The Viking's Apprentice

by Kevin McLeod

  Chapter 4

  The children followed on behind Granddad as he started after Jake. As they passed through the hidden door, lights came on along both walls illuminating a long passage that sloped gently downwards. Jake could be heard barking in the distance as they made their way further down.

  ‘This is huge, where does it lead?’ George asked, quickening his pace to draw level with Peter’s Granddad.

  ‘You are about to find out my boy.’

  The tunnel ended at a flight of stairs, the air had become cold, and George swore he could hear water. They descended the stairs, and Granddad asked them all to stand together at the bottom until the lights came on.

  ‘This is going to blow your mind,’ James said to George.

  ‘You will not believe this,’ Charlotte added.

  The lights came on in sections, revealing the most staggering sight George had ever seen. They were standing in an underground harbour built into a huge cavern. There, right in front of them, rocking slowly on the water was a Viking Longship. Perfect in every detail, and the sight was so unexpected that George stumbled into Peter in shock. Jake barked as the other children looked on laughing.

  ‘What the... how is that possible... where did you... is that real?’

  ‘Ha-ha, my boy. It is indeed real. I got it from Norway some time ago. I have been restoring it for years,’ Granddad said with obvious pride in his voice as he looked on at his work.

  ‘One day I will take her out into the sea, and she can regain her former glory as one of the queens of the waves.’

  ‘How could you take that out to sea?’ George asked. ‘You would need loads of people to work all those oars.’

  Granddad turned to George and winked but offered no answer to his question.

  George tried again to take in his surroundings. On the wall to the right, he saw a large mural of what looked like the same Longship with a full crew of Vikings rowing her through a vicious sea.

  ‘This Longship is called a Karvi,' Granddad explained, tapping George on the shoulder, pointing to the gang plank where everyone else was already walking onto the ship.

  ‘A Karvi is the smallest Longship that the Vikings used, and was used for military and trading. This one has been modified slightly making it longer and wider.’

  As Granddad spoke, he withdrew a set of keys from his pocket and fiddled with them until he found the correct one. He unlocked the padlock on the suitcase he had carried down with him. Inside the case was another metal case with a key code lock on it. Granddad thought for a moment then keyed in the number, and the case opened.

  ‘Ah, excellent. Come and gather round children,' Granddad said and Charlotte, James, Peter and George gathered around the suitcase.

  ‘It looks like a big piece of folded cloth,’ Peter said, clearly disappointed by the contents of the case.

  ‘It's the only Longship sail that has ever been found. This sail you are looking at is worth more than this house, and possibly more than the whole of Campbell's Cove.'

  ‘Really? It can't be; it's just cloth,' Charlotte said.

  ‘It came from the 10th century and was preserved in ice off the coast of Finland for most of its life. If it weren't for that ice, this cloth would have been long gone by now.'

  With Granddad explaining what to do the children helped him fix the sail to the mast. With a triumphant smile, he gently hoisted the sail up, and they all watched it unfurl.

  ‘She's almost entirely restored now. She just needs a bit more work on this damage here, and she’ll be ready,’ he continued. He walked over to the front of the ship and examined the ornamental front piece, which was cracked and splintered. The children stayed on the ship for a while exploring it all before heading back up to the house.

  With the tour finally over, and the children back upstairs Charlotte and James said their goodbyes and arranged to come back the next day.

  ‘I still can’t believe what I’ve just seen. That was amazing, staggering and unbelievable. Do you really think you can take it out to sea?’ George asked.

  ‘Oh yes and soon, I believe it will be very soon, maybe even within the next two weeks,’ Granddad replied with a smile.

  The boys followed Granddad into the kitchen where they sat and ate sandwiches and homemade soup. After not very much persuading, Granddad told more stories about the history of the Cove. He told one story of a Viking warrior who came from far away to slay one of the Campbell’s Cove dragons.

  ‘The story goes that the Viking arrived not by horse but by ship, and came right into the cove with other Vikings as his companions. He marched to the church and declared to the minister that he would banish the dragons once and for all. His prize would be immortality.’

  ‘Is that why you are interested in Viking ships?’ George asked.

  ‘It's part of the reason undoubtedly,' he replied, before continuing the story. ‘After receiving a map from the minister the brave warrior set off with fifteen Vikings at his side. His armour shone, and the whole village came out to cheer him on as he made his way through the town. The dragon that had been causing the most problems was a massive beast the locals had named Tanis. She was massive, with red and black markings, and had destroyed countless farms and killed many brave knights who had taken up her challenge. It was believed she had two sons who were blamed for the killing of livestock, and the taking of children in the area.'

  The food was forgotten as the story continued, and the two boys became more and more enthralled in the tale. It was one that Peter had not heard before. Maybe Granddad had been saving it for George's visit Peter thought.

  ‘The warrior and his companions followed the map deep into the woods. As they got closer to where the minister had drawn his crude X on the page, the atmosphere changed. They noticed that there was no sound. No birds were singing, and no animals were moving across the woodland floor. Things had become very still. Without warning, the ground in front of them opened up and a huge black and red dragon burst through grabbing a screaming Viking in its mouth, throwing him effortlessly through the trees. A swish of its tail sent another Viking crashing into some rocks, quickly chased by deadly fire from the beast's mouth. The Viking warrior did not panic; he lowered his sword and took two throwing daggers from his belt. He then waited as the dragon turned to face the remaining men. The ground shook as the dragon reared up and roared. The wings unfolded, and it lifted, with ease, off the ground in a terrifying display of size and strength. The warrior saw his chance and skilfully aimed his daggers at the only soft spot on the underside of the dragon. The daggers were thrown so fast the beast had no time to move, and both struck the unprotected spot. A mammoth roar, and one last aimless blast of fire, and the dragon crashed to the ground with such force all the men were knocked off their feet. Dusting themselves down, they congratulated their hero. ‘

  Granddad paused and drank some tea. His mouth was seemingly dry from the telling of such a tale. After some moments he continued.

  ‘The group's joy at having killed the dragon soon left them when a fierce roar shook them to their very bones. They looked above them and caught glimpses of one of the other dragons through the tree tops. Spears and long swords were readied as the Vikings got into formation with their leader. He dropped the front down on his helmet and took the bow and one solid silver arrow from his back. A double attack came quick as lightning, and dread passed through the men as the first dragon to attack was the same size as the one they had killed. It took two men in its claws as it swooped down on them then disappeared above the trees again. They could hear the screams of their fellow Vikings high above them. With a streak of movement from the other side, a massive dragon smashed through the trees and let out a flame so large five more men disappeared into smoke in seconds. The other dragon returned and landed next to its mother, roaring in unison so loudly the Vikings feared they would go deaf. The smaller one raced at the group. The Viking warrior held his nerve, waiting for the mouth to open before firing one sil
ver arrow into the beast's throat. A roar of pain and the dragon reared up; he took his chance and shot the next arrow into the unprotected soft underbelly. The dragon staggered then crashed to the ground knocking over trees as it fell.'

  The boys were gripped now, hanging on every word as Granddad continued.

  ‘Tanis, huge and powerful, roared in rage at what she had seen. She turned to face the group, focusing on the leader. She seemed to be sizing him up; looking for a weakness in this man who had slain her sons. The dragon really was huge, forty feet long, a twenty-foot tail and a wingspan wider than this house. Slowly it moved towards the men never taking its eyes off the warrior, keeping her weak spot hidden and never opening her mouth wide enough to allow an arrow to be used. Huge fangs were visible, and the horns on the dragons head were at least six feet long. She stalked around the men patiently waiting for her chance. A scream and a charge from one of the Vikings gave her that chance, and she swiped him away with a flash of her tail. Tanis charged the remaining men, stomping one and flicking another into the air effortlessly with her snout, opening her mouth long enough to eat the man whole. The other Vikings threw their spears and tried in vain to fight back, but one by one the dragon killed them all until only one remained. The beast turned towards the Viking warrior just in time to take the last silver arrow in the eye. She howled in pain, breathing fire towards him as he rolled quickly out the way. Even so, his armour saved him from a severe burning. Tanis took to the sky, and flames shot from her mouth burning trees all around the Viking, forcing him to run and head for cover deeper into the woods. The flames kept coming, and he ran until the woods cleared, and he found himself standing with the trees behind him and the water in front of him. Looking around he could see a small beach with just a group of rocks and one bare tree for cover. The dragon had cleverly forced him into the open. He took off his helmet, to give him better vision, which was a risk but one he had to take. With no arrows or daggers left he drew his sword and circled slowly, looking for any sign of the dragon, keeping his shield high. As the fight had gone on with the dragons, night approached almost unnoticed. The darkening sky and the setting sun hindered the Viking as he searched for her. He kept catching movement; a large dark shape circling overhead. The dragon swooped blasting fire at the Viking who got his shield up just in time and swung blindly with his sword. The heat of the flames scorched his skin and singed his hair. The dragon landed on the small beach and stared across confidently, stalking its prey with seeming contempt. He glimpsed over his shield and found himself looking straight into the dragon's one remaining eye. He looked to his side and saw the burning branches on the tree. The dragon charged, and the Viking knew he had only one chance. He threw down his shield, and ran as fast as he could towards the burning tree, grabbing one of the fallen branches. With the dragon almost upon him, he turned, and took aim, throwing the branch right into the dragon's good eye. The dragon howled in pain and took to the sky, blinded.'

  Peter and George sat motionless as the story continued.

  ‘In desperation the dragon began blasting fire randomly all over the beach, trying to hit the prey it could no longer see. A scream pierced the night and Tanis roared. The fire had hit the target. She landed, and breathed deeply sniffing out the fallen Viking, searching for his body. She finally found it near the rocks. Tanis pushed at the armoured boots with her snout. The Viking leapt out from his hiding place, and with one mighty swing he cut off Tanis's head as she inspected the empty boots. Exhausted, the Viking warrior dragged the head back through the wood and town to the church. The people of the town were inside praying that their nightmare would end. They cheered when they saw him, and he was given a hero's welcome and treated like royalty. The next day, as had been promised, the minister and the town elders performed a ceremony that granted the Viking immortality.

  ‘What happened then Granddad?’ Peter asked.

  ‘If he were granted immortality wouldn't he still be here?' added George.

  ‘That’s a story for another day boys. Now eat up your dinner and you can spend some time in the game room before bed.’ With that Granddad got up and left the kitchen and went to his study.

  The boys finished their dinner then played pool for a while, chatting about the story and the fantastic first day. George couldn't stop talking about the Longship and couldn't wait to tell everyone back home what he had seen. After a couple of hours, the boys headed for bed and could see the light was still on in the study. Peter told George it was always best to leave Granddad alone when he was working in there.

  Silently and gracefully it moved unseen towards the mansion; it was time for a closer look at the new arrivals. The house itself was enough to make it curious, and the old man that lived there reminded it of someone. It floated up towards the windows where it could hear the boys chatting to one another. Nothing unusual there, so why did this place make it uneasy? The yappy little dog was on one of the beds already asleep. It had enjoyed its bit of fun earlier on the lawn. It moved down to the ground floor, and there was the old man sitting at his desk writing and looking at maps. What are you doing old man? It wondered as it watched him. There was something about him, about this place, all was not as it seemed here. The Master will want to know its concerns, it was certain about that but not yet; not until the main project was finished. It didn't dare disturb the Master while the work was still on-going. It had other jobs to do, and other errands that needed to be completed. The Master's vision was almost complete, and soon they would be ready. Soon it would get to have all the fun it wanted.