Viking Blood

by Griff Hosker

  Ragnar asked, “Why?”

  “For they are Viking and have the blood of our people in their veins. The Norns sent us here for a purpose. I thought it was for coin. I was wrong.”

  The girl nodded, “Thank you Jarl. Come we must follow these two warriors.” I smiled as Gruffyd stood a little taller. Someone had called him a warrior.

  As the eight of them headed down the greenway I shook my head. I would think about them later on. First I had Saxons to worry about. We did not run back down the greenway. I knew we had a long journey ahead of us. We might have to fight again. Ketil and his men prodded and pushed the captives who carried the boxes. After three miles one sat down. “I can go no further!”

  “Rise, carry on and you shall live. If you can go no further then I will end your life.”

  He saw my bloody blade and he rose. We had no further trouble. We were less than a mile or two from the drekar when I heard the sounds of fighting behind me. I shouted, “Ulfheonar to me!”

  Ragnar looked as though he was going to drop his sack of ore. I shook my head, “You go back to the ships and make sure that all is loaded. The Ulfheonar will go to the aid of Ulf.”

  Ragnar hefted the sack on his shoulder, “Aye Jarl.”

  My handful of men joined me and we turned to run back. We had covered barely four hundred paces when we came upon Ulf and his twenty men. They had formed a double shield wall and were fending off Saxons. There were horsemen and mailed men on foot. The wisdom of using the greenway could now be seen. They could not flank Ulf. The river was on one side and trees on the other.

  This was the moment for a bold stroke. “Wedge!”

  We formed a wedge. There were just ten of us but that was all we needed on such a narrow piece of land.

  “Ulf! Make way and form behind us! Charge!”

  We began to run. I heard Ulf shout, “Fall back!” His men were well trained and as one they thrust with their sword and spears and then stepped back and to the side.

  The movement backwards by my men took the Saxons by surprise and they did not take advantage. When the rider realized and waved his spear to urge his men on it was too late. We had replaced Ulf and his men. I was at the fore and my sword was held over my shield. To my right Olaf swung his long axe one handed. It bit into the foreleg of the Saxon’s horse. It chopped through to the bone and rider and horse fell into the river. I punched my shield at the knee of the second Saxon rider as Haaken stabbed his sword into the horse’s eye. The Saxons did not use stiraps and he fell from his dying horse. As Haaken stepped over him he slit his bare throat with his sword.

  The last horse smelled the blood of the dying horse and it reared and jumped into the river. Its rider fell from its back. I punched the Saxon in the face with the boss of my shield as he began to rise. Our sudden attack had taken the Saxons by surprise. They did not expect us to attack horses. I brought my sword over and struck the leading Saxon across the side of the head. Ragnar’s Spirit was longer than most swords and very heavy He fell to the ground, stunned and bleeding, and I raced on. The joy of battle was upon me.

  I heard Ulf shout, “Shield wall behind Jarl Dragonheart!” and the ten of us found our numbers tripled. With their weight behind us and with swords, spears and axes held before us we ploughed into and over the Saxons. The ones at the front fell and the ones at the rear fled.

  I raised my sword, “Hold!”

  Ulf shouted, “Collect our wounded!”

  “Back to the drekar. We will be the rearguard.”

  We walked backwards, watching the fleeing Saxons the whole time. I did not want them to regroup and attack us again. As I stepped over the bodies of the horsemen we had killed I noticed that around the neck of one of them was a golden horse. I took it and threw it to Haaken. “A trophy from your kill.”

  Rolf Horse Killer said, “They have a white horse on their shields. Whose sign is that?”

  Olaf Leather Neck picked up the three discarded swords. Saxons made good swords but they were poor swordsmen, “It is the sign of the House of Wessex. These are King Egbert’s own men. If you wanted to put his nose out of joint Jarl, you could not have done better.”

  We had no further trouble and reached the drekar just as the sun was setting in the west. The ships had been turned around and, by the time we reached them, the treasure and supplies loaded. I kept my word and let the Saxons go. We watched them run back to their town. There were just fifteen captives taken in the village. They were women and children. We left the rest bound. They would be freed when the Saxons who had been pursuing us plucked up more courage and followed us. We boarded and let the current and our sail take us down stream. The first part of our raid was over. Would the next two parts be as successful?

  I saw that Ragnar had put the rescued Vikings aboard our drekar and he and my son were making them comfortable. The captives had been split between the two drekar and were at the prow under the watchful eye of two of my warriors. The wounded were being tended to by the steering board. I made sure that the other drekar was following and then I took off my helmet and wolf cloak. The run from the raid had made me hot. I walked back to the steering board. I saw that Ragnar and Gruffyd were examining the silver ore. The girl sat with the children around her. She reminded me of a mother hen with her chicks beneath her wings. Ragnar and Gruffyd were sat close to them. Their attention, however was on the rocks they were examining. Their faces showed their disappointment. “This was heavy to carry, Jarl Dragonheart, and looks like lumps of rocks!”

  “And that is what it is but when it is smelted and worked by Bagsecg and his smiths it will be worth more than you would imagine. You did well.” I smiled at my son. “You tired today.”

  He nodded, “I did. I willed my body to move faster but it would not.”

  “For the mail was heavy, your helmet made your head hot and your shield rubbed your back.”

  “Aye. How did you know?”

  “For we all suffer the same way. Next time carry your helmet and put your shield on the outside of your cloak.”

  “You do not.”

  “And my shield no longer bothers me. Your body will change and so will you. You did not give up and that is important but next time Ragnar will not be there to run alongside you. He encouraged you. The next time that encouragement must come from within.”

  I saw him look at his shield and his helmet. Already he was working out how he could make life easier for himself. He was learning and he was becoming a warrior.

  Ragnar asked, “When the rearguard was attacked why did you go to the aid of Ulf Olafsson? Was it not his duty to guard the rear?”

  “It was but I am jarl. Just as my men have a duty to me I have a duty to them. Ulf was Ulfheonar once but his men were not. They are farmers and blacksmiths, fishermen and shepherds. They can fight and they are fierce but they are not as practiced in war as my men. We made a wedge and we surprised the enemy. Next time it will not be as easy.”

  Olaf Leather Neck came over. He had two of the Saxon swords he had collected from the horsemen in his hands, “I took three of these. I need only one. Would you two like them? They are good swords and even Bagsecg would be impressed by them.”

  They looked at me. “Olaf is right. They are slightly shorter than Ragnar’s Spirit but they will not bend and may well keep their edge better than most. It is a fine gift.” I pointed to the sacks of ore. “Olaf deserves a gift in return or the swords may forget that they were a gift.”

  Ragnar nodded, “Thank you Olaf. They are a fine gift and we accept them.” He reached into the sack and took out a large piece of ore. “Here is silver.”

  Olaf’s eyes widened. It took much to impress my oldest oathsworn. “This is a generous gift.” He glanced at me. “Is it too much, Jarl?”

  “I think it is right.”

  “Then I accept. May the swords bring you enemy blood and never fail you.”

  He handed the two weapons over. He returned to the mast fish which was his chosen place when not rowin
g. I pointed to the two blades. They were well made with neither rust nor nicks in them. “They will need to be sharpened. Saxons make good blades but they are not warriors as we are. Care for them and they will care for you.”

  I left them sharpening their new blades and went to the stern rail and the steering board. Erik smiled and pointed to my son and grandson, “They look pleased with their new gift.”

  “The Saxon swords were a gift from the gods. Olaf was generous. He could have sold them for much gold.” I glanced astern to make sure my other drekar was in close attendance. “The Sabrina can be a powerful river. If we cannot reach Gleawecastre then we will go by land.”

  Erik Short Toe shook his head, “All I have to do, Jarl Dragonheart, is to sail this drekar. It is you and the others who have to fight for our treasure. We will reach Gleawecastre. The men may have to row but if this wind holds then it will only be for the last part of the voyage.” I nodded. “However the river is narrow close to Gleawecastre. I fear you will have a mile or so to cover on foot.” He handed the steering board to Arne and took Aiden’s map from the chest. “The river splits here, just west of Gleawecastre, it is too narrow for the drekar but you should be able to ford it. We can turn the drekar around where the river splits.”

  “And we need not leave too many guards.”

  Erik pointed to the four warriors who had suffered wounds. “The wounded will be enough to keep the captives quiet. We chose the ones we thought would be the least trouble. We took families and there are young ones. So long as we watch the mothers then all will be well.”

  “I will rest awhile.”

  “It will take until sunset to near the mouth of the river and we can lay up while the men eat.” He laid the map back in the chest and took up the steering board again, “You wish to attack at dawn?”

  “It could be later. If the gates are open then we could use the cover of the river to make a surprise attack. As far as I know no one has raided Gleawecastre. This may be our best opportunity.”

  “Good. That gives us more time. I like not to rush.”

  “Ragnar, Gruffyd, come help me take off my mail.” The two of them helped to pull my bloody mail from me. It would need cleaning but that would have to wait until we reached our home. The blood on the metal would add to the fear we would inspire when we raided next. I placed the mail in my chest and laid my wolf cloak on the deck. I curled up on the fur.

  Gruffyd said, “The wolf cloak stops your shield rubbing when you run.”

  Without opening my eyes I said, “It did when I was younger but my body has hardened. When you see this ancient frame before you, my son, with the hair flecked with white you do not see the boy that lies within. Once I was as you two but time changes us all. Once I looked at Old Olaf, Ragnar and even Prince Buthar and thought I would never be as they. Now I am. Wyrd .”

  I listened as my son and grandson spoke with the girl. It helped to send me to sleep as I heard their story. It was a familiar one. “I am Astrid Mother.” She smiled. “These gave me the name ‘Mother’. After their mothers died or were taken it was I who cared for them. I like the name. It is a good one. Mother Earth cares for all of us and I am honoured to be thought of in that way. One day I shall be a mother and have children of my own but, until then, I care for these. We are all that are left of a clan who lived north of Hwitebi. It is in the land of the Saxons to the east of Eoforwic. Danes from that town came as friends and then slew our men while we ate. My father was gesith of the village. We were Norse and had lived there since the time of my grandfather. My father was headman and was named Thorstein Ill-Luck. He deserved his name that day. There were thirty of us taken to Eoforwic as slaves. After we had been used, eight died; my mother amongst them. Others who died were older women. The rest of us, the ones who survived or were too young to be used, were sold to a slaver. He was an evil man. He liked to touch us while we slept. He did so with the younger ones too.” She paused as though the memory was too painful for her to continue. “We were taken to Wintan-ceastre. Only ten of us survived the journey. That was three years since. The girls who were older than I were taken to serve Saxons in Wintan-ceastre. We were bought by Asser the beer master. We worked making beer. It was good that the Jarl Dragonheart came when he did. I became a woman last month and he had a mind to take me to his bed. The ones who are not here were sold and sent elsewhere. They were girls a little younger than I. You cannot know how relieved I was when Jarl Dragonheart and his wolf warriors came to rescue us.”

  I heard Ragnar say, “The jarl is my grandfather and Gruffyd’s father.”

  “We had heard of him. His was the only name which made the Danes and the Saxons afraid. We liked that. This is Erik Finnisson, he is six summers old. These are his sisters, Birla and Brisa. They are seven and eight summers. This is Leif Leifsson. He is five summers old. He was the youngest. We call him Leif the Lucky for he lived when others died. The last is my little sister, Atla the Silent. She is nine summers old and has not spoken since we were taken.”

  I heard Ragnar, “You need fear no longer, Astrid Mother. We will take you to our home at Cyninges-tūn. The Saxons and the Danes fear to come there. My grandfather is a mighty warrior. Danes do not trick us. Now sleep and we will watch.” My grandson was growing. He was learning that a leader cared for all of his clan; even those who were new.

  I slept. I slept a dreamless sleep for I was weary. The rhythm of the drekar was soothing. I knew that we would race down the Afon but when we struck the sea the motion would change. It would wake me. I knew that my men would also sleep. They needed no urging to eat and drink. They needed not my words to tell them to sleep. Ragnar and Gruffyd would not sleep as long as they should and would pay the price but that would be a lesson they would have to learn themselves. I could not teach them that.

  Erik did not use the men from Cyninges-tūn to row. He let them rest too. While we slept he used the wind to take us further west than we needed. We approached the coast of the land of the Welsh and then he turned to tack us, during the rest of the night and early morning, towards the coast of Wessex. When the wind no longer helped us he woke the men and they rowed part of the way up the powerful Sabrina.

  I was awake by then and I stood watching the land and the river. There were many twists and turns. Sometimes the river seemed as wide as an ocean and, at others, like a narrow stream but it was deep enough no matter how narrow it became. Luckily the narrow parts were few. There were times when the river was in the power of the goddess whose name it bore. At those times no ship could travel up; no matter how many men were on the oars. This was not one of those times. The river goddess, it seems, smiled on our venture and there was barely a ripple in this most powerful and mystical of rivers. The men rowed until the sun was beginning to set once more and we anchored at the confluence of the two arms of the Sabrina. The river was narrow and the trees which lined it hid us from view. We had passed villages and small fishing boats but the sight of two dragon ships made the villagers run, hide, and bar their doors.

  I waved Aðils and Beorn over. “Scout Gleawecastre. It should be to the east.” We could smell wood smoke. It was close but we were well hidden. “Follow the river. We need an approach which is both secret and swift.”

  “Aye Jarl.”

  The two of them left their mail and their shields. They took bows for they would need to be both quick and able to hide. I did not worry about them. After I had made water I ate and I drank some of the ale. We had taken some wine from Aquae Sulis but that did not refresh like ale. I would enjoy that in my hall when we returned home. The pickled fish I ate went better with the ale. I sharpened my sword. I had not needed my seax and that was still sharp enough to shave with. When I had sharpened it I ran my hand down the blade and then kissed the hilt. Ragnar’s Spirit was like my war wife. At home my affection was for Brigid but here, on my drekar and in the land of Wessex, it was Ragnar’s Spirit which held my heart.

  The darkness of night hid us. With our sail furled we would
be hard to see. My warriors rested. It was at moon set that that my scouts returned. Haaken and Olaf joined us as they clambered aboard.

  Beorn said, “The north bank of the side branch is the best for us to use. It brings us close by the new palace they are building.”

  “You saw it?”

  “They have the ditch dug, the posts placed and there are stone walls rising from the ground. The roof beams are in. It is a large building, Jarl Dragonheart. I have only seen bigger in Lundenwic. It is bigger than the one we saw at Wintan-ceastre.” I nodded. “At the town they have a wall and a gate. They are bigger than the ones at Aquae Sulis. We saw the town watch but we did not see how many men they have. The gates were barred.”

  A night time attack was not always the best. We could still use surprise in daylight. The fact that we were so close to our target helped us. “Then we will attack in daylight when people are coming and going. We can approach without being seen?”

  “Aye, Jarl. It is less than a mile from here. There is a path along the river bank. It is not a greenway. We will need to be in single file but we will be hidden.”

  “Prepare yourselves.” I went to the stern and waved over Ketil and Ulf. We had tied the two drekar stern to stern. “Have your men ready. We have less than a mile to walk. The Saxons will come to rue their lack of vigilance. We will attack in daylight when the gates are open. This is a bigger place than the last one we raided. It may be harder.”

  “Our men are ready.” Ulf nodded, “Thank you for coming back for us Jarl. You had no need. It was our appointed duty.”

  I shook my head, “Ulf you were Ulfheonar. You know that we cannot sit by while someone else fights. It is who we are.”

  I put on my war face and prepared to do battle once more.

  Chapter 3

  Dawn was coming when we left the drekar and followed our shape shifter towards Gleawecastre. I had given my instructions to my men. The ones responsible for securing the gate knew who they were. Ketil and Ulf knew that their task was to lead their men to the left and right as we entered. It would be those men I had with me who would head for the Saxon hall. It was we who would take on whatever warriors their thegn had to defend the town. I hoped that a surprise attack, early in the morning, through their gate, would be so unexpected as to give us the advantage we normally took from the night.