Viking Witch (Dragonheart Book 15)

by Griff Hosker

  “Every male will have to defend the stad.”

  “They do that anyway, Jarl. What is different?”

  “They have stood on my wall and made up the numbers. I need them to fight in a shield wall if necessary. I think we may have to face the Danes in open battle. I want every man to spend one day in every seven with the Ulfheonar. They will be trained by the best. When they come again I want these walls to be filled with armed warriors who know how to fight. I want warriors who will not need an Ulfheonar to stand beside them and give them orders. If there are slaves that we can free then do so, Scanlan. Give them land or give them a home but most importantly, give them a weapon. We can get more slaves.”

  “Give slaves weapons?”

  I smiled, “As I recall, Scanlan, I took you as a slave on the Maeresea. You became free and I gave you a weapon.”

  He shook his head, “I am sorry. I have forgotten. I have been a free man for so long….”

  “That you feel that this is your land. Make those slaves who show they have the right attitude free.” We had, largely, taken slaves from so far away that they could not return home. We treated them well and once you became used to a place then it became home.

  “You will need weapons.”

  “Aye Bagsecg but we have enough helmets. My men will show them how to make shields.”

  “Most should know! They were brought up Norse!”

  “That is my fault. I have allowed the Ulfheonar to do most of the fighting. They have forgotten that which was in their blood. We will see if we can put it back in them. The Ulfheonar will assess their skills and allocate them a role. Olaf Leather Neck will make a list of weapons they will need.”

  “I will make a start and have my sons melt down the poorer weapons. Our iron is of a much higher standard and produces better swords but the poor iron makes fair arrows and shot.”

  I left Scanlan to tell every male the new arrangements while Bagsecg busied himself instructing his sons. I returned to the Ulfheonar. I waved over my three scouts. “When you are not training the bondi I have a task for you.”

  Snorri nodded, “Find the Danes.”

  “I wish the three of you to choose the best six horses that we have. Six days in seven I want you searching for signs of Danish scouts. I have learned that this Baggi Skull Splitter is a careful man. He does not rush into things. He can be patient. He will send scouts. They will be good but you will be better. You need to find his scouts and get rid of them. When they are eliminated then you can find his camps. He will have to gather his forces and he will not reach us in a day from the land around Loidis.”

  Aðils asked, “What if he comes on the day we are here?”

  Beorn the Scout shook his head, “Did you not hear the Jarl? It will take more than two days for them to reach here. I would estimate three at the very least. His men will not be mounted and he will have the witches and women with them. It will be nearer to five or six days. We will find them.”

  Brigid had not been happy that I had chosen the day of the worship of the White Christ as our day of war. “But we will not interfere with your rituals. We will be far down the Water where the land is flat.”

  “I am just uncomfortable with the thought of war on that day.”

  “We will not be at war. Think of it as making arms stronger. No one will be hurt.”

  Although mollified she was never entirely happy. Nor had I been exactly truthful. We did have injuries. There were cuts and broken limbs. Even farmers, who were naturally strong, had to learn to use their arms and legs in different ways. The first time Olaf Leather Neck tried to teach a shield wall they fell in an untidy heap. Three of them suffered cuts and sprains while one broke his left hand. It was not an auspicious start.

  Haaken stepped forward. Now that his hair was completely white he looked more like a wizard than a warrior. His one eye flashed angrily as he said to Olaf, “You are teaching them as though they have fought in a shield wall every day of their life. You are not trying to make them better. You are starting from the beginning.”

  “Then you teach them!”

  “I will!” He turned to them. “Stand in your lines.” He turned to Olaf. “You got that part right! Lay down your shields!” They obeyed. “Those in the front row put your left hand on the shoulder of the warrior to the left. Those in the second and third rank on the shoulder of the man who is before you.” When that was done, he said. “I will teach you a simple chant such as we use when we row. We will all sing together and march on the spot. Begin with your sword leg.” I knew what he intended. It was clever.

  Viking enemy, taking heads

  Viking warriors fighting back

  Viking enemy, taking heads

  Viking warriors fighting back

  It did not take them long to learn it. He had chosen the most recent and the easiest of our rowing chants.

  “Stop!” He bellowed. Almost all obeyed save Erik the Shepherd. He was still marching when all stopped. He looked in embarrassment at his feet when he realised that he was still marching. Haaken shook his head, “You must listen to your leader when you fight. We are not wild Hibernians who scream and shout when we fight. We are the warriors of the wolf and we either chant or remain silent. Even when we sing we listen for that voice which commands.”

  Njǫrðr Njǫrðrson asked, reasonably, “And who will that be, Haaken One Eye?”

  Haaken looked at me. I smiled, “We do not know yet Njǫrðr. It may be an Ulfheonar but it is more likely to be one of you. Some men have the seeds of a warrior in them even if they are a fisherman or a shepherd or even, Njǫrðr, a baker of bread. I will watch and I will choose the one who will lead this shield wall.” I pointed to the others who were training. There were archers and there were slingers. “Each part must be led. That is our way. Listen to Haaken. He and Olaf will watch you and they will choose a leader. That will not be yet for you need to learn how to walk.”

  Erik the Shepherd was paying more attention now, “Learn to walk? Are we bairns, jarl?”

  I pointed to Finni the Unlucky who was having his broken hand tended. “It would seem so!”

  Viking enemy, taking heads

  Viking warriors fighting back

  Viking enemy, taking heads

  Viking warriors fighting back

  Haaken had them march back and forth chanting. This time they marched closer together but they marched in perfect time. “Keep your eyes to the front! That is where the enemy will be! Your feet obey you!” He had them stop and he had them turn. When he was satisfied then he allowed them their shields. After they had managed to march to the Water, turn, and walk back he waved to Olaf to take over.

  We had hoped to teach them to use spears and to interlock shields but that first day showed us how much work we had to do. As Haaken and I walked to the archers I said, “We have allowed them to lose the skills with which they were born. I have let the Ulfheonar fight too many of their battles.”

  “It is not your fault, Jarl. Many of the warriors who had skills were slain when we went to war. The ones who remain are the ones we could not take. The bakers, fishermen and shepherds are not farmers who can leave crops to grow themselves. They have to work each day. They are still part of the clan.” He nodded to the archers, being trained by my scouts, “The archers are doing well. All that Snorri needs to teach them is how to release together and how to use their war bows to full effect.”

  We had had war bows made for our would-be archers. They were longer than their hunting bows. The difference lay in the pull. I knew that the backs of my men would ache for a while but once they had mastered the stronger bow then their arrows would fly further.

  The rest of my Ulfheonar were teaching our second shield wall how to use their swords. This shield wall was one made up of those who had fought in a shield wall before. They would still need Olaf Leather Neck to rid them of their rough edges but they knew how to march without tripping up. Bagsecg and his sons were still making swords as fast as they could but a
good sword took time. The twenty with my men used the best of those we had captured and the new ones made by Bagsecg. I had thought of having them use wooden ones. Aiden had told me that the Romans had done that. We had no time to waste making them. This way the men would have to learn how to use the real thing and to sharpen them when they became blunt.

  Einar Hammer Arm and Cnut Cnutson taught them while my other warriors identified weaknesses. Einar was holding his own sword up. It was longer than most for he was a strong man and could wield it. Cnut had the shorter one most of the men used. “This is an iron bar with an edge to it. That is all! Even if you do not hit an enemy with an edge it will hurt. You seek the place where it will hurt.” He tapped his own head. “Even a helmet cannot totally protect from a sword blow.” He pointed to his shield. “A shield protects most of the body. All that you do when you strike the shield is blunt your sword. True, you may make his arm numb but you will not end the battle.” He pointed to Cnut’s leg. It was not protected by his byrnie. “His leg can be hurt. Strike his leg and he cannot move. If he cannot move, then you can use your speed to get around him. When you fight be balanced and shift your weight from leg to leg. It confuses an enemy.” They nodded.

  Cnut shouted, “In pairs!” They faced each other. “Use the flat of your sword. I want no cuts! Make sure you are balanced. Look at your opponent’s eyes. They will tell you where he will strike. You all have a choice of targets. Fight!”

  I saw that some were better than others. They naturally shifted and feinted. Shouts and curses told who had made a blow which connected. Some had the skill to move a shield and strike at the same time. They would be the ones to place in the front rank.

  I invited my Ulfheonar to my hall at the end of the day to discuss what they had done. Their charges were having wounds tended to and aching muscles eased with salves and balms.

  “They are like rough ore from the mines, Jarl. We know that it can be turned into weapons but it is still lumpen at the moment.”

  Rolf Horse Killer shook his head, “If we had faced the Danes yesterday then that might have been true but I saw improvement. Einar’s lessons made the ones we trained think about the blows that they struck. It takes many battles to do that normally.” He smiled. He was still one of the younger Ulfheonar. “It was not until I slew that horse that I realised that you could choose your target and end a battle quicker. If the Danes came they would not panic. They would choose where to strike.”

  “And the men you trained Olaf, they can now march and raise their shields in time. They can present a wall of spears. They could not do that this morning. They have made their mistakes and they have learned from them. This horn is half full! It is not half empty!”

  Olaf smiled, “Then let us fill it up!” Uhtric hurried over and added more foaming ale to Olaf Leather Neck’s horn.

  I stood, “We have all done well. For the next six days, they will be back at work. I want all of you to travel around the stad. When they are not working talk to them of the knowledge you have in your head and the battles you have fought. We all know that when we fight we use every part of our mail and our body. They do not.” They nodded. “Snorri, tomorrow you and your scouts must begin your search for the enemy.”

  “We thought to head to Carr’s Waite. He and his son have sharp eyes. We can then head over the high passes to the valley of the Dunum. Eggle Skulltaker had a stronghold there. They may have returned. If we find no one then when we next scout, we take the southern route. We start at Sigtrygg’s stad.”

  I could see his plan. “You are leaving the central route until last?”

  He shrugged, “It is like fighting a warrior you have fought before. Is that a blow coming to your head or does he feint so that he can hit your leg? You said they are cunning. They may choose where they have struck before. They may think we would rule that out as a threat. Besides the central route has the high ground and then the forests and the boggy lands which lie to the south of Elfridaby. Many Danes have used that route before. We have to start somewhere.”

  “I was not criticising, Snorri. I needed to know where you were going. I am going to take Ragnar and Gruffyd to Ketil’s stad. I would speak with Prince Athelstan.”

  Chapter 11

  Before we left I visited Ylva. There was still no sign of a recovery although she was no longer thin and emaciated. Both Kara and Aiden were more hopeful. “She does improve, father. We have spoken with her in her dreams.”

  Aiden nodded, “The witch still has her mind and she lies trapped in the cave. We have yet to break the hold but each day we learn more. Ylva now wishes to return.” He smiled. “That was you. She said that you risked all to save her. She now knows what she must do.”

  I mounted my horse and headed north and east in a more optimistic frame of mind. We had Ragnar’s hearth-weru with us and as we passed through Ulla’s Water he asked me, “Should I have more hearth-weru, grandfather. I have but four.”

  “And I have none. Einar the Tall and the others came to you for they were your father’s hearth-weru. The choice is yours to make but you would need coin to pay them.”

  “You do not pay the Ulfheonar?”

  “No, they choose to follow me but I buy them gifts and give them weapons. If men follow you that is one thing but if you pay men, then you have to ask do you pay their hearts or their purses? I have never paid for warriors. I am not one to judge. You are a man now. You make your own decisions.”

  We rode in silence beneath Úlfarrberg’s peak. The dark empty valley was a sombre place these days. Gruffyd broke the silence. “How do you get warriors to follow you?”

  “You be yourself. If it is wyrd that men see you as someone who can lead them then so be it and if not… I followed Prince Butar until he was killed but others followed me.” I shrugged. “Haaken thought I was lucky. Others chose me because I was Ulfheonar and they wished to be as I was. Some follow the sword. You have both done deeds which make men look at you and see warriors who are different but you are young and you are still learning.” We rode in silence as the two of them took in my words.

  I noticed that Ketil and his people had begun to change the land. They had cleared the valley bottoms and farms blossomed where once had been trees and scrubland. His people used the uplands for sheep but here, in the lower valley, were cows and grain. Running east to west his valley had more sun than Ulla’s Valley. My decision to make him jarl had been a good one.

  When I reached Ketil’s stad it was to the news that Prince Athelstan had taken a war band south to take back the land from the Danes.

  “Was that wise, Ketil?”

  Shaking his head he said, “I tried to dissuade him. I even offered to take my warriors with me. He would have none of it. His father does not stir. I fear that the King is not a strong warrior. He is afraid of King Egbert. I think that the son goes to war to make a name so that men will follow his banner.”

  “He goes against his father? He would be king?”

  “He will not fight his father but he feels he would be a better king who would be able to defend the land against the many enemies they have.”

  “It is a risk. If he is defeated by the Danes, he could lose everything.”

  Ketil nodded, “I tried to dissuade him. He heard how you defeated the bands sent against you. He has more warriors. I told him that yours were well trained and prepared but….”

  “But he thinks it is easier than it is.” I shook my head, “This does not hurt us yet but it may in the future. Watch your borders. Snorri is hunting to the east of you looking for Danes.”

  “Then Carr and his son will come to tell me. Since you met them they have become almost part of my people.”

  After three days in Ketil’s valley we returned home. I spoke with Carr and I rode the greenways and Roman Roads. There was no sign of either Danes or Danish scouts. Ketil promised that he would be vigilant. We used the Grassy Mere for the route along Ulla’s Water was a reminder of our failure. As we headed for the Rye Dale we w
ere overtaken by a rider on a pony. It was Sihtric Thorkellson. He was one of the warriors from the stad on the Eden.

  “Is there aught amiss, Sihtric?”

  He grinned. When he did he reminded me of his father Thorkell the Tall. “No Jarl. The men of Hibernia raided.” He laughed. “Our watch towers spied them coming and we were ready. As they tried to disembark we attacked them with arrows and then spears. Our slingers made many widows that day for they shun armour. The survivors barely escaped to their ships. It was a great slaughter. They had poor weapons and little treasure but we took them anyway. Ulf took a golden torc from their chief. We planted their heads by the Eden as a warning for others.”

  “Did you lose many?”

  “None. We did not have to close with them. It was not glorious and there was little honour but what honour is there in killing a naked barbarian?” He patted his horse, “I am pleased that I have seen you. This is wyrd. I can now return to the Stad. The jarl holds a feast!”

  “Good. Tell him I am pleased.” I was pleased but disappointed at the same time. I had hoped to use some of Ketil’s men and some of Ulf’s to augment my warband. Both had experienced men in numbers. The prince’s actions and the attack from Hibernia showed me that I could not. They would have to watch the borderlands. When the Danes came, we would have to use what we had.

  Haaken asked me what worried me and I told him. “But surely if the prince attacks the Danes then they cannot attack here.”

  “You are right Haaken One Eye.” I told the Ulfheonar the news when I returned. They all felt the same as Haaken. “And if the prince won then our troubles would be halved but do you think he can win? Can any Christian army succeed against Danes?” He shook his head. “Then if Baggi Skull Splitter wins he gains the arms of the Saxons. They have fine swords but even worse he becomes a rallying point for other Danes who will flock to his banner. This could increase the army of the Danes. More than that it would invite the Danes into the land of the Northumbrians and that would threaten Ketil. But you are right. We have more time. As we cannot use the men from the north then we must put even more effort into training the ones we have.”