by Griff Hosker
“Snorri thinks there is a settlement above us. The smell of wood smoke is stronger here and we have heard animals.”
“The Allfather smiles on us this day!” I turned to Aiden, “You stay close to me.”
The men gathered around us at the foot of the gently rising hill. Snorri reappeared. “It is a monastery. There is a stockade but it is meant to keep animals in and not us out.” I saw his teeth flash a grin in the moonlight. “There is but one gate in. The stockade is as high as Ketil.”
“Erik Dog Bite, you and Tostig Wolf Hand stay here and guard the path.”
The rest of us wound our way up the path. I saw a faint lightening of the sky beyond the hill. Dawn was but a couple of hours away. Suddenly the silence was shattered by the tolling of the bell. We now knew what that meant; the monks were rising. Had we reached the monastery just a little sooner then we would have achieved complete surprise. I waved my arm and Thorkell the Tall took six warriors to cut off the escape of any monks who spied us. When we reached the gate Snorri and Arturus clambered over to open it. I saw a faint glow from the wooden buildings just beyond the animal pens.
“Beorn,” I whispered, “take four men and secure the animals.”
I left them to collect our valuable animals and led the others towards the building I guessed was the church. The tolling of the bell had stopped but the sound had come from the building which looked to be the largest in the stockade. Just as I reached it the door opened and a monk in a brown kyrtle stood there. He tried to shut the door but Ragnar’s Spirit was quicker and he fell backwards, his dying hand opening the door as he did so. Haaken and Cnut leapt through the open door. It was light within; there were candles burning. I saw six monks; four were on their knees and two appeared to be standing at a table with a piece of white linen on it.
Haaken and Cnut raced towards it and the monks picked up the metal candle holders to use as weapons. Two priests ran for the door which I could see at the back. “Sigtrygg, take Arturus and Snorri, round the back!”
Haaken and Cnut slew two of the monks. Haaken picked up one of the monks who were cowering on the floor and struck him in the face with his shield to render him unconscious. When Cnut tried the same to the last monk he drew a knife and jabbed it at Cnut’s face. Had he not had a full face helmet on he might have lost an eye. As it was his sword ended the monk’s foolish resistance.
“Haaken and Cnut, collect any treasure.” I led the men through the rear door. One of the monks who had fled lay dead at the feet of Snorri while the other was being bound by Arturus.
He snarled something at me, I did not understand it. I turned to Aiden, “He called you a wolf devil and cursed you to burn in somewhere called Hades.” He pointed at my head, “I think it is the red eyes.”
I laughed. The curses of the followers of the White Christ could not hurt me. “Find the other monks. Arturus, take this one back to the ship with the animals and the monk in the church.”
The sky was definitely lighter and I wished to be back aboard my ship before the sun rose too high in the sky. “Search the monastery and gather any slaves and treasure.”
I saw Thorkell and his men approaching. “There were two men who tried to escape.” He pointed at the bound figures. They did not get far.”
“Good, send them to the ship.” I looked around. I could see my men spreading through the buildings. There were occasional shouts and cries. “Aiden, let us find the place their abbot sleeps. We may find something useful there.”
The two of us headed for a dark building towards the rear. As we passed a small hut which had already been searched I picked up the lighted candle I saw glowing within. I handed it to Aiden who shielded it with his hand. The door of the darkened building was open and I went in with my sword drawn. When Aiden entered the soft yellow light flooded the monk’s cell. There on a crudely made table was one of the books of the White Christ. We had a valuable treasure! “Put that in your bag.” While Aiden did so I looked around the bare cell. There appeared to be little else of value save the bedding, which we gathered. The linen was always useful.
By the time we reached the top of the path the monastery had been looted and my men descended. Sigtrygg and Sven White Hair brought up the rear. When we reached the beach dawn was breaking and Snorri whistled. We saw the oars rise and fall as Magnus brought ‘The Heart of the Dragon’ over to us. It had not been our most successful raid. We only had five slaves. The five pigs and eight goats were a valuable addition to our animals but the only treasure we could sell was the book and two candlesticks.
By the time we were aboard the sun had lit the opposite hillside. I could not see any settlements there although it was obvious we were on a large and open body of water. Aiden told me that the locals called them a Lough.
“Magnus take us north.”
My Ulfheonar rowed in their armour. They had not exerted themselves. I had Snorri watching in the prow. His sharp eyes would aid us. He suddenly waved left. Ketil ran down the centre of the boat. “My Lord, Snorri says there is an island. It is not far away.” He pointed to the north west.
As we edged from the inlet I leaned on the steer board. I could see the dot ahead. “Hoist the sail!”
The wind still held and we were able to store the oars as we sped to the tiny prick of land which rose about four or five miles off shore. I had no doubt that we had been seen. I was not even certain that we had prevented any monks from escaping but we needed rest and we had too little to return home. The island looked like our only choice. As we closed with it I saw that it was literally a small rock erupting from the sea. It looked to be uninhabited but it was also large enough to hide us from prying eyes. After an hour or so of sailing I dropped the sail and we anchored just fifty paces from shore. Our approach meant that we could see that there was not a living creature on the rock save birds. We anchored.
“Magnus, we will sleep. The warriors who were aboard last night can have the first watch. Wake me at noon and watch the prisoners. I do not want them escaping.”
We all stripped our armour from our bodies. The relief was wonderful. One or two of my warriors dropped over the side and swam around the ship. Some believed it aided sleep. For me, I needed no aid and I was asleep within moments of removing my armour.
Chapter 6
I was woken by Haaken. He had piece of cooked meat and a horn of ale. “Here Dragon Heart, we need to wake you. Your snoring was disturbing the fish.”
I heard the laughter from my Ulfheonar. They were in a good mood. I drank the ale first. I could see the ship’s boys and the ten guards asleep as were the monks. “Did they behave?”
“Aye, Aiden spoke with them and discovered that the place was called Doire Calgach. He also discovered, by listening to them that there is another such monastery on the north west coast.” He pointed, “Just around that headland.”
“I had hoped for a settlement. Female slaves are of more value than monks.”
Haaken smacked the side of the ship. “And there is a village there too! The Allfather smiles upon us.”
I finished eating the meat and wiped my greasy hand on my beard. “Do we know how far away it is?”
He pointed to Aiden’s sleeping form. “The boy is bright and that is the truth. He asked them questions about the land rather than the place and he discovered that the village and the monastery are a short way up a small river.”
“Then we shall sail after dark.” I looked at the sky and saw that they had allowed me to sleep longer than I wished. It was the middle of the afternoon. There was little point in chastising them I would just have to ensure that Aiden woke me the next time. He would obey my orders.
We sailed just as the sun was setting in the west. We hoped that its dying rays would point the way. We rowed to keep a lower silhouette. It was not far. The Allfather was, indeed, with us. A pinprick of light glittered from the river and the buildings above. Aiden had done well. It would not be a long march from the ship. This time we could moor the ship clo
se to the shore.
As we sailed I was suddenly reminded of the problems of stealing animals; the smell. Our new ship had an earthy aroma. I hoped that Ragnar Bollison approved. We rowed the last mile towards the beach as slowly as we could. Sharp eyed Snorri was at the prow and Arturus had climbed the mast. I would not have us run aground. When Snorri’s arms came up we stopped rowing and nudged towards the beach on the incoming tide.
Snorri leapt into the sea and we donned our mail. Haaken detailed ten warriors to watch the ship and we jumped ashore to begin our ascent of the hill. We had more of an idea this time of the location of the monastery. We had seen it, briefly, before the sun had set. The smell from their fires was still in the air as was the smell from their animals. Both boded well as they showed it was a prosperous place.
I divided the men into two groups. We would separate closer to our target. We headed up the track which Snorri had discovered. We were aided this time by the smells and our brief glimpse of it. This one had a wall around the village and another one around the monastery. They were very close but, from the sea, we could not tell if they were joined. Aiden had said, before we left the ship, that he thought they would be joined. Thorkell the Tall led half of the warriors to the right, along the valley. He would approach the walls, which we could see as a dark shadow ahead.
We were Ulfheonar and we could move like ghosts. We used that skill as we padded along the obvious trail. Suddenly Snorri held his hand and we all dropped to the ground and waited. We could hear voices. Aiden was just behind me. “They have heard that there is a Viking ship around.”
“Pass the word back that we are expected.”
I bellied up towards Arturus and Snorri. I whispered, in their ears, “They have seen the ship. Go carefully.”
It would not stop us. It just made life a little more difficult. They would be listening for any sound. The voices we could hear disappeared. I took that to mean that the guards had moved on. We slithered up the bank. I could see a ditch. It was not deep but it was an obstacle and it made the stockade a little higher than it would otherwise have been.
I moved next to Snorri and we peered along the walls. There were at least five guards that we could see patrolling the ramparts. Snorri drew his bow. Since Beorn’s encounter with the wolf he had not been able to draw a bow. Arturus had the second such weapon and they aimed at the men furthest from us. The two men fell silently to their deaths. I tapped Haaken and Cnut and we went forward as one. Luckily the ditch was free of obstacles and we descended before rising to the wall. Sigtrygg, Tostig Wolf Hand and Erik Dog Bite joined us.
As the others joined hands with their shields Sigtrygg and I prepared to mount them. We had practised this before. As I stepped on to the shield Haaken and Cnut lifted it in one motion high above their heads. I jumped over the ramparts. Landing before Sigtrygg I stabbed the first surprised sentry before he could shout a warning. I heard the double thump of the two guards who had been struck by arrows before Sigtrygg killed his man. The fifth was close to the ladder and he yelled something. I guess it was the alarm because a bell began to toll.
We ran towards the gate. Sigtrygg was in front of me and he was a fearless warrior. He held Saxon Killer before him and, as the first guard rushed from the gate with a spear held defensively, Sigtrygg knocked the spear away with his shield and swung his blade at the man’s head. The warrior behind stepped backwards which was a mistake for it allowed Sigtrygg to charge him and knock him from the walls. I climbed down the ladder towards the gate.
When I reached the bottom I found four fully armed warriors ready to attack me. Behind them I saw more men, this time just armed with a sword or a spear, emerge from the huts. We had to strike quickly.
When the odds are against you the best form of defence is attack and I yelled, “Ragnar’s Spirit!” and charged them. I went for the two men to the left of the small line. I held my shield ready to block any blows and I swung my blade horizontally. It cracked and crashed into the first warrior’s shield and it split. The blade continued on and sliced into his arm. He screamed in pain and dropped to his knees. Two swords struck my shield but I knew that it was well made and I swung my sword at the man’s legs. He was not expecting the blow and I felt it grind against bone. He screamed and fell backwards against the third warrior. Spinning to my right I brought Ragnar’s Spirit to chop through the sword arm of the fourth warrior. Pausing only to stab the fallen warrior in the neck I turned and ran to the gate. Haaken and Cnut were just descending while I saw Arturus and Snorri loosing arrows at men behind me.
There were two men at the gate. They stood no chance against the three of us. While Haaken and I guarded him, Cnut opened the gate and my Ulfheonar flooded in. The wolves were amongst the sheep!
There was chaos as the men of the settlement fell. The few warriors with armour had fallen already and the women and children were fleeing. There had to be another gate in the east for they were racing that way. “Secure the gate!”
I ran after those fleeing. A spear suddenly jabbed from a hut as I passed. It struck my mail. I whipped my sword around blindly and felt it sink into unprotected flesh. I saw a young Hibernian clutching at his torn throat. The spear had broken my mail but not pierced my leather byrnie. Haaken and Cnut appeared at my side. “Wait for us, Dragon Heart! You cannot do this alone!”
The east gate I had assumed was there, was open. It led into the monastery. I heard the screams from the refugees as they ran into Thorkell and his warriors. I had been worried that they might have found other warriors but when I saw the monks lying face down with two Ulfheonar standing guard I knew that we had won.
“Secure the gates and bring all the prisoners here. Where is Aiden?”
I looked around and saw him hurrying towards me. “I am sorry my lord, I could not keep up with you.”
I remembered the sudden thrust of the spear. “Perhaps it is as well else you might have suffered this.” I put my fingers in the holes in my mail. “Come let us find the church.”
There was a building with a small stone tower and it was topped by a cross. We headed for it. There were candles burning but the floor was puddled with blood and two monks lay there. I reached down and took the golden pendant from one. This one had to be the abbot or chief monk. “See if there is a hidden chamber.” I grabbed the candlesticks and placed them with the pendant. The abbot had two fine rings and I took them from him.
“No, my lord, there is no hidden chamber nor are there any fine books.”
“Gather these treasures and we will go back to the ship.” As we walked through the deserted monastery, for the prisoners were all gathered close to the gate I said, “There were mailed warriors, Aiden. What do you make of that?”
“Perhaps the monk we questioned knew that this was well defended and hoped that we would die.”
“If that is true then he will suffer the blood eagle.”
“Or it could be that they discovered what we had done and reinforced the village.”
“Find out. Ask one of the prisoners.” Haaken and Cnut awaited me. “Did we lose any?”
Cnut nodded, “Two dead: Thorfinn Olafson and Harald Green Eye. Four men were wounded.”
It could have been worse. “We will give them a funeral in the warrior hall. Prepare their bodies.”
We had a healthy haul of prisoners. Most of the men in the village had died or fled. Some of the women and children had escaped too. We had four priests, two men, eight women and five children. There were two cows and another four pigs. The arms we had captured were adequate.
“Have the weapons, armour and heavy objects stowed beneath the deck. Take the prisoners down to the ‘Heart’, Aiden.”
Aiden nodded and went to one of the men. I took off my helmet. Suddenly one of the prisoners, although bound, leapt at me with hatred in his eyes. He yelled something at me as he came. Before I could even react Arturus’ sword had whipped across the man’s neck and decapitated him.
“Thank you my son. What did he s
ay, Aiden?”
“He shouted, ‘Die, Wolf of the Sea!’”
I nodded, “He was a brave man although foolish.”
Haaken and Cnut returned. “The bodies are readied Dragon Heart.” Cnut held out the golden wolf charms I had given them. They would be returned to their families. Their swords, armour and wolf cloaks would be burned with them.
They had been laid out on the table in the warrior hall. Their swords were in their hands. The firewood from the hall and the furniture had been laid around them. “Go to Valhalla and await us brothers. It has been an honour to serve with you.”
Haaken, Cnut and I thrust our torches into the firewood. It was dry and dead. It flared immediately. We waited until the table caught and then left. When the flames suddenly flared up to the roof the women and children wailed. Their home was being destroyed and they would never return. I knew what they were thinking. I had suffered that too.
“Take them to the ship. We sail!”As we walked down the path I asked Aiden, “Well?”
“The king, he is called Padraigh, was told of our attack and he sent warriors to all of the villages hereabouts.” I nodded. “It would have been better had he kept a watch for us then he might have been able to bring his army to meet us.”
“He has a big army?”
“At least two hundred warriors. He is a powerful warrior.”
As we watched the prisoners and animals being loaded I stored that information. If we returned here then I would remember that.
The ship was well laden and I thanked Ragnar Bollison again. If this had been ‘Wolf’ we would have been swamped. The higher freeboard meant we sailed still. However I did not want to risk sailing too far. “We will head for Dál Riata and the land of the Picts.”
