by Griff Hosker
I watched as my words were translated. The King had seen my smile and thought I was giving him a polite answer. He visibly shrank back into his throne. When he spoke, his voice was small.
His counsellor translated his response, “The King assures you that there will be no collusion with any enemy of the Dragonheart.”
“Good, then we will bid you farewell!”
As we walked out the guards gave us a wide berth and followed at a suitably discreet distance. I waited until we were at the drekar again before I spoke, “He did know about the raid and he had made a pact with the Danes. I think that alliance may now be in jeopardy. Have your men light a fire on the shore and we will cook food. If we stay in darkness, they may fear we wish them harm.”
Ráðulfr laughed, “Of that I am certain!”
Chapter 17
The voyage south from Alt Clut had been pleasant. The gods gave us good weather and a kind wind. We left the Stad on the Eden three days later. We had much to discuss before we returned to our home by the Water. Ráðulfr put into place a series of actions. I was now happier for Ráðulfr and his men would be crucial to the defence of my land. They could go to the aid of either Ketil or me. When I left and we rode south towards the Grassy Mere I felt that we had control once more. The Danes would come. They would attack but not for a while. The men who had fled would have to report to their leaders and then come north once more to speak to the Picts and the men of Strathclyde. If Ketil was attacked again then it would be the Picts. We had time.
I was in an expansive mood as I explained to my three companions the significance of all the features we passed. There were few people who lived in this valley. When we neared the Water at the Rye Dale I pointed to the rocky crag to the west, “And that is Myrddyn’s cave. It is where my son, Wolf Killer, killed a wolf.” I saw my two older warriors clutch their amulets and Erik just looked fearful.
We paused at old Arne’s farm at the head of the dale. Arne was long dead but his great grandson, Arnfasti, farmed the land now. We enjoyed some ale and rye bread before we pushed on to my home. It was dark when we arrived and the gates were barred. That was good. Karl and Cnut were doing what I had asked. They had heeded my warning and were being vigilant!
“How goes it, Jarl?”
“Better than we might have expected, Karl. My men will speak with you and tell the tale. Come Erik. I will visit with Kara and then you can go to my hall and warn Atticus that we are home!”
Kara and Ylva had been expecting me. The horn of ale which was already poured told me that. They even knew of the battle but of Alt Clut and Dumnagual they knew little. After I had explained what we had done Kara came to top up my ale. She kissed me on the cheek, “When other men your age are in their dotage your mind becomes sharper and sharper. You employed the perfect strategy. You think the Danes will still come?”
I wagged my finger and chided her, “Do not play games with me, daughter, you believe that they will still come, in fact, I think you know for certain that they will come.”
She laughed, “I have been caught. Good, you are prepared. Then Ylva and I will do our best to give you fair warning of their attack but without Aiden we are that much weaker.”
I saw Ylva give her mother a strange look. “But we could become more powerful.”
Kara shook her head, “Do not even think of that path. The power which might be unleashed would be hard to control. The land could be destroyed.”
“I do not think so.”
I shook my head, “I have a feeling that this is to do with the spirit world and volvas. I will let you two sort this out. I learned long ago to stay out of such matters.”
My daughter smiled, “You cannot stay out of them for they are part of you, father, but you are right. Ylva and I must wrestle with these daemons ourselves.”
I rose, “I have much to do. We will build signal towers. I spoke with Arnfasti at the Rye Dale. He will build one at the scar of Nab. I will have men build a line from there north to the Grassy Mere and the dale of Mungrise. That will just leave the land between here and the bridge of Skelwith.”
Ylva shook her head. “There is a faster route. Build one at the head of Grize’s Dale. They can be seen from Windar’s Mere and the families who farm there can build and watch.”
“It is good that you have a sharp mind.”
I left them and headed for my hall. The food was being prepared by Atticus and the servants as I entered. The smell was exquisite. “It is good to be home. I should have sent Dagfinnr ahead and had the sweat hut lit. Tomorrow will have to do.” I looked around, “Where is Germund?”
“He is over at Hawk’s Roost helping Sámr and Baldr.”
“Hawk’s Roost?”
He shrugged, “They will explain. It seemed to make sense to them.” I could tell the old Greek’s logic had been ignored.
I waited until I had cleansed myself in the sweat hut before I ventured across the Water. Erik enjoyed the sweat hut and Atticus accompanied us so that he could begin to train Erik to use a strigil. It was not an easy task but Atticus was nothing if not patient. When we had done, I let Erik take the helm of the boat which we used to cross the water. He had a good eye for the wind. As he tied it up, I looked and saw that Sámr had a dozen men working under the watchful eyes of Germund. They were building a stone tower which was attached to the wooden hall. Germund had lived in Miklagård and knew how such towers were built. There was plenty of stone around. Our farmers joked that the first crop they raised in their fields was a bountiful harvest of rocks.
We made our way to Germund, “It is good to see you back, Jarl. I did not think you would mind if I helped Sámr.”
“Where is he?”
“He and Baldr are watching the hawks.” Suddenly the name became a little clearer. He pointed to the north and we set off along the path which climbed towards the trees. We passed the outbuildings which Erika and I had built. We passed through the small vegetable plot which was now overgrown and we came to the palisade. There was a gate and we went across the ditch. We entered the dark world of the forest and walked along the old hunter’s path which had been there when we had first come. Erik stepped on a twig and Baldr rose from the undergrowth and put his finger to his lips. He gestured for us to back off and we did. He and Sámr joined us.
“Sorry Jarl Dragonheart but there is a hawk’s nest yonder. We found it three days ago. There are three chicks and we are hoping to take one of the chicks and train it.” I nodded. It was rare for a pair of hawks to be able to raise three chicks. Normally the runt would either die or be eaten by the others. “We are going to try to take the runt in the next few days.”
“Good. I need to speak with Sámr.”
Baldr nodded, “Would you like to watch with me, Erik?”
“Aye.”
“Then be as silent as you can be. We are trying to work out the pattern of feeding so that when they are both gone from the nest, we can take the runt.”
He nodded but looked sad, “That is what I was called by my mother, the runt. Can I help you feed the hawk? I would like to make it strong so that it can show the others that it is not a runt.”
I knew then that the sisters had sent Sámr to find the hawks. Wyrd. It would help Erik to grow. The words used in his home had hurt him. The bird would be a symbol of the change in him. As we walked back to the palisade, I told Sámr what had happened and what I had done.
“I should have been there with you.”
I shook my head, “There will be other times for you to learn to talk with kings. Now is the time to be with your wife and your unborn child. Now is the time for you to make you home strong.” We had entered through the gate and I pointed at the tower. “This is good!”
“I saw all the stone and thought that a tower would be a refuge. It could be protected by a small number of warriors. The men who are building it with Germund are young warriors I have chosen to be my oathsworn. We will build a warrior hall. When I go to war then four will protect our wive
s in my tower.”
When we reached his hall Aethelflaed came from the cooking area. She and Nanna had been baking and they were covered in flour. I saw that her bump and that of Nanna were more visible. “The servants said you were here Jarl Dragonheart. I will fetch some ale.”
I shook my head, “We will not disturb you. I need to talk with my great grandson.” They left and Sámr and I headed for the table. All of the furniture was newly made. It smelled new. It was unspoiled as yet by ale and food stains, that would come. The table would become a map charting the family of my great grandson as they grew.
“Will you go to my father and ask for his men?”
“I will warn him that he may be needed. I will have towers built to link us with Whale Island.”
“My father and Gruffyd, not to mention Raibeart, have more men than Ráðulfr. Surely, they would be the first that you would summon.”
“And I will.”
He heard the hesitancy in my voice. “You think that Ráðulfr and his men are better.”
“I know that they are better. Gruffyd lost his best men during that raid on Om Walum. Your father’s men are more like traders than raiders. Ráðulfr and his men are tempered blades. There may be fewer of them but they will have a greater impact on the battle field.”
One of Sámr’s servants returned with the ale and poured it.
“Yet those who live at Whale Island have the better lives. They do not have to endure winters as bad as we or those further north. They do not have to suffer raids and battles. The taxes they charge for landing ships means that they are rich without raiding. It does not seem fair.”
I supped my ale, “Now you are learning of the dilemmas of leading the clan. Each man has chosen his own path. Each thread, like a Norn’s web, is interlinked. Arnfasti’s family live at the Rye Dale because Arne chose to live there. Arnfasti could move to Whale Island but he chooses not to. Men make choices and live with them. I will call upon Ragnar and Gruffyd. Their men will fight for the clan but I fear they will lose more men and contribute less.”
“And that is why the men of Cyninges-tūn are always your first choice in battle.”
“Aye for at one time they were the Ulfheonar and now they are the sons and grandsons of Ulfheonar. You are already doing the same with those men who have chosen to follow you. I will have the miners who dig the iron to work harder. We need metal. I will have Ragnar trade for weapons and I will hire swords.”
Sámr looked at me with questions in his eyes. I had surprised him but, in truth, I had been thinking about this for some time. Aðalsteinn and Dagfinnr had given me the idea. They were good warriors. As yet they had no families. I doubted that Aðalsteinn would want one but Dagfinnr might. They could live in Cyninges-tūn but instead of farming would be paid to serve me, initially, and then the clan.
“I have not lost my mind. I cannot recreate the Ulfheonar. Odin made those and sent them to me. They will not return. The blood of the Ulfheonar courses through the veins of the warriors of this valley but we need men like Karl Word Master and Cnut Cnutson. They protect my home but they are old wounded men. We pay them. Cyninges-tūn and its folk are happy to do so. I will merely choose men who wish to be warriors and do not wish to farm. There will be warriors like that at Whale Island.”
Once Sámr knew my mind he helped me to formulate an idea of the sort of men I would like. Baldr joined us in the middle of the afternoon and we told him of our plans. He nodded but seemed distracted, “I have the pattern of the birds. If we are to take a chick, Sámr, then it must be soon. I climbed a nearby tree and peered in the nest. I have seen the runt. We should take it tomorrow.”
“Then we will do so.”
I saw Erik’s face. It was bright with anticipation, “Would you wish to be here, Erik Shield Bearer?”
“I would.”
“Then come with Germund when he returns in the morning.”
“You would take Germund back?”
“I would for I need his mind. He was a sword for hire. Who better to ask for advice? He will just be away from you for one night.”
Germund proved to be more than useful. He told me what made a good sword for hire and I was surprised. I had thought he would tell me to choose young single men who were hungry to fight but he advised me to choose older men who had either chosen not to have families or had lost them. He pointed out that as professional warriors they would work harder at their skills. Younger warriors were more likely to fall in battle. He was right. Our greatest losses on the raid to Portus Cale had been the younger warriors who had chosen to follow Sámr. By the time he and Erik left the next day I had a better idea of what I wanted.
I know that I should have gone, almost immediately, to visit with my son and grandson but I was enjoying my valley too much. Many of my warriors had begun families years earlier and now their sons were training with Karl and Cnut. They wished to speak with the Dragonheart and I enjoyed being with the young boys who would soon become men and warriors. In addition, Baldr, Sámr and Erik had taken a chick and were hand rearing it. It had yet to fledge and they would train it. I had never managed to have a hawk. I envied Sámr. I visited Hawk’s Roost as often as I could. The hawk was of the type called Goose Hawk. They were a brave bird and took on geese even though the goose was a larger bird. I had much to occupy me in Cyninges-tūn.
Haaken came to visit at the end of Sólmánuður. He was bored. He enjoyed playing with his grandchildren but just until they bored of hearing his stories. He only had granddaughters and so he came to stay with me. He and Atticus argued and debated much. I think they were great friends but they hid that friendship behind banter.
The consequence of all of this was that I did not get to visit with my son and grandson until the middle of Heyannir. By then we had all watched, somewhat nervously, as Sámr had released Hunter, the goose hawk, for the first time. The bird had been trained using a leash but this was the first time that he had been allowed to fly free. Of all of us only Erik seemed unconcerned. Like the bird, he had grown in the month or so since we had been back. He had eaten well and trained hard. He was a handspan taller than he had been and his frail frame had filled out a little.
As Sámr stroked the bird’s head Erik offered counsel, “Lord Sámr, what is the worst that could happen?”
“The bird could fly off and not return.”
“Then that would be meant to be but you saved the runt of the brood. He would have died had you left him in the nest and yet you took him and you made him strong. If he flies free then his existence is down to you. It is the gods who give and permit life. Is that not enough power for you? If he chooses to return then that is even better but let him fly. Let him enjoy the freedom of the air.”
Sámr looked at Erik, “How did you become so wise?”
Haaken was with us and he simply said, “He lives with the Dragonheart and Atticus. It should come as no surprise that he has picked up knowledge.”
Sámr’s fears proved groundless. Hunter took off like an arrow from a bow and disappeared. We had chosen the open ground by the Water but Hunter, after swooping dangerously close to the surface then soared and dived back into the forests to the east of the hall. We saw nothing. Had he returned to his family? The other two chicks had also fledged and gone to seek their own territory. Perhaps he had emulated them. Sámr began whirling the lure with the dead sparrow on it. He began whistling. I saw the fear in his eyes. He thought the bird had gone and then suddenly, the bird appeared and raced from the hall to land on Sámr’s glove. It came at the speed of an arrow from a Saami bow. It proceeded to tear the dead bird to pieces. It was trained and it would not leave.
Erik, Haaken and I took that as a sign and we mounted horses the next day to ride to Whale Island. We would take all day to make the journey for I wished to see the signal towers which had been built already. We only needed two for the Water was straight and there were no trees along it to mask a signal fire. We would need more in the forest section. Luckily farmers had c
leared many of the trees to make farms. This was fertile land. When the river flooded it deposited goodness on to their farms. I knew that some believed that they could grow wheat. I was not certain but I knew that many wished to grow that most luxurious of cereals.
I went to Ragnar’s hall. He lived closer to Whale Island. Gruffyd now lived to the east of the river on which our ships were repaired. The land there had been farmed and occupied by our warriors but, over the years, raids from Mercia, our wars and an outbreak of a pestilence had left it empty. Some thought it lazy of my son to occupy the farms of the dead. I thought it showed sense. He would not raid as much and using the farms of those who had once been part of the clan did them honour. I would visit with him once I had spoken to Ragnar.
Ulla War Cry had grown into a warrior. He was no longer the frail young boy who had almost been taken by the Norns. As we had travelled south Haaken and I had told Erik, Ulla’s story. I smiled as I saw Erik taking in the young warrior who had once been as small as he had been. “Ulla, take Erik to the stables.”
“Aye, great grandfather.”
“Where is your father?”
“There is a trial in the Great Hall. A man is accused of murder.”
They left and I was alone with Astrid. Astrid was pleased to see me. She regarded me as a foster father and I was chastised for keeping apart for so long. My grandson had chosen the best of wives.
“It is good to see you, Astrid, and you are to be a grandmother soon. Aethelflaed is with child.”
Her face fell briefly. She had not known. Sámr had forgotten to tell her. Then she recovered her composure, “Then Ragnar and I will visit with them soon.”
“That would be good for he has done much work on his hall and they would be pleased to see you.”
She gave me a shrewd look, “But not necessarily his father.”
