by Griff Hosker
I nodded, “You could have beaten him without killing him.”
He did not answer me directly, “I was angry for the Danes had laughed at Einar and me when he had been insulted.”
“Where was Thorghest?”
“He was drinking with his men.”
I was disappointed that he had not watched out for my son. My daughter had made her choice. I had approved of him but now I began to have doubts. I also realised that this had been engineered by Klakke. My son had rid him of a troublesome relative and he had used that as a lever to gain my support. He was a clever and cunning man and I would have to watch him closely.
I turned to the Ulfheonar. “And you?”
Olaf grinned, “If you wish us to don our cloaks and go and slit this Klakke’s throat we can do so.”
I could not help smiling, “No I think enough throats have been cut tonight. One thing is sure, it will be a long time until I come to Dorestad again.”
I was tired and I lay down in my wolf cloak. The smell was reassuring. Gruffyd came over to me, “I am sorry, father. I was trying to impress the others. I can see that now. You were right. Ragnar is ready to lead and I am not. With your permission, I will ask Erik Ironshirt if I can sail with his Angry Cubs. I have much to learn and I think he might be a better teacher for he is not family.”
“If that is your wish then I do not object. Of course, there will be no Ragnar and no Ulfheonar to watch over you.”
He looked at me and I saw, in his eyes, that he had thought this through, “That is why I do this. I must become my own warrior. I am not Ragnar and I can never be a Dragonheart. Perhaps I can find who I am meant to be by serving another. We will still be sailing with you.”
“I know and perhaps it is for the best but I shall miss your company.”
“When I return a man, you might like me a little more.”
The next day we traded and we collected more than we spent. We headed home along the Wessex coast. Even when we had to row there was no singing and no joy. The victory on the Fal and the treasure we had gained had evaporated like morning mist. The Norns had taught us not to be arrogant.
When we landed at Whale Island there was joy from those who were there to greet us. It was in contrast to our mood which was sombre. Although we said nothing I knew that as soon as men returned home the story would spread. The mood would infect all. Thorghest and his men took their treasure and left the drekar they had used. It would be the last voyage the husband of my daughter was likely to take with us. It was sad. I saw him and his men leave quickly for their hall where my daughter, Erika, awaited him.
Astrid and Yngvild watched them depart and came over to us. “What is the problem with Thorghest? Did he lose men?”
I looked at Ragnar and Raibeart. Putting their arms around their wives they took them off. They would tell them in their own way. I went back to Erik Short Toe, “Gruffyd and I will ride home and speak with my wife. She will be unhappy about these events. She and Erika had only just become reconciled.”
“It is wyrd , Jarl Dragonheart. You can do little about it. You had to pay the weregeld and if we are truthful it allows us to fight against Egbert. That is what you wish is it not?”
“It is.” I turned, “Gruffyd.”
He shook his head, “I told you, Jarl Dragonheart, I now serve Erik Ironshirt. I am taking my chest to join him there.” He and Einar Fair face went back aboard the ‘Heart of the Dragon’. They would take their chests. They contained all that a warrior would need in a new life away from his family.
It was inevitable but I still felt sad. My hall would be empty now. All my chicks had flown. Only little Myfanwy would be there. She would miss Gruffyd most of all. I cut a lonely figure as I road through the forest and up along the Water. The sun was dipping just behind Old Olaf’s head. It gave him a golden crown and made the Water shimmer as though it too was made of gold. My despair disappeared. We had lost nothing. Gruffyd would still fight alongside me. Ragnar was a good leader. I could finally get to fight King Egbert. Once again, the Land of the Wolf had lifted my spirits.
Chapter 3
I went directly to my hall. I had to face my wife first. Only then would I be able to speak with Kara and Aiden and discover what they had to say on the matter. Brigid was angry. I was the one to blame. I had not watched over him as I should have done. When I tried to explain weregeld to her it was as though I was talking in a foreign language.
“The fact is, my love, that he killed a man and it was not in battle. It was a brawl. The Frisians could have executed him for breaching their peace. The Dane was within his rights to have Gruffyd slain!”
That seemed to have the desired effect. She was silent as she realised that she could have lost her son. “But he will not live here with us?”
“No, he will live at Ragnar and Raibeart’s halls with Erik Ironshirt. It is his decision. If he kills a man then he is a man. He is not your bairn any longer. They will not raid without I say that we raid. He will be as safe there as he is here.”
“But I will not see him. Nor will I see Erika for she lives there too.” When I told her of Thorghest’s decision it brought back the tears. “So, I have lost my daughter too. I just have Myfanwy left to me and one day she will leave!”
“It happens in the wild, wife. The young grow and leave their home.”
Myfanwy chose that moment to run in and show her something she had made with Uhtric. It was a whip and a top. She was still a child and the joy on her face softened Brigid. My daughter was so excited and pleased that Brigid could not stay angry. When she was settled, I left to find Kara and Aiden. They had had no warning of the ill luck which had beset us.
“We only saw the raid.”
“You saw us on the Fal?”
“No, Jarl Dragonheart, Kara and I detected that the spirits of the dead were happy and that meant the raid had gone well.” I nodded. The spirit world was still a mystery to me. “And am I right to think that Klakke created this situation?”
“From what you have said it would appear so. We will ask Ylva to speak with Gruffyd. They get on well together. It is good that he seeks his own path yet you will find it a hard one with which to live.”
“At least this way we get to fight Egbert.”
“That has ever been your fate. When the Norns spun their threads all those years ago you were tied whether you wanted it or not.”
The next months were hard for me. We were rich. My men came home laden with treasures for their families. Every warrior was able to have Bagsecg make them a mail byrnie. We had good helmets and every warrior had a sword which would make even a Saxon envious and yet I felt empty inside. I also knew that I would be waiting for the summons from Klakke Blue Cheek. I could not remember the last time I had fought alongside an ally. As I recalled it had not ended well. I consoled myself that he might not get enough ships to follow him. We knew that King Egbert had the largest army. It was rumoured to be more than a thousand strong and that was just his eorls and oathsworn. If he called up the hundreds, the army of the land they called the fyrd, then it would be five times that number. We would need more than thirty drekar just to match the eorls and oathsworn. It was a large number of ships to procure.
I had the problem of filling another drekar. It would have to be the men of Ketil Windarsson and Ulf Olafsson who would fill them. I left to visit my jarls with Aðils Shape Shifter, Olaf Leather Neck and Haaken One Eye. It was only right that I explained to them why I was asking them to serve under a Dane. Ketil was the closest and we headed across Hjáp to visit him. The days of peace with the Northumbrians were drawing to a close. When the Prince of Northumbria had been an ally all had gone well. Then he had been drawn into battle with the Danes of Jorvik. He had been slain by the Skulltakers. Now Ketil needed to keep a closer watch on his borders. Ketil had a spy in Jorvik. Carr had relatives there. It made our lives a little easier for we would have advance warning of trouble from the Danes who were making Eoforwic into Jorvik. When we spoke
with Ketil we discovered that the gaze of the Danes was to the south and west rather than due west. The Mercians were easier foes to fight than the Clan of the Wolf.
His wound had healed but he was no longer the youngest and wildest son of Windar who had held on to his corner of my land against all enemies. He was now a jarl with a large number of men in his warband. He and his wife Seara had a large family and he was comfortable. I felt guilty asking him to serve. He smiled at my apprehension, “A chance to fight Egbert? An opportunity to steal his treasure? I would serve under Loki for such an opportunity. Besides you do not have to do as this Klakke asks do you, Jarl Dragonheart? He wants your ships, your men, your sword and your name. When we go into battle who will men look to? Will it be a cunning Dane or the Dragonheart? It will be you. I think that this is wyrd . When you told me I thought, from your faces, that this was some dire tragedy. It is not. Your son defeated a battle-hardened veteran. He stood up for a friend and a shield brother. You should be proud.”
As we headed west to Ulf Olafsson I reflected that Ketil was probably correct. The events had turned out to suit me but I could not rid myself of this nagging doubt that I was being used and I did not like it.
We were riding south of the Roman Road and wall. It was more pleasant riding though leafy ancient greenways rather than the cobbled stones of the Roman Road. We all felt closer to the land. The Roman Road might be the quickest way but it was not the best. The canopy of trees arched over us. I had been in the churches of the White Christ where the builders had tried to copy the arch. The green one made by Ēostre was, in my eyes, more beautiful for it changed with the seasons. We were just ten miles from the Stad on the Eden when one of the horses began to twitch his ears. Aðils Shape Shifter had senses and skills which I did not understand. He held up his hand and unslung his bow.
We each knew his ability and trusted him. There was danger. I drew my sword. Olaf Leather Neck had his axe in his hand and Haaken his sword. The Roman road was just five hundred or so paces north of us and as I listened I heard feet on the road. That was not unusual but as we had not seen anyone when we had passed the road two miles since it meant they had joined from the north. North meant either Northumbrians or the men of Strathclyde.
We slipped from our horses and let their reins drop. They were well trained animals and would not move far. We let Aðils go first and he found the route which was both easy to negotiate and would not alarm whoever it was on the road. The road was above us. The Romans liked to have a good view. Bushes and shrubs had grown where once they had kept them clear. Aðils held up his hand and we stopped. He disappeared. Waiting is always hard. I heard the sound of a horse on the road. Its hooves made a distinctive noise on the cobbles. It sounded like just one horse. I also heard voices. At first I could not make them out and then I heard one clear word which identified them. They were from north of the wall and they were the men of Strathclyde. Knowing that made it easier to wait for Aðils. These were cattle thieves. They would do as their ancestors had done and come south of the wall to take cattle. It was one reason, or so Aiden had told me, why the Romans had built the wall. These were my people and my clan. If we could we would stop them.
He returned and confirmed their identity by making the sign. He then held up his hands and then two fingers. There were twelve of them and we knew that one was on a horse. They could not be up to any good. Ulf Olafsson had warned them to stay north of the river and the wall. They were south. I made a decision. We would attack them. We had helmets and mail. If these were cattle raiders they would not. It was a calculated risk. I took out Wolf’s Blood and crossed it against Ragnar’s Spirit. It told my men that we would attack. I waved Olaf and Haaken to the east. I pointed west and Aðils led me towards the front of the line of men.
Although still hidden by the undergrowth I could now hear them far clearer. They were laughing. It meant they were not worried about being surprised. I waved to Aðils so that he would go ahead of me. We could just see through the shrubs. Keeping low meant that they would not see us unless they looked down and their attention appeared to be on the road. They were just twenty paces from us. Their leader had a helmet and a sword. The horse was one of the stout hill ponies they liked to use. The men ranged in age from youths younger than Einar Fair Face to a couple of grizzled older warriors. None had shields. Most had a curved sword or a short sword. Two had spears and one carried a club. Aðils had the Saami bow. It could tear through mail. All I had to do was to keep them from him and we would win.
I stood next to a hoary old elder and nodded to Aðils. He turned and released an arrow. It plucked the leader from his horse. The pony, relieved of the weight, bolted down the cobbled road. A second arrow and a third followed before the cattle thieves knew where Aðils was. With a quarter of their number gone they ran towards my scout. I stepped out and ripped the first warrior open with Wolf’s Blood. I held out Ragnar’s Spirit and a second warrior ran into it. They saw that I was alone and came at me. Aðils killed another and I heard the roars of Haaken and Olaf as they ran towards the rear.
I deflected a sword with Wolf’s Blood and brought my sword across the man’s neck as a spear slid along my mail. I whipped my blade around and the man tried to block it with his spear. The shaft was severed by my sword. The warrior, now weaponless, turned and fled. He did not get far. Olaf’s axe hacked across his middle. It tore him open. There were just four men left and they fled. The rest of their band lay dead or dying. Aðils covered them with his bow in case they suddenly became brave. They did not. He ran after the pony and we searched the bodies. The leader had a fine sword and a silver torc. Other than that, they were poor pickings.
After recovering our horses, we headed towards Ulf’s home. “Ulf must be slipping if cattle thieves risk raiding.”
“It was a hard winter. Perhaps they are desperate, Olaf.”
“They were poor warriors. A man could make himself a kingdom with a dozen Ulfheonar and a few archers. They have courage but no skill.”
Haaken said, quietly, “I think that is what Thorghest has in mind.”
I turned in the saddle, “You spoke with him?”
“Aye when I visited my daughter. He asked me about Dyflin. He has this idea of doing as Klakke plans. He would find others to follow his banner and capture himself a kingdom. His ideas have grown.”
Olaf spat, “And he would have had nothing if he had not raided with us. He has no gratitude and he married your daughter!”
I smiled. I could not see what my daughter had to do with this. “We know that the land is ripe for the taking. If it was not for the treachery of Vibeke and Wiglaf then it would not have fallen.” I shrugged, “Good luck to him. Are there many of our warriors who wish to follow him?”
“No jarl. They all think him disloyal. The mood is ugly. I think that it is only the presence of Erika which has stopped violence.”
“Then when we have seen Ulf I will go to Whale Island. It seems I need to shout a little.”
“Aye and banging some heads together would help too.”
Ulf’s sentries spied us and the gates were opened to admit us. He was another who had served me for a long time and it showed. He was grey and most of his hair and gone. He reminded me of Olaf the Toothless. “An unexpected surprise, Jarl Dragonheart.”
“We have news for you but also a warning.” I took out the torc. “We surprised some cattle thieves south of the wall. They are dead or fled.”
“That is the second band who have tried to take from us in the last month. I will have to take out my men and teach them the error of their ways.”
He led us into his hall. His home was the best protected of any of my jarl’s homes. I saw that he had twenty or so warriors in the hall. “How many spears do you have now?”
“There are twenty here. Ten are out hunting and I have another thirty farmers. It is more than enough to punish those who would take from us.”
While we ate, I told him and his oathsworn of Dorestad. They all unde
rstood why I had had to agree and, like Ketil, were more than happy to join me to fight Egbert. Ulf laughed, “We have a good life here but the pickings from the enemy are poor. My warriors would like to fight someone like Egbert. There are greater profits to be had!”
“And greater dangers. Do not underestimate the Saxon, Ulf. He has a good grip on the lands controlled by the other Saxon kings. They pay him homage.”
“We have heard that the king of Mercia is shaking off his shackles, Jarl Dragonheart. It may be that his iron grip is weakening.”
The next day, as we headed south towards the Grassy Mere, I reflected that he might be right. Our attack on Om Walum had been easier than I had expected. Could it be that we might be on the cusp of destroying the power of Egbert and Wessex?
I had already made the decision that I would quell the disquiet in Whale Island and I also thought to take my wife and my daughter. Perhaps I could also mend bridges there. I was interested in how the new drekar for Thorghest was coming along. Bolli had never made a poor drekar yet and each one had been better than the last. I had hoped he would make one for Ragnar but he would not need one yet. Our ships were all sea worthy.
Before we left I spoke to Kara and Aiden. I had lost a little faith in their ability to see our impending problems but they were both rocks for my people when I was not there. “We will need another full crew to replace Thorghest and his men. I have jarls but it is men on the oars we lack. Have Bagsecg make helmets and swords. There is more than enough coin to pay him.”