by Griff Hosker
Both of them were intrigued by the hedgehogs and the nails. “It will be interesting to see them used.”
“Aye Windar but I think I can see a use for them already. These would hurt horses.” Rolf looked at me, “Remember the horsemen on Anglesey? These would have stopped even them.”
I led the three of them north from the head of the mere. “How is the crop in Rye Dale coming along?”
“It is good. The water at Rye Dale ensures the crop is well watered. We should have enough grain for the winter.”
“Good but what of the danger from the north? I would have a tower or small fort at the col between the waters.”
“Where the land is steep and the river flows fast?”
“I would. It would give early warning as well as shelter for the farmers in Rye Dale.”
Dargh brightened, “And that is why you brought me?”
“It is indeed. Your men could build it and garrison it. You could patrol as far as the Grassy Mere and hunt. Eventually, when we get enough men I would do the same at Lang’s Dale too.”
He rubbed his hands together. “When do we start?”
“I would say now but my wife is busy preparing for the weddings and midsummer feast. We will be raiding south after the feast. Begin then.”
“Good.”
“When you go raiding how many boats will you take. Jarl Dragon Heart?”
“‘Wolf’ and one other. I would have one of you stay here to guard this valley and watch over mine.”
Rolf and Windar had grown close and they looked at each other and nodded, “Then I will come with ‘Bear’ and Windar can finish the defences.”
As I had expected all of my wife’s efforts were on the midsummer feast. She explained that it would make our people joined with the land and pointed out that our marriage on Man had done that for us. As Jarl I also had certain responsibilities. I would watch the sun rise over the water as I had watched it rise over the sea when living on Man. Arturus begged to come with me and I acceded. One day he would become Jarl and he ought to know what was expected of him. As we trudged up the trail to the top of Old Man Olaf, as we called the mountain, I explained that he would need to be silent as we watched for the rising of the sun.
“Why?”
“For we are close to the Gods and Valhalla. If we are quiet then they can speak with us.”
“They speak with you?”
“Every time I have done this as Jarl I have heard Ragnar’s voice in my head or Prince Butar’s.”
“What do they say?”
I laughed, “That is for a jarl to know but you may hear voices too if you are silent enough.”
My words must have had an effect for, when we sat on the peak with our backs to the rocks, he was silent. I pointed out where the eastern skyline began and we sat and waited. I had not been lying to my son. I did hear voices but I could never predict either what they would say or who would speak them.
I saw the thin white line as it appeared over the far mountains. It would be some time before its rays reached us but it was exciting to know that this day would last longer than any other. It was as close to eternity as we would come whilst on this earth. It was my mother’s voice which began to whisper in my mind. Her tones were as I remembered them. They took away the chill of the early morning. They told me of her pride in what we had done. She called me her wolf. Suddenly her voice became fearful and her words rang in my head, “Beware the Vikings.”
And then, as suddenly as she had come into my head she went and in that instant the sun flashed from behind the distant mountains and bathed us in golden sunlight. I stood and Arturus gripped my hand tightly. I looked down and saw that he had a strange expression on his face.
“What is it my son?”
“I heard a woman in my head and she was gentle. She told me to seek the scabbard.” He looked puzzled. “What did she mean?”
I genuinely did not know. “I suspect it means keep your eyes open. Sometimes these things are not meant literally. A scabbard protects a sword from harm perhaps it means look for something to protect that which is valuable.”
“I wondered if it meant my new sword; the Roman one.”
“It might do but we will have to make you one in any case and so we would not be seeking that one. Do not let it prey on your mind. The spirits have spoken and that means you are a chosen one. When the Gods touched my sword then I knew that I was chosen and had a different path to take from other men.”
The sun was fully up over the mountains and as we turned to walk down the path the rays suddenly flashed across the sea to the west and struck Man. “You see how we are linked to our past and to our present. The Allfather is watching us and the Norns are spinning their threads. Now let us descend for today will be a long day. We have much to do.”
When the sun was at its height then those who had chosen to marry were joined. There was a large crowd gathered on the western side of the water. Lang and his family had arrived early and I could see that Lang’s wife was taken with the ceremony. I suspected she would have liked such a symbolic union. In all, twenty couples were joined. I could see from the full figures of some of the women and girls that their union was already well established. As jarl that pleased me for it meant more children to be born and that could only make my people stronger.
As usual many of the younger men drank too much and there were the usual fights. The Ulfheonar, many of who had married, did not drink as much and a clout from one of those warriors normally ended any fisticuffs and prevented it escalating to weapons. I knew that the men would be the best of friends before the night was over. It was the way of warriors.
For the women it was a chance to meet with other women and exchange ideas and thoughts. Warriors had the advantage of long sea voyages. We did not feel the need to fill the silences as women did. Yet I could understand their need to talk to others of a similar mind. My wife was the perfect hostess and I was pleased to see Kara following her around and learning how to be the wife of a jarl.
Towards sunset we all gathered on the eastern shore close to my hall to watch the sunset over the water. We had done that at Hrams-a but this seemed to be an even better choice. My men had placed a huge stump for me and it was close by the water. I sat facing west. I enjoyed these last moments of the midsummer feast. We had eaten well and we had drunk well and the gods had shown their favour by keeping all clouds from the skies. I watched as the sun dipped slowly below the craggy face of Old Olaf. It is strange but it seemed to make a crown around his head. It was almost magical.
Suddenly behind me I heard a collective gasp and Windar shouted, “The king has a crown!”
I had thought that they were speaking of Olaf but, as I turned I saw that all were on their knees and even Erika, who stood still, had an amazed look on her face. I could feel the rays on the back of my head but I could not see what they did.
Erika walked up to me and, holding my cheeks in her hands, raised me up and kissed me. “The sun has crowned you, my love. The people saw a crown upon your head.” She turned and, linking me, we faced my people. They all stood.
Haaken strode forwards. “We have all struggled with a name for this place but the Allfather and Olaf have given us one, this is Cyninges-tūn, the place of the king.”
From that day forth it became the name of our home. No-one dared to call me king but they all knew that the gods had crowned me in gold. It was no mighty leap of faith; they had touched my sword why should they not crown me? In truth I did not mind for I felt that the king was Old Olaf or even Butar for it was the mountain which I had seen crowned.
Chapter 16
It took us almost fifteen days to prepare for our raid. We had to send men down to the sea to prepare our drekar and we had to carry all that we would need down ourselves. Windar promised that, when we returned, he would have small boats to ferry us along the length of the mere. We could have saved time by coming over the ridge which separated the water but we were loath to risk Midgeton, as we c
alled the fly infested forest which divided us, and so we went the way which avoided the biting insects. I was able to see, before we left, the fort built by Dargh. It was not huge but it would shelter the farming families from the Rye Dale and would warn Windar of any attack from the north. I felt happier.
We set sail with ‘Serpent’ and headed for Man. I intended to raid the Welsh on Anglesey for they had great quantities of grain and that was what we sought. The gold and holy books had bought fine weapons and some grain but we knew that we could take what we needed. It broke the journey to Anglesey and, besides, I was curious as to what Erik had done with the island now that he was King Erik. I had warned the Ulfheonar to be on their best behaviour. I did not want a blood feud with his oathsworn. I did not fear them but I did not want my men to shed their blood.
The first thing I noticed as we headed down the eastern coast was how derelict Hrams-a looked. There were still people living there but there did not appear to be many. Many of the buildings looked to have been demolish or parts of them taken. I knew that most of the people had left with me but I had assumed that others would have moved in.
In contrast Duboglassio had expanded and now spread north, south and west. I noticed banners hanging from the walls. They appeared to show three legs all joined together. I remembered that had been the design used on the shields of Erik and Erika’s father’s men. Erik had never bothered with that he had always tried to copy my wolf design. I liked the symbol because it stood out but I wondered why he had reverted to that design.
There were a number of ships tied up and we struggled to find a berth. We tied the other two ships to the seaward side and clambered ashore over the three ships.
We were greeted by mailed warriors whom we recognised. Their smiles and welcome allayed my fears. They were still the same warriors. Haaken could not resist a dig, “You now serve a king eh Knut? Should I bow?” Knut was an old friend and the best warrior Erik had.
Although Knut laughed I could see he was uncomfortable. He made a joke to ease the moment “Only if you wish to kiss my arse.”
The joke eased the tension but I hissed in Haaken’s ear, “Behave!” Turning to Rolf I said, “I will just enter with the Ulfheonar. Keep your eyes and ears open. See what you can learn.”
King Erik had improved his hall. Prince Butar had never gone in for ostentation. Now it seemed to gleam with gilding and beautiful pots. We must have been spotted from afar for Erik and his Queen sat on a raised dais both complete with golden crowns. They did not stand to greet us. The first thing I noticed was how portly Erik had become while Hlif had become even gaunter and sharp featured.
A small officious looking man, dressed like a priest of the White Christ stood by the dais. He had a staff which he banged on the floor. “King Erik of Man and Queen Hlif welcome Jarl Dragon Heart to their home.”
I suddenly noticed how everyone else bowed. My men just continued to look at the two of them. The clothes of the King and Queen were brightly coloured and made of a fine and shiny material I had never seen before. They looked grand but we had fought alongside Erik. Warriors did not need to show off to other warriors.
The Queen did not look happy and she hissed, “Men bow to King Erik.”
“I thought that he was the brother of my wife. I will greet him as I always do.” I strode forward and clasped his right forearm with mine. “It is good to see you brother.”
She was white with anger. “Men have been gelded for less!”
I could not help myself and I burst out laughing, “The man that tries that will soon find it to be a mistake.”
Erik stood and glared at his wife, “Enough. He is Erika’s husband.” He led me from the dais. “What brings you visiting?”
“We are raiding.” Something in the back of my mind told me to keep our destination secret. “This is a brief visit. I thought it would be discourteous to pass so close and not see you.”
I hoped he took the import of my words to heart. “Of course. And how is my sister?”
“Enjoying building somewhere new and organising her people.”
“You must excuse Hlif she has worked hard to make this place beautiful. She means nothing by her comments.”
I lowered my voice. “The only man I will bow to is now dead. He was Prince Butar.”
“I know. I know.” He looked anxiously over his shoulder. “It is my wife. Now that I am king…”
“You are king because you call yourself so. If I call myself Emperor would you bow your knee to me?”
“That is ridiculous!”
I smiled, “Of course it is.” I decided to change the subject. “What of the Norse who live in Hibernia? What do you hear of them?”
“Sihtric? He has not bothered me although I hear he is casting glances at your land.” He added slyly.
“We have had dealings with the Irish. I think we have discouraged them.” Was there a hint of disappointment in Erika’s brother’s voice? Perhaps I was allowing his wife to colour my judgement. I had fought shoulder to shoulder with this man and he had defended my family. “I clasped his arm again. “Beware some of the other Norse; they can be treacherous. Do not lose what many men died to win.”
“I am no fool, brother. I know how to deal with other kings and princes.”
As I left him I realised that he had already been duped. He thought that he was now in an elite group. He was in the ranks of kings. If that included Sihtric Silkbeard then he was associating with pirates and robbers. As I boarded my drekar I felt good about leaving Man and that was the first time I had felt that way.
As we pulled away from the shore I felt that I was starting anew. When I had left for my new home a piece of me had been left on Man. Hlif had torn it out with her words and Erik with his indifference. I would bow the knee to no man.
We took our time as we headed south. We knew the island of Anglesey well and Thorkell was navigating. He would land us on a quiet part of the coast line and we would be able move towards the farms where we knew they had grain. We would avoid those areas where the people had been kind to us but if it came to it we would take what we had to. It was our people or theirs. Only the strong would survive.
I kept one eye on Thorkell who was at the prow but I was listening to Haaken and Cnut as they told me what they had learned. “Sihtric Silkbeard visited with Erik a month ago.” I smiled. Haaken would never bring himself to call Erik, king. “It seems they are great friends.”
I snorted, “Then Erik can expect a knife in the back any time soon.”
“It seems that Magnus Barelegs has landed close to the monastery we destroyed and calls himself King of the Lune while Ragnar Hairy-Breeches is King of Caerlleon.” He shook his head, “What would you like to be king of Cnut? This bench perhaps!”
The Ulfheonar laughed. I did not. This was serious. We had all left a land with virtually no king and now they all wanted to be ruled by one. I could understand this with the Danes. They all had allegiance to a king. I could not even remember the name of the King of Norway although I was sure that Prince Butar had told me. The other worrying thing was that kings liked to have more land to be king over. If Magnus Barelegs cast his eyes north then he would threaten my people. Once we had enough food I would return home and prepare for an autumn of war.
I saw Thorkell wave to steer board and I touched the steering board a little. His hand came up. We were on course. There would be no moon that night. We had not planned it but it would work to our advantage. Soon I saw the white line of breakers on the northern coast of the island. Anglesey was rich farmland and I knew that they grew two crops each year. A winter one, harvested in spring and a summer one harvested in autumn. They would still have the early crop in storage and the first of the autumn harvest would have been gathered in. Four weeks later, when all of the grain was harvested, they would be expecting a raid. I hoped to catch them unawares.
We took down the sail when Thorkell waved his arms. ‘Serpent’ would just reduce sail and wait offshore for us. I
could vaguely make out a darker line beyond the surf; that had to be Anglesey. Thorkell was a competent seaman and as soon as his arms went aloft we took in the oars and slid up on to the shingle and sand beach. He leapt ashore with shield and sword to give us early warning of an ambush. We worked quickly. Donning helmets and grabbing shields we jumped ashore. We had four ship’s boys on each drekar and they would secure them for us. Alf had eight spare sailors and warriors aboard his ship and, for the first time, we were not worried about the safety of our drekar.
Thorkell led the way and we trotted in a single line over the sand dunes towards the farm houses which were hidden in the dark. Rolf and his men followed behind. We had more than enough men for the farmhouses but the large numbers lessened the chance of the farmers fighting back. I had saved these people from the Saxons. I did not want to kill them.
Thorkell held up his hand but I could smell the farm. It was the smell of animals and wood smoke. It was unmistakeable. Thorkell loped off with the Ulfheonar behind him. They would protect us and prevent any of the inhabitants escaping. This was a big farm. The hall looked big enough to accommodate twenty or more people and there was a slave hut. I could see the bar on the door. They could stay there until we had finished.
Rolf and I headed for the hall. It had just one entrance and that was half way up the building. The lower part would have their animals within. I reached the door; I knew that my men were right behind me and I stepped through and into the warm fuggy mass of heaving and sweating bodies. There was a fire burning in the corner. The temperature did not necessitate one but it kept the wildlife out of the roof and made it easier to start a fire each day. Rolf strode up to the fire and thrust a brand into it. As soon as it flamed into life people began to wake. They saw twenty armed Vikings with drawn weapons. The women screamed. One of the men grabbed for his sword. It cost him his hand.
“You all know me. I am Jarl Dragon Heart. I am here to take your grain but you have my word if you do not resist us you shall all live and we will not burn you buildings.”