by Hosker,Griff
"Where do I fight, lord?"
He looked different in his mail. Slightly too big it made him look even younger than he actually was. His spear, sword and shield were well made but did he have the skill to use them? I had taught him but he had not fought before.
I adjusted the mail about his shoulders to make it sit better and I said, "There is no shame staying at the back. Position yourself at the rear behind me for I command one wing of the clan. If a Frank comes before you then keep your shield high and use your spear to keep him at bay. Look for weakness. Keep your feet well apart so that you do not fall. The first time you fight is the hardest. Watch others. See how Rurik One Ear and Arne Four Toes fight. They will be before you."
Skutal appeared. He had on his brother's helmet and carried his shield and the sword I had given him.
"You two stay together in the fighting. Protect each other."
"Aye lord."
I turned to Erik Green Eye, "Watch these two, Erik. They are from our home."
"I will hersir."
As we turned to head south we passed along the eastern coast of the Cotelin and the sun dipped below the horizon. The result was that night fell faster than normal. The winds which had taken us swiftly east now slowed as the land took away some of their force. We would not have to row again but we would be sedate as we headed south. We had ship's boys at the bows and at the masthead. Ulf Big Nose was there too. He would tell us both of danger and of churches.
One of the ship's boys, Siggi Far Sighted, ran down the centre of the drekar, "Ulf says there are rocks off to the steerboard. He says to slow down and head away from them."
Sven signalled for the sails to be reefed. We needed to slow even more. Harald Fast Sailing hurried to the bow to speak with Ulf.
They were away some time and I began to wonder where we were heading. They came back and Ulf pointed to steerboard. "There is a church bell and I can smell wood smoke and incense."
Siggi smiled, "A church! Where away?"
Harald pointed due south. "There looks to be land to the south of us."
Sven put the steering board over a touch and we headed towards the church. Ulf was at the bows with the ship's boys and, by using hand signals we avoided the rocks. Soon we could all hear the bell. As Ulf had warned me of the smell I, too, detected the distinctive smell of burning incense. The priests of the White Christ used it in their ceremonies. It was a good sign for it was expensive. If they had coin to spend on such luxuries then it would be a rich church.
Rurik pointed to steerboard, "Look, the land is there. This must be an island."
Ulf Big Nose nodded, "They like to build the churches that contain their monks on such places. They think it makes them safe." He turned to me. "I do not think that the jarl will need us to scout."
I nodded. However, the fact that these were monks also meant I would not need my mail. I decided to leave it aboard the drekar. I could move faster without it. Sven steered to the east of the island so that we would be hidden from the land by the island itself. We found a small landing area just big enough for the drekar. Had we not had Ulf we might have ended up tearing the keel from beneath us. The island did not look to be large. From east to west it appeared to be no more than a thousand paces long. We could see the church. It was on a slightly higher piece of ground. Our sail had been reefed so that we were just making way. It meant we were as small a target as we could be and against the pitch black of an eastern sky, we would be invisible.
I went to the steerboard bow. I could see that it was low tide and there were rocks exposed to the right of us. Ulf was with me and he held up his hand. Sven turned the steering board so that we turned into the wind and we stopped. Ulf and I leapt into the water. There were flat rocks beneath our feet. We made our way carefully over the weed covered rocks. When the tide came in the drekar could come closer. This suited us for the land proper was still more than two hundred paces from us. Ulf waved the rest of the clan forward and we found the safest route towards the land. I heard a splash as someone fell into the water. They would not hear such a noise on the island. The bells had ceased but I could hear the chants which drifted over on the breeze.
Ulf snorted when he heard the splash but to be fair to the unfortunate warrior we had no mail to worry about. Once we reached the sand we stopped and Ulf let his nose detect danger. If there were men watching then he would smell them. It was unlikely but Ulf was always careful. I peered ahead. The church and the buildings around it were just four hundred paces from us. There appeared to be neither ditch nor wall. They used the sea as their defence. It was a mistake. As the rest of our men reached us they split into the two halves.
Siggi said, "Ulf Big Nose, take your men and cut off an escape to the land. There may be a causeway and it is low tide."
He nodded and waving to his men, loped off.
Jarl Siggi turned to me, "Come Hrolf, let us see if our first raid alone can be successful." I saw him clutch at his Thor's hammer. I nodded and, gripping the horse around my neck, invoked the help of the gods. I hoped the Norn's prediction was true. I prayed that I would have a home on the mainland and I would lead Vikings who rode horses.
"I will lead Jarl."
He nodded and I saw the pain etched on his face again.
We spread out in a wide line and headed towards the unprotected monastery. It was obvious to me that was what it was. We had raided enough of them. It was a large one for there were many outbuildings. The fact that we had heard the tolling of the bell meant that they were at prayers. The smell of incense and the chanting confirmed that. It would make it easier for us. They would all be together in the church.
A dog barked as we passed through the small gate. It was to keep animals in rather than raiders out. I put my hand out and the dog came to sniff me. Satisfied it followed us. It was not a guard dog. Nipper would have had an intruder's fingers! We could now hear their chanting. The church was a large one. It looked like one of our halls save that it had a small tower and a bell. There was one door before us and I guessed that there would be a second at the far end. We did not hurry for Ulf Big Nose had further to go to get around the far side of the buildings.
I waited by the door. Pressing my ear to it I could hear the chants from within. It was a service. The Jarl drew his sword as we approached the door. He nodded to me and I opened it. It opened inwards. He walked in and I followed. The interior was lit by many candles. It looked beautiful with a soft glow which cast interesting shadows on the walls. The priest at the front had his head bowed and we walked a few steps into the church before he raised his head, saw us and shouted, "Norsemen!"
It was as though a stone had been lifted for the priests ran like disturbed wood lice. It was pointless. Our men stood in the doors and, as they ran behind their altar towards the far door Ulf Big Nose and his men appeared. One of the priests made the mistake of swinging an incense carrier at Ketil Eriksson. He was slain for his trouble. The ones with him fled back to their altar where they all cowered.
"Hrolf, you speak their words. Tell them they will not die if they behave."
I addressed the priest who had been at the front. I guessed he was a leader. "Jarl Siggi White Hair promises that if you do not try to run then you will live. If you try to escape then you will die."
"What do you want pagan? We are men of God and not violence."
I spread an arm and said, "Your riches of course and your Holy Books for they are worth money and, perhaps, some of your priests to sell as slaves. Men pay money for priests who can read. Others like men with soft hands!"
"You will all rot in hell for this!"
I shrugged, "We do not believe in your hell. Now tell your priests to sit on the floor!"
He turned and said, "Do as the barbarian says. God will punish him and the Count will come with his men and slay them."
I turned to Siggi. "He says there is a noble nearby. He might be on the mainland."
"Then you and Ulf can scout it out. Go now while it is st
ill night." Raising his voice he shouted, "Search the church and the buildings. Take whatever we find back to the ship."
I turned to Gilles, "The Jarl may need you to translate. Stay close by him."
"Aye, Lord."
I found Ulf. He was searching the dead monk. "He is a piss poor monk, He only has a wooden cross."
"The Jarl wants us to scout out the mainland. There may be warriors there."
"The tide is rising. We may get wet." We hurried out towards the far end of the island. I could see that there was a causeway. In the middle it was already underwater. "Come, let us see how far we can get before we have to swim."
"But if we get across how will we get back?"
"I have no idea. One problem at a time eh?"
Once again we had slippery, weed covered rocks to negotiate. Fortunately this was a causeway and was not as bad for there were flat stones underfoot. We had six hundred paces to go but after a hundred paces the water rose first to our knees and then to our waists. I wondered if we would have to swim but then the land shelved. The level of the water dropped. We had time to spy out the land. There were fishing boats drawn up on the sandy beach and fishermen's huts close by. They did not present a danger. We scrambled up the beach and sheltered behind a boat.
Ulf was the expert but I had done this before. I scanned the land slowly allowing my eyes to become adjusted to the shadows and the shapes. I saw a large hump rising above the village. It looked man made. I stopped scanning and peered at it. I could just make out a dark finger rising from it; a tower. This was a Frankish burgh. They did not name them thus but that was what they were. Ulf waved me forward and we slipped through the huts. I saw the sky becoming lighter in the east. Soon it would be dawn. By then we would either have to be back on the island or hidden from view.
Ulf used every piece of cover he could as we approached the high ground. Closer to it did not look man made. It looked to be a rocky hill they had adapted as a citadel. They had built a tower and a wall on top of the natural contours of the land. There was no ditch. This was a refuge. Ulf nodded. He had seen enough and we hurried back to the causeway. The tide was racing in and we waded through the water. When we reached the deepest part we could no longer wade but had to swim. It was not far and we only had swords and helmets to worry us. When my feet found the stones I began to walk again. I saw the sky lighten to our right and we hurried to be hidden before we were seen. As soon as the fishermen woke then we would be seen for they would pass our drekar. The longer we remained hidden the better.
When we reached the church we saw the drekar being loaded. Jarl Siggi was readying himself for a rapid departure if our news was bad. He looked up from the chest he had just opened. "These are rich monks. This is the third chest of coins we have found and there are six holy books. What did you find?"
"There is a causeway. Fishing boats are on the beach and there are huts further inland. This is a haugr with walls and a tower. I think that is what the priest meant. There is no ditch. The tide is coming in and we will be cut off soon. If the drekar were to land on the beach we would be within sight of the burgh."
Jarl Siggi nodded, "Get something to eat. The monks had food prepared. We will load the drekar and see what daylight brings. We may go across the causeway at low tide."
As Ulf and I went to the place the monks ate, drawn by the smell of food, I said, "It is a risk, Ulf. We may be cut off."
"The drekar can come to the beach. It all depends upon the force we face. We have more men now."
"But not all are mailed."
"These are Franks. They are like weak Saxons. I fear them not."
We joined the other men who were still eating. We finished off the food which the monks intended for themselves. It was filling and we washed it down with the wine we found close to their altar. There was not enough to get drunk but just enough to make me feel warm again after my dunking.
The Jarl came over to us as we ate, "Ulf Big Nose, your men can rest now while Hrolf and his men watch." He pointed to the candles and put a seax mark half way down. "Change when the flame is there. I will be on the drekar."
I gave a wry smile, "Our rest will be all the more pleasant for we will anticipate it."
Ulf shrugged, "So long as I sleep, I care not!"
I gathered my men and divided them up. A third watched the priests. The rest were spread out and hidden to the west of the island. We would watch the land. I sat with Gilles, Skutal and Erik. We sat near the edge of the causeway. The priests had planted fruit bushes there for it was sheltered from the north by the monastery and faced south. Beneath the fruit laden branches we were invisible.
Gilles reached up and took a plum. He pulled it off and popped it in his mouth. He spat it out. Erik laughed, "You can tell it is not ripe yet. They begin to soften when they are ready to be plucked. Another moon and they will juicy."
"I know horses and not plums!"
"When we have tilled the land I will plant fruit trees. In our homes to the north it was hard to grow such plants. Here it is easy. We are windswept and by the sea yet these plants prosper. It is just a shame that our island is so rocky. This would be a good land to farm."
Skutal nodded, "Aye and to fish. When I loaded the drekar I saw hundreds of them in the bay. It is sheltered here and slightly warmer. This too would be a good place for a fisherman."
"You could sail here."
"Aye, Gilles, but the catch would not be as fresh when we landed it. Our fish is so fresh that it needs no cooking. We preserve it as soon as we land because want nothing to go to waste."
It was pleasant just sitting and talking. I determined to do more of this when we returned home. I would invite my men to join me for some beer and cheese. We would watch the sunset and make our world a better place in which to live.
"Lord, there is movement. The fishing boats are going to put to sea."
"I see them Gilles."
"They will see the drekar!"
"We are safe enough. The tide is in and they cannot cross the causeway yet. Jarl Siggi wishes to know the strength of the opposition. He is not afraid to fight but there is little point in fighting an army. There are other places to raid. We passed many villages on the way here. We can always go back at our leisure and raid as we go. We have already had much success. There were three chests of coins as well as the animals and holy books."
The ships disappeared behind the island. I knew that they would see the drekar and guessed that they would return. After a short time they almost flew back towards the beach and raced from their boats.
"See where they go. I am guessing the citadel but there may be another place close by."
They did, however, run to the citadel. I saw them wend their way up to it. There was no ditch but there was a path which would expose them to missiles from above. It reminded me a little of Bebbanburgh.
"Gilles, go and find the Jarl and tell him that we are discovered. I think he might know already but it is our duty to keep him informed."
Without exposing himself Gilles disappeared and ran towards the drekar. I saw five riders descend and make their way, with the fishermen, towards the beach. They were well mounted but only two wore mail. They both had simple helmets with no nasal and they both wore mail byrnies. It looked to me as though they were split down the side. They had round shields which were smaller than ours. One rode before the others and I guessed he was the lord. The other mailed warrior carried a banner with green and yellow stripes. The other three had helmets but no mail. Their horses were more like Dream Strider than Night Star.
The noble pointed and one of his men rode north. He pointed again a and second went south. He was trying to find out the true threat of a solitary drekar. Jarl Siggi ghosted behind me. I pointed, "He has sent scouts to see if we have landed north or south of here."
"He is cautious and not reckless. That tells me much."
"It is almost time for your rest. Go, take your men and get some sleep. Wake Ulf. The tide will not turn for anot
her couple of hours. We will wake you."
The men who had been in the monastery asked what we had seen. Arne Four Toes said, when we told him, "Then why do we sleep?"
"Because when the tide is right we can walk ashore and fight these Franks. The Jarl thinks that we are strong enough to defeat them and we can use the causeway and the beach to our advantage. Jarl Siggi White Hair is not a reckless warrior. He has fought in many battles and knows there is more to winning a battle than just have more men!"
Arne grinned, "Good! I did not want to miss out by sleeping through a battle!"
Chapter 8
"Lord, it is time."
Gilles' hand shook me from a deep sleep. I had been riding Dream Strider. It had been a good dream. I had also dreamed of something which I did not as yet understand. I saw a golden helmet. It was not mine for there was no face mask but it shone and there was gold upon it. I did not know what it meant. "Come Gilles, it is time for me to don my armour."
It did not take long to put on my mail byrnie. Like the Franks it was split down the side to enable me to use it on a horse. So far I had only done that once. He handed me my sword belt and shield. I slipped the shield around my back and hung my helmet from my sword hilt. Gilles gave me a spear.
"You and Skutal will be at the rear. I know you have a mail byrnie but you are not yet ready to trade blows with a Frank on a horse."
As we walked through the church I saw that the priests were no longer there. "Where are the monks?"
"Jarl Siggi put them on the 'Raven's Wing'. He said we could not afford to have men watching them."
I nodded. It made sense. It was now just past noon. The sun was high in the sky. It would be hot work if we fought. As I approached our men I saw the enemy. They were drawn up on the beach. They had twenty horsemen and the rest were what the Saxons called, the fyrd. There looked to be a hundred or so of them. We would be outnumbered by three to one. I saw that the causeway still had water in the middle but it looked to be just waist deep and the tide was on its way out.