by Griff Hosker
“They have laid a trap for us. The bait is Prince Butar and the rest of his men. They are staked out in plain view inviting rescue.” Cnut cocked his head to one side with the obvious question written all over his face. “There were men watching. They have sentries and traps on the hill sides. He wants us to attempt to rescue them. The moment we do his men will fall upon us. The last thing we need to do is to free the prince.”
Cnut nodded his curiosity satisfied, “And that is why he has disguised the numbers of his ships. He wants us to think he has fewer men than he does.”
Egill asked the question which was on every warrior’s mind. “Have you a plan to rescue them?”
I nodded. “That dry valley we used is perfect. We can approach the fort from the landward side and they will not be expecting it. I found fewer traps on that side. We will distract them and make them look to the front and we will attack the rear.”
Cnut smiled, “They have four gates; one on each side. If their attention is on the captives then we can surprise the sentries.”
I nodded, “We use Scanlan and Snorri to take out the sentries and we can enter silently. I have no doubt that they think we will try to get the prince and his men first. There is little point. We have to get to Tadgh and destroy him. Jarl Harald is a coward as we know and if Tadgh is dead then Jarl Harald will flee. The warriors will be leaderless. We go for the head of the serpent first.”
We took it in turns to sleep. There was a stream nearby and we had water but the dead villagers took the edge from our appetite. This village would be haunted at night and we were glad to leave, in the late afternoon, and head for the meeting point. We moved as quietly as we could and used every single piece of cover that was available. So far we had avoided detection and I did not want Tadgh to be aware that we had returned. As we waited in the darkening dusk I ran through my plan and what Tadgh would be doing. He had allowed Eric to return unscathed so that it would draw me in. He would keep the prisoners alive until we arrived. He had to have someone watching from the cliff to spy out a ship arriving. He could do nothing about the dark; his men would be blind then. That was the reason why he had the sentries dotted around the hillside and had laid the traps. His men would be listening for the sounds which would warn them of an enemy attacking at night. I had no doubt that if it had not been Ulfheonar who had scouted then the trips would have been effective. I had to get Tadgh’s attention to the front of his fort and the prisoners. It was where he would expect me to attack. Hiding the ships in the islands had given us the edge and that was all we needed.
Suddenly Cnut tapped my arm and we saw the two shapes of the drekar loom up in the dark. Behind them they towed the rafts. Jarl Eric waited for me as I waded out to the ships. After we had donned our armour I explained my plan to him in detail. When I told him how the prisoners were held his face darkened. “This time we finish it.”
“Aye we do but he has three ship’s crews waiting for us. You have the fewest men. You will be the diversion. I need you to draw Tadgh’s warriors back here. You will need to leave four good warriors with the ship’s boys. If our ships are lost then so are we.” He nodded. “You will be the one who will launch the attack. We will need at least two hours to get in position. I will leave Bjorn with you for he knows the dispositions of the enemy.” We clasped arms. “We do this for Prince Butar!” He nodded. “You attack and we will be watching and listening. Use the cry of Ulfheonar. It will draw Harald Two Face and Tadgh out. When Tadgh and his men emerge you will run back to your ships as though you fear him. He will think he has won and follow you. We will attack the fort while he is away chasing shadows.”
I led the forty warriors who would accompany me. Most were Ulfheonar but I had Rolf, his men, and some of Jarl Eric’s as well. The jarl would have to make his fifteen men appear like an army. It was the main reason I would attack in the dark. He had been told to use our war cry. It would be like nectar to a bee; Tadgh would not be able to resist it.
Cnut led and I brought up the rear with Scanlan and Snorri. Aiden had been unhappy to be left with the ship until Eric gave him a clip about the ear. He was then unhappy about the blow to the ear. We moved with confidence for we were well away from the traps and sentries. There was more noise than I would have liked but most of the warriors with me were not Ulfheonar.
When we reached the dry valley we began to ascend the hill. I had explained to Scanlan and Snorri what I expected of them. Their task was to kill the sentries silently and then to target the most dangerous warriors they could see. We crouched in the dark thirty paces from the walls and the gate. The two sentries were busy talking and not watching to the landward side. There was no reason why they should. Any rescuer would have to come by sea. It was their confidence in their position which would be their undoing. I am not sure how I would have prepared against an attack such as ours but I knew that we now had a slight advantage and I would use every help the gods sent my way.
Chapter 20
Time seems to drag when you are waiting. I was reliant on Jarl Eric and the tide. Suddenly I smelled smoke and I saw the two sentries turn. Jarl Eric had launched his fire rafts and they were, even now, drifting inexorably towards the three ships tied closely together. Tadgh would have to send men in that direction; he would need to save his ships. Fire was the enemy of a wooden ship. As soon as I heard orders being shouted within and the noise of alarm I tapped my two archers. The sentries fell without a sound. One dropped over the wall and the other within. There was no sudden noise on the other side and I assumed that their deaths had gone unnoticed.
We rose as one man and raced to the gate. Two of the smaller warriors were boosted over the wall and we waited for the gates to swing open. We had to step over the body of the dead sentry. The inside of the fort looked to be almost deserted. I assumed they had all gone to the far end and the main gate of the fort. I could see that the gate at the opposite end of the fort was open and men were rushing out. We moved forwards silently.
I heard the shout, “Ulfheonar!” and knew that Jarl Eric was doing his part. Two arrows flew from behind me and the two warriors who had come from a hut some thirty paces away fell dead. Rolf took his men into the huts and I heard shouts as they killed those within. We continued to move purposefully forward. As warriors ran from their huts they were slain before they could react. We had to kill many more of them before they realised what we were about.
I turned as Rolf came out of a round house. His blood spattered tunic showed that he had slain the occupants. I shouted to him, “Fire the huts!” The turf on the roof would slow down the fire but the smoke would aid the confusion and, perhaps, disguise our numbers. As we neared the gate I could see that at least two of the rafts had found their mark and one of the ships was ablaze. It gave me some pleasure to see that it was that of the traitor, Jarl Harald. He had sought the wrong ally and was now beginning to pay the price for treachery.
The light from the inferno showed the warriors as they hurtled down the slope towards Jarl Eric’s retreating men. I could not see our warriors but I assumed that Erica’s brother was obeying my instructions and retreating. Our life was made easier by the fact that we had the backs of men to us and they were slain without knowing who we were. I had planned on killing Tadgh first but my plan had succeeded far better than I could have imagined. The prisoners were unguarded.
“Cnut, take four men and free the captives.”
He nodded and raced off. I turned to the ones who remained. “I want a shield wall between the prisoners and those warriors.”
We ran beyond Cnut and his warriors. I saw faces glance up at us with sudden hope on them but I had a more dangerous task. I had to ensure that they could escape. Soon Tadgh and his men would see the flames flickering behind them and know that we had stolen a march on them. They would know there was an enemy behind them. We now had the slope in our favour. They outnumbered us that much was true, but we were the better warriors. Skill would out. They would have to attack up the steep hill
which had deterred us. Now it acted in our favour.
“Take them to safety!”
Cnut looked at me. “Where is safe?”
The enemy was between us and our ships and I had fired the fort. I shrugged. Cnut would have to improvise. I sought Scanlan and Snorri. “Go down to the ships and kill those trying to put out the fires!”
I held Ragnar’s Spirit and waited for the onslaught which I knew would come. I glanced to my left and right. I had twenty warriors only. When Rolf and his men had finished firing the fort and slaughtering those within I would have another fifteen. I estimated that there would be forty of fifty warriors, perhaps more, charging up the hill to get us. We would be outnumbered.
I saw that Cnut and his men had freed the prisoners. None of them could move well. They had been hobbled and doubled over for days. I was amazed that they were alive still. They were our people and they would fight, even if injured. I saw that Cnut was leading them down to the water. It made sense. There was at least one undamaged ship down there. They had lost at least one but their efforts had saved one. Snorri and Scanlan could be the difference between escape and death. They had to thin out the warriors saving the boats and then Cnut and his men would have to secure a ship. My job was to buy them time… and kill Tadgh.
The renegades came up the hill towards us piecemeal. The faster warriors reached us first. The faster warriors were the ones with the least armour. I knew that Tadgh would struggle to climb the hill. He still bore the scars and the injuries from our last encounter. We had to make the hill a killing zone. The first warriors rushed at us as though they would attain glory by killing Dragon Heart. I was not an easy man to kill. I had Ulfheonar on either side of me and we slaughtered all those who dared to approach. There were many of them but they had no armour and their swords and spears could not penetrate our shields and our mail. Fighting when you are below a warrior is never easy.
The second line of warriors halted as they waited for someone to take charge. I saw Jarl Harald there and I called to him. “I am surprised you are here, Jarl Harald. I thought that you like to be at the rear watching other men die and admiring the arses of the young boys!”
My men laughed and I could see that the barb had hit home. He ordered his men forward. It was a mistake for he did not lead. A man will fight to the death for a leader he respects, Jarl Harald had lost all respect and the attack was half hearted. His men did not have the heart for this. The first warrior hacked down at me with his axe and I turned my shield slightly so that the blade slid down my metal studded shield. He expected me to return the blow the same way but I jabbed forwards with all of my power and the sword slid over his shield and into his throat. His fellows fared no better. They were downhill from us and our blows stuck home with the added power of height.
Rolf’s voice came from behind me, “The fort is on fire. We have no place to retreat.”
I laughed, “The thought never crossed my mind. Put your men behind us. We will soon have to deal with real warriors. Tadgh comes!”
I could now see him clearly from the glow of the fires all around us. It was as though it was daylight. He was angry and was berating those around him. I suspect he was angry that Jarl Harald had attacked prematurely and he could see that his captives were gone. Had the jarl waited for Tadgh then it might have been different. I was desperate to see how Cnut was faring at the ship but I would have to leave that to him. And what was Jarl Eric doing now? All of that was beyond my control and I gripped my sword tightly. As I did so I heard a voice in my head. ‘You are the wolf and you have the sword touched by the gods’. It was Ragnar’s voice and it gave me comfort. I had fought the wolf when I was not yet a man and I had won. I had fought against the raiders and saved Ragnar and my people. I was fighting a man without honour. I had to believe in my arms and my skill.
As I expected, Tadgh did not come himself. Instead he sent his mailed oathsworn at us. It was a mistake. They had to struggle up the hill in their armour and I could see the exertion showing on their faces. They had already run down the hill after jarl Eric and now they had to come back up that steep slope. Their weapons would have to strike up at us while we could chop down on them. We would have more force behind our blows. The danger lay in them forcing us to retreat into the inferno which raged behind us.
“Rolf, have your men brace themselves. We do not move!”
I think I heard him laugh as he said, “We move only when they shift our dead bodies!”
We would hold.
They stabbed up at us with their swords and the blades slid harmlessly up our shields. I smashed down with Ragnar’s Spirit and the blade cut through metal and wood to sink into flesh. Each warrior fell back bleeding. After they had lost many men Tadgh reorganised them. He made a wedge and forty warriors arrowed up the hill towards us and more particularly, towards me.
“Brace!”
I made no attempt to hit them I just held my shield before me as they crashed into us. They were strong warriors and our feet slid back a little on the ground which was now slippery with blood and guts. Rolf and his men leaned into us and the line held. I saw a warrior’s face level with the top of my shield and I punched at it. My shield was studded with metal; it ripped across his face and he could not help but move back. I jammed the hilt of my sword into his eye and he fell backwards screaming. Now that I had space to swing I used the long reach of my sword and carved a swathe before me. The edge of my blade ripped through unguarded faces and heads. If we had had enough men we could have pushed them all the way down the hill but we had to be strong and just stand. I saw that we had not escaped unscathed and some of Rolf’s men were now in the front rank.
Rolf himself stood on the other side of Egill. He turned to me, grinning. “Now I am a warrior once more and not a glorified bodyguard!” As if to emphasise his statement he brought his sword down to split the helmet and head of the warrior before him.
Tadgh’s warriors were now wary of advancing. They were losing too many men. There was a lull and I glanced to the shore. I could see that one ship was a wreck while the second was smoke and fire damaged. The third, the smallest of the three was now forty yards off the shore and I could see Cnut on her deck. Prince Butar and his oathsworn had been rescued. We had done what we set out to do and now I had to get my men to safety but not before I had done that which I swore to do; kill Tadgh.
I stepped forwards and addressed the enemy, “Your prisoners are gone and your trap has failed. Will you now face me as a man and end this.”
He too limped forward but he stood behind the front rank of his men. “You are outnumbered and you have nowhere to run to. Your men have abandoned you.”
I laughed; he was pathetic and did not understand the code of the warrior. He had not been trained by Ragnar. He was an opportunist and a killer. “Once more you hide behind your men and once again they will die while you live. My men have not abandoned me. They obey my orders. You and the coward Harald deserve each other. You are a marriage made in heaven. I hope you will be happy in each other’s arms.”
It was an insult and, I thought, without foundation but Jarl Harald’s reaction showed me that there might be some truth in my assertion.
“That is a lie!”
My men sniggered, “Then fight me and prove it. The gods will defend you if you speak the truth.”
He stepped back and I saw his men look at him with disgust. Whatever happened here his men would no longer follow him. He was a leader with no one left to lead. Even Tadgh sensed the change. The warriors below us did outnumber us but they no longer believed in their leaders. My handful of men stood proudly ready to fight to the death for me and they knew it. I pushed home my advantage. “Come Tadgh. Let us save the lives of our men and fight to the death. Let the gods decide who is worthy of life.”
When his men all stared at him he had no choice. His closest warriors had all been killed, either in Hibernia or the Island of Man and they had died at my hands. Those men he had sent against me had bee
n his most loyal. It had been a gamble and it had failed. He was left with no choice; he had to fight me.
He pointed to the beach. “Down there then where the ground is flat.” He knew his leg would not cope with the uneven hillside and he was giving himself every advantage. I did not mind.
“Anywhere so long as you are within a sword’s length of me.”
His men moved down the hill. “Rolf, make sure there is no treachery.”
We moved down in a line parallel to them. I noticed that Cnut had kept the captured ship less than fifty paces from the shore. I was not abandoned. When we reached the shore his men formed a line behind him. Had we attempted to escape by sea they would have fallen upon us. I had no intention of running. I had that which I had wanted, I had Tadgh and I could end this blood feud once and for all.
Although I had injured Tadgh’s leg the last time we had fought that would have no effect on this encounter. This was a flat field on which to fight and I would find it hard to use that to my advantage. I would have to use my superior sword skills.
He limped towards me and I could see hate and anger written all over his face. This was not a good way to fight. Ragnar had taught me to be calm and to fight cold and not hot. I would seek to find his weaknesses and exploit them. He suddenly roared and leapt at me using his good leg to launch the attack. His sword smashed down from a height and I barely had time to parry the blow with my shield. My arm shuddered. The break had healed but it was still tender. I could ill afford many such blows.
I pulled my sword over my left shoulder and swung it at his head. It was an awkward blow but it meant that he was unable to use his shield. He had to use his sword or move backwards. He had to parry it with his sword and that allowed me to punch at him with my shield. It sent rivers of pain through my arm but I gritted my teeth and bore it. He was forced to step backwards. He had to favour his weak leg and I saw that he had moved closer to the sea. Wet sand can be treacherous.