by Griff Hosker
"What about the last four guards?"
"When you have disposed of these two then Snorri join me in the stables and Bjorn the Scout go to Arnulf and Harald. When you see Snorri and I mount the stairs to the south gate then you and Arnulf head for the east gate. If we strike quickly we may be able to silence them but if not then we will just run."
I left and passed the two relieved guards. One of them said, "About time someone else took a duty!"
I nodded, "Aye well you shall have a long rest now. You deserve it" As I approached the stables I heard a horse whinny. I entered and saw that there were four small packhorses. They were a little bigger than a pony but they had broad backs. They would do. I fitted their halters and was just fitting their panniers when Snorri joined me.
"What is the plan, Jarl Dragon Heart?"
"The south gate faces the river and there are people there. We must trick the men into the tower so that we can kill them out of sight of the others. Then we release the girls, pack the gold and head for our ponies."
"Gold?"
"The gold belonging to the town which Osbert planned to steal."
He shook his head. "If you steal it then Magnus Klak will know we took it and will come after us."
I shook my head. "Before we leave we will take the bodies and put them in the river. They will be taken to the sea. Klak will think that Osbert was murdered by his men and they fled with the gold."
"It is still a risk."
"A small one." We headed for the southern gate.
We climbed the stairs to the stone ramparts and approached the surly sentry.
"About time."
As we neared them the two guards tried to move past us, down the stairs. I shook my head, "Not so fast, we need to know where things are. We are new after all."
"There is not much to see."
"Then it won't take long will it?"
As they led us into the tower I slipped my seax into my right hand. The first warrior turned to tell me something and I ripped my blade across his throat. Snorri did the same and we laid both men on the floor. We quickly left the tower and headed towards the last gate; the east gate. I saw Bjorn the Scout and Arnulf approaching from the other side. The two guards moved towards them and that allowed us to reach the gate unseen. We heard the suspicious guards. "What is the problem?"
"No problem, friend."
I know not what they saw but the two of them turned and ran back into the safety of the gatehouse. They ran into our blades and died at our feet. "Arnulf get back and pretend you are on guard. Bjorn the Scout and Snorri stay here. I will go to the south gate and when it quietens down we will get rid of the bodies and release the girls.
I had no idea how long we had been in the fort but it was now dark. As I reached the river gate I peered down and saw that there were still people moving around. There were not many but it would take some time for it to be quiet enough for us to open the eastern gate. I saw that there were fewer ships than the last time we had been there. Perhaps that was the time of year or, perhaps, the draconian regimes which now ruled Jorvik. Soon, however, it all became dark. There were clouds and no moon.
I gathered the others and we opened the eastern gate. There were few huts on this side of the fort and we carried the bodies from the barracks and the walls and slipped them into the river which was fast flowing because of the rains. If they were washed ashore it would be far downstream and we would be long gone. We packed the pack horses with the chests and then returned to the Great Hall. While my men disposed of the bodies I released the girls.
"Are we free to go, lord?"
The eldest had the courage to speak to me but she was terrified. I took off my helmet and smiled. "Aye you are. How did you come to be here?"
"Our fathers owed tax they did not have. Wiglaf had them executed and our mothers sold into slavery to pay the taxes. We were kept here."
"Have you homes to go to?" They shook their heads. I reached into my purse. "Here are coins for each of you. Find a boat and sail to somewhere you can start again."
They took the money. I stood to leave and they whispered amongst each other. "Lord, can we not come with you?"
I looked at them in amazement. "I am a Viking. Are you not afraid? You saw what I did to Wiglaf."
"Wiglaf was an animal and deserved to die. We have heard of you, Jarl Dragon Heart. It is only those like Wiglaf and Lord Klak who speak badly of you. Others speak of your land as a good place to live. What have we here? We have no families. Our mothers could be anywhere and in the eyes of the people we are nothing more than whores. What will our lives be like if you leave us?"
I thought of Elfrida and Kara. These girls were of an age with them. I could not leave them. "It will be a hard journey and there will be dangers. I cannot promise that any of us will survive."
They smiled, "We will take that chance."
"Then gather warm clothes and you will need something on your feet. There was snow in the high passes when we came east."
We hurried to the stables. My men looked at me open mouthed. I said, "It is my decision but I believe the Norns have done this. It is wyrd."
Snorri smiled, "I should not be surprised. Come ladies; you will be safe so long as we live. We are Ulfheonar."
I picked up Wiglaf's head. I had planned on leaving it on a spear with a gold coin in his mouth as a message. Now I had to get rid of the evidence. With the horses and the girls gone then Magnus Klak might just believe his tax collector had gone.
Chapter 15
We left by the north gate. Snorri stayed inside to bar the gate again and then he slithered down the wall. It would add to the puzzle we had made. As we passed the small river which fed the Ouse I dropped the Saxon's head into the fast flowing waters. It would rejoin his body and those of the other dead sentries and find their way to the sea. We neither heard nor saw anyone as we headed back to our ponies. They were still there where we had left them. By rearranging some of the equipment on the pack horses we were able to give the girls a pony each. If they could not ride when they mounted then they would soon learn. I rode behind the three of them for the first few miles. I had to help them to adjust their cloaks to keep themselves warm. It was cold; not quite freezing but not by much.
I was heading for the Roman Road. I knew that there was an old fort close to it. It would provide shelter. If we could rest there for the day then we might avoid prying eyes. We had been lucky coming east; I knew that we could not count on that same luck going back. The weather turned against us. Winds drove from the east and instead of heading north west across the vale, towards the road; I led us in the lee of the hills. It was more sheltered. Had it just been the seven of us then I would have risked the wind but we had the girls. The Norns! I wondered, idly, if these three young girls were the Norns in human form. It would not surprise me. However the change in route proved propitious. We passed a small farm, which I avoided and found a sheltered dell behind a small knoll in the foothills of the eastern hills. The wind passed over and I decided to camp there. A fire was out of the question. The smoke would swirl all over the hills and, in the daylight, mark our position. Sven kept watch from the small round topped hill. We used our spare cloaks to create a shelter. It kept the rain from us and the dark colours hid us.
The rain and the wind began to abate and I contemplated leaving the shelter when Sven hurried down. "There is a warband coming from the north. I think it is Magnus Klak."
I turned to the eldest of the girls, Eanfrith. "Would you know Magnus Klak?"
She shivered and I knew it was not the cold. She nodded, "Aye, lord. I have seen him."
"Come with us then." I left my helmet and we hurried back to the round topped hill. We bellied up and Sven held up his hand to stop us going too far. The grass and plants hid us from view but allowed us to see the cavalcade coming down the road from the north. There were just three mounted warriors and the rest were all Danes. I could see, in the middle, a crowd of slaves. Mail covered warriors brought up
the rear.
I whispered in Eanfrith's ear, "Which one is Magnus Klak?"
She whispered back, "The one on the black horse with the heads hanging from his saddle." She buried her head in the grass.
"He is passing us and cannot harm you. Stay here until they are gone." I hoped I was right. Had I been the Warlord I would have had scouts out. Perhaps it showed his confidence that he did not. It was a mighty warband and it took some time for it to pass us. I wondered if he was hurrying to get to Jorvik before dark. He had over twenty miles to go. I prayed that he would not stop and camp close by. That would be a disaster. I waited until they were out of sight before we moved. We slithered down the bank and rejoined the others.
"Come, we have little time to lose. They have passed us. We will head west and try to make the old hill fort in the hills. There is shelter there. I wish to try the empty lands in daylight."
Snorri and Bjorn the Scout left us to scout to our south in case Magnus Klak had any of his warriors out hunting. I slapped the rumps of the girls' ponies and we rode hard for twenty miles until we reached the foothills of the empty lands and the old abandoned hill fort. Snorri and Bjorn the Scout reached us when it first rose before us. At one time it had been used as a village. That was before the time of the Saxons. The remains of the huts were still visible but were of little use save as something to break the wind. It was a sad place for people had lived here for many hundreds of years. It had one great advantage. We could see for miles. Even though there was still an hour or two of daylight left I decided to make camp and risk a fire. The girls were blue with cold and we had gone since the previous day without hot food. A hungry warrior makes mistakes. Siggi had a fire going, using dried and dead wood. Snorri managed to bring down a couple of plump pigeons and we added those to the stew made from dried mutton, herbs and some wild brambles we found. The bubbling stream gave us water.
Once night fell I had the men put cloaks around the fire so that it could not be seen and, once again, we took turns to watch. We learned much as we spoke with the girls. One was called Freya and the youngest, who was the same age as Elfrida, was called Anya. They told us that they had been in the fort for less than half a year. They knew of Wiglaf's plan to send warriors to seek my sword but I discovered that Magnus Klak had come up with the plan. He was Rorik's cousin. I had hoped that the feud would die with Wiglaf but it seems I was wrong. I just hoped that I had muddied the waters by hiding the bodies in the river.
It also turned out that Bjarki was related to Magnus. The plot thickened. Guthrum and the Danes were fighting for Coenwulf while other Danes were helping Egbert. I could almost see their plan. They were ingratiating themselves into the two royal houses. There would come a time when they would show their true colours and fight as one against all Saxons. Although that would not bother me I now knew that they were casting glances at my land. I had thought that, with the demise of Rorik we were safe. I had thought wrong.
I must have been silent for some time. The girls were asleep, Harald was on watch and Snorri asked, "What are your thoughts, Jarl? I can see that you are troubled."
"We will have trouble from the Danes of Jorvik. I know it. And I do not have an answer."
Snorri laughed, "I do."
"Well go on then enlighten me." I was genuinely intrigued. I was used to this from Aiden but not Snorri.
"Do what we have just done. Cross the empty lands and raid the Danes. Hurt them before they hurt us." He waved his arm around the hill fort. "Our warriors can use refuges like this one. From here, using ponies we could raid as far as the coast or Jorvik. We could use our drekar as you planned to come up the Ouse and attack their shipping."
"That is a good plan but it might just provoke the Danes into a major invasion." I explained my theory to him.
He smiled, "I think you do yourself a disservice, jarl. If you were the Danes which land would you choose to attack? The south where the priests of the White Christ make all warriors women and they have riches beyond compare, or the land of the Dragon Heart where you fight fierce mailed warriors and the riches are not as great."
"You have given me much to think on."
I had the middle watch and saw nothing but, just before dawn I was awoken by Bjorn the Scout. "Jarl, men approach. I think they are Danes."
"Wake the others." I saw that Harald and Arnulf were already awake. "You two take the girls and the pack horses and head west. We will follow when we have dealt with this problem."
They said nothing but hurried away. I went to the old earth wall of the fort and joined Bjorn the Scout. I could hear the horses or ponies as they snuffled in the dark. The sky would be lightening soon and we would be able to see them whilst remaining in the dark. The others joined me. We were all armed and ready for war. Whatever came from the dark we would fight; no matter what the odds were. The Weird Sisters had ensured that we could not flee as we would have done had the girls not been with us. We would see what sort of web they had devised. Sound travels a long way at night and the Danes were some way off yet. I turned to Bjorn the Scout and said quietly, "How did you know they were Danes?"
He chuckled quietly. "You remember that stream we passed yesterday about a mile away."
"The one with the deep pools?"
"Aye, well I heard a splash and someone curse Loki. It was in Danish and it was loud."
I heard our horses as they clattered on the stones on the road which led north from the hill fort. I heard a Danish voice shout, "They are escaping! After them or Klak will have our heads!"
That confirmed who they were. The road leading north was to the south of the hill fort. It wound around the ramparts and ditches. I led my men towards the rampart which overlooked the road. We lay in wait. Bjorn the Scout and Snorri had their slingshots with them. They had not used them for some time however, in the dark, they could be an effective weapon. There was just enough light to make out the ten riders on ponies who were three hundred paces away. This needed timing well. The Danes would have assumed we had all fled north. I hoped they would not be looking to their right.
The road up which the twelve Danes travelled climbed and their ponies slowed as they struggled up the slope. They were not travelling as fast as they would have been on horses. We each had a spear. While Bjorn the Scout and Snorri slung their stones the rest of us hurled our spears. It was still dark and they were moving. One pony fell with a spear in its neck and it spilled its rider. A stone hit a second pony making it gallop off to the east. The other stone and two spears hit warriors. The rest stopped and prepared to charge up the hill towards us. Bjorn the Scout and Snorri threw another stone each and then picked up their spears.
The Danes had no mail. They had helmets and small shields. As they clambered the steep bank we waited. The two spears jabbed out and punched two warriors to slip and slide down the slope. The first rays of dawn illuminated us and the Danes stopped. They were not expecting Vikings. The delay was fatal. I took two steps down the rampart and brought Ragnar's Spirit down on the nearest warrior's head. He tried to protect himself with his small shield but it merely slowed the strike. My blade came away bloody. It was time to take the offensive. I ran down the slope. Two warriors, one wounded were trying to clamber back up. My shield stunned one while my sword stabbed the unprotected middle of a second. There had only been five of us but the Danes were no match for us.
Four remained alive although three of them would not last long. The fourth had been stunned by a stone. I put the tip of my sword to his throat. His eyes opened, groggily. "You are not Wiglaf!"
That explained everything. Klak had believed that Wiglaf had stolen his gold. He had sent warriors to find him. "No Dane, my name is not Wiglaf. I should kill you for trying to attack us when we are just out hunting." It was a lie but I intended to let this warrior go. "I will let you live but warn your jarl that not all of this land belongs to him and if he sends men to places he does not know he may well lose them."
He nodded, "What is your name? You are not Nors
e."
I smiled, "No, but I was brought up a Viking.
I am he who can walk through walls
I am a shape shifter
I am the witch seeker
I was born in fire and blood
I go into the bowls of the earth and speak with the dead."
All Vikings like a riddle. Mine was not a very good one but I wanted Magnus Klak to be uncertain of my identity. He might waste time trying to fathom the answer.
Snorri nodded to the warriors who were dying. "Should we give them a warrior's death?"
The Dane nodded. My men slit the throats. "We will leave you to burn or bury them and we will leave you one pony but the rest we take as were geld!"
The man was so grateful to be left alive that he simply nodded and we rode north, rather than west. I did not want an accurate report of our destination in case Klak followed us. Once we were out of sight I turned west and headed for the empty lands.
"Do you think that Klak will believe his story?"
"He has no reason to doubt it but the Norns have made this web so entangled that I know nothing any more. We will have to wait to see what the spirits say. Now, Snorri, find our companions and let us get home."
We found them three miles up the road. My warriors knew their duty and they had done exactly what I had asked. I knew their hearts and swords would want to be with us but they obeyed. I was proud of them. We told them what we had learned as we spent the day crossing the empty lands. The spare ponies meant that we travelled faster than we might have otherwise and we reached the borders of my land just before dark. We camped at the old deserted fort which overlooked the river. The burnt out timbers told us that there had been fighting here long after the Romans had left. It was deserted now but the river gave us water and the grass provided food for our animals while the walls, or what remained of the walls, gave us protection from the wind.
I was tired but I did not sleep well that night. Strange visions of high towers and knives in the night disturbed me so much that I was grateful when Sven woke me for my watch. I let Arnulf and Harald sleep I had no wish to return to the tormented tossing and turning. I lit a new fire from the burning embers and had some herb infused water ready for us to drink. My men were concerned that I had allowed them to sleep but they said nothing. However they sensed that I wished to get home and we reached Wolf's Lair just three hours after we left our camp at the Roman fort.