by Griff Hosker
"Thank you Jarl." The relief on his face touched me. Not every Norseman was a warrior.
Hrolf said, "But I would come with you Jarl."
"It will be dangerous. My men cannot watch over someone because they are young."
He nodded defiantly, "Aiden told me that you went on raids when you were little older than me."
"That is true."
"Then I shall go for I would be you when I am older."
"Very well. But you look after yourself."
Sigtrygg wished to raid and so we would take four ships. I would leave 'Red Snake' at Úlfarrston. Her presence in the river would make others think we were all at home. The warriors who gathered were too many for me to take. Those who were older I left behind. Those without a helmet and a shield I left behind. Eventually we had four fully crewed drekar. As we were travelling so close to home I took Siggi and his knarr. We would be able to protect him and we could bring back greater quantities of slaves and treasure.
I decided we would leave at noon and that way we could be ready to raid their towns and monasteries by dawn. Other knarr left that morning for our iron was in great demand as was our timber. As we were about to set sail we saw a ship approaching. Sails could mean danger and so we waited. When the knarr came to a rest in the harbour I breathed a sigh of relief. It was a trader from Hibernia. The captain had heard of our raid in Frankia and chose to profit from it. He brought fine clothes and fabrics from far away. They were the sort of things we could not get other than by trade. As most ports were now closed to us it was a sign that we were being sought out.
We left before he had the opportunity to trade with us but those who remained would soon reward the captain's enterprise with gold. I also knew it would be the start of an avalanche of such traders.
Hrolf would not be a passenger and I set him to work with the crew of the 'Heart of the Dragon'. To be fair to him he did not shirk from the work and leapt up the sail and the rigging with the other boys. He showed no fear. He had confided in Rollo Thin Hair that he thought he had been reborn when I had freed him. His life began that day on the Seine.
Aiden had already planned where we would raid. Nantwich had great quantities of salt as well as vast granaries. Some of the meat we had taken in Frankia had spoiled. Had we had more salt we could have preserved it. There might be no wheat or corn but there would be oats and barley. Both were valuable. He also thought that there was a monastery close by the burgh. It would not be our only raid but it would be our first one. By attacking deep in Mercian land we would draw his horsemen there and that would allow us to raid along the Clwyd Valley where we knew there were riches to be had.
We reached the Maeresea before dark. It was a sparsely populated land. The first time we had raided we had captured my steward, Scanlan and his family. In the years since we had taken most of those who live in this land as slaves. The Mercians had not settled it and Caerlleon was their northern outpost. We would avoid that. After we had disembarked we moored the drekar in the middle of the river. We left enough guards to repel any enemies. Then we headed south east twenty miles to Nantwich. It took most of the night but Snorri and Beorn were familiar with the paths and Aiden had his maps and charts with us.
We had avoided the settlements along the way. It was dark of night and there was no moon. We were a black shadow moving across a black land. We only had a handful of Ulfheonar but my men all affected darkened clothes and armour. Some of our enemies called us the Black Vikings or the army of the dead. We were not offended by the title. Snorri, Beorn and the other scouts reached us as we saw the faint first light of dawn.
"Nantwich is a mile along the road. They have sentries."
We knew the layout of the burgh. I sent Wolf Killer to the east, Sigtrygg to the south, Asbjorn to the west and we took the north. No one would escape and each of the four gates would be assaulted at the same time. They would not know what hit them. As the crew of 'Heart of the Dragon' ran along the old Roman road I felt my years. I was not as fit as I had once been. However I could still keep up with them I was just not as fast as I had once been. There was a dark shadow ahead and I knew that it was Nantwich. It rose from the plain along the bend of the river. The river would not be a barrier for us; it was Asbjorn and his men who would have to ford it. We halted while men adjusted their shields and their armour.
I waved Hrolf over. "Your task is to stay with the galdramenn and guard him."
"Am I not to attack with you, Jarl Dragonheart?"
"You are to do as your Jarl orders and nothing more!"
"Yes Jarl."
I knew that Aiden would watch over him. Aiden and he had much in common.
I led my men towards the burgh. Built by Coenwulf it was a copy of the Roman forts. With four gates and a pair of towers guarding each gate they were well made. However the Saxons had not worked out how to make their ditches as deadly as the Romans. There would be no traps and the far bank could be climbed without difficulty. We did not run. Ours was the shortest route. The others would have to run to reach their gates and enable us to assault at the same time. Beorn the Scout and Snorri did run. They strung their bows and ran to the side of the ditch. I might worry about the warriors on the other gates failing to make a clean kill but not my two archers. No matter how many men were on the gate they would die and die silently.
As we approached the gates I waved. Olaf, Ulf, Finni and Vermund ran towards Beorn and Snorri. Even as we approached I heard the two arrows as they sped towards the doomed sentries. Before they had fallen to the ground my four Ulfheonar held their shields ready for us to leap upon them. This time it would not be me who would leap it would be Rollo Thin Skin and Erik Wolf Claw. I went with Haaken and the rest of my band to the gate. I heard a shout from the southern gate. The alarm was given. I did not worry; it was inevitable and we would soon have control of this northern gate.
I held my shield tightly and felt that of Haaken nestling on my right arm. Rollo Thin Skin and Erik Wolf Claw swung open the gate and we ran in. There were shafts of light as people emerged from their huts to see the danger. We were already racing towards them through the packed walkways of the burgh. It was only the north to south and east to west ways which were straight. The others were cluttered alleys and paths. I yelled, "Spread out!"
Haaken and I worked as a pair. We slew two Saxons before they even knew we were there. A blacksmith came from his forge roaring and swinging his hammer. Haaken took the blow on his shield and I slashed the smith across his middle. It was when we neared the warrior hall in the centre that we saw organisation. An eorledman was organising a shield wall. I shouted, "Ulfheonar, to me!"
Haaken and I kept moving resolutely forward towards the twenty warriors. Even as we approached I could see, from the light spilling out of the hall, that half wore mail and had full helmets. They locked shields to form a double row with their backs to the hall. Olaf Leather Neck appeared at my left with Finni to his left. Vermund stood next to Haaken and Ulf on his right. Two arrows thudded into the two warriors on the extreme left of the shield wall and I knew where Snorri and Beorn were.
We were a natural wedge and I did not break stride. I chose the man I would strike. He was in the front rank. He had a full face helmet and a mail coif but his shield was made only of wood. There was neither boss nor iron strengtheners. That was his weakness. His spear jabbed towards my face and I easily turned it with my shield. My sword was held behind me and he was now weaponless. Those around him had stabbed at Olaf and Haaken. Their spears were also redundant. They relied on their locked shields and double line of men. I stabbed forwards at the junction of their shields. I wriggled the sword as it met resistance and I pushed hard. I am a big man and with my mail I am heavy. Behind me I felt the weight of the bodies of my other warriors and the Saxon line began to move.
I pushed again with my sword. I found myself face to face with the warrior who cursed me in Saxon. "You will rot in hell pagan!"
I head butted him as I replied, "I am a Viking and I will be in
Valhalla drinking, Saxon!" As he recoiled his foot slipped a little and my blade finally found something soft. I pushed hard. I felt warm blood pouring down my blade and on to my hand. I pushed harder. I watched the light go from his eyes and he fell. There was a gap and I stepped into it and punched the next warrior with the boss of my shield. I had room to swing and I brought my blade overhand to smash down on his helmet. It did not break the metal but it stunned him and he too fell to the ground. I stamped across his throat as I turned to stab into the side of the next warrior. A shield wall only works when it is a solid wall. As soon as it is broken it becomes a liability for it is rigid. My Ulfheonar spread down the line slaying the Saxon warriors.
When they all lay slain, dawn had broken and the burgh was ours. Wolf Killer and the other jarls joined me at the warrior hall. "We have secured the gates! It is a great victory Jarl Dragonheart!"
"Aye, Wolf Killer, it is. Have carts collected and begin to collect the booty."
I took off my helmet and put my shield around my back. I held Ragnar's Spirit in my hand. We moved back towards the gate. I saw Erik Wolf Claw and he was cradling Sven Thorirson. Sven was wounded. I knelt down and saw that he had been gutted. His left hand cradled his entrails. Sven had been on many raids with me. He opened his eyes. "Jarl Dragonheart, my life hangs by a thread. Soon I will be in Valhalla. Honour me by cutting the thread. Odin himself will welcome a warrior slain by Ragnar's Spirit. I was ever your man. I have been privileged to fight alongside you."
"And I have been honoured to be served by you. I will care for your family as though they were my own. I will see you in Valhalla." I plunged Ragnar's Spirit into his heart and with a sigh he died. "Have his tokens and his sword taken back for his son." Karl nodded. They had been friends.
Aiden and Hrolf entered the gates soon after we began burning the bodies of our dead. If we had buried them then they would have been despoiled by the Saxons. Their heads would have been placed on spears and their manhoods placed in their mouths. It would not hurt the dead but we would not afford them that satisfaction. The mail from the dead warriors we had slain was distributed. Everything of value was put on carts and the few horses we found were attached. We chose only the captives who would be of use to us. There were boys who would work in our mines and girls and women who would be of service in our homes. The rest we left. They would tell others no doubt of our presence in Mercia but by then we would have reached our ships. We headed north and west.
Aiden had been disappointed in the finds. The church had no Holy Books worth taking and there were no maps or writings. The Eorl of Nantwich had not been a literate man. Hrolf tagged along behind Aiden. He listened as we spoke. "We have a great deal of salt and barley now, Jarl."
"Aye, I shall send it back with Siggi and the knarr. The captives can be taken too. The animals we captured we will eat."
"We leave for the Clwyd?"
"First we rest and then we head to the Clwyd. I will send Wolf Killer in his drekar to wait off the mouth of the river. I would have you go with him. That way we attack from two directions. If they flee they will head into our fish trap."
When Hrolf became a great warrior and leader, many years later, it was the education he had listening to us speak which gave him a knowledge that could not be bought.
It was a slower journey back for we had carts but we were not bothered by our enemies. I saw horsemen watching us but we were too great a host to attack. Caerlleon was many miles away. Even if they sent warriors we would have reached our drekar before they could intervene. We loaded the knarr as soon as we reached the Maeresea and those who had wounds were sent with Siggi to guard the prisoners. There were wails and tears as the captives saw their fate. They would not be rescued. They were to be taken to our homeland and there they would end their days.
I sat and ate with Aiden, my jarls and my captains. "We sail tomorrow for the mouth of the Dee. Aiden will go with Wolf Killer. The rest of us will land and head across country to the head of the Clwyd Valley. The drekar will go to the mouth of the Clwyd. We will sweep down the valley and Wolf Killer will land and head up the valley. St. Asaph is close to the mouth of the river. Wolf Killer will capture and hold it." He nodded. "I have no doubt that they will have a watch tower and they will see the drekar. They will assume that we land a large force and will flee up the valley."
Sigtrygg laughed, "And they will run into our arms."
I nodded. "I hope so but if not we destroy all hope when we appear at their monastery."
Asbjorn was a thoughtful warrior. "Who will we fight? Are these Saxons or the men of Gwynedd?"
"A good question. Coenwulf and his Mercians have captured this land but I do not think those whom he defeated will see us as saviours. We fight everyone." A Viking had no friends.
We left at dawn to sail around the piece of land which separated the two rivers. I knew that we would be seen and our movements reported to the Mercian garrisons but I knew what they did not. I knew where we were going. The tide was in and that was a relief. We disembarked three of the drekar leaving a skeleton crew on board. Even though it was high tide the mud of the estuary still sucked at us as we headed to the dunes. Thanks to Aiden's Roman maps we knew that it was no more than ten Roman miles to St. Asaph but we would have to go fifteen miles to get up the Clwyd valley and in position. We did not use the roads but ran across the fields, through the woods and down the greenways. I wanted us to be as hidden as we could be.
After two hours of hard running we reached the Clwyd. Here it was narrow, less than twenty paces from bank to bank and fordable. We drank while we gathered ourselves. Snorri and Beorn leapt off like hares. As we rested we heard from the west the sound of a tolling bell. It did not sound like an alarm bell but one summoning the monks of the White Christ to some prayers. They seemed to do it both day and night. Satisfied that we were close we crossed the river. There was another river, the Elwy, about a mile ahead. I had seen it once. Snorri and Beorn would tell us exactly how close it was.
I split us into our war bands with mine in the middle. We were the largest and we had the Ulfheonar. We moved more slowly now for we had obviously formed the trap and the drekar had not been seen. Snorri and Beorn returned. "The river is half a mile to the west of us and the monastery just two miles north of us."
"Good. Asbjorn, take the right. Sigtrygg the left."
We spread out in a long loose line. We were not trying to be a shield wall but a line of hunters waiting for the game to come to us. Hopefully the human prey would come to us. When I heard the alarm bell I could tell the difference. It was strident and accompanied by shouts which we could hear. We could not see the monastery. The ground was undulating. We could, however, hear the monks and those who had fled the monastery as they ran towards us. We stopped and held our shields before us. The first ten ran into our blades. The cries of the dying arrested the others and they turned and ran back to the monastery.
"Erik Wolf Claw, take four men and search the monks for treasure. They have crosses around their necks. Often they are made of silver or gold."
We moved towards the monastery. After half a mile it came into view. It had a low wall around it; it was meant to keep out animals and not Vikings. As we approached I saw the monks fleeing north and west. My drekar were there. I remembered that the King of this land had had a palace at Rhuddlan. Perhaps the Mercians had defended it. It made no difference we would sack the monastery.
We climbed the slope and I shouted, "Only kill the priests if they fight. They are worth gold to us." I knew that the Danes and some Norse killed them out of hand. It was a waste. They were literate slaves and could be sold in the slave market. The monastery was not just a church. There were many buildings and houses. My men began to flood through them gathering anything of value. The animals were being herded together and the ones who had been slain were stripped of anything of value. I went with Haaken to the church.
Some of my men were carrying out the fine linen, curtains and candlesticks. I soug
ht other treasures. We did not have Aiden with us but he would have told me where to search if he had been with us; beneath the altar. It was their most holy place. Often they buried their saints there. The relics from such saints were worth gold too. I did not understand it myself but we had profited from such sales before.
Men moved the wooden rails which surrounded the altar and lifted the carpet. The red woven carpet was also worth taking. Beneath it we found what I had sought; a trapdoor. It was not obvious. You had to know what you sought but there was a line around the stone which showed where it had been lifted and replaced. I laid down my shield and took out my seax and ran it around the edge. Once the accumulated dirt had been removed I nodded to Haaken. He placed his seax on the opposite side of the stone to me and we both began to prise it up. At first I thought it would not move and we would break our blades but it began to rise, as though spirited up and we pushed down harder. As soon as we could we slipped our hands beneath it and lifted. There was a rush of cold and musty air.
I grabbed one of the burning brands and held it in the hole. This one was deeper than most of the Roman ones we had discovered. I saw that there were steps leading down. I took off my helmet and placed it on my shield. Taking the torch I descended. It was not high enough to stand but it was extensive. I saw pillars supporting the floor of the church above me. There was a stone tomb. I only recognised a couple of the letters but I guessed that it was the tomb of the saint after whom the monastery was named. If we found nothing else then I would desecrate it but it took time to open such tombs.
As I swept the torch around I saw the treasure we sought. There were boxes and chests. Some were small but one was large. "Haaken, get down here. We have treasure."
Between the two of us we were able to manhandle the large chest to the entrance and lift it out. The smaller ones we managed a little easier. I left the saint to his rest. His bones would not be disturbed; at least not this time. I slung my shield on my back once we reached the church. I shouted for my men to return. We gave them the boxes to carry. "Snorri, are there any horses?"