Viking Sword

by Griff Hosker

  "Aye jarl, but we need to find him yet."

  There was slightly less need for vigilance if Magnus Klak's warriors were not present. I also realised the impression that Bjarki must have left. We could use that. He and his men had had a wolf token around their necks much as we had. The difference was that theirs was a crude poorly made iron one with little detail. We had worn them instead of our own to create the illusion that we were Danes. Now I had my men display them outside their mail. I wanted all to think that we were Bjarki's men. The site we had chosen the previous night was too close to the gate. We led our ponies north until we had passed the last rude hut. We found a bend in the river where there was a stand of trees. They were willows and their fronds dipped down to the river. They afforded a degree of safety.

  "Jarl, we are far from the bridge here and the river is both wide and deep. How will we cross?"

  "We will not. When we have done the deed we will flee north and then head west. I hope we are not discovered but if we are then I want a trail which heads north not west. I want to protect our land as long as I can."

  We left Arnulf and Harald on guard with the ponies while we went to scout out the whereabouts of Wiglaf. It did not take us long to discover that he was safely tucked up inside the old Roman fort. The last time we had come to the town the gates had been open; guarded but open. Now they were barred and guarded. We walked the length of its walls and all of the gates were closed. Towards the river and the wharf were many stalls and tables selling food and ale. The river trade was profitable. We headed there. Gossip was rife and we were good listeners.

  At one stall we haggled over some pickled fish and stale bread, acting the part of impoverished warriors. We went to the next stall and bought some poor beer. The ale wife who served us was inquisitive. "What are five well armed Danes doing here when there is work to the north and the west? I would expect you to have much gold and not these copper coins."

  I feigned ignorance, "North and west?"

  "Aye Prince Klak has taken an army to humble the men of Northumberland in the north and Jarl Bjarki has gone to take the sword of the Dragon Heart to the west."

  She knew of my sword. I was glad that I had exchanged my fine scabbard for a plainer one taken from a dead Dane. I nodded, "We were supposed to meet Jarl Bjarki here but we were delayed. He has gone?"

  "Aye a month since." She laughed, "I expect him back soon with the sword in his scabbard and coins in his purse." She leaned forward and said, conspiratorially, "They say that he has gone to bring back the daughter of King Egbert of Wessex, abducted by the Dragon Heart. You are his men what do you know of that?"

  I shrugged, "We were just sent word that Jarl Bjarki had need of swords and we would be well paid." I shook my head, "And now we have no gold and the jarl is gone. Wyrd."

  She took our empty horns, "Wyrd. More ale?"

  "Until we find work we cannot afford any. Who do we see around here for work?"

  She pointed to the fort, "Wiglaf rules in Prince Klak's place. You should ask him but he is a mean spirited man. He will not pay overmuch. They say he still has the first coin he earned. He keeps the gates closed because he does not wish to pay men to work for him. Still he may want five such warriors as you. You look as though you know your business."

  "Thank you for the ale and the information."

  We headed down the river back towards our camp.

  Snorri's sharp eyes scanned around us for any danger as we headed back to our camp. When we were out of earshot he said, "You have a plan?"

  "I have a plan."

  We had bought some of the pickled fish for Arnulf and Harald. "I want you two to go to the fort when you have eaten and ask the guards if you can see Wiglaf. If they ask why then say you are hired swords. Hopefully they will invite you in and you can find out where Wiglaf lives within the fort. You need to ask an exorbitant fee for your swords so that he orders you to go. Then you return here and we can plan our raid."

  "Why Arnulf and Harald, jarl. No offence but Bjorn the Scout and I are the best at concealment."

  "And Wiglaf knows you. He does not know Arnulf and Harald. If they find nothing then you and Bjorn the Scout may well have to get inside and find him but that way is dangerous. Let us try this first. Can you do this?"

  They were both eager to prove themselves. "Aye Jarl."

  "We will wait here. That ale wife has sharp eyes. Despite her disparaging comments about Wiglaf I would suspect she sells information. Her stall is perfectly placed."

  The two of them left for the gate and we spent the time preparing our weapons and planning the raid. "We will climb the walls during the night. We know that during the day there are eight guards on the gate. He must have others inside but it is likely he will just have two on each gate tower at night. From what we were told he does not pay o'er much. I would be surprised if there were more than twenty guards in the whole fort."

  Siggi nodded, "The guards did not look the best. They were Saxon. At least the ones at the northern gate were."

  "You have good eyes Siggi. I saw that the ones at the western gate were also Saxon." Snorri smiled at me. "Perhaps we just assault the fort. If seven Ulfheonar cannot take twenty Saxons then we ought to take up farming!"

  "We will wait until our scouts return, Snorri, before we take on the world."

  They returned at noon. Both looked very pleased with themselves. "Did he see you?"

  Harald smiled, "No but we saw the leader of his guards, Osbert of Bebbanburgh. He told us that he hires the men for Wiglaf. Wiglaf, it appears spends all his time in his quarters. He has female slaves there and he conducts his business though his steward, Aethelward. He fears for his life."

  "You did not find him then?"

  "We did better, jarl. Since this Magnus Klak came then all within the fort fear for their lives. He has a quick temper and the heads around the walls testify to that. Osbert fears that when he returns he might wish to be rid of Wiglaf. The two of them fear for their lives. We asked a ridiculous amount of gold and Osbert said he would pay it. Apparently the ale wife was not wrong but merely misinformed. Wiglaf wants killers around him. When I said that we had five more blades he almost bit my hand off. "

  Arnulf nodded, "When Jarl Bjarki passed through Wiglaf tried to hire him and his men. He said he would return with the sword and then consider the offer. Wiglaf is building up his strength while Klak is away."

  "I wonder why he does not flee Jorvik."

  "Where to Bjorn the Scout? He cannot go back to Lundenwic and Rorik, his protector is dead. This makes sense. He could not be seen to be hiring swords while Klak was here and Magnus Klak has taken all of the swords which were available. This may be our chance. Perhaps this was ordained and planned by the Norns." I strapped on my sword, "Did you tell him where we camped?"

  Arnulf looked shocked that I would think such a thing, "Of course not. He said we should return as soon as possible."

  "Then we will head back in late afternoon. If we can gain access during the day then we can do the deed and flee under cover of darkness."

  "There is still the problem of you, Jarl. He will recognise you. As soon as you are seen then the game will be up."

  "Then, Bjorn the Scout, you will have to be jarl and I will suddenly feel unwell because of some bad pickled fish. Snorri will have to stay with me."

  "How does this help us?"

  "I am guessing that we will be taken to Wiglaf. He is the one who will recognise me. I know not this Osbert of Bebbanburgh; he is Northumbrian. When you are taken to meet with him then Snorri and I will eliminate the other guards."

  "But there may be twenty or more!"

  Snorri laughed, "Aye, Arnulf but we are Ulfheonar. It is a good plan and it might work. If not then what a glorious tale to be sung around the fires at night."

  "If we fail, Snorri then the world will just see seven heads adorning the walls of Jorvik and no one will sing our song."

  Siggi pointed to the ponies. "What of these?"

&
nbsp; "We will need all of us for they are expecting seven of us. We leave them here. They will be here unless the Weird Sisters have something else in mind for us."

  We spent the rest of the day ensuring that our mail, weapons, straps, helmets and shields were all in working order. The helmets had not been specially made for us like our own and we each had an extra padded cap to make them fit better. My shield, seax and my sword were the only items I had which were mine. I had a Danish dagger strapped to the inside of my shield. Who knew what we might encounter?

  We decided that Bjorn the Scout should be the jarl for the day. He, like Snorri, was quick thinking and confident. He was also of an age with me and the few flecks of grey would add to the illusion that he was jarl. Arnulf approached the guard he had met earlier. He was stationed at the North Gate which kept us well out of sight of the ale wife who might be suspicious. "These are the men of whom I spoke. Bjorn the Scout is our leader."

  The guard did not seem suspicious. "Osbert said to take you to the guard house."

  He led us through the gate, which slammed ominously behind us. The guard house was, in fact, the old praetorium from the old Roman fort. We had seen them before. As we walked in I kept my head down and I saw the secret stone under which the legion had kept its treasures.

  I glanced up as Osbert spoke. He was not a young man. He may have been a warrior at one time but his paunch showed that he had not fought for some years. "You did not lie, Arnulf. Your friends look like handy warriors. Well, have you agreed to my proposal?"

  Bjorn the Scout spoke. "What do we need to do to earn this gold you offer?"

  "If you agree then I will tell you. It is a generous offer, is it not? Now that the jarl has gone north there is little other work here."

  "We could wait for Jarl Bjarki to return. We have fought alongside him before."

  "It is some time since he left. Perhaps he slew Dragon Heart or was slain by him. Who knows? It may be he returned to Wessex by sea or by the west coast. You could wait here all winter and not see him. We offer gold for your purses now."

  Bjorn the Scout turned to us as though consulting, "It seems like a good offer should we take it and then find out whom we have to kill?" We all nodded and grunted our approval. "We agree. Gold first and then you can tell us what we need to do."

  He counted out a healthy pile of golden coins which Bjorn the Scout counted and then put in his purse. He was playing the part well. Wiglaf was extorting much money from the merchants of Jorvik. He had not changed.

  "You will enjoy working for Wiglaf. We pay for nothing and anyone who argues is punished. "He grinned evilly, "And if you wish women then it can be arranged. Magnus Klak lets him run the town so long as he has enough men to fight then he is happy. He takes a tenth of all that people produce. Our master is a good tax collector." Osbert leaned forward, "My master has decided that he wishes to leave Jorvik and take his treasure with him. It needs must be before Magnus Klak returns and asks for an account of the taxes. We leave in five days. We need to secure a ship."

  "Why not buy one?" Bjorn the Scout held up the heavy purse, "There appears to be gold enough."

  "Let us say that my master has a need for as much gold as we can carry."

  "And will we be taking all the guards in the fort? How many others are there?"

  Bjorn the Scout was very clever. Osbert would not see anything amiss with such a question but we would find out how many guards we had to deal with.

  "At the moment there are twenty but I shall go now and dismiss the seven worst ones. Now that we have real warriors the old can be discarded. Wait here while I see to that and set the eight sentries for the night. I will introduce you to the others and then we will go and see the master."

  When he had gone none of us were foolish enough to speak of what we had heard. This could be a trick and he could be outside listening to us. Instead we chatted about what we would spend our money on. We laughed and we joked. We played the part of hired warriors eager to spend and to waste our coin. They would not know that we were Ulfheonar.

  Osbert returned a while later with two other warriors. "This is Sigismund and Tadgh. They too were warriors who fought in a shield wall." We nodded to the two Saxons who looked slightly less overweight than Osbert but it had been many years since they had faced a foe in a shield wall. "The master will have finished his meal now and we will go to see him."

  This would be the tricky part of the plan. As we crossed the old parade ground I doubled up. "What is the matter?"

  "I had some pickled fish from the stall by the river. It did not taste right at the time."

  The three of them laughed unsympathetically, "That would be Aled's stall. I would not buy from him." He waved to the far corner. "Over there is where we use. We will be in the Great Hall."

  Snorri said, "I will come with you, for I, too, feel as though the world is about to descend from my arse!"

  This seemed to tickle the three men even more. They were still laughing as they led my men to meet with Wiglaf. I could trust them to overpower the three guards and subdue Wiglaf. Snorri and I had the other guards to dispose of. We saw the eight men who were on guard. Pairs of them stood by each of the gates. They looked at us briefly and then went back to staring from the walls. We headed, not for the cess pit, but for the hall where the light glowed in the darkening fort. That would be the barracks the men were using. We heard them as we approached. They were playing a game of dice. As we appeared at the door they glanced over suspiciously then one said, "You must be the new Danes Osbert has hired." He spat into the fire, "Swords for hire!"

  Another growled, "Leofric was my friend and he is now without work because of you."

  I drew my seax, "Do you wish to make something of it Saxon? I have gutted enough of your kind before now and one more will not trouble me." He stood and I noted that Snorri had silently drawn his own seax and was standing behind one of the dice players.

  "I am not afraid of a Dane even if he does have a shirt of mail."

  He drew his own dagger. I smiled as I whipped my seax across the throat of the Saxon who had remained seated. "Perhaps you should have been." My hand darted across and into his throat. He did manage to try to stab me but my mail deflected the blow. Snorri's Saxon lay in a widening pool of blood.

  "Do we take the sentries now, jarl?"

  "No, They can see each other and we will need to take them all at once. Let us see if Bjorn the Scout has Wiglaf."

  I noticed the silence as we left the barracks. The guards had been making a noise. I hoped that the sentries would not investigate the sudden silence. We could do nothing about it but at least the odds were now better for us.

  As we approached the Great Hall I could hear the keening and moaning of women. Osbert had told us that Wiglaf liked young women. I hoped that they had not been hurt. When we stepped through the doors we saw the three slain Saxons and three young girls huddled in the corner sobbing. They were naked and had bruises upon their bodies. Wiglaf was cowering in his chair. I could see that one of my men had struck him.

  Bjorn the Scout said, "He tried to use the girls as a shield. A real hero is our Wiglaf."

  I took off my helmet and Wiglaf's eyes widened, "Dragon Heart!" He tried to sink into the wooden chair.

  I ignored him, "Snorri, cover the girls and then bind and gag them. I do not want them screaming when they see what I intend. Be gentle."

  Arnulf and Harald went to help him. They smiled and spoke gently to the three girls. I would release them before we left but I did not want the eight remaining guards alerting. I turned to Wiglaf, "Yes Wiglaf. It is Dragon Heart. Did you think your gold had paid for my head? The men you sent are all waiting now in the Other World but I do not think you need to fear their wrath for you will be going to Hel. You will not be given a sword to help you to Valhalla."

  He took out his cross of the White Christ. "I am a Christian!"

  I ripped it from his neck, "Then I hope your White Christ likes liars and those who abuse youn
g girls."

  "What will you do with me?"

  "What do you think?" I drew the Danish sword I had brought. "This is not the sword you sent your warriors to fetch. But it was wielded by the warriors you despatched to kill me. It is freshly sharpened." His mouth started to open.

  I saw that the girls had been gagged and I brought my blade across his neck. His head bounced from his body and rolled across the room. I felt no satisfaction in what I had done. He needed killing. If I had not then more men would have been sent to get to me and one day someone I loved would be hurt.

  I went over to the wide eyed girls. "You will not be hurt but we must go and do something else. We will return and you will be freed. I give you my word. Do you understand?" They nodded. "Good." I picked up the head. They did not need to see that. I deposited the head in the praetorium. We then strolled across to the barracks. I noticed that the guards watched us, briefly and then returned to their duty.

  "Harald and Arnulf go to the guards on the north gate. Tell them that Osbert asked you to relieve them. Pretend that you are unhappy about having to do a duty. When they come then Snorri and the others will deal with them. Bjorn the Scout come with me."

  We headed for the praetorium. I moved the table and ran my dagger along the edge of the stone which I knew marked the hidden cellar. We lifted the heavy covering; it took both of us. Once it was up we took the candle which burned in the corner and examined the treasure room. There were four chests within it. They were not large but they were heavy. We lifted them out. Each one was filled with coins. This is what Wiglaf was going to steal. This was Magnus Klak's treasure. We replaced the stone and left the chests in the praetorium.

  As we left the guards on the western gate shouted to us, "When will we be relieved?"

  Bjorn the Scout waved and shouted, "When I get to the barracks. My men are still eating. Just be patient."

  As we entered we saw that the two sentries had been despatched. "Sven and Siggi go to the east gate and relieve the guards there. That will just leave four and we will need to use something different for them." They left. "I will visit the stables. Those chests look heavy."