by Griff Hosker
The thegn’s spear was rammed at my face. I flicked my head to the side and the spear head scored a line along my cheek guard. My sword was behind and below me. I brought it up. Sliding from the thegn’s shield it ripped open some of the mail links on his byrnie. I heard the crack of Olaf and Rolf’s axes followed by the screams of the men whose lives they had ended. Next to me I saw Haaken’s sword swing over and split the skull of the warrior next to the thegn. The thegn’s spear was grabbed by Cnut. The Saxon’s weapon was rendered redundant. Cnut had planted the standard in the ground so that he could use his right hand. I punched at the thegn with my shield and as he reeled I rammed my sword deep within him, twisting as I pulled it out. I watched the light fade from his eyes as he slipped to the ground and died. With his best warriors dead, the men behind turned and ran.
“After them!”
Sven Long Walking led the men who had yet to fight, to race after the fleet footed Saxons. Cnut pointed with the thegn’s spear, “They have another gate Jarl Dragonheart! They were delaying us so that their women and children could escape!”
I laughed, “Then the gods truly smile on our raid for that is what we wanted.” I turned. There were twenty men still with me. “Find all that you can and then head back to the drekar!”
“Aye jarl!”
“Thank you, Cnut. You did well.”
He looked happy, “Jarl, I felt alive. I had pain but I was useful again. I was serving the clan and I was fighting for my lord. It is all good.”
The men who had chased the last of the men returned to the village. They were wiping their weapons clean of blood. It did not take us long to clear the village of animals and valuables. We found, buried in the floors of all the huts small pots with coins in. The church had a silver cross and some metal candle holders. There was no holy book. As the war band headed east there just remained the Ulfheonar.
“Olaf, Haaken, let us announce our presence further afield. Burn it!”
It was easy to do. Using the fires already within each hut my warriors spread the embers and used brands to set alight the straw roof. Rolf and Rollo set the palisade alight. That would burn less well but it would burn and I wanted a pall of smoke to rise in the sky. Ragnar needed the fyrd raising. We wanted every thegn within twenty miles to head to Beamfleote and attempt to destroy the warband of the Dragonheart!
It was late afternoon when we reached the longphort. I saw that ‘Red Dragon’ and ‘Storm Bird’ were just pulling in. They had been just north of us. I was anxious to know what opposition they had met. Ragnar was also heading down to the beach to speak with them.
He nodded to me, “Sven Long Walking told me of your success and we saw your smoke. Let us hope that we have baited the trap well enough.”
“When we speak with these jarls then we will know more.”
We saw a few slaves and animals being carried from the drekar. One or two of the warriors looked to be carrying wounds but as they had every oar manned they had lost few men.
Beorn the Scout was with them. He nodded at both Ragnar and myself. It had gone well but he would allow the jarl to report.
Erik Blue Scar looked happy, “It went as you said, jarl.”
I noticed that he looked at me. I realised that I should have hung back so that Ragnar could hear their words alone first. Old habits die hard.
“We raided the port first. It was called Burnham. We destroyed their boats and took the silver from the church. Spying some smoke, we went in land. We found a village. The captives said it was called, Aledhorn. It lay on a ridge above flooded fields and ditches. There were fine farms. They yielded grain. We brought that with us too.” He reached into his pouch and took out a handful of nuts. “One of the farms had walnut trees. We found these!” He was grinning. Vikings are partial to such treats. He offered Ragnar and I one each. Cracking them open we ate as he continued. “They had a church but no wall. If I was a Saxon I would make a stronger wall to defend. It has a good position and overlooks the river. You can see this river too.” I took in that information. If the Saxons reacted to our attack then Aledhorn might not be such an easy target in the future. “We scoured the farms thereabouts. We returned to our drekar. After we had rested we intended to take horses and go further inland but we saw a host approaching. They were led by a warrior in mail mounted on a horse. We could have fought them.” His face showed that he had not enjoyed running. “But we heeded your words and we left.”
I asked, “When did you leave?”
“It was mid-morning. The sun was still on the rise. The river took us quickly to the sea and it is not far to this mighty river.” Siggi understood why I had asked the question. Gruffyd. “If the others had the same experience then they might not get here until tomorrow.”
“And the river? How far was it navigable?” Ragnar remembered the words of Aiden.
“We could have sailed further upstream but the place, Burnham, looked large enough to be worth a raid. We found a chest of coins and the warriors there were led by a mailed lord.”
“You made the right decision. If you had left ships in the river then they might have blocked your escape. Have your captives bound and placed in the hall. The gods are still smiling upon us. Have the treasure put aboard ‘Weregeld ’ and ‘Fortune’ . We will load the two knarr. As soon as they are full we will send them home. We now have two Saxon ships for cargo.”
As they left Ragnar said, “Your plan is working. I have sent my scouts out to the north and west to keep watch for the Saxons. What if they do not come?”
“Then we keep raiding here until they do. So far it has been worthwhile. It has not yielded as much as Om Walum but,” I pointed to the grain sacks which were being carried to the two knarr, “already we are close to achieving one of our targets, grain.”
We ate well that night. We had many sheep slaughtered. Animals were hard to transport and we had enough in our own land. They were food. The skins we would take back home. They were light and could be used on the voyage north. I found the blacksmiths and sharpened my sword on the wheel. I noticed that my Ulfheonar did the same. Taking off my mail I examined it for damage. There was none. My helmet, like Olaf’s would need to be repaired. That would have to wait until we returned to Cyninges-tūn. The damage was not serious but Olaf was annoyed for it was not perfect. Olaf liked a brightly burnished helmet. When we fought at night and he had to cover it with charcoal he was always less than happy.
Two more drekar arrived during the night. ‘Ice Dragon’ and ‘Serpent’s Tongue’ had been the two drekar which had been the furthest north. Where was Gruffyd? He and Gerlak should have arrived. They did not have as far to travel. I waited until Ragnar had finished speaking with them. He returned.
“They had less luck. The river was not navigable far enough. They found some small settlements with a church. They emptied the church and brought back a few captives. They travelled for half a day and found only a few farms. They decided that they had better rejoin us.”
“Perhaps they were right but where is my son?”
“He may have had more luck. Let us wait a little while longer before we worry about him.”
We had eaten and were preparing to send raiding parties out when one of Ragnar’s scouts arrived, “Jarl Ragnar, the men of Wessex. They are approaching. There are some mailed lords leading them. They have a mighty host. We counted ten banners but the fyrd were hard to count. The sun shone on the spears and mail of many men.” He pointed to the north and west. “They are coming from that direction.”
Ragnar turned, “That is not from the direction of Lundenwic.”
I shook my head and felt the hand of dread upon my back, “No, that is from the river Gruffyd was raiding and he is not here yet.”
Chapter 8
“Fetch a captive!”
One of Ragnar’s men hurried over to the captives and dragged an older man towards us. He had only one arm.
“Tell me what is the name of the burh which lies over in that direction.” I
pointed north and west.” I spoke in Saxon.
“There is none, lord. The biggest place there is Maeldun. It has a tower but the town is not walled.”
“And is there a lord there?”
He nodded, eager to please, “Aye lord. Eorledman Ethelbert. He was a cousin of the old King of Essex.”
I nodded and waved him away. “Then that is the man Gruffyd came up against. There may still be warriors coming from Lundenwic. Do not take your eyes off the road to the west but you have a battle to fight, Ragnar. You had best deploy your men.”
I followed him back to the small settlement we had captured. It stood on a slightly higher piece of ground. The only ditches were the drainage ditches. Already Ragnar had sorted his men out. The crews of the four threttanessa had little armour between them. Some of their crews were guarding the captives and so he had the rest armed with bows. The men of Cyninges-tūn who had no armour joined them with their bows and slings. He used Ketil and Asbjorn and their men to form the two flanks of the line. Ketil had Ulf Olafsson behind him and Asbjorn was supported by Raibeart. That left Ragnar’s men, Sven Long Walking’s men and the rest of my warriors to form the centre. I smiled as I saw that they had left a small space in the front line for my Ulfheonar. We were in the place of honour, to the right of Ragnar. Our banners were all in the second rank and we waited. The third rank were the archers. Slightly above us they would have a clear view of the Saxons when they approached.
We did not have long to wait. I saw their banners as they marched towards us. They came down the road from Maeldun. It looked to be cobbled and I suspected that it had been Roman. The nature of the land meant that the Saxons could not spread out. They had to march in a column and that meant it would take time to deploy. They would have to array themselves when they were on the firmer ground at the bottom of the gentle slope which led to our higher position. It was hardly a hill but it was firmer and drier than the ground across which the Saxons travelled. The road did not come directly to the village and so Eorledman Ethelbert would have to leave the road and cross rough ground to reach us. There was just a track which was used by the villagers.
As they drew closer and left the road I began to estimate their numbers. They had called out the fyrd. Led by their lords we had succeeded, at least in part. If the men of Lundenwic did not come then we would have to make do with raiding Essex. First, we had to defeat the men ascending the slope towards us. They had ten mailed warriors. Wearing fine armour and with a helmet they would be thegns or eorls. They would dismount when the battle was joined. Their housecarls, the Saxon hearth weru, numbered less than sixty but many were mailed and all had a helmet and a shield. There were three hundred fyrd. I saw few helmets and shields. Some had a seax attached to a shaft. Others had hunting bows. A few looked to have axes. Less than half appeared to have swords.
Eorledman Ethelbert must have fought Vikings before for he halted three hundred paces from our front line. He knew we had archers. Our arrows might have reached them but there was little point in wasting them. Dismounting, the eorls took their places amongst their men. I saw that they had a priest and they knelt before him. He began to chant in the language which Aiden could read, Latin. It was bizarre because I doubted that the men who prayed before him could understand his words!
I turned to the warrior behind Cnut Cnutson. “Sven Keen Eye, do you think you can hit that priest?” I knew that the killing of a priest would enrage the Saxons. I wanted them angry. An angry man is reckless and that was what we needed. I wanted them to bleed on our blades.
He nodded, “Aye jarl.” Licking his finger first to test the wind, he strung his bow. Selecting a good arrow, he pulled back on the Saami bow. I saw him release his breath as he sent the arrow to soar high in the sky. The Saxons did not see the arrow for their faces were to the ground as they prayed to their god.
The priest fell face forward with the white fletched arrow in his back. The Saxon faces lifted as the priest’s voice stopped and, when they saw his dead body they rose as one and hurtled up the slope towards us. Whatever plan Eorledman Ethelbert had come up with was forgotten as they raged and raced in a ragged line up the slope. We had angered them. They ignored the thegns who tried to make them move as one.
Ragnar shouted, “Lock shields!”
The other archers congratulated Sven Keen Eye. He had struck the first blow for the clan and he would be honoured after by men telling tales of his prowess. Haaken and Olaf locked their shields with mine and we held our weapons across the top of our shields. Sven’s arrow meant that they would not hit us as a solid line. They would hurl themselves at a line of shields backed by helmeted and mailed warriors with deadly sharp blades. They would fight ferociously as hot heads. It was an uneven battle despite their superiority of numbers.
I noticed that Eorledman Ethelbert was not in the front rank. He was slowing down his oathsworn and they were locking shields. He had a military mind. As he was approaching our section of the line I knew that others would be in battle before we were.
When the Saxons were a hundred and fifty paces from us Ragnar shouted, “Release!” Seventy arrows soared and most found a mark. They had abandoned their shield wall. That had been their best hope of victory. Their rage had made them easier targets for my archers. Eorledman Ethelbert and his men held up their shields and suffered not a wound. Along the line others were not so lucky. The mailed men suffered the least but some fell. Arrows plummeting from a height penetrated mail. Only a shield could stop our arrows. It was the fyrd, however, who were the real target. Without shields and without helmets every arrow stopped a warrior. The second and third flights cut huge swathes of warriors down. Our archers would continue to rain death upon them even when our front line was engaged.
The thegns and the mailed warriors were largely unaffected by the arrow storm. They held their shields above their heads. They continued to race towards us. If anything, they came even faster to get to us and stop the risk of the arrows. As I had expected it was the warriors on the flanks who received the first attack. It came piecemeal and the errant warriors were systematically killed as each warrior faced three of mine. Their superiority in mailed men was being negated.
Eorledman Ethelbert was a different prospect. He still had locked shields. His lines had taken no casualties. He had a four-deep line of warriors. Only the first two were mailed but his intent was clear. He would break us by killing me and destroying my standard. It was a reasonable assumption. The men behind me had spears which jutted out beyond our heads. Some of Sven’s men and those of Ragnar also held spears. The Ulfheonar preferred weapons which we could use close in. Wolf’s Blood was in my left hand and Ragnar’s Spirit itched to slice up and into Saxon flesh. I had time to see more of the fyrd fall to the arrows. I saw that some had seized the shields of dead warriors while others were deserting and making their way back down the slope. They had decided that they had given their lord enough service already. If we broke their mailed warriors then the army would rout. It came down to the battle between Ragnar’s men and those of Eorledman Ethelbert.
The Eorledman stopped when they were twenty paces from us. He had his men straighten their line. I knew that they wanted to run at us and hit us hard. I said, “Brace!”
Eorledman Ethelbert, having achieved a straight line now cursed me in Saxon. “Foul beast of a barbarian! You come here to despoil our women and slaughter unarmed priests! God will punish you and I will be his instrument of death! On my warriors! For the holy St. Edmund and King Aethelwulf!”
We were ready for the charge which came as soon as his spear came down. The forty men came directly for my standard. The line of spears they charged was intimidating. Many warriors ducked beneath their shields. That would be a mistake. As soon as I saw that the spears were angled up and not down I moved my shield up to just below my eyeline. Haaken and Olaf had done this many times and our shields moved as one. Some warriors, cleverer than most did not aim their spear at shields and heads, instead they aimed at fee
t and legs which were often without protection. It frequently worked. The men of Essex were not that clever.
The Eorledman’s spear was aimed directly for my right eye. At the last moment, I jerked up my shield and the spear head slid up and into my helmet. There were new leather fastenings and it held. Behind me one of Sven’s men, Bjorn Dark Shadow, jabbed his spear at the Eorledman. He was not expecting it and his head moved backwards. That was his second mistake for it slowed the press of men behind and allowed me to slide my sword blindly up beneath his shield. At first grating on metal, it cracked through some of the links and slipped through his kyrtle. He had an open helmet and I saw the look of surprise upon his face as the tip of my recently sharpened sword pricked his flesh. I rammed up hard. The men behind the Eorledman were now pressing hard and he could not move. Bjorn Dark Shadow’s spear continued to jab at the Eorledman. The head sliced open his cheek. He turned his body slightly and my sword entered deeper in his body scraping along his ribs as it did so. I must have struck something vital. He went limp but stayed where he was, held there by the press of men. Dark blood slipped from his lips. The light went from his eyes although they remained open. His men would not know he was dead yet.
I tore the sword out and stabbed to my right. The warrior fighting Haaken One Eye looked around in surprise as my sword entered his side. Stabbing below his ribs it came out of the other side. Olaf’s pulled the shield of the man facing him and using the head of the axe, rammed the corner into the Saxon’s eye. He then kept punching until the skull was cracked and we could see inside the dead man’s head.
The three of us stepped forward to face the second rank. These did not have mail as good as the Eorledman. They were not as experienced and had not fought in a shield wall. We gave them a lesson. Olaf Leather Neck shouted, “Give Rolf and me some room!”