The Land of the Northmen

by Griff Hosker

  We sailed, on the high tide, just after noon. The winds meant that we had to sail close to the land of Cent and then swing south to take advantage of the wind from the west and south. It might have been the Norns or the Allfather who sent the wind but, whatever the cause, it brought us astern of a sea battle. Audun Tall Boy was the lookout at the bow. He had good eyes.

  “Jarl, the drekar with the wild boar sail is being attacked by two Saxon ships.”

  Folki looked at me, “Saxon ships attacking a drekar? I have never heard of such a thing.”

  “Nor have I. Sven and Siggi, if we approach closer could we escape if things went awry?”

  “You would go to their aid?”

  “They are Norse and they are attacked by Saxons.”

  “We have but twelve warriors on board.”

  “You did not answer the question, Sven.”

  He grinned, “Of course we could but I fear that you will not fly there quickly; the wind!”

  “Then, Siggi Far Sighted, head for the stern of the nearest Saxon. Folki, let us break out those Saami bows. We may be few in number but this minnow has sharp teeth.”

  I donned my helmet as our lively knarr made a liar of Sven and flew south to the aid of the beleaguered drekar. I saw that the two Saxons were secured by the steering board of the drekar. A furious fight was going on. The Saxons rode higher in the water and they were trying to board the drekar. Saxons did not fight mailed when at sea. I caught sight of the Vikings. They had mail. That explained why they had managed to hold on. What it did not explain was how the Saxons had managed to close with a drekar. Saxon ships wallowed; drekar flew.

  “Siggi, I want you to tack back and forth behind the Saxon ships. I would be as the midges of Haustmánuður and annoy them so that they stop their attack and try to deal with us.”

  “Aye Jarl Hrolf. You have great confidence in me.”

  “As does Sven!”

  I picked up a bow and chose a good arrow. I went to the prow. The Saxons had no watch at the stern but they did have steersmen by their steering board. When we were in range I said, “Release!”

  We had six Saami bows. My other warriors had ordinary bows. Soon they would be in range too. Our six arrows fell like Thor’s thunderbolts. They struck flesh for none had mail. We cleared the steering board in three successive flights of arrows and the nearest Saxon ship began to drift with the wind. Our next six arrows fell amongst the warriors trying to board the drekar. As we were close enough for the war bows the rain of arrows increased. Some missed but enough men were pitched over the side for the Vikings on the drekar to take heart and fight back.

  “Siggi, the next ship.” The other Saxon had seen us. I saw shields being raised to protect their helmsman. “Aim at the warriors! They have their backs to us.”

  Twelve arrows soared. Two struck the Saxon mast but the others plunged into the backs of warriors facing mailed Vikings. Five fell into the sea and our next flight made them turn and raise their shields to protect themselves from our arrows. I saw axes raised to hack at the ropes which bound their ships to the drekar.

  “Siggi, take us around. Keep the wind.”

  We turned quickly and approached the first Saxon. This one, too had now been cast adrift from the drekar. I saw that there was clear water between the drekar and her attackers. “Let us discourage them a little more.”

  We began to send arrow after arrow into the Saxon ship. They used their shields but so long as they did so they could not man the steering board nor hoist the sails. The wind began to blow them towards us. The closer they came the more flesh we found. The Saami bow is powerful and when we were just forty paces from them one of my arrows penetrated the shield of a Saxon and pierced his eye. The second Saxon had regained control of its steering board and sail. She now came to the aid of her consort. The drekar was far enough away to be safe.

  “Siggi, follow the drekar!”

  Chapter 7

  The Saxons had disappeared north by the time we caught up with the drekar. We both lowered our sails and Siggi took us close to them. We had the same freeboard and I was able to look into the charnel house that was their ship. There were barely twenty men left alive and some of those were wounded. An older warrior with a gashed face came to the side of his ship, “I am Bergil Audunsson. I am pleased to greet a fellow Viking. Thank the Allfather you came when you did. Jarl Thorbolt Sweynson has been grievously wounded. We have lost our helmsman.”

  There was more to this tale than he had time to tell me. “You have not enough men to crew your ship. Sven, go aboard and steer this drekar. Folki, take your men aboard and see to the wounded. You can help the crew row and keep her on a straight course. She looks to be damaged. We will head for our home.”

  “Aye Jarl Hrolf.”

  Bergil looked up at me, “You are Hrolf the Horseman? From the land of the Northmen?”

  “I am. You will be looked after in my home but it is a day’s sailing from here.”

  “That matters not, Jarl Hrolf. None of us expected to see the end of this day. You have managed to give us life and hope. We will reach your home. I hope the Allfather is not yet ready to take the jarl.”

  My men had boarded. Sven shouted to his apprentice, “Siggi, this will be your last test. If you deliver the jarl home safely then you can captain the knarr and drekar alone.”

  He shook his head, “And if I do not then I will be cursed by all in the Haugr! I will bring him safe, Sven the Helmsman.”

  I had Siggi sail behind the drekar. She was damaged and we were faster. More importantly they did not have enough men to crew the oars. She was a threttanessa. Her prow was that of a wild boar. I remembered that Wolf Killer, Dragonheart’s son, had led a clan of warriors called the Wild Boars and he had had a drekar called the ‘Wild Boar’ . This was not the same ship. Wolf Killer’s had been bigger. There was an intriguing story here. I watched as they threw the Saxon bodies astern. The fishes would feast on their flesh. A trail of blood still marked the passage of the drekar. I saw Folki’s men pulling pails of sea water to sluice them down. Folki knew that the signs of the battle would unsettle the crew. With their jarl’s life in the balance they would be in the balance. The water began to run clear as the signs of battle were cleansed. At sunset, they hove too.

  “Is there a problem Jarl Hrolf?” Siggi looked anxiously at me.

  I shook my head. I knew what they were doing. I had been to the prow and seen them gathering their dead in their cloaks. “No, Siggi, they bury their dead. Shorten sail. There is no rush. The warriors died well and deserve a moment.” I knew that all the survivors would need the time to mourn their dead. Sunset was a propitious time to bury them and since we had seen the skeleton it was even more so. Sven the Helmsman would have been acutely aware of that.

  We watched as the bodies slipped silently into the sea. There were many of them. The Saxons had been dumped unceremoniously by Folki just after the drekar had set sail. Eventually Sven raised his arm and the sail began to fill as the drekar headed towards our home. My veteran captain took it steadily for he did not want to navigate a strange drekar through the treacherous waters which protected our home. It was not until dawn broke that we edged close to the church and the haven that was the Haugr.

  I saw that the sight of a strange drekar had brought my son and my horsemen to the quay. When they saw the knarr behind I knew they would be relieved but I was pleased that my son had reacted as he had. My son rode to us. “We thought there might be danger.”

  “The danger was at sea. They have suffered greatly. Ride and prepare the warrior hall. Tell your mother that we have guests.”

  “Aye father.”

  I left Siggi Far Sighted to see to the unloading of the cargo and I went to speak with Sven and my other warriors.

  There were just fifteen crew left alive. Folki said, “We had best get their captain to the priest, Jarl Hrolf. I have done my best but I am no healer.”

  “Have your men carry him to the church. It is close
r than the hall.”

  The crew looked on fearfully as the pale jarl was carried carefully from the drekar. Bergil Audunsson looked at the church, “Will he be safe with the priest of the White Christ?”

  I nodded, “You can trust him. He is a good man and here there is no animosity between the priests and our warriors. You can go with him if you wish.”

  He nodded, “I will. He is young but he is a good jarl. What of the crew?”

  “We have a warrior hall. They will be welcome there.”

  “Like our jarl, they are young. It was the older warriors who died. I am the last of the old ones. I know not why I was spared.”

  “We never know what webs the Weird Sisters weave. Do not brood over your survival. Celebrate it. Go and see to your jarl. Your crew and your drekar are both safe.”

  When the crew had gone, I was left alone with Sven the Helmsman. “This is wyrd , Jarl Hrolf.”

  “Come, we will go to my hall and you can tell me why.”

  “The jarl is the son of one of Wolf Killer’s Wild Boars. It is why he named his ship as he did. He was ten summers old when his father died and he left the Land of the Wolf to seek his fortune. That was thirteen summers since.”

  “He has done well to become a jarl in that time.”

  “He served with Eirik Ale-Lover. That was where he met Bergil and the others. This was Eirik’s drekar. He was slain in a sea battle with Danes five years since. Young Thorbolt defeated the Danish jarl who slew Eirik and the crew elected him jarl. They have raided ever since. This was their first raid on Wessex. Before now they raided the land of the Jutes and the Angles. The rewards were poor and he decided to raid Wessex and then try to join the Dragonheart.”

  We had reached the gate. I saw, ahead, the warriors being welcomed by my wife and shown into the warrior hall. I pondered Sven’s words. Here was a long thread. It went from my land to the Land of the Wolf, Wessex and Dorestad. It linked three clans and we had been led to it by the most circuitous of routes. There was much to ponder on. Later we would speak.

  “What happened to them, Sven, when they attacked?”

  “The young jarl tried to attack Hamwic. The Saxons had strengthened it and they now have a series of beacons along the cliffs. The Saxons knew they were coming. When they tried to land, they were attacked. That was when Jarl Thorbolt received his first wound. They tried to flee but the Saxons pursued them. The beacons lit up the coast and other Saxon ships came to capture them and cut them off. They managed to outrun most of them but the two we saw caught up with them when the wind changed direction. Jarl Thorbolt was wounded again and then we arrived. They were about to perish.”

  I nodded, “Then we were sent there.”

  “Aye Jarl Hrolf and these were meant to come here. Their drekar had suffered damage in the battle. Had we not arrived and even if they had escaped the Saxons they would have perished. Folki and his men had to effect repairs. Some strakes are sprung. This was meant to be. I believe our clan is about to grow.”

  When my wife and son returned, I told them our news. My wife smiled. “You must be the only warrior who would attack two ships in a tiny knarr with just a dozen men. Do you have a death wish?”

  “We were never in danger. We had the Saami bows.”

  She gave me a wry smile, “Ah, you bought those but did you remember what I needed?”

  At that moment Siggi and his ship’s boys appeared with the pots I had bought. I swept my hand to the side and bowed, “There my lady, just as you requested and we have seal skin so Ragnvald can have new boots and a cape. Perhaps he might be drier the next time we go to sea!”

  Jarl Thorbolt Sweynson hovered between this world and the Otherworld for the next few days. His men took it in turns to stay by his bed. It was Bergil who brought us the news. “The priest says that the jarl is recovered. He can join us in the warrior hall! He is a great healer. Are there other priests of the White Christ like him?”

  “There are indeed.”

  “Perhaps if they did not forgive their enemies so readily it might be a religion a warrior could adopt for he has brought the jarl back from the dead. That is a miracle in itself.”

  I had the chance to visit with the jarl when he was propped up in the warrior hall. He was thin and still in pain but Father Michael had reassured me that he would recover. He tried to rise when I entered, “No you must rest or you will undo all of Father Michael’s good work.”

  “My men and I owe our lives to you. We would all like to serve you.”

  I nodded, “Then you wish to live in this land? It is not the Land of the Wolf.”

  “I was born in the Land of the Wolf at Elfridaby. I thought to return there and serve the Dragonheart but now I see that my course was directed towards you. My efforts to make a name for myself came to naught.” He smiled, “Surely you can see that I was meant to come here?”

  “Aye. The Weird Sisters determined this. I wonder what was their purpose?” I shrugged, “You do not have enough crew yet for your drekar. Until you are well we will use your men on ‘Odin’s Gift’ .”

  “You will raid?”

  “At Tvímánuður.”

  “Wessex?”

  “Perhaps. We have not decided. Your crew’s news of the watch towers and beacons was disturbing. I do not like traps.”

  “It would not put you off though?”

  “Oh no. I will raid Wessex and gain some revenge for your dead. It does not do to give Saxons a victory, no matter how small. But we raid for profit and not glory. When we do raid we will be successful. It will involve planning and we will scout it out.”

  He closed his eyes, “And you mean that I should have done so.”

  This was no time to be less than honest. “Had you scouted you would have seen the beacons and the men who awaited you. You were travelling waters you and your crew did not know. That does not mean you were wrong to attack but you rushed.”

  “Your men said that you attacked Qādis and did not know what you would find.”

  “Did they tell you that we landed some way from the port and approached silently. They, too had beacons. We eliminated them before we attacked.”

  “Then you will be the master and I will be the student.”

  Over the next few months the crew and their jarl became part of the clan. They lived in the warrior hall and got to know my men. When the jarl was well enough he joined them. My wife made him feel welcome. While they were all recovering, I spent much of the time riding my borders. Since our visit to the Issicauna and our rescue of the Bretons I was fearful of some sort of retribution from the Franks but all seemed to be peaceful. My son seemed to improve on a daily basis. His experience on the drekar as a ship’s boy had changed him. And there were other changes too. Tadgh and his brother had formed a bond with my son. Perhaps it was a common love of horses or just the fact that they were of an age. Neither boy took to me. I did not mind. But they did become as oathsworn to Ragnvald. It was good that they did so. It meant they were part of our clan. Then there were the marriages. We had more young women now. Those we had rescued chose husbands from the younger warriors who had joined us. It was the year of weddings and the year of births. Seara married and I was glad for she was a good woman. She married one of Alain’s men, David the Quiet. She and Aed left the Haugr to live closer to Alain’s hall.

  At Tvímánuður, we prepared to raid for the first time since we had sailed to Qādis. We had two drekar that we would use for Jarl Thorbolt Sweynson was fit and ready to lead. His drekar had been repaired. Sven told me that she was a sound ship with no worm. We filled his drekar with young warriors who could not get an oar on my drekar. Siggi Far Sighted was their helmsman. He would return to my drekar but until the ‘Wild Boar’ had a new helmsman he would be their captain. Sven assured me that he could do this. We raided Wessex. My wife thought it foolish for they now had extra defences and I had said before that I would not raid Wessex. I argued that we had to do something for the dead crew of the ‘Wild Boar. “Egbert thin
ks he has defeated Vikings. I will show him that he has not. We know the port from which the other Saxon ships sailed. That will be our target. We will not raid Hamwic; we will deal death to those who ambushed ‘Wild Boar’ .” My wife could never understand our code. We were warriors and our own had been hurt. It could never be explained to one who was not Viking but we had to have vengeance. Then the dead would rest.

  Sven and Harold stood with me at the steering board as we headed north and west. I was lost in my thoughts. Thanks to a second trading visit to Dorestad we had learned the name of the port from which the Saxons had sailed. It was Hantone on the River Aun. Siggi and Harold Fast Sailing had managed to learn that the Saxons had built a wooden wall around the port but it was open to the sea. I had decided upon the bold strategy of sailing, not along the coast, but to head for the port from the sea and sail directly into the port. They had no defences at the mouth of the port. If we landed at night, then we would have surprise on our side. Their beacons and watch towers would avail them nothing. With two drekar we had the chance to land a large number of warriors. I hoped that I was not being too arrogant. Was I risking ruin?

  Sven the Helmsman must have sensed my indecision. He said, quietly, “This is right, Jarl Hrolf. We need to give Jarl Thorbolt and his men their confidence back. Our men too, need to forget the skeleton we found. We have not raided since then. The longer we leave it the harder it will be.”

  “But suppose this is a trap? I told Thorbolt that I always scouted.”

  “And you have. When Siggi and Harold sailed back from Dorestad in ‘Kara’ they sailed along the coast. They have confirmed what we heard. It matters not how many ships they have nor how many warriors. The danger is that they will be forewarned. If we sail from the sea, then they will have no warning.”

  His words made me more confident. Sven knew the sea. I trusted his judgement. “We have to find it at dark of night.”

  He smiled, “So it is my skill that you doubt?”

  “Of course not!”

  “This will be my last voyage, Jarl Hrolf. Siggi Far Sighted is ready to captain this vessel. I, too, need to lay the ghost of the dead warrior to rest. I will find the mouth of this river. Trust me. I will do it for Siggi, Ulf Big Nose and Jarl Gunnar. I owe it to them.”