by Griff Hosker
My leather byrnie, which I wore beneath my mail, was ready as I entered my hall. Rolf had heard the commotion and joined me. As he and Osbert helped me to don my armour I told him Arne's news. "Keep my men here and arm them. Send a boy to warn those farmers on this side of the Water that there may be danger. It may be a good idea to bring them within my walls."
"And Windar's Mere?"
I shook my head, "It might be a waste of a rider. I wish to find out how many men attack our friends first."
Aiden returned. He did not wear mail but he had a leather byrnie. We had learned its value when he had been taken captive. He cocked his head to one side. "Think you it is the men of On Corn Walum?"
I had not thought of that but he was right. Their suspicious behaviour when they had left had made me uneasy for a while. The worry had abated slightly but this news fanned the flames. "I am not sure. They have been mighty quick if it is but we waste time in idle speculation." Once I had wrapped my wolf cloak around my shoulders I was ready. I carried Ragnar's Spirit and my seax. They were the only weapons I would need. Others had saddled our horses and we galloped around the Water. I was thankful that there was no snow and we made good time. The dark clouds around Olaf's head made him look as though he was wreathed in smoke. I hope it was not a sign.
Haaken and Cnut had organised my Ulfheonar and Wolf Killer had readied his men. We had sixty warriors. As I dismounted my son came to me. "I will leave six men to guard the halls."
"Make it twelve." He gave me a surprised look. "This may be a ruse to lure us from Cyninges-tūn. Have your people come within the walls." He nodded, "I had said, 'your people' for he needed to take on that responsibility. "Snorri, Bjorn the Scout, take ponies and ride hard to see where the danger lies."
They waved and ran. Both were my best scouts and neither needed unnecessary instructions. Aiden and I would ride our small horses as would Wolf Killer but we would fight on foot. I waited impatiently while my son took his leave from Elfrida. My daughter put a thin white hand on mine, "Take care, father. I am sorry I did not see this."
I smiled, "It may be nothing. Perhaps Pasgen saw a drekar and feared for his life." Even as I said it I did not believe it. Pasgen did not frighten easily. If the message was that he was under attack then there were enemies close by. I turned to Aiden, "Prepare your potions here and help with the defence. This may be a drekar raiding or it may be something more serious."
He nodded, "I will speak with Kara. Perhaps we can communicate with the spirits if we work together." Kara seemed to have lost her powers of late. I knew that Aiden was as concerned as she was.
The nights were closing in earlier these days and the light was already fading as we neared the end of the Water. I knew from experience that raiders liked to attack at dawn. That made sense. It would have taken that length of time to get a message to us. I hoped that the people of Úlfarrston had managed to get behind the secure walls. We had built the walls strong enough to withstand at least a three day assault. Unless these raiders had prepared well they would not have brought siege engines and there were few trees big enough to make into a ram close by.
Bjorn the Scout met us just a mile from where my drekar was resting. Erik rode double with him. "It is a raiding party who came with three ships."
"Norse?"
"No, Jarl. These are the tubby boats the Hibernians, Welsh and Saxons use. We have not seen much mail."
Erik pointed to the west. "I saw fires to the west. There are settlements there. We took 'Heart' out into the middle of the river."
"Good, you have done well." I turned, "Sigtrygg, take ten Ulfheonar and head west see if any people remain and kill any raiders."
He nodded and led his chosen men off. Cnut shook his head, "We may need all the Ulfheonar we can get."
The last of Arturus' men had just arrived and my son was organising them. I knew what Cnut inferred; my son's men were not my elite. That was true but my Ulfheonar grew smaller each time we fought. They were hard to replace. Already we were down to just twenty of us. "Wolf Killer and his men will soon need to shoulder the burden of defending our land. If these were Norse we faced then I might worry. As it is we shall see." I waved over my son. "It is not Norse. Sigtrygg seeks any who are rampaging. It is down to our men to deal with these raiders. There are three boats of them." I turned to Bjorn the Scout. "Does Snorri watch them?"
"Aye, Jarl. They have burned the huts which were outside the walls and were trying to fire the wooden walls when we left."
I nodded. Then we had time. The sea soaked walls would be hard to burn and there was plenty of water within the walls. "Then let us go. Bjorn the Scout, take Erik and find their ships. Use Erik's boys and discover if we can take them." Once more Cnut shook his head. Bjorn the Scout was one of my best and most experienced warriors. Cnut was a good warrior but he was no leader. Bjorn the Scout could do a better job than one of the other warriors who had less experience than he had.
I gave my horse to Erik and hefted my shield around. I led my men at a steady trot down the track, through the forest to Úlfarrston. I smelled the burning before I saw the glow in the distance. As we neared Úlfarrston I began to hear the chants and calls of the raiders. I detected Hibernian and Welsh words although I could make no sense of what they were saying. That was an alliance I had not seen before. Even before I saw them I was calculating their numbers. Three ships such as the ones they were using could hold up to forty warriors. They seemed not to mind overcrowding. That meant that we would, in all likelihood, be outnumbered. I knew that Pasgen and his men, while not warriors such as we, would be able to give a good account of themselves. Timing would be all.
I halted us while still in the shelter of the forest. Úlfarrston was just four hundred paces away. The ground sloped towards the river and I saw their three ships. Two were beached while the third rode in the centre of the estuary. A handful of men guarded them. There looked to be a hundred warriors. The fact that they had Welsh with them meant that they had archers. I saw flights soaring over the walls. We had not brought our own bows. I now regretted that.
I turned to my men. "Wolf Killer, make a wedge and charge the heart of the enemy." He nodded, appreciative of the honour I did him. "Ulfheonar, we will attack those closest to the gates. If we can relieve the pressure there then Pasgen might be able to aid us. They have Welsh archers. Be careful."
My wedge was a pathetically small one. There were just eight of us. I led; Haaken and Cnut were on my shoulders and the other five brought up the rear. We would have no weight behind us but we would have surprise. Then Snorri appeared from nowhere and stood next to Haaken. He said, "They have slaughtered all those who were outside the walls." He paused, "Women and children." I felt my heart harden. Normally women and children were reserved for the slave market. It was not much of a life but it was a life. Whoever led these was making a statement; he was trying to instil fear into the men of Úlfarrston.
Arturus and his larger wedge began to trot towards the enemy. We were well trained in this manoeuvre. Poorly prepared warriors usually fell over when trying to run. We ran in a loose wedge formation. We were few enough to form ranks quickly. Although Wolf Killer had the place of honour for he would be attacking the bulk of their warriors, we would be attacking the best; those who assaulted the walls. As we moved from the dark of the woods we were in darkness while the raiders were highlighted by their own fires. It enabled us to cover two hundred paces before they were alerted to our presence. I had time to choose our targets.
They had thrown a makeshift bridge over the ditch. The ditch, I knew, would be filled with stakes and spikes. I would use that to our advantage. I spied a warrior who had deigned armour and was bare chested. He held a long sword and had a small shield. His helmet had a spike on the top. It was for show and to make him bigger. His long sword would be hard to wield one handed and his shield was more a buckler than a shield such as mine. I would go for him.
As we ran I said, "We go for the leader, Cnut, I want
those on your side pushing into the ditch. Let the stakes do their work."
"Aye, Jarl!"
Now that we were in action then Cnut was as committed as any warrior. He had left his doubts in the forest. They had still to see us but Wolf Killer and his wedge had been spotted and I heard the consternation from my left. I did not look. I did not need to. My son and his men were well trained. We needed to free up the men of Úlfarrston to aid us. As we closed, as yet unseen, I speculated on their reaction when they saw us. All of us wore a cloak made of a wolf skin. The head was draped over our helmets and our eyes were painted with the blood of beetles. They would not see Vikings, they would see wolves!
Two raiders saw us and raised the alarm. As soon as we were seen I let out a howl. My Ulfheonar took it up and I saw the terror on the faces of the men who were now just fifty paces from us. We tightened our ranks and covered the last few paces in a short time. Those before us helped us by running back to their leader. It slowed down their attempts to defend themselves.
I punched my shield into the face of the terrified warrior who tried to bring his spear around. The leader brought his long sword over and I barely had time to bring Ragnar's Spirit up to block it. His sword slid down my helmet and off my mail. It had been a hard blow but my helmet, sword and mail were stronger than his sword which I saw was bent a little. His balance would be off. I heard screams as Cnut and two of my men pushed raiders into the death filled ditch. My shield was held tightly against my chest and before the long sword could be raised again I smashed the boss of my shield against his hand. He was strong but I knew he was hurt. I gave him no chance to recover and slid Ragnar's Spirit deep into his midriff and out of his back. I felt it grate along his spine and I twisted the edge. He screamed in pain. I ripped my sword out and saw his entrails following. His eyes rolled into his head and he died. A sword clattered into my shoulder and I swung my sword horizontally. It sliced a long red line across the warrior's stomach. As he tried to hold in his guts I pushed him backwards into the ditch.
My Ulfheonar were around me in a protective circle. "We have cleared the bridge, Jarl. Are you hurt?"
"No, Haaken, but my mail will need work. Form up for we go to the aid of my son."
I could see that Arturus' wedge had been surrounded. His men now had a shield wall and were fighting desperately. There were just eight of us but the enemy we saw had their backs to us. "Wedge!"
I slid my sword back into its sheath and picked up a spear. I put my seax in my left hand. When we closed with them it would be close in work.
"Ulfheonar!"
The enemy were just thirty paces from us and we did not have far to run. I pulled back my arm as we approached and punched with the spear as hard as I could. It was a good strike and I speared two men. The long weapon went through one man's back and into the side of another. I dropped the spear and took the short seax from my left hand. All before me were enemies. Bare flesh meant an enemy and my seax was sharp enough to shave with. I stabbed to my left and as I withdrew the bloodied weapon slashed across the midriff of the warrior who had turned to face me. This was not war for the men we fought were bandits and brigands. They had not spent hours practising and honing their skills. They were chancers; they were men who preferred to strike in the night. I took the blow from an axe on my shield, dropped to one knee and tore up into the groin of a warrior who tumbled to the ground screaming.
As I stood I howled again and it was taken up by my men. Eerily it was echoed from our right and the raiders began to look at each other. They had expected to fight farmers and fishermen and now they faced wolves. It was too much for some and they broke. The moment the pressure lessened Wolf Killer and his beleaguered men took the opportunity to reform their ranks and charge again. The decisive moment came when Sigtrygg brought another wedge into the left flank of the raiders. They broke and we tore into them as they tried to flee back to the safety of their ships!
They had the advantage that they had no armour and could run faster. We had weary arms and legs but we ran after them anyway. I heard a roar from behind me as the gates of Úlfarrston opened and Pasgen led an angry mob of villagers who were eager to get at these raiders. As I ran a hand clutched at my leg and I stumbled; as I fell my seax plunged into the chest of the warrior who had tried to stop me. I rose and sheathed my seax. It was time for Ragnar's Spirit to hew these warriors' limbs. Already one of the ships was pulling away from the shore. The second one looked to be covered in something alive as Wolf Killer led his men aboard. I stopped at the bank of the river. Behind me I heard screams as the people of Úlfarrston fell upon those either wounded or slow. The two ships which headed south rode high in the water. They had barely one crew between the two of them. I turned to shout for prisoners and realised that I was too late. The only ones who remained were my warriors and Pasgen's men.
I took off my helmet and felt the cold air begin to cool me. Bjorn the Scout and Erik wandered up. Their clothes and their weapons were bloody. Bjorn the Scout nodded, "We killed their sentries but we could not reach their ships."
I pointed to the one boat which remained, "It matters not. Wolf Killer captured one and we might learn more of their origin."
Snorri had taken off his helmet. "I heard both Welsh and Irish spoken Jarl but they had only one leader."
"Was he the one I slew?"
"No, Jarl; he had a mail shirt. His shield bore a crude dragon design. I think he was Welsh."
That puzzled me. We had many allies amongst the Welsh. We had helped the King of Dyfed to defeat the men of Mercia. There were, however, a number of kingdoms in Wales. This might not have been sanctioned by a king. "Collect the weapons and their treasures. Let us see if Aiden can fathom out where they came from. Cnut, see to our wounded. I will board this ship."
My son was waiting for me. He, too, had taken off his helmet. He looked grim. "I lost five warriors to these animals."
I nodded. It was hard to lose any warriors but that was inevitable. "Did you take any prisoners?"
He shook his head, "I am sorry but the blood was in my head."
"I know but it would have been useful to learn where they came from. Let us board and search for maps and the like."
"How will that help us? We cannot read their words."
I smiled. My son still had much to learn, "I know but Aiden can tell us the language and then we will know from whence they came and, besides, they will have plotted their course from their homes."
He shook his head, "I should have worked that out for myself."
We found maps. There were four of them aboard the ship which showed that the raiders had come from the south. Even I could see that their language was Welsh but they had not marked their point of origin. The nearest we had was that they had passed the Dee at a town they called Caer. I knew that was Chester but the last time I had been in the area it had been ruled by Mercia. We could do little about them now. A revenge raid would have to wait until after the winter.
"Erik, have a crew row this ship up the river to 'The Heart of the Dragon'. It will be a useful addition to our fleet."
When I stepped ashore again Pasgen was there. He clasped my arm. "Thank you for coming so swiftly."
I nodded, "Let us go within your walls and you can tell me all."
As we returned I saw the devastation caused by the attack. Dismembered bodies lay scattered like leaves. The huts which had been burned were now charcoal rings with a family's life's possessions destroyed. "It was the sentries in our tower who saw them. They delayed sending a message to us for they thought that they might be traders. They were not long ships. They were almost upon us when they realised. I barely had time to send a runner to reach you before they swarmed ashore." He shook his head, "Many of my people were too slow and were caught before they could reach the safety of our walls." He closed his eyes at the memory. "We had to watch them being butchered like animals. We used our archers to halt them. They were not expecting that but it was heart breaking to watch them burning t
he homes of my people." He waved towards the river. "They even burned the fishing boats."
"We think that they came from the south; from the land of Cymru."
He nodded, "We will have to watch more carefully in future."
"I will have you a bell made for the tower. Your men should toll it whenever they think there is any danger. It is better to be safe than sorry. Have your people leave their homes as soon they hear it." He nodded, glumly. "It cannot help these but others might be saved in the future."
We walked around his hall where those who had been wounded were being tended to. He shook his head in disbelief, "This is almost as it was before you came, Jarl Dragon Heart."
I knew he was not criticising me but it sounded as though he was. "We will punish them but it will have to wait until after the winter."
He nodded, "I know. We should have built signal towers to let you know more quickly."
"We can do that when the weather is better. You will need to make arrangements for your people. Winter is coming and many have no homes now." He looked despondent. "Now your people will see what kind of leader you are, Pasgen. I have no doubt that you will come through this stronger than before."
He brightened a little, "It feels as though I have let them down."
"You have not. This is a setback only."
It was almost dawn by the time we reached our halls. I had been fortunate and lost none but Wolf Killer and his men carried back the bodies of their dead. They would be laid to rest with honour. My Ulfheonar had shown their worth. We had not lost a man. I was anxious to speak with Aiden and show him the map. His sharp mind might make a better deduction than mine had been. Kara had hot food and ale waiting for us. Before I ate I sought out Aiden, "Look at these maps and try to glean every scrap of information you can. I am going to the Water to cleanse my body of blood."