by Hosker,Griff
"Gather as many animals as you can. Drive them to the drekar."
When we reached the village Harold and the ship's boys had come ashore to help Gilles and Bertrand. The villages had clay dishes as well as some metal cooking pots. There were jugs of cider too. Sigurd and Skutal had not followed the rest of my warriors; instead they had begun to collect the nets and ropes. They were filling two fishing boats. Sigurd said, cheerfully, "We now have twice as many fishing boats and four times the number of nets. This was a good raid."
While my men drove the animals back I saw that although there were not many of them they had all been kept for breeding. The four cows and six sows were all pregnant. We left the old bull but took a younger one and a young boar too. The villagers had left shell fish pots. We crammed them with fowl and killed the ones we could not cage.
After the two fishing boats were tied to the stern and we had boarded, Sven backed us out of the bay. In terms of warriors lost they had not suffered too badly. Just two men had died. They had, however, lost much of the stock. That was life.
Once we had turned we had the wind behind us and were able to loose the sail. Gudrun Witch Killer shook his head, "That was not the work of a warrior!"
I nodded, "I agree but first we secure the future of the clan and then we worry about honour and glory. Would you rather we had left warriors bleeding on this little rock? This was the first time the Raven Wing Clan raided on the new drekar. I for one take it as a good sign that nothing bad happened. The gods approve and we do that which the Norns like."
As I stood at the stern watching the island disappear beneath the horizon Sven said quietly, "That was well don, hersir. That was the way Siggi would have done it."
I nodded, "And Ulf?"
Sven laughed, "He would have smacked him on the side of his head! He was never a patient man!"
I was pleased that we reached our home before dark. The island and the rocks were dangerous for ships. It was why I had chosen this as a home and not Ċiriċeburh. We had natural defences. If an enemy tried to attack at night they risked their ship.
Chapter 20
Some of the men might have been disappointed with the raid but the women were not. The pots and jugs were seen as treasure. So far we had not shared out the animals. The ones we had brought from Raven Wing Island had an enclosure. If we were attacked then we would bring them inside the stockade. Now we had to work and build bigger ones. To help keep them in and to protect them I had the slaves dig a deep ditch around it and we built a fence. The exception was the stable where we kept my horses. That was in the lower stockade. Bertrand kept calling it a baille. I asked what the word meant. I had been brought up here but had never heard the word.
He shrugged, "It means lower yard that is all."
I nodded, "Then we will use that word. It is simpler than our lower stockade."
And so our language began to change. It was subtle. I used Frank and Norse. The Franks learned Norse while the warriors often used Frankish words. The Frankish mothers used their language when talking to their children and so we evolved a new language where some Norse words were used by the Franks and vice versa. We had been two cultures and now we were becoming one. It was what had happened in the land of the wolf where Jarl Dragonheart coexisted with the old people of the land. They did not need to translate each other's words. They knew them. The difference was that there was a greater difference in our languages but we adapted.
As the weather changed for the better and the land grew greener we saw other sprouts of growth. When my two new mares gave birth my two older mares were in foal again. The sows gave birth and we had to think about the farms that some of my men wished to build. Our wood cutting had cleared much land and so I gave the ones who wished to farm, land. I gave each one an ækre. They were happy with that. As we had cleared the land close to our stronghold they could bring their families in if we were attacked. In return for the gift of land each farmer promised one tenth of all that they produced for the clan. None objected.
One night Mary said, "You will need to let them have animals too."
"But we have so few yet."
She was nursing Ragnvald who was sucking greedily. She winced, "I will be glad when he begins to eat real food rather than me!" As he settled down again she said, "Do as you do with the horses. Keep the bull and the boar. Let farmers bring their animals to breed and we will take one in four of their progeny. Everyone will be happy then."
I stood and kissed her, "You are clever! Where did that idea come from?"
She looked down sadly at Ragnvald, "My father used that. It made the people happy and ensured that we had animals ourselves."
We had taken all from Mary and her people. Now she was the only one left. The others were on Raven Wing Island. With their husbands dead I had no idea what Guthrum the Skull had done with them. With only two horses to ride we worked with Copper and Dawn's Light. Until the other mares had foaled we were limited. Bertrand did not wear mail and he was slight. He rode Copper and he proved to be a good rider. He enjoyed being on a horse and that helped. Dawn's Light was more skittish. Gilles tried to ride her but she bucked too much. Eventually I had to resort to riding her. I was too big for her, I knew that, but she had to get used to a weight on her back and a saddle.
Each day I would walk her along the beach from Harold Haroldsson's farm on the headland to beyond the animal enclosure. After four such journeys I would water her on the headland where Harold and his wife raised sheep and then mount her. Going down the slope made it easier for her to bear my weight and I rode her only as far as the causeway. By the third day she had stopped bucking as much. I spoke to her while walking and while riding. I think she grew used to my voice. The trick would be getting her to bear another. I had done the hard part.
I rested her every fourth day and the three of us would ride as far south as the farmer who lived close to Valognes. His name was Alain. He knew me as Rollo. At the start of Harpa he had a frown on his face when he saw us. "What troubles you this day? The sun is shining and soon our crops will rise from the ground."
"We have a new lord!" He wagged a warning finger at me. "He knows that you and your people have begun to farm close by Monastery Island. He will come to you for taxes too!"
I nodded, non committally. No one liked to pay taxes. "Does he offer protection for the payment of tax?"
The farmer spat, "When did any noble ever worry about a farmer? No he says it is to pay for a new church in Valognes and to raise an army to fight the Vikings who are raiding the Seine. What is wrong with the church they have I say? And the Seine is far from here. Since the raid last year the Vikings have not bothered us. Watch out Rollo. He knows of you."
As we trekked back north Bertrand asked, "Will we have to fight?"
"Perhaps but if he does come north he will have a shock for he will recognise that we are Vikings and he will not necessarily have the men to break our walls."
Gilles turned to Bertrand, "It is what I told you. Our lord is clever. That is why we spent so long building our walls. We are few in number but the walls make us as strong as a mighty army."
I hoped he was right. I had not expected to be discovered so soon.
Harold Fast Sailing went to Dorestad to trade. Bagsecg and his sons had made many smaller items from some of our silver treasure. We used just the smaller coins which he formed into rings, bracelets and necklaces. Using amber we had traded in Dyflin and some jet which Ulf had left us they were attractive pieces and would fetch a high price. Mary and her women had made some beautiful dresses. They would be sold and fresh bolts of cloth bought. Dorestad was just a day along the coast and he would be back in three day's time.
I summoned all the men, the day Harold left, and gave them the news about the Leudes from Valognes. "What do we do when he comes, hersir? Do we fight?"
"We will be ready to fight, Finni Jarlson, but if I can live with my neighbours then I will do so."
Gilles said, "Tell them the news about the Sei
ne, lord."
Arne Four Toes asked, "Seine?"
"It is what they call the Issicauna. Our brothers are raiding that river and they are raising an army to fight them. I asked Harold to find out more when he is in Dorestad. That port is full of gossip."
"So we prepare to fight."
"We do, Bagsecg. We make arrows. We keep the water ditch full. We make sure the ditch beneath the haugr is ready and we watch. When you look after your animals then keep an eye on the land to see if the Franks are coming. Hunters keep hunting and preserving meat. We will not kill our own animals. Skutal and Sigurd, your fish lines and nets may well be the saving of us."
"And what about our drekar? If they attack that then we are trapped and it would take a long time to build another."
"You need to find an anchorage by the island which cannot be reached on foot."
Sven nodded, "Somewhere that can only be reached at high tide by a boat?" I nodded. "I will start to sleep on board with the ships' boys. There are many jobs we can do and Skutal can bring our food out on his fishing boat."
"They may not be here for months."
He smiled, "She is a good drekar and I am not unhappy to sleep aboard. I did so many times on 'Raven's Wing' and 'Dragon's Breath' is an even better warship. I do not mind. I will wait until Harold returns."
Rurik, Arne and I spent the next three days working with the newer and younger warriors and boys. They needed to know how we fought. We had a large palisade to protect. Even using the many boys we had who were armed with slings we would still have ten paces each to watch. So long as the enemy were on the other side of the ditch we could manage. Once they crossed then we were in trouble. Rurik had made a bull's horn into a trumpet. We would use it to signal. When it was sounded three times then we would all fall back and defend the inner ward by the halls. There we would be almost shoulder to shoulder.
Sven and his boys came up with the ingenious idea of building a cradle of wood for the drekar. Sven was pleased with the idea. "It will become a dock where we can work on the hull. See, if I build it there where the rocks from a natural hollow, we can sail the drekar off at high tide but at other times she is protected from attack by the rocks which surround her."
"That means you can only leave at high tide."
"That is when I would choose to sail anyway. I like this bay but it has more rocks than a shark has teeth!"
It took a long time for them to build their cradle as they could only work at low tide. In the end it proved to be a gift from the gods. Whoever had placed the idea in Sven's minds saved the clan.
It was dusk when Harold's knarr edged into the bay and tied up to the jetty. While the crew fetched the trade goods he hurried to speak with us. "Your farmer was right. Many Vikings have been raiding the river they call the Seine. It is said that the Dragonheart's success began the raids and our success and Jarl Gunnar's have only increased the number of ships who attack the Franks. They cannot find a way to defeat us. Some have spent a whole seven days there raiding up and down that mighty river."
I nodded, "That was to be expected."
"Guthrum the Skull raided. He now has three drekar under his command. The gossip was that he has declared himself King of the island which he now calls Skull Island."
Rurik snorted, "King? Then I am Emperor!"
"He can keep the island. We destroyed everything that was of value there and the name means nothing. We do not relax our vigilance. Did the trades go well?"
"Aye. We fetched high prices for the jewels and the garments. I bought more cloth than was asked for. We had coins aplenty."
"My wife will be pleased."
Life should have been perfect. My son was growing and each day became more of a person and less of a mewling baby. I looked forward to the time I could teach him to ride. Our two ponies had given birth to a foal and I had already promised that to Ragnvald. He would ride as soon as he could walk. Soon I would get more ponies. If I began all the boys of the haugr riding early they would become better riders. I wanted them all to the standard of Gilles and me.
Ragnvald slept better these days and I had had more uninterrupted sleep of late. It was, therefore, something of a shock to be woken up by his cries. I was not certain of the hour for it was a cloudy night with squally rain. I was awake and, as my wife saw to the baby, I descended to the hall. I would not be able to sleep straightaway. I decided to go and check on Rowan and Hazel. Wrapping my cloak around me I headed for my horses. I opened the gate to the baille and crossed the bridge to the stables. When I reached it I saw Nipper, standing, sniffing the air. His ears were pricked. There was danger.
We had two men whose task it was to walk the walls of my outer palisade each night. They all took turns. Our experiences on Raven Wing Island had taught us the value of such vigilance. This night it was Gunnar Stone Face and Rolf Arneson. I ascended the ladder to the gate and walked towards them. They were standing together looking towards the island.
"Is there danger?"
Rolf shook his head, "I am not certain. Perhaps it is my imagination. I thought I saw a flap of sail to the north. Gunnar thought it might be 'Dragon's Breath'."
"Sven would not loose the sail at night." I peered into the darkness. Just then I heard a whistle from the gate. We ran back to the gate. Harold Haroldsson stood there with his wife Greta.
"Hersir, there is danger!"
We hurried down the ladder and let them in. "What is it?"
"I woke to make water and I saw, to the north, three drekar. They were heading south. I did not know if they might be heading further down the coast...."
"You did right. You two go back on watch. Harold, take your wife to the haugr and wake the men. I will wake the others. Do so silently. If this is an enemy I do not want them to know we are roused."
As I passed Nipper I said, "Good dog." If he had not been alert I might have gone back to bed. Inside the hall I shouted, "Awake and arm. There are enemies. Go to the walls." I turned to Gilles and Bertrand. They always slept by the door. "Saddle your horses and bring in the farmers."
I ascended to my sleeping chamber. Mary was still feeding. "There is danger. There are three drekar heading for shore."
There had been a time when such a statement would have invoked tears but my wife had grown. "I will organize food."
"Have the younger women on the walls. Tell them to put on the spare helmets."
"You would make them think we have greater numbers than we do."
"Aye for three drekar could bring a hundred or more Vikings."
I donned my mail and grabbed my large shield, bow, and three throwing spears. By the time I was heading through the hall many of my warriors were also dressed and ready to go to the walls. As I passed Erik One Hand and Bagsecg I said, "When the last warrior has left bar the gate. I have told the young girls to wear helmets. I want the enemy to see this inner wall manned too."
"Aye hersir."
Others had reached the walls already. They were crowded around Rolf and Gunnar. They were staring to the north. I hissed, "Spread out. I want ten paces between each man. When the boys come, put them between you."
I was already coming up with the idea of giving the boys headgear to make them look like warriors. If an enemy attacked in the dark he did not make out faces but shapes. A figure with a helmet might be a warrior. The ditch we had erected gave us a good fighting platform and we were able to pass each other easily. I reached Gunnar and Rolf. It was still their watch. I knew there was no way that I could send a message to Sven. He and his boys would have to fend for themselves. Our drekar was moored over a cradle Sven had made. It was only exposed at low tide. The only time Sven could move was at high tide. As the tide had just turned he would be stuck there.
Rolf pointed to the north of the shadow that was our own drekar. It did not move much for it was anchored and had the cradle beneath it. "Look, I can see three sails."
The squally rain and wind was gusting but Rolf was right. The occasional flash of something l
ighter could only be a sail.
Gunnar shook his head. "They are coming too quickly."
Harold Fast Sailing had arrived and as was fastening his sword he said, "It is a lazy captain. He uses the wind which comes from the north east. It means his men do not need to row."
"You are right. And that means they intend to land here." My mind was filled with plans to stop fellow Vikings from slaughtering us and, at the same time, I began to think who they could be. I came up with two conclusions, either the Danes or the Frisians. Even as the thought flickered and flashed through my mind I knew the answer. "It is Guthrum the Skull. The Eriksson brothers raided here."
"Then he knows about the island."
"Aye but does he have Ulf Big Nose with him? We almost foundered on the rocks and were only saved by Ulf. When we returned we needed a light and the fishing boats to land safely." I looked up to the heavens and touched my horse token, "Thank you Siggi and Ulf, you watch over us yet." I turned to the three of them. "You keep watch here and I will go and warn the others of the dangers." My men knew the Frisians and understood the danger they represented. Knowing your enemy was half the battle.
As I passed my warriors I told them who we faced. As I reached the gate I saw Gilles and Bertrand. They had brought in the six families who lived in farms beyond our walls. I shouted down, "Gilles take the families and all the horses into the citadel then come to the walls. Warn them that we fight Guthrum the Skull!"
Others might have waited until we knew but I had had the thought planted in my head. Aiden had always told me to trust such thoughts. I had been chosen by the Norns and I had dreamed in the cave. Aiden told me that gave me a way to speak with the spirits of the dead. He had said, "It can be frustrating Hrolf, for you do not choose the time but when they have something to tell you it will creep, like a hind approaching water and looking for predators, carefully, quietly. You will barely know it is there and then it will seem as though you, yourself, have conjured the idea. Welcome to the spirit world!"
