Viking Wrath

by Griff Hosker

  "We have spare shields. We will fight outside my hall and make them come over the ditch."

  "I will seed the ditch with stakes. It worked in Lundenwic; it should work here."

  "The difference is I cared not for those in Lundenwic. These are my people."

  "And we will save them, Jarl Dragon Heart. Old Olaf watches still and the spirits in the Water will not desert us."

  It seemed an anti climax when no one came in the next two days. The warriors arrived from our friends. They sent thirty altogether and half of those were archers. We had perilously few of those and they were even more welcome than the warriors. My son had received the news and was making his own plans. It hurt me that I could not go to his aid but Windar and his men would maintain contact so that they could go to the aid of Elfridaby. My worry was that they might not be in time.

  We received two messages almost at the same time. Pasgen sent a rider to say that Siggi had seen four Saxon ships disembarking men at the mouth of the Lune. He said that they met up with some on the shore already. Of course he could not get any closer to identify their standards. They could be Mercia or even Wessex. When Snorri and Bjorn the Scout rode in to tell us that Mercians were at the southern end of the Water we knew who had landed. Our enemies were less than ten miles away. There were more than a hundred of them. We rang Haaken's stolen bell and its tolling brought everyone who could hear from the outlying farms, within our walls. Our day of destiny had arrived. I had but twelve Ulfheonar, including myself, and our enemies had many mailed warriors. I needed the help of the gods and my sword.

  Chapter 13

  I spread my Ulfheonar along the wall so that every defender could see one of us wearing the wolf cloak. The warriors too were spread out along the walls. The young men, the old men, the smiths and the farmers were given a shield and a spear and they filled the gaps. I hoped that the Saxons would think we had a mighty host. Only half of the ones they saw were warriors and only half of the warriors had fought in a battle. We had managed to find helmets for half of the ones who were not warriors. It remained to be seen if they could act as warriors. They were not good odds. Aiden stood beside me while Kara organised the women in the hall.

  "I have had the hay placed next to the dwellings to be burned and the huts soaked in fat and oil. Cnut's sons both asked for the honour of lighting them."

  "Good. Their father will be watching them."

  I peered south. It was just a moving snake which I saw. I saw the banner of Mercia but that meant nothing. It could just be an eorl who led them. It might not be Coenwulf. I saw no other banners. Mark of Tintagel had stayed away. I marked that knowledge for the future. I had still to pay him back as well as Hywel ap Rhodri Molwynog. I had not forgotten. Their approach was steady and we could do little more to prepare. Each archer had twenty arrows to hand. Every warrior had three throwing spears as well as a longer one to keep them at bay. Suddenly the silence broke as Haaken began to sing.

  The storm was wild and the Gods did roam

  The enemy closed on the Prince's home

  Two warriors stood on a lonely tower

  Watching, waiting for hour on hour.

  The storm came hard and Odin spoke

  With a lightning bolt the sword he smote

  Ragnar's Spirit burned hot that night

  It glowed, a beacon shiny and bright

  The two they stood against the foe

  They were alone, nowhere to go

  They fought in blood on a darkened hill

  Dragon Heart and Cnut will save us still

  Dragon Heart, Cnut and the Ulfheonar

  Dragon Heart, Cnut and the Ulfheonar

  Haaken's song ceased but the whole of the line took up the chant, "Dragon Heart, Cnut and the Ulfheonar." I saw his sons with tears coursing down their cheeks as they proudly stood with their burning brands. I nodded my thanks to Haaken. This was a new song. I knew that he must have conceived it when he saw how few our numbers were. It was what he did. It had been effective. The ramparts were filled with those who thought not of their own danger but of the glories of the past. Their hearts were filled with pride and they had forgotten the warband which marched steadily towards them.

  When they were two hundred paces away they halted. I frowned. Normally they would have kept on. Then, at their fore, I recognised a yellow shield with a red boar upon it. I had seen that when Coenwulf had attacked Lundenwic. There was a warrior there who knew how we fought. He was wary of arrows.

  "No one is to release an arrow until I command."

  I saw the Saxon turn to the other leaders who were standing around him.

  "Snorri, Bjorn the Scout, do you think you can hit the warrior with the yellow boar shield?"

  "Aye we can hit him but not necessarily kill him."

  "It matters not. They think they are out of range. Let us put a little fear into their hearts."

  I watched as they chose their best arrows with their finest flights. They smoothed the feather with saliva and turned the arrow so that it was perfectly placed and then they nocked their flights. The both pulled back and, without speaking to each other released their arrows at precisely the same moment. They flew high and were unnoticed by the Saxons. They plunged down. One struck the side of the warrior's helmet and was deflected into his shoulder. The other struck his foot. Immediately the Saxons made a shield wall and began to move back. His oathsworn clustered around him with their shields. They retreated another fifty paces. They knew that they would now be out of range of the deadly arrows. I saw that the warrior was not dead but wounded.

  Ulf Bjornson asked, "Jarl, could I make an attempt?"

  "You are an archer?" He nodded. "Then you have my permission." I did not know he was an archer but with his powerful arms and shoulders he had the strength to reach them. Did he have the skill?

  He too chose his best arrow and he pulled back the bow. I saw that the bow was longer than that used by most men and he pulled it back a long way. One of the Saxons was standing before the fallen warrior. He had his back to us. The arrow descended like a kestrel and plunged into his back throwing him on to the wounded Saxon. The effect was instant. They moved back another hundred paces. My people all cheered. This was not a victory but it was hope. Even the youngest youth on my walls saw that the Saxons had to be losing confidence.

  We watched a debate between the wounded leaders and the other eorls. Haaken shouted. "See what three arrows can do! When Jarl Dragon Heart gives the command aim your arrows true and the Mercians will fall like rye to a scythe!"

  Out archers all began to emulate the three Ulfheonar and selected their best arrows. The Saxon debate ended and they began to march resolutely towards us. This time they came in a block of men with their shields held before and above them. There was no way that we could get our arrows to penetrate at this range. It meant we had to allow them to close. Still they came cautiously and steadily. Their leader had a spine that was certain.

  "Ulfheonar, when you have a target then take it but do not waste arrows. You other archers release at one hundred paces."

  My three best archers worked independently. Their first three flights struck only shields but, when they were two hundred paces from our walls one arrow found a gap and hit a warrior in the third rank. He fell and there was disruption in the column. Three more arrows flew before they could seal the hole and two more warriors fell. They halted until they were ready. They came even more cautiously. Four warriors had fallen and they had not even reached our walls. They were just beyond our hundred paces marker when a warrior on the extreme right of the column was hit and fell into the Water. I deemed that they were close enough. "Every archer, release!"

  There were just twenty eight archers but their effect was greater than their numbers. At this shorter range the arrows had more power. My Ulfheonar were aiming for the tiniest of gaps. Inevitably more warriors fell and with the rain of arrows they had no time to regain cohesion. The Saxons ran at the walls and the ditch. They found the stakes. T
he outer ditch had no water. The leader with the yellow shield and red boar had remembered Lundenwic. Faggots were thrown into the ditch and they formed a shield wall around the axe men who began to hack at the gates.

  "Archers! Back to the hall!" There was little point in risking them further. The men with the spears were as effective. The throwing spears were hurled down. As ever the Saxons had brought few archers. Had they done so they could have pinned us down. As it was we were able to find gaps in their shields. Four of my defenders were struck by their handful of archers and fell to the ground. We had hurt them more but our small numbers made each loss more significant.

  Sigtrygg shouted, "The gate has nearly gone!"

  "All but the Ulfheonar, back to the hall. "Ulfheonar, shield wall!"

  We moved down from the walls. The Ulfheonar were the last down and we formed up, as we had planned, between the fire huts. I spoke to Cnut Cnutson. "When I give the command you fire the huts and then run back." He nodded, "If you are caught by an old man like me your father will not be best pleased!"

  He nodded seriously and I saw the man in the boy. He would do. There were just twelve of us. "Wedge!"

  I stepped forward three paces and the others formed up behind me. We waited until we began to see daylight through the gates as it was hacked to pieces. We had a wall of spears held before us. I would not need Ragnar's Spirit yet. We had to judge this well and I had only five who had fought in a wedge together. The new warriors would have to learn quickly or die!

  As soon as I saw the first warriors through the broken gate, I yelled, "Ulfheonar!" We had but twenty paces to run. It was just enough to get up speed and my dozen mailed warriors struck the reckless axe men who had broken through. They were all speared like fish. The six spears of the first three ranks all found flesh. I halted in the gateway and pulled back my spear to strike at a second face which appeared before me. It went through his open helmet and out of the back of his head. I twisted as I withdrew it.

  I heard a grunt from behind me and Haaken said, "Sigtrygg has taken a spear in the leg!"

  We could not afford to lose any men. "Withdraw! Back to the hall!" In a well practised move we all jabbed forward and then turned and ran. I yelled, "Cnut Cnutson! Now!"

  The two boys obeyed me instantly. The dry hay and kindling ignited as flames leapt up the walls. The two brands were thrown on to the roof as the boys raced back to the security of my hall. They easily beat us there. As I jumped over the hay it caught fire and I felt the flames singe the hairs on my wolf cloak. Behind me I heard the screams as the warriors who had been closing in on us were caught by the fire. I turned and saw three of them covered from head to foot in flames. They soon fell to die writhing and become blackened corpses.

  As soon as we reached my hall we pulled up the bridge and placed it before my door. The hall was ringed by a solid wall of men. Each one had a spear. We might not have had enough to stand on my walls but we had enough for my hall. Above us the archers were in the tower and on the top of the stable which was next to the hall. We were ready. Had we killed enough to put the odds in our favour?

  As before I had my experienced warriors spread out amongst the novices. I wondered if the retreat had made them less confident but I saw them nodding and smiling at each other. If they survived this day then they would be well on their way to becoming warriors. The burning huts formed a wall of smoke. The wind was from the north east and we could not see what they were planning.

  I looked up to the tower. "Can you see anything?"

  Aiden was there, "They are demolishing the wooden walls."

  That vexed me. What could that mean? Time passed and the flames died. It was when the smoke cleared that I realised what they were about. They were going to use the walls of our home to make bridges across the ditch as they had in Lundenwic. The difference here was that they did not have to construct the bridges; they cut down whole sections of the walls. I could do nothing about that; short of burning down our own walls.

  Aiden, "Have the archers target the men carrying the bridges. They cannot carry a bridge and a shield."

  "Aye, Jarl."

  "Ulfheonar, place yourselves where they put the bridges. They must not cross!"

  The Saxons advanced behind a wall of shields. They stepped over the smoking, charred remains of their comrades; a reminder that we were not sheep to be shorn! The archers had no targets but they would soon have one when the shield wall parted to allow the bridges through.

  "Use your throwing spears when you see a target but do not waste them!"

  I noticed Bjorn the smith readying his throwing spear. His son Ulf was on one side and one of his other sons, Bjorn Bjornson on the other. I allowed myself a smile. It would take a mighty Saxon to get past the three strongest men in Cyninges-tūn. Young Ulf Olafsson was next to me. He had seen barely thirteen summers. He had a leather byrnie on him; it was too large and his father's old helmet, also too big; it was at an unnatural angle. He held the throwing spear as though it was a sword.

  "Ulf, rest the end of the spear on your shoulder then you will be ready to draw back and hurl it."

  "I am sorry, Jarl Dragon Heart."

  "You have done nothing wrong Ulf. You are learning as your father did. I will tell you when to hurl. Have you killed any yet?"

  He shook his head, "My first struck a shield."

  "Then you and I will see your first kill together." I noticed that he stood a little taller and his jaw jutted out defiantly after my words. The shield wall was just five paces on the other side of the ditch. The Saxons had picked up some of our throwing spears and they began to hurl them from behind the shield wall. If you had a shield then they were not dangerous for you could follow their flight. Ulf did not have a shield and I had to hurriedly hold mine above his head. The spear stuck in it. I turned my shield and wrenched it out. I jammed it into the soil. "Now you have a second one." I saw that two of the Saxons were parting to allow the bridge men through. "Now Ulf! The Saxon on your left!"

  He hurled it with all of his might. The warrior on the left had opened his body slightly to allow his own swing and the spear plunged into his side. The range was less than ten paces. He fell sideways and tripped up two of the men who were carrying the wooden bridge. Aiden's archers did not hesitate and the six men were soon covered in so many arrows they looked like hedgehogs. "Well done Ulf!" He beamed, "Now keep behind me. You have neither shield nor armour; I have both.

  I glanced down the line. We had not been as successful in repelling them everywhere and I saw Ulfheonar fighting desperately to stop them using the bridges they had thrown across. Perhaps because of my presence we kept them at bay longer closer to us. That proved to be our undoing. Bodies fell into the ditch and soon they did not need a bridge; they had one made of corpses. A Saxon stepped to my left and stabbed forward with his spear. He caught Arne the Fisherman in the leg. Even as the spear was pulled back to finish off Arne I jabbed with my own spear. It tore into his neck but an axe smashed my spear in two. I swung the broken end back handed at him and he jerked back. I let go of the broken spear and it sailed into the side of another Saxon's head. I drew Ragnar's Spirit.

  Ulf, just behind me was so excited he yelled, "Ragnar's Spirit! The sword touched by Odin! Now you will die Saxon!"

  I ripped sideways with the edge and it sliced through the bare neck of the Saxon. Although there was a human bridge now it was unstable. The bodies began to be crushed beneath the water and the Saxons had to fight to keep their balance. I saw that there were two of the warriors who had been to the monastery close by me. They both had short mail byrnies. "Harold and Sven, to my side now!"

  They obeyed me instantly. "What do you wish, Jarl?"

  "We are going across the ditch. They have lost good warriors here and the ones behind have no armour. If we drive them hence it may help the others. Are you with me?"

  "Aye!"

  "Now!"

  I stepped on a body of a dead warrior in the ditch. I was expecting it to move an
d it did. I sprang forward and thrust with my sword as I did so. As I withdrew it I ripped it sideways into the unprotected belly of the next warrior. I swung it to the left and the point sank into another Saxon's side. Suddenly the three of us had a gap and I roared, "Ulfheonar!" It was to give the others heart but they took it to mean that I wished us all to advance. Throwing spears materialized above me and fell amongst the Saxons who were trying to react to our attack. Aiden concentrated the arrows on the men before us too and I could see the burned huts and the destroyed walls beyond. A warrior fights for his lord and those to whom he has sworn an oath. He will keep fighting so long as there is hope. Although many Saxons were across the ditch, more were not and those who were not were now being driven back. Although I was tiring I knew that one more push would break their resolve.

  "On!"

  I punched a warrior in the face with my shield. He had weakly raised his sword. My shield brought a mushroom of blood and as he stepped back I stabbed him in the chest. A warrior stood with his spear raised and he hesitated. The hesitation cost him his life. Ulf Olafsson threw his last throwing spear and it hit the warrior in the side. He fell to the ground and Ulf took out his seax, leapt on the body and ripped it across his throat. The novices had become warriors and we roared after the Saxons. The ones who were isolated close to our walls turned and fled. Arrows followed them. The Saxons we followed had no armour and they ran, their legs fuelled by fear! They began to out distance us. I did not want them to regroup.

  I turned to look at the warriors who followed me. My Ulfheonar were there and another ten of my men, including Ulf, Harold and Sven. "Come, let us end this."

  I slowed down to a trot. The Saxons began to extend their lead but I did not want us to reach them exhausted. Every half a mile or so I slowed to a walk and then trotted again. We had found we could cover vast distances like this. I saw the forest ahead. We were almost half way to the sea. Were their ships there or would they head inland? We could not run all the way back to Mercia. Haaken began to chant one of Cnut's rowing cadences. It seemed to work. I found that it was easier to run to the rhythm. We covered the next couple of miles quickly. There was a sudden roar ahead and the sound of battle. Now was not the time to trot.