Viking Shadow

by Griff Hosker

  It was dawn by the time that the reinforcements had arrived. They scoured the palace and captured the enemy who had fled the battle. The leader was dead. Olaf Leather Neck had hewn his head from his body. It had been his death and the attack led by David ben Samuel which had prompted the surrender. As I prepared to lead my men away the Empress came to speak with me and my men. She spoke through David ben Samuel.

  “The Empress is impressed with your courage. She invites all of you to be her personal guards. Here you will be given a place of honour and riches beyond your wildest dreams. What do you say to her offer?”

  I said nothing. It was not my place to do so. Haaken One Eye looked at my men and they nodded. He would speak for them. “Tell the Empress, David ben Samuel, that we are flattered by her offer and it is attractive.” His words were translated and the Empress nodded. “But we swore an oath to Jarl Dragonheart and a man must live by the oaths he makes. We will return to the Land of the Wolf.”

  I saw the look of surprise on her face and the one of absolute shock on her minister’s face. She smiled and came to me. She spoke to me as she held my hand in hers. “The Empress says that you are a lucky man to inspire such loyalty. If you return after noon on the morrow then there will be your rewards.”

  I nodded, “Thank her for me. Tell her that there are many warriors such as us who would happily serve her. If a Viking makes an oath then he will die for her or her son.”

  She nodded and spoke to David. “She is in your debt for such sage advice.”

  We left Miklagård five days later. We had a huge chest of coins. We were allowed to choose the weapons and mail from the dead rebels and we took that too. Our drekar was packed with goods for trade and we had no space in our hold. We had lost men but we had gained warriors too so that we would be well crewed on the way home. Germund and Sámr would be oar brothers and that was wyrd.

  There was quite a party came to see us off. Joseph and his cousins came as did David ben Samuel and Ptolemy. Perhaps Ptolemy came to make sure that we left. Even though we bathed regularly while we had stayed with David ben Samuel, Ptolemy had always wrinkled his nose when he neared us. David handed me a sealed pouch. “This is for my uncle. It is sealed not to prevent you reading but to keep it watertight.” he smiled. “I know the effects of the sea.”

  “You need not explain.”

  “I am pleased that you cracked that yard and had to come to Bruggas. Perhaps there is something to this thing called wyrd. I do not think that the Emperor would be free today if you had not come for me.”

  “And you, you will be happy? You will be married now?”

  “I will and I have been given a post in the palace. For a Jew this is unheard of. I have you to thank for that. I do not think we will meet again, Dragonheart, but if you do return then my home is yours.” His face and his eyes told me that he spoke the truth.

  I stepped aboard the drekar and Erik cast off. We headed south and west. There was a slight breeze from the north and so we did not use the oars. The busy Sea of Marmara was not a place for speed. It was a place for caution. There was no hurry. I was no longer dying. We had three moons to make the journey which had taken us two on our way east. We could make a leisurely passage. There was no need for us to court danger. We had a full hold and wanted for nothing. Of course, we had no way of knowing what the Norns had in store for us.

  Chapter 13

  We sailed home in high summer. It was hot. The canvas we had used in Miklagård was now used to keep us all cooler. There was little breeze as we headed home and it was too hot to row. We edged our way south and west. David ben Samuel and Aiden had procured better maps and we had, from the Empress, an Imperial pass. So long as we were in Imperial waters we would have friends. Once we passed Sicily then we would be amongst enemies. The slow passage on this part of the voyage was not a problem.

  Germund and the other new men were getting to know my crew. A voyage was the best way to do so. Sámr and Germund got on well as oar brothers. They had both watched me through my recovery and shared that experience. Other warriors had also found new shield brothers and that engendered an even closer tie. The crew had lost warriors but we were now a compact band of brothers. The new men all needed mail and their own shield but other than that they were prepared should we be attacked. Our experience with the pirates had been a warning. We would heed it. The lookouts now understood the dangers of other ships. Even the smaller ones represented danger.

  Once we had passed the narrow seaways of the Dardanelles then we had sea room. The wind, gentle though it was, took us west. It was not fast enough for me but we could do nothing about it. My close encounter with death had made me keen to see my family. I would have had the men row but I knew that was unfair. The heat was almost unbearable and I saw little point in exhausting the ones who had made it possible for the healer to save my life. I knew that they were as keen to return home as I was. Aiden was desperate to pore over the documents he had had copied. Miklagård provided such a service, for a fee and we were not short of coin. However, they were beneath the decks in waterproof containers. The whole crew wanted to return home. We would all have to be patient.

  The seaways were still dangerous. The attempted coup in Constantinopolis had made the Imperial Fleet stay even closer to home. While they were there then corsairs, pirates and even rebels could prey upon helpless ships. We were far from helpless but as we had discovered on the outward voyage there were desperate men who would risk the wrath of the Northman. We kept a good watch.

  I was enjoying life. I had glimpsed Valhalla and it made my home and my comrades even more important. I had almost passed over to the other side and something had drawn me back. It was a voice, Aiden’s or Sámr’s, which had summoned me but it was not the voice that made me return. The door had slammed in my face. Odin was not yet ready for me. My work was not finished. I knew that now. Sámr would be a fine warrior who would lead the clan in the future but Gruffyd and Ragnar were busy with their own lives. My guiding hand was still needed. I had thought my work was done but with my son and grandson living hard by Whale Island the larger part of the Land of the Wolf needed me and my guidance. While we had been in Miklagård Aiden had discovered that the island of Britannia was becoming more Norse than Saxon. That was not always a good thing for there were many Danes I did not like. Most were no friends of mine. We had defeated the Saxons at every turn but fighting our own kind was harder. We had beaten the Saxons. Would we need to defeat Danes too?

  One advantage of the slow, steady breeze from the north was that we could sail at night. We had three watch keepers. We were able to head due south towards Kriti and then sail due west. Kriti was hard to miss and we could avoid the myriad of islands to the south of Greece. It added leagues to our journey home but I was no longer dying and there was no rush. Of course, had we known what the Norns had planned then we might have taken a different route. Closer to the Land of the Wolf and Aiden would have been able to see the danger. Here he was so far from his homeland and his roots that he was almost as an ordinary man. All that he could predict were the changes in the weather and Erik Short Toe could do that too. Aiden was a wizard without a purpose. Once we passed the Pillars of Hercules then he would regain his strength.

  We called in at the island of Kriti to top up our water. The pass given to us by the Empress saw us treated as civilized men rather than barbarians. We must have confused the men of Kriti for although we sailed a drekar and they were unmistakable we had all bathed in Miklagård. We had bought fine clothes which were cooler and more refined. Our hair was combed and, as the food we had eaten was Greek, we did not smell the way we normally did. None of us wore mail and our shields were not hung along the side. We were a talking point. I daresay that long after we had left they would be wondering just what we were.

  As we had refilled at Kriti with water and fresh food then we did not need to land at Chatacium. Erik, Aiden and I decided that we would sail between Melita and the coast of Italy. It was the most
direct route to the Pillars of Hercules. Perhaps it might even save us days. We had enough water to reach beyond the Blue Sea. Once we were through the straits then there would be more rain and more places to collect water. Our slow speed meant that we were able to fish as we sailed ever westward.

  The Norns decided that we had had enough peace some seventeen days after leaving Miklagård. We knew something was amiss when the birds which had been following us disappeared. Then the wind veered. Ominously it swung around to blow from the north. We could cope with any wind but that. It would drive us towards Africa. Erik Short Toe consulted with Aiden.

  “My skills as a galdramenn cannot help you here but perhaps my knowledge of maps and the weather might. Looking at the clouds we are due for a storm. The air feels heavy.”

  “Aye I noticed that.”

  “Such weather is often violent but does not last long. If you wish my suggestion then we man the oars and row north and east. Melita is close to our larboard side. We do not want to be driven thence and north lies Sicily. There is war there between the Arabs and the Greeks. When I spoke with other scholars they said that the front lines were ambiguous. We should avoid that island too.”

  Erik shook his head, “Then you wish me to sail a fine line between Melita and Sicily with a wind which comes from the north and threatens to drive us either to Africa or Melita?”

  Aiden smiled, “That is about it.”

  I stepped between them. “We now have more men to row. We do as we did before. We use shifts of rowers. We need not sail into the wind. You can still use your sails, Erik. I admit it is not ideal but once we have passed between the two islands then we have open water. If Aiden is correct then the wind will change direction.”

  “I am confident that in one day it will swing to blow from the south and east. The Allfather has sent it.”

  I nodded, “And I pray that this is not a trick of the Norns!” I turned and cupped my hands. “Run out the oars!”

  Haaken chose our story. The new men had yet to hear it although I knew that it was told in the inns and taverns of northern Britannia.

  From mountain high in the land of snow

  Garth the slave began to grow

  He changed with Ragnar when they lived alone

  Warrior skills did Ragnar hone

  The Dragonheart was born of cold

  Fighting wolves, a warrior bold

  The Dragonheart and Haaken Brave

  A Viking warrior and a Saxon slave

  When Vikings came he held the wall

  He feared no foe however tall

  Back to back both so brave

  A Viking warrior and a Saxon slave

  When the battle was done

  They stood alone

  With their vanquished foes

  Lying at their toes

  The Dragonheart and Haaken Brave

  A Viking warrior and a Saxon slave

  The Dragonheart and Haaken Brave

  A Viking warrior and a Saxon slave

  Once we had our speed increased then one of the two rowers on each oar stopped. The ship’s boys had to work harder. Sámr now rowed with Germund. Aiden had suggested a course of action which necessitated the ship’s boys racing up and down the rigging to adjust the reefed sail and take advantage of the wind. Added to that the northern wind brought a storm. It was the kind old sailors called a squall. No matter what they call it hanging from the yard and trying to reef a sail is never easy and with a shifting wind it could kill an unwary boy. The rain pelted the deck.

  Despite our best efforts we were still being driven on to the rocks and small islands which lay to the north of Melita. We had to double up on the oars to maintain our way. I saw that the rowers were becoming exhausted.

  “Come Aiden, you and I will give Sámr and Germund some relief.”

  “You would have me row?” He was incredulous. I had never asked him to row before.

  “There is something else useful that you could be doing?”

  Sámr and Germund were reluctant to let us relieve them but I insisted. Part of it was a genuine concern for my great grandson and part of it was to stiffen the resolve of the other rowers. I know not the exact length of time we rowed but Aiden’s hands were blistered and bleeding when we allowed Sámr and Germund to relieve us. Aiden was less than happy.

  I smiled, “Now you can truly test the efficacy of the salve you give young rowers like Sámr.”

  As the wind swung around so that it blew first from the north west and then from west we seemed to make little progress. We had to reef the sails. Had we been fully crewed then it might have been different but we had the minimum and we paid the price. It was dark when it swung around to blow from the south. We were able to rest half of the rowers. We saw the dark shape of Sicily to the north of us and we waited until it was well astern before we pulled in the oars and lowered the sail. It was still reefed but the men could rest and the wind, from the south, would take us to open water. The crew, ship’s boys and rowers were exhausted. Even Olaf Leather Neck was weary. He had not fully recovered from the wounds he incurred at the palace but he was a hard man and would not show weakness.

  I joined Erik and Arne. Sven was now fit enough to row and he lay exhausted. “The four of us will steer the ship this night. I will stand a watch with Arne. Aiden can share one with you, Erik.”

  “What about lookouts?”

  I waved an arm. “Look around you. Do you see boys who can stand a watch? The alternative is to hove to and throw out a sea anchor. We are between Africa and Sicily. We have to make sea room between us and the Musselmen. I cannot see an alternative.”

  Erik was pragmatic. He nodded, “You are right. I hope the Allfather is with us.”

  Aiden shook his head, “This feels like the work of the Norns.”

  Arne and I rolled in our blankets. Erik would wake his son and I when they were too tired to make good judgements. It seemed but moments when I was shaken awake by Aiden and yet the sky was black. It was night time. I joined Arne at the steering board. Handing him a water skin I said, “We should not see any other ships at night.”

  “You are right, Jarl Dragonheart. Only madmen like us would risk the Blue Sea at night without lookouts.”

  I pointed west. “There should be nothing until Lusitania and that is many leagues from here.”

  “You are right but there is a reason that most ships do not sail at night without lookouts.”

  “Then I will be the lookout. I shall be at the dragon if you need me.” I took the spare water skin with me. The storm had served one purpose, at least. It had replenished one of the water barrels. We would not now need water until we had passed through the Pillars of Hercules.

  I clambered up to the prow. When I stretched I found it uncomfortable but that, I think, was because of the scar. I had enjoyed rowing with the rest of the crew. Once you were in the rhythm of the crew, even without a chant, it was as though you were one being. The Greeks and Romans built wonderful machines. We had seen some in Miklagård but the machine that was a drekar crew was something special. The common action and motion took away pain and tiredness; for a while at least. I could not remember the last time I had had to row. I would offer to relieve one of the crew the next time we rowed.

  After I had made water over the leeward sided I pulled myself up onto the sheerstrake and wrapped my arm around the dragon prow. This was not the grey sea we normally sailed. This was the Blue Sea. At night it was not blue but, unless there was a strong wind blowing, then the waves were not high. It made it much easier to spot rocks and shoals. The maps Aiden had with him did not show any rocks. That did not mean that we did not look. I scanned the water for the tell-tale white marking the presence of rocks. The waves were not normally as large as the ones off Frankia and an anomalous flurry of white would indicate a rock.

  I found that being a lookout allowed your mind to wander but kept your eyes sharp. As my eyes looked for the unusual I ran over the events of the last couple of years. There h
ad been a time when I had begun to become an old man. I had been waiting for death. That had been after Brigid had died. A man does not normally bury two wives. I had. Sámr had been my salvation. That was a word used by Brigid. She had always striven to save my soul; whatever a soul was. Taking Sámr with me had been like looking at me when I was young. Old Ragnar had not given up on life when he had taken me in. He had shown me how to be a Viking. I was being selfish thinking of death. I now knew that I had been given a choice by the Allfather. I could have chosen Valhalla and all that meant or I could have chosen life and my family. I had chosen the latter. I had made mistakes with Wolf Killer. I had been less than perfect with Gruffyd. I realised now that perfection did not matter. A man did the best he could. If he was a good man then all would turn out well. I believed that I was a good man. My glimpse into Valhalla had suggested I was.

  I was suddenly aware that the back of my neck felt slightly warmer. I looked around and saw a thin light in the east. The warmth was the breeze which had shifted and was now coming from the south and east. That was perfect. It would keep us from the coast of Africa, the pirates and the Musselmen. I lifted my head and, putting my hand on the dragon prow said, “Thank you Allfather and thank you ‘Heart of the Dragon’. When I have the chance, I will make a blót.”

  The night had passed without incident. The crew, men and boys were all rested and whatever the day brought we would be in a better position to deal with it. It was wyrd.

  As I walked down the drekar I shook men awake. Dawn was a time of danger. Pirates could lurk in the dark and await passing ships. The wolf sought the sheep! We would stand to and watch for the dawn. The boys would scamper up the mast and ensure that the horizon was clear. Then we would make water, empty our bowels and then eat. I saw that Germund had his body curled protectively around Sámr. When you had an oar brother you were closer than family. For a time, when I was young, my oar brother had been Haaken One Eye. He was as close to a brother as I had had. He had been the one willing to face the Norn in the cave at Syllingar. Since we had stood back to back in Norway fighting other Vikings we had been closer than brothers. We were closer because we had chosen each other.