by Griff Hosker
I saw that despite our lack of experience the Clan of the Fox had held, and my small band of warriors were all alive and together. Sámr, on the other hand, was surrounded. I shouted, “Clan of the Fox, on me! We must save Sámr!” They obeyed as one.
Æimundr Loud Voice was in his element and he bellowed, “Wedge!” Mikel and I stood behind him and the rest behind us. Æimundr Loud Voice shouted, “Get in step and sing!” We began to march towards the beleaguered Sámr.
Clan of the Fox
March to war
Clan of the Fox
Hear us roar
Clan of the Fox
We fight this day
Clan of the Fox
The Viking way!
I was on the left and a Norse warrior ran at us to stop us going to Sámr’s aid. His spear hit my shield and, behind me, Bear Tooth’s sword hacked into his neck. Æimundr Loud Voice was a force to be reckoned with as he sliced and slashed into the backs of the warriors trying to get at Sámr and his warriors. More of the Norse ran into the side of us but we were moving quickly, and we protected each other. I had never fought in a wedge before, but it was a formidable formation and their attacks were met by our shields, helmets and mail. Our swords and shields despatched those who came at us. Had they joined together then they might have succeeded but we had broken their attack and now our slingers and archers wreaked havoc as they picked off the isolated warriors who could use their shields to defend against one missile but against five or six they were helpless and stones cracked into helmets, broke arms and shattered kneecaps. Then arrows and seaxes ended the warriors’ pain.
Those trying to get at Sámr turned as Æimundr Loud Voice used his sword to slice through the backs of two warriors. He had not gone berserk but Æimundr Loud Voice killed with such efficiency and immunity from the Norse weapons that he seemed unbeatable. Then Mikel and I were called into action. Mikel defended Æimundr’s right side with his sword while my shield protected his left. I brought my sword over my shield and chopped into the shoulder of a Viking who was using his sword two-handed. I sliced through flesh to the bone and the sword dropped. As it did I skewered him. We were relentless and kept the same rhythm. To have stopped would have been fatal, certainly for Sámr. We hacked through three more of Finehair’s men and watched the Clan of the Wolf as they bled for Sámr Ship Killer.
I saw Bjorn Asbjornson as he was felled by an axe and then Æimundr Loud Voice shouted, “Turn and protect Lord Sámr!”
For me, this was easy as my shield was to my left and I stood before Æimundr and Sámr. Sámr was wounded and I saw blood dripping to the ground. We had broken the Norse attack, but we were surrounded, and a ring of bodies marked where the brave warriors of the Clan of the Wolf had died protecting Sámr. Now that we were no longer moving, we had to endure sustained attacks. Had this been before I had been in the cave then I think I might have given up, but I was alive and had killed two handfuls of men. As a spear shattered on my shield and a second clanged off my helmet, I realised that I was encased in mail and the men we fought were not. We had a chance and I felt a new energy. Raising my sword, I launched myself at the nearest Norse and swung it down to hit his shield. He lifted his arm, but my blow was so powerful that I drove him to the ground. I swung my shield which had a metal rim and smashed him in the side of the head. I should have stepped back, but I saw another Norse warrior whom I thought I could defeat, and I stepped forward.
I heard a voice from close by shout, “No!” but I ignored it.
The warrior ran at me with his axe held high and he brought it down with the intention of splitting open my helmet and skull. I did not sway but I pivoted on my right leg so that the axe struck the earth and, as I spun around him, I brought my sword across his back, shattering his spine. I was unbeatable. I think that had the battle continued then I might have become a true berserker but, fortunately, there was a wail from ahead and I heard Æimundr Loud Voice shout, “They are being attacked in the rear! Help has come!”
Sámr, his voice a little weaker than it had been, shouted, “Clan of the Wolf, charge!”
The battle had been on a knife’s edge but the sudden attack by, as we later found out, thirty fresh men, added to our attack, broke the spirits of the Norse. They began to fall back and the people of Whale Island, seeing victory in our grasp, poured forth and used every conceivable weapon to wreak vengeance on their oppressors. I joined the rest of our band as we ran after the fleeing Norse. They were trying to get to their ships, but it was too late. The townsfolk had blocked their escape and we were too close to them. They would have been better to form a shield wall and make us bleed. They did not. It was not a battle it was butchery and not a single Viking made it to their drekar, bobbing in the water.
Sámr fell and I feared he had succumbed to his wounds. I ran to him while the Clan of the Fox stood guard. “Where is the wound?”
He nodded towards his leg, “It was a spear.”
I saw the body of a Norse warrior nearby and I took his belt and fastened it around Sámr’s upper leg to slow the bleeding. I shouted, “I need a healer!” Then I smiled at him, “I am no healer, but it is not fatal.”
“And, once again, the Clan of the Wolf is in your debt. Who would have thought, all those years ago that coming to your aid would save my land? Wyrd.”
It was getting on to dark when we carried Sámr into the stronghold on a litter. We had, against the odds, won but Sámr had lost many of his best warriors. As his leg was stitched by a volva I said, “Have you enough men to rid your land of the last of Finehair’s men?”
He smiled, “We shall have to try but we have their fleet and, if we sail north then we may find a way to defeat them without a battle. My great grandfather was a great believer in using your mind rather than a sword. We shall see but this wound means I shall not be stirring for a little while. Bring your people here. They will be safer. I will furnish a guide who can take you to the coast.”
I was relieved for I had fretted and worried about my family. “Thank you, Sámr Ship Killer, I will do so.”
Bersi Bjornson was from Cyninges-tūn, but his father had been the headman of the village which we had occupied. He was happy to take us and, as we headed north and west, he told me how he had avoided the slaughter. “I was on a drekar, ‘Dragon’s Breath’, and we were raiding Hibernia. Bjorn Asbjornson was the captain. I think he was unlucky and may have been cursed.” He shrugged. “Who knows? The Norns were spinning, Fótr the Wolf, for we ran aground in a storm. We almost wrecked the drekar and it took a month to repair it. We did not know of the treacherous trick which drew Sámr, Ragnar and Gruffyd from our home. We knew nothing of the attacks on Whale Island, my father’s home and the stad of the clan. We spent a month collecting slaves and then returned. We were almost trapped on Whale Island, but we escaped. We planned on going to my father’s home but when we headed up the coast, we saw that it had been destroyed. We found the same on the Eden. We held a Thing and decided that we should head for Cyninges-tūn. That is the heart of the Land of the Wolf. The repaired drekar was still leaking and so we let the slaves go and sank the ship. We headed south with the intention of fighting the Norwegians.”
Ebbe said, “I could not sink a ship!”
“It was hard, but she was old and weary. It was kindness.”
“You said you would have fought the Norwegians; what stopped you?”
“Úlfarrberg.”
“Úlfarrberg?”
“Wolf mountain; it overlooks the Grassy Mere, the Water at Rye Dale and Ulla’s Water. The mountain is alive. It is said that the Dragonheart found there the wolf which saved his family. It was as we camped nestled at its foot that the spirit of the wolf came into our camp and spoke with us. It told us to bury our weapons and to wait for the return of Sámr and the fox.”
“Us?” Mikel’s voice was filled with incredulity.
I knew that this was the work of Ylva for she had spoken to me. I said, “The Norns spin and their threads trap all o
f us. So, you pretended to be defeated?”
“Aye, it was hard for all of us wished to destroy the Norse, but the wolf had a powerful effect. I think it was the spirit of Ylva in the form of a wolf. That was how we were able to come to the aid of Sámr for as soon as Harald Haraldsson led the warriors from Cyninges-tūn we found our weapons and mail, slew the ones they left and then headed for Hawk’s Roost.”
Bersi was a good warrior and excellent company. We enjoyed our march, all the more so because it meant we would be seeing our families soon. We approached the beach from the south and I was relieved to see the drekar, snekke and pirate ship still there. I saw that ‘Jötnar’ now had a mast. Aed and Padraig had been busy. The sun shone on our mail and we were welcomed like heroes. My heart sank when I realised that although I could see Erik, my son, my wife was not to be seen.
As the others greeted their families Ada took Ebbe and I and said, “Fear not, Fótr, for your wife is well and you have a daughter. She is not named yet for Reginleif said that she dreamed you and you would name her.”
I nodded and, as we entered the hut and I saw the golden bundle that was my daughter, I said, “Aye, she is Ylva and here is her first gift from the great witch herself.” I took the golden wolf and put it around the baby’s neck. She smiled. I kissed Reginleif.
Ada nodded, “And that explains the power I felt from the babe when she was delivered. This will be the new matriarch of the clan.” Her eyes went upwards, “I see Gytha’s hand in all this.” Turning to me she stroked the wolf cloak which I still wore. “And I can see that there is another tale to be told here, Fótr Land Finder!”
It was Ebbe’s turn to laugh, “No, mother, for he entered the cave with the witch and was reborn and renamed. This is Fótr the Wolf and as great a warrior as any in the Clan of the Fox.”
As I took in the looks of surprise on Ada and Reginleif’s faces I was certain that I could hear the sound of the cheers from the dead. Perhaps it was just the waves on the beach but I knew that I had come home and would never cross the Great Sea again.
Chapter 12 Erik
I could not show the disappointment I felt, and I smiled as I climbed on to the quay at the deserted Bear Island and I forced a brave face, “We have a roof tonight and we can build a big fire. There is plenty of kindling.” I pointed to Gytha’s Hall. It was the best-built hall and, somehow, I knew that Gytha would wish us to sleep there. “We will sleep in there.” As they carried their belongings into the hall, I lifted mine on to the quay and began to dismantle the sail. “You are not the biggest vessel I have ever sailed but you saved our lives and I will heal you so that you can sail again!”
I saw Stands Alone peering, fearfully, through the open door and I shouted, “Fear not. This is a good place.”
“Come, sister. There is a sleeping chamber just for you!” Stands Alone took her sister’s hand and entered.
Although the clan had taken all that they could, inevitably there were still valuable items to be found. I used my flint to light the bowl of oil in which a wick had been dropped. I saw the look of wonder on the faces of Laughing Deer and her sister. “Welcome to my world! I will fetch kindling and get a fire going. There is water at the rear of the hall.”
I knew that the largest barrel would not have been moved. Kept filled with water it had no top and was impossible to move. I found the dried wood and soon the fire was roaring and made the hall seem homely. I had emptied the boat and brought in the last of the large fish and the dried meat. What else could I scavenge? I reasoned that the women whose husbands had died in the battle would have been shocked and more likely to leave hidden treasures behind. Palni’s wife was young and I went to her hut first. I was immediately rewarded. She had left one cooking pot and four beakers. When I reached up to the roof, I found a forgotten jar with dried deer meat. In the corner, I found some pickled fish. The fish was a treasure but the vinegar even more so. On my way back I passed the vegetable plot and found that some winter beans were still in the ground. I picked them and some of the cabbage. We would eat well. I had, as yet, no plan but we had a roof, we had water and we had some food. With luck, I could repair the boat and, perhaps, improve it. Sailing up the coast had given me many ideas.
Laughing Deer said, “You must be a rich people. You left a bed which is filled with feathers! Was this the hall of a chief?”
I shook my head, “A witch, but do not worry, she was a kind lady and her spirit will make this place the safest home on the island. Here we have dried meat, cabbage and beans. I will seek out some ale for that would make the repast complete.” I left the two of them to prepare the food and went to my hall, Ada’s home. I almost wept when I entered. Ada had left all that belonged to me. Dreng’s old mail was there along with my bear cloak. A sheaf of arrows in an arrow bag hung behind the door. There was my wood axe along with my spare daggers. I saw my shield and spare helmet. When I went to the cooking area, I saw clay jars lined up. She had expected me to return or, perhaps, hoped that I would. She was a volva. Had she seen me? I opened the jars and found seal oil, more pickled fish, dried pig meat, sausages and, best of all a small barrel of ale. I picked up the barrel and then saw, next to it, my drinking horn and a jar of mead. This was even better for Ada’s mead was the best on Bear Island.
“Thank you, my love, and may the Allfather watch over you, your children and our children!”
Laughing Deer had never tasted mead and her first sip showed just how much she liked it. It was then that Stands Alone spoke her first words, “Can I taste?”
Laughing Deer just burst into tears and I smiled, “Of course, but just a little. This is a powerful drink but tonight we celebrate for we are now a family and a clan.” I looked over to the corner where I had dumped my bear cloak, shield and weapons. “Perhaps we will be the Clan of the Bear!”
I am not sure they heard us for Stands Alone took a drink and laughed with joy and Laughing Deer hugged her little sister. For myself, I was content.
There were two sleeping areas in the hall which had belonged to Gytha and Snorri. While Snorri and his wife had shared one Tostig had had the other. I knew that if they had returned to the east then they would not have had the space for the beds. Stands Alone was content to have Tostig’s. In truth, she was more than a little sleepy. Your first mead will do that to you. Laughing Deer was also a little giggly. While they prepared to sleep indoors for the first time since the rescue, I went outside to make certain that all was well. The boat was still tied to the quay but the empty village felt lonely and deserted. I was glad to return indoors and extinguish the seal oil. I put another log on the fire. It was warm enough, but I liked the comfortable glow it gave to the room. I could see that Laughing Deer lay naked beneath the blanket. I stripped too and slipped next to her.
Her breath was sweet with honey and she smelled of some flower I could not identify but the combination was intoxicating, and I found myself becoming aroused. “I have dreamed of this, Erik, since you first slipped into my thoughts and my dreams. Even though I was at first afraid, I desired you. Each night when we lay in our shelters, I wished to hold you like this.”
I kissed her, “Enough words!” It seemed to be over too soon, but she sighed and fell asleep in my arms. I was now set on a new course and all that I knew was gone from my life. I hoped that Gytha would come to me and offer advice for I knew not what to do.
The spirit of the volva was powerful in the place she had died. As I slipped into a deep sleep, she came to me.
This is meant to be, Erik. Ada and the clan are not yet safe, and they face many dangers, but they are strong and Fótr will lead them. There are forces of which you are unaware and the Norns have spun. Spirits in the east have summoned the clan and they have a task to perform. You are no longer Clan of the Fox, they are gone. This is your world now and, while I am able, I will come to you. This maiden is meant to be at your side but the web which has been spun is a complicated one and I cannot yet see its shape. Trust to your instincts for they are
good. They led you to the New World and there are other worlds that you will discover. While you live in this hall then I can speak with you but once you are on the mainland then it will be hard. One day you will have to make that journey. Be strong.
And then her voice left me, and I felt desperately empty. My world had been the Clan of the Fox and now it was gone. I took comfort in Gytha’s words and knew that I would have to make this world, my world.
Now that Stands Alone had found her voice she could not stop speaking. She was like a chattering magpie. She was desperate to explore the other huts and halls on the island. That was no bad thing for I knew there would be much left which we could use. Nothing would be wasted. The three of us searched all of the huts close to the bay and we found many things which had been discarded. Some because they were broken and others because they had been forgotten. There were one or two things which were simply too big to take. One was a cart and Laughing Deer and her sister were in awe of the wheel. Stands Alone was still enough of a child to squeal with delight when I pushed her along the trail. We also found crops which had been sown but not harvested and the winter barley and oats were a boon. We could make bread and I could brew beer.
The second day we moved further from the bay and Stands Alone was delighted when I took the cart. Here we passed the graves of those who had died, and we passed homes which had been emptied long before our people had left. Already some of them were crumbling. Unless a turf hall was maintained then it would revert to whence it came, the earth. Laughing Deer and her sister repaired some of the kyrtles, tunics and breeks which had been discarded while I repaired Gytha’s hall. There were not many repairs needed but I made the hall sound once more.
After a week the weather improved, and we felt the warmth from the land and the sun. We sat watching the sunset over the bay and I asked the two of them what they wished. Laughing Deer was surprised at the question, “You are a man and our leader. We do not decide such things, you do.”