by Griff Hosker
He looked puzzled but Wolf Killer knew what I intended. "And the Saxons will see the water but to them it will be a dragon, hurtling towards them."
I nodded, "And if you are on the sky line then they will see the dragon too. You must wear a helmet. Now go and I will get Leif to bring you the banner."
Leif carried both banners, my dragon and my wolf. Today we would fight under the wolf banner but it would be the dragon who would bring victory. Ragnar returned as the sky was becoming light enough to see the Saxons stirring. "Now do not open the banner until you reach Aiden. Tell him what we plan and he will tell you when to ride."
Wolf Killer reached up and clasped his son's hand. "Today you fight in your first battle, my son and it will be under the eyes of Jarl Dragonheart and his Ulfheonar. There is no greater honour!"
I saw Ragnar's eyes light up at the thought and he galloped off. If any sharp eyed Saxon saw the young rider heading east they would think he went for reinforcements.
More confident about our plans we now rejoined our warbands. We would not be one continuous line. I was trying to deceive Egbert. I wanted him to think that there were divisions amongst my men. I knew that his Saxons would not trust each other. I wanted him to believe that we were the same. In addition I wanted him to think we had fewer numbers than we really had. Each warband would be separate from all of the others. The largest warband was that of Wolf Killer and he had but thirty men. Mine had sixteen. We would look pathetically thin in numbers. Our success relied on a number of factors but the control my jarls had over their men would be the most crucial.
Egbert was being careful. He had fought me before. When I saw his men dismantling trips and traps by the river I could not help but smile. He had expected a night attack with my Ulfheonar. They had feared us so much that they had put cord and dug pits to catch us as we came. He would have had many sentries out at night and they would now be tired. Egbert would watch for more tricks from me. The ones we would use were Aiden's magic and he would not have seen them before. I saw him and King Coenwulf as they gathered with their eorledmen and priests on the bluffs opposite. Their priests carried their cross and the boxes containing the relics of their saints. The two kings were looking at our battle lines and seeking our strategy. I saw his horsemen. They were to the east of his main battle line. They would, no doubt, ride upstream and try to cross there. Between the main army and Aiden were a line of boys. They would signal and they would seed the banks with horse killers. The three pointed spikes would come as a nasty surprise.
After a long discussion five warriors descended to the ford and, with shields held before them, began to cross. They used their spears to poke the bottom of the ford for spikes and holes. They found none but they were wary. We allowed them to cross. They were less than fifty paces from Sigtrygg and his men. Suddenly the ten boy slingers who were behind the warband raced to the side and whirled their slingshots. The river stones flew at the five Saxons. One was too slow to raise his shield and he fell in the river. As he was dragged to safety by the others Sigtrygg's band cheered.
The leader of the scouts reported back to Egbert. He seemed satisfied that he had seen what he thought was our trick, slingers behind a shield wall. He turned and spoke. A horn sounded. I saw the horsemen head up the valley and a column of men began to march down towards the river. It was not a wedge. It was a block of men ten wide and fifteen ranks deep. The front and the sides were mailed men. It was more than two thirds of his army. I waited until they had reached the river before I had Leif signal the first of the boys messengers. We had practised this. The message to release the dam would not reach Aiden until the column was just emerging from the river. I guessed that at least four of the ranks would have crossed before the water struck.
"Ketil, Ulf, forward!"Almost anticipating my order the other two warbands marched down to join Sigtrygg. They now formed one line. The thirty boy slingers who were attached to them hurled their stones. The Saxons raised their shields to protect themselves from the stone storm. None were hurt but they had to slow and they bunched up. As they stepped ashore they found that their feet had no purchase on the slippery bank. The water Aiden had poured down the hill had made it slippery. The more that men used it then the muddier and more slippery it would become. Three warriors fell when their feet slipped and stones struck those within the column. They halted while they reorganised. This caused bunching so that the river was completely filled by the column. The three ranks in the northern bank had to move before the column could continue its progress.
In the distance we heard the wailing begin. My men had all heard it but not the Saxons and the Danes. I looked across the river and saw the consternation amongst the Saxons. What did this portend? There was a ripple in the column as the Saxons looked upstream to discern the cause of the strange and eerie noise. The clatter of stones on the shields suddenly sounded like an ominous drumbeat and still the wail came closer as Ragnar galloped down the valley. I trusted my grandson. He would be keeping pace with the wall of water which was hurtling down the river. Sigtrygg would not need any more orders. As soon as the water struck he knew what he had to do.
I looked to the left and saw Ragnar approaching, the banner held high. As I glanced to the river I saw the wall of water. It was almost as high as a man. Turning back I saw Ragnar pull back in the reins and rear his horse. He spun the horse around in a circle to maintain the wail and then Sigtrygg launched his attack at the three ranks who had made the northern bank of the river. The eyes of the column were upstream and not on the spears of Sigtrygg, Ketil and Ulf. The water and the spears struck together. The power of the water took me by surprise. It swept those in the river from their feet. I saw some struggling a hundred and fifty paces downstream, towards the sea. Many disappeared beneath the wave never to reappear. Their armour and shields dragged them to the bottom. The slingers moved closer to hurl stones at the now bare heads of warriors who tried to swim to safety. The front three ranks were slain to a man as three warbands stabbed, hacked and hewed at warriors who had no idea just what was going on. This was not war this was magic. The Saxon horn sounded and those that could, made their way back.
Just then I heard a shout from Wolf Killer and saw his warband swing to face north. It was the horsemen. They had crossed the river. The horse killers had thinned their number but twenty of them rode at the Wild Boars. I had placed our strongest warband there for just such a purpose. My Ulfheonar also turned but there was no urgency. I trusted my son and he would hold these horsemen. If they thought to intimidate us they were wrong. The wall of shields never wavered. The horsemen flowed around the shield wall and their horses had to suffer spears and axes as well as the stones from ten slingers.
Their leader survived. He and five others saw Ragnar, still whirling around on his horse and making the dragon wail. Although he was two hundred paces away they charged towards him. The Saxon leader was trying to leave with some glory. The dragon banner would make a fine trophy. Neither Wolf Killer nor my men could reach the horsemen. My grandson saw the danger and he galloped towards the stad. The Saxon riders tried to cut him off. It was a race. Ragnar had chosen a good horse but the Saxons were superb horsemen. I saw their leader as he raised his spear. He pulled his arm back when he was twenty paces from Ragnar. Suddenly a line of archers rose from the undergrowth and forty arrows knocked the six horses and riders to the ground. I saw Snorri raise his bow. My grandson was safe!
I turned my attention back to Egbert. The attack of the horsemen had been hidden from the Saxons by a fold in the ground. He would not know the fate of his horsemen nor the presence of my archers. He had lost a good thirty men in his attack. Many others, perhaps fifty or so, were so far downstream that, by the time they rejoined the army they would be exhausted. The river at the ford was gradually returning to its normal level. My men had stripped the bodies of those they had slain and left them as a barrier to the next attack.
"Leif, signal the warbands to fall back."
My three
warbands made their way back slowly up the slope. It was slippery with water and they placed their feet carefully. They filled in the space between the Wild Boars and the Ulfheonar. We locked shields. I saw many of those in the front ranks make water. It made the ground even more slippery and it was always better to fight with an empty bladder.
It took some time for Saxons to decide on their next course of action. They were used to fighting Vikings who hurled themselves at their shield wall. We were not obliging them. The forty Danes they had formed the front four ranks of the next column. Behind them came the men of Mercia and finally the Wessex warriors who had reformed. There were about a hundred and twenty warriors. As they moved towards the slope I saw that they were gathering the ragged remains of their army to exploit the success of their attack. When the hundred and twenty punched a hole in our lines then the last forty of their reserve would join in.
As they moved ponderously towards the river Aiden and his boys rode up. "It worked then?"
"It did and Ragnar did well with the Dragon Banner. When you reach the stad then send him back to me."
"I will, Jarl Dragonheart."
Wolf Killer asked, "Are you not finished with him?"
"We know that the rush of water was made by the dam. The Saxons do not. If you were a Saxon and you heard the wail of the dragon coming down the valley again then what would you think?"
"That the river was flooding again. That might work but what if there are Saxons up the valley?"
I pointed to Aiden's messengers. "You boys, find a weapon. You will guard the bearer of the banner!"
When Ragnar returned he looked excited. His father said, "You did well Ragnar. Jarl Dragonheart has another task for you."
"Furl the banner. We will be attacked again soon. I want you to ride, when I tell you, to the dam and then unfurl the banner and ride down the valley once more. These boys will be your protectors."
"I need no protectors, Jarl!"
"Nonetheless you shall have them. The Dragon demands an escort at the very least." He nodded. "Now wait on the other side of the hill so that the Saxons cannot see you. Wait with Snorri. When you see the banner raised and lowered three times then ride to the dam."
Snorri and the archers could see my wolf banner which Leif held. We waited. "Slingers advance."
The boys with the slingshots moved from behind us. They knew how slippery the grass was and they moved cautiously. The Danes marched from the ford and started to ascend the slope. They knew now of the dangers and they were more cautious. The slingers hurled their stones and soon the shields came up to protect the warriors. It sounded like hailstones as they clattered off shields and helmets. Inevitably warriors slipped and, as they did so, the slingers found flesh. A well thrown stone could kill or render unconscious a careless warrior. Four Danes fell. They were not dead but they were no longer in the column. Some of the Danes became angry at the incessant rain of stones and they made the mistake of running towards the boys to rid themselves of the irritation. They slipped and the steepness of the slope caused some to slide back down, disrupting their ranks. The boys took advantage of the chaos, hurled their stones even faster and more warriors fell.
The Jarl who led them was a huge warrior with a winged helmet, axe and a skull on his helmet. He roared. "Shields! Form ranks! Wait until Erik Skull Splitter gives you the order to move!"
The effect was instantaneous. The Danes halted. The boys managed to hit another eight warriors. Some would have broken limbs but the Danes formed up again. They now had three ranks of seven. As they moved forward I realised that the slingers were in danger. "Slingers! Retire behind the shield wall!"
They moved around the side and formed up behind us. They all had plenty of stones. The river bed had been full of them and they had chosen wisely. They were only boys but they knew the shape of stone they needed. Without the boys in front of them the Danes moved steadily up the slope. We were standing on dry ground and we had taken a flat piece of the hill where we had solid footing. The Danes would be advancing up the slippery part of the slope.
"You know what to do, Sigtrygg."
"Aye Jarl!"
Sigtrygg's men had a wall of double shields. I shouted, "Ketil, Ulf, now!"
The two warbands moved quickly to form up behind Sigtrygg so that there were six ranks. They would match the advancing Danes. As the Danes neared the top of the hill Sigtrygg shouted, "Charge!"
They took three paces on the dry ground and struck the Danes as they crested the rise. Their spears were at eye level. I saw Erik Skull Splitter as Sigtrygg's spear was rammed through his mouth. It was such a powerful blow that it knocked the helmet from the Dane in the second rank. The Danes lost their footing and fell to the floor as the weight of three warbands hit them. King Egbert had made a mistake. He played into our hands by using a narrow frontage. He should have employed a long line and outflanked us.
I yelled, "Ulfheonar!" and attacked the left side of the Danish line as Wolf Killer led his Wild Boars against the right side. The Mercians who were following were bowled over by the falling bodies of the Danes. The men we slew lay on the ground wounded or were knocked from their feet. They were slain as they lay below us. I saw King Egbert as he ordered his reserves and I shouted, "Leif, signal Ragnar!"
The banner was raised and lowered three times. "Fall back!" I did not want to risk my men slipping on the slick slope. The water had been augmented by blood and guts. It would be treacherous underfoot.
As we retook our original positions I saw that we had lost warriors too but the Danes had been finished. There were not enough of them to mount a serious opposition. The Mercians too had been disrupted. However someone had realised our weakness. They began to form a long line. When the reserves joined the line then they would be able to overlap our short frontage and the slaughter would begin. I watched as the priests and the Saxon kings joined their men. King Egbert had seen our weakness. He still outnumbered us and he thought he had seen through our strategy.
As his men reached the river and began to cross we all heard a wailing in the distance. "Slingers, advance!"
As the Mercians and men of Wessex looked east and those in the river began to look fearfully for the wall of water, the slingers threw more of their deadly missiles. The enemy lost another six warriors before they regained their composure. I saw that some of the reserve had fled up the hill on the other side of the valley. They had had enough. As the dragon banner drew close I could hear the priests as they chanted their prayers to the White Christ. It seemed to halt the flight of those who were afraid and the reserves crossed the river. My ploy had not worked as well as I had hoped but there were at least twelve warriors who would not fight for they had fled. The priests might have convinced their men that it was their prayers which had saved them but I knew differently.
"Slingers, withdraw!"
The boys ran quickly to shelter behind our shield wall. This time the Saxons were well aware of the slippery nature of the slope and they moved cautiously. They used their spears as walking sticks to offer themselves support. As they ascended the slope I shouted, "Listen for my orders! Every man obeys instantly!"
They all shouted, as one, "Aye Jarl Dragonheart!"
The shout was so loud that I saw the advancing Saxons slow as though they feared we would charge them. We each held a spear and we were in two ranks. The front rank of the Mercians had their mailed warriors spread out. I guessed that the ones in mail were the Gesith with their oathsworn. The line would overlap ours by twenty warriors on each side. The two flanks of our line were held by the two best warbands we had. I had to hope we would hold.
When they slowly reached the top and were just five paces from us I yelled, "Charge!"
We did not run but walked purposefully. It was but five strides. However we hit them with two solid lines of warriors. I thrust my spear into the chest of a warrior who was standing next to the Gesith. Haaken stabbed at the mailed Gesith. My spear struck him in the chest and I felt the head of my spe
ar sink into flesh. His arms splayed wide as he fell back. The Gesith was punched by Haaken's spear and he too took a step back. I withdrew my spear and punched at the next Mercian. He had not quite made the firmer, drier ground. My spear hit him in the cheek and tore out through the back of his skull. Two spears jabbed out from behind me and two more warriors were knocked to the ground.
I lifted my shield and yelled, "Push!" While punching with my spear I joined Olaf and Haaken to push hard with our shields and hit the struggling Mercians.
It would have been easy to get carried away and push them down the hill but that would have been a mistake. We would have slipped and we were in danger of being outflanked. Leif, in the second rank shouted, "'Ware right!"
That was the signal to withdraw. He had seen enemies outflanking us. "Fall back! Fall back!"
We each punched at the enemy and then began to walk backwards. It was Haaken to my right and Rolf behind him who would have the most difficulty for they had Mercians attacking them. Rolf and Haaken threw their spears as they took long steps back. I threw my spear too and took a long step. We were echeloning back with Sigtrygg and his men as the point of our arrow. We had five hundred paces to march before we dropped below the dell. There Snorri held a surprise for the Saxons.
I drew Ragnar's Spirit. The spears had bought us time and three men lay writhing with the spears we had thrown. The slingers, behind us, continued to hurl stones at the Saxons. They could not run for fear of tripping over the wounded and dying front rank. We continued to move as quickly as was prudent. Some of the Mercians chose glory and they ran at us individually. It was brave but foolish. I blocked the axe of one Mercian on my shield and rammed my sword into the warrior's gut. Haaken and Olaf, protecting my sides, did the same. Leif used the wolf banner as a spear to gouge into the eyes of any warrior who came too close to me.
As soon as we started to drop down the slope to the dell before the stad I began to shout out orders. "Steady and lock shields!"