“That should be enough warriors.” He looked around. “Where are your sons?”
“Rollo is with my father and Ragnvald is working on the ship.”
“Ragnvald the Breton Slayer already has songs sung about him. My warriors were impressed with both him and Arne. You are lucky to have such a son.”
I wondered about that.
Bertrand and Gilles’s sons were the first to arrive. They wanted to rest the horses for a couple of days before pushing on to the land of the Bretons. All three knew their horses and they had brought spares.
“Our father stays at home. He was thrown by a wild horse earlier this year. His leg has not recovered.”
“You need not apologize, Erik Gillesson. I am just grateful that you came. As you and your men do not wear mail I wanted to use you as scouts. Your horses are fast and should be able to outrun the Bretons. Lord Bertrand’s men have mail vests. I want the two of you to operate as our eyes and ears. The men from Gilles’ stad can find the enemy and Lord Bertrand’s men will shield us from their sight. I wish my men and those sent by my father to remain hidden. Fifty mailed men should come as a real surprise to our enemies.”
“We can do that.”
Over the next two days Rollo One Ear and the men from the Haugr arrived. They were a magnificent sight. All had mail byrnies. Their helmets had all been made by Bagsecg. Each had a shield which bore my father’s sign, the horse. Rollo’s banner was a horse on a green background. It had been his father’s. As soon as they arrived I felt more confident. My own banner was a white horse on a blue background with a sword in the corner. It fooled our enemies for often they took the sword for a cross. It was not.
My wife complained about the number of horses. The farmers, on the other hand, were happy for their fields were fertilised. My wife’s complaint was the smell. I did not say that I preferred it to the smell of fish. That would have been one more argument and I had had enough of late.
The arrival of so many warriors brought Ragnvald and Arne, as well as the other boys, to admire the armour and weapons of the warriors. They came and spoke with them. It was the closest my son had been to me since I had returned from the Haugr. I saw the envy on his face and the disappointment knowing he would not be going to war with us. As with all boys they were fascinated by wounds and they questioned Rollo One Ear about his injury. I knew that he was proud of his wound for he had helped to save the life of my father. I watched as Arne and Ragnvald exchanged looks. They had tried to save Leif and failed. It put their heroics into perspective.
We left early. My own goodbyes were cold. My men left to cheers and hugs.
It was just fifteen miles to Lessay. With Gilles’ men ahead of us I was confident that we would reach the former Breton village without incident. The Norse who farmed there had told us that the Bretons rarely bothered them. They said that the Bretons feared the wrath of the Northmen. Folki was already there. The village had been burned but there had been a stone tower. Folki had built the camp around that. He had put stakes in and fires were burning for food when we arrived. It had taken half a day to reach the village. We would use speed when we had to. That would be when we had taken Périers.
Périers was just six miles from us. I sent Erik Gillesson and four men to scout it out, while we held a counsel of war.
“Lord Bertrand I would have you take your men tomorrow south of Périers. Cut them off from Coutances. I will lead my horsemen to take the town. Folki you and Rollo One Ear follow up with the men on foot. We should know, when Erik returns, the size of the force we face. When we have taken Périers we scout out Coutances. I have no doubt that they will quickly hear of Périers and wish to do something about it.”
“You would bring them to battle?”
“Yes Bertrand. I do not want them to gather an army to attack us. I want them to come to try to rid the land of us. They will just see two warbands of horsemen. They will not see Folki or Rollo One Ear. We draw them on and eliminate them. My main intent is to destroy both places. I want them empty when we come south at Tvímánuður.”
We had ale for the first night. After that we would be reliant on taking from the Bretons. Erik and his men rode in when we had just begun to cook the food we had brought. It was late afternoon.
“Jarl they have some horsemen there.”
I looked over to Folki. “They did not have them when we scouted ten days ago.”
Was this a coincidence or a trap? “Any new defences?”
“They have just the ditch.”
“Then my plan does not change. What did they have upon their shields?”
“We were too far away to see clearly, jarl, but they appeared to have some sort of bird on a yellow background.”
Folki said, “Lord Salomon.”
I drank sparingly and lay watching the sky above. I had not known the name of my enemy in Saint Maclou but I knew this one.
One of my young warriors had asked to carry my banner. Karl Bennisson was the son of Benni the Builder who had made my walls and my hall. He was young and that was why I allowed him the banner. His orders were to ride behind me and to signal the rest of my warriors. He would be more likely to survive that way. This was his first raid.
With five men left at Lessay to watch our spare horses and supplies we set off before dawn had broken. We would not attack in the dark but when the people were half asleep would give us the greatest chance of success. Gilles’ sons and Lord Bertrand led their men in a long loop south of the town. We left at the pace of Folki and his men. That would allow my other men to be in position before we attacked. We headed south west. Although Périers was small it was important. The old Roman roads crossed at that point. The Franks who had lived there before the Bretons had realised the strategic significance of the site and built a small stronghold there. We had destroyed it. We needed it removed so that our attack on Cancale could succeed.
The land over which we travelled was flat and much of it had been cleared of trees. It was perfect for horses. As dawn broke in the east I spied the buildings which made up the village. I reined in just a mile from the first building. It looked to be a farm. I turned to Folki. We will begin our attack. Fetch your men behind us but do not exhaust them.”
“Are we here just to be observers?”
I smiled at Folki, “When we reach Coutances you know that it is we who will be watching. This is horse work and that will be axe work.” He nodded. I waved my spear to have us form into two lines. The experienced warriors from the Haugr and from my hall rode in the first line with me. We were not a long line. We were just twenty-five men long but that would be enough for Périers. I dug my heels and Dawn’s Light responded. My mount began to canter. There was no avoiding the sound of our hooves on the ground. There had been rain and the ground was not bone hard but the vibration would travel to the village. The earth would feel as though it was shaking.
I heard shouts. As we neared I saw faces appear. Spears were shaken and orders were shouted. The screams and shouts grew and I saw the people begin to flee. We were drawing inexorably closer to them and yet we were still riding at an easy pace. There were even more horsemen waiting to catch them on the far side of the village. A dozen men armed with spears, shields and wearing helmets formed a line across the road. They were brave men and they were trying to slow us down to allow their families to escape.
I lowered my spear and pulled my shield a little tighter to me. The dozen men were clearer now. I saw a couple of greybeards and others without beards. Those without beards had never fought. Whoever had formed the line had not done so with any thought. Two of those without beards fled when we were just forty paces from them. They did not want to face death. They were not yet ready. That left gaps and, as the Bretons shuffled to fill them, we struck.
I lunged at the warriors in the centre. His spear came towards Dawn’s Light’s shoulder. The warrior had fought horsemen. I was taller than most men with a longer reach. Had I not been then his spear might have hurt my horse. As
it was my spear struck him in the left shoulder and spun him around. We were tightly packed and our horses could not avoid the Bretons. Soren Asbjornson was next to me and his horse trampled over the warrior, crushing his skull. I did not pause. The two men who had fled were being caught by us. Soren urged his horse on. We did not need a single line now. The young warrior kept glancing over his shoulder. That was a mistake for it added to his fear and slowed him down. Soren had time to choose his spot. He speared the man on his left side just below his shoulder blades. The Breton gave a scream as he died.
I was now ahead of the others. They had spread out to cover as much of the village as they could. The other young man was almost within range of my spear. I thought of my sons. I would not want them to die in their first battle. I held my spear out horizontally and the haft smacked into the back of his helmet. He pitched forward and lay still. I passed no one else until I reached the southern edge of the village. I saw the villagers who had fled. They were surrounded by Lord Bertrand. I slowed my horse to a walk and headed towards them.
The women and the old held their families close together. I saw Bretons with their eyes closed and hands together as they prayed for forgiveness before they died. They were resigned to death. I saw that all of Lord Bertrand’s horses had riders. None had been hurt. I took off my helmet and planted my spear into the ground.
“Who speaks for you?”
One older woman looked around and stood. “I am Bertha wife of Arles, the headman. You have killed him, speak to me, barbarian.”
I heard Soren take an intake of breath.
“Peace Soren. She is a brave woman. I like that.” I pointed towards the south west. “That way lies the land of the Bretons. This is now the Land of the Horse. You have two choices, return to your own people or swear allegiance to me and mine.”
She raised her head and jutted her jaw, “Obey the orders of a heathen who eats babies? Never. We will find our own people and they will come and retake this land from you.”
“Perhaps but you would not have it had we not taken it from the Franks.” I pointed behind me. “One of your young warriors is back there and wounded. If you wish him to live then go fetch him.”
There were six young boys close to the woman. They looked to be twelve summers old. They had knives in their belts. The woman pointed and they began to move. Karl backed his horse away so that they had a clear passage.
I turned in the saddle, “Go and search the village. We will use this as our base.”
My men turned and left. Lord Bertrand said, “Erik and Rollo, take your men. You know what to do.”
The two young men whipped around their horses’ heads and galloped off in the direction of Coutances. The boys carried the helmet, shield and spear of the young man. He was supported by two others. I saw that his head was bloodied but he was awake. As he passed me he glared up at me. I leaned down to speak to him, “You have been lucky today, Breton. I gave you your life. You do not deserve it for you deserted your shield brothers. Become a better warrior. You are the last man of your people now.”
He thought about replying but did not and he joined the thirty villagers who began to trudge south to Coutances. I turned my horse and headed for the village. Folki and the others had arrived. “Karl ride back and bring our supplies and spare horses from Lessay.”
“Aye, jarl. That was easy.”
“The next battle will not be. There are horsemen at Coutances.” He galloped off and I dismounted and led my horse to the water trough in the village. Dawn’s Light drank deeply. The men who were on foot were already at work. The huts were being demolished to make barriers behind which they could defend our gains if we needed. When we had no further need of them they would be burned. They would not be able to rebuild before Tvímánuður.
Snorri Snorrison brought me a horn of cider. “It is not ale, jarl but it will quench the thirst.” I nodded and began to drink. “There is little that we want from here, jarl.”
“We have all that we need. We have the crossroads. When next we come we can be sixty miles inside the land of the Bretons before they even know it. When we attack Cancale it will come as a complete shock to them. After that we may build here.”
Lord Bertrand had dismounted next to me and he had heard my words, “I think this Lord Salomon of Saint-Lô will not let us build anything here.”
“Then we raid Saint-Lô and destroy it.”
Lord Bertrand laughed, “You seek more land than your father.”
“I do as my father did. I seek security. We will not countenance reducing Saint-Lô until we have punished Cancale but this land is good horse country.”
“You are right there and with a hall such as the Haugr then a few men on horses could control this whole land.”
We found the village bread oven. We were able to save the bread before it was burned and my men use the prepared dough to bake more. The villagers had food and we took that too. While our horses drank, we ate.
“Send a rider back to Folki. Tell him that when he has eaten he can follow us to Coutances.”
Snorri nodded, “Aye jarl.”
Chapter 5
I turned to my men, “Come let us advance on Coutances.” I was about to lead the men off again when Erik Gillesson and two of his men rode in.
“Jarl, there are horsemen coming from Coutances. We saw them five Roman miles from here. There are fifty of them. They are led by the six mailed riders from Saint-Lô. My brothers and the others are shadowing them. They will tell us if they deviate.”
I smacked one hand onto the table. “They have taken the bait! Folki prepare a shield wall. Riders, mount!”
As we left the village I retrieved my spear and I led my men down the road. Coutances was ten miles away and due south. They would be more tired than we when we met them. They would have ridden hard. Rollo Gillesson and his men galloped towards us. Behind them I could see the banners of the enemy. They were galloping and they were spread out. I had no time to give orders. This battle would be fought as we clashed. It would tell me if we had improved as horsemen. Rollo Gillesson and his men and his men rode around us to join at the rear. Our front rank was filled with mailed warriors.
“Stay behind me Karl!”
“Aye, jarl!”
This was not the thunderclap of two lines of warriors meeting each other and clashing. There would be no cacophony noise with shattering spears on shields. This was a series of cracks, cries and bangs as we met piecemeal. We were travelling at speed. This was not like riding down a man on foot. The end of my spear wavered up and down. There was almost as much luck in a kill than skill. The six mailed men were Franks and they led the line. They were their best warriors. I aimed it at the chest of the Frank who hurtled towards me. I kept my shield held tightly to my chest. It was slightly bowed. If the Frank’s spear caught the rear side it might well slide off. If it hit it on the front then I might be unhorsed.
My spear struck his shield and although he lurched backwards he held his seat and my spear was shattered. His spear smashed into my shield and splinters of wood flew in the air. I was gripping Dawn’s Light with my knees. Had I not been then I would have been thrown. I drew my sword. Dawn’s Light had begun to swing to my right and I used that swing. Karl barely managed to move out of my way. I galloped towards the Frank who was drawing his sword. Already our two bands of horsemen were intermingled. Our collision had not been cataclysmic. It had, however, stopped us.
I saw the Frank pull back his sword to sweep it at one of Lord Bertrand’s men who just wore a mail vest. I dug my heels in and my sword slashed at him and tore some of the mail on his back. My blade came away bloody. He whirled around, for his horse had almost stopped and he swung his sword at me. I blocked it with my shield and lunged at his chest. He was not expecting it and, as he lurched back, the wound came into contact with the cantle at the rear of his saddle. His back arced. I swung my shield around over my horse’s head and it hit his sword arm. As Dawn’s Light was also stopped I stood
in my stiraps and brought my sword down on his helmet. He was unable to block the blow for his shield was on the wrong side. I broke the metal of the helmet and his eyes glazed over. He fell over the back of his saddle.
“Jarl, watch out!”
One of the Bretons who had followed the Franks lunged at me with his spear. As I fended it off Karl rode at him and punched him in the side of the head with the end of my standard. He fell from his horse. Our superior numbers had won the day and the horsemen were fleeing.
“Karl go and fetch Folki. Tell him we assault Coutances now!” My men would have eaten and be following us. I needed them to march quickly.
“Aye, jarl!”
“Clan of the Horse! Follow them!”
I turned Dawn’s Light and followed the fleeing Franks and Bretons. Two of the mailed Franks remained and over twenty Bretons. They would be our passage into Coutances. I looked around and saw that Erik Gillesson was with me still. His leather jerkin was bespattered with blood. “Erik, keep with the Bretons and see if you can gain entry to their walls. Do not engage them. Just follow them into their walls. They will have to leave the gates open. If they are still open when you reach them then hold them and we will come to your aid.”
“Aye, jarl!”
This would be a long chase. It would take Folki and his men almost two hours to catch up with us. I realised that my men would have to fight on foot if we managed to take the gate. I began to prepare my orders for my men. I looked around. There were still over eighty men with me. It was gone noon. By the time Folki and his men arrived we would be approaching sun set. The Norns had been spinning. I had made plans and changed them. Now the Norns had changed them again. We had thrown the bones. I would have to see which way they fell.
I slowed down Dawn’s Light. The lighter warriors could keep their spears in the backs of our foes. I saw two Bretons lying on the ground. They were testament to the skill of my men. Bertrand’s lighter armed men were also outpacing us. Lord Bertrand joined me as we cantered along. “What is your plan, Ragnvald?”
Brothers in Blood (Norman Genesis Book 7) Page 7