by Griff Hosker
They were eager to know our news and we were waited on hand and foot. Between mouthfuls Ulf told them what we had found. After he had finished he said, "It will not be easy, Jarl. We will have to walk almost a mile from the drekar and there is a garrison at the castle."
"Is the prize worth it?"
Ulf grinned, "I have never seen such a big monastery." Sven joined us. "I know not how you will turn the drekar, Sven. The river is narrow. The 'Sea Serpent' could turn, perhaps, but we are too long."
I wiped the foam from my mouth and said, "Remember the river which joined it."
"Hrolf is right. But it is some miles downstream."
Sven rubbed his beard, "It is not easy but we can, if we have the current with us, take the steering board off and use an oar to steer. We could turn into the other channel and turn around there."
"Have you done it before, Sven?"
"No Jarl but I have heard of others doing it on the rivers of the Rus. There is no reason why it should not work."
Siggi slapped his thigh, "By the Allfather this will be something to tell our grandchildren about!"
Arne shook his head, "The likelihood of us ever having grandchildren is slim so it matters not."
We prepared for war on the island. We had no wheel but I used a whetstone to put an edge back on my sword. I donned my leather armour and my wolf cloak. I put the head over my helmet. I knew that it would frighten the monks and as the scout it would be Ulf and me that they would see first. Fear was a weapon and we used it well.
As the crew rowed up the river Ulf and I stood at the bow to signal to Sven. The most dangerous part was as soon as we left the shelter of the island for I was sure that they would be seeking us. We had killed three of their men.
Once we passed the tributary the river became easier and it was slower. The last three miles were the swiftest we had rowed. I pointed ahead, "There is the beach Ulf."
He signalled for Sven to turn to the shore. While we were away Sven would untie the withy from the steering board and then it could be swung out of the water. It would not take long to re-attach. The two men who would guard the drekar leapt off first and secured us to the shore. Ulf was next off followed by me. We were less than forty paces from the lane which led to the monastery. I could see the lights at the end of the bridge but they would help us for the guards who were there would not see as far. Ulf and I ran. It was up to the rest to stay in touch with us.
When we reached the edge of the trees we stopped. The door of the first building was closed. It was not the church. That was further to the south. We waited for the rest to find us. I could hear the murmur of conversation. It suggested a large number of monks. Siggi joined us and nodded. Along with Arne Four Toes the four of us ran towards the door. This time Gunnstein Thorfinnson and his men would seal the escape route of the monks. They ran alongside us in two lines.
When we reached the door Arne and I took hold of the two handles and pulled at the same time. Siggi and Ulf ran into the hall as the lights from inside flooded out. Even as we followed we heard the wail as they realised they were being attacked. Ketil and Knut followed us and the six of us ran through the huge hall. There had to be a hundred monks. They were eating and they were eating well. I had never seen a table laden with so much food.
Siggi White Hair might have been the oldest but he hurtled down the centre of the room. One priest stood to stop him and when Siggi ran him through it caused panic amongst the rest. They fled. The candlesticks they were using were all made of metal. Siggi shouted, "Knut! Collect treasure. The rest of you come with me." I sensed a movement next to me and a priest swung a long metal pole with a ball attached to it. I think it was used for incense. Had it struck me it could have injured me. I swung my sword sideways and hacked into his chest. I followed the others. We killed none save those who tried to stop us. Killing took time and we had no time. We had to gather all the treasures as quickly as we could. An older monk with rings on his fingers and a gold necklace around his neck tried to stop Ulf from taking them. One blow from his shield rendered him unconscious and Ulf took them anyway.
When we found the kitchens it was a treasure trove in itself. There were sacks and sacks of wheat. There was enough to last us the winter. I went out of the side door and found a large handcart, "Ketil, help me load the cart with the grain!" We piled it higher than was safe but time was wasting. We could barely move it at first. We pushed it towards the lane. When we reached the top it took all of our strength to stop it careering down the slope. We began to unload it. We had almost finished when Cnut the ship's boy shouted, "Warriors! Look!"
I saw armed men streaming over the bridge. "Ketil, get to the Jarl and warn him."As he ran off I said, "Beorn Fast Feet, Gunnar Stone Face, come with me we must stop them."
As we ran along the road I regretted not bringing my new bow. I could have slain some before they closed with us. We would have to slow them down. There were three of us and I counted at least fifteen men who were already over the bridge. Others were following. The shouts and cries had alerted the garrison. Gunnar stopped us just thirty paces from the drekar. "We wait here. Let us lock shields." As we did so he said, "I don't know what your wolf cloak will do to the Franks but it frightens me."
I almost burst out laughing for Gunnar's face and voice never changed. "Well, let us hope it does for we have fifteen men to slay. So long as a few are afeard it will be enough."
We held our swords above our shields and, with left legs braced, waited for the Franks. They came at us not as a wedge or even as a body but individually. Perhaps they saw three men standing before them and thought we would run. We were Vikings and we did not run. The leading warrior shattered his spear on my shield and ran into Gunnar's sword. Beorn took a blow from a spear and hacked at the warrior. He hit his arm. I was on the right and had no one to defend my side. Two men ran at me. I deflected a spear and twisted my sword up to score a deep wound on his arm. The other fell back with an arrow sticking from him.
I heard someone shout for them to stop and form up. I said, "They are going to attack together, let us fall back. Sven has the boys using their bows."
"On three. One, two, three."
Although we had not practised this we were used to working in rhythm and we stepped back as one. We took three steps and then the Franks ran at us. They came together but they fought as individuals. As they came the three of us punched with our shields. At the same time we stabbed over the top. I found flesh but I felt a spear strike and tear my leather mail. As I pulled my sword back I saw that I had penetrated a Frank's eye and my sword had entered his skull. I swept my sword to the side and the dead body fell from my blade and into the path of two men trying to get around my side.
Although three Franks lay dead before us I saw that both Gunnar and Beorn had been wounded.
"Back again!"
We stepped back but this time the Franks were pressed against as we did so. Their spears could not find flesh. They clanged against our helmets and shields. Then I heard a roar and saw Siggi, Arne and Rurik hurl themselves bodily from the bank and into the Franks. Now we had a chance for the enemy were assailed form the side. I brought my sword over and struck a warrior on his shoulder. His mail held but his bones did not and he crumpled to the ground clutching his left arm. As I stabbed at the next man I brought my knee into his face and stepped over him. I could see more men racing from the town. Siggi, Arne and Rurik were whirling like madmen. Although the six of us faced a horde of Franks they were afraid to step close to our whirling blades.
Then from behind me I heard, "Fall back! Wedge!"
I glanced over my shoulder and saw that the Jarl had formed a wedge. He was leading. The six of us knew what was coming but the Franks did not. As we stepped to the side the wedge ran at the disorganized Franks. They ploughed into them. With swords held above their shields and an impenetrable wall of wood and iron before them they swept through the shocked soldiers. We joined in at the back and despatched any wounded we saw belo
w our feet. The Jarl stopped the wedge thirty paces short of the bridge. The Franks had retreated as far back as they could get.
The Jarl raised his sword and shouted, "Raven Wing Clan!!"
We began banging our shields and chanting, "Raven Wing Clan!!" "Raven Wing Clan!!" "Raven Wing Clan!!"
When the Jarl lowered his sword we stopped.
"Let us go back to the drekar!"
We walked backwards. It was less ordered than our attack for men stooped to pick up weapons and treasures from our dead enemies. The Franks did not try to attack. We had stunned them. To our right I heard the crackle of flames as the monastery burned. The Franks had met the Vikings and they would remember the visit. I picked up the two swords from the first men I had killed. We kept glancing up in case the Franks followed, but they did not. I saw that dawn was breaking in the east but it would soon be obscured by a pall of smoke from the burning monastery.
The Jarl was the last one on the drekar and we all stamped our feet as he climbed on board. Sven then shouted. "You are facing the wrong way! Face the prow!"
Siggi started laughing as we all turned around and soon it spread to all of us. Once we began to row we found the current made it easier but the stern did not cut the water as well. Sven shouted, "You have a couple of miles and then we can turn around."
I turned to Siggi, "Thank you. If you and the others had not returned we were done for!"
"If the three of you had not held them off then we would have had no drekar to sail. "
Arne said, "And we will get those wounds seen to when we turn."
I had forgotten that I had been wounded and now that it had been mentioned I felt blood trickling down my side. It was not a deep wound but I had been lucky. I saw that Gunnar Stone Face would need stitches as would Beorn Fast Feet. They would be scars borne with pride. We had saved the clan.
It was daylight by the time Sven shouted, "Stop rowing! Turn around!"
While we did the drekar shifted alarmingly but he and his ship's boys soon replaced the steering board and we headed down stream again. We had the current with us and did not need to row. Siggi saw to our wounds and, as the ship's boys came around with ale I asked, "Who killed the warrior with the bow?"
Karl Blue Hand said, "It was I, Hrolf the Horseman."
I reached down and brought out one of the swords I had taken. "Then this is yours. It belonged to the man you hit!"
Karl was popular and the crew cheered and applauded him. The Jarl's voice brought us back to reality. "Celebrate when we are beyond Angers and have anchored for the night. The Norns are watching. We all know how they like to tease men with hope and then snatch it away."
We knew he was right and we prepared ourselves. If we had to fight or row we would be ready. The Weird Sisters had decided to throw an obstacle in our way. Although we had been the one who had taken the withy from the rudder it was 'Sea Serpent' which suffered the mishap. The steering board sheared. Sven thought that it had happened when they had grounded close to Tours. It mattered not. We had to hove to and repair it. We had just passed a small village on the north bank and so we used the south bank for shelter.
As I was wounded Ulf took the Eriksson brothers to scout the land ahead. If we rested then we would be able to raid again before we reached the mouth of the river. I waited until Gunnar and Beorn had been stitched. If we did raid then they would not take part. Rurik helped me take off my leather armour. I could see that the spear had struck between two of the metal plates.
Rurik said, "You have been hit here before."
I struggled to remember when and then recalled the fight with the three horsemen. I must have been struck a glancing blow. The armour was not new and my right side was always going to take more damage than my left. It was a lesson learned. The spear had torn through my tunic and kyrtle. The cut was not deep but it was long.
Rurik said, "I can heal this one, Beorn Beornsson. It is not deep."
Beorn Beornsson was stitching Gunnar and he shouted, "Make sure the wound is clean. If a scratch goes bad then a man can die. Young Hrolf still has his uses."
I swelled with pride at the praise. Using a mixture of vinegar, herbs and wild garlic Rurik cleaned my side. It stung but I was a warrior. We did not cry out. We kept a collection of linen which had been damaged. It was clean and Rurik made a dressing for the wound and then wrapped a piece of hessian tightly around it.
Rurik had just finished when Karl the ship's boy appeared, "This is a great gift, Hrolf, I cannot accept it. I just loosed an arrow."
I sat up gingerly and, with my left hand, took out the second sword I had taken. "I took two and I have another at Olafstad. Why would I need a fourth? Keep it Karl and remember the first man you killed and the life of the shipmate you saved."
"Thank you I will."
Rurik said, "Make a scabbard! It will rust else." Nodding he wandered off. "That was kindly done. Karl has no father."
"Aye I know. I remember warriors showing me kindness when I joined 'Heart of the Dragon'. I am just doing the same.
Ulf and the Erikssons came back. Ulf was scowling which I took to be bad news but his words belied his face, "I found the houses, Jarl. There is no wall on the river side. It is on the land side away from the road and the hall looks to be partly made of stone. There is a church."
"Is it worth raiding?"
He smiled, "Oh aye, it is. We can attack at dusk. Even if the other drekar is not repaired it is only a couple of miles down the river."
"Are there warriors?"
"We saw none."
"Have you finished, Siggi?"
"Aye, Jarl."
"Then we go and speak with my brother."
When he had gone Ulf turned and scowled at the Eriksson brothers who had gone back to their benches to rest. "What is wrong Ulf? You look as though you have eaten a bad egg."
"I have grown used to scouting with you, Hrolf." He tapped my head, "You use this. Those two just look for what they can get."
Rurik nodded, "Their father was like that. I served with Erik the Wild for many years. We thought, when he brought his sons aboard, that we could change them. We thought we had but we were wrong. I think it is in the blood."
"Aye well I take them scouting no more. They are both brave, I have seen that, but a good warrior uses his head. The sooner you are ready to scout again, the better."
"Do you think we will need to scout again this voyage? We have much treasure from the monastery." I pointed to the boxes and chests we had filled. We had not had time to take up the decking and store them yet.
"Probably not. We would need a knarr to take all that we could from this place. It is almost a town. I saw a hill which would be easy to defend if that had a hall or a tower."
"Perhaps they are not raided by Vikings. The Arabs attack with horses and not along the rivers. A wall on the landward side with a ditch before would be enough to deter horsemen."
Ulf nodded and raised his voice so that the Eriksson brothers could hear, "That is how a warrior uses his mind, Hrolf. It is a pity others who are older do not!"
The brothers reddened and sank into their cloaks as the rest of the crew laughed.
Siggi and the Jarl stood with Sven at the steering board and we could hear their words. "My brother's drekar will not be ready until after dark. I have decided that we take the chance and raid at dusk. Ulf is right they will not expect it. We saw no other places on this southern bank save Tours and they will think we have fled. It is better than risking Angers and a river we do not know."
Sven rubbed his beard. "It is still a risk, Jarl."
"You fear they might come upon the drekar and take it while we are away?" Sven nodded, "I have thought of that. You will have the eight men who are wounded. They cannot fight but they can row. Use but one rope to hold you and if they come then cut the rope and sail down to the town."
"And your brother?"
"He is leaving half of his crew to repair and guard the ship. He is not happy with his ship's master
for allowing the steering board to break. They had no spare."
Sven smiled, "Oleg is like all of the crew. He is young. He will learn."
"Siggi, tell the crew we raid. We leave before dusk." As Siggi passed down the drekar the Jarl came to me, "Are you up to a raid, Hrolf? You were wounded."
"It is a scratch. I will go with you Jarl."
"You do not have to earn your place on my drekar Hrolf. Do not try to be two warriors."
I shook my head, "I am not. This is who I am, Jarl. I cannot sit and watch others fight for me. It is not in me. I knew not my father. Perhaps I got it from him."
"Perhaps."
After the Jarl had gone Rurik said, "I think it is the Norns, Hrolf. They are moulding you. When we were alone on the island, with Erik One Hand I saw you change. Since you have gone ashore you have changed again." He pointed to Ketil and Knut. "They went ashore and came back exactly the same: wild and reckless! One day you will be a Jarl."
As we prepared for war I thought on his words. Rurik One Ear was a thinker. Living in a half silent world he would need to be. Since that day I had been taken from Austrasia and that tiny village on the Issicauna by Jarl Dragonheart, I knew that I had grown both in size and as a man. Was that down to the Norns or did the Allfather have great things planned for me?
Chapter 13
Even though he allowed me to go with the rest of the clan the Jarl refused to have me in the fore with Ulf, Arne and Siggi. I was at the back with Gunnar Thorfinnson and his men. My side ached and burned. I took the burning to be a good sign. The dressing was working. I also wore my wolf skin. This time it was to give added protection to my damaged armour. It was a warm afternoon as we headed down river bank. There was no wall but as soon as we were seen there would be resistance. We had to be ready to move quickly once the alarm was raised. Until then we were stealthy.
I hated being at the back. I could see nothing. When I saw the smoke rising from the roof of the hall on the hill I drew my sword. It meant we were drawing closer. Some of Gunnar Thorfinnson's men gave me strange looks but I saw that the Jarl's brother emulated me. In that moment I saw the inexperience of the young leader. A rich father had meant he had a drekar but that could not buy the experience he needed to lead. There was a sudden shout from ahead and then the men before us ran. The alarm had been given. When we heard the clash of arms we knew that men were fighting us. These were not monks. These were men with weapons.