by Griff Hosker
“My parents were slain by Danes. I would do anything to have my vengeance upon them.”
Gruffyd appeared and handed me my bow. “They say you are a good archer. Take this and you will be a better one.”
He held it and shook his head. “Jarl this is a gift worthy of a king. I cannot take it!”
“I am your jarl and you will do more good with this than I. Besides you will be fighting for the clan. I can always get another.”
He nodded and did as I would have done. He took an arrow and, pulling back his arm as far as it would go, he sent the missile high into the air. Every eye was upon it as it soared. Everyone, it seemed, held their breath as it continued to rise and then, reaching its apex, plunged to earth. One of them, Leif the Red said, in awe, “That is over three hundred paces! It is a wondrous weapon!”
Erik turned to me, “Thank you, Jarl. I will put this to good use.”
“Aye. Make longer arrows. You will gain ever more distance. It is a worthy weapon. Make sure your arrows and their fletch matches it.”
We were now on a war footing and it was none too soon for the weather changed the next morning. The air warmed a little and that was always a bad sign. The skies filled with thick black and threatening clouds. Kara came to me. She knew weather better than any. “It is good that we have the animals from the fells, father, for winter will begin soon.”
“And the Danes? Is there any sign of them?”
She hung her head a little. “I fear we are blind. These are four powerful witches and they have used a spell to hide their intentions from us.”
“Then my plan must remain the best chance we have.”
“We are prepared. Some of my women who also have powers have offered to come with us.”
“How do they know? This was supposed to be secret.”
“They know not where we go. They just know that we will seek shelter. Aiden said we would go to Myrddyn’s cave.”
I did not like it but I hoped it would do no harm. I nodded, “That may put them off the scent.”
“And we have fresh herbs. Wighlek and his wife brought us a fresh quantity of millefoil, yew and yarrow when they came two days ago. We have a good supply.”
I allowed a smile to play across my lips. Kara frowned. “You are hiding thoughts from me father.”
“I am Jarl, Kara, and I have many things on my mind. You need to make sure that your family is safe and I will ensure that the clan is too.”
The Ulfheonar split into two parties and crisscrossed the high ground to the south and west. Asbjorn and his men did the same as far as Ulla’s Water. Two days after they had begun they found signs of more Danes. This time the Danes fled east before Asbjorn could find them. As Yule approached I wondered if I had misjudged the Danes. Were they keeping us on a war footing to weaken us? The answer came at the end of Gormánuður. Audun Thin hair had had his sons collecting in the last of the sheep from the Lough Rigg. They saw signs of Danes around the cave of Myrddyn. I sent Olaf and the Ulfheonar. They brought back five corpses. It was the Snake Clan again. The Danes had not given up and now I knew where the spies gathered their information. More than that I knew who they were. I would bide my time for it served my purpose.
I was watching my fire and wondering if I had done all that I could. Brigid was putting Myfanwy to bed while Gruffyd and Ragnar were at Bagsecg’s forge putting a fresh edge on their weapons. Uhtric came in. he hesitated and that was not his way. “Come, Uhtric, approach and tell me what is in your mind for I can see concern written all over it.”
“Jarl, I am a good servant. I know how to keep secrets.”
“I know. You are as faithful a freeman as I have ever met.”
“I know of Eagle’s Nest and the plans to keep Ylva there.”
A shiver went down my spine. How did he know? “As you say you can keep a secret. I trust you. There is not a problem.”
He hesitated again and when I frowned he spread his arms, “Jarl, your wife knows the secret you share with Gruffyd and Ragnar or she knows of Eagle’s Nest. She knows not that Ylva will use it but she has spoken of it. She believes it is to be a home for Ragnar and his mother.”
My wife was a chatterbox. She was without guile. If I had sworn her to secrecy, then she would not have uttered a word but she would have fretted and worried about my plan. This was wyrd. I had hoped that the Danes would discover what I intended but not through my wife. I smiled at Uhtric, “There is no harm, Uhtric and I thank you for keeping the secret. Do not mention this to my wife. It will avail her nothing.”
“But the Danes will come for Ylva! It is common knowledge that the Danish witches want her.”
“And know this, Uhtric. They shall not have her, not so long as I draw breath.”
Two days later Beorn the Scout galloped in. “Jarl Dragonheart. The Danes are coming!”
Olaf Leather Neck snorted, “In this weather?” There was a blizzard blowing.
“It is not as bad in the east but they are coming.” Snorri and Aðils shadow them. They are on the far side of the high ground. We have four days and they will be here. There are five hundred of them, jarl.”
“Then it begins. Olaf send the riders to Ketil, Ulf, Raibeart and Asbjorn. We need the clan! They know where to meet!” I turned to Beorn, “Find Snorri.”
Chapter 17
My men took Kara and her family north two days before the horde was due to descend upon us. Macha and Deidra were unhappy to be left behind but they were mollified when I explained that we had to deceive the enemy into thinking that the house of women was still full. With Ragnar and his men, along with Gruffyd, Leif the Banner and Karl Karlsson they left with horses laden with supplies. Ragnar now commanded his four hearth-weru and fifteen others. I hoped that the twenty three of them would be enough. They headed north, towards the Lough Rigg.
I had summoned all those who lived in the outlying farms. They would be safer inside my walls than without. Beorn returned with the news that the Danes had camped east of Windar’s Mere. Had we planned on stopping them at Elfridaby then we would have missed them. Now they had two routes they could take. If they continued west, then they would attack Windar’s Mere. If they headed north, then they would be making for Ulla’s Water. I knew now that their spies had let them know that it would be Eagle’s Nest where Ylva would be hiding. They had thought they had uncovered my plot. Instead, they had done just what I wanted them to. When this was over the two spies would pay with their lives. I now knew who they were.
I summoned the Ulfheonar, Scanlan, Bagsecg and Karl One Leg. “Tomorrow we ride to Windar’s Mere. Unless they travel the length of the Mere they cannot reach here. I leave you three to hold my home. I know that you would fight with me if I asked but we have enough now to do what I need.”
“Aye, jarl. The walls will still be standing when you return. Those with wounds, the women and the young, all will be standing a post.”
Raibeart and his crew marched with us. He also brought archers and slingers. Raibeart had but thirty men in his shield wall but they were hardened in battle both on land and sea. I would be happy to have him guarding my flank. The other three war bands were now to the north of us. They were preparing the ground for the trap I hoped to spring.
We marched at the speed of the bondi. Our horses were there to be led. It would take some hours to reach Windar’s Mere. Beorn told me that there was little chance of the Danes reaching the Mere before the next day. We had time.
The walls of Asbjorn’s stronghold were lined with old men, crippled warriors and boys. I saw the relief on their faces as we approached. My spears did not enter the stronghold. I arrayed the two shield walls before it, facing the fells which rolled eastwards. My archers and slingers trooped inside and added their numbers to those who stood on the walls. Behind us was the ruined old Roman fort. It had been fortified by the old people in the time of the Warlord but it had been destroyed so many times that Windar had moved his settlement east on to a higher piece of ground. If we we
re forced back, then we had the ruins to use for defence. I knew it well. The snow might make the walls look like driven snow but they would make a barrier against advancing Danes. Ulla’s Water was where I wanted to fight my battle but I had a plan to hold them here if they managed to discover my trap.
It was a cold, biting wind which hurtled from the north. The Danes had counted on my people assuming that war would not come when it was winter. They were in for a shock. We had supplies and our animals were all protected.
The women of the stad brought us hot food and fresh oat bread. I knew that could make all the difference. The Danes would have marched in the midst of winter and would be on short rations. We had our horses taken into the stad by the women. We would not need them again. We waited. In the late afternoon Snorri and Aðils rode in from the south. Snorri pointed to the eastern fells, “Jarl, the Danes are there massing on the ground above High Street.” High Street was the old name for the Roman Road which ran north to the old Roman Wall. It eventually climbed high above the eastern shore of Ulla’s Water.
I nodded, “You have done well. Take your horses in the stad and have some food. This is just the beginning. When you have eaten take charge of the archers and the slingers on the walls!” I handed him my banner. “My son is not here to wield this. Take it to the fighting platform. Let the Danes know who they fight!”
“Aye jarl.”
I joined Haaken and my Ulfheonar. Raibeart and his men were to our right. The two shield walls were drawn up behind us. There were two blocks of warriors. They were twenty men wide and three men deep. I would have preferred them to be deeper but I had to use what we had. The Danes would see a little over a hundred men. They would guess that Asbjorn and his men were within the walls of his stad. We would look like an easy target for them.
Rolf Horse Killer spotted the Danish scouts as they began to filter through the trees to the ground which had been cleared by both Windar and Asbjorn. There was an open area four hundred paces wide. The scouts halted. They were beyond bow range and we just stood. A late afternoon shaft of sunlight suddenly pierced the clouds. It flared briefly but while it shone it made a corona behind us. It was as though the Land of the Wolf was bathed in gold.
Behind me I heard the shield wall begin to bang their shields rhythmically as they chanted, “Dragonheart! Dragonheart! Dragonheart!” Over and over. It spread to the stad where the banging on the fighting platform and the walls seemed to echo down the valley. It rolled through the hills as though the land itself was chanting. Suddenly four Danes on horses made their way through the scouts and stood there. Behind them I saw the Danish shield wall appear. It stretched for a long way. It would easily overlap us.
I raised my sword and the chanting stopped instantly. I stepped forward and shouted, “Baggi Skull Splitter of the Skulltaker clan, this land is not for you! Our women are not for you! The sword has defeated the witch! It will defeat you if you try to wrest this land from us. Leave now and I will forget the insult you do me by bringing men to my land. If we fight, then the crows will feast as your army drags itself back to Loidis! We will slaughter every Dane who remains in the Land of the Wolf; this I swear!”
I stepped back and my men all cheered.
The cheering stopped when three witches, their hair bedecked with the skulls of what looked like babies, moved closer to us. I could not hear their words but I knew that they were chanting. They threw something in my direction. I sensed the fear in my men but I said nothing. Then the three parted and a hideously bloated woman stepped forward. Even from a distance of four hundred paces I could see that she had neither teeth nor hair and her skin was covered in pustules and warts or perhaps she had painted her face that way. Either way she had a face made to terrorise. Her voice, when she spoke, was high pitched and piercing, “Dragonheart, you have killed a sister and you will die! You and your men have despoiled the shrine of the mother on Loidis and they will die! You have dared to take from the Norns and for that your people will perish!”
In answer, I raised my sword and Haaken began to sing.
“The Dragonheart sailed with warriors brave
To find the child he was meant to save
With Haaken and Ragnar’s Spirit
They dared to delve with true warrior’s grit
With Aðils Shape Shifter with scout skills honed
They found the island close by the rocky stones
The Jarl and Haaken will bravely roar
The Jarl and Haaken and the Ulfheonar
Beneath the earth the two they went
With the sword by Odin sent
In the dark the witch grew strong
Even though her deeds were wrong
A dragon’s form she took to kill
Dragonheart faced her still
He drew the sword touched by the god
Made by Odin and staunched in blood
The Jarl and Haaken will bravely roar
The Jarl and Haaken and the Ulfheonar
With a mighty blow, he struck the beast
On Dragonheart’s flesh he would not feast
The blade struck true and the witch she fled
Ylva lay as though she were dead
The witch’s power could not match the blade
The Ulfheonar are not afraid
The Jarl and Haaken will bravely roar
The Jarl and Haaken and the Ulfheonar
And now the sword will strike once more
Using all the Allfather’s power
Fear the wrath you Danish lost
You fight the wolf you pay the cost
The Jarl and Haaken will bravely roar
The Jarl and Haaken and the Ulfheonar”
When he had finished, there was a moment of silence and then the whole of our army roared as though we had won the battle already! The witches’ curses seemed to disappear in the air. The shaft of light which had briefly appeared before suddenly flashed for an instant and lit my sword. It sent a shaft of light towards the witches and Baggi Skull Splitter. I saw them shade their eyes. Then the light disappeared but the damage had been done. The Danes had expected us to quake before the curses of the witches. Haaken’s song had been prepared a month since and we had waited until just the right moment for him to sing it. The Ulfheonar sang the last refrain over and over. The shield walls joined in and the song sounded like a death knell for the Danes.
And now the sword will strike once more
Using all the Allfather’s power
Fear the wrath you Danish lost
You fight the wolf and pay the cost
The Jarl and Haaken will bravely roar
The Jarl and Haaken and the Ulfheonar
And now the sword will strike once more
Using all the Allfather’s power
Fear the wrath you Danish lost
You fight the wolf and pay the cost
The Jarl and Haaken will bravely roar
The Jarl and Haaken and the Ulfheonar
I saw a movement backwards from the Danes and then Baggi Skull Splitter roared, “Charge! Let us slaughter these wolfmen!” The lines of Danes rushed with reckless abandon towards us.
“Shield wall!”
Now would be a test of our training. We formed our shield wall and locked it next to that of Raibeart and his war band. My bondi, behind us, did the same. We had a solid block of shields. The Danes had not used arrows to weaken us and they had not advanced together. It was a mad rush of Danes who were eager to get to us. The rough, frozen ground was not the ground over which to run. Danes fell. Most did not get up. They were trampled by those behind.
Our rear rank was next to the wooden wall and above us were over a hundred and twenty archers and slingers. I heard Snorri yell, “Release!”
The air above us darkened as the deadly missiles flew. I peered over my shield. Two arrows flew beyond the others. They would be Erik Finnison’s and Snorri’s. One arrow pitched into the chest of the standard bearer and he fell backwards. The second was even mo
re successful. It struck a witch and she fell dead. Immediately the others ran to safety while Baggi and his men lifted their own shields. Even the arrows of my ordinary archers had an effect. Danes were struck for they came as individuals. At least forty fell in the first wave of arrows. Urged on by Snorri they continued to release. They had remembered their training.
When the Danes were thirty paces from us I shouted, “Ulfheonar! Shields!”
Along with Raibeart and his men we brought up our shields and stepped back to be covered by the spears and shields of the front rank of our bondi shield walls. I had no spear. The rest did but I held Ragnar’s Spirit out before me. My own promise and the song of Haaken had had an effect. I saw that the Danes were avoiding me. They spread out to the side. This was a sword which had defeated a witch and none wished to face me.
The Danes ran into our spears. Had they come in one line then they might have moved us. As it was we stood like a rock. We did not move. Two men struck at Haaken to my right. My sword darted out and I stabbed the Dane below his right ear. I twisted and he fell dead. Haaken slew the other. Above us the arrows still flew and I heard the clatter of lead balls against helmets and shields. The afternoon light was fading but that suited us. It was our land and we knew the ground. A Dane swung his axe towards me. It caught on Finni Svensson’s shield and the metal edge of mine. Wielded two handed the Dane had no shield and I thrust forward with all the power I could muster. I tore through his mail and my blade scraped along his backbone.
The Danes had managed to force enough men into line to face us. We had the advantage of a wooden wall behind us and archers who, even in the fading light, could hit the smallest area of bare flesh. When a black fletched arrow suddenly sprouted from the eye of the Dane who was close enough for me to smell what he had last eaten then I knew that either Snorri or Erik were watching over me. As the Dane fell I took my chance and stabbed forward at the warrior in the second rank. We were not falling back and we were inflicting wounds and deaths on the Danes. I heard a horn sound three times and the Danes began to disengage. That was always a difficult thing to do and they paid a price. As they stepped back we walked forwards and stabbed, thrust and slashed at the warriors who were trying to escape the bloodbath. As they fell back stones and arrows continued to take a toll. As they ran my men all chanted one line as a final insult to the defeated Danes.