by Griff Hosker
Just as Brigid and I were about to return to our home a ship arrived from Dyflin. The ship was a knarr and not a drekar. It was not my daughter, nor her husband. It was one of his warriors.
“I am Harold Quick Tongue., Jarl Dragonheart. Jarl Thorghest begs forgiveness for not coming to visit with you but we have been hard pressed by Hibernians.”
I was suddenly concerned. I looked at Ragnar, “Do you need men?”
He shook his head. “We were aided by drekar which came from the land of the Northmen. Jarl Thorghest does not need men but he needs cereal. Our crops failed. There will be great hunger.”
Ragnar nodded, “We have spare, grandfather, but not in huge quantities.”
Harold said, “It matters not how much you send jarl, just so that you send some. We have sent to Frankia to buy some. We need a knarr full to tide us over.”
“Then you can have it and welcome.” He waved over one of his men. “Have the knarr filled with grain from our granary.”
Harold bowed, “You have saved us, jarl. If ever you need us my lord says that you just need to ask.”
As the knarr sailed away Ragnar asked, “I wonder why he did not ask for warriors. The land of the Northmen is many leagues away. We could have been there in less than a day.”
“I think that Erika’s husband is aware that he refused to fight for us when we needed him. He cannot ask for warriors yet. This is the beginning. You made a wise decision and we can build on this bridge. The Danes who visited showed us that we need allies.”
“The new men who arrived from Orkneyjar seem to be good warriors and the kind of folk who will add to the clan.”
“They may be but they are poorly armed. As you know, Ragnar, it takes time to make warriors but it is a beginning. I will bid you farewell. You have three fine children. Care for them. We will try to visit before the raid but if not then it will be because the weather has closed the trail.”
“You could always live here. That way you will be close to your children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.”
“You are right but Cyninges-tūn is my home. I cannot abandon them. It is my clan. I brought them to Cyninges-tūn. I need to be there for them. You will realise that you have a responsibility to your people.” I waved towards Hibernia, “This makes it even more imperative that we raid the Saxon granaries. We want their treasure but we need their grain!”
Brigid and I took our servants and Úlfarr and headed north. My wife was tearful all the way north. She felt as though she was losing part of her life and I was the one making her do it. That was a low point for me. Had not Úlfarr bounced along next to me then my spirits might have plummeted further. As it was I found myself smiling. I had saved the wolf but perhaps the wolf would be my salvation too.
Chapter 5
Winter came early. The storms we had had at harvest time were but a harbinger of heavy snow, hard frosts and unrelenting blizzards. Our poor harvest meant that we did not have as much food as we normally did. We were rich and we had gold but you cannot eat gold. We were lucky that Om Walum had also yielded animals and food. I determined to raid more frequently but concentrate on food rather than treasure. The poor harvest had been a warning from the gods not to take their gifts for granted. Brigid seemed to diminish in the cold. She aged before my eyes. We rattled around in our hall. Myfanwy had stayed with her brother. She got on well with Ebrel and Bronnen. She was away from her mother’s gaze. Brigid missed the babies and Myfanwy. We had Kara, Ylva and Aiden but it was not the same. Kara made potions. They helped to make Brigid’s sadness less intense and to make her less agitated and prone to tears.
“Do not worry, father. It is the winter. When the new grass comes and we travel back to Whale Island you will see a change in her.”
“And our clan? How will they survive the harsh winter?”
“They are hardier than you think. We have had less crops but we have meat in storage and the fish which were salted in summer will now keep us alive. We have cheese for the cows are now kept indoors. You have devised many ways to feed the people. They will be hungry but they will not starve. You should prepare for the storm you intend to unleash upon the Saxons. This is meant to be. The Saxons have been taking from others for many years. They will now be our larder and granary. My nephew will lead but it will be to your plan and he will dance to your tune!”
My daughter had more sense and good advice than the rest of the family put together. I studied Aiden’s maps. I found many rivers which bordered the Temese. We could use those. The Saxons would watch the main artery into Lundenwic and the walled burh, Lundenburh but the smaller ones, which we could navigate, would make us invisible. There were at least four rivers which we could use. I was not certain how far upstream we could get but we should be able to get within twenty miles of Lundenwic. There would be not only farms where we could get food but halls and churches. Lundenwic and Lundenburh together had created the biggest town in the land. We did not need to attack it to reap the rewards it held. The land roundabout would yield all that we needed. By the time Úlfarr was a year old I had a plan in my head.
Having the wolf helped me to prepare for the raid. Walking with him along the Water and into the hills helped to regain some of the fitness I had once had. The wound in my leg had hurt more than I admitted. I use the Water to build up its strength. Swimming naked in it helped me to make it stronger. Úlfarr had always liked the water and when I joined him splashing in its icy depths he enjoyed it even more. He enjoyed splashing around. He chased the wild fowl and sea birds who landed there. Gradually my leg became almost as strong as it had been before the wound. I would never be the warrior I had been thirty summers since but I was still without the paunch which I had seen on King Egbert. News had come to us that Aethelwulf had been crowned king. The church had fulfilled their promise. Egbert’s gold had been well spent. King Egbert had died but no one had given the cause. Aiden was certain that my wounds had killed him.
“A blow to the head is not to be underestimated. Remember Haaken One Eye. He now has a plate.”
“And the Saxons may not have a healer such as you.”
He nodded, “Of that I am certain.”
Ragnar had brought the news himself. He was there when Aiden and I told him of my plan. He approved. I was pleased.
At the end of Þorri Ragnar invited all of the jarls who wish to raid to visit at my hall. It meant they had less travelling to do. Ulf, Ketil, Asbjorn, Erik Ironshirt, they all came. Siggi Tryggvasson and Erik Blue Scar had been joined by three more small crews. The bad harvest had affected all who lived on the edge of existence. They came from places which had eked out a living but when the storm had struck it had driven them towards the Land of the Wolf. There were ten jarls who met in my hall. Gruffyd accompanied my grandson. Brigid was happy to have something to do and she was the perfect hostess.
Aiden sat on my right hand with his piece of parchment. Úlfarr sat at my feet. Ketil, Ulf and Asbjorn were intrigued with his presence. I could see the questions burning in their eyes. Once Ragnar had finished speaking I knew that I would have to tell them the tale. Ragnar began by thanking me for allowing them to use my hall. Brigid smiled. She liked courtesy. “We are going to raid Wessex. The Dragonheart and I believe that they are weak. King Aethelwulf is not as good a leader as his father. From what we have learned he likes to use deceit rather than force of arms to achieve his ends. My grandfather has spent the long nights of winter devising a plan. We will tell you the plan and then you can decide if you wish to raid.”
They nodded.
Aiden held up the map for me. “We raid the land around Lundenwic. It is now bigger than when our clan last raided. They have used the walls of the old Roman town to make a burh with the old Roman fort at the heart of it. The Temese is a wide river but it will be watched. There are three rivers which run parallel and to the north of that great waterway. We now have six threttanessa. They can sail further up these smaller rivers and they will be unseen. Those six ships will
land men who will wreak havoc on the lands of Essex. Their purpose is to gather as much as they can in a short time and make the Saxons send their men to drive us away. The bigger drekar will land on the north bank of the Temese. We will plunder the land until the Saxons bring us to battle. It will be then that we will all join up. Once their army is defeated then we raid Lundenwic and Lundenburh.”
It sounded simple but it was incredibly complicated. Scouts would have to keep us in touch with one another. Aðils and Beorn would be with the threttanessa. Our most inexperienced men would be there.
I noticed that the newer warriors watched as men like Ketil and Asbjorn, scarred veterans discussed my plan.
“I like this plan. We need to raid. We have enough food now but if we have a bad harvest again then my people will starve. Let us take it from the Saxons.”
“Aye and their churches are filled with treasure. I am happy to follow Ragnar!”
I saw my grandson nod. This had been his first real test. Would the jarls who had followed me into battle follow him? The nods told him that they would.
Aiden said, “It will mean that all must obey orders. Using four rivers and such a large number of ships mean that we work as one team. Warriors cannot decide to range further inland. Each pair of drekar must stay together and advance no further than the most navigable part of the river. They must return at the time Ragnar decides. When the Saxons bring us to battle we want them to be surprised at how many men we have managed to gather.”
Ulf said, “Do not worry, galdramenn, we can follow orders. The question I ask is will we be able to bring back all that we take?”
Ragnar and I had spoken of this. I nodded. “We are taking the two knarr, ‘Fortune’ and ‘Weregeld’ with us. ‘Fortune’ will be on the Temese and ‘Weregeld’ will wait in the centre of the three rivers. We use those for the heavy cargo. If they are filled then they sail home. As long as they do not have a large number of men then we can raid as long as we like!”
With the hard work done we spent the rest of the evening working out the crews of the ships. The most experienced would be aboard our biggest drekar. We could almost double crew. We would have two hundred mailed and veteran warriors to raid the Temese. The threttanessa would have almost as many and they would strike first, to draw the fyrd north to eastern Essex. When we struck it would be as the crack of doom. We would unleash a Viking storm such as they had never experienced. Aiden, Ragnar and I knew that this one raid would be devastating. They would not expect it. After we had raided I had no doubt they would make changes and so this was our one chance to hurt Wessex in their weakest area. In doing so we would make ourselves much stronger.
Ragnar gave them twenty days to prepare and then we would meet at Whale Island. After they had all gone I visited those warriors I thought might like to raid with us. I had many warriors who could have been Ulfheonar. They had not chosen that path. It meant that the thirty warriors I would lead would be both experienced and well-armed. I spoke with Bagsecg. With me gone and Brigid visiting Astrid and Ebrel he and Karl One Leg would command the ones we left. We were a well-organized community but disputes arose. In my absence, my blacksmith would judge and arbitrate. It was a task he performed well. He would also be responsible for the defence of my land. It was unlikely that he would need to do much but he would ride the outlying farms once every six days and ensure that all was well. We were the centre of our world. Ketil, Ulf and the men of Ulla’s Water and Windar’s Mere were our outer wall of defence.
We left just four servants to watch our hall. The raid would keep us away for at least a moon. I rode Ubba with Úlfarr at my side and we rode down the Water. Since my ascent of Úlfarrberg I had been acutely aware of my own mortality. I took nothing for granted any longer. I looked at Old Olaf and the Water as though I would never see them again. When we entered the world of the forest it felt as though I was entering a passage to another world. The world of Cyninges-tūn and my land lay behind me. When we emerged, it would be in the new world of my son and grandson. In Cyninges-tūn I was king. Once I was at Whale Island and the sea I would be the aged advisor. Old Ragnar and Old Olaf had been two such men. I was now older than both of them had been. Time passed and was measured in grey hairs and ancient memories.
Úlfarr was now a familiar sight. The shock of the wolf was now gone. However, he was not a friendly beast. He would growl when any approached me or Uhtric. He did the same when strangers came close to Sámr and Ulla War Cry. It was a warning. None had dared to close with us. I wondered what he would do if they attempted to do so. His diet and the comfort of my hall had made him bigger than wolves in the wild. He did not have to compete for his food. He was almost the same size as the small ponies the hill men to the north of us rode. I now felt naked if he did not accompany me when I rode. At night, he would lie by my feet and, as I stared into the fire, I would stroke his head. Both had a calming effect. I now understood why the gods had sent him to me.
The island was a sea of activity. Bolli and his shipwrights were busily working on the drekar. Ragnar had used some of the gold we had taken from Om Walum. They were not his ships but he wanted every drekar in the fleet to be seaworthy. We could not afford to lose men. This would be the largest raid he had led. When we had fought with the Danes against Egbert there had been many more ships but we had been part of that fleet. Others had made mistakes and I had extricated both us and some other captains. Those lessons had been hard learned. We would command.
Some warriors had arrived early and were camped between Úlfarrston and the halls of my son and grandson. The smiths who lived there had forges that burned white hot as swords were beaten and helmets shaped. I saw warriors making new willow board shields. I had a new shield made every two years. It took time to make one. I would re-use the boss and the metal but there would be fresh wood and a new leather cover. The ripped and scarred old one was testament to battles. Uhtric would repaint the wolf every year. The sun and the rain faded it. Every warrior marked his own shield. In a battle it would tell shield brothers where they fought and each symbol, unique to each warrior, would help to protect them in battle.
I found Ragnar and Gruffyd with Erik Short Toe and Guthrum Arneson. Guthrum had been Erik’s ship’s boy for five years. He was almost a man now. They turned as I approached. Gruffyd was grinning. “Guthrum has agreed to be my captain!”
“That is good. You are ready, Guthrum? You will sail in waters you do not know and Erik will not be close by.”
He nodded, “I have charts and I have learned from him. I may never be his equal but I will not let down your son or the clan, Jarl Dragonheart.”
“That is all that can be asked of a man. We have crews for the knarr and captains too?”
“Aye, the sons of Siggi and Trygg have learned well. They have been plying the seas twixt Dyflin and here. They know the knarr well.”
Siggi had died the previous year. He had sailed the seas for us for more than ten years. His end was peaceful. Trygg’s had been violent and we had avenged him in the land of Al-Andalus. Their sons, Lars and Leif, would carry on the tradition.
“What are the new drekar like?”
“Old but soundly built. They will suit the waters of those rivers we have to traverse.” Erik grinned, “There may be more danger on the Temese but there will be plenty of water beneath our hull.”
Ragnar nodded, “And we have plenty of arrows for the ships’ boys. When we make a longphort they will be able to defend our ships.”
I saw Gruffyd frown. “Aye, my son, you will not have that luxury. With just two ships on each of the smaller rivers you will have to ensure that there is no one close by when you leave your drekar.”
“And if our ships are taken?”
It was an honest question. It did happen. Many of Klakke Blue Cheek’s ships had been burned by angry Saxons who had slain the watch aboard them. “Then you make your way overland to the Temese. Remember that the plan Ragnar and I made was for the smaller drekar to draw the Saxons no
rth and east. Your ships are expendable.”
I saw him look at ‘Crow’ . It was not the biggest drekar yet he had become attached to it.
Over the next few days more warriors arrived. The jarls were given accommodation in Ragnar and Gruffyd’s halls. Their men camped by the shipyard. Once Bolli and his men had made them seaworthy then their crews would work on them. Each captain knew the way they wished their drekar to sail. The trim and the balance had to be right. I had Erik Short Toe on my ship once more. He had been my ship’s boy under old Josephus. I could leave all of that to him.
I spent time with Sámr and Ulla War Cry. They had grown over the winter. The months since I had seen them had seen a spurt of growth. They showed me the skills they had learned. Both had been given bows by their father and they demonstrated their accuracy. Sámr would soon be old enough to serve as a ship’s boy. There were boys on the ships who had seen seven. He asked the inevitable question. “When will I be allowed to go to sea with my father?”
“That is not my decision, Sámr. Your father will decide. It may be next year but then again, it may not. It is nothing to do with your age. It is to do with your skill. A drekar is a dangerous place. There is no room for someone who makes mistakes.” The masts of the ships could be seen over the tops of the halls. “When you are swarming along the yard in a storm there is no one who can catch you if you fall.”
They both looked at the masts. As if to prove my point a ship’s boy hung by his feet while he untangled a sheet.
“But our father is jarl.”
I shook my head, “And you thought that would grant you both privileges? That does not happen in our world. I took your grandfather with me when he was young and he had to learn how to find his way around a drekar with the other boys from the stad. He had to fight for himself. You will have to do the same. Other boys will seek to embarrass you, perhaps even hurt you. Your father will let you go to sea when you can stand up for yourselves.” They nodded. “Spend the next year becoming as strong and as skilful as you can. Then, we shall see.”