by Griff Hosker
I was satisfied, "And like Erika you, too, have never let us down. I am resolved. But I leave you here. If danger comes then you can use your mind and Bjorn's brawn. The men have been blooded now and they will have iron in their backs."
I summoned the other Ulfheonar. Had the witch not taken every mount we possessed we might have ridden to Elfridaby and reached there much quicker. As it was it would take almost the rest of the day to reach there. Elfridaby was isolated from the rest of our people. It was another reason why I worried so much about him. There were just three left for me to take: Haaken, Sigtrygg and Olvir. I was worried about Olvir for he had been wounded in the battle with the Mercians but he would not stay behind. "I am Ulfheonar, Jarl, and I will do my duty."
It was a noble thought but I knew that it would slow us down. I used one of the fishing boats to take us down to the end of the Water. It was over laden and the thwarts were almost under the surface but Thorir was a good sailor and he balanced us well. It saved us both time and effort. There were no roads from the southern end of the water and we had to use trails. It meant that we left little sign of our passing. With just four of us we were able to move easily through the small trails. Sadly they were also the places where the midges and the biting insects lived and we were all red raw from their bites when we reached the southern end of Windar's Mere. We headed towards the north east and the going became easier. As we moved north the trails became wider and we looked for sign that the Danes had passed this way.
"I see no burning."
"No, that is a good thing but it may be that they come in secret to take Wolf Killer unawares. We should remain cautious."
There was just one more forest to cross before we reached the area my son and his men had cleared. Haaken remembered the trail. "It does not seem long since Wolf Killer took his Wild Boars to make this land our own."
"Aye and most of those young men have gone to the Otherworld but they did well and fought well with my son."
We had just passed a clearing where men were hewing trees to clear more land for their farm which was along the stream. It was a sign that the sacrifice of my son's warriors had been worthwhile. They stopped work when we passed. "Have you seen any Danes?"
The elder of the men shook his head, "No, Jarl. Are there any about?"
I nodded, "They may be heading for Elfridaby and my son."
"He has made a fine hall there, Jarl Dragon Heart."
"He has. And how is your father these days, Karl Crostsson?"
He laughed, "He still gets up before any of us and milks the cow. He thinks we are lazy. But he is hale and hearty. He loves this land. We have had peace for some time here."
"Good and I would have him remain so. If there is trouble then get to Elfridaby and if that is impossible then Windar's Mere. He deserves to see old age."
"He still sharpens his sword each day and I believe he wishes to die as old Ragnar did with a sword in his hand."
"You should all keep a sharp sword. There may be dangerous times ahead."
We left them and I thought about that. Would I wish to do the same if I should reach old age? I was not Norse and yet my ancestors had all died before their time. It seemed likely that I would suffer the same end; a violent death. Perhaps I was not destined for a peaceful old age. Even my mother's lineage had not enjoyed peace. They had all suffered violent deaths. Was that to be my end too?
When we emerged from the forest we saw that my son had used the remains of the old Roman fort and his former hall to create a copy of mine at Cyninges-tūn. I was pleased that he thought I had done a good job. He also had two towers. That was wise. He would see my approach. I was relieved to see that his walls still stood and there was no sign of conflict… yet. As we marched towards it I saw that he had built up the ground close to the knoll on the river. It was not a particularly high patch of ground but it would not flood as easily and it would afford them a good view of their enemies and their approach.
The gates were open when we reached the hall and my son and Snorri strode down to meet us. I could see a frown on Wolf Killer's face. "It is good of you to come, father, but are you certain my sister has this right? Elfrida has not dreamed."
I sighed. There was still bitterness in his heart. "Aiden dreamed the same and it was your mother who came to them." I did not mention my dream. If he did not believe then he did not believe.
"I do not think that Egbert would waste money hiring men to do what others failed to do before. He has remarried! I had thought he had forgotten Elfrida."
He was obviously not thinking. Any man would want to search the four corners of the land for such as Elfrida. "He wishes to be the King of the whole land from Northumbria to Wessex. He cannot allow us to live. Even if you had not taken his wife he would still want to swat us for our mere existence. He can buy the Danes but he knows he cannot buy me. Elfrida is an excuse."
He nodded, "But I fear you have wasted your journey. We have not see any sign of an enemy."
"We did not mind the journey and I have only brought my Ulfheonar. If you have no objections we will stay here tonight. Bjorn the Scout and the others will reach us this night and tomorrow we will search to the south for these Danes."
"You are welcome to my roof but I still believe you will be wasting your time tomorrow."
"It is my time and my men do not mind, do you?" I smiled at the Ulfheonar.
I already knew that the experienced Ulfheonar were less than happy with my son's attitude but they smiled and Haaken said, "We are away from our women; the weather is clement and we get to hunt Danes. It is all good."
Elfrida made a great fuss of me and I saw her scowl at my son's lack of affection. It hurt a little but my gurgling grandson more than made up for that. A call from the tower made me hand him back to Elfrida and we went to find out what was amiss. It turned out to be Bjorn the Scout.
"Well, did you see any sign of danger?"
He shook his head. "No, it was all quiet. We spoke with Pasgen and left him his horses. We followed the coast around and saw no ships out to sea. Nor did we find any tracks."
"There what did I tell you."
"That does not mean that they are not coming. Your sister's dream is a warning and we should heed it. It is like the day before a storm my son. The sun may be shining and there might not be a cloud in the sky but we cannot see beyond the horizon and we know not what the Norns are doing, do we?"
It was a tense evening we spent in my son's hall. Elfrida tried to make it as pleasant as possible but my son's attitude made all of us feel uncomfortable and unwelcome. We retired early. We were sharing the warrior hall with my son's men and we were not free to speak but I knew that my men were seething with resentment,. We were here to help my son and yet he seemed to be unhappy about our presence.
Elfrida made sure we ate well before we left and I made my son promise to keep his scouts out watching for danger.
"Father, we are prosperous here. We have more people settling here and building farms. I would not jeopardise that with talk of war. There will be no trouble and there will be no Danes. I know that the Mercians' attack on your home made you all nervous and I can understand that but here, as at Windar's Mere, there is peace."
"Just keep your men watching then." I pointed to the towers. "They are a good idea; use them well!"
As we headed back into the forest Haaken said, "You were too soft when he was growing up! He has become arrogant! He wants a good smack!"
Sigtrygg chuckled, "I seem to remember my father saying much the same about me. Perhaps it is a journey all young men have to take."
"Dragon Heart did not."
"And that is why we all follow him."
Before we had left Cyninges-tūn I had identified, along with Aiden, where would be the best place to watch for an enemy. The rivers which passed by Elfridaby meandered their way south and spilled into a large bay. The rivers were too narrow for ships but any attacker could land warriors there. About five miles from the bay was a Roma
n Road which came from the east and Jorvik. If we waited there we could cover both directions at once. Bjorn the Scout's news that there were neither ships nor tracks from the south confirmed my decision to look to the east.
When Bjorn the Scout had scouted the previous day he had found us a good place to build a camp. It was a clearing on a piece of high ground above the River Greta. We had water and yet we would be unseen from the road which passed just three hundred paces from us. I organised the twelve of us into four groups of three so that we could share the sentry duties and the scouting. The new Ulfheonar were spread between the veterans. Snorri and Bjorn the Scout went hunting with their men while I led Siggi and Ulf towards the road which led from the east. Despite the fact that I had said they could come by sea I thought that unlikely. If these were Danes then they would travel across country using the Roman Roads. In the days when the Northumbrians had ruled the land to the east they would not have dared to cross the high divide but Northumbria's days of glory were long gone. They would come this way.
When we reached the road I saw that no one had maintained it. That was not surprising; it was far from the heart of Northumbria. It was less straight than most Roman Roads for the builders had, as they had at Hardknott, allowed for the contours of the land. I took my companions up to the crest of the high ground where we could see for miles in an easterly direction. Sadly there was nowhere for us to remain concealed while watching the road. We would have to wait further west in the small woods which abounded on both sides of the road. We needed to have warning of the Danes so that we could prepare an ambush.
As we lingered at the top Ulf asked me, "Jarl, why are you so certain that they will come for Wolf Killer."
"You have not met King Egbert have you?" he shook his head. "He craves power the way a fisherman craves fish. He can never have enough. When Elfrida left him for my son it was a sign that he was not as powerful as he thought. His dignity was offended and he wanted to get back at us for daring to flout his authority and his home. He wants her back so that he can punish her and kill my son. It will show his followers that he is mighty."
Siggi shook his head. I smiled at him. "I know Siggi it is not true but it is what he believes."
"There are only twelve of us. Will there be a small number of Danes too?"
"No, there will be a warband. I would estimate at least fifty. I do not think that even King Egbert could afford to hire more than that. They will expect Wolf Killer to have a hall. Indeed I believe they will have had spies to discover exactly where his is. That is why they will come this way. Their spies may have hidden themselves as our scouts did but they will want the fastest way in and out. They will attack at night and they will be ruthless."
"Then how can twelve of us stop them?"
"Come we have exposed ourselves enough. We will head back. I have seen what I wanted to see. As we go back look at the land the way the Danes will look at it and put yourselves in their boots." They both nodded. "To answer your question we will terrorise them. We do not fight fair. We use their own tactics against them. We attack at night. We isolate them from each other. They will need to camp somewhere so that they can attack at night. When they are camped they are vulnerable. They need to sleep and we can use our wolf cloaks to disguise us and put fear into the hearts of these Danes. They might know that it is us but there will always be a doubt that we really are shape shifters, skin changers, spirits. They are superstitious and we will play on that."
I could see them both taking in my words. I did not mind Ulf's questions. This was all part of their training as Ulfheonar.
"How far is it to Jorvik?"
I smiled. I liked the way Ulf was thinking. He was working out when they would camp. "It is eighty miles or so."
"How do you know, Jarl?"
I pointed to the side of the road. "The Romans put markers down to show the distances. If you can read their words then you know how far it is. When we went to Jorvik to kill Wiglaf we used the Roman Road and I kept a record of the distances. I know how long it took us to get there. So, Ulf, how long will it take them to get here."
"They could reach it in two days of hard marching."
I nodded, "Or three days at an easier pace. Both mean that they would reach here in the late afternoon. They will camp, scout out the hall and then attack the following night."
Siggi whistled and pointed off to the side of the road. "Good, Siggi. You are right. That would make a good place for them to camp." We had descended from the high ground and the flat land was close to a stream and a wood which would give them shelter. The road was just fifty paces from the stream. "I estimate that this is just ten miles or so from Wolf Killer's hall. We will soon find out if you are correct."
It was an hour or so later when we reached our own camp site. There was the smell of food cooking. We would have to forego that from now on. We had to remain hidden. "Did you catch much?"
Snorri pointed to the carcass of the deer which hung from a tree. "Cook it all tonight. This is the last camp fire until we get home." I did not need to elaborate. They all understood the need. We would survive on the cold cooked meat and whatever we could forage. We had cheese and some bread. The bread would soon go stale but we could soak it in the water of the beck and that would make it easier to eat.
I told them what we had found including the place I thought that they would camp. "Tomorrow, Haaken, take your men to the high divide and watch. Sigtrygg take the sea but I still doubt they will come from there. There are good places to watch from."
Chapter 15
We spent the next day resting. We did not have to wear our armour and it felt good to be free of its weight. I was no longer a young man. While we waited Bjorn the Scout and Snorri showed the new Ulfheonar how to make traps so that we would not be surprised at night. I just hoped that the Danes did not use such traps or we could be in trouble. Sigtrygg and his men tramped in during the late afternoon.
"We saw nothing. I agree with you, Jarl. They will not come by sea. It would take them weeks to sail around from Jorvik or even Lundenwic. They could reach us in three days by land."
We showed them where the traps were and settled down to wait for Haaken. When he had not returned in an hour or so then I began to worry. I donned my armour. "Come we will go to find him!"
Sigtrygg looked surprised but I had fought alongside Haaken for as a long as I had been a warrior. I had been with him when he had lost his eye. I knew him. He liked his food and he would have returned well before now unless something had stopped him. Perhaps I was becoming more like my daughter or perhaps I was listening to my inner voices more than I had before.
We moved in single file with Snorri and Bjorn the Scout well out before us. After a mile or so I saw Snorri drop to his knees and I hissed, "Down!"
After a few moments I saw Haaken, Olvir and Magnus appear. "We have found them. We were on our way back when we spied them. They were to the north of where we were waiting. They must have come by a different route."
I mentally berated myself. I had assumed too much. "Where is their camp?"
"They are five miles north of us. They are camped between a small stream and a tarn. It is not a large tarn. They have cover from many trees and bushes." He paused. "It is but six miles from Elfridaby."
That upset my plans. They were close enough to attack this night. "And how many are there?"
"Fifty. Only half are mailed but all are well armed. The mailed ones carry the Danish axe."
"Then we strike tonight. Lead on Haaken. Sigtrygg, bring up the rear."
We loped along in single file. I watched the sun set to our left as we headed north west. This was the work of the Norns. I had been overconfident. The Danes were becoming trickier than they had been. My reputation was becoming too widely known.
Darkness fell before we reached their camp but I could smell the wood smoke long before we got there. That was a mistake. Leaving most of the Ulfheonar half a mile from the camp Snorri, Bjorn the Scout and I crept for a c
loser look. We moved five paces apart on our hands and knees. It was neither comfortable nor easy but a sentry tended to look at eye level. It proved to be our salvation. I found the trap as I crawled along. Had I walked then I would have set it off. If was a piece of cord and it was disguised by ivy. I took our my seax and cut it. It was also a warning that their camp was ahead. I moved on and then stopped when I heard their voices. There were two sentries close by me. They were less than ten paces away. I listened to their words.
"Thord is a wise leader. I can now see why we did not use the Roman Road."
"I told you that when we set off and you were moaning about travelling over rocks and down valleys. This Dragon Heart has spies and scouts everywhere. He would have watched the road. He also has a witch.
"Did I not hear that she had been taken from him?"
"I heard he got her back. More's the pity."
"We will not be going after him and his sword will we? My cousin fell following Klak when he sought it."
"We could take it. I hear he lost all of his men to the wild Welshmen. Thord says we will see how we fare against Wolf Killer. The gold we get for his head and his young bitch are enough for me. I know the sword is magic but I heard that only he can wield it. What is the point of risking your life for a weapon you cannot use."
I heard another voice barked our, "You two women shut your mouths and keep watch! We are close to our prey! Talk when we are back in Jorvik."
I began to slide back when I heard the reprimand. The two of them would be more observant now. I crept back a long way before I stood. Bjorn the Scout and Snorri were waiting for me. We said nothing until we were back with the others. We spoke in hushed voices for sound travelled at night.
"We were worried, Jarl."
"Never fear Snorri, I was not in danger. I found a trap and then I listened to the sentries. They think you are all dead." I chuckled, "I fight alongside ghost warriors now! We will use the trick we employed at Celchyth." My veterans nodded but I knew the new ones would not know what we were about. "We lay a trap. After killing the sentries half of us wait outside their camp and the other half go to the other side of the camp. They come through killing as many as they can until the Danes are awakened. Then they run towards the others who ambush them. We keep moving south, to our own camp alternately fighting and then running and laying another ambush."
