The Land of the Northmen

by Griff Hosker

  I nodded. “We will leave baskets of food for you outside your church.”

  “Thank you, jarl.” He turned to go and then looked back, “Geoffrey of Thiberville hates you. I tried to speak with him but he will have none. The cousin you wounded cannot fight. You have ended his life as a warrior. There is bad blood now between you. He will look for an excuse to break the peace. The Count of Carentan is also a relative.”

  “Thank you, Father Michael. You are a good man. Tell me about Henry of Carentan.”

  “I know little about him, lord. He is young. He and Geoffrey are related and they grew up together. I heard Geoffrey of Thiberville say that they had fought in the wars against the Caliphate.”

  “That does not worry me. They lost.”

  “And they have learned since then. Do not underestimate them, lord. The warriors I saw in Ċiriċeburh were hardened veterans.” He smiled, “I recognise such qualities having seen your men. I do not like war. The Lord Jesus advocated peace but I can see war coming. They are not here for peace. When they spoke at night, especially in their cups, they spoke of retaking this land of the Haugr. Henry of Carentan disapproves of the land of the Northmen!”

  It is strange the way the Norns weave. Father Michael would not have recognised their handiwork but we did. Even as the priest and his acolytes were shutting the door of their church so a sail was sighted as ‘Cold Drake’ was headed into to Bárekr’s Haven. I rode to meet them with Ragnvald, Tadgh and Gurth. The leaves were already falling thick and fast as we rode the few miles north. They were being collected and added to the branches of spindly wood which had been copsed. When the excess animals were slaughtered and after the bones had been boiled for soup they would be burned. The fires of Samhain would light the skies. We had had spring rains and I wondered if we would get winter rains too. If we did, then the valleys close to Carentan would be flooded. I wondered how that might change the attitude of Geoffrey of Thiberville. Then he might need us. I was not afraid of a fight. We now had more men but another year would see more horsemen trained. I was convinced that the only way we would survive would be if we could match the Franks on our horses.

  Tadgh and Gurth had both changed since they had become part of the clan. That was my son’s doing. Their time in the forest had made them suspicious of everyone. They now rode behind us. They had good horses for they were both good riders. Their helmets were the same as Alain of Auxerre and his men wore but they did not have the blue cloak with the white sword. Their shields were smaller than the ones my drekar warriors used and they each had a white horse painted upon them. It was the sign my son had chosen for himself.

  Ragnvald had heard the conversation with Father Michael. As we headed north he asked, “Should we attack the Franks before they attack us, father?”

  I laughed, “Blunt and to the point! It is like speaking with Arne Four Toes. We are not ready yet. Besides the Franks will be in no position to make war with winter upon us. They will have a town to rebuild. When I have spoken with Jarl Sigtrygg I will ride to visit for a few days with Rurik One Ear. He will be the first to hear of any danger from the Franks and he should be warned of this blood feud.”

  “We will come with you. I like Rurik. He feels like a grandfather. He still makes me laugh as he did when I was young.”

  “Aye Rurik and Erik One Arm are the oldest friends I have. The three of us lived on Raven Wing Island alone and fought off the clan’s enemies. It made us brothers. There were three men, Dream Strider and Nipper. The five of us became oathsworn.”

  By the time we reached the Haven, the drekar had been unloaded. I saw captives. They were Saxon. I dismounted and approached Jarl Sigtrygg. “You have been away longer than we thought.”

  He nodded, “The Weird Sisters wove their webs, jarl. We were at sea for the coast was stormy when we spied a strangely rigged ship. We thought to raid it and we approached. There was a dead man at the helm and the sails were in tatters. It was a ship of the dead. We sailed closely but did not board. All were dead on board and none had a mark upon them.”

  A shiver ran down my spine, “You did not go aboard.”

  He shook his head, “No for my men remembered the story of your skeleton and the black squirrel.”

  “Was she a Frank?”

  “No, jarl, she had strange rigging. I think she was eastern.”

  That confirmed it. It was the ship which had destroyed Ċiriċeburh, “It was a plague ship from Miklagård. Ċiriċeburh has all but been destroyed by it.”

  He and Fjor clutched their hammers, “Then we came close to a death which would have seen us sail the seas for all time.”

  “Aye. Perhaps the story Karl the Singer sang saved your lives.”

  “We decided that it was a sign that we should not raid the Bretons. Fjor remembered the words of Sven the Helmsman and we sailed north to the land of the Saxons. The Allfather decided our target for he sent us a wind which took us through the narrow channel close to Frankia and Dorestad. We spied a monastery and village at Lothuwistoft. When we spied a white egret flying overhead we knew that the Allfather wished us to raid there. We slew the priests for they fought us. Their menfolk attacked us and killed five of my men. We made sure that none of their men lived and we placed their heads on spears. It was a rich haul but we needed more crew. We called in to Dorestad and sold half of the slaves and the holy books. We found ten warriors who had fought alongside us with Thorghest. Like us they were disappointed in the rewards. We now have a larger crew. Wyrd .”

  Even though I was unhappy at the senseless slaughter I could say nothing. He had not violated my laws or the code of the Viking. It was what most Viking raiders did. I knew that I was different. I had served with the Dragonheart and I had seen another way to rule. And then I had married Mary. I knew that she had changed me. It is said that all women change their men when they marry them. In my case, it was true.

  “Then you will have a warmer winter for you now have women.” I saw that they had kept the women of child bearing age and there were no children. He nodded. “I would keep away from the lands of the Franks for a while. They say they have burned the town and that should kill the pestilence but it is not worth taking a chance.”

  “You are right. Can we leave our drekar moored here?”

  “As far as I am concerned aye but Bertrand and Bárekr rule this stad. They may want payment. You would want your ship watched would you not?”

  “You are right Jarl Hrolf and we have money to pay. I think your smith may become richer for many of my men wish to spend their coin on weapons and helmets.”

  Leaving him to negotiate with Bárekr I rode out to Bertrand’s tower. He and his men were practising. I saw that he now had fifteen riders although five of them were younger than Ragnvald. I gave him my news and he nodded, “This morning we saw smoke to the north west and wondered what it meant. That means my old home will soon be gone and another will rise in its place. It is sad. I always hoped to return there one day. I have many memories of it.”

  “It is the only way to ensure that the disease is gone.”

  “We will keep away from it. But this new lord may bring trouble our way.”

  “I think he will. When the new grass comes, we must be ready for war.” I pointed to his new riders. “I see you have increased your numbers.”

  “They are keen. And I have seen Ragnvald here with his men. We will soon have a force of horsemen which can face the Franks in the field.”

  “Perhaps but they have skill borne of years in the saddle. They know how to ride and fight. We have young warriors who are learning their trade.”

  “We are not without skills jarl. Watch.” He turned and shouted, “Guillaume, show the jarl and his son how we fight!”

  A warrior who looked to be the same age as Bertrand grinned and took out his sword, “Now we will see who has to muck out the stables this night! Form up.”

  I was intrigued by the formation. Ten of the fifteen rode and picked up a pair of throwing spears.
The fifteen formed up in three ranks. The five who had leather and metal mail rode at the back. The others had no mail. The first five suddenly kicked their horses in the flanks and they galloped towards a line of ten stakes with a hay filled sack on the top. As they neared they turned to their left and threw their throwing spear. Even as they came back the second five followed and did the same. The first rank then repeated their action with their second spear. When all ten had thrown their spears, Guillaume and the four at the rear lowered his spear and urged their horses on. I saw that the twenty spears had not struck the sacks but the posts on which they stood. Many had missed but not by much. Guillaume and his men rode at the sacks and, pulling their spears back, rammed them into them.

  Ragnvald and his men began banging their daggers against their shields. “Very impressive. Did you read of this technique?”

  “No jarl. It was forced on me. When I realised that I could only afford mail for a few I worked out how we could use the others more effectively. We train to hit the enemy horses with the throwing spears. Some may even hit the rider’s legs. As you can see twenty spears might take out ten riders or their horses. It matters not which. Then we would charge the survivors and use our spears like lances.”

  “A good plan. I believe that you would disrupt a line and then you could use your swords. Your young riders have great skill.”

  “It is just practice.”

  “Good.” I took him to one side, “I would have your riders practice the skills of scouting this winter. I would know what they are up to at Ċiriċeburh. Do not risk war, not yet anyway, but see what they do. It will be good practice for them. Tell me each week of the progress on their walls and how many men they have.”

  “Aye jarl.”

  As we rode home Ragnvald and his two companions were full of the exercise they had seen. “It would mean, lord, that we need not worry about mail. We have plenty of leather. If we do as they did and sew plates on to our leathern we would have protection.”

  Ragnvald nodded, “You are right Tadgh and I can see that it was the Allfather who took us to Bárekr’s Haven this day.”

  I smiled, “It is the Allfather who directs all that we do.”

  Gurth said, “We are Christians, lord, we do not believe that.”

  “Then how do you explain the drekar seeing the plague ship? It delayed Jarl Sigtrygg. Had he not done that then we might have been elsewhere and not seen the return of ‘Cold Drake’ . There is a pattern to the world, Gurth, and the Norns weave webs to trap men and to direct their feet. You do not need to believe but that does not change the truth in it.”

  I saw that my harsh methods with Ragnvald were paying off. He was becoming a good leader. He would lead the clan well when I was in the Otherworld.

  And so our land drifted into winter. Fields were cleared. Animals ate the stubble. Old animals were slaughtered and the young brought from fields to stay in pens close to the walls of our homes. Women began the job of preserving all that we had collected. Apples were sorted and stored. The damaged ones were made into cider. Meat was salted or dried. Root vegetables were buried in sand. The autumn fruits were leathered and preserved. The grains were stored in our granaries. Back breaking work for most men, to our people it was easier than rowing a drekar for hours. As the days shortened we took to our halls. Mary and her women sewed. With the cloth we had brought they made more cloaks for my warriors as well as kyrtles and breeks as well as dresses. New shields were made while old ones were repaired. The leather we had taken from the slaughtered animals we made into leather armour, belts and covered our shields with tanned hide. The better bone from the dead beasts was worked into combs and tools. Nothing was wasted.

  I did none of those things. I worked with my horses. Dream Strider would soon be retired and I needed to train his replacement. Dream of Freya was already trained but I had a second ready. Night Scout was the offspring of Night Star and Hazel. He was a jet-black horse and would be larger than Dream of Freya. Each day I rode, first Dream of Freya while leading Night Scout, and then I rode Night Scout. The two became companions. They were both stallions and I did not want them to fight. Dream Strider and Night Star had fought when I had first had them but it had not lasted long. Now Gilles had Night Star as his new stud.

  When I rode them, I did so with my riding byrnie on. Bagsecg had split it to allow me to sit astride a saddle. It was not as heavy or as long as the one I wore in the shield wall. An enemy could still strike a blow below the knee but that could not be helped. I needed my horses to be used to the weight of a rider wearing mail. I also wore a hood of mail beneath my helmet. I had seen too many riders die because a sword or a spear had struck their neck. The mail covered my neck and ears. Bagsecg had fashioned two hooks so that it was secured to my byrnie and my helmet. Along with the chin strap it made it much more secure. I was training both my new horses how to rear. I was not aware of other riders who did this but it struck me as a useful tool when fighting against a shield wall. A determined wall of men could hold off any number of riders. We had often done so ourselves. A rearing horse could bring mighty hooves to crash apart shields. At the very least it would break the arm which bore the shield. By the time it was Gói, then they would both be ready. War would come soon after that. I felt it in my bones.

  I had a message from Erik Green Eye. His farm was one of the closest to Ċiriċeburh. His son Siggi Eriksson brought it, “Jarl, my father says that he has seen Frankish scouts by our farm. He thought you should know.”

  “Thank you, Siggi. Tell him that I have Bertrand riding with his men close by. If he thinks there is danger, then come and fetch me.”

  The Franks were doing as they had promised. This time they would scout out my land first. I had not heard any such news from either Alain or Rurik in the south. Geoffrey of Thiberville was the danger. The question was, would he act alone or with the power of the Count of Carentan behind him?

  The feast in the middle of winter was celebrated by all. The Christians feasted for the birth of the White Christ while we celebrated the winter solstice and Yule. Now that we lived in four settlements it was sad that we could not celebrate together. Rurik, Bertrand, Gilles and I had all been close. It felt strange to be apart but that was the way my land was now. We had grown from a clan which could live in one village to one which controlled a land twenty miles by thirty miles. The food, ale and wine we consumed was a measure of our success. We all wore fine clothes and ate from expensive pots.

  Mary had a little more wine that she would normally drink. I knew it when she leaned in and said, “We live here better than my father did. This is the sort of fare the King would enjoy. I am lucky.”

  I laughed, “And you have had more than enough wine but you are right. I am pleased now that we left Raven Wing Island and came here. We must now try to hold on to it.”

  Laughing she had kissed my cheek, “Of that I have no doubt. You want this land more than the Franks. I have seen the desire in you since I was your slave. I am pleased that I am the lady of this clan.”

  After the feasting, we planned for our new year. We sent Siggi off to Dorestad at the end of Þorri. The nights were a little shorter and the weather, whilst still unpredictable, was less likely to be filled with snow. More importantly pirates and raiders would not be at sea. It was safer and we needed news. If the Franks were planning something they would be trying to buy more weapons and men. Dorestad was the place to buy them. I also wished to make contact with the men of Vannes, our neighbours. I saw the Allfather’s hand in the decision of Jarl Sigtrygg to attack Essex and not the land of the Bretons. If war came I intended to make an alliance with the men of Vannes. If nothing else, it would secure us from a seaborne attack.

  Jarl Thorbolt and Jarl Sigtrygg came to speak with me at the beginning of Gói. I knew what they wanted before they opened their mouths. However, I let them speak uninterrupted.

  “Jarl Hrolf we have had a good winter. Our warriors have all made new Vikings who will take an oar when they gr
ow. We have fed well and our families are safe. We are ready to fight. We are ready to raid.”

  “Which would you prefer, Jarl Thorbolt?” He looked confused. “Fight or raid?”

  “They are both the same thing are they not?”

  “No, for sometimes, when we raid, the warriors we fight are so poor that it is not war at all. I am happy for all three drekar to go raiding but there must be a purpose to it.”

  Jarl Sigtrygg said, “We raid! That is the purpose.”

  “No, it is not. What do we need? That decides where we raid and when. Do you want grain? Then the time of the harvest is the best time to raid. Do you want slaves? Then the time of the new grass would be the best. But if you just wish to sail and know neither where nor why then I will not sail with you. You may go but my drekar will wait in port until we have the right target.”

  “You will not fight then?

  “I did not say that. War will come. Bertrand has kept scouts watching Ċiriċeburh. They have rebuilt wooden walls. They have made a deep ditch and they have over two hundred men there. They are all warriors. They mean to attack. They will attack my outlying farms first. Your land, Jarl Sigtrygg, will be relatively safe for the smaller farms are easier targets.”

  “How do you know?”

  “It is what I would do if I feared my enemies and they fear us.”

  “Then you wish us to wait until they attack us and then we can fight them.” I nodded, “And then we raid?”

  “And then we raid, for by then you will have worked out what you need. If your men pine for actions have them become like Ulfheonar. I want them to be able to ghost through woods. The enemy will be coming mounted. I am a horseman and I know that it is hard to be silent on a horse. Warriors on foot, however, can be silent. We will raid at the end of summer. We will raid for coin, grain and slaves.”

  “Where will we raid?”

  I had thought about this over winter. Jarl Sigtrygg’s raid on Wessex ruled out a raid there and I did not wish to travel to the land of the Arabs again. The black squirrel haunted my dreams still. There was just one place to raid. “We go back to the Liger. This time we go in force and we do not fight and run. We take all that they have and we destroy everything. I will not break the peace because I gave my word but I now know that they will and I will punish them for it.”