by Griff Hosker
“When they close rise and ambush them.”
The Norns had decided that we would not have an easy journey. The horsemen had been sent to test us. I would have to rise and draw my sword in one motion. Tostig, Snorri and Arturus were in front of me. They would be at the most risk. Miraculously the first two riders passed me without incident but the fifth rider must have seen Tostig. I saw his spear rise and fall and Tostig screamed.
“To your feet!” I unsheathed Ragnar’s Spirit and punched at the nearest horse with my shield. As the rider struggled to control his mount I stabbed underneath his shield. My blade entered his heart and came out through his shoulder. He fell to the ground and the horse veered away. I saw a spear as it was jabbed towards me I spun my shield and took the blow. It knocked me to the ground. The horse reared and I saw the spear as it was raised ready to strike me. I felt like a stranded fish. I grabbed the end of the spear as the head closed with me. I pulled. The rider forgot to let go and I watched as he fell on the blade of my outstretched sword. His lifeless head lolled on my chest. Pushing him away I rose to my feet.
I saw, to my horror and dismay, two riders fleeing back towards the fishing village but when I looked I saw that they were not heading for the coast, they were heading for a hill. A flash of light from the setting sun showed, for an instant, a castle!
“Grab any spare horses and all the arms we can carry.” I pointed. “There is a castle there.”
We put Tostig’s inert body and the arms of the dead on the two horses we managed to capture and then we set off at a fast pace back towards the ship. The sun was setting rapidly now and the Norns must have been cackling to themselves when Einar tripped. We heard the crack as a bone broke and we had to carry him too.
“Thorkell, keep them going. Sigtrygg, Haaken and Cnut with me.” They joined me swords drawn. The blood on their blades told me that they had fought. “We will keep to the rear in case we have to slow them down.”
We went a little slower not wishing to suffer Einar’s fate. The journey seemed much longer than the one we had made earlier. Perhaps it was the dark which now enveloped us. I realised that the trail we had followed gave our pursuers a clear idea of where we were going. I wondered if they had ships they would send after us. There was little point in speculating.
When we reached the top of the cliff Thorir was waiting. He suddenly shouted, “Horsemen!”
We turned and there was a column of horsemen hurtling towards us. We were saved, not by our weapons, but the land. The horses had to slow down because of the steep cliff. The five of us raced at them and we all swung our swords to make a wall of death before the horses. My blade bit into the shoulder of one of the horses sending the unfortunate beast and rider over the cliff. I felt a spear crack into the side of my helmet. It made my head ring. I swung my shield around, just in time to meet the same spear trying to pierce my mail. I swung Ragnar’s Spirit and chopped the shaft in two. I pushed my shield against the horse and the horse and rider also tumbled over the cliff to their death on the rocks below.
The riders dismounted and they approached us. I took in that some of them had armour but their shields were smaller than ours. “At them!” Even though outnumbered we charged them. My sword cracked through the shield of the first horseman and I butted his surprised face. As he fell I stabbed him. To my left I heard a scream as Thorir was speared. In death he pulled his killer to the rocks below. I could see, in the distance more horsemen.
“Back to the ship!”
We began to edge back down the cliff. The horses would struggle to follow us. It was our only chance. Suddenly Sigtrygg raced forward and with three rapid blows killed one and wounded two of the horsemen. The others fell back and we moved a little quicker down the cliff. We had a lead and I intended to keep it.
Aiden and Marcus had turned our ship around so that we were already facing out to sea. As we ran down the last fifty paces I saw that Thorkell had our archers ready and they began to loose arrows at our pursuers. The arms and the bodies were on board and the horses we had used were just standing there. I smacked them on the rump and chased them back towards the cliff. The two frightened animals ran at the men of Navarre who were trying to reach us.
Sigtrygg was the last man to be pulled aboard and I shouted, “Loose sail and row!”
We were lucky that they had no bows but I saw, as we pulled away, that there were forty of them on the beach. We had had a fortunate escape. The Allfather watched out for us.
I did not head east, I headed north. I wanted to avoid the fishing port. “Keep a lookout for ships!”
Aiden was tending to the wounded. Einar had a broken leg but he could still row. Tostig was dead and Ragnar Siggison had a sword wound to the arm. It could have been worse.
“Ships to the steer board!”
I looked to see where Ketil pointed. There were three long low ships pulling towards us. Had we sailed along the coast we would have been caught. “Double bank the rowers!”
Every warrior save Ragnar took an oar. There were just the ship’s boys, Aiden and myself not rowing. “Keep at this pace Cnut, I will tell you when to up the rate.”
We were heading towards the open sea. Somewhere ahead was the edge of the world. I hoped that we could frighten those pursuing us into giving up.
“Magnus, come here!”
Magnus came and I gave him the steer board. I turned to get a better look at the three ships. They were smaller than we were with just ten oars on each side. We had more sail but, at the moment, it was not helping us for we were sailing into the wind. If we turned the ship to get more wind we would be heading back to the coast. We would suffer the vagaries of the wind. It was now too dark to make out the men on board. If I had had any idea how many men there were I might have risked a fight at sea. There were too many things I didn’t know. There might be heavier crews and more ships. I had plotted my course, now I would sail it.
I took the steer board. “Arm the boys with bows. If they close we will discourage them.”
“Aye my lord.”
The ships behind were definitely gaining. I estimated that, at this speed, they would be upon us before midnight. I had a plan but it involved perfect timing.
I felt something whizz past my ear and I saw an arrow strike the sail. It did not tear it but fell at the feet of a surprised Thorkell. He grinned.
“I am going to turn us north west and then bring her round to north east.”
Haaken looked up at the pennant, “But that will take us into the wind.”
“I know and as soon as we do, Cnut, I want full speed. I want them to turn too. Once they are committed then we will head north west again until we lose them.”
Ketil said fearfully, “To the edge of the world and the wild seas?”
I laughed, “You are my oathsworn! Let us enjoy the journey!”
My men all cheered and I wondered what the men of Navarre thought of the noise which would carry over the water to them. I put the steer board over and we moved a little faster. We opened a slight gap as we caught the three ships by surprise. “Magnus when we slow have your archers ready to shower the leading ship.” I was pleased to see Aiden join them with an arrow notched. Five arrows or more would wend their way to their targets.
The three ships worked hard and began to catch us again. “Ready, archers!”
I put the steer board over and the ship slowed dramatically as the wind struck our sail head on. I had caught the three ships by surprise. They ploughed on and were just forty paces from us. “Now Magnus! Cnut, double speed!” Magnus and his boys managed three flights before the speed of our rowers took us away from the three confused ships. As they turned to follow us they too slowed and a sizeable gap opened. Their smaller crews could not manage the power of my men. My crew rowed at double speed and we fairly flew through the black night. “Aiden where are they?”
“I can barely see them.”
I counted to five hundred in my head and then put the steer board over. We mov
ed much faster now as the wind and the rowers took us towards the edge of the world.
“I can’t see them.”
We rowed for another count of five hundred at double speed and then I said, “Normal speed.” The wind more than made up for the loss of oar power and we moved quickly through the water.
When Aiden reported that he could no longer see them I ordered half of the rowers to rest. We kept pulling north west. I changed the rowers when Aiden had counted three thousand. After four changes I ordered the oars to be stowed. If they were still close to us then they were worthy adversaries. With thick cloud cover I had no idea of our position. The wind still came from the steer board side and I assumed we were still heading north west but I had no real idea. The edge of the world was somewhere ahead of us. I prayed for dawn. I did not want to sail over the edge in the dark.
When dawn eventually broke I knew where the east was and we turned due north. We were barely making headway but at least we would not sail off the edge of the world. When the sun finally rose Ketil scampered up the mast and reported not a sail in sight. We had out run our pursuers.
Chapter 10
I let the men sleep as we drifted north. With the wind still coming from the north east I had to keep tacking. Aiden opened the maps and all that we could see was empty space. We could strike Hibernia, or Wessex or we could keep sailing north until we struck the top of the world and the ice wall. We had no idea of our position. I hoped that the weapons had been worth the sacrifice. By noon I was feeling sleepy but the wind veered around a little to come more from the east. When Haaken woke he took over the steering and I drifted off into a troubled sleep. Losing my Ulfheonar always haunted me. I awoke and discovered Aiden dressing the wound on my hand. I had forgotten the blow.
“When were you going to tell us about this Jarl Dragon Heart? It could have become poisoned and you would have been Jarl One Hand!”
I smiled. He was like Erika the way he nagged me. He dressed the wound and I watched as night fell. The seas, whilst not wild were rougher than we would have liked. We had little choice. We had to keep sailing north.
I rotated the ship’s boys in the prow. The mast head was too dangerous. What worried me was that the easterly wind would continue to push us west towards the edge of the world. The clouds hid the stars, as they had for the last two nights. The sudden squall which thudded into us seemed to whirl from the south. It was a relief in two ways. It moved us northwards faster and the rainwater washed the salt from our faces and beards. We used a piece of canvas to collect some water. Fresh rain water was a good sign; it was sent from the gods. They smiled on us yet.
Dawn was a thin grey light from the east. The wind had turned so that it now came from the south east. I risked more sail and relied upon the sharp eyes of my boys. Magnus shouted, “Land ahead!”
Aiden needed no urging. He ran between the sleeping rowers to the prow and peered northward. The crew began to wake. His footsteps on the deck and the shout had awoken them. Above us I heard the gulls as they mobbed a different bird I had never seen before. That in itself was a good sign.
Haaken joined me, “Is it the edge of the world?”
I smiled. The poet in Haaken both feared and was drawn to the idea of sailing to the edge of the world. If we survived then he would have tales to tell until his dying day. “I hope not but Aiden will tell us.”
He came back and his expression gave me hope. “I think these are the isles at the end of On Corn Walum.” He pointed east where the sky was lightening. “They are to the north and there is the land to the east. The Romans called them Scillonia Insula.”
I nodded, “Syllingar! I know where we are. Full sail, Magnus.”
I put the steer board over to take us west. The wind caught the sail and as the boys trimmed the stays and the sheets, we flew once more. The islands were a deadly set of teeth which guarded the end of the mainland. I had heard that there were people who lived there but we just wanted to pass them on the last leg of our journey home.
We had the tricky part to come for we had to turn north and sail between Hibernia and Cymru. Once we had passed them we would just have to negotiate Anglesey and the island of Man and then we would be home and I would see my new son.
Once we had cleared the rocks I handed over to Cnut and slept again. My nightmares did not return. We were heading home. Perhaps my dead Ulfheonar had already reached Valhalla and interceded with the gods. Certainly our voyage was becoming easier. The winds and my rowers had made us fly across the seas. The danger of death had given us extra strength and, perhaps, saved us.
When I awoke it was because Aiden had tapped me on the shoulder. “My lord, we are approaching Anglesey. We thought you would wish to be awake.”
“I do. Have you slept?”
He shook his head, “I do nothing save look at the land and the maps. I will sleep when we reach Cyninges-tūn.”
I nodded. Aiden was special. He was a gladramenn. “Wake the men and have them prepare for trouble.”
Aiden looked at me. “Have you the second sight now?”
“Let us just say that the attack when we came south worried me.”
The wind had now veered completely and was coming from the west. It was a cold and a wet wind. We were not travelling as quickly as we had been but we were less than half a day from home. I looked at the sky. It was late afternoon. We would reach Úlfarrston after dark.
“Sails ahead!”
We had just passed Anglesey safely when the shout came from Ketil. “Where away?”
“North west!”
I put the steer board over a little to take us more north and west than north. We would investigate. The westerly wind gave us the wind gauge. If this was danger then we could avoid it. I wondered if it might be our knarr.
“It is ‘Man’ and she is attacking a smaller ship!”
Sometimes voices speak to me and I know not where they come from. This one told me that the small ship was Trygg’s. “Oars!”
Cnut organised the rowers and soon we cut through the water like a hot knife through cold butter. Our speed took us closer to them and I could see that Erik’s drekar was closing with the knarr. It was Trygg’s. Even as I watched the sail came down as grappling hooks snaked across the water. “Full speed, Cnut! Let’s hit this bastard!”
We covered the last couple of hundred paces so quickly that I almost forgot to order oars in. As it happened I timed it perfectly. “Oars in! Sail down! Prepare to board!” I aimed the dragon prow for the steer board of ‘Man’. It would also put us between the two ships. “Aiden! My helmet and shield.”
He proffered them. “They are here!”
Those at the stern of the drekar saw us. A flurry of arrows came towards us and Aiden held the shield to protect us both. They could not save themselves. Ragnar’s well made ship struck the steer board hard and shattered it. The man holding it was thrown from the deck and crushed between the two giants of the sea. Our speed and weight pushed aside the two ships. Our higher freeboard meant that we could just jump on board their ship.
“Grappling hooks away!”
As the boys threw the hooks, my men, led by Haaken and Cnut, leapt on board.
“Aiden keep the archers clearing their decks. Magnus take the steer board.”
“My lord! Another drekar!” Aiden pointed to the south west where a strange drekar was taking advantage of the wind and coming to the aid of ‘Man’.
I shouted down to the knarr. “Sven White Hair, get your men aboard us and defend the ship.”
I had no idea if they heard me but any that did would obey my orders. I jumped to the deck of the drekar. Tostig Tostigson knew that he was both outclassed and outnumbered by my warriors. He had retreated to the prow with those that had survived the initial onslaught. He was relying on delaying us until his consort arrived. It would be a bloody battle to take them.
“Sigtrygg, Haaken and Cnut shield wall. Snorri and Arturus, take axes and hole her!” My men looked at me. We were de
liberately sinking a drekar with us on board. “Just do it!”
With my oathsworn either side of me I moved forward. I had no mail upon me but I wore my leather byrnie and my wolf cloak. I would rely on those for protection. I heard the hacking of axes behind me as Snorri and Arturus obeyed my orders. Tostig and his men did not wait for us to advance but rushed down the deck to us. Fighting on a moving ship involved great balance as well as quick reactions. We had both. As Sven and my men climbed aboard my drekar the deck of ‘Man’ dipped alarmingly.
Olaf No-Nose held his arms out for balance and Sigtrygg darted in to stab him in the throat. With a gap in their ranks Sigtrygg and Saxon Killer stepped forward flanked by Cnut and Haaken. My mailed men were protecting their jarl. I am a taller man than most and Thorkell the Tall was next to me. We reached over our front rank to stab our longer swords, blindly, at those behind their front rank. I felt my blade sink into flesh and there was a scream. I pushed into Cnut’s back and we heard a splash as one of those at the rear fell overboard.
Sven White Hair’s voice came to me from the stern of my ship. “Jarl Dragon Heart, pull back. The other drekar is close.”
I risked a look over my shoulder and saw that the drekar’s dragon prow was abeam of the mast. I also took in that we were lower in the water. My men had sprung the keel.
“Snorri and Arturus back aboard the ‘Heart’!”
Just then Haaken brought his sword down with a mighty blow and split the helmet and skull of Tostig Tostigson. Sigtrygg and Cnut killed two more and I swung my blade at a warrior who had climbed the gunwale to attack us along the side. My blade sliced completely through one leg and into the other. He tumbled over the side. Tostig’s men were now jumping from the stricken ship.
“Back!”
My men turned as the crew of the other drekar jumped down to ‘Man’s’ deck. I did not recognise the mailed jarl with a dragon painted shield but he came directly for me. This would not be easy. He was mailed and I was not. My Ulfheonar were fighting for their own lives as the new crew flooded on to the deck of the stricken drekar.