Hrolf the Viking (Norman Genesis Book 1)

by Griff Hosker

  "Beorn will have to tell that ale wife of his that she needs to make some of that black beer we had in Dyflin. That wakes a man up in the morning."

  "Aye but has she the recipe? The old crone in Dyflin pretended she could not understand us when we asked."

  "She can try. It will give us different tastes anyway."

  They paused as I passed. Siggi asked, "When can we see you try that new bow, Hrolf?"

  "The morrow will be soon enough for me to make a fool of myself before the whole clan."

  Siggi said, "They are the only people who should see a man be a fool for we are family. We may mock each other but we are like a mail shirt against all others. Each metal ring links to the next!"

  Rurik was seated on his mattress threading a new leather thong through his hammer. "I saw you speaking with Bagsecg. Is your mail ready?"

  "Soon. If we raid again in the next month, however, I will have no mail."

  "You are young and you are quick." He pointed to his missing ear. "When I lost this I thought that I would not be a warrior and yet even though I do not hear on that side I know when an enemy comes. I have watched you fight; you know how to defend. When you wear mail then remember how much it weighs! It can be a burden as well as a blessing. I would build up your body and become used to carrying weight."

  It was good advice and I would heed it.

  The Jarl decided to wait for half a month before raiding once more. We had more slaves and they needed assimilating into our settlement. As I had found when I was taken, it does not take long. It is especially true if you are taken a long way from your home. The Hibernians were three oceans away.

  Gunnstein was keen to raid for he felt he had let himself down on the previous raid. He was contrite about his losses. I think the Jarl had let him lead so that he could learn from his mistakes. He had learned by sailing with the Dragonheart. I was in the hall carving two adornments for Dream Strider's reins and bridle when the two brothers and Siggi entered. They acknowledged my presence and then discussed the raid.

  "The Liger is our best target. It is long and we can sail many miles along it. Only the Dragonheart has ventured inland and we can sail even further for we are closer to our home."

  Siggi, as ever, was the voice of reason. "And there are many places where we can be stopped. If the Franks wish to stop us they just need to put a chain across the river."

  "And we can break the chains. I do not think that we will be able to repeat this raid too often but while we have the men and the drekar let us take advantage of fine weather. The Franks have internal division. I heard that from Gunnstein Berserk Killer. The Bretons are encroaching on the land of the Empire as are the Burgundians. We take advantage of their weakness. I want to make our island home a fortress for the winter. What we have we hold."

  Siggi nodded, "So we go for food. That is good. We have enough iron for the winter. We can always return to Sussex next year but for the while we have enough."

  I could hear the disappointment in Gunnstein Thorfinnson voice, "What of treasure? I heard, when in Cyninges-tūn, that Jarl Dragonheart seeks a great treasure. He was assembling his men to take it."

  I heard the barb in the Jarl's voice, "Then perhaps you should have sailed with him as I did! Jarl Dragonheart has many drekar at his command. He has a land ringed with burghs and can leave it unattended. We are growing, little brother and we are learning."

  I glanced up and saw that Gunnstein was reddening.

  Siggi softened the harshness of the Jarl's words. "There will be treasure, Gunnstein Thorfinnson, but we do not know in advance what they are. Jarl Dragonheart has a wizard who can read. I have no doubt that the words we sent to him have given him information which is hidden to us. We take our opportunities where we can."

  I finished carving one of the adornments, a horse's head, and I rose to attach it to Dream Strider's bridle. As I passed them, nodding my acknowledgement of them, the Jarl said, "We row as far up the river as we can and then turn to use the river. That way we can raid more than one place."

  "So brother, we hide up during the day?"

  "Exactly." Their voices faded as I stepped outside.

  Once I was in the fresh air I headed for the paddock and pen. We had built it to house all the animals save the sheep. Dream Strider did not seem to mind and as Nipper slept close by the dog chased away any of the piglets which came too close. I saw two of the new slaves feeding the pigs. There were a boy and girl aged about six summers. Had the boy been a Viking he would soon be readied to train as a warrior. He would learn the sling and begin to fight with wooden sticks. The slaves would do this for the rest of their lives.

  I stroked Dream Strider and spoke to him as I attached the horse amulet. I would carve another before I left for the raid. The boy slave stood and watched me. I pointed to Dream Strider and said, "Horse."

  The boy nodded and tried to repeat it. He got it wrong. I repeated it until he understood. I then did the same with Nipper. The sooner they could speak our language the better. It would make their lives and ours much easier. They finished feeding the animals and I heard them being called. They hesitated and I smiled and said, "Go to your mother!"

  I was not certain if they understood but they ran anyway. When I returned to the hall it was filling up with warriors. Our hall was Raven Wing and it was obvious that they all knew of the raid. Sea Serpent Clan had their own, smaller, hall. Men were checking armour. Erik sat wistfully on his mattress, "Do you think the Jarl will let me come with you this time?"

  I shook my head, "If I said yes then it would just give you false hope. There may come a time when you come with us but I fear you have made yourself too valuable here."

  "We have slaves now to make the bread and brew the ale. The children watch over the animals. What do I do?"

  "You guard our home. When we sail we all feel safer knowing that you are here."

  I took my armour down from the nail I had hammered into the wooden roof support. If my mail was not ready then I would need to make my leather armour stronger. I had metal strips sewn on to my shoulders and the arms. I took out the torn mail vest. It could not be used as a vest for it was in four pieces. I attached two to the front and back using the metal I had sewn there already. Then I put the last two pieces, which were both smaller on the lower part of the leather so that they protected my thighs. It did not look pretty but it would be effective.

  "You have been to this river with the Dragonheart have you not, Hrolf?" Rurik turned his good ear to me.

  "I have. It is more like the land of the Arabs than the land of the Frank. The last time we raided there, before you joined us, we lost many men there. They have Moors who have long curved swords." I opened my chest and took out the one I had captured.

  "That is a vicious looking weapon but it only has one edge."

  I turned it over, "And that gives if strength and yet keeps it light. When Bagsecg makes a sword he puts the steel between the two pieces of iron and he beats them together. It is heavy but there are two edges. Now I know not how they make this but I am guessing that they do not need to use as much iron. It becomes lighter and the back of the sword has the weight." I handed it to him. "Here, swing it and see."

  He did so and I saw the look of surprise upon his face, "It is light and the action is smooth. It has a sharp point too."

  I took the sword back and wrapped it up again in its sheepskin. I returned it to the chest. "But it is a land with many riches. There is wine, they have spices, wheat is plentiful and they have both oranges and lemons."

  "What of the churches?"

  "They are richly endowed but I should warn you, Rurik, because they fear attacks from the south they have well defended burghs. These are not poor barbarians such as those we met in Hibernia and Corn Walum. They wear mail and protect what they have. The Jarl is gambling that few Vikings have visited us and they may be taken by surprise. I hope he is right."

  "What do you mean?"

  "They have horses. They are not sma
ll like Dream Strider. They are large and they use the stirap. We can out run Saxons for they fight on foot. You do not out run a horse. And remember it is hot there in summer. Your new mail will protect you but it will feel like Thor's anvil!"

  We left in the middle of the afternoon so that we could sail down the river during the hours of darkness. The first part was wide and there would be no navigational obstacles. There were two known towns that we could attack. Tours and Andecavis. I was worried about attacking Tours. A Frank had defeated the Arabs there and I felt certain that is would be heavily defended. Siggi told me that he had a heard a rumour that outside the city of Tours was a monastery, Marmoutier Abbey. He had been told that there were well over a hundred monks there. That number of monks meant it would be rich.The other town which we thought was worth raiding was Orléans but, once again, I feared it was too big a nut to crack.

  We did not have to row for the wind was with us and we would need our strength when we had tonight the current of the mighty river. As we sailed towards the mouth of the river I wondered if they had rebuilt St. Nazarius after our raid. Would they be watching for us? I remembered that the river was wide there. We would be sailing under dark of moon.

  Siggi sensed my disquiet. "Like you I am worried but I think the Jarl is right. We are doing something no Viking has done before. We can lie up during the day and sail further inland than any before us. Those who travel from the far north do not have the luxury of a secure island like ours. Your suggestion was a good one, Hrolf. We must trust the Jarl to make another good decision."

  I was silent for a while and then I risked telling him my other idea, "The island is good but we need to have a home on the mainland. Then we could use horses."

  He laughed, "You have a bright mind but I think you must have eaten of the magic mushrooms. Do you think that either the Bretons or the Franks would let us settle there?"

  "Gunnstein Berserk Killer lives in Hibernia amongst the Hibernian kings and princes. He has no country, just a city. Could we not do that? We could then use horses to range further afield to raid. If we built strong walls around our hall and used somewhere close to the coast what could we not achieve."

  Arne shook his head, "Where do you dream up such fantasies? The way you describe it sounds possible but the reality is that we could not."

  "Dragonheart did."

  That silenced them both for moment and then Arne said, "He has a sword touched by the gods. What have you got?"

  "A dream."

  Siggi said, "Then do not listen to us and hold on to that."

  We began to row once we turned east and headed up the river. This time we led and 'Sea Serpent' followed. We heard a bell tolling from the church we had sacked. Was it warning those upriver or calling people to prayers? We rowed not hard but silently. We had our sail furled to make us less easy to see and we had to reach a point beyond Nantes before we stopped. Nantes had a castle on the north bank. There was a island in the middle of the river. We knew from our time with Dragonheart that the southern channel was shallower but we would risk it. There were pin pricks of light on the hill side. We could hear the sound of the town watch and those signs told us that we were close to Nantes.

  We slowed down our oars as Sven took us close to the south bank. We kept as close as we could to the middle of the channel. Suddenly we all felt our keel as it touched the bottom and then, just as quickly, we were off and free. We were larger than 'Sea Serpent' and I was confident that she would not be grounded. We rowed a little faster as the river took us north and east. A short while after we had passed Nantes we passed another island in the middle of the river. It looked inviting but we sailed on. When we passed a second a few miles later Siggi and I were convinced that we should stop but we did not. And then there were no islands for many miles. I sensed that dawn was coming and it was just then that we saw a third island. In fact it was a third and a fourth with a narrow channel between them. It was a perfect place to hide for we would be hidden from both banks. Sven and the Jarl had been guided by the Allfather. It was a good sign. He approved of our action.

  We stopped rowing and Sven brought us to a halt close by some overhanging willows. The ship's boys jumped ashore and tied us to the trees. Even though we believed the island to be uninhabited Ulf Big Nose still loped off to investigate the island. 'Sea Serpent' tied up behind us. The dragon prow peered over our steering board. When Ulf Big Nose returned we disembarked. He had seen nothing on the island. We were safe. While we began to make a camp so Sven and the boys began to dismantle the mast and lay it on the mast fish. We needed to keep a low profile. I joined the others and headed towards the trees and bushes. We would sleep more comfortably beneath the trees. Six men were assigned the first watch. Jarl Gunnar came to Ulf and me. "You two will not have to watch but after you have slept I want you to scout the north shore. If you can find horses then so much the better. We need to know what lies ahead. We are in unknown territory now."

  We went to find a sheltered spot. It had been cloudy. If it rained then we wanted to be out of the worst of it. Ulf tapped my leather armour as we lay down. No armour, shield or helmet when we scout. Use a cloak. I will be relying on your language to get us out of trouble."

  "But with your nose we will not get into any eh, Ulf?"

  He laughed as he slapped the back of my head. "Cheeky for an apprentice!"

  Before I went to sleep I took some leather halters from my chest. We would need them if we found horses.

  We slept until dawn and then we were woken by Siggi who was in charge of the watch. As we went to the other side of the island I said, "How do we get across the river?"

  "Another reason we do not use mail, We float on a log." He pointed. "I saw the drift wood from the winter storms last night when I scouted the island. We take a big log and float downstream." He saw me readying to ask a second question. He held up a finger. "We will work out how to get back when the time comes. If we have to then we swim! Now come."

  I took off my sealskin boots and wrapped them in my cloak. Ulf led us to the jumble of logs and branches. He found one large enough for the two of us and, stepping into the water, pushed it off. The water was colder than I had expected. The branches hid us. Ulf hissed, "Now kick for the shore or we shall end up in Nantes."

  I was glad that I carried my boots. It made the kicking easier. The other bank looked deserted. There were willows overhanging the river and some reeds. We made for them. The current was surprisingly swift but we saw the other bank looming up. As the logs caught we clambered up onto the bank. I put on my boots and I looked around for anything untoward. There was nothing. Wrapping the cloak around me I followed Ulf as he hurried down the path which followed the river. We had only travelled a mile and half when we saw a hill before us and a village. It was a substantial one. To our left lay a road and we saw traffic moving along it. Ulf said, "Now we become ordinary travellers. We head for the village. Try to blend in with the other travellers. I leave it to you to speak if anyone asks any questions. If they ask about me say I am a Saxon from Lundewic. I can speak Saxon and our clothes can pass for Saxon."

  "And me?"

  He laughed, "You are a bright young warrior! Make something up yourself."

  We moved off the trail and through the trees. Ulf waited until a cart pulled by a man and with a woman following had passed. There was nothing else coming and we stepped on to the road to follow them. If anyone saw us they might take us for the same party. Over the next hundred or so paces we caught up with them. The woman saw us and said something to the man. He shook his head. I could see the village ahead. It looked to be busy. To the south I saw masts of vessels. They did not look to be large but they would be a danger to 'Raven's Wing'. I smiled and nodded as we passed the couple. They nodded back but looked apprehensively at Ulf. He looked intimidating. When we were half way to the village he stopped and took off his boot, as though he had a stone in it. He was buying time.

  The couple came abreast of us. For some reason the fact
that Ulf was seated made him less threatening and the man spoke to me. "Where are you bound?"

  I had not thought of an answer and so I said the first thing that came to my mind. "Angers. We are looking for work."

  He was a shrewd and he took in our swords and Ulf's chiselled features. "Soldiers?"

  I nodded, "We have been and we have been bodyguards for a Jew. He returned east. We turn our hands to most things."

  The woman crossed herself, "A Jew? The killers of Christ?"

  I shrugged, getting into my story now, "He paid well and he was harmless."

  Ulf had refitted his boot and he stood. We walked with the couple. The man nodded, "Aye well a man has to earn a loaf of bread where he can. We do not have as far to go as you. Angers is a good thirty odd miles from here. There is little between Ancenis and Angers save trees and vineyards."

  "We are fit and we don't mind walking. We prefer riding but walking is fine."

  "Your friend does not say much."

  "He is a Saxon from the land of the Angles."

  The woman clutched at her cross again. "We have heard from our priest that they are beset by the men from the north! Norsemen! Why they even raided St Nazarius. I pray they never come here."

  The man laughed, "My wife worries about everything. We are far from the sea here and we are quite safe besides I heard that the Count is preparing men to protect the mouth of the river. We will be safe." He suddenly stopped, "There might be work for you." He pointed towards Nantes. "You could go back to Nantes. They are looking for handy men like you."

  I shook my head, "Thank you but no, we have heard of a merchant in Angers who wants two men to protect him when he travels. We will try there."