by Griff Hosker
He swung sideways at me and I was too slow to bring my shield down; my arm refused to react. The blade hacked into my mail byrnie and I heard rings shatter. Tadgh’s eyes lit up when he saw the damage that had been done. It was a weakness he would exploit. The leather tunic I wore beneath stopped the sword from penetrating too far but it was a warning. My right hand darted forward so quickly that Tadgh, who was still busy anticipating my demise, could not parry the blow and the sword sliced through the mail he wore over his helmet and ripped open his cheek. The wound looked worse than it was but his men gasped as blood spurted.
“Look on your death, you treacherous viper.”
For the first time I saw fear flicker in his eyes. He swung again at the damaged byrnie but I had expected the move and my shield took the blow. The pain in my left arm was now almost too much. My next blow was met by his sword. I saw slivers of metal flying off from the edge of the blade. He stumbled a little and I flicked my sword out. He thought I was going for his face and his shield came up. Instead I had aimed at his knee and he screamed as the tip entered his knee. Suddenly I was aware of a shape hurtling at my unprotected right side. It was Jarl Harald wielding an axe. There was no way I could defend against the blow. Before he could bring down the axe, I felt the wind passed my cheeks as two arrows smacked into his face, throwing him to the ground. Snorri and Scanlan had been watching for such treachery. The traitor had died as he had lived, without honour.
I heard a collective growl from the men who had followed the jarl; no one likes treachery and I could see the murderous glances they cast in the direction of Tadgh who was rapidly running out of followers. He was desperate to end it now and he swung at my damaged byrnie once more. This time I did not use my shield, I just spun around so that he struck nothing but air. Ragnar’s Spirit sliced through his mail byrnie and into his spine. I heard the crack as his backbone shattered. His life ended almost instantly and it was though someone had sucked the life from him. His body collapsed in a bloody heap on the sand.
I was almost spent. My left arm could barely hold my shield but this was not over. “I have killed this traitor. Is there any other who wishes to fight me or dispute the right?” I could not fight another but I had to make the offer.
I saw them look at each other and then they shook their heads. I turned to look at the body of Jarl Harald. “There are those of you here who followed this treacherous jarl because you were oathsworn. Your oath is no longer required. If you wish to return to Man with us then you can do so, if you swear allegiance to me.”
One man, whom I vaguely recognised, stepped forwards. “And if we do not?”
“Then you can stay here with the scum who followed Tadgh.” I shrugged, “I care not which you choose but choose now.” I had seen Rolf wave to Cnut and knew that our newly captured ship was heading towards us.
Twenty warriors knelt in the sand, “We will follow, Dragon Heart!”
I saw the black looks which the men I had insulted gave to me. I cared not. They would not do anything about it; they had no honour and if they did fight they would die. I let them live because they would never bother me again. I could see it in their faces. They had been defeated. They would rob and murder but they would never cross the waters to my home.
We boarded the captured ship and, as dawn broke I saw the survivors arguing amongst themselves over the armour and weapons of Tadgh and Harald. I shook my head; I had had the measure of those men. They were not men that I would choose to lead.
I went to the stern where Cnut steered and Prince Butar lay. “Thank you, my son. The day I made you free was the greatest day of my life. You will be a greater warrior than Ragnar or any of the old heroes.”
“I am sorry we could not save your weapons or your armour.”
He shrugged and Rolf said, “But we did save them. They were in Tadgh’s hut along with a chest of jewels and precious metal. We took them in anticipation of your victory although, my lord, it might be considered a little risky by some, to insult warriors who outnumber you.”
“In that case, let us go home. Steer a course for Jarl Eric. He will need men to row.” I winced as I dropped my shield.
Scanlan came to my side, “My lord what is it?”
“My arm I am afraid.” I suddenly remembered Jarl Harald. “And I owe my life to you and Snorri. Snorri, choose the best sword we have captured.” His eyes lit up with gratitude. “And for you Scanlan, you and your family are free.” His eyes filled and he grasped my hand. He had no words nor did he need them. He had saved my life.
The ship we had captured was a larger drekar than mine but I wanted to sail home on ‘Wolf’. The Ulfheonar transferred with me and we left Rolf and the newly recruited warriors to sail Prince Butar and the captives, home. We did not ask them what privations they had suffered; there would be time enough for that. I was just grateful that we had managed to save so many of them.
My arm became steadily worse on the way home. Cnut had to steer and Scanlan fretted over me like a mother hen. I did not know if it had broken again or if this was to be a weakness for the rest of my life. I had only had to take a few blows and I was surprised how quickly the pain had returned. Before I had been wounded I had been struck many times on the shield and it had never bothered me.
Scanlan examined it. It was not tender to the touch but every movement jarred it and send the pain coursing through my body. Scanlan was no doctor but he was good with animals. I was just an animal which could talk. “I think there is a slight break again. With your permission, master, I will put splints there again.”
I nodded my agreement but said, “You forget, Scanlan, I am not your master any longer.”
He shook his head as he broke the spear shaft in two. “You will always be my master. Being free will not change that. I am your oathsworn just as much as Haaken, Cnut and Snorri.”
Once he had cut the wood to the correct length he gently bandaged it and then tightened it. The pain was momentary but as soon as he put the sling around my neck, the pain lessened. I actually smiled. “I have your calling when we get home; you can tend to the horses and the sick. You have a real skill.” He nodded modestly and then sat with his arm around the sleeping Aiden.
Chapter 21
Ran did not give us an easy ride home. The seas were huge and we suffered wounds and injuries when oars sheared and rigging broke. The worst storms were around the savage rocks at the edge of the world. It was always a terrifying time for sailors. To the west lay death and the end of the world and to the east were the most savage rocks known to man. It took us two days to pass and enter the slightly more sheltered waters to the north. We lost no lives but we were all glad when we saw Mona to the east and knew that we were but hours away from our home. To us the two voyages had seemed like naught but I knew the many days we had been away would seem like a lifetime to those waiting for us. For that reason we headed to Duboglassio first. They would need to know who had survived and who would be mourned. I had no doubt that the sentry in the tower above my village would tell my wife that my ship was safe.
The damaged rigging and oars meant that it seemed to take forever to sail up the coast. It gave the people time to gather and watch the three drekar limp home. They would not recognise the third ship but Jarl Eric’s and mine were well known to all. They would not fear an attack. The storms had not helped my weakened arm. I resolved to allow it to heal completely this time. It had nearly cost me my life.
When Prince Butar gave a wan smile and a wave from the ship the people erupted in a wave of emotion and cheering. He was a well loved leader. During the voyage back I had watched him on his boat and he looked like a shell of his former self. I would need to speak with him; I owed it to my mother to help her husband regain his former power.
The women who waited for husbands were either relieved when the warriors fell into their arms or they were distraught when they saw how many had failed to return. My Ulfheonar and I were the last to land. Our people would be many miles away; it
was more important for those with families to land first. I left Cnut and Rolf to finish seeing to the boat and I sent Scanlan and Aiden across the island to tell my wife of my safe return. Jarl Eric and I followed Prince Butar to his hall.
The hall had an empty and desolate feel. Eurwen and the slaves were with my family. The only occupant had been the old slave who had kept it clean. When we entered Prince Butar was slumped in his seat staring at the floor.
I approached and dropped to my knee. “Tell me father, what is it that ails you?”
When he looked at me I saw nothing but pain in his eyes. He shook his head, “I know now that I am old. I saw my death on the hillside in Frankia. There was no glory there. I watched as my warriors, my oathsworn, died one by one and I could do nothing. Tadgh was not a warrior; he was a pirate, a mercenary and yet he defeated me. My time is over.”
I stood and I became angry. “I am glad that my mother is not here, to see someone she loved and respected, feeling so sorry for himself. Rid yourself of this self-pity! You are alive and you are back amongst your people. When Erica brings Eurwen she will not want to see a decrepit old man. She will want to see her loving father returned to her safe and sound.”
I wondered if I had overstepped the mark. Jarl Eric took a step away as though to distance himself from my comments. It was only when my stepfather stood and gave a half smile that I knew I had spoken true. “You are right. Your mother would have given me the sharp edge of her tongue but, Dragon Heart, I tell you this, my days of raiding and trading are over. I stay here and I defend my land.”
I nodded. “You have earned that right and there are others who can go trading for you.” Even as I said it I was running through the oathsworn who remained. He had only returned with twelve of his warriors.
He put his arms around us. “Let us see if there is any ale left and we will drink and toast the dead.”
The slave must have been listening, for he scurried off and returned, with three frothing beakers of ale. “Thank you for that. Now get us some food. I am hungry.” He lifted his beaker, “To the dead. Enjoy Valhalla!”
After we had drunk I ventured another question. “What happened in Frankia?” I nodded to Jarl Eric, “Eric told me what he saw but you were there.”
“It was my fault that we were so close to the coast but I did not expect there to be pirates there. The four drekar raced out so quickly that I had no time to escape. I knew that Eric was further out to sea. We could see that we were lost and we tried to fight them to aid their escape. We were rammed by one of the drekar. I think that was a mistake for that drekar also sank but we were thrown into the water. Luckily most of us did not have mail on or we would have been dragged to the bottom. They rescued us but it was a cruel rescue.” He finished off his ale and shook his head. “We were led off like beasts about to be slaughtered. Our weapons were taken and we were stripped of anything of value. Eric the Bald tried to escape but he was caught and they impaled him on a stake. It took half a day for him to die but he never uttered a sound. He was a brave warrior. The rest of us were tethered as you saw. Each day they took one away to impale him too. It was a slow death for all of us. We had to watch our comrades suffer.”
“I am just sorry that Tadgh died so quickly. I wish he had suffered.”
“He will suffer in the afterlife. The dead will not forget his treachery. Tadgh has more enemies than enough.”
I was just pleased that Sweyn had survived. He had been Ulfheonar and I knew that he would build up my stepfather’s warriors to make them as good as they had been before the disaster. We spoke, as we waited for the food, of the trade goods they had lost.
“It is a setback, Dragon Heart. Perhaps we should trade close to home.”
I had been thinking along those lines myself. “Perhaps with Gwynedd? They are our closest neighbours.”
Jarl Eric looked distinctly worried. “Aren’t they as bad as the Hibernians?”
I looked at Prince Butar and we smiled in the joint memory of my mother. “My mother’s family came from there and perhaps, with the crowns of Rheged in our possession; it might be possible to talk with them. I will go in the spring when we have more trade goods and our warriors are in better shape. This has been a hard year for them and we have lost many fine warriors. We will have to look for the young to replace them.”
After we had eaten I rejoined my ship and we sailed home to Hrams-a. We were all silent as we sailed home. Haaken would have more sagas to devise and we would all have to heal our wounds. There were good memories to take from the fight. Snorri and Scanlan had shown themselves to have warrior’s hearts and we had captured much armour and many weapons. We would be better equipped in the spring.
Scanlan and Aiden had reached home before we had and we were expected. This was a more muted reception than the one in Duboglassio. The Ulfheonar had sailed and fought more than any others on the island. Even Cnut looked weary. Haaken looked on, sadly, as we disembarked. After I had hugged my family he came over to clasp my arm.
“I have fulfilled my oath and protected your family Dragon Heart but next time it is Cnut’s turn. I yearn for the adventure which you always seem to attract.”
I nodded, “Hopefully we will not need to do so.”
“Tadgh and Jarl Harald?”
“Both dead. Scanlan and Snorri killed Jarl Harald with arrows and they saved my life.” I turned to Erica, “I freed Scanlan and his family.”
Her face broke into a smile. “And that is a bargain for saving your life. Besides I think they will stay close by. Seara and Maewe are good friends and it matters not if they are free or slave.”
I had been a slave and knew that what she said was true. We never mistreated our slaves and were rewarded by loyalty. As the autumn storms began we settled into a new life with freemen instead of slaves and with an added vigilance to protect our way of life.
Prince Butar, Olaf and Jarl Eric arrived with their oathsworn just a month after we returned. They came unannounced and dressed in their finest. Erica, Haaken and Cnut all had knowing smug looks but I had no idea what had prompted the visit. The fact that the warrior hall had been cleaned and a feast prepared should have told me of my wife’s part in this conspiracy but I am a warrior and do not notice such things.
She and my children stood to one side as Prince Butar waved his hands for silence. “We are here today to reward a great warrior. All of us owe more than we can say to Dragon Heart. On this day we are here to confer on him the title of Jarl. Jarl Garth will rule the lands and seas around Hrams-a and I name him now as my heir so that when I go to the Otherworld he will rule this island. He will be prince.”
The cheering from all those around me was deafening. I was stunned. I bowed my head and Prince Butar placed the seal of my authority around my neck. I had refused the honour before but now I accepted, I had been a slave and a warrior, now I was a jarl. I looked upwards. I hoped my mother and Ragnar were watching. I closed my eyes and swore a private oath that I would never let any of them down. I would be a fair jarl and I would protect all of my people on this Island of Man.
The End
Coming in summer 2014 -Viking Jarl- the next book in the Dragon Heart series.
Glossary
Áed Oirdnide –King of Tara 797
Bebbanburgh- Bamburgh Castle, Northumbria
Byrnie- a mail shirt reaching down to the knees
Caerlleon- Welsh for Chester
Cymri- Welsh
Cymru- Wales
Drekar- a Dragon ship-a Viking warship
Duboglassio –Douglas, Isle of Man
Frankia- France and part of Germany
Garth- Dragon heart
Gaill- Irish for foreigners
Glaesum –amber
Hrams-a – Ramsey, Isle of Man
Jarl- Norse earl or lord
Joro-goddess of the earth
Lochlannach – Irish for Northerners (Vikings)
Legacaestir- Anglo Saxon for Chester
Manau –
The Isle of Man
Midden- a place where they dumped human waste
Njoror- God of the sea
Nithing- A man without honour (Saxon)
Orkneyjar-Orkney
Ran- Goddess of the sea
Rinaz –The Rhine
Seax – short sword
Skeggox – an axe with a shorter beard on one side
Sigismund- Frankish trader living in Cologne
Sif- Goddess of battle and the name of Harald’s ship
Tadgh- a former slave and renegade Viking
The Norns- Fate
Threttanessa- a drekar with 13 oars on each side.
Thrall- slave
Ullr-Norse God of Hunting
Ulfheonar-an elite warrior who wore a wolf skin over his armour
Wyrd- Fate
Maps
Courtesy of Wikipaedia
Historical note
The Viking raids began, according to records left by the monks, in the 790s when Lindisfarne was pillaged. However there were many small settlements along the east coast and most were undefended. I have chosen a fictitious village on the Tees as the home of Garth who is enslaved and then, when he gains his freedom, becomes Dragon Heart. As buildings were all made of wood then any evidence would have long rotted save for a few post holes. My raiders represent the Norse warriors who wanted the plunder of the soft Saxon kingdom. There is a myth that the Vikings raided in large numbers but this is not so. It was only in the tenth and eleventh centuries that the numbers grew. They also did not have allegiances to kings. The Norse settlements were often isolated family groups. The term Viking was not used in what we now term the Viking age. Warriors went a-Viking which meant that they sailed for adventure or pirating. Their lives were hard. Slavery was commonplace. The Norse for slave is thrall and I have used both terms.