by Griff Hosker
Arturus looked to Wolf. "He should be honoured. He was a brave hound. He died protecting us."
"Aye but he lives still. Look at his pups and their pups. That is how we build our strength my son."
He looked at me and nodded. "You are talking of me again. I have heard you father and I will act."
First we built a pyre. "We shall take the armour and weapons and pile them on their leader. We will lay Wolf on the top so that the Spirits know he died victorious. Then we shall burn them."
We used the Dane's war axe to chop down some trees which looked as though they were either dead or dying. After stripping the Dane of his armour we placed his body and then the bodies of his men on the top. Finally, Arturus reverentially laid the body of his faithful dog to crown the pyre. It was a fitting funeral for a hero.
We always carried kindling and flint in our saddles and we soon had flames licking the wood at the base of the pyre. I nodded to Arturus, it was his dog. He should be the one who spoke the words and sent Wolf on his way.
He held his hands in supplication, "Great Allfather, I am Wolf Killer, I pray you take my dog, Wolf, and let him join the other heroes in Valhalla and tell him to wait for me. I will come one day and take my place at your table."
The flames began to lick around the top of the pyre and smoke started to rise. Although we had chosen the wood which appeared dead it was spring and the wood was still damp from winter rains. Palls of smoke began to rise. That was good. The spirits of the dead would have a safe and rapid journey to the heavens. They had come to kill us but they had died well and I wished them no further harm. When the flames took hold and the bodies began to burn we gathered the armour and weapons. The helmet and the axe were the only items worth saving. The rest, including the damaged mail, would have to be melted down and reused.
We were about to begin packing the ponies when Haaken and the Ulfheonar appeared from the woods. "We saw the smoke and sensed danger. What happened here?"
We told him. He shook his head wryly. "Then the saga I will make will have to be second hand. I knew I should have come with you, Dragon Heart."
Haaken always took things lightly. It was his way. He was not a shallow creature by any means but it was his way of dealing with such events. He had been the same when, as a boy, fighting alongside me, he had lost an eye. Cnut, on the other hand, was more serious. He had been with me in the tower when the lightning had struck my sword. He felt protective towards both me and the sword. He saw the dangers. "This is worrying. If Wiglaf is sending warriors here we should do something about it."
"We should, Cnut, but we will wait until tonight when we are safe within our walls and I can ask Kara to seek guidance from the spirits. And I can ask Aiden; he is becoming wiser each day." I shook my head, "It seems, my son, that we were not meant to hunt this day."
"We did father, we hunted men. It is wyrd."
Chapter 2
Kara was waiting for us outside my hall. She and her women had their own hall where they cared for the sick. She also had the two women who had been nuns of the White Christ who made our cheese. Most of the women were the older widows whose husbands had died as warriors. With their sons in the warrior hall Kara gave them a home and purpose in their lives. She saw the laden saddles. "I sensed a disturbance last night, father, but I could not find the danger." She looked at Arturus. "Where is Wolf, my brother?"
"He died saving my life."
"That is a good end for a fine animal but you must take a pup from his seed and raise him. He must be called Wolf too." He nodded. Everyone respected Kara for she was a Volva. "You wish some counsel?"
"Aye. Come to my hall with Aiden and Arturus."
I went to get changed. My clothes were covered in blood. By the time I had changed they had found Aiden. He had been an Irish hostage who had been abandoned by his family. He chose to serve me and he was as close to me as my children. He was no warrior but he had a mind as sharp as any and he knew magic. He and my daughter made a powerful pair. If they could not divine an answer then there was no solution to my problem.
The four of us sat around the large table my wife had had made for us before she died. I think she had anticipated having a huge family and imagined all of us sitting around and eating. Wyrd! I told them all again what Elli the Mighty and the youth had told me. They nodded. "I do not know if this is just an accident. It may be that this Elli is the only one who will risk death to take the sword."
Aiden looked thoughtful. "Then one course of action might be to do nothing until someone else tries."
Arturus showed his displeasure at that. "We were lucky this time. It was close to home and they were inexperienced warriors. Suppose it had been a larger band and we had been further from our home?"
Aiden had this great ability to come up with solutions quickly. "That is simple enough. We make sure that Dragon Heart has the Ulfheonar with him when he leaves the stad."
"So I am to be a prisoner in my own home. I am never allowed to be alone."
Aiden inclined his head. "I go back to my original point. This is a temporary measure until we discover if there is a threat."
That pleased no-one. I was not even certain that Aiden liked it but it was a solution. "Kara you have said nothing yet."
"I am still thinking."
"There is one solution; I could sail into the middle of the Water and drop the sword to the bottom. There it would be no threat and would not attract the moths who wish to own the glittering light."
She smiled, "That would not do. The sword is a symbol of our people. If you discard the gift of the gods then you discard the gods themselves and that is a road that only a berserker follows. There may come a time when the sword must be thrown into the Water. It will make that journey but not yet. It will go through fire and blood before that time. Odin has not finished with the sword he touched." She spread her hands, "I have had time to think and my father's words have spurred me to action. I see more here than a band of young warriors trying to make a name for themselves. There may be a higher purpose in all of this. I am sorry that I cannot give you one of Aiden's quick answers. I need to sleep and speak with the spirits."
If Aiden was upset by Kara's comments he said nothing. Arturus just looked troubled. I was sure that the reason was the death of Wolf. He had had him since he had been a pup. The animal had been adored by both Kara and himself. Kara showed no emotion but she never did. Once she found her gift she was always calm and always serene. She was like the heartbeat of the stad.
"Very well then I will stay close to my men." I rose, irritated, and walked out to stand and watch the Water. My wife, Erika, would have said 'stormed' out because I was not happy. She would have known what to say to calm and settle me. My children and Aiden just sat there and let me go. It was probably for the best. I could be like a wounded boar at times and lash out at anyone. It was at times like this I sought Bjorn Bagsecgson the smith. His forges were down by the shore. He had been a rock since his father had been killed on the island of Mann where we had all once lived. His skills brought us great wealth and he was someone I could talk to. It was like speaking with Thor himself for Bjorn was a mighty smith with huge arms and a chest that was like a barrel.
I saw the metal we had just brought in the corner when I walked in. He had four smiths working with him. Two were his sons. He saw my troubled face and said to them, "Go and get some food. Let the jarl and I talk." He gestured to the metal as they took off their leather aprons and left. "I hear you had some trouble this morning,"
"Aye a young band of warriors were keen to have my sword."
"Inevitable. Most young warriors crave a blade such as that. You were the exception, probably because you were only raised Norse, but any young warrior would willingly give a limb to own such a sword and to kill Dragon Heart. To own the sword is a death worthy of a saga. That is probably why the gods gave it to you."
"Depressing. It means I will always be looking over my shoulder."
"You are safe here
in this ring of mountains and Waters." He pointed to the discarded metal in the corner of his workshop. "If they all come with metal of such poor quality then we can send our women to fight them." He picked up a seax and bent it in two until it broke. "Why I am not even certain that a smith made this one. If he did then he was piss poor. Perhaps we should ask for more money for our blades."
I was pleased I had come to see him for he made me smile and put events in perspective. I still had the same enemies. The difference was they were coming for me and not my people. I could live with that. I smiled.
Bjorn clapped me across my back, "And I have some good news for you. Aiden was walking to the north and west of Lang's Dale, close to the Gill there and he discovered this." He proffered a lump of rock.
"Good, a rock. We have many of them already. I would not call this a great find or a reason to smile."
He shook his head much as one would do when explaining something to a child and took the rock from me. "It is iron. There is a seam of it. We need no longer trade for it. We have our own."
I grasped it again. Suddenly it felt like holding a piece of gold. "Can we mine it?"
"That is the only problem. It will need labour and lots of it."
"Slaves?"
"Slaves!"
I would need to go to sea again. Mindful of the advice of my family I sought Haaken and Cnut. They were happy to accompany me. Haaken, for it meant he could quiz me about the fight and Cnut because his life was as bound in the sword as mine. We rode our ponies around the water. We could have sailed the small boat we used to travel up and down the Water but it was still a pleasant day and I wanted to talk as we rode. It was me who did most of the talking, at least, until we were just a short way from the boatyard.
"It is good news about the iron and I do not see the problem with having us with you at all times."
"I think, Haaken, that all of you would find it taxing. However I intend to go raiding soon. We need slaves and I have an idea of my own about the sword."
While Haaken was intrigued Cnut was worried, "Do not be reckless, Dragon Heart. Since Erika was taken I have noticed that you fight and act with more abandon than you used to."
"Cnut! You are not Dragon Heart's mother!"
"He is right, Haaken, but now that Arturus is a man then there will be a jarl when I am taken. I will not be leaving my people leaderless. However, Cnut, do not worry, I am just thinking of ways to discourage others from seeking the sword." I hated lying to my oldest friends and the most senior of the Ulfheonar but I already knew what I would do. The only change would come when Kara had spoken with the spirits. I had learned never to go against them.
Bolli, our shipwright, greeted us with an apologetic shrug. "I am sorry Jarl; I have not yet had time to look over the drekar."
I smiled, "Do not worry. I will not need either of them until Ein-mánuðr but I want 'Josephus' and 'Heart of the Dragon' ready for sea by then."
"They will be. They are both new drekar. I will haul them from the water and have the weed taken from them. Will you be carrying cargo?"
"Slaves."
"Then I will leave the ballast."
"We will need a spare mast and spars; we sail to Frankia and needs must we have to be swift." He nodded. "When you are with the ships tell Pasgen we shall be sailing to Frankia in case he wishes to send any of his knarr."
Pasgen was the headman of Úlfarrston. Although not Norse he was a good friend and protected our drekar for us during the winter. We headed back to Cyninges-tūn satisfied that we had planned all. "Frankia?"
"There is a plan to this, Haaken. The lands to the south have been raided already by our brethren. I have heard that they have settled some areas there already. I would not fight Norsemen. I have enough Danes and Norse who covet my sword without drawing others to me. The northern coast of Frankia is close and will provide slaves for us. Since we killed Rorik I suspect that there will no longer be one leader who controls that coast; the Emperor controls only the Rinaz. Others will soon find that this plum is ready to be picked and we shall get there first and then we sail to Lundenwic."
Haaken laughed, "You have a mind like a bear trap. I can see that this will make a good saga."
The next morning Kara came as soon as I was awake. I was always the first up and when I saw my daughter I saw that she had had a troubled night. The spirits had visited her. The spirits were always welcome but their messages could sometime be either unclear or unpleasant. Her face suggested the latter.
I pushed over the cheese and the small beer but she shook her head. "It was not just my mother who came last night. Prince Butar came too and," she paused, "your mother."
I felt the hairs on the back of my neck prickle. I had only recently discovered that my mother had been a Volva. Descended from the last Romans, the last British Warlords, she only came when it was life threatening.
"You have to leave Cyninges-tūn. If you stay then others will come."
She spoke with a passion I had not heard for some time. Her dreams had frightened her and that frightened me. It confirmed my decision to leave. "If they come and I am not here then will it not be worse for my people?"
"I do not make these judgements. I am told what must be. Prince Butar said that the people would be protected." Her eyes pleaded with me to listen. I would have anyway but I heard, in her voice, my dead wife.
I was confused, "How?"
"I know not but the spirits have yet to let us down. Let us believe them. It is important for Arturus that he accompanies you." She frowned. "Your mother said, and I do not understand this, 'the sword must sing and be forged again in blood and fire'. She looked at me as though I would know the answer. I shook my head. I had never spoken to my mother of swords.
I put my hand on hers for I could see that she was troubled. "Fear not Kara for I have planned a slave raid to Frankia. I will take Aiden with me and between us we can unravel the knot of this riddle. Thorkell can watch over my land and I will have Rolf train up more men to protect our walls. Now that we have our own iron then Bjorn can make good helmets and swords for all."
"There was something else. 'Beware the knives from the north'."
"The Hibernians?"
"I know not. That was the last message I received. I am sorry, father, this does not help. I have let you down."
"No you have not. The spirits are not always clear. There will be a reason for that and I daresay that the Norns will be at the back of all this. Be at peace. I am settled. Not knowing what to do is a problem which can destroy lives. I know what to do and as the spirits are in accordance then I am happy to leave. It is wyrd."
Chapter 3
The inactivity of winter was replaced by the hectic preparations for a raid. I sent Arturus and Aiden to ask Thorkell the Tall to watch my land. I had Bjorn working from dawn until dusk producing the weapons and armour we would need for the voyage and for those who would protect our lands. Siggi and Trygg, our knarr captains, were sent to trade with our friends in Cymru and along the Sabrina. I wanted any enemies to think that we were unprepared for war and having our trading ships travelling unaccompanied would do just that. Haaken and Cnut had their hands full with the warriors who wished to be Ulfheonar. Along with Bjorn the Scout, they were the ones who made the final decision. They would be replacing brave warriors who had fallen. I spent as much time as I could with Rolf. One of my oathsworn, he had been badly wounded and could no longer move as well as he would like. He was the perfect leader to leave in command of my home.
The last of my jarls whom I saw was Windar at Windar's Mere. He was a good leader but he was now so fat that his name had become known as Windar the Fat. He did not need a waist to protect the land to the east and he was happy to do so. He also provided me with half a crew for the Josephus. When we sailed in eight day's time we would have a full crew for both drekar.
Arturus and Aiden were still in the north when the handful of miners we had sent to the new iron workings rode into the stad, their horses lather
ed and sweating. It was one of Bjorn's youngest sons, Karl, who stood before me. He was not yet fourteen summers and yet he was built like an ox. I had no idea how the pony had managed to carry him. "Jarl Dragon Heart. We saw Vikings heading from the sea."
A chill came over me despite the warm afternoon. "Were they dressed for war?"
He looked confused, "They had their shields over their backs."
That could mean they came in peace but equally it could be just making life easier for themselves. I would heed the words of the spirits. They came from the north and we would prepare to meet them in battle. If they came in peace then I would apologise.
"You have done well, Karl. How many were there?"
He held his hands up five times. There were fifty and that was a large number. "Rolf. Send messengers to Windar and the outlying farms. Tell them there may be danger and to prepare."
He looked troubled, "What is it Jarl?"
I held up Ragnar's Spirit. "I fear it may be this flame drawing them on. But we will see."
The commotion had attracted some of my Ulfheonar. "Is there trouble, Jarl Dragon Heart?"
"I think so, Cnut. Have the Ulfheonar prepare and we will meet this new threat."
"And the ones we have not yet decided upon?"
"Bring them with us. This may be the opportunity to see how they perform. Have the men bring their bows."
As I dressed I knew that Arturus would be angry to be missing this. With him gone and the new warriors we would have just thirty warriors to face what could be a large warband. It would have to be enough. Kara came with Rolf as we assembled. "This may be nothing but we had better be prepared, if they are coming from Lang's Dale then they will come by Skelwith. I will meet them at the beck. Watch my home, Rolf."