by Griff Hosker
It was too late when we returned and I waited until the following morning. It was the first morning that the sun felt a little warm and I led her down to the Water. It was so still and flat that you felt as though you could walk upon it. A male duck quacked his way after a female. It was a sign of spring; the animals were returning.
I told her of Ragnar and his premonition. “He is old but I am sad that he will die. We need men such as him.”
“I know. How can we encourage them?”
She gestured behind her with her head. “The gods and your ancestor have put the means in your grasp.”
“How?”
“The gold and the jewels; we can pay for skilled men to come to the village and to work. You could visit places where there are such men and encourage them to come here.”
I grabbed her and hugged her. “I do not know what I would do without you.”
As she pulled away she said, cheekily, “And do not even think of doing so.”
She was not surprised when I told her of her brother and what he was doing on Man. She was just disappointed. “I can now see the effect Prince Butar and you had upon him. You brought out the best in him. The shrill harpy he is with brings out the worst.”
“And you bring out the best in me.”
My men returned two days later. They had done well and Wolf had earned his food. They had over sixty sheep, including twenty lambs. There were four cows and a very young bull. He had been attacked by a wolf and we could see the wound on his leg. Aiden laughed when we showed our concern. “He does not need his leg to be able to make cattle for us. I can heal the wound. He will limp but the cows will not mind that!”
We divided the sheep into three flocks. I sent a message to Windar to come and fetch his flock and we drove the third flock to the western settlement. We kept the cows. When Windar came we would tell him how to increase his own animals. With the horses we had captured we were now more mobile.
I spent some time with Haaken, Cnut and Aiden. We pored over the maps which Aiden had found. He was able to interpret and read them. More importantly he was able to explain them to my two friends who could not read. Haaken became quite excited when he saw the map of the Middle Sea. “There will be real treasure there, Dragon Heart. They would not be the poor Hibernians.”
I shook my head, “I would not wish to be away from my family for such a long time.”
He looked disappointed, “But we would be away from our families too.”
I laughed, “The difference is I do not want to be away and I think that you do. You have an eye for the ladies.”
He laughed too and tapped his dead eye, “Thank the Allfather it is not this one then!”
I left it another four days before I returned to Úlfarrston and the new ship. They had worked hard. The keelson and the crossbeams had been fitted. Bolli Ragnarson strode over to me. He looked pleased. “We have done well, my lord. We are about to fit the mast fish. Within a week we will be ready to try her in the water.”
I clapped him on the back. “You have worked wonders. Where is your father?”
His face darkened a little. “He looked tired and I told him to take a rest.”
“Good. I think he must.” His eyes searched my face for the hint that I knew anything more. I owed it to Ragnar to keep a neutral expression. “I will seek his company.” Aiden followed me as we went to the far side of the construction site that had been a beach. There was a tree and behind it I could see the crouched back of my shipwright. We heard the sound of a mallet on a chisel and saw the familiar twirls of oak.
I called, “Ragnar, may we approach?”
I heard a chuckle followed by a cough. “You have good timing my lord, I have just finished. Come.”
We walked around and saw that he had managed to cover the prow with his cloak. He stood and stretched his back. He looked thinner than he had before. He had a sparkle in his eyes as he turned to face me. “This is the finest prow I have ever made. I need to paint it yet but it is finished otherwise and I would have you see it.”
He twirled the cloak and revealed the dragon carving. It was magnificent. There were two teeth protruding from a mouth and a forked tongue darting out. The eyes were enormous and it appeared to have a bosom like a woman. “It is perfect!”
“Not yet, my lord. When I have painted it you will see the effect I have striven for.”
“You have made it look like a woman?”
He shook his head. “If so she only has one breast.” He began to laugh but it turned into a bloody cough.
Aiden reached into his satchel. He took out a small skin and said, “Drink this. It will ease your pain.”
Ragnar did so and he actually smiled when he handed it back to Aiden. Aiden shook his head, “Keep it and take a small amount when you feel the pain but I must warn you, it will make you sleepy.”
“Thank you, gladramenn. I will save the remainder for the nights.” He patted the chest. “I have not made a woman I have made a heart. I have made a heart for your new ship, ‘The Heart of the Dragon’.”
Two days before the ship was due to be tried on the water a rider galloped in. “My lord, Bolli Ragnarson says you must come quickly and bring the gladramenn with you. His father is ill!”
Aiden and I had expected this and we rode as though our lives depended upon it. The sound of work was absent from the shipyard and the warriors and workers were gathered around a shelter thrown up between two trees. Bolli jumped to his feet and ran from his father’s side when he saw us.
“Thank the Allfather you came so quickly! My father is ill.”
I nodded to Aiden who went to Ragnar’s side. “Your father is dying.” He looked at me blankly as though I was speaking a foreign language. I nodded. “He told me so. It is why he said this would be his last ship. It is finished is it not?”
He nodded and I could see him welling with emotion. “He is going to the Otherworld and he will find great honour there for your father has skills of which Odin himself would be proud. Let us go to him.”
I put my arm around him and we went to the old man. He was smiling. Bolli said, “He is better! You are truly gifted, Aiden.”
“No, my friend, I have eased his pain. He will feel nothing but the end is near. Say what you must for there is little time.”
He knelt down and Ragnar said, “My son, I am proud of you. You will build great ships and I will watch from the Otherworld. Grieve not for me. I go to join your mother, Prince Butar and Olaf the Toothless. Serve the Jarl well for he is the hope for our people.” Bolli nodded. I could see the tears coursing down his cheeks. “Jarl.”
I knelt and took his other hand. “I have a boon. After my body has been burned I wish my ashes to be scattered in the bottom of the ship. When ‘The Heart of the Dragon’ sails I will be there in the ship.”
“I will be honoured to sail with you.”
He looked beyond me. “Your magic is strong Hibernian. I feel sleepy now. I will just close my eyes.”
We remained silent. Gradually I felt his fingers slacken on my hand. Bolli looked at me, his eyes wide. I nodded. “He has gone, Bolli Ragnarson. Your father is now in the Otherworld.” I stood and placed his hand on his chest. I waved my arms for the workers to move away. Bolli needed to say goodbye to his father in his own way.
Chapter 5
The launching ceremony was an emotional experience for all. The finished ship waited for the rising tide and Bolli’s workers held the ropes taut. They would pull the blocks securing the ship away and it would float into the river. Bolli and I were the only ones aboard. My family and the Ulfheonar watched, along with Pasgen, from the bank. The ashes of his father had been spread along the hull before the pine deck had been fitted. The ship was complete save that the mast had to be raised. It lay now on the mast fish. Bolli and I stood at the stern watching the rising waters.
“This is good, Lord Dragon Heart. When he first left us I was sad but now that I stand here on the last ship he built I can feel his sp
irit in the wood.” He stroked the steer board. “He made this for ‘Wolf’ and that is good too for it will remember how to sail and your touch. It is a good day.”
I looked at the shipwright. “And it is sad too, Bolli Ragnarson, for the ship will be leaving the land.”
“But you will care for the ship as my father cares for you. I will make another ship and that will have some of me within it.”
“Good! Do not let your father’s skills die.”
We felt a slight movement and Bolli nodded. “It is time my lord.”
“This is my ship built by Ragnar Bollison and we name her ‘The Heart of the Dragon’.”
Bolli waved his arm and his men pulled and strained as the blocks of wood supporting the side slid away. Suddenly the whole ship slipped alarmingly. We had been prepared and we held the steer board but even so the water of the river seemed too close to the side for comfort.
Bolli smiled at my reaction. “Fear not, Lord Dragon Heart, it is always so. She teases us. She will right herself.”
He was correct and we swung the other way. She floated. There was a huge cheer from the shore. I turned and waved to Magnus Larsson my ship man and he ordered the men to haul us back towards the shore. We could prepare the drekar for sea!
It took four days to fit her out completely. She needed some ballast in the bottom and her mast stepping. The sail took half a day to fit. The shrouds, stays and sheets had to be well fitted and Bolli took his time. Magnus, who would watch over the ship when I was ashore, watched every action with the eyes of a mother observing her child’s first steps. ‘Heart’, as she became known, was different to ‘Wolf’. She did not use rowlocks but had holes in the strake below the sheerstrake. While the stores were brought on board my Ulfheonar fitted the oars and we practised removing them. It would be something we would have to get used to. Finally the crew brought aboard their chests and placed them next to the oars. They would be their seats for the next month.
As Haaken and Cnut organised the warriors who would be coming with us I returned to the land. Pasgen, Jarl Rolf and Erika waited for me. “We are almost ready.”
Rolf looked wistfully at the new ship. “I wish I was going with you, my lord.”
“Aye but I am happy that you will be here to watch over my family. I know that they will be safe.”
He gave a slight bow. “I will protect your family with my life, Jarl Dagon Heart.”
Erika pointed to the carved prow. Now that it was fitted it looked magnificent. Ragnar had painted a red heart upon the dragon’s chest and its tongue was bright yellow. He had carved scales into the wood and painted them so that they made the dragon look alive. It was, however, the eyes which drew your attention for they were so realistic that you would swear they followed you. “That is the finest prow I have ever seen. I am happy for Ragnar Bollison and his dragon will guard you while you hunt.” She kissed me gently on the cheek. “Come back to us safely.”
“I will. Do you return home tonight?”
“No, Pasgen and his people have offered us their hospitality and a feast.”
“That is good of you, headman.”
“Our women are keen to speak with the Lady Erika; she has travelled and they have not.”
That pleased me for I knew that my wife missed the company of other women. She smiled, “And when you return you may have another son.”
“Or daughter. It matters not to me.”
She laughed, “You lie well, my husband, as do all men!”
Magnus shouted, “My lord, the tide!”
I waved, “Farewell. We will be back in a month at the most.”
“Do not worry about us. Now that we have animals the people will eat and we can fish. May the Allfather watch over you!”
As we edged slowly south I felt as happy as I had ever felt. I had a new and well made ship. I had the finest crew a jarl could have and I had a home which was safe. I edged the steer board a little to the west and Arturus and I waved at our family. We heard Wolf barking. He did not like to be left behind. As the men got into the rhythm we picked up speed and our ship fairly flew across the water. I knew that Cnut and the men were showing off for those watching. He had a faster beat than he would normally use. I did not mind. We did not often get the chance to show off.
As soon as we cleared the headland I turned to Magnus. “Get the ship’s boys to lower the sail. The wind is from the east.”
“Aye, jarl.”
I waited until the stays were taut and shouted, “Oars in!” I eased the steer board over a fraction and the wind took us. The dragon prow seemed to rise as though she wanted to fly. There was a rattle as the oars were laid down and then a cheer from the fifty warriors we had brought. ‘The Heart of the Dragon’ was truly launched.
We had a bigger boat but there were more of us and, while the rowers and crew worked out the best place to be I let Magnus steer. “We head west.” I pointed to the pennant. “The wind is from the north east. It will take us there swiftly.”
He nodded and held the steer board. I could see the excitement on his face. Snorri and Arturus had both been ship’s boys but they saw it as a step to becoming warriors. Magnus just wanted to be a sailor.
I went forward to Aiden who sat on his chest with the maps laid out. “Do these Roman maps help us, Aiden?”
“The places they show may have changed their names but I can use what we learn to make them better. I have copied them all and the originals are in Cyninges-tūn. Once we return we will have more information. They show where people lived in the time of the Romans.”
“Then that is a good place to start.” Hibernia might be a poor place to raid but they had no disease there. Once we had secured some more animals and slaves we could travel to Frankia to buy more weapons.
Haaken and Cnut joined us. Most of the men were leaning on the side, sheltered from the spray by their shields. “This is a fine ship, Jarl Dragon Heart. The higher freeboard makes a great deal of difference. I thought it might have slowed us but we are faster than any ship I have ever sailed in.”
I patted the sheerstrake. “That is the work of Ragnar. He shaped and smoothed the hull so that we cut through the water quicker. But he warned me that we would need to take her out of the water twice a year to clear the weed and watch for worms.”
Aiden tapped his sea chest. “In those papers it talks of painting a ship’s hull with something to discourage worms. I have the Latin name for it and when we reach Frankia we could buy some and see if it works.”
“You were right, Aiden, the treasure in the chest was in the parchment and not the gold.”
The coast appeared before dusk. We had made good time. Rather than risking the east coast, where we knew many Vikings went raiding, we decided to head around the northern coast and raid the west. With Aiden’s map we knew where the edge of the world lay and, so long as we kept the coast to the east, we would be safe. We kept the sail lowered as we headed north east. The wind had veered a little so that it came a little more from the east. Those ashore, who saw us, would have their bells ringing to warn of our presence. They would know that the wolves from the sea were close by. If we intended raiding them we would have lowered the sail but I saved my warriors’ arms. We would need to row in the morning when we closed with the shore.
We had studied the maps and could find no places of interest marked. We would use Aiden’s mind. He had pointed out a river marked on the map. “People choose rivers and hills to build their homes. The map here shows a river and a hill.”
It had been as good a suggestion as any. We hoped that other Vikings had ignored the northern coast. Pasgen had told us that there was now a Viking kingdom on the east coast of Hibernia. They had fortified the town they called Dyflin. It was another reason to avoid that area. Sihtric Silkbeard was known to haunt the area and he was as slimy a warrior as his famous beard.
We hove to when we felt the current from the river we sought. With sail lowered we edged into the shore. We could see the land and
the breakers ahead with a flatter piece of water between them. That would be the river. With Arturus and Snorri at the prow we slowly entered the river. It was a narrow entrance and I wondered if I had made an error. Their arms remained upright and I trusted their judgement. Once we had passed through the narrow entrance the river widened out so much I thought it might be a mere. We moored in the middle while my men prepared for battle.
I would take only forty of my warriors with me. We were in new territory and I wanted my new ship protected. The ten men and four crew could easily row the vessel and moor her away from the shore. Aiden would come with us. He had the language and he had the knowledge which we would need.
We put on our red cochineal first and made our eyes look like those of wolves. Then we began to don our armour and helmets. I was luckier than my men for I had Aiden to help me dress. My Ulfheonar aided each other. Once dressed and before I put my helmet on I went to the prow and sniffed the air. There was a faint whiff of wood smoke from the land to our left. I turned to Magnus. “We will land over there.”
The ten warriors who would be guarding the ship rowed slowly across the river to the shore. At the prow Ketil, another of the ship’s boys, stared at the water. Suddenly his hand came up and Magnus hissed, “Back water!”
Ketil jumped over the side and there was a small splash. I made my way to the prow. Ketil was waist deep in the water. “It is sand, my lord!”
That was a relief. I did not want the hull damaging with stones and underwater obstacles. Jumping into the river I ruffled his hair as I went past him. “Good boy! Guard her well.”
I donned my helmet and went along the beach to find a trail of some kind. My men were soon ashore and I saw my ship as it edged into the middle to the river. It was a pity that we could not hide it but there were no overhanging trees. We had told the people of this land that the Viking wolves were hunting. They would hide if they had any sense.
I waved my arm and Snorri and Beorn Three Fingers trotted off down the river. We followed behind them. If there was danger then they would alert us. The river bent round to a narrow entrance and I saw that we could have sailed further in and moored next to the shore. We reached Beorn.