by Griff Hosker
Their blacksmith was the only one we did not have to train. He had a mighty hammer which he wielded like an axe. He would fell any foe who came within his swinging weapon.
Magnus brought us the news of the arrival of ships. He raced in, out of breath and panting. “Calm down, Magnus, and regain your voice.” He went to open his mouth and I held up my hand. “Gather your breath and your wits. I want a report that I can understand. Someone give him a drink.” Arturus handed him a water skin.
He drank, wiped his mouth and then nodded to show that he could speak. I waved my arm. “There are two ships a mile or so off shore. They are not drekar and they look like ‘Serpent’.
“But they are not?”
“No, Jarl Dragon Heart.”
“Do they have oars?”
“Some but not as many as ‘Wolf’.”
“Good, you have done well.” I ruffled his head. “They will be the Hibernians.” I turned to Pasgen. “You know what you and your people have to do?”
He nodded. “Don the yokes and go into the fields.”
“Good. Do not worry. They will not get to you. You have my word.”
“But there are two ships. That is what they brought the first time. They will outnumber you.”
“I know but e’en so we will prevail. Now go and prepare. Hide your weapons where you can get at them. You will know when the time comes to shed the yokes and wreak revenge on your tormentors.”
I turned to Rolf and my Ulfheonar. “Our plans are made; we just need to carry them out. Put the warriors in the village who are to play the Hibernians. Have the ones who will secure the boat hide close to the river bank and then put the rest close enough to get to the centre of the village quickly.”
“I still do not like you putting yourself and the Ulfheonar at risk again.”
“We are the bait. Our name is known. There are too many dead Irishmen for that. I want them to think that we are on our own and an easy target. They will seek glory by killing Dragon Heart.”
Chapter 10
We went into Pasgen’s hut. It was the one the pirate leaders had occupied until our arrival. It would be where these new Hibernians would go. I was not worried. I was more concerned for the twenty men who would lounge around the village pretending to be drunken raiders. They would have no mail. They would be in danger until we emerged. I stuck my head out of the door. “Keep your faces hidden and play drunk. Have you your weapons handy?”
The leader of this group of volunteers was a doughty warrior called Windar. He had a great sense of humour as well as being a natural leader of men. “Aye my lord but I thought we had to get drunk, not play drunk.”
“When they are dead then you can get drunk.”
“Good. Then they will die quickly.”
That was my men all over; even the warriors without mail, the ones who had a sword, shield and helmet, all thought that they could beat anybody. Success breeds confidence.
Inside the hut it was stifling. The fire was burning and there were twelve sweating warriors within. We had all drawn our swords ready for the moment we made our exit. Pasgen had told us that the Hibernians kept the gate open and we had done so. It faced the entrance of our hut and I sat, in the darkness watching. I noticed that the men who were playing the Irish were doing a good job. They were all moving and lolling together much as the real ones had done when we had arrived.
I saw, beyond the fence, the masts of the ships as they came up the river. “It will not be long now.”
I stood ready to step out. We had talked over our strategy and I knew that it was the right one. I did not know who the leader would be; I suspected one of the many kings they had in Hibernia. That was another reason why I did not want such a title. What did it mean? This king would enter the village and see what he expected to see; his men lolling around while the villagers worked in the fields and the meadows. We had a few of the villagers armed and looking like the raiders to convince them of that. I needed their leader and some of his better warriors to enter into the killing zone of the walled village. Windar and some of the other warriors were charged with closing the gate and trapping the leader and his best warriors within. Those outside would be like a beast without a head.
I heard them before I saw them. The village was on a higher level than the river. The first thing I saw was a pole from which hung four dried skulls then I saw a helmet which looked to have bird’s wings sticking from the side. It was not an effective means of decoration. It might look good but it afforded too many opportunities for a sword to knock it off. The leader was a tall man and the upper half of his body appeared before his men. He had a metal corselet on. It looked to be the type worn by Romans long ago. I had seen some rotted examples. When he reached the gate I saw that he carried a very long sword, almost as long as a man. His arms had many tattoos. I was fifty paces away and could not make them out. All I saw was the ugly blue scarring. He also had things dangling from his ears. I did not know exactly what they were but I suspected that they would be human bones from some rival he had killed.
He was flanked by four warriors who were dressed in a similar fashion but their helmets were not adorned with bird’s wings. The two had tattoos and bones as decoration. Like the ones we had killed I could see their hair beneath their helmets; they had used lime to give it a hard appearance.
I waited until ten warriors had entered and then I stepped out and walked towards them. Behind me were Haaken and Cnut, behind them Snorri, Beorn and Thorkell and so on. We were already a wedge but it looked to be a casual formation and they would not be suspicious. The warrior with the winged helmet was non-plussed. He stared at me. He did not notice his drunken raiders rising and slipping away. He only had eyes for me. I said not a word until I was five paces from him. I had but a few words in his language. I had learned them over the last few days.
“Your time here is over!” Then I resorted to Norse as I raised my sword into the air, “I am Dragon Heart! I have the sword touched by the gods!”
He seemed lost for words. I watched, out of the corner of my eye as Windar and the others silently slipped the gate into position. This Hibernian had twenty warriors with him. Suddenly one of his oathsworn leapt at me swinging his own double handed sword. Instead of stepping back as he expected I stepped into the blow. Ducking my head I thrust forward with Ragnar’s Spirit. The deadly blade came out of his back and I felt the wind from his blow as his sword struck empty air..
It was as though the sound of his death, a low gurgle followed by his body slumping to the ground was the signal for battle to commence. The winged leader swung his sword. He was a life too late and a few paces too close. Haaken took the blow on his shield and stabbed into the thigh of the Hibernian. They had allowed us to close with them and our wedge was like a giant armoured arrow. Blades protruded from every angle. The Hibernians hurled themselves at us and did not realise that there were twenty other warriors hacking at their backs. On the other side of the gate and the wall I heard the roar as Rolf and his men and Pasgen and the villagers fell upon the leaderless Irish outside.
I stabbed at the man trying to chop off Cnut’s head with his axe. I skewered him as one would a choice piece of meat at a feast. I punched the next warrior with my shield and Haaken finished him. We were fighting as a wedge, as one force. The Irish were trying to show their courage by attacking blindly to defend their wounded leader. It was not an even contest. With Windar and the others hacking at their backs the twenty, became ten, became five, and became none.
I turned to Haaken, “You and Cnut guard their leader. Windar open the gate. Let us end this!”
With the gate lifted open we roared out and fell upon the disorganised rabble that was the Hibernian warband. They fought bravely but they were faced by two or three warriors fighting together. It might have made a great song but it did not make a great death. It became a slaughter as they were hacked to pieces by villagers angry at the way they had been treated and warriors who wish to gain the treasure of the
dead. Soon it was over and Rolf and his men went around finishing off the dying.
I went to the wounded leader. Haaken had wrapped a bandage around the thigh but I could see, from the puddle that he was bleeding to death. He would live an hour at most.
“Who are you?” He croaked.
“I told you I am Jarl Dragon Heart of Man.”
“Why help these sheep? Wolves like you devour them.”
“Not true.” I said as I stood over him, sword in hand. “I devour those who are cruel and lazy. I kill those who think they can milk these people and give nothing in return. I am the Hibernian’s Bane!”
He nodded and coughed up frothy blood. “I had heard of you and avoided Man for fear of falling foul of your blade.”
I held it up, “And yet it is here and you are dying. Wyrd!”
He nodded, “Give me my sword and end it.” I nodded to Haaken who kicked his sword over. The Irishman grasped it with one hand. It was all that he could manage and he lowered his head. “I go to my ancestors.”
I swung Ragnar’s Spirit and his head left his body.
Cnut said, “He died well.”
“Aye he did. A shame he did not live well.”
We had lost villagers and I had lost warriors but all had died well. The threat was gone. We had the bonus of two ships and the arms and armour of a petty king of the Irish. I gave one of the ships to Pasgen but kept the treasure and the other for me. It had been my warriors who had taken the risks.
Although he was grateful for the gift he knew not what to do with it. “But Jarl Dragon Heart. What will we do with a ship?”
“Begin to trade. Stop hiding here, hoping that the world will pass you by. You are descended from a proud people. You fought against the Saxons; fight again.” I saw from the looks on Haaken and Rolf’s faces that they thought I had been harsh but I had not. Pasgen could be a good leader. He just needed to decide to be one.
After we had burned the bodies I sent one ship back to Man with the treasure. I also sent those warriors who were too wounded to continue in a winter campaign. I knew that it would be a hard winter and I needed my hardest and toughest warriors. While we waited for the ship, now named ‘Butar’ to return we set about improving the defences. We had eager volunteers from the village. They had seen that they could be better protected for just a little effort. A deep double ditch was dug all around the wooden walls and we used wood from the nearby forest to raise the wall to twice the height of a man. Aiden drew a gate and we told them how to build it. “When you have built one then build a second so that you have another way out should you need it.”
Pasgen looked disappointed, “You will not be here to help us?”
“No, my men and I will explore the land further north. We wish to explore this land. When we return we will see how successful you have been.”
I hoped that we would not need as many men as we had when we landed. I sent some back with our newly acquired ship along with the treasures. We left most of the boys and four warriors to watch the ‘Bear’. If winter struck early they were to take her to Úlfarrston for shelter. We headed north with my Ulfheonar, Rolf and twenty chosen men. Windar was amongst them. He had impressed me when we had trapped the Hibernians. He had rallied his men and stopped those outside from interfering. He was a leader and had those qualities which were rare amongst most warriors.
Of course I could not leave Arturus behind. When I informed the boys that they were to stay with the ship I saw the crestfallen look on his face. I could not do that to him and, besides, he and Aiden were able to look after our ten horses. We could carry our armour on the captured beasts.
The first leaves were beginning to change as we headed up the river towards the north. Snorri and Beorn led. We were going to the water which was close to Olaf’s mountain. In our minds, even before we had seen it, we had named it thus. We always called it the Old Man. Olaf had been a popular warrior, irascible though he was. He had not suffered fools gladly but he had taught us all well. I could see immediately what Beorn and Snorri had meant about the river not being navigable. The tributary soon narrowed so that a good horse could have leapt over it.
The ground gradually rose but not as much as the mountains which we saw rising to our east and our west. The land was heavily forested and the trail almost indiscernible. Haaken commented on it as we marched north. “We are almost breaking trail here.”
“I noticed. That means that few men use this path.”
“This is good timber. There looks to be more here than on Man.”
Timber for our ships and for building was always needed. We tended to trade for it but this forest would mean that we could trade it with others and become even richer. Each step confirmed my view that I should move here.
Four hours after leaving the village the sky suddenly opened and we saw the long water for the first time. It was narrow and twisted north. On its eastern side was a thick forest rising a few hundred paces into the sky. To the west we saw, above the tree line the mountain which looked like a gnarled old man. Haaken laughed. “Snorri was right, it is Olaf.”
The sight of the mountain seemed to lift our spirits and we soon found ourselves on a flat area at the northern end of the water. It had remained about the same width all the way along but we had seen no one. It was late afternoon and we camped. Although the land appeared to be deserted we posted guards but it was one of the most pleasant places I had ever seen. It was so peaceful. The mountain to the east reminded me of a smaller version of Wyddfa and just as comforting. Both mountains took me back to the hut where I had grown up with Ragnar.
When we awoke it was to a chilly morning. The water was wreathed in mist. What struck me was the silence. I was the first awake and I strode down to the water’s side. It was so quiet that I could hear the creak of the leather on the sentry at the far side of the camp. Each moment I was here confirmed my original thoughts. This land was where I was meant to be.
After we had eaten the men looked to me expectantly. “Snorri and Beorn. You travelled here from the east. Is there somewhere which you think would make a good place to build homes?”
Cnut said, “What about here? The land is flat and there is plenty of wood for building.”
“I know there are no enemies that we can see but that does not mean that they will not come. I want somewhere that we can defend if we have to.” When we did move here we found how prophetic my words were.
Beorn looked to the other side of the misty covered water. “There is, at the northern end of the water a knoll. The land is almost as flat below it as here. It is not far.”
I trusted my scouts. “Then let us visit there. I would use this part of the land as a base and we can explore the country hereabouts.”
We reached the potential site within a very short time and Beorn was right. It was perfect. The slope down to the water was gentle but on the eastern and northern sides it was steep, almost precipitous in places. I smiled and nodded. “Rolf, get the men to build a hall for us. If we are to spend some time here then we should be comfortable. Aiden, you and Arturus set up some nets and see what fish there are.” I turned to the Ulfheonar, “I will take Haaken, Cnut, Snorri and Beorn. We will investigate to the north. Thorkell, take the others and hunt. There should be much game in these woods.”
As we went north I had not felt as happy or free since, ironically, I had been a slave and hunted with Ragnar in the forests above our home. I had the same sense of freedom. It was as though I owned the world. It was made even better by the fact that I had my friends with me. We were comfortable with each other. We came across a small patch of shallow water less than a mile from our new home. I saw deer drinking there. We had a readymade larder.
Snorri smiled as we passed, “You are safe for now brother deer but the wolf will hunt soon.”
Beorn had explored a little of this land before and he led us to the west. The ground dropped gently to a small stream and a boggy patch of land. Keeping to the high ground we moved up the slo
pe to the col that we could see ahead. It was as Beorn had told us, a narrow pass. We had a back door to my new land and we could stop an army with a few warriors. The mountains rose sheer to the east and the west. The path which led south, to our water, was steep.
I clapped both of my scouts on the back. “You have done well. This is perfect country. We will travel towards Olaf. I would get closer to the Old Man and view the land from the west. We found an old Roman Road which was well overgrown but showed that the land had been used at one time by many people. To the north was another small patch of water. It was bigger than a pond and looked to be teeming with wildfowl.
We had travelled for an hour or so when Snorri held up his hand. “Wood smoke!”
We all had bows with us and we notched arrows. There was no need for words and Snorri and Beorn disappeared ahead. The three of us hurried down the trail. I suddenly realised that the trail we were on was well worn. This had been used more than the trail from the south we had used the previous day. There were people ahead. Snorri and Beorn were crouched next to a low dry stone wall which ran around a clearing. Beyond it we saw a large hut next to some smaller animal shelters. The low wall ran all the way around and I could see what looked like a ditch in front of the hut. Hens and ducks noisily fought for food around the clearing and in the ditch. The smoke we had smelled spiralled from a hole in the middle of the round house.
We waited patiently. Eventually we were rewarded by a woman coming from behind the hut with a wooden pail in her hand. Two small children skipped along behind. Beorn’s head snapped around and he pointed to the south. Someone was coming along the trail we had used. We disappeared into the woods and bushes. As Beorn and Snorri retreated they removed all signs of our presence.
I heard the swish of branches being moved and then I saw the hunter striding along with a brace of birds and a hare over his shoulder. He was whistling and obviously oblivious to our existence. When he had passed Snorri I stood. He dropped his animals and he reached for his bow. Snorri’s dagger appeared at his throat.