This time Thorgrim nodded. Asmund’s thoughts were his own. In his mind, the great difficulty and expense of transporting so many men to the slave markets outweighed any profit that might be had from them. Even more so considering, as Asmund said, they did not even know where they were, or how far they were from Frisia.
But Jorund was correct as well. They could not just leave them behind.
“Louis,” Thorgrim said and Louis looked up, surprised, having apparently not thought his advice would be sought. “Will the English pay a ransom for these men?”
Louis shrugged. “They’ll pay some, I would think,” he said. “This priory, it looks to be an important place.” He looked around, gestured at the big church and the extensive grounds with their dense cluster of buildings. “The lives of the priests and the abbot will be worth something to someone. And the men-at-arms, too. They’re in someone’s service, and he’s likely to pay to get them back.”
“You think these men are oath-sworn to someone else?” Thorgrim asked. “They don’t belong to the monastery?”
“Monasteries do not usually have men-at-arms in their service,” Louis explained.
Thorgrim frowned. He thought about Bécc and the warriors under his command. He had assumed those men were part of the monastery at Ferns, but maybe not. He would have to ask Louis about that, at some other time.
“Why would anyone pay for the hostages,” Halldor asked, “when they can just as well attack this place as we did and try to free them? And rid Engla-land of us as well? Sure the local jarl can raise an army against us.”
Thorgrim waited to see if anyone else had an answer, but no one did, so he provided the best one he could. “The jarls around here won’t know how many we are, but they’ll see seven ships and know we’re a strong force. And we are. Besides, we have hostages. I think they’ll lose interest in attacking us if we start cutting priests’ throats and tossing them over the wall. Isn’t that right, Louis?”
Louis looked at Thorgrim for a moment. He did not care to answer that. But finally, grudgingly, he said, “Yes, I suspect that’s right.”
And so it was decided. They would load the ships with stores and the plunder they had taken. They would make ready to leave at any moment. And then they would wait to see who came to them, and what they had to offer.
They did not wait long. First back was Starri Deathless and the two men with him. They had ridden east along the coast and they had found nothing but a few more small, inconsequential villages. Then a short time later, one of Jorund’s men, a wiry fellow named Ofeig, returned from scouting west. He and the two men with him were red-faced from hard riding, and their horses’ flanks were slick with sweat.
“There’s an army marching toward us. They’re still ten miles away, I would think,” Ofeig reported to the assembly of chief men. “Some men on horseback, some with mail. Most on foot. Spears, no mail. Shields. Maybe two hundred or more.”
The men nodded slowly as they listened. They each understood the implications of this report. The men on horseback would be trained fighting men. Those on foot were something else, likely farmers or tradesmen or such, called up to help fight off this new threat. Not real warriors. But in big numbers they were a genuine threat, a lesson Bécc had reinforced.
“I suppose these men, the ones marching here, are the men we’ll wish to speak with,” Thorgrim said. “They may be the ones to pay a ransom for the hostages.” And so they waited. But it was not the men-at-arms who came there first.
It was a single man, or more correctly a single man with four guards riding behind. He was a good ways off when the sentry on top of the wall reported him approaching. Thorgrim climbed up to see for himself, and watched as the riders came closer. One of the men on horseback held a pole with a white cloth tied to it, and Thorgrim guessed that it was a sign that they wished to speak.
“Open the gate,” Thorgrim said.
The five riders rode through and the gate was closed behind them, but they did not seem bothered by that. The man leading the others slipped down from his horse and stood waiting for someone to approach. And Thorgrim did, with Jorund and Gudrid on either side.
The man spoke, looking directly at Thorgrim, and the two men held one another’s eyes. He was about Thorgrim’s height but a bit stockier, with light brown hair, the color of beach sand, and a neatly cropped beard. He wore mail and a cloak and his clothes and shoes were good. Not the fine clothing of a very wealthy man, but that of a prosperous man. An important man. He wore a sword and he carried himself with surety.
When the man was done speaking, Gudrid said, “He says his name is Oswin and he is the…shire reeve…” Gudrid stumbled a bit on the unfamiliar term. “I understand that means he has some authority around here. He says he was sent by his ealdorman, his jarl, to see what our business is here, what we want.”
“Tell him we have what we want,” Thorgrim said. “Gold, silver, many slaves for the markets in Frisia.”
Gudrid translated. Oswin nodded. His expression did not change. Then he spoke.
“He asks if some of the slaves are men-at-arms,” Gudrid said. “If you would be willing to take a ransom for them.”
Thorgrim smiled. “He’ll pay ransom for the men-at-arms, but not the priests?”
Gudrid and the man exchanged words. “He says he will pay for the priests as well,” Gudrid said, though it was clear that to this Oswin the priests were an afterthought.
“Ask him if his plan is for me to keep talking long enough for his other army to get here, the one marching from the west.”
Gudrid translated, and for the first time Thorgrim saw a flicker of surprise on Oswin’s face. Then he replied.
“He says that is not his army. It’s an enemy, a powerful enemy,” Gudrid said. “An enemy of both of us.”
An enemy of both of us? Thorgrim thought. When did you and I become allies?
“Oswin says they will drive us from this place,” Gudrid continued. “He also says that we can fight them, and the men-at-arms we hold as prisoners can join us, and then we’ll defeat this army and then there will be plunder much beyond what was here. He says there’s not much time.”
Thorgrim smiled again. He could not help himself. As a young man he had gone a’viking on the east coast of Engla-land. They had stormed ashore, plundered, taken slaves and silver and food and ale and had disappeared over the horizon. Quick. Clean.
Now it seemed that he could not set foot on shore without getting tangled up in some local mess. He had longed to leave Ireland behind, with its spider webs of intrigue and betrayal and wars between one pathetic kingdom and the next. He had finally got free of that place, and yet the intrigue and betrayal seemed to have followed him across the sea.
Will this ever end? he asked himself. Had the Northmen been coming to those shores in such numbers, and for so long, that they were now part of this world of Ireland and Engla-land?
So it seemed, and it did not seem likely to end anytime soon. Like Loki, chained to the rocks, a snake’s poison dripping on his head until the end of time, he would be forced to play these games of men, all in the vain hope that he would someday be allowed to reach his home.
The gods will have their fun…
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Glory in the Name
Thieves of Mercy
Glossary
adze – a tool much like an ax but with the blade set at a right angle to the handle.
Ægir – Norse god of the sea. In Norse mythology he was also the host of great feasts for the gods.
Angel-cynn - (pronounced Angle-kin). Term used in the writing of Alfred the Great and the Old English Chronical to denote both the English people of Teutonic descent, namely the Angles, Saxons and Jutes, and the land they occupied. This seems to be the only term used to denote the country of England until the Danish conquest, after which the island was refered to as Engla land.
Asgard - the dwelling place of the Norse gods and goddesses, essentially the Norse heaven.
athwartships – at a right angle to the centerline of a vessel.
beitass - a wooden pole, or spar, secured to the side of a ship on the after end and leading forward to which the corner, or clew, of a sail could be secured.
berserkir - a Viking warrior able to work himself up into a frenzy of blood-lust before a battle. The berserkirs, near psychopathic killers in battle, were the fiercest of the Viking soldiers. The word berserkir comes from the Norse for “bear shirt” and is the origin of the modern English “berserk”.
block – nautical term for a pulley.
boss - the round, iron centerpiece of a wooden shield. The boss formed and iron cup protruding from the front of the shield, providing a hollow in the back across which ran the hand grip.
bothach – Gaelic term for poor tenant farmers, serfs
brace - line used for hauling a yard side to side on a horizontal plane. Used to adjust the angle of the sail to the wind.
brat – a rectangular cloth worn in various configurations as an outer garment over a leine .
bride-price - money paid by the family of the groom to the family of the bride.
byrdingr - A smaller ocean-going cargo vessel used by the Norsemen for trade and transportation. Generally about 40 feet in length, the byrdingr was a smaller version of the more well-known knarr .
cable – a measure of approximately 600 feet.
clench nail – a type of nail that, after being driven through a board, has a type of washer called a rove placed over the end and is then bent over to secure it in place.
clew – one of the lower corners of a square sail, to which the sheet is attached.
ceorl – a commoner in early Medieval England, a peasant, but also a small-time landowner with right. Memebers of the ceorl class served in the fyrd .
curach - a boat, unique to Ireland, made of a wood frame covered in hide. They ranged in size, the largest propelled by sail and capable of carrying several tons. The most common sea-going craft of mediaeval Ireland. Curach was the Gaelic word for boat which later became the word curragh.
dagmál – breakfast time
derbfine – In Irish law, a family of four generations, including a man, his sons, grandsons and great grandsons.
dragon ship - the largest of the Viking warships, upwards of 160 feet long and able to carry as many as 300 men. Dragon ships were the flagships of the fleet, the ships of kings.
dubh gall - Gaelic term for Vikings of Danish descent. It means Black Strangers, a reference to the mail armor they wore, made dark by the oil used to preserve it. See fin gall .
ell – a unit of length, a little more than a yard.
eyrir – Scandanavian unit of measurment, approximatly an ounce.
félag – a fellowship of men who owed each other a mutual obligation, such as multiple owners of a ship, or a band or warriors who had sworn allegiance to one another.
figurehead – ornamental carving on the bow of a ship.
fin gall - Gaelic term for Vikings of Norwegian descent. It means White Strangers. See dubh gall .
forestay – a rope running from the top of a ship’s mast to the bow used to support the mast.
Frisia – a region in the northern part of the modern-day Netherlands.
Freya - Norse goddess of beauty and love, she was also associated with warriors, as many of the Norse deity were. Freya often led the Valkyrie to the battlefield.
fyrd – in Medieval England, a levy of commoners called up for military service when needed.
gallows – tall, T-shaped posts on the ship’s centerline, forward of the mast, on which the oars and yard were stored when not in use.
gunnel – the upper edge of a ship’s side.
hack silver – pieces of silver from larger units cut up for dsitribution.
halyard - a line by which a sail or a yard is raised.
Haustm á nudur – early autumn. Literally, harvest-month.
Hel - in Norse mythology, the daughter of Loki and the ruler of the underworld where those who are not raised up to Valhalla are sent to suffer. The same name, Hel, is given to the realm over which she rules, the Norse hell.
hide – a unit of land considered sufficient to support a single family.
hird - an elite corps of Viking warriors hired and maintained by a king or powerful jarl . Unlike most Viking warrior groups, which would assemble and disperse at will, the hird was retained as a semi-permanent force which formed the core of a Viking army.
hirdsman - a warrior who is a member of the hird .
h ó lmganga – a formal, organized duel fought in a marked off area between two men.
jarl - title given to a man of high rank. A jarl might be an independent ruler or subordinate to a king. Jarl is the origin of the English word earl .
Jörmungandr – in Norse mythology, a vast sea serpent that surrounds the earth, grasping its own tail.
knarr - a Norse merchant vessel. Smaller, wider and more sturdy than the longship, knarrs were the workhorse of Norse trade, carrying cargo and settlers where ever the Norsemen traveled.
Laigin – Medieval name for the modern-day county of Leinster in the south east corner of Ireland.
league – a distance of three miles.
lee shore – land that is downwind of a ship, on which a ship in in danger of being driven.
leeward – down wind.
leech – either one of the two vertical edges of a square sail.
leine – a long, loose-fitting smock worn by men and women under other clothing. Similar to the shift of a later period.
levies - conscripted soldiers of 9th century warfare.
Loki - Norse god of fire and free spirits. Loki was mischievous and his tricks caused great trouble for the gods, for which he was punished.
longphort - literally, a ship fortress. A small, fortified port to protect shipping and serve as a center of commerce and a launching off point for raiding.
luchrupán – middle Irish word that became the modern-day Leprechaun.
luff – the shivering of a sail when its edge is pointed into the wind and the wind strikes it on both sides.
Midgard – one of nine worlds in Norse mythology, it is the earth, the world known and visible to humans.
Niflheim – the World of Fog. One of the nine worlds in Norse mythology, somewhat analogous to Hell, the afterlife for people who do not die honorable deaths.
Njord – Norse god of the sea and seafaring.
Odin - foremost of the Norse gods. Odin was the god of wisdom and war, protector of both chieftains and poets.
oénach –a major fair, often held on a feast day in an area bordered by two territories.
perch - a unit of measure equal to 16½ feet. The same as a rod.
Ragnarok - the mythical final battle when most humans and gods would be killed by the forces of evil and the earth destroyed, only to rise again, purified.
rath – Gaelic word for a ringfort . Many Irish place names still contain the word Rath.
rod – a unit of measure equal to
16½ feet. The same as a perch
rove – a square washer used to fasten the planks of a longship. A nail is driven through the plank and the hole in the washer and then bent over.
ringfort - common Irish homestead, consisting of houses protected by circular earthwork and palisade walls.
rí túaithe – Gaelic term for a minor king, who would owe allegiance to nobles higher in rank.
rí tuath – a minor king who is lord over several rí túaithe.
rí ruirech –a supreme or provincial king, to whom the rí tuath owe allegiance.
sceattas – small, thick silver coins minted in England and Frisia in the early Middle Ages.
seax – any of a variety of edged weapons longer than a knife but shorter and lighter than a typical sword.
sheer strake – the uppermost plank, or strake, of a boat or ship’s hull. On a Viking ship the sheer strake would form the upper edge of the ship’s hull.
sheet – a rope that controls a sail. In the case of a square sail the sheets pull the clews down to hold the sail so the wind can fill it.
shieldwall - a defensive wall formed by soldiers standing in line with shields overlapping.
shire reeve – a magistrate who served a king or ealdorman and carried out various official functions within his district. One of the highest ranking officials, under whom other, more monor reeves served. The term shire reeve is the basis of the modern-day sherriff .
shroud – a heavy rope streching from the top of the mast to the ship’s side that prevents the mast from falling sideways.
skald - a Viking-era poet, generally one attached to a royal court. The skalds wrote a very stylized type of verse particular to the medieval Scandinavians. Poetry was an important part of Viking culture and the ability to write it a highly-regarded skill.
sling - the center portion of the yard .
spar – generic term used for any of the masts or yards that are part of a ship’s rig.
A Vengeful Wind: A Novel of Viking Age Ireland (The Norsemen Saga Book 8) Page 38
