I saw Magnús the Fish acknowledge the wave my father gave and he put the steering board over. We were landing.
“Steerboard ship oars!” We kept rowing as the other half of the drekar stopped. There was the slightest of bumps as my father said, “All oars in!”
Harold and I quickly withdrew our oar and then stacked it. We took our shields from the sheerstrake and I donned my helmet. The warriors who manned the steerboard oars were already swarming ashore. I followed Harold Strong Arm. There were twelve of us who would follow him. I was keenly aware that this would be the first time I had faced a foe and I did not want to let down either my father or my grandfather.
Ahead of me I heard the clash of metal on metal as Halfdan Ragnarsson led his men into the heart of Lundenwic. There was no order to us. It was a mass of warriors. I stuck close to Harold Strong Arm as my father had instructed me. I wondered if they would manage to slay all of the Saxons. That illusion was shattered when there was a roar from our right and a warband of Saxons emerged from the old Roman fort of Lundenburgh which lay close to us. Harold shouted, “Shield wall!”
I almost panicked for I was not close to those I was supposed to be. I was the one who would stand behind Harold Strong Arm and lay my shield over his head. I lengthened my stride and caught up with him. I had followed him and was next to him as we turned to face the Saxons. I locked my shield with his. Soren Asbjornson pushed his in front of me. Behind me I heard Eystein Foul Breath grunt, “I cannot get my shield over your head, man mountain!” He pushed it into my back. I remembered to put the weight on to my shield leg.
The Saxons were upon us before we knew it. I barely had time to poke my sword out before me. The Saxons clattered into us. A sword rang into my helmet. As the Saxon had struck from below me his blade spun up above my head. I moved my sword to the left. As I was taller and very strong, I was able to saw the sword across his neck. The blood spurted and then gushed over me.
Behind me I heard Eystein laugh. “You have first blood, Rollo!”
Harold shouted, “Hold them and when I shout we push!”
An axe suddenly appeared before my eyes and was slicing down at me. Was I supposed to maintain the shield wall and endure the blow? Instinct took over and I brought up the shield to catch the axe on it. I lunged with my sword and it went into the eye of the axe man.
“Two! It is like Hrolf the Horseman reborn!” Eystein Foul Breath was laughing.
“Push! Now!”
We all stepped off onto our sword leg. I had practised this often. As we did so we punched with our shields. The two men I had slain and the ones killed by Soren and Harold had made a hole in the Saxons and a hole in a line was a weakness. We pushed them back. I stabbed forward. I knew that I was supposed to swing but if I did so then I risked hitting Eystein and Einar behind me. Because I was taller than the Saxons I was able to stab down over their shields. I sliced into the shoulder of one Saxon and, as the next man raised his shield to protect himself, Soren sliced under his shield and he fell.
Now that we had blunted their attack and lessened their numbers we were able to push them back. More of our men had joined our shield wall and I found the strength of twenty men behind me.
Harold shouted, “Their gate is open! Clan of the Horse, push!”
With swords held before us we all stepped quickly forward. We had momentum. A Saxon slipped beneath my feet. I raised my seal skin boot and stamped hard on his face. I heard something crack. Soren and Harold stabbed and slashed before them. I realised that I had no opponents. I did not know why.
Eystein must have read my mind, “Rollo, they fear you! They think you are a giant!”
He was right. Men were attacking Soren and Harold rather than facing me. I used that to my advantage and hacked to left and right. With no one before me I had a full swing and the men facing Soren and Harold fell.
Harold Strong Arm shouted, “With me! We take the gate!”
I ran with Soren and Harold. I was certain that they must close the gate but there was no one there. Our shields were no longer locked and my long legs took me ahead of my companions. Two men ran to close the gates. I put all of my weight behind my shield and smashed at the four hands which held the two gates. The gates sprang asunder. I almost overbalanced. By the time I had regained my balance Soren and Harold had slain the two men and our warband was inside the walls of Lundenburgh.
Harold Strong Arm was one of the most experienced of my father’s men. He did not allow our sudden entry to make us race headlong into what might be a disaster. “Hold and reform!” As warriors locked shields again he said, quietly, “You did well. Now you are blooded and now you are a warrior. Welcome to the clan!”
It was one of my proudest moments.
Chapter 8
I looked behind and saw that there were now thirty of us. Worryingly there was no sign of our jarl, my father. I knew that he trusted his four hearth weru and this was part of the plan but I would have been happier if he had been close to me. Many of the Roman buildings inside the fort had been destroyed but there was still one, lone solid stone structure. I saw, in the rising sun, that there were Saxons there. This time they were forming up. It would be a shield wall.
Harold said, “Wedge! Soren and Eystein, behind me. Let the Jarl’s son occupy the third rank.” He laughed. “Perhaps he will draw their blows!”
Eystein shouted, “They will need a long sword to reach him! I swear there is snow on the top of his head!”
I laughed with him and the others. I was one of them now. The banter and the ribald humour were part of the acceptance. It mattered not what Ragnvald did now. I had oath brothers who meant more to me than my blood brother. I stayed where I was and the others formed up around me. We stepped forward, chanting as we went.
Clan of the Horseman
Warriors strong
Clan of the Horseman
Our reach is long
Clan of the Horseman
Fight as one
Clan of the Horseman
Death will come
Clan of the Horseman
Warriors strong
Clan of the Horseman
Our reach is long
Clan of the Horseman
Fight as one
Clan of the Horseman
Death will come
I sang as lustily and loudly as any. I felt privileged for I had a clearer view than those behind me. I held my shield above the heads of Eystein Foul Breath and Soren Asbjornson. I was so tall that Erik and Ragnar who flanked me were able to use their shields to protect the sides of our wedge. The closer we came the faster we moved. Never quite reaching a run when we struck the Saxon line, it was with four swords sticking out from the front. My reach was so long that my blade was level with Eystein and Soren. The four swords struck the leading two men of Wessex. They had spears and they thrust them at us but our shields were large and our helmets well made. Both spears came for my head. My grandfather’s helmet saved me for although both struck they glanced off either side and the two men perished. Erik and Ragnar’s swords came into action as did the two behind them. Harold was face to face with a warrior who had been in the second rank. Harold brought his sword up and into the Saxon’s body and then there was just one man facing Harold.
“Break wedge!”
Eystein and Erik turned left and hacked into the sides of the two men there. Ragnar and Soren did the same to the right and I stepped forward and attacked the man who tried to stab Harold. I backhanded my sword across his chest. I am not certain if I broke his mail but I broke his breastbone for I heard it snap. He gasped for breath and I plunged my sword into his neck. I joined Ragnar and Soren. The men we faced had been at the rear of their line. They wore no mail and they were the ones reluctant to be in the front rank and face death. They died easily. The first man I had slain had died so quickly that I had not had time to think about it. With the men we faced I did. I saw the fear in their eyes and knew I would win. They did not see an untried youth. They
saw a giant in a full-face helmet. I watched their swords and spears come to me and I seemed to have all the time in the world to block the blow with my shield. When I feinted with my shield they took the bait each time and I was able to place my sword into soft flesh rather than shield or bone. The three of us worked along their line until they were all dead. I looked around for more Saxons. I wanted to kill more men!
Soren Asbjornson seemed to realise it. After sheathing his sword, he put his hand on mine, “Breathe, Rollo. The blood rushes to your head. Now is the time for you to become calm. You have done well. Already you think you will rush off and slaughter every Saxon before you. That is for others. In here lies treasure. We need that treasure. Sheathe your weapon and put your shield on your back you will need both hands.”
I nodded and forced myself to do as he said. I took off my helmet for my head was so hot I thought it would boil. The cool morning air helped me. I sheathed my sword as I looked around. Our men were putting the last of the Saxons to the sword. Others were at the east gate and the last of the garrison were dying. I slipped my shield on to my back and saw that four of our shield wall lay dead. It calmed me more than anything. I had thought we could not be killed. I was wrong.
Harold pointed at the building. “Search it. They normally have valuables here. Rollo, keep your seax in your hand. In the confines of a building it is a better weapon.”
I nodded and reached behind me to pull out the viciously sharp weapon. I followed him into the building. I was amazed at the quality of the stone work. I had thought my grandfather’s stronghold was impressive but it was as nothing compared with this. This was Roman stonework and that was the best. The wisdom of carrying a seax was shown when a hidden Saxon suddenly lurched out to try to impale me on his sword. He did not have enough room to swing and I grabbed his right hand as I ripped the seax across his throat.
“Well done. These Saxons are sneaky.” We had reached a small room which was lit by a single candle. Harold said, “Help me move this table.”
We pushed the table out of the way and Harold took the candle that lit the room. He leaned down. “Go and fetch the Saxon sword.” While I did so he shouted, “Soren, Eystein!”
I returned with the sword and our two shield brothers appeared. Harold put the sword into a crack and began to lever the square stone. The stone almost came out but then the sword snapped. Soren must have expected this for he suddenly slipped his seax under the stone before it could fall back into place. When Harold put the broken sword under it a second time he was able to lift it up. When it was removed I saw that there were steps leading down.
Eystein laughed, “Well Rollo, I cannot see you fitting down there!”
Harold said, “Go outside and see if we are needed elsewhere.”
The sun was up when I emerged. Ragnar and Erik were organising the men and tending to the minor wounds. “A good battle. We all made a kill and we lost few men.” Ragnar held up a sack. “We took treasure from the dead. We will share it when we are back on the drekar. Has Harold found treasure?”
“He has found a hidden room.”
“Then he will have treasure for all these Roman forts have such a room. The trick is finding them.”
Our three companions joined us. They laboured with three large chests. They placed them on the floor. Harold said, “You six carry them. We will head back to the ship.” He glanced around. The interior of the fort was filled with our warriors and the dead. He nodded, seemingly satisfied.
I saw more of our men heading back to the drekar. Some were carrying booty and others helping wounded comrades. I saw Snorri Snorrison. He ran up to Harold and me, “The Jarl is wounded. It might be a bad one. He is on the ship. I have a healer looking at him.”
Suddenly the treasure seemed unimportant. Someone had placed a gangplank so that we could board the drekar. We ran up it. Men were crowding around my father. We dropped the chests on the ship and Harold Strong Arm shouted, “Move away from the jarl!” His voice had the desired effect. “Get these chests stored. Fetch our dead so that we can take them home!”
I saw that there was a priest seeing to my father. There was a bloody bandage around his thigh. Ragnvald was standing close by. In contrast to Magnús the Fish who looked worried, my brother just appeared to be curious. Harold said, “Priest, will he live?”
The priest’s voice showed the terror the Saxon felt, “I have cleaned the wound but it is bleeding and I cannot staunch it.”
“Then get off the ship while you still live.” As the man ran off Harold took my father’s sword belt and wrapped it around the leg above the wound. He looked first at Ragnvald and then at me, “Go and fetch a brand. We will seal the wound. It will hurt and it will smell but it will save both his life and his leg.”
Harold had been with my father as long as any and I trusted him. I dropped my shield and ran from the drekar. We kept no fire on the wooden ship but there was one at the gates of the fort. I ran. Folki and others were coming back laden with boxes. He shouted, “She must be pretty if you run after her!”
I shouted back, without turning, “My father is badly wounded!”
I knew without looking that Folki would have dropped his treasure and run to my father’s side. I reached the fort and took both brands. As I ran the air made them flame up. I roared, “Out of my way!” My huge frame helped to clear a path and I hurtled up the gangplank and on to the drekar.
Folki was leaning over my father. He moved aside when I approached. “Give me the brand. I have done this before.” I handed him one of the brands. Without hesitation he plunged it into the torn flesh. Magnús the Fish was holding down my father’s upper body. Even so I saw our captain rise as my father, even though he was not fully conscious, arced his back with the pain. There was a smell of burning hair and flesh. I wondered how long Folki would hold it there but he eventually lifted it. He stood, “We have done enough here. Until Jarl Ragnvald recovers I will command the Clan of the Horse. Let us return to the longphort and thence home.”
Soren pointed, “It seems that others are leaving already.”
I saw the drekar of Jarl Bjorn Arneson, ‘Storm Bird’ , with full sail, heading downstream. I looked at Harold. He shrugged, “We agreed to help Halfdan take Lundenwic. We have fulfilled our promise. We have enough treasure to take home and we have a jarl who is wounded. Stay with him Rollo. Tell me when he wakes.”
I knelt next to him acutely aware that Ragnvald had not said a word during all this. He had not offered to help. Now he grinned at me. “If he dies then I will be the new jarl.” He leaned in closer, “I will make you an outcast. You had better hope that the Allfather saves him.”
For the first time I looked at Ragnvald and hate was in my heart. When we returned to our home I would end this feud. One of us would die. I would end the curse.
We had no need to row for the current took us and so I sat next to my father. I pondered Ragnvald’s words. How could he hate his own father? Then it came to me; the curse. I looked up at my brother. He was kept busy by Magnús the Fish. With so many twists and turns the sails needed constant adjustment. I contemplated taking off my mail but I was fearful of leaving my father for an instant. He was breathing but he had barely moved.
We were passing Uuluuich when his eyes opened. He smiled when he saw me, “I am alive then. I dreamt that I died.”
Harold Strong Arm appeared. His face broke into a smile when he saw that my father was alive, “Jarl, you live!”
“Harold took charge when you were unconscious.”
“Then remain in charge. I feel like a new born baby.”
“I will go and tell the men. They were worried. Your son did well today, jarl. I will happily follow him into battle.”
Sometimes you can hear the Norns spinning. They were spinning new webs and preparing to cut old threads. I looked up and saw that Ragnvald had heard. He pretended he had not and scurried up the sheets but I knew that he had heard.
My father looked at me. “I am pleased. Yo
u are a true warrior. Your grandfather told me so. I knew that you were a horseman. Now I know that you can stand in a shield wall. The clan is in good hands.”
Ragnvald was at the masthead. I said, “Ragnvald is older.”
“But you are the warrior. You are my heir. You know that your grandfather visited a witch’s cave and met a Norn.”
I was sceptical that it was a Norn but I nodded. “He was told his line would be rulers of an empire.”
He nodded, “You will be that leader.” He looked at his leg. “This is a bad wound. I know that. I cannot stand in a shield wall any longer and riding a horse needs powerful thighs. It will be you who sails up the Issicauna and takes Paris. It will be you who defeats Charles the Bald. It may not be in my lifetime but I will be in Valhalla and I will be watching over you. I think this is the last raid for me.”
I shook my head, “Father, the wound has made you delirious. We will get you home and you will heal. We will send for the priest who made Einar Bear Killer whole.”
“This raid was a mistake. We should not have come save for one thing. You have become a man and you have become the leader of the clan. As soon as I knew that Danes were involved I should have sailed home. They have ever been treacherous.”
“Peace. We will sail to the longphort. Jarl Bjorn will come aboard and he will speak with you.”
“You are right. I am tired.” He closed his eyes. I placed my fur over him. I now knew my future. He was right. My brother would destroy the clan. I had to save it.
Ahead of me I could see ‘Storm Bird’ as she headed for the longphort. There was a single ship we had left there. Her steering board withy had sheered. That was why she had not raided with us. She was a Dane. We had not needed her and, to be truthful, none of us wished to raid with a Dane. I looked up at Magnús the Fish. He was alone. His crew were busy trimming the sails. “If we get my father home I will make a blót. This wound is a bad one.”
Brothers in Blood (Norman Genesis Book 7) Page 13