by Griff Hosker
I drank the ale and wiped my beard with the back of my hand. "Any trouble?"
"No Jarl. We row for the wind is from the south west but once we round the Dragon's Point we will have the wind and we can rest."
The Dragon's Point was the last corner of Britannia. It stuck out like a dragon's tongue. It seemed appropriate that, once we turned, the wind would speed us on our way. I looked astern and saw that 'The King's Gift' was on station just a couple of boat lengths away. If the rest of our voyage was as smooth and as simple as this had been then we would, indeed, be favoured by the gods.
Chapter 11
Of course neither the Norns nor the gods would make life simple for us. We were constantly tested to see if we were worthy enough for the rewards we earned. Five Saxon ships waited for us close to the island the Saxons called the Island of the Wights. The ship's boy on the cross tree spied them. "Five Saxon ships to landward!"
Erik was on the steering board. "Do we fight or run, Jarl?"
"We run. We cannot afford to lose any men before we reach Jorvik. If this was on the return journey then we would fight them for I have no doubt that our dragon ship could dance around them!"
Erik laughed, "Aye, Jarl. They are tubby and slow. Haaken, double crew the oars. Let us show these Saxons how a dragon can fly!"
I turned and, cupping my hands, shouted to ''The King's Gift', "Double oars! We run!"
I saw the ship's boy at the prow of 'The King's Gift' raise his hand in acknowledgement and then race to tell Olaf. It took time for Haaken and the men to get to their benches and the Saxons closed. They were just five lengths away when Haaken began to sing and the crews chants transmitted to their hands and hearts. We began to surge through the water. It was as if the dragon ship was flying. The dragon prow seemed to lift us over the waves.
The storm was wild and the gods did roam
The enemy closed on the Prince's home
Two warriors stood on a lonely tower
Watching, waiting for hour on hour.
The storm came hard and Odin spoke
With a lightning bolt the sword he smote
Ragnar's Spirit burned hot that night
It glowed, a beacon shiny and bright
The two they stood against the foe
They were alone, nowhere to go
They fought in blood on a darkened hill
Dragon Heart and Cnut will save us still
Dragon Heart, Cnut and the Ulfheonar
Dragon Heart, Cnut and the Ulfheonar
The storm was wild and the Gods did roam
The enemy closed on the Prince's home
Two warriors stood on a lonely tower
Watching, waiting for hour on hour.
The storm came hard and Odin spoke
With a lightning bolt the sword he smote
Ragnar's Spirit burned hot that night
It glowed, a beacon shiny and bright
The two they stood against the foe
They were alone, nowhere to go
They fought in blood on a darkened hill
Dragon Heart and Cnut will save us still
Dragon Heart, Cnut and the Ulfheonar
Dragon Heart, Cnut and the Ulfheonar
Cnut Cnutson always swelled with pride when this chant was used for it was about his father and me. I looked astern and saw that even 'The King's Gift' could not keep up with us and began to drop astern. She was, however, in no danger for the Saxons dropped back even further. They were not natural seamen. Had they been then they would have had half of their boats ahead of us to ambush us. We would still have beaten them but there would have been a sea fight first.
Erik glanced astern and shouted, "You can slow down, Haaken. We have lost them."
As soon as the chant stopped then we slowed. The men rowed hard and it hurt but the song stopped men feeling burning muscles and it fed their hearts. They were able to do more than they thought that they could. If the Saxons ever discovered that then they might be better sailors.
Soon we were able to stop rowing and Olaf 's ship was back on station. Aiden looked at his charts. He kept a record when we sailed. "That little burst of speed has helped us, Jarl. Soon we turn north and this wind will still aid us."
I looked up at the mast, "Thank you Allfather."
I had told Aiden of my dream as soon as he had woken. He had not spoken of it since. As we sailed between the land of Kent and Frankia he did. "I have thought of your dream and it begins to make some kind of sense. If your family had not been kidnapped then I would not have been your hostage would I? I would not have learned to read the words of the Romans. I might still be a galdramenn but I am not even sure about that. My powers came to me as we travelled through the land of the Cymri."
"You were born with those powers. Even as a child you were cleverer than most."
"I know not but I do know that each day with you and now your daughter increases my power. What I am saying, Jarl, is that the gods give you the means to do what you do. Looks at Haaken One Eye, he and Olaf are the rocks upon which enemies break. Cnut died to save your family so that Kara and Wolf Killer would be reconciled. Prince Butar died so that you would leave Mann and go to Cyninges-tūn. I thought that all of this was just the webs of the Norns but I see a higher power now. The Norns serve the gods. What we do, we are meant to do."
He said no more but he had no need to. His words filled my head. Unconsciously one hand went to the hilt of Ragnar's Spirit while the other went to the dragon about my neck. My mother's words came back to me, 'All of our family know when they are to die. It is a gift and a curse. You will dream your death ' I knew then that each time I went to sleep I would wonder if that would be the night I would dream my death.
The voyage north to Jorvik was stormier than the one to reach the Saxon Sea. The wind was still with us but it blew in gusts, in fits and starts. It varied in strength and the crew were tested all the way north. There was one thing in its favour. Only fools were out in that storm and we had the whole sea to ourselves. It was just after dawn when Erik made ready to turn west to the mouth of the river. Haaken had the men ready to row as soon as we entered the huge estuary that was the Humber. It was deceptively wide. Erik knew it well. Many knarr had come to grief because they believe it was deep all the way across. It was not. There were shallows and there were mudflats. It shifted constantly as silt was deposited in one place and eroded in another. He chose the deepest channel. We could sail closer to the shallows but there was no need for such risks.
Haaken and the rowers were not needed, at first, for the wind, from the south west still, helped us. Erik was busy and so I sought out Aiden. He knew the sea and river well. "How long to reach the hall?"
"The river runs due west for a while and then it begins its turns. When they are to the north and east we will be swift but when they turn we will be slow. Soon Erik will have to take in sail and then we will move at the pace of the rowers. In a straight line we could be there in a couple of hours but with the twists and turns of this meandering river it will take us all day. We will be close by dark."
Aiden would know exactly where Fulford lay. We would lie up below the hall. My warriors would land. Our drekar's skeleton crew could follow us up the river. The warriors would travel, unseen, across the land. I had spent some time during the voyage discussing our attack with the Ulfheonar. Although not as well made as a Saxon Burgh or even Elfridaby, the hall would have a ditch and a fence. If we could get over those without being discovered then we could burn the warrior hall. That way we could guarantee that the blood feud would be over. All of our enemies lay in Fulford. This raid might just bring us respite, for a while at least. I intended the attack to be swift, sudden and decisive.
We would use my men to secure the gate and then we could surround the halls. There would be at least two. One would be for the warriors and the other would be Ragnar's. There they would have his oathsworn and his family. That would be the one which the Ulfheonar would attack while Asbjorn and
Eystein would lead the bulk of the warriors to attack and burn the warrior hall.
Those who were not rowing donned their mail and prepared for war. My sword and seax had been sharpened before we left Cyninges-tūn. I put on the cochineal and held my helmet. Since I had had the extra aventail and embellishments on the front it was slightly heavier. I would don it at the last moment. Besides I needed my eyes and ears to be unimpaired until we went into battle. We were now in the land of our enemies. There was not a single friend east of the great divide. The Saxons hated us but I hoped that they would take us for a Danish drekar sailing home. The two peoples, Saxon and Dane, had an uneasy alliance.
Erik was taking no chances and Thorir Svensson was at the dragon prow staring intently at the water to shout should we find a new shoal or mud bank. The boy on the crosstrees watched far ahead and the third kept an eye on Olaf in the drekar behind. I knew that Olaf and Asbjorn would be equally vigilant. Aiden was struggling into the short mail shirt I had insisted he wear. He was no warrior and we would be going against Danes in their home. If he was coming ashore then he needed to be prepared for war. He had no shield but a short sword and seax would have to suffice for protection.
Both Erik and Aiden were correct about the journey. It was tortuous. Soon we needed every oar manned as we wound our way along the Ouse. We spied many Saxon settlements. The one at Gulle looked to be a strongly defended burgh in a loop of the river. Soon after Gulle the river turned north towards our destination,. It was early afternoon when we passed it. By the time we reached Riccall it was almost dark and I wondered if we had misjudged the time.
Erik shook his head when I expressed my doubts. "We have six or seven miles to go. We will be there at midnight. By the time you have reached the hall then we will have turned the drekar around and have captured their jetty."
We were leaving fifteen warriors aboard to enable us to keep our drekar safe. They were the youngest and least experienced of our men but Erik and Thorir knew their business. They would not let me down. Disaster almost struck when we were but a mile from our destination. The hull ground on to a sandbank. Perhaps Thorir had been complacent I know not but we struck river bed and we stopped. Erik quickly hissed, "Everyone, to the stern!"
All obeyed and, as the bow rose we began to move. Even as we shifted he said, "Now to the bow." Everyone ran to the bow.
There was a grating noise as we shifted over the sand and shingle mud bank but then we floated again. 'The King's Gift' was smaller and had a shallower draught and they managed to sail over it without grounding.
Aiden scribbled a mark on the chart and murmured, "We will watch for that upon our return."
Thorir would be chastised by Erik but that would be much later.
All of the warriors were now armed and ready. The sail was down and we rowed the last mile up the twisting river. Our nose, Snorri, was in the bows and he whistled when he smelled the Danish hall. The smell of wood smoke carried, especially across water. Erik nudged us towards the shore. Snorri and Beorn leapt ashore first and disappeared into the night. The ship's boys were next and they wrapped ropes, fore and aft, around two trees. My men disembarked leaving a skeleton crew to row up stream.
I was the last one off, along with Aiden and as soon as we were on the river bank the boys leapt back aboard with their ropes. We followed our men inland. We did not run but watched where we walked. We had time enough. The Danes would be sleeping. If we had judged it right then we were less than a mile from the hall. Asbjorn and his men soon caught up with us. We did not move in a straight line but, rather, we swarmed. Every warrior was ready for action. I hoped we would reach the hall before we were seen.
The men before me stopped and made way for Haaken, Aiden and me. Snorri and Beorn stood there, panting. They had run hard. "The hall is a thousand paces to the north east, Jarl. There is a low palisade but it is only the height of a warrior. The warrior hall is closest to the river and the Jarls' hall is raised and has two sentries at the door."
"Take archers and dispose of the guards." They tapped the archers on the shoulders as they led them back. I turned to Asbjorn. "You know what to do. Aiden has Dragon Fire. He will fire the hall. You will slay the warriors. The Ulfheonar will deal with the oathsworn. We will meet you at the jetty."
I took out Ragnar's Spirit and held it aloft so that my Ulfheonar could see me. I ran towards the hall. Our eyes were accustomed to the dark and I saw its dark shape above the palisade within a few steps. As we moved closer to the walls and the hall I could pick out more detail. We were in the hands of Snorri and his handful of archers now. If they did not kill silently then the alarm would be given and our task would be almost impossible. We walked slowly the last hundred or so paces. If the sentries were not dead then sudden movements would give us away. Snorri and Beorn rose like wraiths; they were almost next to us. Snorri pulled his finger across his throat. The sentries were silenced.
The archers led the way as we went towards the palisade. There was a ditch but it was for drainage. It would not deter us. Most of us jumped it although Olaf Leather Neck contemptuously waded it. When we reached the palisade, pairs of Ulfheonar stood with their shields at the ready. I put my foot on the shield and was pushed up to the level of the wooden wall. I could see the Jarl's hall. It was on the far side and the sentries did not appear to be looking in our direction. As I slipped over I saw Asbjorn and his men as they, too, scaled the walls.
Between the walls and the halls lay thrall's huts and animal pens. We would have to move quietly and not disturb the animals. Snorri and Beorn led the way across the open area. Suddenly a huge dog began to growl as Snorri passed. He put his hand out and murmured something. The growling stopped and I saw the dog's tail wagging. If there was such a thing as a perfect scout then it was Snorri. He was prepared, even for savage guard dogs. He and Beorn went around the rear of the warrior hall to head to the Jarl's hall.
We moved along the side of the warrior hall. I could hear the noises of men snoring, talking in their sleep and, inevitably, farting. Aiden stayed there and waited for Asbjorn and his men. They carried faggots with which to fire the hall. I halted in the shadow of the warrior hall to watch the sentries. There was but one door into the hall and they guarded it. There were steps up to it. A Danish hall was often built below the ground to create a high roof. This looked to be one such. It explained why it was on slightly higher ground.
Haaken and Erik Eriksson stood behind me. I saw Beorn creeping along the side of the hall. I guessed that Snorri was on the other side. We had fifty paces to cover as soon as the two sentries were dead. Beorn was about to strike when Loki played a trick. One of the sentries decided to make water and he turned to go down the hall. He saw Beorn. Beorn's blade was fast but the sentry shouted, "Vikings!" before he fell.
There was no time to waste and we sprinted across the open ground. Behind me I smelled burning as Aiden lit the first fire. With men guarding the one door in the hall I hoped that they would be able to kill the warriors with few losses to themselves. Even though we ran as fast as we could we could not reach the door before the oathsworn reacted to the alarm. I saw Snorri and Beorn fighting five men. They stood back to back. A mighty giant raised his axe to decapitate Snorri but an arrow flew from nowhere and struck him in the side of the head. One of Snorri's archers was alert. The Dane fell as though pole axed. Even so the odds were too great and I saw Beorn fall to a blow from behind.
As the warrior raised his sword to finish him off I saw that Rolf had sprinted ahead of us and he brought his axe around to scythe through the Dane's leg. Rollo was close behind and before the second Dane who had been fighting Beorn could change his attack Rollo had run him through. There were more Danes rushing from the hall but we were all at the gate and we met them sword to sword. I saw that Snorri, too, was wounded. As I blocked a sword from a Dane I shouted, "Get Beorn to the drekar!"
I punched the warrior in the face with my shield and, as he reeled brought my knee up hard between his legs. He w
as not wearing mail and he fell backwards. I stabbed him in the throat. Behind me the warrior hall was on fire; the flames raced up the sides of the bone dry building and I heard the screams of those within. My target was Ragnar Halfdansson. Olaf Leather Neck and Rolf Horse Killer cleared the door to the hall with two mighty swings from their axes. The Danes wore no mail. The three who had stood there fell backwards writhing as they tried to hold in the nest of intestines which were spilling out.
Haaken made the door before I did and he roared his challenge, "I am Haaken One Eye! If you face me then you die! I am Ulfheonar!"
He was almost berserker as he ran to the nearest Danes. The fact that there were three of them did not discomfit him in the least. I followed him for Haaken was not as young as he had once been. He slew one and blocked the sword from the second but the third had stepped to the side and was about to run Haaken through under his outstretched right arm when I brought down my sword and took the Dane's arm. Even as he stood bleeding I brought the blade backhanded into his chest.
"Find Ragnar Halfdansson!"
Haaken might have only had one eye but it missed nothing. He pointed to the far end of the hall where I saw Ragnar and four of his oathsworn. They had been donning mail. Now that they saw us they ran towards us.
I raised my sword and shouted, "Ulfheonar! To me!"
Leif the Banner and Finni the Dreamer appeared as though by magic and I heard a roar which told me that Olaf Leather Neck was on his way. He would not let his jarl fight alone!
Ragnar spat out his words as he raced to me, "When I had no word from my men I should have known you had used magic to defeat them!"
"I used the same weapon on Gurt the Silent that I will use on you, Ragnar Halfdansson, Ragnar's Spirit!"
None would interfere in our combat. It would be jarl to jarl. He was a much younger man than me. I was at least fifteen years older. He was in the prime of life. He was a big man. I remembered that from the Wall but we were fighting in a hall. It would be speed and skill which determined the outcome of this contest. The hall had a high roof and Ragnar Halfdansson brought his sword in a huge swing. It was aimed at my head. I did the unexpected; I stepped into him below his swing. I pulled my shield up as I did so and his right arm struck my shoulder and then the edge of my shield smashed up into his jaw. I had not even bothered swinging Ragnar's Spirit which hung from my hand.