by Griff Hosker
I slipped my shield over my back and donned my new helmet. I clambered up the side of the Saxon ship and then dropped down to the river bank. My men were waiting. Olaf said, “The Saxons who lived here have fled.”
“Good. Then let us run, Clan of the Wolf! We have a burgh to take!”
We had fought a battle here and knew the marshy ground. It was daylight and we were able to pick our way across it using the islands of dry earth as a path. Ahead of us we saw people fleeing towards the safety of the walls. There were not as many fleeing as I would have expected. There were none of the better off Saxons. The ones who ran were swine herds and shell fish gatherers; they were the poor.
I saw banners flying from the walls of the burgh. Haraldr had attached himself to me. His father had carried my banner and he seemed to see himself as my protector. We began to overtake the drekar. The last bend of the river caused them all to slow up. I knew that once they reached Lundenwic the fleet would fill the river completely. It would be like a giant bridge. I was not certain what would happen when the tide went out. That would be the Dane’s problem. My drekar was safe.
We began to catch the stragglers trying to get inside the walls before the Danish ships. When they heard the jingle of our mail they turned in terror. Most ran north but a few tried to get out of our way on the riverside. I saw at least eight fall into deep, muddy holes. We ignored them and kept running. Two men pulling a cart with their families realised they would not be able to out run us with the cart and they grabbed their families and ran. They were the last ones to make the safety of the gate. As we neared it archers sent arrows at us. They were not very good. A poorly aimed arrow hit one of the Saxon women. Had he actually aimed the arrow at her then the archer might have been praised for it struck her in the middle of the head. We pulled our shields up and a few arrows smacked into them. We halted.
“Shield wall!” We had been prepared for this. As the men formed a wall four men by six I glanced to the river and saw that the first of the drekar was tying up. Soon there would be a huge Danish bridge filling the Temese. It would the largest longphort ever and the people of Lundenwic would be doomed. They would attack the sea gate and the west gate. They would flood Lundenwic with fierce warriors. I heard the clatter of arrows as the Saxons switched their bows to the threat from the river. I held my shield before me as shields were raised above us. “March!”
We chanted as we marched.
Push your arms
Row the boat
Use your back
The Wolf will fly
Ulfheonar
Are real men
Teeth like iron
Arms like trees
Push your arms
Row the boat
Use your back
The Wolf will fly
Ragnar’s Spirit
Guides us still
Dragon Heart
Wields it well
Push your arms
Row the boat
Use your back
The Wolf will fly
As soon as we began to move towards the gate stones rattled off our shields. With the exception of Haraldr all of us were mailed. With our shields to protect us it would take a lucky stone to hurt us.
Olaf was on the right of the shield wall. He had his axe. When we reached the gate, it would be his responsibility to break through the gate. The last time we had been here we had destroyed the gates. This would be new wood. I doubted that they would have had seasoned wood to use. They had also done us a favour. By allowing the last few refugees in they had left the bridge in place. Once we reached the gate then they began to use larger stones. Haaken and I lifted our shields to protect Olaf. The stones crashed on to our shields but they overlapped and there was no damage. Olaf sang as he swung. I had my hand on the gate and I felt it shake. Galmr Hrolfsson also had an axe. I shouted, “Switch with Olaf, Galmr!”
“I do not need relief!”
“I am saving your axe so that you may hew Saxon heads and not wood!”
Galmr was fresh and his axe had not been dulled. Chips and splinters of wood flew from the door. The fall of stones had abated somewhat. I guessed that our small warband was not as big a threat as the hundreds who were hammering at the other gates and charging through the houses, warehouses and stores of Lundenwic. When a particularly large chip flew from the door I shouted, “Hold! Let us try brute force. Two steps back.” Once we had moved the two steps I held my shield before me and shouted, “Charge!” Twenty-four mailed men with heavy shields are a mighty force. The gate had been weakened enough so that it burst open and we almost sprawled into the middle of the burgh.
There were more than a hundred men waiting for us! This was a trap. King Æthelwulf had known of our attack and he had packed the burgh with armed men. Of course he could not have known the numbers that would be attacking. Perhaps he thought it would be the same number of ships I had brought last time.
“Reform!” They were waiting for us but our sudden entry had taken them by surprise. We had to reform. Already others were racing through the other gates. More Saxons were descending from the walls.
We formed three ranks. We would not wait. As the Saxons hurtled towards us we marched with swords and axes held above our shields. The thegn who led the Saxons came directly for me. My shield told him who I was. He had a spear. The Saxons believed, erroneously, that the longer reach of the spear gave them an advantage. I was not wearing a full-face helmet and the thegn jabbed his spear at my unprotected mouth. I had a new helmet and I trusted my blacksmith. I turned my head to the side as the spear came at me. At the same time, I thrust blindly towards him. I struck something that was soft. His spear head glanced off the polished metal and over my shoulder. I turned my head and saw that my sword had sliced across his nose and his right eye. I raised my shield and punched. His head jerked back and I brought my sword diagonally across his neck and chest. His damaged eye meant he could not see and my blade tore through his mail and across his chest.
I could hear the sound of battle now. It filled the burgh. Since last we had been here they had added more buildings. We were fighting in the only clear space. It suited my line for they could not outflank us. There were buildings next to Galmr on one side and Ráðgeir Ráðgeirson on the other. Behind me Haraldr’s long reach with his sword was proving more effective than the spears of the Saxons. Even as the thegn began to slip to the ground, pulled by the weight of his mail, the two men behind suffered wounds from the slash of Haraldr’s sword. I stepped forward and thrust at the one to my right. My sword ripped into his chest. They had weight of numbers but we were all mailed and more skilled. It was butchery. We blocked their blows with our shields and sought gaps with our own weapons. In a perfect world we would have changed places with those in the third rank but to move would have been disastrous. I knew we were winning when we began to move forward over the dead who lay there. The new buildings were not high but they still obscured our vision. Our world was limited by the Saxons before us. I could smell burning. The Danes had fired something.
We were so close to each other now that I could not swing my sword. I put it in my left hand and drew my seax from my belt. It was a nasty slashing weapon. The Saxon before me was trying to get at me. His sword beat against my helmet. I raised my hand and drew my seax across his throat. As he fell I darted my blade sideways and it plunged into the ear of the warrior fighting Olaf. Olaf’s axe could not be used effectively. He was punching with it. When the man I had stabbed in the head fell Olaf roared and punched with his axe. The blade tore across the shoulder of the man he was fighting. It ripped through the mail and his kyrtle. Blood spurted and Olaf head butted him. As he fell backwards Olaf swung his seal skin boot. He connected with something and, when he stepped forward there was a sickening crunch as the Saxon’s head was crushed.
There was a gap ahead of us and our combined weight suddenly pushed the Saxons into it. They fell and as we raced after them it allowed those in the second and third rank the op
portunity to bring their fresh weapons to bear. I sheathed my seax and began to use Ragnar’s Spirit once more. I blocked the Saxon sword with my shield and dropped to one knee. I brought my sword up under a Saxon’s kyrtle and into his body. My tip was still sharp and I twisted it inside his body. He was dead before I pulled it out. We had broken the bodies and the spirit of the men who had been waiting for us but, as we hurried to the centre of the burgh, I saw that some of the Danes had not been as lucky or, perhaps, not as skilled. There were Saxons still fighting.
“Clan of the Wolf, wedge!” We had lost two men to wounds but we had no more enemies before us. As my men formed behind me I raised my sword and yelled, “Ragnar’s Spirit!” I led them, at a fast walk, towards the rear of the nearest Saxon line. I saw that they had some Norse warriors almost surrounded. The young jarl was fighting desperately but they were not making much headway.
I used the tip to rip into the back of the first Saxon. Olaf and Galmr were on the right of the wedge and their axes swung at the same time. Two Saxons were almost cut in two. Haaken was using back hand swings and the pressure on the Norse began to ease. When I slew the next Saxon then the will of the Saxons broke. They were being attacked in the rear and they ran. I looked up at the sky. The sun had passed its zenith some time ago. It was dipping in the west. We had fought for half a day.
Haaken raised his sword, “Clan of the Wolf!”
My men banged their shields. The Danes just stood, exhausted with bloody swords. The Norse, with their young jarl, raised their swords and banged their shields, “Clan of the Raven!”
I took off my helmet and walked over to him. His mail looked red; it was covered in blood and gore. I saw that he has lost oathsworn. They had the symbol of the raven painted on their shields. I sheathed my sword and held out my arm, “I am Jarl Dragonheart of the land of the Wolf! You fought well today!”
“I am Sven Halfdansson. I am the nephew of Halfdanr Svarti. He is the head of our people.”
“You paid a heavy price this day.”
He scowled at the Danes who were rifling the corpses. “It is my fault for following the Danes. It was your name which drew me here.”
“For that I am sorry.”
“Do not be. As we tied up I saw you and your small warband attacking the gate. It is all that I expected of such a warrior. And that is the sword?”
I took it out and handed it to him. He held it and closed his eyes. When he opened them there was amazement in them. “It is true! I can feel the power! You truly have been chosen by the Allfather.” He handed it back to me. “Tell me jarl, why do you lead this band of cut throats?”
I sheathed Ragnar’s Spirit, “The Norns. I will say no more.”
The young warrior clutched his hammer, “Then I sympathise with you. Once you fall foul of those sisters then your life is not your own.”
I nodded and turned, “Haaken One Eye, make sure these Danes do not take all! Young Sven Halfdansson and I will share the bounty!”
The Danes who were nearby glared at me but they would not risk my wrath. They slunk off looking for easier pickings.
“Thank you, Jarl. I have lost half of my crew. I hoped to make enough coin to buy a bigger drekar.”
“I will give some advice for free. Take all that you can from Lundenwic and then sail back to Norway. This raid is doomed.”
“Will you be leaving too?”
I shook my head, “Would that I could but the web constrains me. I must bear the company of the sons of Lodbrok until the Norns release me.”
He shook his head, “I thought that to be the Dragonheart must be the greatest gift a man could be granted.”
“No, my friend. At times like this it is a curse.”
Chapter 12
I waved over Galmr Hrolfsson, “Take ten men and empty the houses we passed on our way in.”
We could see the river gate and Sven Halfdansson shook his head as the three brothers entered like conquering heroes. “They waited on the river while men bled! Look at their mail! It is unmarked! They have no honour!” The Danes banged their shields and shouted the names of the three brothers and their father. I had been the name to get men to come on the raid but they were the ones who would garner the glory.
Olaf took off his helmet and picked up a bucket of water he found outside one of the houses. He poured it over his head to wash away the blood. “Is this to be the way, Jarl?”
“Perhaps Olaf but you know that our involvement is not voluntary. Until I am released I must follow their banner.”
Hvitserk Ragnarsson left his brothers and came over to us. We were bloodied and battered. My new helmet was dented and scratched. My mail was festooned with the guts of the men I had killed and the three brothers had yet to draw weapons. “A great day, Jarl Dragonheart! You and your warband drew the Saxons to the wrong gate! You made this victory easier.”
I pointed to the dead men. “There was nothing easy about this Hvitserk! The Saxons knew we were coming. There were more men and better defences than when last we raided. If King Æthelwulf knows about this then he also knows of your plan to take Wintan-Caestre.”
He nodded, “That is right but knowing it and being able to stop us are two entirely different matters. You have seen how many men we have. We have ten thousand warriors! There are not that number of warriors in the whole of this land! As I told you in Bruggas, there is a throne to be had. Not just the throne of one little kingdom but the whole of this island and it is yours for the taking.”
“And I told you, Hvitserk Ragnarsson that I have but one purpose, destroy King Æthelwulf.”
He nodded, “So you keep telling me. You can bring your drekar closer to the gates if you wish.”
I shook my head. “The river is too crowded. We will load our ship and camp by Stybbanhype. When do we leave for Wintan-Caestre?”
“Tomorrow night we will hold a feast in your honour. When we have had a counsel of war we will decide. There is no hurry.”
He left us. Sven said, “He seems the most reasonable of the brothers. At least he afforded you praise.”
“Do not be taken in, young Sven. He praises me with his mouth only. He is clever and he thinks to use me. I am to be sacrificed when Æthelwulf is dead. If you would heed my advice you will take your ship and leave.”
“And I will, if I can untangle her from the others.”
I looked at Olaf. “Take some men and help them free their ship.” I turned back to Sven, “If you will allow my wounded men to be carried aboard your ship we will help you to row to Stybbanhype.”
“Of course. We are short-handed as it is.”
My men began carrying the mail, swords and other plunder from the houses. As I had expected there was not as much as the last raid. They had evacuated the rich and taken that which was valuable. We had enough to justify a raid but Queen Osburga’s crown and the books we had taken made what we had insignificant. Already I could smell burning. Some of the Danes had broached the ale barrels and set fire to the town. That was a mistake for there was a risk to some of the ships tied up close to Lundenwic. I saw Haraldr. He looked happy. He improved as a warrior in every battle we fought. I waved him over. “Did you search the purses of the dead Saxons?”
He grinned and held a fat purse out. “I am learning, jarl. The better the warrior I fight the more coins he has.” He nodded towards the purse. Half of this came from warriors you slew, jarl Dragonheart. I should split it with you.”
“I need no coin. You take it all.”
I slung my shield on my back and walked down through the gate to the river. I saw that many warriors had died taking the gate. The Saxons had been there in numbers to defend it. Sven’s ship was in the middle of the longphort. Luckily there was but one ship astern of him. Unlike us the Danes had not left any crew aboard. Olaf clambered aboard the Dane which lay astern and he hacked through the ropes which bound it to its neighbours. He climbed back aboard looking pleased with himself. The current from the river began to tug the Dane towar
ds the sea. It would not reach the sea. The bends and the current would beach it on the other side of the river.
Sven shouted, “Get the drekar loaded. Do not worry where we put it. When we reach the Dragonheart’s ship we will store it properly.” That told me that Sven was a good seaman. A poorly laden drekar could sink in the blink of an eye. “Put the jarl’s goods at the prow!”
No one else seemed bothered about loading their ships. I heard the screams of women who had been taken and were being used by drunken Danes. I spied some warriors, on the southern shore, playing a game with the heads of the Saxons they had slain. This was not the way my men went to war. As the sun began to set in the west I saw the flicker of flames as fires were started upstream and south of the river. Hvitserk might be right about the numbers he had brought. The Saxons might not have ten thousand warriors but they had enough people who would not want Danes rampaging through their land. The battle, when it came, would not be as easy as they thought.
“Ready!”
Sven acknowledged the cry from his oathsworn. “Cut us free!” Axes chopped through the ropes. At first nothing happened and then, slowly as the current caught us, we began to move. “Ready with the oars!” It was not our drekar but my men grabbed oars and prepared to help warp us downstream. Sven used the current and the steering board to turn us the right way and, once we were clear of the other ships, the men began to row. It was becoming dark and so I went to the prow and leaned out to see obstacles. The river was wide but there was a turn we would have to make. I shouted and waved my arm when it was time. I saw Stybbanhype ahead of us. My men had lit a fire and I saw ‘Red Snake’ . I waved my arm to direct Sven to the north shore. My men took the ropes and tied the two drekar together. Both crews began to move our plunder to our drekar and to lift the deck before storing the rest.
I went ashore with Haaken and Olaf. I found Sámr and Folki Siggison. They were cooking a pig on the open fire. The smell made me salivate. Sámr grinned, “We slaughtered the pig and we have found treasure inside the church!” He pointed to the wooden church which I had missed when we landed. “It was only linen, candles and candlesticks but we found great quantities of food. The Saxons eat well.” He suddenly realised he had not asked about the raid. He looked guilty, “How did the raid go?”