by Griff Hosker
“Then is Úlfarrston in danger?”
“They are protected by the river and the sea. And we are but half a day from them. We would have warning. No, the danger is from the south east. The land there is empty. An enemy could approach unseen and then attack either Windar’s Mere, or over the fly infested forest of Grize ‘s Dale to strike us here in the heart of our land and we would not know until they were upon us.”
I saw Arturus taking that information in. Aiden and I had discussed this at length and both felt that a likely attack would come from that direction. “And that would be the Mercians?”
I paused before I spoke. “It could be Jarl Harald from Mann, Jarl Sihtric Silkbeard from Hibernia or Magnus Bare Legs the Dane.”
“But he lives close to the land of the East Angles.”
“He is greedy for land.”
“How do we stop this then?” I pretended I needed to drink some more ale to allow him to come to the same conclusion that Aiden and I already had. He slapped the table, “I have it! We keep watch to the south east of here.”
“That is an excellent idea. Aiden, get the old Roman maps out and let us see.”
They were, of course, ready. We spread them on the table. There was a small red dot which was equidistant from Cyninges-tūn and Windar’s Mere. It was the outline of an old Roman fort. Nearby was a deserted Saxon village called Cherchebi. The inhabitants had all died during the wolf winter. We all examined it closely. I waited for Arturus to jab his finger down. “Here! We rebuild the old fort. There is water nearby and it is less than twenty miles from both Cyninges-tūn and Windar’s Mere. A leader could keep some ponies there and a message could be here in half a day.”
I said quietly, “And who would you suggest for the commander?”
He hesitated and Aiden clapped him on the back, “You goose! Your father is thinking of you.”
“I could command?”
“Could you?”
He studied my face for deceit and then nodded. “I will protect the land for you!”
“Then you need to tell your warriors tomorrow and make preparations. Some have families they will want to take with them. It will take until winter to build your new home and then you will be there, alone, for the winter. We cannot come to see if you are surviving. It will be a lonely and dangerous existence.”
“I am ready. And thank you for the chance to prove myself.”
I shook my head. “You need prove nothing to me, my son.”
That evening saw a remarkable change in my son. His body had already become that of a man but now his mind caught up and Arturus became a leader of warriors.
Chapter 11
I saw little of my son for the next five days. He proved himself to be someone who could organise well. I suspect Aiden gave him many pointers. The two were close. I worked on my damaged shoulder to build up my strength again. As soon as I could lift my arm above my head without too much pain I started lifting stones by the water. Aiden had assured me that it was the best way to recover my strength. When Kara concurred I gave every waking hour to the task. I had little else to do. It was high summer and all, save me, were busy. Even Kara and her women were using nature’s bounty to harvest the honey and collect the abundant wild flowers and herbs she used in her potions. She had discovered that some of the spices we had brought back could also be used as effective remedies for ailments.
When the messenger brought us the news that Haaken and Cnut were on their way back I felt almost completely fit. If the enemy came now then I would be able to face them.
They looked weary as they trudged towards the hall. I clasped their arms. “Come, you look as though you need beer.”
“Our friends in Wessex cannot brew decent ale to save their lives. It has neither head nor taste!”
I laughed and waved over the slave who had the horns of beer ready. As much as I wanted their news I was patient and waited. Haaken would tell me in his own time.
“The trade went well. We have more iron and some tin from Cornwall. Bjorn’s swords are much sought after. Cnut here is proving to be as good a trader as Aiden.”
He drank some more of the ale. “And the rumours of war?”
The Mercian rumour is just that, a rumour for he is busy fighting on two fronts. He has King Selfyn to contend with and he is trying to wrest Lundenwic from King Egbert. He is not having much luck. They are both better leaders.”
“However we did hear that the Danes have begun to land in the east. The East Angles are being forced from their homes. They are flooding into Essex.”
“Then we should be safe here. The land of the East Angles is many leagues hence.”
“I would not count on it. When we were in Lundenwic we did as you suggested and kept our ears open. The sea captains and the traders know all that is going on. It seems that the Danes see the land to the north as a void to be filled. King Egbert has a reputation and the land of Northumbria is ripe for picking. No one will come to their aid.”
“Who is the Danish leader?”
“It is a jarl called Cnut the Long. He was banished from his homeland and has been raiding Frisia and Frankia. The Emperor made life uncomfortable for him and the Kings of the East Angles just do what the Mercians wish and are weak leaders.”
Haaken raised his horn to me, “You can take much credit for this, Jarl Dragon Heart. When you secured Lundenwic for Egbert it shifted the balance of power. The Mercians had retreated and the Danes have a new land.”
I shrugged, “Wyrd. And what of Rorik and Wiglaf?”
“We heard a rumour that their long ships were seen in the Abus, the river which flows through the old Roman fort of Eboracum.”
I looked up sharply and saw the frown on Aiden’s face. “But that is less than eighty miles from here.”
Cnut nodded, “The rumour is that he is gathering an army and he is coming to get you. He has promised all a share in the treasure which you hold.”
“But we have no treasure!”
“We know that,“ Cnut gave a wry smile, “it is a mixture of Haaken’s silver tongue and the tales he tells as well as the fact that the Ulfheonar all have golden pendants. They talk of magical swords and gold mines hidden in our lands. Every young warrior from Norway to Denmark and beyond who is not oathsworn to a Jarl is offering to sell his sword to Rorik.”
The Weird Sisters had been busy. I sat in silence and watched the flames play along the logs. My three companions sat silently too. Rolf and Arturus came in and saw my pained expression.
“What ails you father? Is it your shoulder still?”
Aiden explained what we had been told. He was a clever speaker and he summarised it well. Arturus said, “Then my new command is well timed.”
“Your new command?”
I explained. “Arturus and the crew of the ‘Josephus’ are going to build a fort at Cherchebi to keep watch for enemies. It seems we made the right decision although we did not know the reason.”
There was a sombre air. Although it was good to know that Kara was good at prophesying, her prophesy had not been comforting.
Aiden took the map from the chest in which it was kept and laid it out upon the table. “Here is the Abus. Although Northumbria is weak there are still many burghs between here and there. Eanred might be reeling from Mercian advances but he will not take kindly to raiders in his heartland. He will oppose Rorik.”
Rolf shook his head, “A sound argument but Eanred is not a good leader and his men are not good warriors. Rorik will advance.”
“But the jarl is right. It is many miles away and it will take him time. Our ally will be winter. The high divide will make it difficult if not impossible for him to come in winter. We have half a year to plan for this.”
“We have half a year only if our other enemies leave us alone. The Hibernians and those on Mann may decide to join in. They might see us as a carcass to be picked over.”
I had never seen them so depressed. Only Aiden appeared to have any hope and confidence. I
stood. “Do we fear Rorik? Are these bandits and chancers any better than the men we lead?”
“Of course not. We are still the best army of any, man for man.”
“And you are right, Cnut. Our problem lies in the fact that our enemies can strike from any direction. We need to be warned of an approach. Aiden will visit with Pasgen and warn him of the potential danger. He can keep a good watch there. The old Roman fort which guards the pass to the west coast can be watched. We help the shepherds in that area to rebuild a watch tower and give them each a pony. They can see all the way to the sea from the top of the pass. We tell Thorkell of the danger. He guards our northern border but he is a good warrior and his men can come to our aid. Windar will need to watch Ulla’s Water and Windar’s Water. We can build a wall from the mountain to the Water at Ulla’s Water.”
I stopped to catch breath and to take a swig of beer. Arturus smiled at me. “But you do not think he will come at us from any of those directions do you father?”
“I shook my head, “No my son. He will come through you! It is wyrd.”
He nodded, “It is wyrd. Then we leave tomorrow.” He looked at Haaken and Cnut. “And I would appreciate the help of the Ulfheonar. If I am to bear the brunt of an attack then I want well designed and stout defences.”
Suddenly they all looked happy. All the doubts had gone. The divisions which had existed between Haaken and Arturus evaporated like morning mist on the Water. The next day we went on to a war footing. I told Kara all and she did not seem surprised. She and Rolf began to plan for the worst; an invasion by a Norse army. Messengers were sent to all the other jarls; I used my Ulfheonar for I wanted nothing to be misinterpreted. I left with the rest of my Ulfheonar and Arturus.
His men seemed even more honoured by their selection than my son had been. As we marched the twenty odd miles to the new fort I wracked my brains to think of some title I could give my son for his men needed an identity. I am not certain if it was the Weird Sisters or the spirits but as we clambered the ride through the fly infested forest which separated us from Windar’s Water we suddenly stumbled upon a family of wild boars. The ferocious males and two females charged at the warriors who were at the fore. It happened to be Arturus and his men. I could not help but both wonder and admire their reaction. They went into a shield wall with their spears before them. Although one tusker broke through and gored Sven the Slow in the lower leg all four beasts were slain.
I looked up to the heavens, “Thank you Allfather for giving me the sign I sought.” As Sven had his leg tended to I clapped Arturus on the shoulder. “My son you need new shields!” He looked at me in shock. “Your men are not wolves, they are the Wild Boars and yet you are still Arturus Wolf Killer!”
Even my Ulfheonar could not help but cheer the idea. We slung the dead beasts on spears and walked in a much happier frame of mind to the new fort.
The roundhouses of the former inhabitants still stood as though the villagers had just gone to the river to make a sacrifice and would be back soon. A few domestic fowl squabbled around the huts but otherwise there was a desolate air about the place. We peered in a couple of the huts and saw the bones where the villagers had perished in that icy winter which had taken so many. We carried on a little further south and found the fort on the other side of the river. The water flowed around three sides of the ruins. The Romans had chosen their site well. We crossed the river by the shallow ford. I suspected that, in winter, the ford might be difficult to cross.
The fort itself had long been abandoned and pillaged. Here there were neither stone walls nor roofed buildings. There was a stone outline of the foundation and a few broken timbers showing where the walls had been. The ditch was just a dip in the ground with nettles and thistles growing.
Haaken clapped Arturus on the back. “Well my friend, at least you can make your new home fit the picture in your head.”
Arturus laughed, “Then all will be perfect.”
Aiden knew how to organise. Both sets of warriors respected the galdramenn and set to willingly. The Ulfheonar marched off for the nearby wood to cut down the trees, which would make the walls, while the Wild Boars began to clear the ditch piling the spoil on the stone foundations. I went alone to view the surroundings. The woods were to the west but they were across the river and too far away to provide concealment for an enemy. The land to the east was marshy and flat. The nearest rise was more than a mile away. The fort would not be overlooked. I walked over to the rise and found another, smaller, cluster of abandoned huts. This time there were no bones and no signs of domestic animals. These villagers had fled.
As I walked back to the fort I tried to imagine what Rorik or any attacker would see. The land ahead was gentle but it rose steadily towards the ridge of trees which marked the edge of my water. The small Roman road which headed north was visible on the other side of the river. When the fort was built it would stand out and draw the enemy towards it for I could see the ford quite clearly from the rise.
By the time I reached the ditch it had been cleared. It would still need making defensible but I had an idea about that. I drew Arturus and Aiden to one side. “You can use nature to make your fort impossible to take, my son.”
“How? Is there some magic which Aiden can use?”
I chuckled, “In a way. If you extend the ditch to the north and the south you can cut into the river and it will flow into the ditch. You would be surrounded by water. If you make a bridge to lower then no enemy could attack you without fording the ditch.”
“And if you seed the ditch with stakes then the enemy will suffer many casualties. This is a good site my friend.”
“It is.”
It took four days of hard work to erect the walls. The weather was clement and we suffered no rain. Snorri and Beorn hunted for us and the river was seeded with traps to catch the fish. Another seven days saw the buildings built. They were not Roman but Norse. We took the stones we found inside to make the foundations for Arturus’ hall. There were only twenty seven of them and they would all share a hall. The kitchens and the smithy they would build later. The last act we witnessed before we left for home was the breaking of the earth between the river and the ditch. Arturus and his men broke through the north eastern bank and the Ulfheonar the south western. Aiden had constructed a wooden dam so that the waters on both sides stopped at the wood. He gave the command and the two dams were raised and the water flooded and surged not just across one side of the ditch but to completely surround it. Aiden gave his last command and the bridge was lowered across the entrance. Arturus’ home was finished. With a bridge over to the river; another one which could be removed he and his men would be safe. The fort was big enough to shelter all the farmers who lived close by.
There was still enough light, when we had finished, for the Ulfheonar to leave and return home. I knew that Arturus and his Wild Boars would want the time to become comfortable in their new home. My son would inspire his men and he would not want his father and the men he had admired watching him.
I turned at the top of the wooded ridge to look back. It was sad; I felt emptiness in my heart for my son had left home. He and I had been through so much together. I remembered when I had travelled to Hibernia to rescue him and his mother from the Hibernians. Since then he had been with me almost every day of his life. Now I would go for months without seeing him. I had lost my wife and Kara was now a mystery. I would be alone and it saddened me.
“It is natural, Jarl. The young bird has to fly the nest and the young wolf finds its own pack.”
I shook my head, “You are becoming more skilled, Aiden. You read my mind and my heart exactly.”
“It is no great trick, Jarl. I have been with Arturus since you rescued the two of us. He is like a brother to me and I too feel the ache in my heart where he used to be.”
“And you have a solution to our problem? You have a potion or spell which will make the ache go away?”
He shook his head, “No Jarl, the pain will be w
ith us for as long as we live. It is a reminder of the bond between us. Your wife feels the ache too in the Otherworld. Some pains can never be cured.”
The nights began to grow longer and the days shorter. “We will have one more voyage while there is peace. I would go to visit Thorkell and then King Egbert. I fear this winter will be one where we huddle behind our walls.”
Aiden nodded. Haaken asked, “Do you fear another wolf winter?”
I shrugged, “I fear the winter for we have human enemies now as well as the wolves. We will hunt the wolf this winter for it will help us to keep watch on our borders but I need to speak with our only two allies. If time allowed I would visit the land of the Bro Waroc'h but that would take too long. If the winds are right then we can sail to the court of King Egbert and back in less than fourteen days.”
“We cannot reach Lundenwic and return in that time.”
“No, Haaken, but we can reach Hamwic which is close to the burgh of King Egbert.” I pointed to Aiden. “Our galdramenn has not been idle. If Rolf is happy with our defences then we sail on the morning tide.”
Rolf nodded and wiped his beard with the back of his hand. “The new men have worked hard over the summer. The new animals have been secured. There is little for them to do until the bone burning at the start of winter.”
I went to visit with Bjorn. I had not needed my armour but we were sailing perilous waters. It had not needed much repairing but he had been concerned that his armour had allowed me to become wounded.
“I have repaired your armour, Jarl Dragon Heart and I have strengthened the strips across the shoulder. It should be no heavier but it is stronger. I had my wife make you a new padded tunic to wear beneath your leather. It will cushion any blow.”
“Thank you Bjorn and thank her for me.” I noticed something new on his bench. “What is that?”
“I have been improving the armour. Instead of square metal plates I have made them look like fish scales. They use less metal and yet they afford the same protection. In fact I think they give more protection.” He gestured towards the water. “I watch the fish sometimes and realised that the Allfather had made fish with armour too but he is cleverer than those warriors in the east. I copied nature.”