by Griff Hosker
Erik was silent. “Then,” said, Haaken One Eye, “you need to hire as many swords as you can.”
Chapter 19
It seemed that my days back in Cyninges-tūn were filled from early morning until dusk with tasks. Getting old did not mean that I slowed down. These were the longest days of the year. I was just glad that I was an old man. Thanks to an old man’s bladder I did not expect as much sleep as I once had. I slept less than any now that Uhtric had gone to the Otherworld. I was constantly planning and helping Sámr to train the warriors who would be needed to fight the Danes. When I was not doing that, we were strengthening the defences. Haaken moved into my hall to help me. I think he believed this would be his last war. I hoped it would not be. Atticus was worked harder than any. His clever mind and his knowledge of the fortifications of the east helped us. We built a double gate. It did not inconvenience our people during the day but when the gate closed at night it was a double barrier for axes. With men covering the two gates we could make the space between the two gates a killing zone. We had our slaves deepen the ditches and used the Roman idea of a shallow entrance and a steep exit. The Romans called them ankle breakers.
Sámr, Baldr and I also began to train every man who did not have mail to use a bow. I had two hundred men with mail of one sort or another. The other two hundred would use bows and slings. I sent for Rollo Thin Skin and Aðils Shape Shifter. I needed them with me to train the warriors. Until the crops were harvested, they trained each day. Haaken Bagsecgson had his forge working every hour he could to produce arrow heads and studs for leather. Our tanners produced jerkins of hide which were almost as good as mail.
All the time that we prepared for war life went on for my clan. Fishermen sailed my water, women produced bread and cheese. Mothers produced babies and my two volvas spun spells. Each banner we used would have a spell woven into it. All of my warriors had a woven piece of wool which contained magic. They each wore it beneath their helmet. The miners mined for stone, copper, slate and iron. The iron was almost worked out but we extracted every last piece of the precious ore. Nanna and Aethelflaed blossomed and grew larger. Erik Shield Bearer became bigger and stronger. He worked with Sámr and Hunter. It seemed to me that the two had a link which could not be seen but was there. Hunter was Sámr’s bird but she flew better for Erik and returned with game each time he released her. Had he not had a baby due I think Sámr might have resented the affection the bird obviously had for Erik.
At Tvímánuður I went with Erik, Haaken, Atticus, Rollo and Aðils Shape Shifter to Dyflin. We did not take ‘Heart’; she was too big. We took a newer, smaller threttanessa, ‘Black Dragon’. I took just ten men with me to row. I hoped to hire men in Dyflin and they would row back. Two of the men I took were Aðalsteinn and Dagfinnr. They were now my shadows.
I took the steering board. I did not know how many more opportunities I would have and this short voyage seemed perfect. The men did not have to row for the winds were kind. It was not a fast passage but time was unimportant.
The jarl in Dyflin was a man I could trust, Bergil Hafþórrsson, and he was the eldest of the three brothers who followed me. I had offered the title of Jarl of Dyflin to another but when he had refused Bergil had taken on the task. I had not seen him since then. I wondered how he had fared. King Conan mac Finbarr had also been one of my warriors and he ruled part of Hibernia. I hoped that, between the two of them, they could provide men for me.
A good sign was the longphort which had ten drekar already there. That was a great number of ships and it boded well. The men I had left with Bergil had all served me and I was welcomed warmly by them all. Haraldr Halfdansson greeted me at the quay, “The Jarl will be pleased to see you.”
I waved a hand at the ships in the longphort, “Where have all these drekar come from? Is there war on the island?”
“It is Hrolf the Horseman. He has had such success that many ships are sailing to join him in a raid up the Frankish river. The Danes are also sending many ships. It is said that Guthrum, a mighty young leader, takes many ships there and that Ragnar Lodbrok will lead them.”
Haaken shook his head, “Then they will not want to come and be a sword for hire.”
Haraldr Halfdansson said, “Do not be certain. It is a long voyage to Frankia. They have to pass Wessex and their king is hunting Vikings. We have had many ships pass through who speak of drekar and knarr being attacked close to Wihtwara and it means sailing under a Dane.”
“A Dane? I thought you said Hrolf the Horsemen led the Vikings.”
“I did but he only commands the drekar of the Clan of the Horse and they have less then ten drekar. The jarl will tell you all. He is in the Great Hall.”
Bergil Hafþórrsson and his brothers had come to me with nothing. Within a short time, they had proved themselves to be amongst the best of my warriors and when Mánagarmr Long Stride had declined my offer of the Jarldom of Dyflin Bergil had accepted. Consequently, when we walked in, even though he was in the middle of a debate with the captains of the drekar in the longphort, he rose and walked over to me. He dropped to a knee and bowed his head, “Jarl Dragonheart, this is a great honour you do us!”
I lifted Bergil to his feet. I did not like subservience. “Rise Bergil, I come seeking men.”
He nodded, “As do these captains.”
I did not know the warriors who sat around the table but their clothing and weapons told me where they came from. There were two Danes, a few from Orkneyjar and the rest were Norse. As soon as Bergil had said my name I was recognised.
“If you like, Bergil, I can wait beyond your hall. Perhaps I might send to King Conan.”
He shook his head, “He is not yet King Conan. He and his brothers still fight for the crown. He will win but he has to subdue many smaller tribes first. Sit at my table and drink. There is room enough and you honour all of these captains with your presence.”
I nodded and we sat. As we did so the two Danes looked at each other and then rose, “We will leave Bergil Hafþórrsson. We have enough men and we did not know that the Clan of the Wolf would be here. We wish no trouble.”
Bergil stood. He towered over most men, “Do not insult my guest, Ivar Black Tooth, or there will be trouble here in my hall.”
The man he had addressed shook his head, “We wish no trouble but there is bad blood between my men and the Clan of the Wolf.”
I nodded, “Let it go, Bergil. I do not come here to make war and the air will be fresher now.” I could trade insults with any man. They left.
Their leaving, however, cast a damp atmosphere on the meeting, or perhaps I had clarified Bergil’s thinking.
Jarl Finbarr of Ljoðhús spoke first, “Jarl Bergil, you have no drekar yet for they are being built and your men cannot raid. Let us speak with them and offer them oars on our ships.”
“And what benefit would come to me? If you take my men who can defend my longphort?”
“It is known that Mánagarmr Long Stride is your ally and he has ships to help defend you.” There was a pleading note to the warrior’s voice.
“I say again, what benefit is there for me? You take my warriors away with no promise of returning them. Even if you are successful then we will not see any of the gold you take.” Bergil knew his own mind.
“You wish payment?”
“I wish recompense for the warriors I might lose.”
“They will come back better armed and richer.”
“If they come back at all. It is many leagues between here and Frankia. They may stay. At least if they go with the Dragonheart they are a neck of water away is all and I know that they will return.”
The faces of the captains darkened and they glared at me. None would risk my wrath but I knew that they harboured dark thoughts. It seems I either made firm friends or deadly enemies wherever I went.
Bergil rubbed his beard, “I tell you what I will do. We will speak with my men. You and the Dragonheart can make your offers to them. If any men sail with you, Jar
l Finbarr of Ljoðhús, then I want ten silver shillings for each man before you take them and I will have them swear to return when the raid is over.”
“That is robbery!”
“Be careful how you speak to me in my hall. As you say, I have no drekar. There are ten in my longphort which would begin to make me a fleet.”
They were beaten and they knew it. “Let us go then. We have wasted enough time as it is.”
We headed to the market square in the centre of Dyflin. Dyflin was a trading port. The market stalls were almost permanent. Around the sides had sprung up the tables and shelters of the ale wives and warriors gathered there. Vikings are all sailors at heart and sharing news was something we all enjoyed. The crews of the drekar and the warriors of Dyflin mingled happily together sharing news and stories.
The entrance of Bergil and the rest of us made them part and become silent. Bergil found an empty table and climbed upon it. Then he held up his massive hands, “Warriors of Dyflin, we have been honoured. Drekar captains have heard of your prowess and wish to hire some of you to sail to Frankia and raid their mighty river.” There was a cheer. He held up his hands, “While I am happy for that to happen, I am unwilling to lose my men permanently. Any who sail with Jarl Finbarr and the others will swear an oath to return to me when the raid is over.”
I saw nods. One warrior shouted, “Why does not Jarl Dragonheart lead the fleet?”
“Because Jarl Dragonheart does not wish to sail to Frankia. He needs men but I know not why. Jarl would you like to climb up next to me and tell us why you need men?”
“Aye, old friend!” I took his arm and he pulled me up. I saw many faces I knew. “As I spoke, I looked at the Danes. They had left the hall but not Dyflin. The two captains were with their men. I saw the opportunity to warn the Danes of Sven the Boneless that I knew of their impending attack. Perhaps it would deter them. “I have heard of a raid which is planned on my land. Ubba Ragnarsson, the son of Ragnar Hairy Breeches, is gathering Danes to fight me. They do not worry me.” Some of those before me laughed. “However, there will be much mail and coin on these raiders when they come and I am offering warriors from Dyflin the opportunity to spend the winter with me and return to Dyflin richer and better armed. I have brought a half empty drekar for I do not need many men.” I smiled at the Danes, “I still have Ulfheonar!”
There was a cheer from those below me. I stepped down and Bergil held up his hands. “Those who wish to sail to Frankia will swear to me before they leave.”
Finbarr shouted, “And what of those who follow the Dragonheart?”
Bergil smiled, “They need not swear for I trust the Dragonheart!”
In the end just ten men wished to go to Frankia. They swore an oath. Twelve wished to serve with me. Haaken, Aðils and Rollo helped me to make the choice. The rest stayed with Bergil. As we headed to his hall for food and ale he said, “What you may not know, Jarl Dragonheart, is that we are building a fleet of drekar up the river. They are almost finished. My men will be able to raid next year. The ones who go to Frankia will not have returned but the twelve you take will. Your arrival was fortuitous, Jarl Dragonheart, for I did not want to lose too many of my men and I knew that the offer of Frankish gold was attractive. Come, we will feast and I will hear all that you have to say. How do my brothers fare?”
“Both have wives and soon will be fathers. They are now important men in the clan. When we go to war, they are the ones who stand beside me.”
“Then that is true honour. I am pleased.”
We sat at his table and he waved slaves to bring forth food and ale. I noticed that they were all Hibernians.
He turned to me, “Was it not dangerous to tell the Danes that you knew of their plans?”
I shrugged and drank the ale which was good. They had burned barley to make it black and rich. “They may not speak to Ubba or Sven the Boneless although, I confess, that they are likely to stop in Lundenwic in which case the Danes will know. If they know then they may change their plans and when a lord changes plans at the last moment, they are more likely to go awry. In addition, we know not where the direction of their attack. The more doubt I can sow in their minds about our preparations the better.”
“Would you have more of my men come with you?”
“Your hold on this land is precarious enough. It is why I have hired men. They will be few in number but I have fought with these twelve. They are front rank warriors. My aim is to hold the initial attack until my other warriors can reach us. We have the winter months to prepare and to lay in food. With luck the Danes will try a siege and hope to starve us out and then the land will come to our aid.” It was good to know that he would aid us if we needed him.
While we were in Dyflin my men and I took the opportunity to make purchases. We had Moorish bows but we found and bought two Saami bows from a Saami trader. We stayed the night with Bergil. He seemed reluctant for us to leave. He had not heard of the death of Olaf Leather Neck and it upset him. He had admired him.
“I had hoped, when my son becomes a man, that Olaf would teach him how to use the Danish axe.”
“I fear that there is none now, save your brothers who use the axe.”
He nodded, “And good as they are, they are not as good as Olaf and Rolf were. Will we see their like again?”
I shrugged, “Warriors come and they go. Each one is unique. Rolf was not the same axe man as Olaf. Who knows? The Norns spin their webs and play their games.”
Bergil looked at me, “You sound weary, Jarl Dragonheart.”
“I suppose I am. The three Ulfheonar you see with me now are the last. I have lost a son, a granddaughter, a grandson and a great grandson. A man should not have so many losses.”
Haaken said, “And this year Uhtric and Aiden have gone to the Otherworld.”
Bergil clutched his Hammer of Thor, “Aiden too? The world changes Jarl!”
“That it does.”
We sailed back the next day. We had to row for the winds were against us and I did not bother raising the mast. I had wondered if the two Danes might wait for us to ambush us on the way home. Without a mast we were as good as invisible and we reached Whale Island safely. I sent my men, new and old, home and Erik and I spent two days with Ragnar. I needed my son and grandson to work together. They needed to communicate with each other. If the Danes came by sea they could come at any time; even over the winter. Their drekar would have to patrol and give us warning.
As we headed north, I saw that the early crops were being harvested. It had been a good summer and our granaries would be full. Most of the beans we grew would be dried. We had fish in winter and plenty of game so that our winter diet of beans was not as dull as it sounded.
Erik was now a much more confident rider. He had grown a great deal and would soon need a bigger horse than the one he rode. I wondered if he might be ready for a byrnie when the new grass came. I would have Haaken Bagsecgson make him a mail vest. Worn over leather it was very effective. It just left the arms exposed. That was why many Vikings wore battle bracelets. They gave protection to their arms. His sword was still a short sword but that was all that he would be able to manage. He had grown but not enough for a long sword.
“You must keep up the practice with the Moorish bow, Erik Shield Bearer.”
“Will I not be fighting at your side, Jarl?”
“If we have to face them shield to shield in the first battle then we will lose. That is why half of our men will fight with bows. You will be needed on the walls. Your bow will be one of the forty best bows used by the two hundred archers. You and the other Saami and Moorish bow armed archers can send arrows further. You need to be able to send twenty arrows in quick succession and not tire.”
“I could not do that yet, Jarl.”
“I know. Each day you will spend an hour on your bow and an hour with Germund.”
“And Hunter?”
“I fear that you will have little time for hunting with the hawk. We all need to make sa
crifices and that must be yours. We do not choose our paths. They are chosen for us.”
I could almost hear the Norns spinning or, perhaps, it was the spirits of the dead whispering across the water.
Chapter 20
The harvest came and all men were busy. With Sámr’s hall and tower built we could concentrate on finishing our defences. Men practised once a week with their bows. Boys collected the roundest stones they could from the Water and they practised with their slings. Sámr and Baldr spent part of each day riding with their men. They found game trails over the ground to the south and east. They took Hunter with them too and combined hunting with familiarising themselves with the land. It was as they were on the high ground to the west of Windar’s Mere that Hunter discovered the Danish scout.
Sámr and Baldr came directly to my hall after the incident. Both were both shaken and awed by what they had seen. “We had seen signs of men or a man, in any event, and I had released Hunter to take down a pigeon we had seen. He did not go for the pigeon but, instead, swooped down into the woods. We heard a scream and branches breaking. When we rode towards the noise, we found the Dane. He was lying on the ground. His back had been broken. Hunter had ripped out one of his eyes and raked his head with his claws. He must have been high in the tree spying upon us. We searched around and found the trail of other Danes. The scream must have alerted them for we lost them at the southern end of Windar’s Mere. There had been three others. We placed the Dane’s head on a stake at the high point. We named it Hawk’s Head in Hunter’s honour. The bird was sent to us. Of that I am convinced.”
That night as I told the story to Atticus and Germund they showed contrasting emotions. Germund clutched his hammer and Atticus scoffed. “A bird is a bird and has no soul!”
“Then why did the hawk attack a man and not its prey?”
