Sword for Hire (Border Wars Book 1)

by Hosker, Griff

  Jarl Birger stepped ashore. “There is a landing fee?” I saw a frown crease the jarl’s face. The official had the kind of face and manor that made you want to strike it. “I am not landing but these three penitents are.” We stepped forward. I was at the rear and I kept my head down.

  “Then they will still have to pay a fee.”

  “They have been sent by Henry, the English Bishop of Uppsala. They have messages for the Bishop of Durham.”

  I heard the intake of breath from the official. I guessed that landing fees were a way of lining his purse. He would not want the Dean or Canon to know that he had charged priests. “In that case you may land, brothers.” He turned to us, “Do you wish horses?”

  We had rehearsed this part on the ship. Birger asked us in Swedish and Will answered him in the same language. The jarl said, “No, the priests say they will walk. It is good for their souls.”

  The official mumbled, “And hard on their feet.” He added a little louder, emphasising each word as though we were imbeciles, “Go with God!”

  Will made the sign of the cross and mumbled something in Swedish. He was enjoying this too much. I nudged him in the back and we began to walk slowly, as penitent priests, towards the gate. We did not look back. The sentries had seen us land and noted our robes. We were not a threat. They opened the gate and we stepped through.

  We walked slowly. I had watched priests before and none moved quickly. When we were out of sight then we would hurry. We took the road west and north. It led through Elwick. We would get nowhere near that place. As soon as we reached the ridge we would head south. When we were out of sight, where the ground dipped on the other side of the ridge, we took the smaller trail south and west which led to the tiny farm of Dalton. We could then take the track east. We intended to scout out the beach. It would add a few miles to our journey but it was important to see what problems we might find. We passed between Seaton Carrowe and the Grange at Seaton. It was almost dark when we did so. People might wonder what three priests were doing there for there was no church but by the time someone investigated we would be long gone.

  We saw fishing boats drawn up on the beach as we climbed the dunes. It did not take us long to reach the river and Snook Point. There was no one around. The wind blew the sand too much for there to be tracks but there appeared to be no footpaths. The landing sight appeared to be safe. We headed due west. Edward was, like his father, a natural scout and he took us on the path which would be hard to see and yet which kept us hidden. The grass was sharp and I was glad that we had opted for the seal skin boots. I was the one least familiar with the paths and tracks across the marshland. I was glad when we saw the tower of the church in Billingham to the south of us. It meant the ground would soon become firmer.

  It took some hours to reach the estate. The doors to the hall were barred. I did not want to wake anyone and so we slept in the stables. It was warm and we were tired. I was awoken by Gonfanon licking my face. My two companions were nowhere to be seen. It was daylight, which meant I had slept longer than I had intended. I stood and used Gonfanon’s water to wash the sleep from my face. Edward ran in and raised his hand. Will followed with his fingers to his lips. I drew my sword.

  Creeping to the door I heard the sound of horse’s hooves coming through the fallen leaves. It was just one rider. This was not the time of day for visitors. I was hidden by the side of the building and I had a good view as the horse turned the corner. It was Sir Richard. What was he doing visiting my father’s sister? One of the farm workers took his horse and I saw him disappear inside.

  “That does not bode well, lord.”

  I looked at Will and shook my head, “No, it does not. It means we may not be able to take these horses.”

  Edward said, “You should speak with him lord.”

  “What?”

  Edward shrugged, “He is a fair man lord. When I said I wished to leave his service he gave me a good sword and a gold coin. He told me to watch over you.” I stared at him. “Lord, I am a good judge of horseflesh. I can speak with dogs. I also like to think that I know a good man from a villain. Sir Richard is a good man.”

  “Would you bet your life on it?”

  He said quietly, “It was how I judged you lord and I am right about you.”

  “Very well but you two remain here. If this is a trap and I am taken then you two must get to the ship and tell the others.”

  I strode towards the door of the hall. I opened it and I heard voices from inside the room. I listened. I heard my aunt’s voice, “It was the same ship?”

  “Yes, lady, but the captain did not stay. My man watched from the shadows. He hoped to catch the captain when he stepped ashore. Three priests disembarked but no other. He unloaded and then sailed south. If there had been a letter then he would have tried to give it to my man.”

  My aunt said, “Then perhaps he is dead or he has left the land of the Swedes. Thank you for your efforts Sir Richard. You are a kind man to help a widow like this.”

  I opened the door, “No, I am still alive.”

  She threw her arms around me, “You are a fool to return here! Why?”

  I looked pointedly at Sir Richard. He smiled, “I told you once, Sir Thomas, I am not your enemy. You are, however, a hunted man. If any discover that you are in this land then it will mean not only your death but your aunt, her people and, me. I have lived long enough but the ladies here…”

  “I promise you that we are here but briefly. We are here for the three warhorses.”

  “Sit and tell me all.”

  “Before I do I shall summon my companions.” I went to the door and whistled. Edward and Will appeared.

  Sir Richard said, “Three priests. You are not as foolish as I thought. Tell your tale.”

  “Is there food? We slept in the stable o’er night.”

  Ruth shook her head, “I am forgetting my manners.”

  I waited with my story until the food and ale had arrived. I told them everything including my penance. They both seemed relieved. My aunt put her hand on mine. “Then you will not be spending eternity in hell. I am pleased.”

  Sir Richard stood, “I had better get back. Prince John has a spy in my hall. He knows too much about my finances and my comings and goings. I have yet to discover his identity. You take care, Sir Thomas.”

  I clasped his arm, “Thank you, Sir Richard, and I am sorry for having doubted the word of a Hospitaller.”

  I enjoyed the time I spent with my aunt. She told me how Sir Richard had been a rock and helped her whenever he could. She had begun to use the church in Stockton once more and I was relieved. I had worried that she might be in danger. Now I knew who her protector was.

  We left the following afternoon just as dusk descended. Our parting was less poignant for we were both relieved to spy hope in the life of the other. We had food and ale. We used bridles and reins but no saddles. We rode bareback. The horses would have plenty of time to recover. If anyone saw us then we would be in trouble for three priests riding horses was a sight most men would not forget. God was on our side. We reached Snook’s Point unseen. We lit the fire, for there was plenty of driftwood, and we waited but no ship arrived.

  We had the fire doused well before dawn. We gave half of the water to the horses. There were dells amongst the sand dunes where the grazing was not too salty and the horses ate. We eked out our food. One of us always kept watch to the north and Seaton Carrowe. We saw nothing.

  As darkness fell we built the fire with the driftwood we had collected. We waited. It was Gonfanon that gave the alarm. He whinnied. Edward was watching the river and Will the beach to the north. When Gonfanon whinnied I climbed to join Will. At first, I saw nothing and then I saw shadows moving. They were more than a mile away but it was a clear sky and we saw the moving shadows. It had to be men. What should we do? We could mount and flee. The men were afoot but then there would be a hue and cry to find us.

  “Lord, a sail!”

  I whipped my hea
d around and saw a sail fluttering in the river as a ship turned. It had to be our ship. “Quick, into the water!”

  I grabbed Gonfanon’s reins and led him through the dunes to the river. The ship was a dark shadow. None had shouted yet and it could be any ship but I had to believe that it was Henry. I slipped on to Gonfanon’s back and he walked into the water. Henry had brought the ship as closed as he dared. We only had thirty paces to swim. The river water was icy. I lay along Gonfanon’s back and kicked to make his task easier. I saw that we were being pushed out to sea by the current. Gonfanon was strong and I heard Will shout. “A little further this way, lord!” He was with his mare and they were already beginning to haul her up.

  I looked and saw the sling waiting for him. I turned his head and smacked his rump. Even as I did so I heard shouts from the sand dunes. Our pursuers were closing. I grabbed the slings and pulled them under his middle. I was doused by the sea but Gonfanon was more patient that I had expected. I fastened them securely and shouted, “Haul away.”

  As he was pulled up I saw that Henry had lowered his sails so that the ship was drifting at the same pace as the horses. I swam to help Edward. His mare, Rona, was too far away from the ship. I swam to her rear and pushed her. It took some time and by the time we had her near to the ship the first mare was half way up. Suddenly an arrow thudded into the hull. Will swam to help us with the last mare. She was terrified. It would be a tragedy if she panicked and drowned. Edward began to sing to her. Amazingly it quietened her. When the sling was lowered the three of us had her fastened in very quickly. As she was hauled up more arrows hit the sea and the hull. They were sending them blindly. A blind arrow could still kill.

  Three ropes snaked down and Will shouted, “Hurry lord, we need to move. We are drifting too close to shore. Henry fears we may be grounded.”

  I grabbed one of the ropes and began to climb up the side. The habit was sodden and was dragging me down. My arms ached and my legs were so cold that I could not feel them.

  I heard Will shout, “Pull! Heave on the ropes!”

  We began to move quickly. It was as though we were flying. As we flopped onto the deck I began to shiver and my teeth chattered. One of the sailors laughed, “Well these are the three biggest fish I have ever caught and no mistake!”

  The Winter War

  Chapter 11

  The horses recovered well, once we reached Sweden. Rona, who had been the most distressed, took the longest. Bishop Albert had not been idle while we had been away. He had ordered men, including my own, to build new stables. The horses would be comfortable. The two jarls now had twelve more horses for their men. It would take time to breed warhorses but Jarl Birger Persson had bought palfreys from which Bishop Albert could breed. They had also managed to throw up a small hall for me and my men. That had been the doing of Lady Brigida Haraldsdotter. For some reason, she had taken to me. Jarl Birger thought it was because her own son, Philippus, was in the service of King Sverre. I reminded her of him.

  The hall was similar to that of the jarl. Hull shaped and covered with turf it was warm. My men quickly settled into it. They all found their own space in the hall. William rigged up a curtain so that he and I would have some privacy. I was not concerned but my men thought it inappropriate that their lord should be on public display.

  If I thought that winter meant peace I was wrong. We spent a month preparing for a campaign against the Karelians who lived in the north of the jarl’s land. Maps mean nothing in this land of inlets, islands and, in the winter, perpetual ice and snow. The Swedes talked in terms of distance and directions, not places. They lived four days travel to the north. When I was told this I wondered, for the days were drawing much shorter and by the time we left the length of a day could be the blink of an eye. My friend told me that they marched while it was dark. The dark nights of Sweden did not stop Jarl Birger and his men. They constructed sleighs which horses would pull. These would prove to be faster than carts and wagons. We could take supplies on campaign. My men and I had cloaks and some thick furs but Jarl Birger Persson provided even more. I discovered, on the campaign, that most of them had come from defeated enemies. Where we had only taken weapons and mails, here in the land of the midnight sun, furs were as necessary as mail.

  My men and I were tasked, while all this was going on, with the training of the Swedes. The men of the jarls were brave enough but they tended to fight as individuals. We had to teach them to fight as one. That included the archers. Bishop Albert was ever present. he wanted to know what we did so that it could be replicated elsewhere. We were the first part of a larger crusade. Once we began our campaign his work would begin. He would seek help, both financial and military, from the kings of Norway, Sweden and Denmark. This was despite the fact that they were normally at war with one another. He saw the crusade as a way of uniting Christian kings. He had not been in the Holy Land. If he had then he might have had a different view.

  He brought two priests who would accompany us. Both had swords and wore mail. “This is Brother Magnus and this is Brother Harald. They are both healers and they are warriors. They will carry my banner against the heathens!” I saw that Brother Magnus was little older than William but Brother Harald had grey hairs. They were the start of what would become the Livonian Order of the Brothers of the Swords. Their shields bore a yellow cross on a blue background as did the surcoats they wore. If they proved to be as good as the Hospitallers I would be happy. If they were as fanatical as the Templars then they would be a liability.

  Before we left he held a service in the church where he had heard my confession. Lady Brigida had made a banner. It was of the Virgin Mary, and in her arms she held a yellow cross. The background was blue and from the distance it was not dissimilar to The Jarl Birger Brosa’s banner. Lady Brigida and her ladies had made it. The ceremony blessed it and holy water which had been brought from Rome by the jarl was used to anoint it. The two priests were excited to be carrying such a holy item.

  The intention was to begin the campaign when the days began to lengthen a little. We would travel north when the Estonians were huddled in their homes. They had their herds of animals, mail reindeer, close by them. The Jarl intended to strike at the five settlements which lay close to his borders. In the summer, the swamps and rivers gave them natural barriers. When the land was frozen there was no obstacle.

  The Swedes did not celebrate Christmas in the same way as we did. My men were amused by their customs and the foods they ate. For those who had been in the Holy Land it was refreshing. For those from the valley it took some adjustment. We had all begun to pick up the language. It was necessary and the Christmas celebrations, with the inevitable drinking accelerated the process. The result was that when we left Stock Holm we all understood the commands and there would be no confusion. The Jarl Birger Brosa was an organized man and he had drilled us all to his signals and commands. None had to march for we used the horses to pull the sleighs.

  This time I did not ride at the rear but at the fore with the two jarls. Four young knights had joined us and with the two warrior priests we had nine knights and seven squires. As we were all mailed we were a potent force. The Swedes had yet to equip their men at arms in the same manner as mine and the ten men at arms of mine, all mailed, would form up with us. We had thirty other men at arms from the two jarls and the four knights. In addition, there were ten more archers and twenty men of the levy. Little better than the men we would be fighting they would be handy when it came to guarding the sleighs and horses. I had impressed upon the two jarls the folly of using them for fighting. Bishop Albert and the jarl’s wife saw us off. Lady Brigida smiled and waved. Bishop Albert sang a holy paean in our honour. We left in the dark and headed across ice covered roads flanked by snow filled forests. After the Holy Land, it was a huge contrast.

  We would be heading through the land ravaged by the Karelians. It took two days to reach Sigtuna. Jarl Persson and his men were distressed by the skeletons of the buildings. This had been
their home. Others might come to live here but it would not be for some time. I spoke with Birger to take his mind off the sights which surrounded us.

  “Do these Estonians have a king?”

  “No, they live and fight much as the Vikings and the Rus used to. They have warbands and fight in clans. They are nomadic and move in the season of the grass from grazing to grazing. When they are not raiding us then they fight amongst themselves.”

  “Then there is no one to whom you can appeal for peace? There is no one who can bend a knee to your king?”

  He looked at me, “It is why I was sent to the Holy Land. When the crusaders first went they conquered and subjugated the people there and made them Christian.”

  “Except that they did not. You, of all people know that.”

  “True, my cynical young friend, but the difference is that there we were fighting Islam. Here we are fighting people who had the same beliefs my forebears did. They have been led astray and we will put them on the right path.”

  “And conquer them!”

  “For their own good. We will give them protection. We will give them order.”

  I was not certain that they would see it that way. I was here to do penance but if I was The Jarl Birger Brosa I would have done what we had in England. I would put a line of castles to protect our border and just stop the barbarians from raiding. I could see that I would have much to learn. I hoped it would make me a better warrior. My destiny was not here in Sweden but on the borders of England. I now knew that my time in the Holy land and here in Sweden were to prepare me for something greater. This was not my war. I was a tool. I was the sword which would clear the land of barbarians.

  The Swedes had good scouts. They were from the levy but they knew the land. On the fifth day, they returned to tell us that they had found a large warband of Estonians. They had seen Swedish slaves complete with thrall’s yoke.

  “Jarl, there are over a hundred warriors. They have skulls mounted outside their huts.”