by Hosker,Griff
Ulf Big Nose smiled and put his arm around Siggi, "This was meant to be, my cuz. You should have been jarl years ago and we both know it. You should lead the clan for the alternative is those two mindless lumps, the Erikssons. Accept and I will follow you again."
All but the Eriksson brothers and their two friends shouted the same. I turned to Siggi. "Do you accept or should we go through every warrior and dismiss them? You are Raven Wing Clan. You are the heart of the warriors. When we fight in the shield wall it is your voice we hear. What say you?"
My eyes pleaded with him and eventually he nodded, "I accept." There was a cheer from all save the four dissenters. He held his hands up, "With a condition. When I am weary of the task and too old to fight in the shield wall we will hold a Thing and see if there is another who could lead the clan."
We all nodded. Ulf Big Nose asked, "And this news of the Franks. What do we do about that?"
"I have thought about that. They need a warning that we are still dangerous to cross. We take the drekar and we sail along their coast. If they think we are raiding then they will stay close to home. The ship needs a voyage does she not Sven?"
"Aye she does and we need to rearrange the oars. We have lost the hearth-weru. I do not think we have enough men to raid do you?"
"Then we will rearrange the oars and we do not need to land. We just need to scout and to threaten. If they are planning an attack then their preparations should be obvious. We sail in three days time."
I nodded, "Then I had better get back to my home. It is the closest part of the island to the Franks and needs protection."
"I would you stayed here. We need to talk."
"I am sorry Jarl. Ulf here pointed out that I had a responsibility to my people. They need me. I will sail with you for I am part of the clan but I will leave my home and people so that they can be defended."
Ulf nodded, "That is at it should be. I will stay here until we sail." He lowered his voice and his words were just intended for Siggi and me, "I think, old friend, that we need Hrolf and myself to scout. He speaks the words of the Franks. If we can discover their plans it will save a fruitless voyage."
"You may be right. I will send the knarr captain back to Dyflin and tell him of our news. I will inform Jarl Gunnstein Berserk Killer that if he wishes to raid Wessex to collect weregeld we will join him."
Rurik and Arne Fur Toes wandered over, "Aye the honour of the clan demands it and it might quieten the Eriksson boys."
"Arne, I will happily quieten those two down permanently!"
Siggi shook his head, "No Ulf Big Nose. They spoke in haste. We know that is their way." He was already the jarl. I could hear the authority in his voice. He turned to me, "We will see you in three days, Hrolf."
Mary was quiet as we headed back to my hall. "Must you go? Why do you have to seek trouble?"
"We do not seek trouble but we need to know why the Frank was sniffing around our bay. We will not be away for long and I will make sure that you, Gilles and our people are safe."
"I am more worried about you. The others will be on the drekar and it will be you who is with Ulf Big Nose surrounded by enemies."
"That is enough!"
She remained silent.
As we dismounted I said, "Gilles and I will work on the wall. I want you to tell Skutal and Sigurd what we do."
Sulkily she stormed off down the hill. Gilles shook his head, "Why do women take on so, lord?"
"They are different to us, that is all. I would not change them. She cares for us."
He laughed, "She cares for you, lord!"
I put his words from my mind. They were an unwanted distraction. I needed to make my home as safe as it could be. "We will put up the palisade. I had planned on embedding it in the stone wall but we do not have time. We will put it outside the wall and above the ditch."
We began to work. It meant we did not have to build a fighting platform and we could complete the work in a faster time. It was a two man job. Gilles held the post while I stood on the stones and hammered it down deep into the soil. I wanted the length of a man's arm burying beneath the newly built bank. We had finished three when Mary returned. From her red eyes she had shed tears. "I have told their wives. They are out at the nets."
"Thank you."
"Can I help?"
I smiled. It was her way of building bridges. "Some food would be welcome. This will take until after dark."
Sigurd and Skutal came a short while before the sun set. I told them our news and they threw themselves into the work. "If we had been there, lord, we would have supported Siggi White Hair. Our father said he was the wisest man in the clan."
Skutal asked, "Will you need us on the drekar, lord?"
"I would prefer you here. We do not go to fight and I would be happier knowing my home was safer."
They seemed pleased about that and worked even harder. By the time they left we were exhausted but we had a wooden wall along the north side of our hall. We trudged into the hall and were greeted by an aromatic smell. Mary had made a stew. I was so hungry that my stomach ached.
"That smells good."
"The first of the herbs were ready. When they are young they have a better flavour. I am pleased you are happy."
We ate in silence for Gilles was as hungry as I was and Mary watched us devour the stew, the fresh bread and the cheese. Her beer was the equal of Brigid's and I smiled in satisfaction.
"Will the walls be finished before you go?"
"They will. Then I will show you and Gilles how to fetch in the bridge over the ditch to add protection to the gate. If Skutal and Sigurd are here then they can do that but you two need to be able to do this."
"It would be hard for us to defend the walls especially if there are just the two of us."
"I would say almost impossible so I hope that you have company. We have plenty of arrows and spears. An enemy can be deterred from climbing a wall. We have made the ditch wide and before I leave we will fill it with water."
"But the water will soak away."
"It will but it will leave the bottom muddy. If they have ladders then they will sink. We will have sharpened the stakes to make it hard to climb over. These will be Franks and not Vikings. If they do come then keep fighting even though they may outnumber you."
"I am a woman!"
"Use a spear. If they get close use a hand axe. A man cannot climb a wall, hold a shield and wield a weapon."
They considered that and then Gilles said, "Lord, how do you and the clan manage it then?"
I laughed, "We are Vikings and the rules which apply to ordinary men do not apply to us!" For some reason that made them both laugh and the evening ended in good humour.
Thanks to Skutal and Sigurd, as well as their families, the wall was complete at the end of the second day. Skutal's eldest proved quite adept at sharpening the palisade with the adze and hand axe. I showed them how to lift the bridge and make it into a second gate and I showed them all the spare weapons. I had collected them since I had first joined the clan. There was even the curved sword of the blackamoor who had been the first warrior I had killed. There were bows, arrows, spears, two axes, a hand axe, four seaxes and three swords. None of them were of the best but Gilles put an edge on to them and they would do. You can kill a man with a branch of a tree.
"How will we know when to come and join your family, lord?"
"If you see the Franks then you come. If you fear for your lives then you come. We will be away for a couple of days only."
I left before dawn on the day I had said I would return to the clan. I did not take my mail. I would be scouting. I took Heart of Ice, my shield and my Saami bow.
I would be riding to the village. "I will leave Dream Strider with Erik One Hand. He is a kind man and Dream Strider does not mind him. It may make the mares pine for him. When he returns, who knows, they may make more foals!"
I was about to mount when Mary ran to me and, throwing her arms around me, kissed me. It was a kiss o
f passion and not farewell. "Return, Hrolf the Horseman. I do not wish to be alone!"
Gilles turned away and I mounted. I know I should have said something but nothing came to mind. I had been taken aback and yet Ulf had said something already about this. Was this the Norns weaving their threads again?
Chapter 3
Siggi White Hair would not be rowing, he was Jarl Siggi now. He took it upon himself to allocate our benches. With fewer rowers we had just two to an oar. I was with Rurik One Ear by the steering board. Opposite were Ulf Big Nose and Arne Four Toes. We had the place of honour. It was not that we were the strongest but we were the most dependable and Siggi had sat with us. As we headed out to sea he began a chant to help us row and to make us one clan, again.
Through the waves the oathsworn come
Riding through white tipped foam
Feared by all raven's wing
Like a lark it does sing
A song of death to all its foes
The power of the raven grows and grows.
Through the waves the oathsworn come
Riding through white tipped foam
Feared by all raven's wing
Like a lark it does sing
A song of death to all its foes
The power of the raven grows and grows.
The power of the raven grows and grows.
The power of the raven grows and grows.
As we turned around the headland the wind came from our steerboard quarter but we still rowed. It would make us whole again. The divisions of the land would be eradicated by our drekar. We headed to the Frankish shore. We would sail to An Oriant. There Ulf and I would slip ashore to discover what we could. The drekar would then sail along the coast to keep an eye on our island before returning, a day later, to pick us up. Sven said that if the winds proved unfavourable he would anchor in my bay. For that I was grateful.
All the work I had done on my wall had prepared me well for the voyage and while some of the others looked to be weary I was ready to row for longer. Ulf too, a hard man, looked to be comfortable. I noticed Siggi as he identified those who had a problem. Jarl Gunnar had never bothered overmuch about how we rowed. Siggi knew that it was as important as the shield wall. We headed in to shore. We had most of the day to get close to An Orient. We would land some five miles west of the stronghold. We would have to last for most of two days and a night but I was confident that we could so.
We headed in to the small river to the west of An Orient. We saw fishing boats which fled when they saw the dragon ship approach. We pulled in to the eastern shore. Ulf and I had done this before and we slipped ashore without any fuss. We did not look back. There was no need. The drekar would head west and we would head east. They would return for us and wait. If we died and did not return then others would scout. That was the way of the clan. We waded through the shallows to the shore and clambered up the bank. We headed to the woods which lay ahead of us. We had seen no one as we had headed west but we would take no chances. Once in the eaves of the wood I unslung my bow and readied an arrow. Ulf sniffed. When I had first seen him do this I wondered why. Now I knew. He nodded and pointed east. There was no danger close by.
I followed Ulf as he loped along the hunters' trails. My job was to watch his back. Despite his age Ulf could run as long as any man I ever knew, even with a bad leg. I was indebted for the work I had put in with my wall. I was able to keep up with him. He had lost his speed but not the ability to run all day. His bad leg gave him a strange gait. I saw that I could see the difference in the mud when we ran through wet sections. I was becoming a better scout. With his keen sense of smell and the senses of a hunting dog he kept us out of trouble. Even I could avoid places that smelled of wood smoke but I had no idea that there were Franks on the greenway until he led me into the undergrowth and we waited with bows ready.
I thought he had heard things for we waited for a long time and then I felt the movements of horses walking along the path. Their hooves sent vibrations through the ground. Then I heard their voices. I could make out most of their words. We did not move as they came down the path past us. There were six of them. Two looked to be nobles and I saw they carried hunting bows. Ulf let them move some way down the path before he led us out. I was desperate to tell him what I had heard but he would speak when it was safe. Until then I would remain silent.
He held his hand up when I could smell wood smoke again and the sound of animals. He took me from the greenway and we went into the woods. He sniffed and then said, quietly, "Speak. What did the Franks say?"
"They were hunting. The lord of An Orient, Ambhoc, is gathering his men for a feast."
"They attack our island?"
"They did not say so but it would make sense."
"Then we need to see what ships they have. That will tell us the number of men they bring. We will approach from the sea. Take off your helmet. Put your cloak over your shield. If we are seen then our bows might mark us as hunters returning from an unsuccessful hunt."
When we were ready we ran towards the sea. This was empty land. The trees in which we ran had little game. The Franks had so much timber that they did not need to cut them down. We were alone. We smelled the sea long before we saw it. As we cautiously edged out I saw our island to the south of us. It was a grey smudge. The beach lay before us and we kept it to our right as we ran the last couple of miles to the entrance of the harbour.
An Orient was the largest harbour I had ever seen. We knew from our voyages up and down the coast that it was sheltered from the storms which battered this coast in winter. They had, on the east bank, a citadel. It was a stone tower from which they could watch the sea and the entrance to their harbour. I suspected that they lit a fire there when it was foggy to guide ships in. I had sometimes seen a glow in the distance when I watched from my headland. We sheltered on the opposite bank so that we could observe it and look up into the harbour. It was just four hundred paces from us across the wide entrance to An Oriant harbour. It was high with one entrance and we could see the sentries in the top. Glancing up river I saw the island which lay in the middle of the harbour. It was uninhabited but looked to give shelter. It was there I saw their ships. They had eight of them. Beyond the eight I saw the masts of others but there only looked to be four or five of them. This was the fleet that they would use to attack us. On the other bank they had their homes, there halls and their walls. They had a stone and wooden fortress.
Ulf led us inland a short way, using the trees for cover to have a closer look at their fortress. We spied their hall and its stockade. It was made of stone and wood. The walls were twice as high as a man. It was a substantial fortification. It made my wall look like an animal pen. We did not have enough men to take it. It was almost a mile away but we could still hear the hubbub from within. It was busy. There looked to be many people there. We had seen enough and Ulf led us back through the trees. It was gone noon. It had taken many hours to reach here. We would have to avoid the greenway on our return. There may have been more than one party of hunters.
We reached the river well after dark. We had food and water with us. We ate dried cod and drank from our water skins. We took it in turns to sleep. Ulf was naturally taciturn and silent. I was alone with my thoughts. Should I have accepted the offer to be jarl? I dismissed the idea as soon as it crawled into my head. I was not ready. It may have been that the Norns were testing me. Perhaps, in spurning it, I would never lead my own band. I knew, however, that had I taken it I would have had to battle those like the Eriksson brothers and others to hold on to it. That might have destroyed the clan. I did not regret my decision.
As dawn broke I woke Ulf and we headed to the shore to await the drekar. She came from the dark of the west and she was a welcome sight. With her raven prow she cut through the water like a power sea monster. We waded into the shallows and were hauled on board. We did not leave immediately. Our news was too important. "Well?"
Ulf pointed east. "They are coming. Warriors are ga
thering and we have seen their fleet. They have at least ten ships."
Beorn Beornsson said, "That could be five hundred warriors. We could not defeat that number."
Ulf flashed him an irritated look. There was little point in stating the obvious. Siggi nodded, "Then we have a number of choices. One is to wait for them and make the end of the Raven Wing Clan a tale to be told throughout the ages."
Ulf Big Nose said, "Save that we will all be dead and no one will live to tell the tale!"
Siggi White Hair sighed. They were old friends and knew each other well. Ulf's outburst could be tolerated. "A second choice is to leave the island and find a new home." He nodded to me, "That would suit Hrolf the Horseman."
This time it was Ketil Eriksson who spoke, "But we have only one drekar and we have families. Where would we go?"
Siggi nodded, "And we have a third choice. We go to the Franks and make a peace with them."
There were rumblings then for that was not our way.
"There is a fourth choice."
Every eye switched to me. Siggi asked, "A fourth?"
"If they have no ships then they cannot attack us. We attack their ships at anchor. They are yet to be loaded. They will have a watch on board and the sentries will not be mailed. If we attack in the night then we can set them on fire. We might even block their harbour."
I had surprised all of them. Sven the Helmsman asked, "And what of their watch tower on the headland?"
"It will be night and they will not see us but if you wished we could land men and eliminate them."
Ulf Big Nose shook his head, "It matters not. If they do see us they can signal the citadel and the ships but by then it will be too late. I like the plan."
We all looked to Jarl Siggi White Hair. He nodded. "Let us do as Hrolf the Horseman suggests. We will wait here until dark. We can gather kindling from the forest and use pots to allow us to use fire."
We had spare pots on board. They were used to store the cheese and pickled foods we brought on board. We could now use them to make fires on the shore and then carry them safely on the drekar. It was a more reliable method of starting a fire than using a flint.