by Griff Hosker
Eystein the Rock added, “And I would serve with him. Sorry, Jarl”
I nodded to help me gather my thoughts. Asbjorn, now that he had found his tongue could not stop. “I love being Ulfheonar and wearing the wolf cloak. There is no greater honour than serving in the shield wall with you. But, Jarl Dragonheart, I would be you. I know that would be but a pale shadow but I would hope to lead and inspire warriors as you do. When I saw the young men working in the forest this week felling trees I wanted to train them as you trained us. Eystein and I would still be Ulfheonar. We would still protect your back and be your oathsworn.”
“But you would follow in the other drekar. I understand.” I glanced at Aiden for confirmation of what was in my mind. He nodded. “It is good. I was silent, not because I was disappointed but because I wished to weigh up the words you spoke. You shall be the captain of the new ship and Eystein will be your warrior chief. Know that the captain is Karl the Sailor.” They both nodded. “Then that is settled.”
Haaken asked, gloomily. “And what of the Ulfheonar? We now have a mere ten to follow you.”
Snorri laughed, “I can remember the time when there were but eight of us and that included the Jarl. There are many warriors who can follow the Ulfheonar. Wearing the skin of the wolf is not for all warriors. Perhaps this was meant to be. I say that we use those who would go a-Viking and they shall be our crew.”
Surprisingly all agreed and so we took on no more Ulfheonar, at least not for a while. When we invited other warriors to join our crew we had the same problem we had had with the young warriors. We had too many. The difference was that we could accommodate the extras on my much larger drekar. We would have rowers to spare and that was something we had never had before.
Bjorn had repaired my helmet. The scar which had resulted from the blow was still angry but it would not be a blue scar! He felt guilty that his well made helmet had allowed a blow to get through. “It was the gods testing me Bjorn.” He touched his hammer of Thor. “We will be needing more helmets soon enough.”
“We need them now, Jarl. Those who voyaged with you came back and invested their treasure wisely in good helmets and good swords.” He smiled, “Trade is good.” We walked out of his forge and along the Water. “We have come far since I watched my father at the forge and you followed Prince Butar and went a-Viking.”
“Aye old friend, it has been a long journey.”
He spat into the Water. “You sound like your life is over, Jarl.”
“No but I see all these young warriors and most are far younger than even my son. I feel like a grandfather.”
“Prince Butar never grew old. And look at Old Ragnar. I barely knew him but he lived, half blind and crippled until you came to care for him. Look on each day as a new one. Each dawn brings a page for you to write upon. The legend of Dragonheart grows.”
“The legend, like the sword, can be a burden sometimes.”
“You were chosen Jarl. Embrace it.”
I returned, ten days later, to see how the work progressed. The shape of the hull could be clearly seen. The new crew were having to make the strakes and the planks under the close and stern supervision of Bolli and his shipwrights. They were hard taskmasters. That was good for the young warriors. It would make them stronger both in body and mind. They would need all of those skills when they went to sea.
I drew Bolli to one side. “You know your drekar better than any man alive. Tell me what this one says to you.”
He smiled, “It is just a skeleton, Jarl, but I can tell that she will be light and she will fly. I am confident that she will be faster, under sail, than ‘Heart’.”
I nodded. My ship was incredibly fast. “Will that be a problem for her crew? Will she be hard to control?”
“She will need a firm hand. I hope that young Karl has the hand and eye for it.”
“You know as well as I do Bolli that a drekar picks its captain. If Karl is not up to the task then we will find another. He knows that better than any.” He nodded. “Tell me then. When will she look like a drekar?”
“She will be ready for the water in a month. After that…”
“That depends upon the crew, I know. And have you begun to carve the prow?”
“I have.” He pointed to a large object which was hidden by a cloth. No one would be allowed to see it until Bolli fitted it to the drekar. It was the way of shipwrights. At least I had a time in my head. The time the drekar was ready would determine the place we would raid and blood our young men and our ship.
Aiden and I sat one warm evening watching the thin high clouds above the Old Man. “Where would you suggest we raid, Aiden? I know that you have thoughts upon this.”
“My heart is ever drawn to Wyddfa. I know the cave of the wizard is lost but there may be clues about his power in the land and the buildings.”
“That would please you but how would it help me and my warriors?”
“Grain. We have rye and barley only. The holy island is like a huge granary and it seems to me that the launching of the ships and the voyage south will coincide with the harvest. The men will be in the fields and the crops ready for reaping. We know the island and we know the mettle of the warriors. There are no easy battles, I know that, but there are some which are better for untried and untrained warriors to experience.”
I was not totally convinced. We had been to that particular well many times before. “I am not sure.”
“The alternative would be to attack the Mercians for they too have good grain.” He looked at my face. “They might be awaiting us.”
“I would have Kara and you speak with the spirits and divine what I should do.”
“I could twist their words to suit my purpose.”
“You could, but you will not. Remember I have powers from my mother and I know that you are true to me.”
“Aye, since you rescued me from my father I have ever been your man. I would not be what I am today were it not for you.”
As it happened there was a full moon that week and the two of them took the potion whose ingredients Aiden had discovered in his parchments. They sat by the Water all night. When they returned the next morning I was both excited and intrigued. I hoped they would have communicated with my wife’s dead spirit but speaking with the dead was not a precise method. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t.
They both looked drawn and tired. Brigid had prepared food and drink for them. They sat at the table in silence and looked at each other. I could barely contain myself but I knew that I had to wait until they spoke. It was Kara who broke the silence after drinking a horn of beer. “The spirit of the dead Queen came to us. She was a striking woman.” Aiden nodded. This was not what I had asked them to discover but I knew better than to interrupt. “She ruled this land for a long time and she was murdered by a witch. Her spirit is restless. She has left work unfinished.”
Aiden took up the story. “Your mother’s spirit joined us. She told us that a voyage to her homeland would bring us great fortune. In her hands she held a blue stone and it sparkled.” He nodded towards my sword. “It was the same blue, perhaps even the same stone as the one in your sword.”
“And the Queen’s spirit had one too. It was around her neck. The blue stone has powerful magic, father. I thought so before and now I know it.”
I smiled for I had my answer, “And did your mother’s spirit come too?”
They both looked at Brigid and Kara said, “The child will be a boy. She is happy for you… both.”
I could not contain myself and I hugged Brigid. I would have another son and I had not offended my dead wife’s spirit.
Aiden and I threw ourselves into the expedition. The support of the spirit world would guarantee success. Added to that was the fact that I now knew that my sword was even more powerful than it had been before. It explained why I could defeat young, stronger warriors. It was the sword which made me invincible. I was not immortal but it would take a mighty host to fell me.
&n
bsp; We went down to the shipyard to see the finished ship. When the drekar was launched we watched as the lithe little drekar slipped swiftly through the water. It seemed to float higher than any other I had ever seen. Bolli had outdone himself with the prow. The dragon had the look of a warrior and Haaken said, “It looks like Odin and he seems to be blowing.”
We all took that to be a good omen and the name came naturally, Karl’s ship was ‘Odin’s Breath’. And she was the fastest drekar afloat. Perhaps the gods had faster ones but here on earth, it was ‘Odin’s Breath’ which out flew every other vessel. Asbjorn, Eystein and Karl spent many days with their crew to make sure that the ship was balanced and that the crew were in the right places. When they were satisfied they told me they were ready to sail.
Many families came to Úlfarrston to see us off. There was a happy atmosphere as mothers and wives said goodbye to sons and husbands. Fathers looked on proudly remembering their glory days. Coen came to me with a small chest. He looked happy. Opening it he showed me that it was filled with silver. “This is your share of the money from the Holy Book. The men who bought it did not ask whence it came but merely asked if we had more.”
“Good then we shall seek them on our travels.” I handed the box to Bolli. “Take your payment for the drekar and give the rest to Brigid.”
“Aye Jarl. And I have a commission from Sigtrygg Thrandson for a drekar built on the same lines as ‘Odin’s Breath’. “
I lowered my voice, “If he does not have the funds for it I will pay.”
“He is a good man. I do not mind waiting for payment. When he raids there will be great rewards.”
I tapped the small chest, “I have more than enough.”
The farewells over, we boarded and left on the evening tide. We would lead and Karl would follow. Neither Erik nor myself wanted the young man of twenty summers to be exposed alone to the wild seas around Ynys Môn. There would be time enough to see what his drekar could do when he and his crew had more experience. Besides his drekar had but thirty five crew all told. Ours had twice that number. His had but one man on each oar. We had two on each of ours. If the wind was against us then the fine lines and speed of ‘Odin’s Breath’ would be negated.
The sun began to set in the west. It would be a long slow sunset and would act as a guiding light for us. We kept it to the steer board side. It made it easier for Karl and his new ship’s boys. I noticed that Olaf was standing by Erik. That showed how much my captain thought of the young man. Cnut Cnutson might have been put out but this was his last season sailing and, during the winter, Haaken would begin his training as a warrior. His time at sea had been a way to show him what we warriors did.
Mann was passed before the sun set and then we hung a light from our stern so that Karl could follow. This was the riskiest time for an error would mean he would ram us and our voyage would be over in an instant. I deliberately kept my eyes from ‘Odin’s Breath’. Had I shown I was nervous it might have made Karl worried too. Instead I went over our course, with Aiden and Erik.
“We will avoid Caer Gybi and Aberffraw. Unless they are fools they will have rebuilt and strengthened their defences. I plan on using the east coast of the island.”
Aiden pointed to the chart, “There are many beaches here, Jarl, but few coves. We would have to risk the drekar on the beaches.”
“We will keep this drekar off shore and use the smaller ‘Odin’s Breath’ as our cargo ship. We can pull her off if we need to. She has new fresh timbers.” I saw a worried look cross Erik’s face. “If you have doubts about Karl then now is the time to tell me.”
“I have no doubts. He has sailed with me these many years but even I have never deliberately grounded my drekar.”
“Others have. It is not difficult.”
He nodded remembering when Josephus his mentor had done so. “You are right. Olaf, go to the prow and keep a close watch to the land to the east. There are sandbanks there. Give a shout if you see anything.”
After he had gone I asked, “What is he like?”
“Already I can see that he is as good as Karl was. Sailing a small fishing boat in summer and winter gives a man skill. He has them. He knows the wind and he knows how to set a sail. He needs to learn about currents and hidden rocks but he has skills. You made a wise decision with that one, Jarl.”
It was strange for Asbjorn had said much the same about Rolf. Wyrd.
Aiden used the hour glass we had captured from the Arab. He knew how long the night should be and, an hour before dawn, he told Erik who shortened sail. They had estimated our speed and calculated when we would be near to the Dee. They thought we would arrive an hour or so before dawn. There could be Saxon or Welsh ships using the Dee; it was a busy river. We wanted sea room in case there was danger.
When dawn broke I saw that we were less than ten miles from the Dee. I could see Wyddfa in the distance. I nodded my approval, “You have both done well. That hour glass was a good treasure to take.”
Erik turned us to steer board. We would head west. Now that it was daylight we could risk sailing out of sight of land although the island would always be visible, like a grey smudge on the horizon. We would sail slowly west and then head south to arrive shortly after dark. The night was our natural element. With our black cloaks and armour we were hard to see. Aiden and Erik had identified a quiet beach not far from a large village. Aiden thought there was an even bigger settlement five miles inland. I hoped so for that meant we could take them both and then have a safe base from which to foray. That would be the true test of the new warriors. They would be fighting out of sight of their jarl and the Ulfheonar. I hoped that they would pass.
I took the opportunity to sleep. I was not needed nor were my rowers for we had a benevolent wind. If I watched it might make them think I did not trust them. I made a pillow of my wolf cloak and fell asleep with the easy motion of the drekar. My dream was of flashes and bright pictures; it was like the illustrations in a Holy Book. They made no sense but the blue stone and a warrior Queen kept appearing and then disappearing. We were close to the mountain and I knew that the spirit of my ancestor dwelt there. It was the power of the spirits that was making me dream. The fact that my people had lived and died so close to me was important. I would be under the scrutiny of the warrior who had wielded that sword which now lay on the wall of my hall.
I was woken by a gentle shake from Haaken. He handed me a horn of ale. “The island is close ahead. We can see no smoke but that means nothing.”
“And have any ships been sighted?”
Erik said, “Not a one.”
I went to the stern and made water. It was barely light and the sun was rising from the east but I could see that Karl’s ship was still two lengths from us. He had kept station well. Aiden helped me to don red cochineal around my eyes and I held my helmet. I would only don it when I was ashore.
I looked ahead and saw a bay which swept around in a wide arc. There were sand dunes behind a sandy beach. There were no cliffs, unlike the coast near St Cybi, and the ground sloped gently inland. It was a perfect place to land. I strapped my shield around my back. Aiden had a helmet and a sword. He would be coming ashore with us. I walked down the centre of the drekar to the prow. We were barely under way. Erik was taking us in on the tide. This time we would not have a ship’s boy to tie us up to the shore but Cnut Cnutson was ready to jump into the sea to test the depth. He wore no armour. He jumped and I saw that the water came over his head. I waved my arm for Erik to take us closer to shore; our hull was safe. I saw Cnut wading next to the prow. He held up his hand. The ship’s boys on the mast saw him and the sail was fully furled.
I jumped from the deck, splashing into the sea, smiling at Cnut as I did so. “Well done Cnut Cnutson and next time you come ashore, you will be a warrior.” I donned my helmet and waded through the surf to the sandy shore. I had spent the last month or so building up my strength again. I would not lag behind my warriors this time! I raced to the top of the dunes. E
ven as I reached the top Snorri joined me. Normally I would send him off to scout ahead but with two crews we would do it differently this time.
I turned and looked to the beach. My men had disembarked and Erik had his crew sculling with the oars to back her into safer and deeper water. Karl brought his drekar in just as slowly but he ran his on to the sand. It leaned to one side as it grounded. Asbjorn and Eystein led the eager young crew towards us. It did not take long for me to be surrounded by them.
I gathered the Ulfheonar, Asbjorn and Eystein around me. “Asbjorn take your crew and ten of my warriors. Secure the village and capture what you can. Do not fire it and make sure no one escapes. Return here.”
“Aye Jarl.” Haaken had already identified the ten warriors they would take. They were the best warriors I had. The more inexperienced ones would come with me and the Ulfheonar.
I settled my helmet firmly on my head and pointed inland. Snorri and Beorn the Scout loped off in the direction of the large settlement we thought lay ahead of us. We began to march inland. Haaken gradually increased his pace so that the handful of Ulfheonar who remained formed a thin screen in front of me. They had senses my other warriors did not. Haaken waved us to the south and we found ourselves on a local track way. It was not well used but it meant we would find the large settlement Aiden had identified. He was with the bulk of the warriors behind me. He could fight but he was no warrior. His skills were not to be wasted by exposing him to danger unnecessarily.
I smelled the wood smoke when we were about an hour from the beach. We had moved swiftly for the land was flat. We had been lucky thus far and not seen anyone. Haaken’s hand waved us to the ground and we all dropped to a knee.
Olaf Leather Neck joined me. “There is a farm to the north of us and men are in the fields harvesting the wheat.”
“They are up early. Taking advantage of the weather no doubt. Choose ten warriors and capture them and the grain. Take it back to the drekar.”
He moved behind me and I heard him telling warriors to follow him. I turned and saw them moving in a wide sweep behind the farm which lay to the north. I gave him a few moments and then waved the rest of the warriors forward. There were still over forty of us and I was confident that we would be able to handle however many warriors we faced. Haaken and the others moved off when they saw us approach. We found Snorri and Beorn a short while later. They had reached the town and scouted it out already.