by Griff Hosker
Ulf nodded, "We could look upon it as a raid. Instead of gold and slaves we seek meat and wood. Hrolf and I could scout out a place and then we could spend a day hunting and hewing. If we make a raft from the logs then we can tow them back to the island."
I could see that he was coming around to the idea. "Aye and it would give the new men, Gunnstein's crew, the time to heal. We need to raid again soon so that they can exorcise their demons."
The seven of them were not sat at the table but around Sigtrygg who was still unable to walk unaided. They seemed to cling together as though separation might be their end. Captivity was a hard thing for a Viking to endure. All of them felt guilty about not dying, as their comrades had done with a sword in their hands. Unless they were to waste away we had to raid so that they could have success again and regain their confidence. At least the maggots had eaten the badness in his wound. When we had taken away the moss they were all dead and there was no smell.
The two new couples emerged almost simultaneously from the huts. They looked almost embarrassed. Brigid and the other women ran to them, made an arch, and began to shower them with wild flowers they had picked. They also began to ululate. The men took out their daggers and banged the hilts on the table. We started to sing our song.
Through the waves the oathsworn come
Riding through white tipped foam
Feared by all raven's wing
Like a lark it does sing
A song of death to all its foes
The power of the raven grows and grows.
Through the waves the oathsworn come
Riding through white tipped foam
Feared by all raven's wing
Like a lark it does sing
A song of death to all its foes
The power of the raven grows and grows.
The power of the raven grows and grow
Knut and Beorn swelled with pride as the war chant began. As they took their place opposite the Jarl everyone gave a mighty cheer.
The Jarl rose and spread his arms. The noise died down apart from three of the children, all toddlers, who continued to cheer and bang sticks against a hollow log. Their mothers silenced them with a blow and the Jarl spoke. "Today we celebrate and we mourn." He turned to raise his horn to Erik Long Hair and his companions. "We mourn the loss of a fine drekar and her crew. I mourn a headstrong brother. Gunnstein I wish you were here now and that we had not parted with words we cannot take back. I will see you in Valhalla! Sea Serpent!"
Everyone stood and shouted, "Sea Serpent!"
The Jarl allowed the silence to wrap its arms around us as we remembered the dead. The Jarl was now the last of his family. His father and brothers were all dead. He was looking at his own mortality. I saw Erik Long Hair and the survivors close their eyes and clutch their amulets. They were saying their own goodbyes.
The Jarl forced a smile as he said, "And now we have mourned we can celebrate living. There is no better celebration than warriors making more warriors." Knut and Beorn beamed at the words. "Raven Wing Clan!"
Raven Wing Clan!"
"And lastly we have a brave warrior to thank. Hrolf the Horseman risked his life to go deep into the land of the Franks and somehow rescue those who survived the ill fated attack. He has helped to mend the bonds that were broken. Now the men of the Sea Serpent clan can join Raven Wing. We will be stronger and better because of this. Hrolf the Horseman!"
"Hrolf the Horseman!" This time the cheers were even louder and when the Jarl sat down it was the signal for the feast to really begin.
He turned to me. "I meant what I said, Hrolf. Had you not journeyed to the land of the Franks we would never have known the fate of my brother and his crew. We would have had haunted nights as their spirits came to haunt us."
"I am just repaying the kindness I have been shown."
Siggi White Hair leaned over, "But we are all worried that you spend too much time alone."
"I am not alone! I am with my horses and animals. Each day I learn something more."
Sven the Helmsmen shook his head, "We are sailors not horsemen!"
"There you are a wrong Sven for I would be both. When I am mounted on a horse I feel the same power as you do when you sail the drekar. The difference is you have to stop when you reach the land. You are subject to the winds and the tides. I ride where I like; even in the sea and the rivers. That is true power." I saw them take all of this in. "One day we shall live on the mainland. This is not Norway where a man has to scrape the soil from the stones just to survive. Here we can make enough so that we can trade. One day I will live on the land. I will still sail and raid but I will also ride and raid. I saw nothing to fear in the Franks that I met. They use not the bow and even half starved and beaten men can beat them. Erik Long Hair and his men showed that."
Ketil Eriksson shook his head, "You think too much Hrolf. I have food, ale, a good sword and a woman. I have enough gold to buy more warrior rings. What else do I need? When the Jarl thinks it is right then we will raid again. I will hew more heads and I will be rich again. What more is there?"
That appeared to be the way that most of the young warriors were. I suspected that I was different because of my upbringing amongst hoses and the time I spent with the Dragonheart. I knew that a man could change his destiny. The Weird Sisters might shape the events in his life and put obstacles in the way but a true warrior could adapt and change. It was what had kept me alive in Frankia.
Soon the feast degenerated into arm wrestling and drinking contests. That was not what I enjoyed and I thought about heading home. I spied, seated outside her hut alone, Mary. She was in Seara's doorway. Something made me go to her. She appeared like an injured animal and I would never leave such an animal to suffer. "Why do you not join them? It is a celebration."
"I have nothing to celebrate. I am far from home and I have to work long hours."
I laughed, "And are you working now?" She shook her head, "Then celebrate that fact. The horn is not half empty, Mary, it is half full." She looked up at me with curiosity written all over her face. "When I was a slave I was beaten every day. Sometimes I might have deserved it but most times I had not. The days I was not beaten were the happiest days I spent as a slave and enjoyed each one which brought neither blow nor lash. Are you beaten?"
"No."
"Do you have food, shelter?"
"Of course."
"There is no of course about it. When I rescued Erik Long Hair and the others they were fed the scraps the pigs would not eat. They were whipped and they were slowly being poisoned but they never gave up hope."
"What hope have I?"
Your people might rescue you."
I could see that thought had not occurred to her. She brightened and then her face clouded. It was as though the sun had gone in. "They would have come before now. Besides with my father dead my brother will be the lord and he did not like me."
"Good."
"Good?"
"Aye for you now know that your old life is gone and you should make the best of your new life." I pointed to Brigid, she was laughing with her husband and Emma. "Brigid came as a slave. She makes ale. She has her own business and she and her husband make coin. There is only old Seara who can sew well. That is why she is no longer a slave. The Jarl knows she will sew better if she is free. Become the new Seara or be like Brigid; find a warrior and bear children."
"I hate this island! It is so small!"
"It is bigger than you think. When we were attacked some years ago Rurik and I led our enemies all over this island. When they thought they had us we sheltered in a cave which the gods directed us to. We were safe. This island offers most of what we need. It gives us security."
"There is but one God!"
I nodded, "That is your belief. We are born to believe that the land, the forests, the seas and the animals all have a god who care for them. The Allfather, Odin, watches over all. Perhaps your one god may be Odin. I do not know. You do not believe strongly enough to
know of the others. Had they not shown us the cave in the north of the island then we would have perished."
I could see my words had had an effect. "I do not like Vikings. They are both hairy and smelly."
I laughed, "And in that I cannot disagree. Then become a seamstress and rule your own future."
She nodded and, reaching up, kissed the back of my hand, "Brigid is right. You are kind and I am sorry that I appear so ungrateful."
"You need not apologise. I know exactly what you feel for I felt it too. Be strong and if your god helps then believe in him too."
Chapter 7
When Sigtrygg Red Hair and the others were well enough the Jarl decided to sail to the land of the Bretons and hunt. We left in the middle of the night so that Ulf and I could scout while our drekar sailed back to our island. We would not fall into the same trap as Gunnstein. We would find somewhere without walls or people. We did not want a war with our nearest neighbours. Some day we might but, at the moment, they protected us from the Franks and allowed us to raid.
Sven knew of two narrow channels which would allow us to get inland. They were ten miles from any settlement and the land around was covered in trees. They had not been cleared for farming. There would be animals to hunt, trees to fell and, hopefully, no people. We guessed that it might be the best place to land. Ulf and I would travel inland to see if there were any settlements there. With no horses to land and no shields to carry we slipped ashore and had disappeared before the drekar had time to turn around. We had landed at the eastern channel. Ulf led us up the river bank. We had discussed this and if there was to be a settlement then it would likely be along the river. We ran, in the short time before dawn. It was neither a road nor a greenway. It was an animal path. As the sun came up and we saw no houses before us Ulf took the first path we saw.
We were silent as we moved swiftly under the canopy of green. Suddenly Ulf stopped and held up his hand. I had my bow ready in an instant. I had neither heard nor smelled anything but I trusted Ulf. Then I caught the musky smell of deer and I heard the soft sound of animals grazing. Ulf grinned and waved me on. This was a good sign. As we moved upwind of the deer they caught our scent and we heard them as they raced off into the undergrowth.
We stopped again a short while later. Ulf sniffed and pointed north. I sniffed too and smelled wood smoke and a faint smell of horse. We left the path and headed north. The moss on the trees guided us. We had travelled about a thousand paces when I saw the forest thinning and fields showing where they had cleared the trees for farming. There was an animal fence and a half stone building. Smoke came out from the roof. Ulf gestured for me to stay where I was and keep watch. I had an arrow ready just in case. He disappeared. I saw a servant or slave come from the house and pour something from a pail. I knew what it was when I heard the snuffling of pigs. There was an animal pen. As short while later Ulf returned and led me back to the path. We kept going until the land descended to another river. We knew of this one. It was a few miles from the large settlement they called An Oriant. It had a wall made of stone and a tower. We would not attack this stronghold. It would take half a dozen drekar to capture such a prize. Ulf nodded. We went to the river, cautiously. We could see no one and so we drank. It tasted slightly salty and I knew we must be near to the sea. There was neither path nor road. Ulf said, "The farm we passed is not a danger. There is a family with four slaves there. I am surprised you did not smell the horse."
"I thought I had but I saw no sign."
"They have it in a pen like you. " He pointed west. "We will head back directly and go west. I am confident now that we will not see any more people. If there were any we would have smelled smoke when we sailed north."
"The trees look good and straight."
"Aye they do. I think this plan might work. Come we have a long way to travel back." He led us towards a hunter's trail through the forest back to the place where the drekar would be.
By the time we reached the two channels it was getting on to dusk. We had seen tracks and spoor of wild boar and more deer but not the animals. We would do that when we returned.
The drekar slipped up the channel when the last light had gone from the west. Sven must have sailed during daylight and stayed well out to sea. Ulf gave a whistle and we waded out to the drekar. We spoke when the oars began to pull us home. Ulf was the leader and he told the Jarl all.
He pointed astern to the river we had just left. "We can land at this channel or the one further east by An Oriant. Both are secluded. We saw deer and signs of wild boar. The trees are perfect for us and they are close to the river. We found one farm and that is some miles to the north. The only danger that we could see was the path which cut through the forest. It may be used by their hunters. We saw no recent sign of them but they must use the path."
"You have done well. We will take a chance. If we stumble upon any other hunters then it is wyrd. We can only plan so far but at least we will not be going in blind." He left it unsaid but we knew he was thinking of his brother.
We set sail days later. We had more axes than swords and more bows than spears. We had plenty of rope and a full crew. We were confident. There were four groups of us. Two would cut down the trees and they would stay close to the river. They had the axes and the ropes. Two groups, made up of archers and men with boar spears, would travel into the forest to seek our prey. We needed as many animals as we could get. Their skins and bones would be as useful as their flesh. Some would be smoked and some salted to be preserved until hard times during winter while others would be eaten fresh. A third of the deer meat would be dried for that would be useful when we sailed. I was with Ulf's group of hunters. The Jarl led the other with his hearth-weru.
Having done the voyage twice, Sven was confident about timing our arrival correctly. We left not long before dawn and sailed in the darkness to arrive from the west. It was still dark when we landed. As Ulf and I had been there before we took the northern route to hunt. It was the one which would take hunters further from the drekar. We were barely four hundred paces in the forest when we heard the axes as our men began to cut down the trees. We had brought boys from the village to chop off the smaller branches and they would not go to waste. They would be taken back as firewood. If we were lucky enough to find any yew or ash, however unlikely, then they would be taken back too. They made the best bows and spears. As the noise receded in the distance we looked for signs.
Siggi White Hair, Arne Four Toes and Rurik One Ear were amongst the men Ulf led. Ulf, Arne and I had the bows while Rurik and Siggi White Hair would take on any boar we might find. There were another two archers and two more men with spears but we five were acknowledged as the most skilful of hunters and we led the way. In many ways I hoped we would not find boars. They were the most dangerous of prey and could eviscerate a man with one swipe of their vicious tusks. But I agreed with Siggi White Hair; the meat was the best there was.
Ulf halted and sniffed. He knelt down and when he rose he pointed to the trail. I could discern the marks of cloven hooves but it was the droppings which drew our attention. It was early morning and there was still heat in them. The animals were close and they were upwind of us. Ulf pointed to the other two archers to flank the three of us. Siggi White Hair organised the men with spears behind us. It was almost as though we were going to war. We defended each other; that was what brothers did. We could have moved faster but that might have risked making a noise and scaring the herd. It was obviously a herd for we saw broken branches and the slightly damp ground retained their prints. The herd was heading for a clearing where they could graze. I knew from the previous visit that there were many small streams feeding the two small rivers. The herd was heading for one. I had no doubt that they would stop close to one to feed.
I saw Ulf's famous big nose sniff the air and then I caught the smell of deer ahead. Instinctively I pulled the arrow back a little further. In these situations you often had to release quickly or lose the kill. We were moving so slowly n
ow that time seemed to stand still. I caught a sight of reddish brown with white spots. It was a doe's hindquarters. I did not release. I was not alone. We were a band of hunters and we wanted as many animals as we could get. I moved further to my right behind a hazel tree. I saw the antlers of a stag. We would not take the stag. He was the future of the herd and we respected him. A Jarl or a chief might hunt for the honour and the trophy but we sought food. Then the herd all moved and we saw them. A large stag led a herd of six females and four young. When Ulf pulled back on his bow then we all did.
I aimed at a slightly older doe. She suddenly twitched and, as Ulf's arrow was released so was mine. My doe had moved as I was loosing but the arrow struck her in her chest for she had turned slightly towards me as she began to turn away from the danger. She managed three steps before she fell. The herd fled. When we reached them we saw we had two does and one young deer.
Ulf Big Nose glared at the two who had missed with their arrows. The herd had been close together and they should have hit something. . He pointed at a hazel sapling. "Cut down a branch to carry back the kill."
"But there are three of them!"
"Make three journeys. If you cannot hit eleven targets then you are no hunter. We will go on!"
He was a hard task master and I saw Siggi White Hair give a wry smile. Ulf was, however, correct. Had either of them hit the same targets as the three of us then it would have been understandable. But we knew they had missed. We all used different markings on our arrows. I had one raven feather with two goose. I found it helped me to aim. As the two warriors grumbled and cut down the branch they would use Ulf pointed to the south. "We will keep the wind in our favour and head south. Hopefully we will either find another herd or pick up the same one."
We had seen, on our first visit, the trails of many herds. They all appeared to be small ones. With fewer men now to hunt Siggi White Hair and Rurik joined us with their spears. It had not been ordered but both Siggi White Hair and Rurik had been close enough to throw their spear had the deer run back in our direction.