Heroes of the Valley

by Jonathan Stroud

  Slowly, hesitantly, and with one or two prods from Halli, Snorri shuffled onto the platform, still gnawing on his bread. In daylight, and without the shielding cloak, his clothes were revealed as little more than rags held together by grime and habit; in places the holes outnumbered the shreds of cloth. Without haste or ceremony, the old man came to a diffident halt beside Leif, who stood, arms folded, resplendent in his official tunic of silver-black.

  'Your name?' Leif said.

  A chew of bread, a final swallow. 'Snorri.'

  'Of which House?'

  'None.'

  Leif 's mouth curled. 'So you are a beggar then?'

  Snorri's eyebrows jutted indignantly. 'Not at all! I have my beets, my hovel, my little strip of land. I bother no one and hold allegiance to myself alone.'

  'Well, well,' Leif said. 'I am sorry for you. Now—'

  'Why? I am content in my poverty. Better that than to be an arrogant popinjay who smells of beer, and who, if the reputation of the Sveinssons is correct, gargles daily with his own—'

  Halli came hurrying over from the side of the platform. 'Enough of these pleasantries! Let us concentrate on the essentials! We haven't got much time!'

  A few hisses had risen from the crowd at Halli's appearance; weapons were flourished in the air. Raising a heavy hand to subdue the noise, Leif said, 'Yes, enough from you, Halli – we don't need your interference. All right, old man, tell us your story, but I warn you, if you breathe one word of a lie, I'll whip you from here to the Snag. Go on.'

  Snorri was silent a moment, but when he spoke his voice was clear and calm. 'How graciously put that was, the words of a true leader. I'm sorely tempted to leave you all to be murdered in your beds, but I owe Halli Sveinsson here a favour. He did me a kindness once and showed me courtesy too. So regardless of this shambling clod beside me, I'll repeat myself once more: the Hakonssons are coming and will be here this very night. Well, that's it. Goodbye and good luck to you.'

  He turned to go, but was restrained by Leif 's grasp upon his collar. 'A little more detail, if you please,' Leif growled. 'How do you know this? How is it possible? The gorge is blocked with snow. No one can climb from the lower valley yet!'

  'Nonetheless, twenty men have done so. I saw them all.'

  'Impossible!'

  'Well, you seem to know far more about it than me,' Snorri said. 'Don't forget to be similarly assertive when Hord is hanging you in the yard.'

  Leif 's face grew black with rage; still holding the old man by the collar, he shook him vigorously. 'You cur! Speak plainly, or I swear you'll be the one hanging.'

  Halli leaped forward. 'Get your hands off him! He's a guest in this House!'

  'Yes, and if you shake any harder all my rags will fall off,' Snorri added. 'Do you want my bony nakedness displayed? There are women and children here.'

  With an oath, Leif loosened his fingers and drew away. 'Well, get on with it!'

  Halli said, 'Please, Snorri. It is important that they all hear what you've told me.'

  Fingering his throat, Snorri spoke resentfully. 'Will I get another hot meal?'

  'One, two – as many as you wish!'

  'Will that sweet old woman serve it? The one who dressed my wounds?'

  'What sweet old—? Oh, you mean Katla? Great Svein. Yes! I'm sure she will, now please—'

  'Very well.' Snorri looked out across the hall at the attentive throng. 'For Halli's sake, I'll tell you. Two days ago, in the waning of the afternoon, when the mists rose up from the grave mounds by the road, I was out burying rats in the corner of my plot. There is still much snow upon the fields down there. As I scraped and patted, I saw dark shapes approaching in the mists, strange shadows, helmeted, with swords hanging at their sides. I thought it was ghosts from the grave mound, come to steal my beets; of course I drew my knife – the one young Halli gave me – and stood firm, ready to sell my life. To my astonishment, out from the mist stepped mortal men, weary, rime-caked, with ice upon their whiskers and their pigtails frozen hard. Each wore a helmet, not unlike that one behind me . . .' He pointed a withered finger at Svein's battered helm hanging on the wall above the Seats. As one, the crowd raised their heads to look; as one, they gasped.

  'Their helmets were newly forged,' Snorri went on, 'their tunics covered with coats of mail. I could see the links were fine and strong, though thickly crusted with ice. At their belts, each had a sword; over their shoulders, light packs hung frozen. Their tunics showed scarlet beneath their jerkins – it was the red of Hakon's House!'

  Whether it was the old man's words or the emotion with which he uttered them, the people in Svein's hall stood rapt; not a murmur could be heard.

  Snorri drew his rags across his spindly chest, rested a hand upon his knife and continued. 'I could not withstand twenty warriors, sturdy as I am. They bound me and took me to my hut, which they commandeered. At first the leader – Hord Hakonsson, as I know him now – believed I was of your House; he was tempted to run me through. Only when I protested my fervent dislike of all your many vices did he let me go. I was made to prepare good food, while the men huddled near my fire. I kept quiet, listened to their words. I gathered they had scaled the gorge alone, without horses, clambering up endless shelves of thick blue ice above the frozen falls. It took them four days, and nearly cost them their lives; Hord himself had almost plummeted into the abyss on one occasion, but his son had grasped his arm, clung on and pulled him out. None of the men were lost and only three were injured. By the sounds of it, their ascent was a great feat, worthy of the old heroes. Certainly their morale is high.'

  Leif, who had been listening with bulging eyes, could restrain himself no longer. 'They're mad!' he cried. 'It is an insane act! Why should they do this?'

  'To catch us and the other Houses napping,' Halli said, his eyes shining darkly. 'No one thought they would act so soon! By the time the thaw and torrents are done, and the Council stir themselves for spring, it will all be over. Our House will be taken or destroyed, and Hord and Ragnar left in charge of all our lands; they will be even less inclined to listen to the other Houses than before. Well, it is an audacious adventure, more than I thought they were capable of. Finish your story, Snorri.'

  Leif gave an angry cry. 'Wait! Who's in charge here!'

  Halli shrugged. 'I forgot. Please—'

  'Finish your story, old man,' Leif said.

  'That night the twenty men slept in my hut, with one on guard at all times. The next morning ten went off to Rurik's House to get horses. They returned—'

  'Hold on,' Halli said. 'You mean they stole the steeds?'

  Snorri clicked his tongue. 'From what they said I rather believe the men of Rurik's House had the horses ready for their use.'

  At this many of the people in the hall cried out in alarm and fury, and dashed the hilts of their weapons on the floor. Leif 's face was ashen. 'So Hord is in league with our neighbours? I can't believe it!'

  'Why? For generations the Rurikssons have considered you an arrogant. warlike House,' Snorri said. 'Whereas. watching you waving agricultural tools around your heads I can see that's an utter fallacy. Anyhow, they came back with twenty horses. Hord wished to attack last night, but his men were weary; they voted to wait until today. The Rurikssons had given them ale; they drank and grew merry. I saw my chance, and when all were asleep, stole a horse and made my way here.'

  'They'll know we're warned,' Halli said.

  'No. I rode east as if I fled towards the gorge, leaving prints as I went. Four miles further on I turned and looped up here. I hope you consider my debt paid back now, Halli Sveinsson.'

  'I do, and more so. Thank you, Snorri. We owe you our lives.'

  They clasped hands, smiling. From the audience came a plaintive cry: 'That's lovely, but oughtn't we to do something? Tonight we're going to die.'

  'You're right.' Leif cleared his throat. 'Halli, get off the stage – and you, old man. People of Svein's House, listen well. The Hakonssons won't arrive till nightfall. That
gives us time. We'll be gone long before they show. This morning we pack whatever we can carry. Everything else we spoil or burn. We'll take as much livestock as it's possible to drive along with us and cut the throats of the rest, so they don't fall into Hord's hands. At noon we'll set off on the western track, heading for Deepdale and the edge of Gest's lands. Some outriders can go ahead to warn Kar Gestsson. He'll have to put us up in his hall until things settle down. It'll be a squash, and some of you may have to bed down in the stables, but we can't help that. It'll only be for a month or two. When the torrents are over, we can send word to the Council. They'll look dimly on Hord's aggression and he'll have to sue for peace. We'll get our lands back and more besides. In the end, justice will be done. Right!' Leif clapped his hands. 'Let's get to work!'

  He stopped and looked about the hall.

  Once or twice during his speech, Leif 's oratory had faltered as he sensed the void into which his words dropped and vanished. It was not that any of his listeners made hostile sounds or movements; indeed it was their very stillness, their utter silence that was unnerving. When he had finished, this silence did not break, but was indefinitely extended, like a thread of spider's silk being gently pulled, pulled, pulled . . . Its elasticity was remarkable, but soon it was going to snap.

  Leif knew it; for a few moments he withstood the tension, then, face suffused with anger, gave in. 'Don't just stand there, you fools!' he shouted. 'Our enemies are coming! We must flee or die! What is the matter with you all?'

  In the centre of the hall Grim the smith, burly, tousle-bearded, slowly raised his hand. It had a mallet in it. 'Why do we run?'

  Leif smoothed back his hair with both palms. 'Did you not hear what the old beggar-man said, Grim? Hord and his men have forged swords. We have no swords.'

  'I have this hammer.'

  Kugi the sty-boy gave a cry. 'I have this dung-rake!'

  Shouting over numerous similar announcements, Leif called for calm. 'Yes, yes, all this is true, but we know the old tales, do we not? Did Svein wield a dung-rake? No. He used a sword. Why? Because swords are the finest weapons and can easily cut a man in two. Listen to me – we will not be able to withstand this attack. We have no option but a tactical retreat!'

  At these words many of the onlookers made noises of muted agreement, but others gave shouts of derision. 'You ask us to flee our House!'

  'To leave it unprotected!'

  'What leadership is this?'

  'This is cowardice, Leif Sveinsson!'

  The tumult in the hall rose to fever pitch; on the dais Leif stood speechless. From beneath the swell of sound came a rhythmic banging that quickly imposed itself; one by one the people fell silent. The old manservant Eyjolf, gaunt, emaciated, standing in the centre of the crowd, continued striking the shaft of his hoe upon the flagstones until all around was still. Finally he stopped and said, 'It is clear Leif means well, and what he says has merit. Certainly there is no point staying here to be slaughtered.'

  Leif held up his arms, exasperated. 'At last! Some sense! Thank you, Eyjolf.'

  'However,' Eyjolf went on, 'it is not clear to me that such slaughter is inevitable, and like most of you I believe that it would be a great wickedness to abandon our House. Before we do so, we must examine the other option. Perhaps we can defend it. I suggest—' Here he had to wait while certain persons, Leif included, attempted to interrupt and were shouted down. 'I suggest,' Eyjolf went on, 'we listen to the views of the one person among us who has active and practical experience of violence and feuding – Halli Sveinsson.'

  At this there was silence. On the steps of the dais, where he had loitered, Halli stood irresolute, uncertain what to do.

  Leif made a wild, indignant gesture. 'Halli? He is the cause of all this trouble!'

  'He is a scurrilous individual, granted,' Eyjolf said. 'But who of the rest of us have actually killed a man?'

  'Which of us has burned a hall?' shouted another.

  'Yes, Halli broke into their House!' a woman cried. 'He must have killed dozens of men to get to Olaf. He can lead us now!'

  'At the least let us hear him!'

  'Have him step up before us!'

  'Halli!'

  'Halli! Step up here!'

  The hall now echoed to the sounds of implements being banged upon the floor. On the stage, Leif stood slack-jawed, dumbfounded. Still Halli hesitated. Glancing aside, he saw Gudny and Snorri watching him, and also – by the drapes, from which they had evidently just emerged – old Katla and Aud. He couldn't quite see the expression on Aud's face.

  Slowly Halli climbed onto the stage. The noise in the hall reached a crescendo, then swiftly died away. More than fifty faces stared up at him, tense, unsmiling, waiting for his words.

  Halli stood in the centre of the dais, looking steadily around him, meeting the eyes of the people of his House. At last he spoke. 'Some of you have called Leif a coward,' he said. 'This is not so. During the fight at Rurik's hall, when Hord attacked our mother, Leif struck him down. He fought valiantly throughout the skirmish. He is as brave as any of us here.'

  He paused. Silence in the hall. 'As for me,' Halli went on, 'I am held to blame by many of you for these troubles. In part this is true. I did travel to Hakon's House to avenge the murder of my uncle Brodir. Because of my actions Olaf died and his hall was burned, events which Hord now uses as excuses for his feud with us. But I will say this. When I lay concealed in Hakon's hall, before going to Olaf 's room, I overheard Hord and Ragnar talking of just such a raid as this. Hord spoke of his contempt for the Council, his impatience with its rules, and his desire to expand his lands. He also referred to work his smiths were undertaking – work I now believe resulted in the swords and armour Snorri has mentioned he saw. In other words. my friends, Hord has been planning this a long while. Perhaps Svein's House was not always his intended victim – and it may be I am to blame for that – but this means it falls to us to thwart the Hakonssons now, just as our great Founder defeated Hakon so many times. I believe this is not an ordeal but an honour, not a time for fear but a time for pride. I believe that we can face our assailants, and with ingenuity and valour, we can win.'

  He halted; he let his words drift amid the smoke above the people in the hall. The ensuing silence was of a different order to that which followed Leif 's speech; it was a ruminative one, a silence of digestion, as everything he said was considered, weighed and judged. He saw one or two people – Grim the smith among them – nodding slowly, heard a gradual murmur of agreement swelling in a score of throats.

  Leif said thickly, 'All well and good, but pride alone will not save our skins.'

  'We must not be frightened,' Halli said. He glanced towards Aud. 'Svein knows, there are worse things to face than mortal men. And there are many strategies we can use. What is the weather, for instance? I have not been out today.'

  Unn the tanner raised a great brown hand. 'There is a mist. It lingers.'

  'Good. If it holds we can use it to our advantage. We know the land.'

  'There'll be a full moon tonight,' a woman called.

  'That too we might use,' Halli said.

  'Wait!' Only by the shaking of one hand did Leif display his agitation. His voice, though strained, was relatively calm. 'We have not yet decided,' he said softly. 'Are we to leave or fight? In my view all Halli's pretty words will not forge us a single sword. I say again: we have to flee.'

  'I say we fight,' Halli said.

  'And I say,' said a voice from the corner of the hall, 'that you should follow Halli's leadership. 'As one, all looked: all saw, standing in the shadows of the drapes, the tall, slim form of Astrid, Lawgiver of the House. Her face was pale as a moon-cast, her hair spilling like willow fronds about her shoulders; her kirtle glowed white like snow. She had not been seen in public for many weeks. 'Your Arbiter,' she said, 'is dying now. Today perhaps, tonight, tomorrow – it will happen soon, and it will happen here. I do not choose that he should die out on the road, a fugitive from his own House. You
may leave if you wish, but if you do, Arnkel and I will not go with you. My sons have both offered valid choices; it is up to you whose advice you take. I only say this – what would Svein have done? Now I am going back to my husband. Gudny, dear – we need fresh water; can you bring it, please?'

  The drapes fluttered; Astrid was gone.

  Leif took a deep breath. He looked at Halli. 'All right, brother,' he said. 'What do you say we do?'

  25

  THE HEROES MET ON a meadow midway along the valley, and to begin with there was much bristling of beards and flexing of shoulders, and every hand was on its sword-hilt.

  But Svein said: 'Friends, it's no secret we've had our differences in the past. But today I propose a truce. These Trows are getting out of hand. I suggest we stand together and drive them from the valley. What about it?'

  At last Egil stepped forward. 'Svein,' said he, 'I'll stand with you.' And one by one, the others did likewise.

  Then Thord said, 'That's all very well, but what's in it for us?'

  Svein said, 'If we vow to protect the valley, it henceforth belongs to us twelve for ever more. How's that sound?'

  The others said that would do very nicely.

  Then Orm said, 'Where shall we make our stand?'

  Mid-morning, and the mists had withdrawn only a little from around the House. The dark wedges of the nearest fields showed faintly, receding into whiteness. Solitary trees were dim grey outlines, encased in silence. Nothing moved on the road; distant bird flocks twisted briefly and were gone.

  At Svein's House all such stillness ended. Here was constant movement, never ceasing, never slackening, remarkable for its intensity of purpose and extreme variety. Even during preparations for the Gathering the year before, nothing like it had been seen.