Across the Seas

by Griff Hosker

  It was an hour after the sun had risen when the Danes and the others who followed Hakon Long Memory began to march towards us. We had time to organize and Arne shouted, “Shield wall! Men with mail byrnies in the front rank. Brother, you and your bow have done good work this day. Continue to do so. Take the boys with slings and climb to yonder knoll. You can harass their right flank. They cannot hold their shields before them and protect their right. Weaken them.”

  I wondered if I was sent thither because I was not a warrior on whom my brother could rely. I served the clan and I swallowed my pride and said, “Aye, Jarl! Come, boys. Let us win this battle for the Clan of the Fox!”

  The knoll lay ahead of our shield wall which was on the rising ground that led from the beach to the halls. Arne would not allow them to cause mischief with the half-built knarr. There was a risk that Hakon Long Memory might bring his men to attack us. If he did so we were fleet of foot and he would invite a wedge of spears into his side. When we reached the knoll, I laid down my shield. I had ten boys with me. Rek had a bow and ten arrows. His arrows were not as good as mine but if he found flesh then he could slow up a warrior and help one of ours to prevail. I saw Fótr looking enviously at his friend. If we survived this battle then I would help him to make his own bow. He would need it in the land of the deer and the bear. The two of them had become friends. They were shield brothers as Siggi, Arne and I were. They were close in age but Fótr was now taller than Rek.

  I took off my bear fur. I would not need it. “Our task is to hurt the enemy. No one sends a stone or arrow at them until I give the command. Let them wonder why we wait here. Listen for my words and ignore all others. When I say release then send your missiles towards them. When I say stop you cease and when I say run then you head back to the halls!”

  Gal Faramirson said, “Will that not be cowardly?”

  Rek turned on him, “Hold your tongue and do as the Captain says! He is a warrior and knows what he is doing! I could not see you facing a charging black bear without fleeing with filled breeks!”

  I smiled. I had created, without knowing it, my own oathsworn.

  The Danes had formed a wedge. I saw that Hakon Long Memory led them. I knew why he did it. He intended to break our line and that was the most effective formation, but that would only work on dry ground and not when you were struggling through the snow. The ones behind could defend those in front but their boots would have no purchase to push their comrades into the wall of spears. I saw that they would pass within forty paces of us. That would be the time to unleash our weapons. It would be just before they struck. We would be able to keep up our attack while our spears held them off.

  I nocked an arrow and drew. Rek emulated me. The boys began to whirl their slings above their heads. I was close enough to see the faces of those in the ranks behind the Dane. They glanced towards us. Their right arms carried their weapons. Their shields were to their fore. The men knew what was coming and I guessed they were anticipating the shower which was coming their way.

  “Now!” I sent my arrow at the third warrior. His byrnie did not cover his arms and my arrow drove into his right arm. Rek’s arrow hit a leg and our stones clattered off helmets, legs, and arms. I saw one man stumble. Another dropped his sword as a stone hit his hand. Even as I sent my second arrow into the back of the Dane behind Hakon, the two lines clashed with the sound of metal on wood and the shouts of warriors invoking the gods to help them. It was as I was nocking my next arrow that I saw Arne bring his sword down towards Hakon Long Memory’s shoulder. I suspect had he not been cold and tired then the Dane might have been able to bring his shield up to block the blow. Arne was fresh and had been fed. He was quick and he was fighting for his clan. I believed he was better too although when my father had been badly wounded his skill and strength had not seemed to matter. He had been better than his opponent but still suffered. Arne’s sword hit the Danish mail. I am positive he broke the bone there for I saw the Danish shield droop. I sent an arrow into the shoulder of the man behind the Dane. I saw Arne’s shield smash into the Dane’s face and then my brother swept across to hack into his enemy’s neck. The blood splashed high and then stained the snow beyond the battle.

  The death had a dual effect. Those at the rear, most of those who survived, turned and fled. They were the ones who had joined Hakon for gain. His four remaining oathsworn, including the man I had just wounded, sought vengeance. The one I had wounded turned and ran towards me.

  I shouted, “Run!”

  My boys would stand no chance against him. I sent my last arrow towards him but it was hurried and it hit his shield. I dropped the bow and grabbed my shield and drew my sword. It was just in time. The warrior might have an arrow in his right shoulder but he was a Viking. I barely blocked his sword with my shield. The force of it knocked me to the snow. I landed on the bear fur. He sensed his victory and brought the sword down. I rolled to my left and as I scrambled to my feet held up my shield to block the blow I knew was coming. My arm shivered with the shock but I also saw spatters of blood coming from his wound. That gave me hope and sometimes that is all that a warrior needs. Instead of backing off I roared and ran at him. I pushed my shield at his sword hand while I swept my sword from behind me. I caught his thigh. I was wearing my helmet and as our heads closed, I brought mine back to head butt him. He reeled and I lunged at his chest. He wore mail but my tip broke two of the links. I pulled my arm back and rammed it at the hole I had made. My sword sank through the leather and his tunic. I felt it grate off a bone. He was a strong man and he batted the sword away with his hand. My sword was torn from my hand. Whipping out Raedwulf’s dagger I rammed it into his throat. He gurgled his life away.

  I turned around and saw Rek and Fótr were standing behind me. Rek had an arrow nocked and Fótr had a dagger. I stood and smiled, “There are swords to be had and you deserve them. Take your weapons.”

  Arne had taken the Danish leader’s head and he flourished it in the air. The survivors had reached their drekar and were hoisting the sail. I walked with Sven to my brother. I said, “They are doomed!”

  We reached my brother as Sven said, “Why, Captain?”

  “She hit the rocks when she grounded.” Men on the oars were backing her into the fjord. I saw the gash below the waterline. “As soon as she moves forward the pressure of the water will fill her. The best that they can hope is that they reach the far side of the fjord. If they make the open sea they are doomed.”

  We all walked back to the halls to watch the voyage of the doomed drekar. It was clear to all except, perhaps, those on board that she was sinking. The wind from the north and the oars on each side which drove her towards the sea were making it more certain that they would sink in the fjord. The drekar, which was already low in the water, suddenly lurched to one side and water spilt over the gunwale. The men must have moved to the other side for the whole ship began to sink beneath the icy water. I saw the steersman run to the sails to hack through the back stays to slow down the water. It was too late. The sail flapped, loosened as it was. It made it look as though the drekar was waving for help. The water filled the drekar. The helmsman raised his fist at us and them jumped over to try to swim to the other shore. One by one we watched them drown. They were wet and exhausted already. Some tried to swim away from danger and head to the other shore. None made it. The drekar’s mast and yard stood above the water.

  I turned to Fótr and Rek. “Get to the snekke. We can save the sail.”

  Arne said, “You have no need. It will be easier to get the one from the first drekar.”

  “The Norns have spun. They have given us two sails. Æimundr Loud Voice will need a sail and a spare is always useful. There will be no danger.”

  I was proved correct. By the time the short day ended we had two sails. We were frozen to the bone but our enemies were dead and we were safe.

  Chapter 13

  The families making the knarr were given one of the sails. The other would be a spare for the d
rekar. Mikel came up with the idea of using it to cover the knarr so that they could continue to work on it. They did not think it would be finished by Einmánuður but now that the threat of the Danes was diminished, they had a chance.

  All of our men and, indeed, most of the boys had a sword and a dagger. They had been taken from the two scenes of battle. Many had helmets but there were more lying in the fjord. There were mail byrnies which would rust in the icy waters there. I gave away the byrnie I had captured. I let Sven have it. I had Karl the Lame’s but I was so convinced that I would not need it I put it in a sack with sand and added it to the ballast in the drekar. Even though icy winds blew each and every day I made sure that, no matter how little light we had, I would still examine the snekke and the drekar. The bear fur kept me warm, as I looked for damage.

  For the rest of the time I copied my charts for Rek, Padraig and Aed would need them. The cloak maps I had made were added to and then I made an identical version for the snekke. We had a spare compass but the hourglass would remain in my care. I resurrected the pot lantern for the stern. That might be the snekke’s only lifeline. Gytha and the volvas wove and they spun. It was not all spells. They wove clothes. I had told them that I had seen neither sheep nor goats but that did not mean they did not exist. I had not even set foot on the mainland. The skrælings we had seen had worn animal hides and so the clan prepared for a land without wool.

  When the light was not good enough to copy maps or to carve bone tools I sat and talked with Siggi, Snorri and my brother. Fótr was my shadow. He would be close enough to fetch me food or some of the watered beer we were reduced to drinking. He wanted to be a navigator and now that he was almost a man, he joined us.

  “This empty island, the bear island, could you find it again?”

  I nodded. “I think so. The trick will be to find the first piece of land. That will be the closest landfall. I think that was an island but there were people living upon it.”

  Snorri was carving a spear to hunt fish. He was carving a seal bone. The timber we had taken for the knarr had yielded many branches. Some could be used to make the hafts of spears. We wasted nothing. “I spoke with Gytha. She has had many dreams lately.” He looked at me, “Dreng’s spirit came to her.”

  I looked up, “He is not in Valhalla?”

  Snorri shook his head, “His spirit wanders the waters where he died. He is alone. There are no other spirits with whom he can talk. He has spoken to Gytha. My wife believes that we should spend the first year making our new island home strong. If you are right about the size then it can support the clan. Until our children have grown and the clan becomes larger, we must look within.”

  Arne said, “That is a great deal of responsibility on my brother.”

  “He can handle it, nephew.”

  I had been paid a great compliment by Gytha and her husband. “Arne, the sea is where I am comfortable. I think Ran guides me. He sent me the piece of wood upon which were written the runes, twice. He wishes us to go to this new world. My fear is losing touch with the snekke.”

  Siggi smiled, “That sounds a little arrogant, cuz. You sailed the snekke and you reached the land of the deer and the bear. Even if we are separated there is no reason why Padraig and the others should not.”

  “I will remind you of your words when are deep into the ocean and great cliffs of water tower over us.”

  We sat and stared at the fire in silence. Arne spoke quietly, “I fear my worry is the diet. Salt meat and fish. No beer and no hot food; it fills my heart with dread.”

  “And until we can plant and harvest cereal then there will be none.”

  Fótr suddenly piped up, “What if they have no winter there?”

  “What?”

  “Well, brother, you said the people we saw were dark of skin. I have heard from others in the clan that the Moors are dark of skin and in their land, they have no winter. If this land is the same and there is neither snow nor frost then animals can graze outside all year. The crops will not take as long to grow and will be ready for harvest sooner. This is a new world. The Allfather has given us the chance to make it ours. You and Arne seem to be seeing the land as a horn of ale; half empty. I see it as being half full. Save for the biting insects I saw nothing when we were there which made me fearful.”

  Fótr was the same age as his cousin Tostig but Fótr had a little more knowledge of the world. It had been the right decision to take him with us.

  Winter passed slowly. On quiet days we heard the sound of hammering as men worked on the knarr. More often than not we heard nothing save the whining of the wind as storms and blizzards wrapped around us. And then some of the animals became weaker. We had no grazing for them and they had been on reduced grain rations. Gytha advised Arne and we stopped brewing beer. As she told us the animals were more important than beer. The lack of beer made everyone’s spirits plummet. When we passed the shortest day, which, thanks to the black storm clouds appeared to last less than an hour, I started to count down the days until we left.

  At the start of Gói, we had a brief thaw. We knew it was not the end of winter but some of the snow melted and the days were marginally warmer. We took advantage. We cleared snow from the fields and allowed the animals to graze on last year’s stubble. Half of the men worked on the knarr. The rest of us fitted new ropes to the snekke and drekar. The old ones were not wasted. We would keep them as spares. We lit the fire and melted metal to make spearheads and arrowheads. We made a new plough and scythe. The damaged mail we had taken after the battle was put to good use. We chopped more wood. There was none nearby but the slight thaw enabled us to walk to the nearest copse and clear it of the saplings. The thaw lasted seven nights but in that time our spirits were raised and the knarr’s hull was almost completed. The three families saw hope. Then the freeze returned. There was a scattering of snow and we were enveloped once more in a world of white. The animals were brought back inside and we lost the sun.

  Arne asked any others if they wished to go to the land of the Saxons. Thanks to Gytha none did. She had the women of the clan thinking the way she did. We had lost men and there were families whose head was a woman. I was asked over and over why I did not father a son. There were many women of thirteen summers who could bear children. Eidel, Halsten, and Sven were already casting their eyes over potential brides. I did wonder if Æimundr Loud Voice, Uddi and Mikel the Follower would change their minds and come with us but they did not relent. I was sad.

  The sail over the knarr enabled the three families to work even on the coldest days and the hull was finished. The mast was ready to be fitted into the mast step but that would have to wait until the sail was removed. Soon they would coat the hull with pine tar. In a perfect world, we would let it dry for a month and then soak it in the sea. The Norns were spinning and they would not have the time with the knarr that they wished.

  At Einmánuður the ground shook. I had not been there the last time and I was truly terrified. It felt as though a giant had grabbed our hall and shaken it. I confess I ran outside with just my bear fur to cover me. I looked at the mountain but did not see any fire. There had been fire the last time. A fissure had opened and a beck of fiery rock had flowed down the mountain’s sides. This time it was just a shaking of the rock. Even as I stared at the mountain, I saw boulders bouncing down. Luckily, they came not towards our hall but the wall of stone which was the result of the last fiery river. The largest stones punched a hole in the wall. If they had hit my ship then it would have been destroyed. Now I understood the power which had made the village sleep out of doors. This was winter. There was no possibility of sleeping out of doors.

  Gytha, wrapped in a fur cape, came out to get me, “Come, Erik. This is a gentle shaking. You will know when the mountain begins to burn for there will be a crack like the sound of Thor’s hammer.”

  I would not have returned for any other than the volva. I did not sleep any more that night even though the earth ceased to shake. For the next eight nights,
we had more shaking. It was not always the same time of day and the strength seemed to increase. We had more sunlight and the true thaw began. We had had a warning and we heeded it. Our ballast was in place and so we loaded that which the people would take. The anvil was placed in the hold by the steering board. The smaller barrels of salted meat were placed in the hold. Each day more was added. The knarr, which would be named ‘Mountain Dragon’ in honour of the mountain which towered over us, was painted with pine tar. We had just one pot left for the voyage west. Within a few days, we could launch the knarr.

  Then we were woken by the crack which Gytha had told me of. This time the whole of the clan raced outside. We looked to the mountain and the smell of sulphur was overpowering. Worse, we could not see the top of the mountain. It was wreathed in smoke. When we saw the red river flowing down the mountainside, we knew that our days on the island were numbered. I had never seen this river and it moved so slowly as to appear harmless. I knew from the others that it was not. I saw it reach a single tree. Suddenly the tree flared into flame and was destroyed.

  Arne said, “We have time. Let us not panic but we load the ships. I looked at Mikel the Follower. They would not have the luxury of letting the tar dry thoroughly. They would have to launch her immediately. I could not help them. I had two ships to load and their decks to lay.

  “Come Fótr, Rek, Padraig. Our work begins.”

  I had hoped to have clement weather and time to load the drekar carefully. The mountain and the Norns had determined otherwise. I had already packed my chest and that was in the knarr hall. What we had to place in the hold were the items we would need when we reached our new home. With so many people on board, we would not be able to lift the deck. We would be packed from gunwale to gunwale. If we had to row, we would only be able to use the middle oars. Rek, Fótr, and Aed worked on the snekke. Eidel, Stig, Halsten and Sven joined Fótr and me on the drekar. All the time we were working we felt the earth move and rumble like an old man’s belly. When we glanced up at the mountain, we saw the red snake slithering slowly down to the sea. It looked, each time we spied it, as though it would miss our halls. Gytha had urged us to hurry and so we did not take that as a certainty. As we had built the knarr on the beach it was not easy to shift it to the sea. I heard the men grunting and groaning. By the time night fell we had loaded all that we could load into the holds of the snekke and drekar. Normally we would have ceased work but we could not afford to and so we laid the deck. That took time. It only fitted one way. If a piece of the deck was set in the wrong place we would have to start again. I thanked my dead father as we worked for we had used runes to mark the wood and help us. Even so, we were exhausted by the time we were called to food.