by Griff Hosker
“Where is Brigid?”
“Your wife is with Erika and Lord Thorghest in their hall.”
Something in her tone made me wonder what was amiss. “Is there a problem, Astrid?”
“There have been words. Lady Brigid is less than happy with Erika moving and,” she hesitated, “she is with child.”
I understood now. The grandmother in Brigid did not want to miss another child growing up. “Thank you.” I turned to the others. “I will go to speak with my wife and daughter. Thank you all for helping me with my quest.”
Aiden nodded, “Jarl Dragonheart, this was an honour. Generations from now when the cave is found others will puzzle over the story of the two skeletons, the chest, the paintings on the wall and the inscriptions. I will be in the spirit world and know that it was we who created that puzzle.” He gripped his garnet amulet, “At the behest of the gods, of course. I will go to my wife and daughter. I have much to tell them. And we still have the parchments you took from the burgh on the Fal to read. Who knows, they may help us too.”
I nodded. He was right. Life was a line which started before we were born and kept going long after we were dead. We joined it for part of the journey and we had been lucky enough to make a difference for those to follow.
I heard the raised voices before I entered the hall. There were just the three of them within for Thorghest’s men were still working on the drekar. Sea trials would be next. I went in smiling as though the world was in harmony. “I understand, daughter, that I am to be a grandfather again. Will it be another warrior?”
She turned and threw herself in my arms, “I knew that you would understand!” She jabbed a finger in Brigid’s direction, “She has never liked me!”
“That is not true, Erika so tell me what is the problem?”
Brigid’s finger jabbed at Thorghest like a sword. Her words were filled with venom. “She will go away with this barbarian so that I cannot see my grandchild!”
“Wife, this is Thorghest’s home. You do not insult a man in his own home. Besides he is not a barbarian; he is like me, a Viking!”
She had lost her temper and my wife had a habit of saying things in the heat of the moment which she would regret later, “And you are a barbarian also!”
I put my arm around both Erika and Brigid. “When they leave here they will not be far away. I am guessing that they will live just a half day across the ocean in Hibernia!”
Brigid began to wail, “Even worse! She will be living with savages!”
“Then they can be as the priests of the White Christ. They can make the savages civilized. Your God would approve of that and besides Erika will bring your grandchild to see you. Is that not true, daughter?”
My eyes told Erika what to say and I saw her smile, “Of course, father. And you can visit us for my husband will be a great lord!”
I nodded, “I hope, Thorghest, that you will speak with me before you join your other ships.”
“My other ships?”
Thorghest was not very good at subterfuge and deception. “Surely it is no secret that you are assembling a fleet to take Dyflin?”
“No but I do not know how many there will be.”
“Then make sure you speak with me before you go. You are oathsworn unless, of course, you wish to break your oath?”
I had given him a dilemma. He still needed my support and breaking his oath would sever that lifeline.
“Of course, and I will speak with you. I need the advice of the most famous warrior who walks this world.”
“Good. Now come wife and see our son. Gruffyd managed to fall down a mountain. I am sure you will wish to reprimand me for it and tell me I should have moved the mountain.”
She opened and closed her mouth. She stared at me and then laughed, “Dragonheart! They should call you Loki for you toy with me every moment of the day!”
We stayed a further week and I left. It was Haustmánuður and my warriors would be needed to harvest their crops and fetch the animals from the high ground. Only Thorghest would be going to war. Klakke Blue Cheek would not be coming until the new grass. Before I left I watched Thorghest and his men sail to meet at their longphort off Man. We had spoken. He was not certain how many men and ships he could muster but he was hopeful of a large number. The land of Hibernia was ripe for plucking. The kings and princes still fought each other more than they fought us. I told him all that I knew. I spoke of those princes he could trust and those he could not. He tried to persuade me to join him.
“You know I cannot. I gave my word. Klakke Blue Cheek will be here soon and we must be ready to sail. When I have fulfilled my oath then I will come to your aid, should you need me. Although I think that so long as you have more than twenty ships you should succeed.” There were many ships coming from the islands and Norway to join this enterprise. I was certain that he would have enough ships. As to the quality of the men that I could not say.
He had already said that he and his men were leaving their families with us until it was safe for them to join their men and Ragnar and Erik Ironshirt had agreed to watch over them. They had, of course, set a price for doing so. Thorghest and his raiders would need to give slaves and booty to the two jarls.
It was good to be home. I liked my own hall and my own servants and slaves. Uhtric understood me and no one kept my mail and weapons cleaner than the former slave. I had freed him when Wolf Killer had been slain. Uhtric had the freedom to leave, but he stayed. We had become his family. He was respected and treated well. I had been a slave and knew the value of respect. I realised that Yule would be a hard time for my wife. As a follower of the White Christ it was the birthday of their god. This year there would be but one child at home and no Elfrida either. There would just be the two nuns, Macha and Deidra and the slaves who were Christian who would celebrate. We, of course, had our mid-winter celebrations and they went on much longer than Yule. The long days were the time to drink, to eat and to make new warriors. For my clan, it was the best time of year. After we had feasted and been fed then the young warriors would hunt the wolf. Few now chose to join the Ulfheonar. Aðils had been the last. I did not think there would be more and that was sad.
I did not go on the wolf hunt. I had been on so many before that it held no allure for me. That Mörsugur they only hunted four and they were scrawny. I heard from Ulf that they had moved north of the wall. They preyed on the men of Strathclyde. They were easier fare.
I sent messages to my jarls reminding them of our obligations in the spring. Aiden and I had worked out that we could man all of the oars without Thorghest and his men. We would not be double crewed but my four drekar would be worth ten of many other warriors who would join. I had rarely fought alongside Danes. I had fought against them many times. Nor had I fought with so many men before either. Klakke had sent a message to say that he had thirty-five ships. His messenger had told me that the Dane was a little put out that Thorghest had taken so many crews to raid Dyflin. That had made me feel better.
As for Thorghest, I had had no word. ‘Kara’ , my trading knarr, had seen his longphort gathered off the Hibernian coast and said that there were forty ships. That was why Klakke was annoyed. Thorghest had attracted more men. It seemed that the whole of the Viking world was at sea.
It was Gói when a message came that Klakke Blue Cheek had summoned the ships to his longphort in the Sabrina Estuary. We were to be there by the beginning of Einmánuður. I sent riders to summon my men. We had been expecting it, of course. I knew, from talks with the jarls who visited me, that most wanted the commitment out of the way so that we could get back to our own raids. I had no doubt that, if we were successful, then we would all be very rich. That was the trick, to be successful. I also worried that the knowledge was so common that King Egbert would know of it. Would he allow us to raid his palace while he sat idly by? I did not think so.
Brigid and Myfanwy came with me to Ragnar and Raibeart’s halls. They could stay with Astrid and she would be able to see
Erika too. My daughter was due to give birth by Skerpla at the latest. I had no idea how long we would be away. Even though we were taking four drekar there were many men left to guard my land. We had learned from the past and would not strip our land of warriors. Once again Erik and his Angry Cubs joined the men from my home and the Ulfheonar. ‘Heart of the Dragon’ was over crewed. Ulf and his men took ‘Crow’ . Asbjorn and Ketil crewed ‘King’s Gift’ , while Ragnar and Raibeart crewed ‘Odin’s Breath’ .
As we sailed south, with a favourable wind, I watched the land slip by. When we came to Wyddfa I could not help but feel excited. A handful of men knew what we had done and yet, a long time in the future, our descendants would know what we did. We had thrown a stone in the pond and the ripples would go on until the ends of time.
We anchored again at the island of the puffins. While we cooked, we saw other drekar ghosting south. They were not stopping. Warriors would be coming from all over the Viking world to serve with Klakke. Most were Danes but there would be others like us; Norse or from Orkneyjar. I had no doubt that Klakke had devised other schemes to entrap jarls and force them to serve him.
When we left the next day, we began to catch up with other drekar. The wind was still filling our sails but Haaken had something of Loki in him that day. “What say we take to the oars and stretch our arms? I am in the mood for a song.”
I shrugged, “If you wish to race to serve this Dane then I do not object.”
Haaken laughed, “It is to put the other ships in their place. Oars!”
As soon as our oars were run out the other three of our ships did the same. Haaken picked a song about himself. I knew he would. The crew sang lustily and the words carried across the water to the five Danish drekar we overtook. They knew then just who we were.
The Dragonheart sailed with warriors brave
To find the child he was meant to save
With Haaken and Ragnar’s Spirit
They dared to delve with true warrior’s grit
With Aðils Shape Shifter with scout skills honed
They found the island close by the rocky stones
The Jarl and Haaken will bravely roar
The Jarl and Haaken and the Ulfheonar
Beneath the earth the two they went
With the sword by Odin sent
In the dark the witch grew strong
Even though her deeds were wrong
A dragon’s form she took to kill
Dragonheart faced her still
He drew the sword touched by the god
Made by Odin and staunched in blood
The Jarl and Haaken will bravely roar
The Jarl and Haaken and the Ulfheonar
With a mighty blow, he struck the beast
On Dragonheart’s flesh he would not feast
The blade struck true and the witch she fled
Ylva lay as though she were dead
The witch’s power could not match the blade
The Ulfheonar are not afraid
The Jarl and Haaken will bravely roar
The Jarl and Haaken and the Ulfheonar
And now the sword will strike once more
Using all the Allfather’s power
Fear the wrath you Danish lost
You fight the wolf and pay the cost
The Jarl and Haaken will bravely roar
The Jarl and Haaken and the Ulfheonar
When the Danes were specks astern of us Haaken shouted, “Enough! They know our name! Let them show us the respect we have earned, eh?”
The longphort was the largest I had ever seen. There were twenty ships there when we arrived. They were not yet double banked. The ones which arrived after us would have to tie up behind us and use our ships as a bridge to get ashore. As we nudged closer to our berth Erik Short Toe said, “Impressive eh jarl?”
“It is, Erik, but I am afraid it means that King Egbert will know we are coming. He will not allow us to simply raid his hall and leave. He will come here and he will fight us.”
“In oars.”
The ship next to us was from Orkneyjar but I saw that the majority of ships were Danish. It was the mail and the weapons of their crews which told me so. I saw none I knew. That did not surprise me. Most of the Danes I knew were dead; slain by my own hand. I spied Klakke Blue Cheek’s standard. It was on the headland which overlooked the landing beach. “Haaken, Gruffyd, don your mail and come with me. We will go ashore. Olaf have the men ready to disembark. I will find out where we camp.”
I did not take my shield and I carried my helmet. I did not need to pose. I spied some jarls as they began to wade ashore. They had shields, helmets and banners. Some warriors were like that. They needed to tell the world who they were. I was not one of those. People knew me because of my deeds and not my mouth and showy war gear. We walked to the prow. Erik Finnison had placed a ladder there. In battle, we would still leap into the water. When we were able, we descended with a little dignity. It also made boarding both easier and less of a spectacle for other warriors. I had seen many Vikings slip as they tried to clamber back aboard and there were too many eyes here to make a fool of yourself.
As we waded ashore I said, “I bring you, Gruffyd, to see if you have learned to control your temper. There will be shield brothers of the man you slew. They will try to antagonise you. Resist the temptation to fight them eh, son?”
He nodded, “I have learned the error of my ways. We would not have this indignity if it were not for me. Thorghest and my sister would still be at our side but for my actions. I know what I did and I will make up for it. I promise.”
I stopped and faced him, “No! You make up for nothing! It is done! We are now paying the weregeld which says it is so. You do not try to be a hero. We raid. We take our treasure and we go home. Then we begin our life again. We become independent once more.”
“Yes, Jarl Dragonheart.”
There was a path up the sandy turf. We made our way up. There were two armed Danes who stood with crossed spears before the camp of Klakke. I had no intention of waiting to be permitted to speak with Klakke. As I approached I growled, “Out of my way!”
I saw the briefest of looks at each other and then the two spears parted and one said, “Welcome Jarl Dragonheart.”
As we passed through Haaken said, “You see Gruffyd, that is how you make friends; a word and a smile. Watch your father and you will learn.”
I shook my head, “Haaken, one day you will go too far.”
“Aye and sail off the edge of the world. I think I should like that. Imagine, Gruffyd, the saga I would tell!”
Klakke was surrounded by eight other Danish jarls. He stood as we approached, “See! I did not lie. I said the mighty Jarl Dragonheart and the sword touched by the gods would be here with his men and he is.” He held out an arm for me to clasp, “Welcome!”
I nodded, “Have you scouted the palace yet, Jarl Klakke?”
A tall warrior laughed, “Why do we need to do that? We know where it is and we just await the last men. We attack and we take. What else do we need to do?”
Klakke shook his head and gestured for me to join him on the log, “Dagh Long Stride is a confident warrior.” He wagged a finger at the tall warrior, “Jarl Dragonheart has fought this King Egbert before, Dagh Long Stride. You have not. I would heed both his words and advice. The Dragonheart has raided Lundenwic. Have you?”
The Dane shrugged, “Saxons are Saxons. We have laid waste much of the land of the East Angles.”
I smiled, “And King Egbert is Bretwalda which means the other Saxons acknowledge him as their leader.” I pointed south. “I have been here before. I raided the palace when it was being built. There will be a ditch and there will be a wooden wall. My raid means that it will be bigger than it was. This is a mighty longphort! Do you not think that Egbert will come to defend his home? He can call on five thousand spears. How many spears do we muster?”
They all looked at Klakke. He smiled, “I think that we have more than
thirteen hundred spears.”
The other jarls looked pleased with that number. I nodded, “That is more than has ever been gathered together before but that still means we have three men for each of us to fight.” I pointed at some of the Danes who were setting up camp. “Almost all of my men have mail. I think we can deal with three Saxons each. We have done so before. What about those who have no mail? What of those who come with a spear, sword and a shield only? Do you know what a housecarl is?”
One of them nodded, “I am Loaf the Left handed, aye I know. They are the best warriors the Saxons have. They do not have many of them.”
“You are right but they fight and look much like us. They all have a mail byrnie, helmet sword, shield and, some of them, an axe. They are organised and they will fight as well as we do. They will guard their king and their eorledmen. I have no doubt that we will make great slaughter of their levy. King Egbert has not survived as long as he has without being both cunning and ruthless. We will shatter our spears, blunt our swords and tire our arms wading through villeins and then when we face his elite warriors we will discover how good they are.”
My words were greeted by silence and then Klakke began to clap, “Well done, Jarl Dragonheart. You have told my leaders what the dangers are. You must have read my mind for I will now tell you how we are to defeat our foe.”
The Dane to his right shook his head, “We should wait until all the jarls are here. They all deserve to know the plan.”
“You are right Ostman Mortenson. Jarl Dragonheart, we have left the land by yonder wood for you.” He smiled, “We know you to be a killer of Danes and there are some here who might remember that.” He seemed to see Gruffyd for the first time or perhaps he chose to draw attention to him, “And there are some who do not agree with the weregeld you paid.”
It was my turn to smile, “But when we have fought for you then it is paid, is it not? And I trust that you can control your men. It would be a pity if my Ulfheonar had to slay some of the men we are to fight alongside.”