by Griff Hosker
“Thank you. I would have hated to kill such a brave youth.” I pointed to Cnut, “Take the chest. Tie the priests up. Haaken, see if there are any horses. Olaf, collect the warrior’s weapons.”
My men were experts at tying men so that they could not move and within a short time they were all secured. “I expect you will all be rescued soon. Next time leave pagan treasure where it belongs, with us pagans.”
As I left the church I checked that they were all tethered. Once outside I saw that Haaken had found two horses. They may well have belonged to the mailed warriors we had slain in the church. “Put Lars on one and the weapons and chest on the other. Haaken, you watch the horse with the treasure. Now let us go east.”
Oleg looked at me, “East?”
“We need to make them think we are heading for a boat to take us east. It will not buy us much time but every moment is precious.”
Chapter 17
Once we left the gates, which we closed, we headed east along the well worn trail which led to the settlement. We did not try to hide our tracks and when one of the horses decided to relieve itself I was delighted. We could not have left clearer signs of our route. It would be obvious we were moving east and the lands of the Norse. We headed into some woods which were to the north of the settlement and then began to make our way north east. When Egill found some bare rock it was the perfect place to change direction. Leaving Egill to make a false trail east we turned north over the rocks and, after fifty or so paces, when the rocks ran out, we turned due west. Egill soon caught up with us. We now pushed on towards the forest where Scanlan and Aiden waited for us.
I was worried that they had been captured when I did not see them immediately but the two figures ghosted from the woods once we halted. I was impressed, they had been hidden well. We mounted the horses and I took Aiden with me. We had to ride some of the horses double but that could not be helped. We made our way west through the thick forest. It was slow going as the horses carefully picked their way through the thick trees. There was silence. Any animals which might have been in the forest scampered away when they heard the footfall of the horses. As we began to descend I knew we were close to the river and the Roman fort. We heard the rushing of the water and then the bridge and the fort loomed up. I felt relief that we had reached our first way point. We could rest a while. After we had dismounted and led the horses down to the water for a drink Gudrun and Harold came to speak with me.
“We will not make it home if we have to take Lars’ body with us.”
“He died well as a warrior should and his body is in Valhalla now.”
I was surprised that his two closest friends should say this. “You would have us abandon his body here?”
Gudrun shook his head. “We will not abandon him we will send him home. The river and the sea will watch over him until he reaches his home in the fjords.” Harold nodded his assent. “There are trees nearby. We can put him on a raft and send him to the sea. He was born to the east of here. The sea shall have him.”
It seemed that the other Ulfheonar were of one mind. It made sense. It would mean that we had an extra horse and that might make all the difference. It did not take long to fashion a crude wooden raft and tie Lars and his sword to it. We descended to the river. It was dark and it was noisy. His two closest friends lowered it into the water and spoke their words and then he was gone. Strangely that act seemed to give all the Ulfheonar more confidence that we would escape.
“He will watch down on us. This is good. It was not right to have his body bouncing up and down on the horse.“ Olaf could be remarkably thoughtful at times; normally he was a doer and not a thinker.
We still had many miles to go and even Rolf and our comrades were hours away.
The long summer days meant very short nights and the sky was lightening behind us when we heard the dogs. My plan had been nullified. It didn’t matter that we had tried to lead a false trail; they were on to us now. In fact our attempt to delude them had cost us time and distance. We would now have to hurry. The trail was not a good one and we risked injury to man and beast. We pushed the horses on but we were moving uphill with some horses carrying double weight. We were moving faster than we could have walked but the Saxons and dogs behind us would be running.
“Egill and Scanlan, lead the men. I will ride at the rear with Haaken and Cnut.”
The three of us were the most experienced of the warriors and we had the best mail. Haaken cast a look at Aiden who still rode before me. I shrugged, “Aiden will be a warrior like Scanlan one day and besides, if we have to fight, he can hold the horses.”
He looked up at me with gratitude written all over his face. ”I will fight master.” He touched the hilt of his dagger. “I am not afraid.”
“I know you are not.” He was a brave boy and he reminded me of me. I had had the same attitude when I had been enslaved. I was glad that I had left him free.
The horses were labouring up the slope and I wondered about walking them for a while. I dismissed the thought for it didn’t matter about the horses. We were saving our legs and our energy. I now knew that we would have to fight to defend our crowns.
“Master, why did they put Lars on a raft and throw him and his sword into the river?”
“He had a warrior’s death and they gave him a warrior’s burial. When I die they will put me aboard ‘Wolf’ and set fire to her. That will be a fine burial.”
He seemed appalled at the concept, “But she is a good ship. Why destroy her?”
I laughed, “Hopefully she will be old when I die and need burying but I thank you for your kind words about my ship. I like her too.”
Suddenly the dogs seemed much closer. I urged on my horse and said to Sweyn. “No matter what happens to us you push on to Rolf and keep the treasure safe.” He glanced at me and then nodded.
Haaken looked behind him and then ahead. The fort and the ambush were still at least three miles away and the land rose steadily. “There is nowhere close by to lay an effective ambush. The land rises and is quite open.” Ahead we could see the others quite clearly and the land was open before them. “We will just have to fight them and slow them down.”
Cnut pointed ahead. There was a wide swath of open land before us. “If we stop there then we can use out bows. This is steep ground here. They will have to slow down. The rest will help the horses.”
It made sense. “Good. Aiden can you hold the three horses?”
“Of course and I can fight if I have to.”
“If you have to fight my brave little Irishman then we will be dead so do not wish to fight just yet. For the sake of ‘Wolf’ eh?”
He laughed as we dismounted, “Yes, master.”
“Now take the horses along the wall a little and sing to them. It will keep them calm.”
By the time we had taken out our bows I could see the four enormous dogs and the first of the Saxons. They were spread out and the ones at the fore were lightly armed. I could just make out, some way behind, the forty or so warriors who had shields and helmets. We needed to get rid of their dogs and their scouts first. I heard Aiden singing. He had a lovely voice and he was singing the song of Ragnar’s Spirit which he had heard Haaken singing. It was a good song and the horses stood calmly as he sang. It helped me too for it reminded me of Ragnar and the day I was touched by the gods.
The dogs were eager to get to us. We waited until they were thirty paces from us and then loosed our arrows. Three died immediately but the fourth made up the ground faster than we had thought. He launched himself at me, his slobbering jowls and teeth so close to my face I feared he would swallow me whole. He was a large dog, as big as a small horse and he knocked me to the ground. I jammed my mailed fist into his mouth to stop him biting and then punched him hard on the side of the head. He whimpered and fell to the ground at my side. I had my sword out as I stood. He growled at me and prepared to launch himself once more. He died on the end of my blade.
Cnut and Haaken had thinned out
the scouts who were trying to loose arrows at us. I felt a crack on my helmet as an arrow pinged off it. If he had been a good archer I would have been dead. The main Saxon band was still some way off; lumbering up the leg sapping slope. “At them!”
There were just four scouts left and they were taken aback when we charged them. Two bravely tried to hit us with arrows but a man has to have nerves of steel not to be affected by a Viking charging at him. The arrows flew harmlessly over our shoulders. The two brave ones fell to our swords while those who used discretion fled to the protection of their friends’ shields. I did not need to give orders and we turned to run to our horses. The slope was steeper than I had thought and we were out of breath when we reached Aiden. I thrust him up and then climbed on to the back of the beast.
As I looked down the slope an arrow whizzed past my head. They were less than fifty paces away. “Ride!”
The horses had been rested and the arrows flying around them were just the incentive they needed. There were now no dogs to worry about but it would be obvious to any pursuer that we were heading west. I had estimated forty or fifty men following us. I hoped that Rolf had created a good ambush or our treasure hunt could end on this high, lonely and windswept outpost of the old Roman Empire. The ground dipped a little ahead of us and I could no longer see the rest of my riders. That brought me hope. Egill would be able to give Rolf warning of our arrival.
We were drawing away from the Saxons. When we dropped down the slope they became hidden from view. That meant that they could not see us either. We rode as fast as we dared but the trail had many rocks which had fallen from the wall and we did not need to be unhorsed so close to the enemy.
I was relieved when I recognised the twist in the wall. I remembered that it marked a place four hundred paces from the Roman fort. The Saxons were now a hundred paces behind us and they could see us once more. When they reached the next crest they would see the fort. The crest was almost the undoing for our horses. They had carried mailed men further than they ought to have. They began to labour and to stumble. I could clearly see the fort but not my warriors.
“Keep going as though we are passing the fort and continuing west.”
Cnut’s voice was nervous, “Where are the others?”
“If we cannot see them, then neither can the Saxons. They will be there; believe me.” I knew they would be there but like Cnut there was that slight doubt in my mind.
There was a gap in the wall where there had once been a gate and we thundered through it. I could see no-one. The track passed the wall and the small turrets and towers which lined the northern wall. To our left and the south were the barracks and buildings the soldiers must have used. The fort had been built on a hill and it followed the curve. Once we reached the top of the hill I glanced over my shoulder. The Saxons were rapidly approaching the gate. As we dropped down I lost sight of the Saxons. Suddenly I heard Scanlan shout, “In here, master!”
There was a half ruined building to my left and I wheeled my horse through the narrow gap, rapidly followed by Cnut and Haaken. Scanlan and Egill were there with the rest of the horses. We dismounted and drew our swords. Rolf would need our help. “Where is Rolf?”
“He and the others are on both sides of the trail. You passed them.” Egill was grinning childishly at the idea that they had hidden themselves so well that Dragon Heart had not seen them.
“Then lead us to him.”
Egill took the three of us out of an opening in the opposite wall and we moved along the shell of the building. After a few paces I saw my warriors crouching behind the low walls. I also saw the Saxons hurtling through the fort eager to get to grips with us. This would be the first test for Rolf and I hoped he was up to it.
Suddenly the first of the Saxons pitched forward with an arrow in his back and then my men erupted from their places of concealment to fall upon the surprised and shocked Saxons. We leapt over the wall and into the fray. Ragnar’s Spirit bit into the shield and then the arm of the Saxon who rushed towards me. His left arm dropped and I finished him off. I heard a roar and a Saxon wielding an axe ran towards me. My helmet and mail marked me as a leader. The axe sliced down and I barely managed to deflect it with my shield. I weakly hacked at him as I fell to the side. The tip of the sword cut his leg as he passed but I knew that it would not slow him down. His axe was a two handed affair and he had no shield but he had a much longer reach. As the axe whirled above his head I darted in and flicked the end of my sword at him. It clanked off his mail. This was a warrior who could afford good armour. All around me my men were all engaged in their own individual combats. There would be no one to help me.
He changed the arc of his swing and as it looped down towards my shield I stepped back. One of the new warriors, Sweyn Sweynson was just stepping forward to finish off his own opponent and the axe hacked into his helmet and the side of his head. Sweyn’s death saved my life for I stabbed under the arm of the Saxon as his axe head became entangled in the dying Sweyn. I saw my blade emerge from his neck and he fell to the floor. As I struggled to withdraw my sword another Saxon stabbed at me with his spear. I barely had time to swing my shield around to take the blow. I just managed to get my sword out when he threw the spear at me. It caught me on the side of the head and made my head ring. Before he could get his sword out I swung Ragnar’s Spirit and his head flew along the ground. I was out of breath and my head was still ringing. As I looked around I saw that we had won. There were ten or twelve warriors running away, towards the east, and the rest lay dead. We had won but I saw too many of my own men lying dead to celebrate. I knew that we had alerted King Eardwulf to our existence. We had raided his lands three times now and stolen valuable treasure. We had killed his priests and his warriors. He would now know he had an enemy to the west.
Rolf and the warriors who had been further up the wall walked towards us despatching wounded Saxons as they came. I could see that three Ulfheonar were dead. I had lost four of these most valuable and loyal warriors capturing the crowns. Was my desire for the treasure of Rheged the reason they lay dead? There would be time, later, for such recriminations. I had to try to get us all back to ‘Wolf’ safely.
“There is some good mail here. Strip the bodies of all that is of value.” As, after every such battle, there was a balance between the good that came from it and the losses. We had lost eight men in total. I made a decision. “Oleg, gather wood. We will send our comrades to Valhalla with honour.”
He nodded as he strode to the bushes and trees which line the far side of the old wall. “Well done Rolf! That was a fine ambush. I did not see you and I was looking for you.”
He gestured at our dead. “There were more than I anticipated.”
“Aye and me too. They only had a handful of warriors at the monastery. There must have been a warrior hall and fort nearby.”
He gestured east. “So there may be more?”
“I would think so. We have bought time; that is all.”
He looked at Egill and the others as they stripped the bodies. “The men you took with you have had no sleep. They will be tired.”
“I know. We will have to rely on you and your men. At least we have horses to carry the captured weapons and the wounded.” I had already noticed warriors limping or holding limbs which had been cut. We had not escaped unscathed. When the horses were loaded and the warriors had donned the captured mail we stood around the funeral pyre. Each warrior was laid with his sword in his hand. As the flames licked around the base of the pyre each of us remembered the dead. We quietly told them that we would meet again in Valhalla and they would be remembered.
I made Aiden mount one of the horses. He was not happy but I pointed out that he was so light as not to slow down the horse and I needed someone mounted. The other riders were the four warriors who had leg wounds. One of them was Snorri. It was not a bad wound but it had taught him a lesson. Cnut had seen the blow and had chastised Snorri. “You are not an Ulfheonar and you are certainly not Dragon Hear
t. Use your shield to protect yourself. You could have avoided the wound.”
Snorri respected Cnut almost as much as he did me and he was contrite. “I am sorry. I forgot.”
“Aye well you may have another warrior band to add to your sword but if you are dead then there is little point in showing the world how brave you are. Be a warrior for a long time, Snorri, not just one battle.”
Secretly we were all pleased with the way that young Snorri had handled himself but Haaken and I both knew that the difference between success and failure for a young warrior could be the width of a hair.
We had twenty five or so miles to go to reach our ship but it was downhill. Rolf left a couple of warriors close to the path down from the cliff in case the Saxons came when we were trying to get the terrified horses down the ridiculously steep trail. It took us longer than I would have liked but the rearguard reported no enemies close to us.
I had a nagging doubt in the back of my mind. There was a road just a mile or so from the wall. It ran parallel to our route and the Saxons could move much quicker along it. I did not know where it finished but the Saxons would. I sent Olaf and Oleg ahead as scouts. They would have to sniff out the Saxons.
We soon left the wild and rocky land behind us. Rolf had been right, we were exhausted. I felt my eyes closing. The others who had raided the monastery would be feeling the same way. I forced myself to stay awake. I began to use my mind and keep it occupied. I looked ahead to see where the trail went. Suddenly I saw five or six wood pigeons take flight and rise into the sky as though alarmed. “Halt! Aiden, Snorri, Scanlan, stay with the horses. Guard the treasure and the wounded.”
Rolf and Cnut ran to me. “What is it?”
“We have not seen Oleg and Olaf have we?”
“No, but that is a good thing it means the enemy are not ahead. They would have let us know.” Rolf was no Ulfheonar and this way of fighting was not natural to him.