by Griff Hosker
I had gone to the shipyard as soon as the dead had been buried. Although we had beaten off the attack we had suffered losses. Three of Bolli’s workers had died and two ships’ boys had fallen. Bolli himself had his life saved by Aiden. He stitched the cut and he was nursed back to life by Macha and Deidra. The two nuns came from Cyninges-tūn to tend to the injured. Had they not come then many might have died for Aiden could not be everywhere at once. The work on the last drekar was temporarily halted. That did not matter for, in my mind, I already knew that we would not be going to war when I had originally intended. I wanted an army which would destroy Harald and his band.
I spoke with Erik and Bolli. “We will move the drekar and your families to the bay by Whale Island. We will make you a home which can be protected better.”
If anything good came out of the raid it was that we truly became one land. At the end of the first seven days when the first roof went up I had gone with Raibeart to his brother’s grave. He said, “Jarl, my brother was ever your ally. He was your friend. I am now headman here. You made me jarl and so this stad is now yours just as Ketil, Ulf and Asbjorn rule their stad and protect your borders to the north and east, so I will do the same here in the south. I will train my warriors. When Yngvild has a child he will have Viking blood. Many of your warriors have taken the widows of those who fell in battle. Their children will be Viking too. We are no longer separate. We are part of your world.”
“Raibeart you always had the heart of a Viking. I think this is wyrd .”
When I finally left, at the start of Haustmánuður, the town was defensible and the people had food. It was as I rode back with Ragnar and Gruffyd that I began to plan our next moves. Ragnar’s questions prompted me. “Will we attack these enemies or let them go unpunished?”
“We cannot allow them to go unpunished. We cannot allow them to live. Events have meant we cannot stop them taking over the isle that is Man as I had hoped but we will attack there first. We go home to choose the men who will go with me in ‘Heart of the Dragon’ and see how far they have colonised my old home. It is well that we raided when we did for it means we have enough food for the winter. I wish to see if they have too. When I know where they are then I will strike and it will be with the full force of the whole of the clan.”
“And we will go with you?”
“You will Ragnar. Coen’s death and the fact that Raibeart is the last of his line has shown me that I need to prepare for when I am gone.”
Gruffyd burst out, “You gone? You cannot! You are Dragonheart!”
I laughed, “And I am not immortal. I will die. When I was in the fourth rank of the shield wall it helped me to see that my warriors can fight without me leading them. Haaken One Eye led as well as I but he, too, is old. My Ulfheonar will not wish to lead the clan. It will be you two who lead our people. When we go to war you will not be together. You will not be with me. We have four drekar and each of you will be on a different ship. We will choose warriors from Cyninges-tūn who will be your hearth weru. You had your father’s Ragnar and they all fell. That was wyrd . Now we will ask for young men who wish to be your oathsworn. You learn to be a leader by leading a small band.”
We were approaching Cyninges-tūn when Ragnar asked, quietly, “And who will be Jarl and lead the clan, grandfather? Will it be your son or me?”
“I do not know. That is out of my hands. The Allfather will decide. I did not choose to have a sword touched by the gods. That was decided in another world. I never chose to be jarl. In fact, I still do not know how that happened but I did not set out to lead this clan. When I lived on Man I was happy just to be a warrior and an Ulfheonar.” I turned to face them. “Who knows you may both be jarl. Aiden and Kara can see into the future, sometimes, but they cannot know all. It may be that the clan has two leaders. I will not be here if that day ever comes. You two must be as brothers. The fate of the clan lies in your hands.”
Chapter 8
Bagsecg my smith had not been idle. He and his sons had worked all the time we had been rebuilding. The captured mail had been repaired or melted down. He had used the new iron ore to make more swords. It had taken time but when we went to war we would have an army which would be the match of any. My new helmet was also finished. It exceeded my expectations. He had managed to mix the silver with other metals to make the eyes of the helmet look red. He had put extra metal close to the sides of the helmet to make it look like there were wolf’s ears. The extra metal covered the two seams on the helmet and made it stronger. It was light and, with the larger eyeholes, afforded me better vision. I was pleased.
Gruffyd had outgrown his new mail. His body had seemed to spurt. Bagsecg made his byrnie with the smallest links I had ever seen. It meant a blade would not penetrate as easily. When he wore it he looked more like a man. He was growing.
The choice of oathsworn for my son and grandson proved difficult. That was because there was no shortage of young warriors who wished to follow the blood of the Dragonheart. We chose ten for each of them. It made Brigid happy for there were ten warriors who would protect her son in battle. The others, who were not chosen, would fight alongside my son and grandson. They would sail on the same drekar. It was good. We were one clan but when we fought each leader had men around him who would follow him into battle. It was how we had driven Harald off and I now began to see how we could use that against him.
I planned on sailing at Gormánuður. My men were eager to visit Man and to see what the enemy had done. Before we left, however, Ragnar and Astrid came to speak with me. “Jarl Dragonheart, we would be wed at Samhain.”
I nodded, “Aye Ragnar. I thought this day would not be long in coming. And you, Astrid Mother, you are happy? What of your brother and the others?”
“My brother will live with us, jarl. The others have chosen to stay with your daughter. Atla is happy there and although she cannot speak yet her eyes are at peace. It is wyrd .”
“Then I give my permission. When we return from our voyage we will speak more.”
“One more thing, Jarl Dragonheart. I would have my own hall. I have gold of my own and I have my oathsworn. I would build one close to the Hall of Hope. There is a piece of high ground not far from their ditch. Aiden said we would extend the ditch. Do you approve?”
I smiled. His father had had his own hall but he had chosen to have it two valleys from me. This would be within sight of my own, “Aye, of course I approve.”
Bolli had recovered by the time we boarded my drekar and all four ships were ready for sea. He had his remaining workers improving the defences of the yard. They had dug a channel from the river to make a water filled ditch around the homes of Erik and his workers. The ones who had fallen would not have died in vain. Raibeart came to see us off. He was still working on his defences and creating warriors who would fight to defend their land. The enemy had destroyed his watch tower and so he was rebuilding it but this time it was inside his walls.
“When we go to war with them, Jarl Dragonheart, my people will be there to fight alongside you. We will not wait behind wooden walls. We are no longer the people of my father and my brother. We have risen from the ashes of our old home to become something new. I know not what to call us yet but the blood of the ancient people is now mixed with that of the Viking.”
I smiled, “You are speaking of me, there, Raibeart. Do not worry what you call yourselves. You are the clan of the wolf.”
We sailed with the Ulfheonar and the twenty oathsworn who had joined my son and grandson. The Angry Cubs had wanted to come. I persuaded Erik that this was not the voyage for him and his men. I did not think we would be fighting and this would help them to become as one. We sang as we rowed south. The song was mine and the two lustiest voices were my son and grandson for they now understood it.
The storm was wild and the gods did roam
The enemy closed on the Prince's home
Two warriors stood on a lonely tower
Watching, waiting for hour on hour
.
The storm came hard and Odin spoke
With a lightning bolt the sword he smote
Ragnar's Spirit burned hot that night
It glowed, a beacon shiny and bright
The two they stood against the foe
They were alone, nowhere to go
They fought in blood on a darkened hill
Dragon Heart and Cnut will save us still
Dragon Heart, Cnut and the Ulfheonar
Dragon Heart, Cnut and the Ulfheonar
The storm was wild and the Gods did roam
The enemy closed on the Prince's home
Two warriors stood on a lonely tower
Watching, waiting for hour on hour.
The storm came hard and Odin spoke
With a lightning bolt the sword he smote
Ragnar's Spirit burned hot that night
It glowed, a beacon shiny and bright
The two they stood against the foe
They were alone, nowhere to go
They fought in blood on a darkened hill
Dragon Heart and Cnut will save us still
Dragon Heart, Cnut and the Ulfheonar
Dragon Heart, Cnut and the Ulfheonar
Once we cleared the coast the crew stopped rowing. We headed directly for Hrams-a. We had seen their drekar there before and knew that they used the port. I expected that we would see their ships. It did not worry me. In the time it took to crew them and head out to us we would be gone. The wind was with us but eventually, if we were to circumnavigate the whole island then we would have to row again. As we saw the island appear, I stood on the sheer strake and held on to the backstay. I shaded my eyes with my hand. It was many years since I had to do this and I sensed apprehension from some of the younger crew who thought that the Dragonheart was too old for such things. I was not. You never forgot.
Arne was the lookout on the masthead and he shouted down, “I see a drekar!”
“Under sail?”
“No Jarl Dragonheart. She is on the beach. I think they are repairing her.”
I saw what Arne had not reported, smoke. That meant people were living there and they had not just landed for provisions or repair. I was quite comfortable braced against the back stay and I remained where I was. As we closed with the island I saw that the ship on the shore was a little smaller than a threttanessa. It looked to have ten oars on each side. I tried to remember if I had seen such a small drekar in Dyflin. I could not recall seeing one that small.
As we drew closer I saw that they had her beached to repair her hull. They had rebuilt our huts and they had a fire. Erik sailed us closer to the shore and I saw the consternation we caused. Men ran to grab weapons. They formed a shield wall close to their ship. I saw there were villagers and they began to head up the hill. When we had lived there we had had a tower and a palisade. We had been attacked there and it was where the gods had touched my sword. My hand unconsciously went to the hilt of Ragnar’s Spirit. I did not know if the people who lived there were with Harald or not. As we passed the beach I lowered myself to the deck.
Haaken said, “If that is the opposition then we have nothing to fear.”
Olaf shook his head, “I am not certain these are with Harald. We would need to speak with them.”
“Let us continue around the island. We can always land and speak later. I do not recognise the drekar nor do I remember seeing their shields before.”
The wind was from our quarter and, as we headed south we picked up speed. There was a port on the west coast. It had been where Erika’s brother had lived. I knew not its new name. I was about to climb up on to the back stay again when I heard Arne shout. “Two drekar in the harbour. They are not under sail.”
We were sailing so swiftly that Erik had to shorten sail. It made viewing the port easier. This time I did recognise one of the drekar. I had seen it during their attack on Úlfarrston. The other was as big. This meant that Harald ruled this port. Our appearance caused the crews to rush to their ships. Perhaps they thought we would boldly try to cut them out in daylight. We were not so foolish. As we headed south I saw more smoke from farms. The population of the island had increased.
The last main port was on the south side of the island close to the island we called, the Calf. When we had lived there it had been Old Olaf’s port. Olafstad had been its name. It had been changed, we had been told, to Balley Chashtal. But I would always think of it as Olaf’s.
“Two drekar in the port!”
I clambered up the back stay and although I did not recognise the drekar I saw Harald’s handiwork. There were heads on spears and they lined the quay. I saw gulls picking at a corpse which had been given the blood eagle. We sped between the islands, so close I thought that we could touch the Calf. It meant we had a good view of the drekar. One had eighteen oars on each side and the other fifteen. I recognised one as one of the ships which had raided Coen. The dragon prow looked like a horse’s head. It was quite angular and had little intricate carving. These Vikings did not take as much pride in their drekar as we did and that told me much.
It was getting on to dark. “Erik take us south.”
“South, Jarl Dragonheart?”
“Let us confuse them. Besides this means we do not need to row for a while. We will sail to the Ynys Môn and lay up for the night. Tomorrow we rise early and view Duboglassio as dawn breaks.”
“Aye Jarl.”
Haaken and Olaf joined me, “I would guess, Jarl Dragonheart, that the first small drekar is also one of Harald’s fleet. I recognise two of the drekar we have seen. That means he has at least six. Five are on this island. Has he abandoned Dyflin?”
“We sail there tomorrow after we have seen what he has at Duboglassio.” I gestured behind me with my thumb. “It would seem to me that he has had opposition here. The heads on his wall would have been those who lived here. I would hope he lost warriors.”
I was already planning how we might defeat him. If we met him man to man we would win but we would, inevitably, lose warriors. We had lost too many already. Before we fought him on the field of battle I would try to whittle down both his numbers and his men’s will to fight. Harald had given himself a title, ‘The Great’. He saw himself as a king or a prince. Damage to his ego would be as effective as damage to his men.
We pulled in at a deserted beach on the island the Welsh had called Ynys Môn. The Saxons from Mercia had captured it. We feared neither Saxon nor Welsh ships. I was confident that we would be safe for the night. Beorn took some men inland and came back a short while later with a couple of slaughtered sheep. He gestured behind him. “We saw a couple of farmers but they ran when they saw us.”
While the butchered animals were being cooked Ragnar asked me, “Why do we not raid here? If we are not afraid of them then why not take. They look to have fields of wheat.”
“We have raided in the past and we will in the future. We choose our time. They have just harvested their crops. We wait until they have done the work for us and put the grain in sacks to store for the winter. I came here to rest for the night but also to see if they had improved their defences. They have not.”
Olaf poured himself more beer from the jug, “Perhaps a raid here might make warriors of your son and grandson’s new men. The Saxons here are piss poor warriors.”
He did not mean it as an insult but Ragnar took it as one, “We do not need easy warriors to defeat, Olaf Leather Neck. We can fight Harald’s Vikings!”
Olaf Leather Neck was not put out by the words of Ragnar. He shrugged, “I think your grandfather would like you to grow a little before you take on Vikings. Cut your teeth on something easier.”
Ragnar spat out, “My grandfather did not nor did my father.”
I smiled, “Ragnar, we will raid this island but it will not be the Ulfheonar who do so. The men whom I order to raid will not feel offended because I ask them to raid Saxons or Welsh. But they will obey my orders. Do you understand?” He nodded. “And you are still learning
how to lead. Olaf is right. When we fight Harald’s men you and your warriors will not be in the front rank. You and your warriors need time to grow. You need to know how each other fights. The best oathsworn and hearth weru can almost read the mind of their leader. That only comes through fighting together… and surviving.”
We left while it was still dark and the crew rowed. We kept the sail furled. I wished to close with Duboglassio as furtively as possible. Our voyage thus far would have reached those in Duboglassio. I did not want them ready to race out to attack us. Not yet, at any rate.
The thin grey of dawn was in the east when we saw the darkened shadow that was Duboglassio. It was a large port. Prince Buthar had ruled there. He had died defending it. I stood at the prow with feet astride our mighty dragon. I watched as the shadow that was the island became almost clearer as the sky became lighter. I saw the white of waves and, as the morning became lighter and before the sun had risen, I saw the drekar. There were two of them and one was that of Harald. Did this account for his whole fleet? Only a voyage to Dyflin would tell us that.
Suddenly the sun flared up behind us. There must have been low cloud. It highlighted us and its rays lit up the harbour. I heard a horn sound as we were seen. Erik shouted, “Lower the sail. Haaken, up the beat!”
Haaken’s song became a faster one as we powered north and west. We need not have rowed but Erik wanted to be away from danger as soon as possible. We were north of the port when we saw the first of the drekar nose out of the harbour. They had been crewed and waiting. Erik looked at the pennant flying from the mast head. “If we try to sail to Úlfarrston they will catch us. The men have been rowing for some hours.”
Olaf said, “We could fight them! There are but two of them!”