sent to us by the Allfather and until we reached Bruggas we had to do all in our power to keep him safe.
We did not smell the town as we approached. The wind was behind us but we saw the dots of lights where doors opened and revealed the fires glowing within. The town rose on the hillside above the small harbour. I stood at the prow and saw that there were ships in the harbour. Most were small but there was one larger merchant ship. Even as we edged closer I saw the hand of the Allfather in this. We had payment for the lives of the men we had lost or perhaps the Allfather was paying us for carrying out his wishes and saving Baldr.
As we ghosted towards the harbour the watchman they had there, or perhaps he was a fisherman, spotted our dragon. He let out a yell. Olaf grunted, “Well they know we are coming.”
“Olaf Leather Neck, take the younger warriors and close off their escape. Watch for any enemies.”
It was unfortunate that we had been seen but it was not a disaster. We were after ale or wine. We wanted food. They would not flee with those. They would try to save their coin and their lives. The danger would be if there was a stronghold inland to which they might flee. There was no spare berth and so Erik laid us alongside the merchant ship. Olaf led my men across it. The ship had the crew aboard. As they heard the sound of our hull striking them they poured onto the deck. Olaf and his men contemptuously slew them and did as I had ordered.
I led the rest across the deck. As I clambered over the gunwale I said, “Aiden, check the hold and see if there is anything on board which we can use.”
He said, “Why not take the ship? We have Arne and spare crew.”
I did not answer him but it was a good idea. Smaller than us it would only need a crew of eight. We had enough spare men now. Screams from the hillside above us told me that Olaf and his men had been seen. I saw two bodies close by the largest building in the small town.
“Sven Stormbringer, search the buildings with your men. Take what we need back to our ship. Haaken take four men and search the buildings to the east of the town. The rest, follow me.”
As we worked our way through the town which had less than forty buildings we found occasional bodies. All were armed. Men had tried to delay Olaf and his men. They thought we sought slaves. In this part of the world that was a common occurrence. I took off my helmet when we reached Olaf. “Have four men keep watch here and take the rest to search and sack the town. It is a little bigger than I thought. I cannot see such a place being unguarded. The Franks in Leon would raid it.”
I turned and descended. Ráðgeir Ráðgeirson, Lars Long Nose, Siggi Eainarson, Ráðulfr Magnusson, Siggi Long Face and Galmr Hrolfsson were still with me. Although I carried my helmet I still had Ragnar’s Spirit in my hand. Ráðgeir Ráðgeirson and Lars Long Nose flanked me. We heard the sound of combat from the east. That was the direction Haaken One Eye had taken. There were narrow passages between the houses in this part of the town and we hurried down the nearest one. We could hear the sound of steel on steel and the sound of shouting. We burst out into an open square. There were a dozen horse warriors. They wore helmets and they had short mail shirts. I saw that Haldi Bollison lay either dead or badly wounded and the four who remained were in a tight circle. I had no time to don my helmet and I dropped it as I took out my dagger.
The warriors were not Moors, nor were they Arabs; they were lighter skinned. When I heard the horses neigh then I knew them to be cavalry. Even as I blocked a blow from a sword with my dagger I took in that we were in a stable area with fields for grazing. I swept my sword in an arc towards the horseman’s middle. His head barely came up to my chest. He had a small shield. He managed to block my blow but I knew that I had hurt him. He was not a Viking and he cried out. As he pulled back his sword for a second blow Wolf’s Blood darted forward and I ripped through the back of his hand. He tried to turn and run. A huge bearded Viking wielding a deadly blade was not an opponent to face willingly. He had seen the grey beard and thought I was an easy foe. I brought my sword down across his back. He fell to the ground. I did not wait for a horseman to seek me I ran towards the ones surrounding Haaken. As one turned to face me I swept my sword across his unprotected thigh. Bright blood spurted and as he dropped to his knee I tore Wolf’s Blood across his throat. Ráðgeir Ráðgeirson and the others had all slain or wounded some of the dismounted horsemen. The few survivors tried to flee to their waiting horses. Haaken and I apart, our men were young and fit. All were slain before they reached the stables and the horses they sought.
Sheathing my sword, I walked back and retrieved my helmet. Haaken was kneeling over the body of Haldi. “He died because I was careless, Dragonheart.” I cocked my head to one side. “We heard the horses and I just thought that we would have horsemeat to eat.” He shook his head. Four escaped and the others, who must still have been saddling their horses, burst upon us. Haldi stepped forward to protect me.”
“It happens and Haldi was a warrior. Ráðgeir Ráðgeirson collect what you can from the bodies. Put Haldi on a horse and bring him to the drekar. We will bury him at sea.”
“Aye Jarl.”
/> By the time we reached the harbour the first grey of dawn was in the east. We were the last to return save for the four sentries we had left. Olaf was enjoying some ale he had found and looked in high spirits. “This is fair ale! A good raid!”
I shook my head, “Haldi Bollison is dead and four horsemen escaped. Get the drekar loaded.”
“Aiden has begun loading the merchant ship.”
I shook my head and snapped, “Then perhaps instead of speaking of the ale you might have told me that first!”
“Sorry Jarl Dragonheart.”
“And have you called in your sentries or has the ale driven them from your thoughts?”
In answer he shouted, “Galmr, fetch the men. The rest of you get this loaded on the drekar!”
I crossed the merchant ship, which was being loaded and went to the drekar. I put my helmet in my chest. “Erik, you had better prepare for sea. Four horsemen escaped. Haldi Bollison is dead.” He nodded. “Is your son going to sail the merchant vessel?”
“Aye. Lars and Snorri Gunnarson and his men will be the crew.” He saw my face, which was as black as thunder. “You could have done nothing about Haldi. It is the Norns and their webs. The Allfather gave us Baldr. There had to be payment.”
Just then I heard Galmr’s voice as he ran down the hill with the four sentries. “Arabs are coming!”
“No one else leaves the drekar. Prepare for sea!” I shouted, “Get the drekar out of the harbour. The merchant ship cannot leave with you in the way.”
“I will take her next to the fishing boats. You can board over them. We can give you arrows.,”
I unsheathed my sword. I hurried back across the merchant ship. I saw Arne. “Prepare for sea. Anything we have not yet taken on board, leave. Enemies come. We have lost one too many men already!”
