Viking Blood

by Griff Hosker

  Asbjorn said, “Surely they would not be so stupid as to try that again! We know who they are.”

  “And if they came disguised, would you know them?”

  “I would know them anywhere.”

  Aiden shook his head, “You would know them in the same way that the warriors in Dyflin knew the Dragonheart and yet he wandered the streets unmolested.”

  I saw that Asbjorn had not thought of that. “And they may come singly or with others. If an old man with a young boy came would you be suspicious?”

  “You are right, Jarl Dragonheart. And I know, to my cost, they have honeyed, yet poisonous tongues.”

  “I have warned those at the shipyard. They will be vigilant. I intend to go there on the morrow and take ‘Heart of the Dragon’ to sea. We will inspect their ports and see what they are up to.”

  Just then Karl One Leg rushed in. “Jarl, one of the young lads on sentry duty thought he heard three blasts on a horn but it was so faint he doubted himself.”

  I looked at Aiden and then Ylva ran in, “Grandfather! There is danger. Mother and I sensed it. Elfrida felt a shadow cross her spirit. Ragnar is in danger.”

  That decided me. “All of you, arm, take any horses that you can find. We go to the shipyard. Tell Karl just to keep the old and the crippled. Every other boy and warrior must head down the greenway to the shipyard. Sound our war horn three times. We have been caught out again! We have to fight with the few that we have! Summon the Ulfheonar.”

  Brigid had heard the commotion and rushed from the cooking fire. “What is it? This is a feast day!”

  “I am afraid our enemies are no respecters of a feast day. We go to war. Your son is in danger.” Uhtric had anticipated me and he brought me my mail and leather armour. I began to don them. My jarls had raced out to gather their men. They had brought their hearth weru and some other warriors but we would not have all of the army I had planned.

  Ketil shouted, “We will send a rider to bring the rest of our men! They may not arrive for a day but that gives us a day to hold on.”

  “Aye well they might arrive in time to stop our heads being used to decorate the shipyard’s walls.”

  Even as Uhtric slipped the byrnie over my head I began to work out how many men we would have. I grabbed my helmet as Uhtric strapped on Ragnar’s Spirit and Wolf’s Blood. As I passed the smithy on my way to the stables I shouted, “Bagsecg, I go to war. Watch my family and my home!”

  He nodded and roared, “May the Allfather be with you!”

  His smiths began to bang with their hammers as they chanted, “Dragonheart! Dragonheart! Dragonheart!”

  I turned, “Aiden, I leave you to command my walls.”

  “I will, jarl. The Spirits will watch over you.” I nodded and glanced over to my wife’s barrow. I hoped so.

  I threw myself into the saddle. The Ulfheonar were already running from their homes. The ones who lived along the road would meet us. I wondered if Haaken had heard the horn from the shipyard. Even as I left the gate I saw in the distance a light. The beacons had been lit. Would we be in time? Would I find my shipyard stad under attack?

  Aðils and Beorn were next to me as we thundered down the greenway. I glanced over my shoulder and saw a stream of warriors on horses and ponies following me. There was no order or organization. Riders appeared from our right as they left their homes to join us. Those who lived beyond the walls of Cyninges-tūn all kept a horse or a pony. I would have warriors to help me fight our enemies. There might not be many but we would make them pay before we died. The enemy: where would they be? There was a temptation to ride to Úlfarrston first. That would be a mistake. Although it lay closer to us than the shipyard, the horn had been sounded at the shipyard. I did not see refugees fleeing north. They had stayed within the walls. The flight of some of Coen’s people the last time had resulted in deaths. The ones who lived in my new stad were all Vikings. They would stand and fight for their land.

  Just before we entered the forest I took another look back. There was a reassuringly long line of warriors behind me. We would make a fight of it. I had wanted Harald to take the bait and he had but he had outwitted me again by coming sooner rather than later. I had not been ready. I was getting old. Questions raced through my head. Was my line strong enough to hold him or would I lose my bait and the line? Would our new walls and ditches be strong enough? Were the huts of the shipyard workers too close to the sea? Doubts assailed me. We had passed the first of the beacons and I had seen my people watching as we galloped along the greenway. They knew danger was coming. I had expected to be assaulted by a pall of smoke from my shipyard. The closer we came the more confused I was. How was Harald attacking? Had I come to the wrong stad?

  When we burst from the forest I saw the walls still standing and Ragnar and Gruffyd’s banners flew still. Was this a mistake? Had I ridden animals almost to death for naught.? The gate was open and I galloped straight in. Ragnar, Erik and Gruffyd awaited me just inside the gate. Thorghest stood at Erik’s shoulder.

  “Grandfather you heard the horn! Harald comes. His fleet was seen by Olaf. He spied them heading here from Man.”

  “He is sure they are coming here? Could they be going to Lang’s Dale?”

  Erik Ironshirt shook his head, “He was adamant. They were having to row for the wind was from the north and east. If he was going to the west he could have used the wind. He is coming here.”

  I suddenly spied hope and a lifeline. If he landed then he could surround us and lay waste to our land. We might kill many of his men but we would be trapped. Our hope lay in our drekar. Although outnumbered, from what I had seen, we were the better sailors. “Gruffyd, ride to Raibeart. Tell him to bring his men. We go to war in our drekar. Thorghest, tell Erik Short Toe to prepare the ‘Heart ’.”

  “We fight them at sea?”

  “We fight them at sea.”

  My jarls and the Ulfheonar rode in. “Ulf, I want your men aboard ‘Crow ’with Ragnar, Gruffyd and their men. The rest of you take ‘Odin’s Breath’ . Raibeart will take ‘King’s Gift’ . He will be the last to leave for he is not here yet. We will fight them at sea. I will sail as soon as I am crewed. Follow when you can. Take the eastern channel. We shall have the wind. I will try to lead them away from you. They will see my drekar and try to capture me. The rest of you must sail as one and attack from their rear. The plans we made at Yule still stand. It is just that we fight them at sea. We are better sailors and have better drekar. The Allfather is giving us a chance.”

  “Aye Jarl Dragonheart!”

  “And we know these waters better than any!”

  I turned to Ragnar, “The shipyard workers, women, children and the old will have to defend these walls. This will be a test of your skill in building.”

  “Astrid and Erika?”

  “They are Vikings. They can stand a watch on the walls. Today we shall see how you fare in a sea battle. Avoid Harald the Great! I will lay alongside him. This battle will be settled between us two. You and my son will not let me down. You are both of my blood!”

  Ragnar said, “No, we will not! We will show that the blood of the Dragonheart is in both our veins.”

  I hurried aboard the drekar and placed my shield on the side. “Erik Short Toe.”

  “Aye Jarl Dragonheart.”

  “We will sail from the eastern channel and head directly for the enemy. I am counting on them wanting me more than they want my land. I want them to watch for me and to try to stop us. I wish you to sail through them. They will be oared and we will not. We can use this wind which the Allfather has sent. I will use my men as archers to thin their numbers. I want them to chase us. You will lead them, subtly, so that we can enter our western channel. I would have them try to cut a corner.”

  He grinned, “Whale Island!”

  “It will be high tide and a spring tide. They will not see the rocks. If they have scouted them then they will follow us into the channel but if they do not and try to cut us off then we have
them.”

  He scurried off to give instructions to his boys.

  “Erik Ironshirt. I would have your men use bows. We will not row for a while but I want their backs to burn from pulling their bows and I want the enemy to die! Kill as many as you can! Take charge while I speak with Olaf.”

  I left the drekar and hurried to ‘Crow’ . Olaf was also giving orders. “How many drekar did you see Olaf?”

  “There were five and two Saxon ships. They were all sixteen oars or more. Harald’s was the largest.”

  “Did they spy you?”

  “They would have been blind not to but I used the wind and headed west. They were under oars and my knarr is a lithe craft. They may have thought I fled to avoid them.”

  I was going to leave when I turned and said, “Watch over my son and grandson.”

  “Of course, Jarl Dragonheart. They are the future of the clan. Every man who sails with you today would exchange his life for theirs.”

  Once aboard I took off my helmet and wolf cloak and laid them by my chest at the steering board. I would be using a bow. I would have time enough to don them. The last man aboard was Haaken. He had had the furthest to come. Erik shouted, “Cast off! Take to your oars.”

  He said, “Harald the Great?”

  “He has five drekar and two Saxon ships. They are rowing towards us against the wind. Once we have left the channel we can stop rowing and use the sail.”

  Haaken shouted, “Let us row with a will. Today we will show this boy how real men fight!”

  He began to sing the song of the sea battle where Eystein lost his life.

  Through the stormy Saxon Seas

  The Ulfheonar they sailed

  Fresh from killing faithless Danes

  Their glory was assured

  Heart of Dragon

  Gift of a king

  Two fine drekar

  Flying o'er foreign seas

  Then Saxons came out of the night

  An ambush by their Isle of Wight

  Vikings fight they do not run

  The Jarl turned away from the rising sun

  Heart of Dragon

  Gift of a king

  Two fine drekar

  Flying o'er foreign seas

  The galdramenn burned Dragon Fire

  And the seas they burned bright red

  Aboard 'The Gift' Asbjorn the Strong

  And the rock Eystein

  Rallied their men to board their foes

  And face them beard to beard

  Heart of Dragon

  Gift of a king

  Two fine drekar

  Flying o'er foreign seas

  Against great odds and back to back

  The heroes fought as one

  Their swords were red with Saxon blood

  And the decks with bodies slain

  Surrounded on all sides was he

  But Eystein faltered not

  He slew first one and then another

  But the last one did for him

  Even though he fought as a walking dead

  He killed right to the end

  Heart of Dragon

  Gift of a king

  Two fine drekar

  Flying o'er foreign seas

  I stood on the steerboard side. I was anxious to see Whale Island the way the enemy would see it. There was just the faintest of white where the highest part appeared just below the water. At the neap tide almost all of the island would be visible at low tide. The spring tide meant it would be hidden. The Norns had been spinning. I did not know what prompted Harald to attack at this particular moment but it suited us. We might be outnumbered but we knew that which he did not. I saw the small rock which was in the middle of the eastern channel. It looked innocent enough but a captain had to take the southern side of it. The north side would tear the hull from a drekar. We had the land and the sea which would protect us. Haaken kept a steady beat as we passed the deadly marker.

  Arne, in the cross tree, shouted, “Sails to the south. I see two drekar. They are rowing and their sails are furled.”

  “Is there a gap between them?”

  “Aye Jarl Dragonheart. You could sail two drekar between them so long as they were under sail.”

  I nodded to Erik Short Toe, “That is good. We can hope that they make mistakes when they try to turn and lower their sails.”

  I strung my Saami bow. It was something to occupy my hands and to stop me going over my plan again. Nothing good would come from such deliberations. The die was cast.

  As soon as we turned south and west the sail was lowered and the oars shipped. My men began to string their bows. All of the Ulfheonar could use a bow well. We had plenty of arrows and a man who rows has neither a shield to protect him or arms to fight back. Erik shouted to his son, “Where away, Arne?”

  “Still on the same course. I can see another two drekar. They are sailing together in two columns. There are four or five lengths between them.”

  Erik Short Toe smacked the sheerstrake, “That is what I wanted to hear. With this wind behind I can twitch our dragon prow. They will not know which way we will turn. “

  I walked down to the prow. The drekar was surging through the water. With the wind astern we were flying. The white tipped, grey waters were choppy and aiming bows would not be easy but if we hit five or six men with each flight of arrows then I would be happy! I could see the other two drekar and sails beyond. The weaker of the enemy ships were the Saxons. They were not made for fighting. They were behind four of his ships. Harald was keeping them safe. If we could take one of those out then we would weaken the enemy attack.

  As I walked back down the drekar I saw that ‘Crow’ was leaving the channel. She was some twelve lengths behind us. We were bigger and we were faster. Olaf would follow in our wake. The other two would be some way behind ‘Crow’ . They were still boarding. “Erik Ironshirt, have your men line the steer board side. The Ulfheonar will take the other. There will be a gold piece for any who takes the man on the steering board.”

  Erik Ironshirt said, “We need no inducement to slay these enemies but I thank you for the offer.”

  Arne the Grim shouted, “Thorghest will need it! I hear he has his eye on a pretty young maid from the shipyard!” I heard him shout in pain as Thorghest’s mighty fist struck his bare head. For some reason it made the whole crew laugh.

  I could now make out the leading two drekar. Neither were the ships which were sailed by Harald. His had his name on the sail. I had seen one in Balley Chashtal and the other in Dyflin. They each had sixteen oars to a side and were of a similar size to mine. They, too, had crudely carved prows. My dragon with the red heart had been beautifully carved and Erik took pride in maintaining it. I did not know how Vikings could take any pride in such poorly made ships. I peered at the landward side and the one we would be attacking. Her dragon had red eyes and a white head. The other had a black head and its eyes might have been white once but time had made them almost black. Her oars were not striking the water cleanly. It was not a well-trained crew. That did not mean they were not good warriors but, initially, it would be a battle of sailors.

  Erik moved the steering board a little. The two drekar moved apart for they feared fouling our drekar with their oars. They would try to turn around our stern and use the wind to take us. They were closing with us. Erik Short Toe turned to steer board and made for the black headed dragon. Thinking that they knew our mind the white dragon turned to come towards our stern. It was a move intended to enable them to board us. Erik was already turning us and, with the wind behind, we did it incredibly swiftly. We made for white dragon. He realised his mistake and tried to correct his course but it was too late. Even as I pulled back my bow and loosed the leading oars of the white dragon were sheered as they struck our bow. There were screams and cries from the drekar as shards and splinters of pine were driven deep into the rowers. And then both sets of my archers loosed.

  I had watched the fall of my arrow. It had struck close to their
mast fish. I sent another, making the slightest of corrections. We were moving closer. The arrows fell amongst the rowers. It made them even more ragged and the drekar started to slew around towards the land as we killed those on the larboard side. I saw our chance.

  “Aim for the stern!”

  The stern held the jarl, gesiths and captain. Their shields were still by the side of the drekar and all of those at the stern fell. As the ship was heading to shore the deaths we had inflicted aboard her accelerated it and then, as the wind caught it beam on, it began to take on water as the gunwale and sheerstrake dropped below the choppy sea. I turned to look at the black dragon. It had taken casualties from Erik Ironshirt’s archers for the oars were not moving in time but they had managed to keep a straight course. Looking astern I knew that my other ships could take these two. We still had work to do.

  “Head for the next pair.”

  “They will be ready this time, jarl, look!”

  I saw shields being taken from the sides,. However, that meant they were rowing even more slowly and when they tried to protect themselves they would be almost at a standstill. I now saw Harald. He trailed behind the two Saxon ships. I did not think it was cowardice, I think it was cunning. If the other ships were in trouble then he would be able to react the quickest.

  Erik Short Toe said, “He is worried about the two Saxon ships, Jarl Dragonheart, and that is why he stays close to them. They are slow! They roll a great deal!”

  I saw now that they had a high freeboard. They had fewer oars and were moving so slowly that I did not know how Harald could keep pace with them.

  From the mast head came a cry, “Jarl, the first ship. She is sinking!”

  I looked astern. The white dragon had shipped too much water. I saw men clinging to the wreckage. The survivors would be the ones who wore no mail or had been able to shed it. Ran had reaped a fine harvest. I looked at the black dragon drekar. Olaf was taking ‘Crow’ alongside her. Further astern my other two drekar had now cleared the harbour and were putting on all sail possible. I could not worry about my son and grandson. They were warriors and would have to take their chances.