by Griff Hosker
"Aiden says that it is about a hundred miles to the mouth of the estuary and then eighty or so along the twisting river. Jarl Gunnar did the river part himself and his brother told us of the dangers. We leave tomorrow at noon. There are two small ports close to the mouth of the estuary. One is to the north and one to the south. We can do nothing about them. If we are spotted then so be it. I want us to row along the river during daylight. I will not risk a drekar being sunk. That way we can attack at dawn. Snorri you and Beorn will be landed five miles from Rouen. Aiden's charts are accurate." I smiled, "The parchments showed the distances. We need to know if the tax ships have left. They should not have but it pays to be careful. We rely on speed to take them. We do not need to tackle the town. It is the ships and their treasure that we want."
"Are you certain they will leave it on board? If it was my gold I would keep it in my hall, guarded!"
"Aye Haaken, you would think so but the parchments say that the gold will be kept in the holds and there will be guards at the gangplanks."
Snorri nodded, "It is easier to guard one entrance to a ship rather than a whole hall."
"I will use the men of Cyninges-tūn to shift the treasure. Asbjorn, Sigtrygg and Raibeart can take the ships. We will use Cnut Cnutson and the Ulfheonar to stop reinforcements. We have spears and the ship's boys can use arrows."
Haaken chuckled, "You are gambling, Jarl. I like that. We are throwing the bones and hoping for as many spots as we can. The Allfather likes such bravery."
"You are right Haaken we do gamble but I want just one raid this year for Ragnar Ruriksson is still out there. We have him to deal with. When we do I would not leave our land undefended. We seek him with one crew; mine!"
"And then you build from stone?"
"And then we build from stone. The walls at Seddes' Burgh would not have fallen as easily if they had had a stone base and stone gates. Gunnar Thorfinnson told me that they have stone towers at their new home of Olafstad. If they can make such a tower then our Greek mason should be able to build something much bigger and better!"
As we waited for the sun to come up I wondered if the Weird Sisters would allow us to make it as easy as that.
Chapter 9
'Ulfheonar, warriors strong
Ulfheonar, warriors brave
Ulfheonar, fierce as the wolf
Ulfheonar, hides in plain sight
Ulfheonar, Dragon Heart's wolves
Ulfheonar, serving the sword
Ulfheonar, Dragon Heart's wolves
Ulfheonar, serving the sword'
We sang for the first part of the voyage. It raised our spirits. We needed them raising for the dawn had been a murky mist and rain filled one. It made it harder for those on the shores to see us but as we would be passing the two towns at night that made little difference. It meant we had to sail closer together and we would have to rely on the ships' boys warning us when we sailed too close to a neighbour. The Weird Sisters were not making our voyage simple.
We sailed at the head of the column. Erik had the sail furled and the mast placed on the mast fish when darkness fell and we were just ten miles from the mouth of the estuary. We wanted to be invisible. With no mast and a low freeboard we would be hard to see. The loops on the river meant that a sail would not help us anyway. We would be better off relying on the oars. It was uncomfortable as we bobbed up and down in the swell. Taking down the mast and putting it on the mast fish took time. We had ten strong warriors on the oars keeping us bow on to the estuary.
When that was done Aiden and a pair of ship's boys were at the bows watching for breakers. It was a wide estuary and so long as we stayed in the middle we would be safe enough. The dragon of 'Odin's Breath' almost touched Erik's hand, we were sailing so close to each other. This was where the closeness of our warriors helped for we all had the same rhythm. Once we had entered the estuary we had Aiden passing instructions down through a line of boys. For the first few miles it was nerve wracking. The river, although wide, twisted and turned. As dawn broke it became easier, for Aiden could see better. However we could also be seen. Gunnstein Thorfinnson had told us that there were few signs of habitation until we passed by Jumièges. That had been destroyed by Jarl Gunnar but Aiden was convinced that they would have begun rebuilding it. The parchments told us that the King of Frankia himself had endowed the monastery. It was a sign of his prestige. It would be rebuilt and there would be armed warriors, probably mounted, to ensure that the work was not disturbed. That was one place where we would have to be especially careful.
It was hard going, rowing against the current, and we had to change rowers frequently. I took to taking around the ale skin for it was thirsty work too. We were seen from the banks. It would have been strange had we not. Fortunately it was peasants and thralls working in remote fields by the river or lone fishermen who spied us. They fled when they saw us. I had no doubt that our presence would be reported but who would think that we would dare to attack Rouen? As the day wore on our progress became slower. The river twisted and turned like a dragon's tail. There were times we came so close to the bank that I gripped my dragon amulet and prayed to the spirits to keep us safe. I promised Icaunis that I would make a blót if we survived. I knew not the name of the god of this river but I prayed that Icaunis was a brother.
The afternoon wore on and there was still no sign of Jumièges. I went to the bows to speak with Aiden. He was exhausted but he still peered at his charts.
"Is there any sign of the monastery?"
He shook his head, "We are here." He jabbed a finger at the squiggles on the parchment. It meant nothing to me save that it was not near the cross I could see on the bend of the river. "It could be a good sign. We might pass it after dark."
"And that would mean that we would have further to travel to reach the ships."
"Aye, it is thirty odd miles to the ships from the monastery."
"That could take two or three hours of rowing."
Aiden looked at his charts and said, "We could do it but we would have to go in blind. We would have to forego our scouts."
"Then that is what we will do." It was a luxury we could not afford. The threads of the Weird Sisters were, indeed, complicated and intricate.
We headed up the wide river watching the banks for danger. There were neither towers nor burghs along the banks. The river was too wide for bridges. Perhaps that explained the lack of people along it. Darkness fell and, as we turned a bend in the river, we heard the sound of a bell tolling to our left. It was the monastery. I hoped that the sound of our oars softly cutting through the water would not be heard. As the bell receded in the distance I peered to the northern bank. I saw nothing. I estimated that we would reach the ships while it was still dark. I went down the banks of oars and said. "When you change rowers then don your armour. We are going straight in."
Snorri asked, "No scouts?"
"Let us see if our luck holds. We go in fast and we go in hard. We will tie up next to the last ship we see and cross to the land from its decks."
When I reached Erik I told him what I intended, "I hope that I can turn around or we will have a problem."
"We will try to get you the time to do whatever you need." I turned to Ragnar and Gruffyd. "Your task is to guard Erik here. You have both shown that you can use your bows. On the morrow we will see if you can stand when enemies attack! When we leave this ship it will be up to you two and the ship's boys to ensure that my drekar is not taken."
Ragnar nodded, "We will not let you down Jarl Dragonheart! We will show that we have earned the right to serve you."
I nodded. I had served Prince Butar when I had been little older than Ragnar. I knew how frightening it was to face grown men in battle. The steel in Ragnar's voice gave me confidence.
As I put on my cochineal and my mail I was more concerned that my men would be exhausted by the time we had to fight. It would be a test of both their strength and their skill. It had been a long row from the sea. We saw the glow of
fires as we sailed silently along the river. There were houses there. That might cause a problem when we had to sail back down the river. They would be alerted. I kept thinking that if two small drekar had done it then we had a good chance of doing so. Then I realised that we were further upstream than Jarl Gunnar Thorfinnson had been. I touched my dragon amulet and asked for the help of my ancestor. This was one time where Aiden's skills as a wizard could not help us. This would be down to the warriors I had brought from the Land of the Wolf. I had confidence. We were the best warriors. The enemy would only defeat us if they had overwhelming numbers. I saw my men donning their armour as they changed rowers. Each one of them had their own ritual. It was important to a warrior to use the same routine. It was part of being a warrior. We sailed in silence.
Guthrum Arneson, a ship's boy, came racing down the middle of the drekar. "Jarl, Aiden says it is around the next bend. He can smell the smoke from their fires."
I donned my helmet and walked down the gangway. "Ulfheonar, to the bow. The rest will follow when we are tied up."
My men followed me. Even as we walked down we saw dawn begin to break. We had barely made it in time. Guthrum stood next to me with a rope. He would have to leap aboard the Frankish ship. I peered over the dragon prow and saw that there was an island in the middle of the river. We had passed one already. The town was on the northern bank. A wall encircled it. The river was a hundred and more paces from the wall. As with Lundenwic the ground between the river and the wall was a sprawl of huts and crude halls. There were a number of ships on both sides of the river. The ones on the south were small. Far more were on the northern bank than the southern. Amongst the small boats I counted four long, narrow ships tied up to the quay. They were more like barges than ships. Each had a mast. It was set further forward than on ours. They had to be the vessels which would transport the taxes up to Paris. I spied hope for they were lower than we were.
"Ready Guthrum?"
"Aye, Jarl."
"Do not worry. We will follow you aboard. You will have the best bodyguards!"
Suddenly a bell began to toll in the town. As the sky lightened I spied movement along the walls. We had been seen and recognised. A drekar's prow can be nothing but a danger. Erik put the steering board over as he shouted, "In oars!"
The last push from the rowers bumped us next to the end barge. The line of barges rose and fell as the rest of my drekar did the same. The Vikings had arrived!
"Go, Guthrum!"
As the boy leapt down I followed him. The flat deck was two paces beneath our gunwale. I saw the deck watch race towards Guthrum who did as he had been ordered, regardless of danger. He was securely fastening our drekar to the barge. Rollo Thin Skin swept his sword to hack into the side of the first guard who came close to Guthrum. The main danger came from the six mailed men who guarded the gangplank. They turned to face us.
Raising my sword I yelled, "Ulfheonar!" I ran at them.
They had small shields and spears but they were encased in lamellar armour from shoulder to knees. Their round helmets were like the ones the Frisians had worn. Holding my shield before me I ran at them. I trusted that my men would be hard on my heels. This was not like fighting on a drekar. The deck was flat and there was little movement. We were many miles from the sea. The six warriors braced themselves. Holding my shield before me with my shoulder behind it I hurtled into their shields. They did not expect it but I was not gambling. I trusted that my shield would be stronger than their spear heads and that my helmet would protect me. I felt the spears as they struck my shield and glanced off my helmet. It was like running into a wall but I heard wood snap as some of the spears broke.
My sword had been held behind me and, as I lowered my shield to allow me to see better, I brought it over in a sweep. I was within a sword's length of two whose spears I had shattered. My blade came across the side of the Frank's helmet. The metal held but the blow was so powerful that I saw the Frank's eyes roll back into his head as he fell. A sword from my right struck the second spearless guard as Haaken One Eye joined me. The two of us were suddenly pushed forward as the Ulfheonar put their shields into our backs and used us as a battering ram. The weight of ten men was too much for the remaining four. They tumbled over the side. Three fell between the barge and the shore. The weight of their armour would kill them. The last rolled down the gangplank. Snorri leapt down the wooden gangplank to sink his sword into his throat. We followed.
I could hear the noise of men leaving the town. "Shield wall! Follow me!"
The muddle of huts and warehouses had two or three narrow passages leading from the town. One was wider than the rest. I led my Ulfheonar to it. I could see men running towards us. I planted my feet and stood in the centre. Haaken, Olaf, Rollo Thin Hair and Rolf Horse Killer flanked me. The rest stood behind me. We locked shields and placed our left legs forward. The Franks did not run at us in a wedge. They saw a handful of men and each one thought to send us hence. These men did not know us. They had not fought Vikings. They saw us and thought to sweep us back into the river. They were in for a shock.
As one we raised our weapons above the shields. Haaken and I had the centre. Swords appeared over our heads to protect us and we felt the reassuring pressure of their shields in our backs. The warriors who raced to meet us carried a variety of weapons from spears to swords and hand axes. Some had armour but I could see that most had not. It was the town watch. Only our heads peered over our shields and when the leading Franks saw our red eyed faces and wolf cloaks I saw the terror in their faces. Were they facing men or monsters? It was that terror which made them hesitate. I plunged my sword into the throat of the first Frank as Olaf's axe took the head from the second. The third was looking at his headless comrade when Rolf Horse Killer hacked his axe into his arm and side. The ones who followed stopped as they saw the bloody bodies.
"Charge!"
We ran slowly up the narrow lane towards them. They ran. I did not intend to follow them far but I wanted my men to have enough time to empty the chests from the barges. Half way up we stopped. I had a sudden idea. I turned to the men behind us. "Fire the huts. You three will guard the passage with me!"
Haaken grinned, "I had wondered if I would have a song to sing. Let the Franks come and I will tell the tale of the four who held off an army!"
The Weird Sisters hear all. Our threads were spun but they could still cause mischief. Perhaps they saw Haaken's words as a challenge. I heard a horn and then spied the horses which appeared from the gate of the distant town. They had long spears. Olaf growled, "One day, Haaken One Eye, your boasting will get us killed!"
He laughed, "Then let us hope it is not this day!"
"Rolf, today you live up to your name!"
Four men with shields could fill the passage but only two horses would fit into the same space. The men who charged were forced to ride in pairs. The two riders were almost touching and that meant they could not ride as fast as they might have hoped. I had faced horsemen before and knew that horses can be trained to kill but it is not in their nature to do so. With left arm braced I held my sword behind me with the blade next to my ear. The two spears were jabbed towards us. Neither came near me but I heard a grunt as one struck Rollo. I stabbed forward with my sword as the horse's hoof struck my shield. My sword entered the beast's eye. It reared in pain. The rider was thrown from its back and I heard his cries as the second horse trampled him. The dying horse rolled back to form a barrier. Olaf Leather Neck hacked into the throat of the second horse as Haaken thrust his sword into the Frank's side. He fell from his dying mount at my feet. I ended his life.
Smoke began to pour from the buildings behind us and I heard Finni the Dreamer shout, "Jarl! Fall back!"
I saw that Rollo was hurt. The spear had penetrated his shoulder and he was bleeding. "Rolf! Help Rollo."
We moved back. The horses could not pass the two dead horses. They might have been able to leap across but they needed a run up to do that and there were too many
crowding the narrow passage. As we moved backwards the smoke erupted into flames. That decided the horsemen. They could not make their horses pass fire. We had bought some time.
When we reached the river I saw that not all of our men had had the same success as we. There was a shield wall which spread from 'Heart of the Dragon' to 'Red Snake'. Cnut Cnutson and the men of Cyninges-tūn held the northern flank.
"Get Rollo to the drekar and ask Aiden how long we need."
"Aye Jarl."
The ships' boys were sending arrows over the heads of the shield wall to break up the Frankish attack. We needed to have a smaller perimeter. It would give those fighting better protection. "Four steps back! Double shields!"
The Ulfheonar were already in that formation. Finni and Erik Eriksson stepped forward to take the place of Rollo and Rolf. I saw Asbjorn to my left. He grinned, "Eystein would have enjoyed this, Jarl!"
"Aye he would. We will tell him of it when we next see him." Asbjorn nodded. A Viking was always ready to go to Valhalla... it was just we did not expect to do so!
The Franks saw the movement of our line and took it for weakness. They rushed at us thinking we retreated. Our line was solid and when they ran at us they were met by a wall of wood and deadly swords which were wielded by swordsmen hardened over years. They had not met our like before and the wall of dead men was a lesson to them.
The horsemen had ridden around the flames and now twenty of them formed a line behind those on foot. I knew what was coming. Rolf Horse Killer ran up. "Jarl, Aiden has almost finished. He has placed kindling on the barges. He said to fall back whenever you are ready!"
That was easier said than done. The horsemen would charge if they saw us trying to reach the barges. Glancing over my shoulder I saw that they were just fifty paces from us.
"Fall back slowly. The horsemen will attack soon!"
We had almost made it when disaster struck. Cnut Cnutson was leading his line backwards when a spear jabbed into the chest of one of the horses. This one fell across two men and the horsemen poured through the gap. I saw that the other drekar crews had made their ships. They would be slaughtered if I did not help.
