Herigar—for once not accompanied by an armed guard—walked down the dock to our ships. A tall man with blond hair and beard was with him. In his stature and build he much resembled Hastein, though he looked to be somewhat younger.
Assuming Herigar had come to say his farewells, Hastein and Torvald met him on the pier between the two ships. I joined them, as did many others of our company, including Einar and Gudfred. Although we had once thought him a foe, and would have killed him if we'd had the chance, now all had come to view the captain of Birka's garrison with great respect.
"So you are leaving Birka?" Herigar asked.
Hastein nodded. "Aye. At first light we sail for Oeland. We left some of our company recovering there from wounds, after our battle with the pirates. Then from Oeland, it will be back to Jutland, and our homes."
"I wish you a safe and speedy journey." Turning to me, Herigar indicated the man with him and said, "This is Rurik. He has only recently arrived in Birka, although I knew his father years before. He has traveled the eastern road. He has information that may be of interest to you."
"Herigar has told me that your sister was sold to a slave trader," Rurik said, "and that he has left Birka, headed for the eastern road."
"Yes," I said. "That is true."
"They will be sailing for Aldeigjuborg. It is at the northern end of the eastern road, and lies almost due east from Birka, across the Austmarr. Once they cross the sea, they will enter a long, narrow bay, and must sail to its far end. A river empties into the bay there. The river is not long, and leads to a great lake, much like the lake Birka is located on. Another, much longer river empties into this lake on its southern shore. Aldeigjuborg is there, on that river."
"How long a journey is it?" I asked.
He studied the Gull and Serpent briefly. "In fast ships such as these, even if you have only modest winds, you can reach the end of the bay in three days' time, sailing without stopping. With stronger winds, the journey will be briefer than that."
"The men who bought your sister are not sailing in a longship," Herigar volunteered. "They are in a knarr. They are carrying many female slaves in addition to her, plus other cargo. They cannot sail nearly as swiftly as these ships can. And they may not sail straight through. If they break their journey for the night, once they reach the bay on the far side of the Austmarr…."
"Hastein!" I cried, turning to face him. "It is possible we can catch them!"
He shook his head. "It is too long a chance, Halfdan. They left Birka five days ago. Even if their ship is slower than ours, too much time has passed. By now they surely will have reached Aldeigjuborg, or at the very least be nearing it. They almost certainly will have already departed down the eastern road by the time we could get there. I am truly sorry, but that is a journey I am not willing to take."
"They may not leave Aldeigjuborg so soon," Rurik said. "The eastern road is very long and very dangerous. They will not travel it alone. There is safety in numbers. They will surely wait until other merchants are ready to make the journey, as well. And they cannot travel the road in a knarr. They will need a ship—or more likely several ships, if they are bringing many slaves and much cargo—with shallower drafts and more oars than a knarr, for they will be traveling upriver for the first part of the journey and may often have to row, and there are several portages where the ships must be dragged over land. It will take them some time to prepare for this journey. They will not leave Aldeigjuborg quickly. There is even a chance, with winter so near, that they may bide there until spring. Many of the eastern road merchants make their homes there."
"We do not know the way," Hastein protested, sounding exasperated.
"I can guide you," Rurik offered. "I am seeking passage to Aldeigjuborg, for my kinfolk are there, and I have been very long away."
"Surely this is a journey the Norns wish us to take," I pleaded. "They would not have provided us with a guide, and a chance to find Sigrid, if that were not so. She is my family," I added. "The only family I have left."
Hastein scanned the faces of the men who had gathered around, watching and listening. "We sailed on this voyage to hunt Toke," he told them." That is why all of you came. If we do this, it will only be because we all agree to it. I will not make this decision alone."
"We should do this thing," Gudfred said. "Hrorik Strong-Axe was our chieftain. Sigrid is his only daughter. If there is a chance to save her, we should try. We should do this for Hrorik, for Sigrid—and for Halfdan."
"Aye, aye," the men from the estate and the village cried, all voicing their approval.
"Torvald?" Hastein asked.
"What of our comrades back on Oeland?"
"I will get word to them that you have been delayed," Herigar said.
Torvald looked from side to side, into the faces of Hastein's men. Bryngolf, Hallbjorn, and the others nodded to him. "Halfdan is our comrade," Torvald said, shrugging his shoulders. "We should do this thing."
Hastein waited, but no one spoke against it. "Then it is decided," he said, but did not sound pleased.
Turning to Herigar, he asked, "What is the name of this slaver we are seeking, and how many men does he have?"
"His name is Hugliek," Herigar replied. "He has fifteen warriors who help him sail the knarr and protect his goods. And there is the Arab buyer, also. He has two warriors of his own people with him as guards."
Hastein sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "We have sailed the length of the Austmarr, and have faced pirates and the garrison of Birka," he said resignedly. "Compared to that, this is but a short journey, and we will only be dealing with a small party of merchants. How dangerous can it be?"
Maps
Glossary
Aldeigjuborg: The Viking peoples' name for the settlement of Staraja Ladoga, located on the River Volkhov off the southern end of Lake Ladoga. Staraja Ladoga was an important trading center during the 8th and 9th centuries, and was the northern end of the two trade routes known as the eastern road that led down through Russia along several of its rivers to the Black and Caspian Seas.
aurar: Literally "ounces" (singular: eyrir); a Viking era measurement of both weight and value of silver. Eight aurar equaled one mark.
Austmarr: The "East Sea," a term used by Viking era Scandinavian peoples to refer to the Baltic Sea in northern Europe. The Baltic was also called the "Eastern Lake," the "Eastway," or the "Easterway," although the latter two terms were sometimes used to refer to not only the Baltic Sea itself, but also the lands bordering it.
baldric: A belt or strap, usually made of leather, worn over the shoulder, from which a sword's scabbard would hang, typically positioned at the opposite hip. Wearing a sword on a baldric, instead of attaching the scabbard to a belt at the waist, had the advantage that the scabbarded sword could more quickly and easily be removed.
berserker: Warriors in Viking age Scandinavian society who were noted for their exceptional fierceness and fearlessness in battle, and for their moody, difficult dispositions in periods of peace.
Birka: A town located on the island of Bjorko on Lake Malaren in Sweden. By virtue of its location near the eastern end of the Baltic Sea, Birka was an important trading center serving the eastern road, two long trade routes running down several rivers through the lands of modern Russia, eventually reaching the Black and Caspian Seas. Using the eastern road, Viking merchants were able to trade directly with the Byzantine and Muslim Caliphate Empires.
bracer: A long cuff of leather worn by archers on the wrist area of the arm they hold their bow with, to protect against the slap of the bowstring when the bow is shot.
braces: On a square-rigged ship, the lines attached to the ends of the yard, used to rotate it and the sail around the mast.
brynie: A shirt of mail armor, made of thousands of small iron or steel rings linked together into a flexible garment.
butt: A backstop, usually made of rolled and compressed hay, used for archery target practice.
byre: A barn or animal shed
. In Viking era Scandinavia, a farm's animal byre was usually connected to the main longhouse, or hall, in which the inhabitants of the farm lived.
carl: A free man in Viking-age Scandinavian society.
common tongue: The proto-Germanic language now known as Old Norse, which during the Viking era was spoken across Scandinavia. According to some of the older sagas, it was also spoken by the Anglo-Saxons in England, who had migrated from their Scandinavian homelands several centuries earlier, although by the later centuries of the Viking era the language in England had evolved into Old English.
Danevirke: A great earthen wall built across the base of the Jutland peninsula of Denmark, from coast to coast, to protect the Danish lands from invasion by the Franks.
denier: A Frankish silver coin, first introduced as a standard measure of currency by Charlemagne. Deniers were roughly equivalent in size and value to English silver pennies of the time, in that it took 240 of each to make one pound.
draugr: The walking dead; a dead person who is not at rest and roams in the night.
eastern road: Trade routes used by the Vikings that traveled down through what is now Russia, on the Volga and Lovat-Dnieper River systems, allowing Scandinavian merchants to trade directly with the Byzantine Empire and the Muslim Caliphate.
ell: A length of measurement based on the distance from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow, about eighteen inches.
Falster: A Danish island located below Sjaelland and just west of the island of Mon.
felag: The agreement made among members of a ship's crew prior to a voyage which covered, among other things, how any profit from the voyage would be divided.
Finn: The name commonly used during the Viking era to describe the Sami peoples of northern Scandinavia. The Sami, sometimes also called Lapps by outsiders, lived a hunter-gatherer lifestyle in areas of the lands that are now Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia.
fletching: The three feathers at the back of an arrow used to stabilize its flight.
Frankia: Also called Francia; the land of the Franks, roughly corresponding to most of modern France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and western Germany. By A.D. 845, the former Frankish Empire had split into three kingdoms: West Frankia, roughly corresponding to modern France; the Eastern Frankish Kingdom, stretching from the Rhine River eastward through the lands now comprising modern Germany; and the short-lived Middle Kingdom, which stretched from Frisia in the north to the Mediterranean coast of modern France, and also included parts of northern Italy.
godi: A priest in pagan Viking age Scandinavian society. The position of godi was usually held by a chieftain, and typically a godi would preside not only over religious festivals and sacrifices, but also over a Thing, or regional assembly. A godi could also administer oaths, which were usually sworn on a special ring of iron or sometimes gold.
Gotar: One of the two main tribal groups that inhabited much of the lands composing modern Sweden. Although the lands of the Vastergotars and the Ostergotars were separate, independent kingdoms before and during the early part of the Viking era, the more powerful Svear kingdom to the east became dominant by the latter part of the tenth century, and during the latter centuries of the Viking period Svear kings ruled both peoples and lands.
great belt: The channel between the Danish islands of Sjaelland and Fyn.
Halland: A province or region along the west coast of modern Sweden, which during the Viking era was considered to be part of Denmark.
Hedeby: The largest town in ninth-century Denmark, and a major Viking age trading center. Hedeby was located near the base of the Jutland peninsula on its eastern side, on a fjord jutting inland from the coast.
house carl: A warrior in the personal service of a chieftain or nobleman, who lives in the chieftain's longhouse.
Huginn: According to Viking mythology, one of two ravens who would keep Odin, the chieftain of the gods, informed of all that occurred across the worlds of gods and men. The name Huginn meant "thought." Odin's other raven was named Muninn, meaning "memory."
i-viking: To go raiding.
jarl: A very high-ranking chieftain in Viking-age Scandinavian society, who ruled over a large area of land on behalf of the king. The word and concept "jarl" is the origin of the English "earl."
Jutland: The peninsula that forms the mainland of modern and ancient Denmark, named after the Jutes, one of the ancient Danish tribes.
Jutland Sea: The sea to the north and east of the Jutland peninsula, separating it from Norway.
knarr: A general-purpose ship used in Viking-age Scandinavia for trade and other commercial uses. Though of similar construction to longships, knarrs tended to be shorter and broader, had higher sides, and were designed to be propelled primarily by sail, although they could be rowed and typically had three to five oars per side.
Limfjord: A long fjord that runs completely across the northern tip of the Jutland peninsula in Denmark, providing a protected passage during the Viking period between the Scandinavian lands and the North Sea.
longship: The long, narrow ship used for war by the peoples of Viking-age Scandinavia. Longships had shallow drafts, allowing them to be beached or to travel up rivers, and were designed to be propelled swiftly by either sail or by rowing. They were sometimes also called dragonships, because many longships had carved heads of dragons or other beasts decorating the stem post at the bow of the ship.
mark: A measurement of silver by weight, roughly equivalent to eight ounces.
mast-fish: The large, heavy wooden brace on the deck of a longship which supports and braces the ship's mast.
Mon: A Danish island located to the south of Sjaelland, which has high cliffs facing east over the Baltic sea.
niddingsvaark: Work of infamy; the dishonorable acts of a Nithing.
Nithing: Also Nidding; one who is not considered a person because he has no honor. Nithing is the root word from which the word "nothing" evolved.
nock: The notch cut in the rear of an arrow, into which the bowstring is placed to shoot it. When an arrow is seated on the bowstring it is "nocked." Also, the name of the notches cut into the tips of a bow's limbs, in which the bowstring is secured to the bow.
nor: A brackish lake or lagoon connected to the sea by a channel.
Norns: Three ancient sisters who, according to pagan Scandinavian belief, sat together at the base of the world-tree and wove the fates of all men and of the world itself on their looms.
Norse: The Scandinavians who lived in the area of modern Norway. During the mid-ninth century, large portions of the Norse lands were at least nominally ruled by the Danish kings. Non-Scandinavians sometimes used the term Norsemen, or Northmen, to describe any Viking raiders from the Scandinavian lands.
Odin: The Scandinavian god of death, war, wisdom, and poetry; the chieftain of the gods.
Oeland: The island of Oland, located just off the coast of Sweden. Although before the Viking era and during its early years the inhabitants of Oland were considered a separate people or tribe, referred to in several early Anglo-Saxon sources as the Eowans, by the latter centuries of the Viking Age they were subjects of the Svear kingdom.
Ostergotarland: The land of the Ostergotars; the lands in central Sweden which were the traditional homelands of the Ostrogoths.
reef: To make the surface of a sail smaller so that it will catch less wind.
reefing lines: On the sails of Viking ships, rows of rope lines spaced across the sail horizontally, which could be used to tie up sections of the sail in order to reef, or shorten it.
Ruda: The Viking's name for Rouen, a Frankish town near the mouth of the Seine River.
runes: The alphabet used for writing in the ancient Scandinavian and Germanic languages. Runic letters, comprised of combinations of simple, straight strokes, were easy to carve into stone or wood.
Samso: One of the northernmost of the Danish islands, located roughly nine miles off the eastern coast of Jutland.
scot: A tax or duty, usually in the for
m of military service, owed to the king.
seax: Also saxe; a single-edged knife, often quite large, widely used as a weapon and tool in the Scandinavian, Germanic, and Anglo-Saxon cultures.
sheets: On a square-rigged ship, the lines attached to the bottom corners of the sail.
Sjaelland: The largest of the Danish islands, and the homeland, during the Viking era, of the Danish kings.
skald: A poet.
Skane: The southwestern region of modern Sweden. During the Viking era, both Skane and Halland, the coastal region directly above Skane, were considered part of Denmark.
steer-board: The device used to steer Viking ships, serving a purpose similar to a rudder. Although conventional rudders are typically mounted centered on the stern of a ship, the steer-board, or steering oar, on Viking ships was mounted on the right side of the ship, close to the stern. The modern word "starboard" for the right side of a ship is derived from the use of a steer-board on the right side of Viking ships.
stem post: On a Viking longship, the heavy timbers attached to either end of the keel which curved up to create the bow and stern of the ship, and to which the strakes, or planks of the ship's hull, were attached.
strake: One of the planks used to form the hull of a Viking ship. The strakes were thin─often no more than an inch thick─and the hull was constructed by overlapping the strakes and riveting them together, rather than by nailing planks butted side by side against a frame, the other common method of constructing a wooden hull.
Svear: One of the two main Scandinavian tribes or peoples who inhabited the area of modern Sweden. The kingdom of the Sveas was located in what is now eastern Sweden.
Thing: A regional assembly held periodically in Viking age Scandinavian countries where citizens of an area could present suits to be decided by vote, according to law. Lawsuits heard at Things were the forerunner and origin of what became, centuries later in English culture, the concept of trial by a jury of peers.
The Long Hunt (The Strongbow Saga) Page 32
