by Griff Hosker
I signalled for Cnut and Haaken to take the stairs on one side. I gestured for Snorri and Beorn to unbar the main gate while I led the rest up the stairs to the left. Suddenly we found ourselves in a guard room. In the light of the two candles we saw that there were ten guards there. Some were sleeping and some were playing with dice. We were both as surprised as each other. The difference was we were ready to fight. Our swords were out and we laid into them but it was too late, the alarm had been raised.
“Ulf go to Snorri and open the gate. The three of you guard it until Jarl Erik arrives. The rest of you go to the upper levels.”
The stair was a wooden one. Einar leapt up it. I saw a spear hurled at him. It caught on his mail and threw him to the ground. He lay in a heap at the foot of the stairs. “I am just winded.”
Thorkell the Tall clambered over his body and held the spear which had been thrown. His shield protected him as he climbed. We had to shelter beneath our own shields as missiles were thrown down at us. We were wasting time. We needed the signal and that would have to be made from the top.
“Keep climbing!”
I stepped on to the ladder as Thorkell climbed a little higher. I saw his hand dart forward with the spear and there was a scream.
“Heads!”
I tucked my head inside my shield just as the Saxon body flew past me. Then Thorkell climbed much higher and I followed. I looked up and saw the faces of the Saxons above. Below I could hear the sounds of battle. “Tostig, take the rest of the men and help Beorn. Leave me with Olaf and Harald.” If we lost the gate then this would all have been in vain.
Thorkell’s spear spiked upwards and a Saxon fell back and there was a space. He raced the last few steps to the fighting platform and I followed as swiftly as possible. When I reached the top I saw two warriors bearing down on me and I tumbled over kicking out with my feet as I completed my turn. One of my boots connected with something and I blindly slashed out with my long blade. It struck a leg and I sprang to my feet. I could see that we were out in the open and that Haaken and his men were on the other side.
“Olaf, Harald, to me!”
With my two bodyguards at my side I ran at the clutch of warriors surrounding Thorkell. We bundled them over. As I stabbed down on one of the fallen I shouted, “Leave these to us, Thorkell and make the signal!”
Olaf and Harald were like two killing machines, impervious to the blows of the Saxons. They were almost berserkers. They feared no one and the Saxons were terrified of the wild attacks they had to endure. A Saxon who had feigned death rose from the ground behind me and swung his sword at me. It struck my mail. I roared and swung Ragnar’s Spirit around. It was longer than the Saxon’s blade and his throat was ripped open.
I saw Thorkell standing on the wall waving the torch from side to side. An arrow came from within the fort and struck the arm holding the torch; it fluttered to the ground. “Get down Thorkell. Take charge here. We will go down and aid our comrades.”
Haaken waved, “We will join you.” He spread his arm, “They are all dead.”
Leaving Thorkell with the wounded we descended. We were only just in time. The warriors I had sent were in the open gate while the garrison was racing at them. From the ring of bodies around them I could see that they had already beaten off some attacks.
We hit them from one side as Haaken and the rest came from the other side. Their numbers hampered them. On our side we had a wall of shields but our weapons were stronger. Olaf had picked up a discarded Danish axe and with one mighty blow he smashed a shield in two. My sword flicked out to kill the warrior who had been holding it. Harald sliced his sword into the back of the neck of a Saxon. The head flew through the air and made the ones in front turn. Beorn and Snorri led the warriors towards us. We were outnumbered but with our mail and our weapons we had the weight advantage and it began to tell. The Saxon blades were not sharp enough and could not penetrate our mail. We all had Frankish swords and many of those we fought were without armour. Gradually the Saxons were pushed back from the open gate. Soon we had formed one line of warriors. I could see from the blood on my warriors’ armour that they had killed many but there appeared to be many more left to fight. As we emerged from the gate house I yelled, “Hold them here until Jarl Erik arrives.” There were just twelve warriors at the gate and if we left the safety of the walls we would be surrounded. We had completed our task now it was up to Cnut Whitebeard and Jarl Erik to do theirs.
As we fended off the desultory attacks from the braver Saxons I realised that I had not seen any of the mailed mounted warriors we had encountered before. Where were the horsemen?
I heard a roar from behind me. “Step aside, Ulfheonar!” Even as I shouted we parted and Jarl Erik led the wedge of fresh warriors into the fray. They cut through the Saxons like a knife through butter. There appeared to be no Saxon leaders to organise them.
I turned to Haaken and Cnut, “Eorl Eardgarth is somewhere, let us find him.” The twelve of us ran along the edge of the defences towards the large stone building which dominated the middle of the stronghold.
The Saxons were falling back but they were trying to retain order. As we ran along the narrow lanes between buildings we saw warriors who had just awoken and heard the noise. There were others who worked in the stronghold and they had improvised weapons in their hands. Even when they surprised us they died. Our mail and our helmets protected us well.
We suddenly smelled horses as we passed the stable block. We halted and went in. Perhaps the horsemen were saddling their mounts. When we peered in we saw that there were none of the large horses; there were just a few small horses and ponies. Where were the horsemen? The large building had a huge pair of double doors which gaped open.
I waved forward my scouts and the three of them hurried inside. We followed. I could see that this was an important building. There were many small rooms just off a central hallway and the main corridor was both wide and straight. I waved with my sword and Beorn took one of the sets of stairs which ran off the corridor while Snorri and Ragnar took the other. I led the other eight down the corridor. We went warily for I did not want to be attacked from one of the side rooms. Suddenly I could smell the sea and, ahead of us, the corridor became lighter. I hurried on now fearful that we had come too late. The door at the far end gaped wide and a narrow cobbled track led down inside the wall. It was eerily quiet and there were no signs of warriors.
We rushed down the cobbles and reached the gate we had seen near the port. As we ran down I saw the machines above us which had loosed the deadly spear. They were abandoned. I now knew what we had stumbled upon. Eardgarth was fleeing. There were two ships in the harbour. He was making good his escape. The cobbled track twisted and turned its way through stone and wooden buildings to the harbour.
As we turned past the last building I saw the second of the ships pulling away from the harbour wall. On the deck I could see the mailed warriors and their horses. We had missed them. I saw Eardgarth as he laughed at me. He would live to fight another day. I turned and looked at the wall above me. The machines; we could use them.
“Quick Haaken, back to those machines!”
We ran back inside the fort and up the stairs to the two machines. There was a spear already loaded and the bow part was taut. They were ready to fire. The archer in me frowned. They should not have been left this way for it would weaken the power of the flight. I found a handle which was connected to the mechanism.
“Olaf and Harald, see if you can swing it around to aim at those ships.”
It moved, remarkably easily and I peered down the length of the long deadly spear. It had an iron tip like a long spear and looked even more terrifying close up. The two ships were in line and I pulled the handle. The crack made all three of us jump and then grin foolishly at each other. There were three more deadly spears but we had no idea how to make the machine work and we just watched as the weapon sped towards the ships. It was a lucky strike for it hit the first ship on the side. I sa
w chunks and splinters of wood fly up and the spear changed direction and ripped through the billowing sail of the second ship. Haaken released his. We were ready for the noise. His was an even better hit. It smacked into the mast of the first ship and severed one of the ropes. The sail fluttered aimlessly while the crew struggled to rig a replacement. Had we been able to load the machines then we could have done some serious damage. I think we were lucky because the ships were less than a hundred and fifty paces from us. They were huge targets. I realised then that I had been fortunate that I had not tried to close with the ships the previous day. ‘Wolf’ would have been ripped to pieces by these deadly machines.
I looked over to Haaken and he was laughing. “What is so funny?”
He pointed to the machine, “We use it once and look!” The machine had fallen to pieces after hurling its spear at the ships. We had gained from its use but I wondered what mischief Eardgarth would get up to.
“Leave two men to guard this gate and then let us see if Jarl Erik needs our help.”
Dawn had finally broken in the time we had pursued Eardgarth to the ships. The sounds of battle still rang around the citadel but they were not as loud. The battle was ending. When we reached the gate again the last of the Saxons was being despatched. They had made a shield wall and fought to the end. They had kept their oath. Eardgarth had not. Jarl Erik and Cnut Whitebeard stood with bloodied weapons. I could see that we had lost men. I hoped that the price was worth it.
“Haaken, see to the Ulfheonar. Find out who we lost. Cnut, I need twenty men to bring ‘Wolf’ around the headland.” I clasped Jarl Erik’s forearm. “Well done, brother, you arrived at the perfect time. I will bring my ship around. Find out if there are any men of Rheged here who might serve us. See if there is one who can ride; there are ponies in the stable. I would have our new allies know of our victory.”
“Eardgarth?”
I shook my head, “He fled in the ships I saw but we managed to hit his boats with those weapons. They are deadly! Command here until I return.”
The return walk to the ship was quite pleasant. There was a fresh wind from the south which felt quite warm. I even risked walking without my helmet. We saw that the ship was two hundred paces off shore. The tide was on its way back in and when we waved I saw Aiden and Cnut lower the sail to catch the breeze. Then, as they hauled in the stone anchor, Erik edged the steering board to make the bow face the shore. We waded out to our waists and waited for ‘Wolf’ to close with us. Erik judged it well and the sail was dropped just at the right time. We swarmed on board. Those without armour managed it first and then they hauled in those, like me, who were encumbered in mail.
“Any problems Erik?”
“No my lord. We could hear the battle but not see the result. How did it go?”
One of the warriors who had clambered aboard said, “We fought with Dragon Heart; when did we ever lose?”
That set them to cheering. I knew they were pleased but it did not do to tempt the sisters. I gripped my wolf amulet and said quietly, “Protect me Thor, they mean no ill to the Norns.” I hoped that would suffice. I knew that a sacrifice was long overdue. When I returned home I would ask Erika for advice about a suitable offering to the gods.
Once the oars were manned we headed around the headland for the short trip to the harbour. By the time we reached the harbour the sun was fully up and it promised to be a hot day. I was keen to begin my quest for the blue stones but I knew that I had much to do before then. With the ship tied up I allowed the three boys to explore the town. They had not left the ship for some time and they deserved some freedom.
I took off my mail and shield and left them aboard the ship. I saw Olaf and Harald frown. “I do not need them. The Saxons have fled and besides you two will watch out for me will you not?”
Their answer was a grunt and a nod. They took their work very seriously.
Sven White Hair approached me; he looked serious. “Jarl Erik and Haaken sent me. They have found something.”
We returned to the large building. He took me to a door we had passed without noticing. Once inside I saw that there had been a table but beneath it was a trapdoor which was open. Sven stood to one side. “It is a little cramped down there Jarl Dragon Heart, we will wait here.” He threw a warning look at my two bodyguards.
I laughed at their discomfort. “If there is a rat any bigger than a cat down here I will send for you.”
The stone steps which went down were very narrow and I had to duck my head to avoid banging it. When I reached the bottom I found myself in a small room. With Haaken and Erik already there it was quite crowded. They had a candle which illuminated the room.
“This is an old room my lord look.” He pointed behind my head. I turned and saw Latin words. My reading would pay off.
XX AUGUSTA
“I think that is the mark of a Roman legion. This must have been used by the Romans.”
Haaken picked up a chest and opened it. “Well the Saxons have been using it since. Look.” He opened it and I could see that there was a great deal of silver jewellery within it and a couple of golden torcs. Jarl Erik then took out a couple of books. Normally these were only found in churches and I wondered how Eorl Eardgarth had got hold of them.
“Excellent work. Bring them up and stow them on ‘Wolf’. I will sail back this afternoon and return with ‘Serpent’.”
“My lord! Dragon Heart!” I heard Cnut’s voice as I emerged from the tomb like room.
Olaf and Harald had their swords drawn in case there was danger. I held my hand up and smiled, “It is Cnut.” He looked angry as he stormed up to me. “What is it?”
“Come and you will see.” He led me to what looked, at first glance like a warrior hall but it had a Roman roof. “We found this locked. We thought it might contain treasure but when we broke in we found these.”
He opened the door and there were bodies littering the floor. “They are of our people.” He picked up the arm of one and showed me the warrior arm rings. “If you look at the bodies they have been starved to death.”
“Are they all dead?”
“How could anyone live?”
I stared at him. “Let us pray for life. Examine each one and seek signs of life.” I turned to Olaf and Harald. “You two, find any who are alive.”
The first three I turned over were young boys, no more than sixteen summers. I could see the ribs jutting out. Then I heard Olaf cry, “By Odin one lives yet.”
“Give him drink and keep looking. If one lives then there may be others.”
We now had urgency to our search. When each body had been closely examined we found three survivors. “Get some soup on they need nourishment and quickly.” I turned to Cnut, “Was this the only locked room?”
He looked shamefaced. I knew he would be berating himself for not checking for signs of life. “I do not know. I will check.”
“Take the bodies out and we will bury them.” A wave of anger washed over me. “Throw the Saxon dead to the fishes!”
“Jarl Erik did you find any men of Rheged?”
“No, and no Saxon families either.”
“Then I think that Eardgarth evacuated them when we captured the gate.” There was something not quite right about all this. Why had he abandoned the fortress? Did he think we had more men than we actually had? “There were no prisoners to question. All had died.
Aiden had arrived and he looked in horror at the bodies being taken out. “See if you can give some comfort to these three warriors. They have suffered much.”
I left to complete my examination of the fort. I saw Cnut taking an axe to the low building next to the hall. I hurried to join him. “This one is locked but there are living within. I heard them shouting when I passed.”
The door burst open and inside there were terrified families; men, women and children; old people and babies. They looked fearfully at Cnut with his axe and blood stained armour. “Cnut, put away your weapon, take off your helmet and smile.
You are frightening them.”
He did so and his smile was so comical that I laughed as did my bodyguards. I saw relief on the faces of the people. One of the women began to speak with me and I recognised the language as Welsh or it could have been Rheged; they were similar.
I held out my arm to the woman and said, “Friend!”
I do not know if she understood it but she smiled and took it. “Feed these and then find Daffydd.” Daffydd was the Rheged guide. He could speak Saxon as well as the language of the Welsh. While we waited I said, “These must have been locked in when they fled. This looks to be a sort of punishment area for those Eardgarth did not like.”
Daffydd arrived and he looked first in shock and then in joy. He threw his arms around the woman whose hand I had clasped. They began jabbering at each other. Every so often Daffydd would point at me and she would smile.
He turned to me. “This is my sister and she and the others were lost. I did not know that the Saxons had captured them and imprisoned them. They were used as slaves.” His face darkened, “The women were used by the warriors for sport.” He closed his eyes, “And some of the boys too.” He looked at me and said, “You killed them too easily, my lord, they should have suffered.”
“I know. Tell your sister that the island is now free and they have this fortress for their home. Jarl Raibeart can decide what to do with all when he comes.”
My mind was a maelstrom. So much had happened in a short space of time. I would have to postpone my trip back for I needed to speak with the three warriors we had found. Altogether there had been twenty of them. That was almost the crew of a drekar. How had they got here?
“We will stay the night. Make sure the chests are aboard ‘Wolf’. I will sleep aboard tonight. I turned to Cnut, “get the healers to watch over those three and let me know the moment they are able to speak.”
As we left Olaf said, “You need to eat, Jarl Dragon Heart. You have done enough already this day. Let Jarl Erik take on some of the tasks.”
He was right of course. I was the jarl, I was the leader. Others could shoulder some of the responsibility. In the end the rest of my warriors did just that. I was summoned for food and told by both Haaken and Jarl Erik that I need do nothing more.