by Griff Hosker
We trotted up the trail. I saw ruts which showed that carts regularly used this. Bjorn the Scout and Snorri led. The trail wound upwards between yew and elm. For some reason the followers of the White Christ believed that yew was special. It was another indication that we were on the right track. Snorri and Bjorn the Scout halted. I could smell wood smoke and the perfumed incense the priests used in their rituals. There was a glow ahead and we moved cautiously. A low stone wall was all that surrounded the monastery. It was there to keep wild animals out and their own in. It was not a deterrent to raiders. Snorri clambered over and took the bar from the door so that we could enter. I pointed to the gate and circled the six warriors who had accompanied us. I gave them the sign to keep watch.
Inside there were various buildings. They looked to be wooden. In the old days I might have burned them but now I wanted to be in and out as quickly as possible. The one with the glow of candles had, I could just make out, a cross on the top. That was their church. The other buildings might also be occupied. I waved Haaken to the right and Sigtrygg to the left. I circled my hand over my head and Snorri and Bjorn the Scout loped off to the rear of the monastery to discover if they had another gate.
I was left with the four Ulfheonar who had just been given a golden pendant. I knew that they treasured it already. I gestured for them to follow me and I headed for the church. I heard chanting and the sound of prayers from within. I waved Harald Long Leg around to the rear. More often than not they did not have another exit but it was as well to be prepared. I gave him a few moments to get around and then I opened the doors. I did not fling them open. I wanted surprise and not terror. The terror would come later. I opened them slowly and silently.
I saw that the priests or monks, I could not tell the difference, all wore black robes and that there were ten men within. The priest at the front had his head down and I smiled when I saw that the table he used was covered in a white linen cloth and had two candlesticks which gleamed suggesting that they were made of gold.
I waved for Siggi to go left and Magnus to go right. Ulf and I walked towards the altar. The priest looked up and saw us. I recognised the Saxon word he shouted, "Vikings!"
Panic ensued. The monks ran. Ulf used his shield to smash into the face of the young monk who tried to pass us. I saw Siggi and Magnus do the same. I put my sword at the throat of one of the priests and shouted, in Saxon, "Resist and you die. Put your hands in the air with their palms out and you shall live. I give my word!"
There was another door and Harald stepped in behind the priest at the Altar. His shoulders slumped and he said, "Do not harm us, Viking, we surrender."
The monks did as I had asked, "On your knees and you may put your hands together to pray."
The priest asked, "So that you may kill us easier?"
"I gave you my word and I am never foresworn." I smiled, "You may pray for my death if you wish. I am not afraid of the White Christ. I want your hands together so that you cannot try anything foolish."
His mouth opened and closed and then he said, "You mean it do you not? You will allow us to live?" I nodded. He smiled, "Then you will be the one they call the Dragon Heart." Again I nodded. His smile became more like that of a wolf and I became suspicious at that moment. He had appeared afraid until I told him my name and then he seemed almost happy.
"Siggi, collect the gold and the cloths. Magnus take that holy book which is near to the priest."
When Magnus went to take the book the priest held on to it. "Do not be foolish, priest. You can make another book but you cannot make another life."
He allowed Magnus to take the book. "That book is the work of many lives. What will you do with it? Burn it?"
I laughed, "We do not hate your teachings we just do not understand them. The books you make are worth gold. We will sell it and with the gold we will buy better armour."
"There will come a reckoning, Viking, even for the one who carries renowned sword."
"I know. When I go to Valhalla I will have to answer for all my misdeeds. Odin will not see this as one." I turned to Ulf. "They have cords as belts. Use them to bind them hand and foot."
Magnus and Siggi had what we had come for. "Wait at the gate. The others will be there before too long."
When they were all bound I said, "And I kept my word. None of you died."
The priest smiled, "No, Viking but you shall and soon. I pray for your death and I expect it within the next moon!"
I felt a chill run down my spine.
Once outside I saw that the others had little to show for their efforts although Haaken sported the bell we had heard tolling. He was grinning. I shook my head, "Back to the drekar. Snorri, Bjorn the Scout, rearguard."
I was distracted as we raced back down the Roman Road. I kept thinking about the priest, his reaction to my name and his words. I needed to speak with Aiden and Kara. They might be able to understand this puzzle. He seemed confident that I would be dead in a couple of moons. How did he know? I had not heard that the priests of the White Christ could speak with the spirits. How did he know? Perhaps he was just trying to unsettle me.
Dawn began to break from the east. I would not risk sailing whilst we were still tired. We would sail in the late afternoon. That would give me the opportunity to talk about the raid with the Ulfheonar. When we reached the drekar I saw that the tide had gone out. The drekar was much lower. Had we been loaded then it would have been grounded. As it was it did not make much difference to her.
Erik and the boys had been busy. We carried skein nets on board and they had had them in the river when the tide was going out. The result was fresh fish. "Do we risk a fire, Jarl?"
"Aye, Erik, the new warriors have done well and we can leave if we are disturbed. Have one of your boys on the mast head to keep watch."
"We took off our armour and looked at the treasures we had collected. There were gold candlesticks but the other items were made of silver with golden decorations. Sigtrygg, however, had discovered a small chest filled with gold and silver coins. They bore the face of Penda who had been king of the Mercians. We had a good supply of linen as well as some fine pots. Our women always sought them. The greatest prize, however, was the book. It was beautifully made; we had learned the good from the bad over the years.
Haaken nodded appreciatively. "That will fetch a high price."
"Aye but our markets are more limited now. We may have to risk Frankia again. I will let Aiden look at it first. Who knows what he might glean from it."
Ulf looked at the book with a dubious expression on his face. "Are they not just the words of the White Christ? What can we learn from them?"
Sigtrygg laughed, "You would be surprised. Sometimes they are records of their kings and their lands. If this monastery was made for a Mercian king then they may honour him with their writings."
The smell of cooking fish reached us and we broached the barrel of ale. "Is it always as easy as that, Haaken?"
"No Olvir. We were lucky. We did not reap huge rewards but they were enough." He pointed to the lack of mail on the six warriors who had come with us. "We need all of our warriors with mail shirts. We will never have enough warriors to defeat the sea of Saxons but if we have well armed and well trained warriors then we can keep them at bay."
I waved my arm to include them all. "You all did well today and you will be rewarded. Bjorn is making mail shirts as fast as we can."
Sigtrygg laughed, "The other way to get a mail shirt and a fine helmet is to defeat someone in battle. Sadly the men of On Corn Walum and Ynys Cybi did not have good armour. We can only hope the Saxons are foolish enough to try to get at us."
"Do not tempt the Norns, Sigtrygg."
Both he and Haaken gave me a quizzical look. They knew that I was not easily intimidated by Saxons. The fish arrived and we ate. The fish was good and welcome after a night's endeavours. When we had eaten and quenched our thirsts Haaken asked, "What did you mean, Jarl Dragon Heart?"
"When the priest hea
rd my name his expression changed and his comments worried me. He spoke of my imminent death. The followers of the White Christ do not believe in witchcraft. I think he meant that there were Saxons seeking me."
"Perhaps he was trying to frighten you."
"No. Do not forget what Siggi and Trygg told us. King Egbert seeks my head. The Mercians are allies of On Corn Walum. We have many enemies. We will be on our guard. Danger stalks us and we must be wary."
We left at high tide, in the early afternoon. The Maeresea could be treacherous. Erik was pleased as we left the estuary for we had a wind from the south west. It meant we did not have to row and yet we moved quickly. We saw no one for we kept to the coast and it was dark when we saw the tower at Úlfarrston. It was too late to make the journey home and so we stayed with Pasgen who was pleased to offer us his hospitality. He and his people had become almost our people over the years. We had shared trials and tribulation. He had aided us and we had come to his rescue. We made no demands upon each other. He did not serve me but I knew that he was as loyal an ally as there could be. We did not tax nor did we ask for tribute. I knew that was how empires worked and I also suspected that the Saxon kingdoms operated the same way. We did not. I controlled the profits that we made but I ensured that all were cared for. We had no poor in my lands nor did Pasgen.
As we enjoyed his hospitality I mentioned the possible dangers to him. It was right that I did so. "Be wary of all Saxons. If you see them then toll your bell and prepare for war. I doubt that they will hurt you but they may use you as a means to get to me. They all think I am weak because I lost so many men."
He laughed, "You could have but five men and you would not be weak. This land is your ally, Jarl. I have seen that. If you were attacked then every man in Úlfarrland would come to your aid. You may not have the title of king but you have something more valuable, you have the respect of all. Fear not."
"I am not afraid for me but I would not have my friends hurt because of me."
"We would not be without you."
The next morning we returned home and I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that it looked as when I had left it a couple of days earlier. Kara looked to me to be more like her old self. Since her return from Ynys Cybi she had been more affectionate towards me. She threw her arms around me more and she smiled as she had as a child. I saw Aiden watching her and smiling himself. I handed him the book of the White Christ.
"We will sell this when next we trade with Frankia but for now see if it adds to our knowledge."
"I will. How did the raid go?"
"We found some treasures but it was the information I gleaned which might prove more useful." I told them both of the priest's words and my conclusion. Surprisingly they both nodded their agreement.
Aiden said, "I think you have seen beneath his words and into his heart. There will be danger."
I shook my head, "And we are not ready yet."
"There is good news, Jarl."
"My son and his men have returned?"
"No, Jarl but eight warriors have come from Ulla's Water, Windar's Mere and Thorkell's Stad. Three have mail and all have weapons."
I smiled, "That is good news. Sigtrygg has the gold. I will see Bjorn. It may be he has ideas for improving our weapons."
Bjorn was bright red and sweating like a horse when I found him. He gave a rueful shake of his head as I entered, "We are making weapons as fast as we can, Jarl. My sons have made many of the metal plates Aiden asked for. We can do little else."
I put my hand on his shoulder and regretted it immediately. It was slick with sweat. "I am not here to harass you old friend. I come for advice. What weapons can you make in large numbers that we could use quickly?"
"There is danger?"
"There could be and it might be soon."
"Arrow heads and spear heads are easy to make. If you have the shafts, hafts and flights then we could make enough for every man and youth in the whole of Cyninges-tūn."
"You are a life saver, Bjorn. I will get the hafts and shafts made. Change what you are producing. How many iron plates for the leather byrnies have you made?"
"Each warrior will have some protection. There is not enough to completely cover the byrnies but you did not want that anyway."
"You are the life blood of this, my home, Bjorn and your son does you great honour. He is a fine warrior."
I could see that Bjorn was touched, "Often we hope our sons will follow us and be as we were. Ulf has shown me that need not be the case."
There was meaning beneath his words, "You are speaking of Wolf Killer?"
He nodded, "He is not you, Jarl, and I know, from Haaken's words, that he made mistakes. Is that not what all young do? They make mistakes and they learn."
"But Cnut died because of his mistake!"
"It was his time, it was meant to happen. He saved your life and that would make him happy. He will not be grieving in Valhalla. Think on that jarl." I nodded, "I only speak because we are old friends."
"I know and you are right to do so."
As I walked back to my hall I realised that his words about my son had made me forget shields. I would have my Ulfheonar and the warriors making shields as well as seeking the ash and willow for the spears and arrows. The children could collect the feathers. This was a task for the whole of Cyninges-tūn. We would be depending upon our own resources.
The next few days saw everyone working as hard as Bjorn and his smiths. Surprisingly there was a happy, almost festive atmosphere. I think the fact that every single person was contributing to our efforts made the difference. The only ones who were not working on the weapons were those who caught the fish and made the ale, bread and cheese. I had Snorri and Bjorn the Scout travel to Ulla's Water, Elfridaby, Windar's Mere and Thorkell's Stad to warn them of the imminent danger of a Saxon attack. If I was wrong and seeing a wolf where there was only a dog then I would apologise. But I would rather apologise to someone living than to their grave.
Seven days after we had returned from the raid on the monastery both Kara and Aiden dreamed. That in itself was a rarity since the visit of the witch. Of greater significance was the fact that they both dreamed the same thing. They saw two hosts marching towards us. They saw no faces in their dreams for all that they could see was metal and mail. They did see, however, that they came with the sun over their shoulders.
I questioned them both about the details. I had dreamed and knew that, sometimes, it was the small details which were the most important.
"When they came with the sun over their shoulders which shoulder was it?"
Aiden closed his eyes, "Their right shoulder."
"Then they cannot be coming from Hibernia. They are coming from the south and the east."
"How were they dressed, Kara, in your dream?"
"One of the bands I saw had byrnies down to their knees and carried axes. The other had spears and short byrnies."
Sigtrygg was impressed as he heard those details. "Then one is Danish. They will be coming from Jorvik and the other will be Saxon. They will be coming from Mercia."
Haaken shook his head. "It is all very well knowing who they are and where they come from but we do not know when nor can we predict numbers."
He was right. "Haaken, send Snorri and Bjorn the Scout to the south. My son and his tower can watch for the Danes, have a rider warn him of Aiden's dream."
Kara looked at me sharply. I shrugged, "Until he is happy to be near you again it would not do to make him even more stubborn than he is. It is the same dream but he does not need to know that."
Haaken hurried off. "Sigtrygg, send a fast rider to Thorkell's Stad. Tell Einar I have need of a dozen warriors. He will know why and ask the same of Windar."
"Why not ask for more of their men?"
"We do not want to take away their defences. We have been tricked before. Remember the witch? This could still end up as a trick to lure warriors to defend my home. And I would have the pass to the sea watched by the shepherd
s."
While my men heeded my bidding I walked my walls with Aiden. "There are too many walls to defend. We do not have enough warriors."
He was right. Even if Einar and Windar sent me the twenty four warriors I needed we would still only have sixty or so warriors. "But we can line the walls with everyone save the young children and their mothers. Those who can, can use a bow and everyone can throw a spear. We have made many throwing spears." I looked at the open spaces we had made. The Water protected one side and the Old Man the other. Their only approach, from the south, was along the side of the Water. We had a gate there and they would attack that. We had demolished all the houses in a direct line from my hall so that archers could continue to loose arrows at an attacking enemy. It was three hundred paces from the gate to the ditch around my hall. They were killing grounds. "We need to slow them up in the open spaces."
"We use fire."
"Fire?"
"We put straw between the two end huts. They have to pass through those. We soak the two huts in pig fat and seal oil. When we fall back from the walls then we fire them. It will make smoke, slow them down and, perhaps kill them."
"Destroy our own homes?"
"If the enemy reach them they will destroy them anyway. We can rebuild huts. Remember Lundenwic? It stopped them then."
I nodded, "You are right. Then we hold them at the ditch. We will need food within my hall in case they besiege us."
"It will be a tight fit but we can shelter them all." He pointed to the two towers we had built. One faced north and one faced south. The mountain on one side and the Water on the other had eliminated the need for four such towers. "We can use the south tower to watch them and to use our best archers."