by Griff Hosker
Haaken came over to me. “You think there will be trouble?”
“Let us just say that I have an uneasy feeling. There are ten lords who will wake this morning and they will have wounds, cuts and bruises. They will have hurt pride. They will want vengeance. I hope that their wounds and thick heads will keep them in Tui but until we reach the sea then I will be vigilant.
Erik brought us the bows and the arrows. Haaken said, “The two of us defend the drekar?”
I laughed, “We have done so before. Besides, I just hope to discourage any who try to attack us. We saw no ships on the way up. An attack has to come from the land.”
Haaken nodded, “The current is strong and the men are rowing well. How will they catch us?”
“We waited for dawn before we left. They may not have. They have good horses. They could be ahead of us already.”
We saw no sign of any enemy as we slowly sculled down the river. The current was sluggish. We would raise the mast and sail once we reached the wide, open expanse of water close to the narrow entrance. As we neared the lake like mouth, I began to believe that my fears had been groundless. Then I saw them. The horsemen had ridden to the low cliff which overlooked the mouth of the river. There the river was less than a hundred paces wide. They could hurt us.
I went to Erik Short Toe. “We need to stop. If we raise the mast and yard we can use just half of the crew to row through the gap.”
“Half the crew?”
“Aye the other half will need to use shields. Remember these people know how to use bows and they can rain death upon us.”
“Aye! In oars. Raise the mast.”
We would continue to drift towards the mouth and the water was wide enough that we were in no danger of grounding. Sámr came towards me, “Can they stop us?”
I nodded, “The entrance to this river is so narrow that they could send rocks down the cliff. If we grounded or were struck then they would fall upon us. I intend to have half of the crew protecting the other half. It will mean we travel through slowly but we might be able to escape unscathed, if Haaken and I can deter them with arrows. I will issue the Moorish bows to the ship’s boys. We have enough arrows for them and we can hope that we have luck on our side.”
“I did not think they would follow.”
“I hoped they would not but, all the way down the river, I have dreaded the worst. You should know that the Norns are mischievous and vindictive. Rescuing Ylva, Gruffyd and Mordaf from their clutches has not enamoured me to them. I am lucky that Odin favours me. Now organise the men with the shields. You choose the ones to row and the ones to be the protectors.”
The mast was locked into position and, with reefed sail, the yard was hauled into position. As soon as we cleared the river mouth, we would release the sail and head north and west. Once we had sea room we could turn north and east and take advantage of the south west wind which blew.
I shouted, “To your oars. Ship’s boys take a bow, nock an arrow.” As the boys grabbed the powerful bows we had captured I watched Sámr organise the rowers. He was using just eight oars on each side. It made it easier for our men to protect them with shields. We had no such luxury. We would have to stand on the steerboard side, towards the prow, and endure whatever they sent at us. A helmet would merely have restricted our view. Added to which the ship’s boys had no helmets. It was unfair for us to be protected and the boys not.
Erik Short Toe saw that the oars were ready and he shouted, “Row!”
This time we did need a chant and Haaken, as he strung his bow, began it. It was the song of Haaken and I and our rescue of Ylva. It was one of the two sagas he particularly liked. The other was Rolf’s End.
The Dragonheart sailed with warriors brave
To find the child he was meant to save
With Haaken and Ragnar’s Spirit
They dared to delve with true warrior’s grit
Beneath the earth they bravely went
With the sword by Odin sent
The Jarl and Haaken will bravely roar
The Jarl and Haaken and the Ulfheonar
In the dark the witch grew strong
Even though her deeds were wrong
A dragon’s form she took to kill
Dragonheart faced her still
He drew the sword touched by the god
Made by Odin and staunched in blood
The Jarl and Haaken will bravely roar
The Jarl and Haaken and the Ulfheonar
With a mighty blow he struck the beast
On Dragonheart’s flesh he would not feast
The blade struck true and the witch she fled
Ylva lay as though she were dead
The witch’s power could not match the blade
The Ulfheonar are not afraid
The Jarl and Haaken will bravely roar
The Jarl and Haaken and the Ulfheonar
And now the sword will strike once more
Using all the Allfather’s power
Fear the wrath you Danish lost
You fight the wolf and pay the cost
The Jarl and Haaken will bravely roar
The Jarl and Haaken and the Ulfheonar
The drekar began to surge forward. The current aided us and the men had a song to sing. I saw the two new men as they rowed and struggled to hear the words and sing them. I concentrated upon the horsemen on the low cliff. They had dismounted and I saw them moving large stones into position. Others took out bows. By shading my eyes, I was able to see them better as we neared them. There were at least four lords with them. They had the plume on their helmets. I guessed they were four of the ones we had bested the night before. I also thought I could see a warrior with a sling. I was not sure but it looked like Lucidiol. I had hurt him twice. I had broken his arm and taken away his paymaster.
I nocked an arrow for we were approaching the tiny gap quickly. The closer we came to the mouth the faster was the current. It made Erik’s job harder. It was fortunate that we had no sail to obscure his view. He would aim for the middle of the narrow channel and he would not have the luxury of ship’s boys to guide him. They were defending the drekar.
The warriors on the cliff top, just thirty paces above us, had the advantage of height and arrows began to rain down on us. Stig was guarding Erik Short Toe with a shield for if he fell, then we were doomed. We were fortunate that there was no order to the enemy. They did not concentrate on one place. The arrows fell at the prow, where the rowers rowed and at the steering board. They had but fifteen archers and it was not enough for we could see the arrows coming down. The ship’s boys were agile enough to evade them and Haaken and I seemed to bear charmed lives. I heard arrows thud into shields, the deck, the hull and the mast but there were no cries from our men. We were still too far away to be effective. I also wanted to do the most damage to their most dangerous of weapons, the rocks. Some of the ship’s boys could not wait and they sent their arrows into the air. Most fell woefully short and I think that encouraged the Asturians. Arne, Haaken and I waited. We were less than a hundred paces from the shore. I could see the enemy clearly for the cliff was a low one. I saw two men pushing a huge rock towards the top of the cliff. They were pushing up a slight slope. Once it reached the top then its weight would send it crashing down the cliff side slope towards us. Other rocks were being moved as well. At best the rocks would send a wall of water towards us and that might swamp us but at worst they could strike the oars or the hull and that would be a disaster.
I pulled back and aimed at the rock. I had not used one of the bows before. The rock was a bigger target than the men behind and if I hit the rock then the arrow might be deflected and do some damage. I released. Haaken and Arne must have had the same thought for we all sent our arrows at the nearest rock. I followed the flight of mine and saw it hit the top of the rock. It was close enough to one of the men pushing it for splinters to strike him. My arrow then flew up and into the side of one of the lords. It made all of them duck. I was not
sure which one but either Arne or Haaken hit one of the men pushing the rock. He fell backwards and the rock rolled back, crushing the leg of the other warrior. The ship’s boys were now in range. Their arrows still fell a little short but I saw one hit one of the rocks and it deflected sideways to strike another warrior.
I sent another arrow at the next rock and, as I watched it arc, I saw that one rock had been pushed over the top. It careered down the slope. It hit a patch of rocks at the bottom and it threw them in the air. They landed ten paces from the drekar’s prow. Water fountained in the air and the distraction cost Stig his life as an arrow struck him in the chest and pinned him to the larboard strakes.
We were now level with the warriors and they managed to send more stones over. We were closer now and I had the measure of the bow. I could not see the rock pushers but I could see the plumes of the lords. One of my arrows must have hit one for he staggered forward clutching the arrow in his neck and then plunged over the cliff. Erik had managed to put the steerboard over to take us away from the rocks but, even so, one rock struck the oars, shattering three of them and sending splinters of wood into two oarsmen. The rest sent a wall of water to us. It was like a small tidal wave and it flooded over the stern of the ship.
“Raise the sail!”
Haaken and I ran, with Arne, Erik Shield Bearer and the other ship’s boys to release the sail. The arrows still fell but we were beyond the rocks. I heard a cry as the wolf sail was released. Haaken One Eye had an arrow sticking through his leg. He was a warrior and he continued to pull until the sail was billowing.
I ran to him. “Lie down and let me get this arrow out.”
He lay down and smiled up at me. “It makes a change for me to be the one with the wound. Be gentle eh, Dragonheart, I am an old man!” he laughed, “Like you!”
I joined in his laughter. We were warriors and we were alive. I snapped off the arrow head and then pulled the arrow back. I saw Haaken wince and grit his teeth. The blood spurted, “Erik Shield Bearer, fetch me vinegar, honey and a bandage.”
While I tended to his wound Haaken said, “Now we just have to venture far to the west, avoid Syllingar, the men of Wessex, Om Walum, Hibernia and Walhaz and then we will be home!”
I laughed, “Is that all?” We were alive and life felt good.
Then I saw that the ship’s boys were looking at Stig’s body. I had forgotten the death which had been the price of our escape. I walked to Erik Short Toe. “Let us bury this hero and send him to the Otherworld. Has he family?”
“A mother.”
“Then she will have Stig’s share and more.”
We buried Stig in the blue seas off the coast of Asturia. I saw Erik Shield Bearer. He had tears on his cheeks. When we resumed our course, I called him over. “Sometimes, Erik, a price must be paid. Stig was that price. It is sad but inevitable. The Norns spin and cut threads.”
“Aye, I know.”
He was upset and I wondered how I could rouse his spirits. Baldr and Sámr had replaced their oar on the mast fish. They had finished tending the wounds of those injured in the attack. I was just happy that they had not been injured by the splinters when the rock had struck us. Sámr came over to us and Baldr followed.
“You were right great grandfather, they came for us.”
“Always expect the worst, Sámr, and you will rarely be disappointed.”
Baldr handed Sámr the leather bag which Guiterre had given him. “What is this?”
“Guiterre paid attention on the drekar, Sámr Ship Killer. He knew you wanted one. It was his gift to you.”
Sámr opened the leather bag and took out an hourglass. We had not found one on our travels. Now the gods had sent us one. Wyrd!
Part Two
Danish Vengeance
Chapter 12
The journey home was a long one. We had to fight winds from the south and west. We had to endure storms and rain. We had buried Stig and the memory of his loss made us all determined to get the other boys home safely. Haaken’s leg did not begin to heal until we had passed Ynys Môn. Both of us knew this was a sign of our age. When we were younger, we would have laughed off an arrow in the leg. Now we knew that Haaken would have a wound which would make him limp and ache in the cold.
It was on the last part of the voyage that I spoke to Erik Shield Bearer. He had been quiet since we had left Asturias. I took him to the steerboard side of the prow so that I could see Wyddfa while we spoke. I found it a comforting presence. “So, Erik Shield Bearer, you have been silent for some time. Are you having second thoughts about living with me and being my shield bearer for, if so, then I release you from any obligations? I do not want to force this upon you.”
He shook his head vigorously, “No, Jarl. I want this more than anything. It is just that I wonder why Stig had to die. He was my friend. He was excited for me when I became your shield bearer. And now he is dead. He was the only one to die. Why was he chosen and not me?”
I was relieved that this was the issue. It was common in young warriors after a battle. Death seemed remote when others were dying but when those close to you fell then you recognised your own mortality. “He was unlucky or, perhaps, the Norns decided that his thread was to be cut. Any of us could die. The arrow which struck Haaken could have hit his chest or neck and then he might be dead. As I said when we buried him, the Norns always wish a price to be paid.”
“But you have lived a long time. Why are you not dead?” He suddenly realised what he had said. “I am sorry, Jarl Dragonheart! Forgive me! I did not…”
I held up my hand, “I am not offended. Know that when you carry my shield and tend to me that I like honesty as I will be honest with you. I have died. When I went to Miklagård I died and saw Valhalla but Odin decided it was not my time. Your time or any of those on this ship’s time, could be today, tomorrow, or next year. We do not know. That is why we live for the moment. We know that life is precious. Do not grieve for Stig, that cannot help either of you, instead rejoice in the times you had and remember those. Aiden, the galdramenn, died not long ago and not a day has gone by that I do not think of him but it is not with sadness. It is with the joy of what we did together and the belief that one day I shall see him again. I have lived a long time but that does not make it any easier to lose those that I cherish.” I pointed north east. We could just see the land of Mercia beyond Caestir. “The sight of those lands means that within a day we shall be home. You will fetch your goods from Erik Short Toes and we will ride north to Cyninges-tūn.”
He took a step back, “Ride? But I have never ridden!”
“Then that is something to look forward to and when you sleep at night you can tell Stig for he will be in the spirit world and he will envy you that you learned to ride and he did not.”
“But if I fall off?”
“Then you will mount again and hold on tighter. You learned to scale the mast. You will learn to ride a horse. You will learn to use a sword and spear. You will make a shield. In short, Erik Shield Bearer, you shall become a warrior and I hope that I live long enough to see the transformation.”
We had been away a long time. The voyage out and the voyage back had each taken many days. We had spent longer in the land of the Moors than we had planned. It was more than a moon since we had left. I saw my son’s and grandson’s drekar were both tied up at the quay. That meant they were only recently returned and their ships had not been sent to the shipyard to be maintained. My son and grandson were at home. It was not long after noon as we approached Whale Island and I knew we would be seen. Those families who had crew on board would come to the quay to meet us. The days of Astrid, Elfrida and Bronnen coming to greet me had long since passed. I did not mind. They had their own lives and an old warrior coming home safely was not something to be celebrated. The wind was with us and the crew were able to prepare themselves. Those with wives and mothers washed themselves down and combed their hair. It would take up to two hours for us to actually land. We had time aplenty. Othe
rs sorted out their chests. The treasure would be taken to Cyninges-tūn. I would divide it up and the crew would come for their share when they were ready. The exception would be Erik Short Toe and his ship’s boys. They would get their share first. Stig’s mother would receive his payment. It was no compensation for the loss of a son but it was better than nothing and I would see that she was given extra. As we had arrived back so early in the day the majority of the crew would travel to Cyninges-tūn with me. Only two warriors lived close to Whale Island. Most of them came from my town or the land to the south of it. I knew that Ragnar and Gruffyd would be unhappy but I had much to tell Kara and Ylva. I needed to know if they had dreamed.
Aðalsteinn of Orkneyjar and Dagfinnr came over to speak with me after Erik had gone to secure my chest. “Jarl, we owe you our lives and we thank you for bringing us here to the Land of the Wolf but we have nothing save the clothes your men gave us. We have no home and we have no coin. We have not a sword between us!”
“Not true my friends. You have your share of the treasure from Tui.”
“But we did nothing!”
“Who knows? Perhaps if we had had two less men rowing then the horsemen with the bows might have caught us. I am Jarl Dragonheart and it is my decision. I know that Sámr, my great grandson, will not object. As for the other things. My great grandson and I both have large halls. There will be room for you. We have a warrior hall in Cyninges-tūn and as for swords, helmets and weapons? I have enough to equip a shield wall. You are now in the Land of the Wolf. You are of the Wolf Clan and we look after our own. That is our way.”
They smiled their gratitude. “Thank you, Jarl. It is good to be in a clan once more. We have seen how your men fight for one another. It is good.”
We were now less than a mile from the tricky entrance to the harbour. This was not the time to make mistakes and Erik Short Toe reefed the sails so that we barely edged in. We nudged in gently to the quay and the ship’s boys scurried ashore to tie us to the shore. Sámr stood aside so that I could be the first down the gangplank. I shook my head, “You were the leader. To you goes the honour.”
