by Griff Hosker
It was not a run but we moved faster than we normally did. All of our training paid off and we moved in perfect time. I lifted my spear and held it above my shoulder. The Danish spears were held like a hedgehog. It seemed impossible that they would not hit all of us but that was an illusion. I was the target and the first spears would strike me. I had a good shield, the best mail and a superbly manufactured helmet. In addition, I had the wolf skin over my head and I would frighten the Danes.
When we were five paces from them I raised my shield so that only my eyes were showing above the metal rim and I pulled back my arm. A Dane in the second rank hurled his spear at me. I heard a curse from the leader of the shield wall. The spear was wasted. It stuck in my shield and the shaft rammed into the Danish shields when I struck. The crack of the spear shaft on the shield distracted them a little and I thrust down at the Dane who faced me. One spear caught the rim of my shield while a second hit the top of my helmet but the wolf skin and my strap held it in place. My own spear found a gap between the shield and the top of the open helmet. My spear smashed through the Dane’s face and his skull.
Our wedge now had a momentum of its own and my shield, still with the Danish spear stuck there, rammed into the second rank. The Dane who had thrown his spear at me was weaponless and the boss of my shield hit him squarely in the face. My Ulfheonar now had bodies to strike. The Danes had the same problem with my men as they had with me. We were too well armoured for them to make a telling blow. We broke through their front two ranks. It would have been easy to go wild and just charge recklessly at the others but that would have been a mistake.
Olaf shouted, “Reform!”
Dead men were replaced and the wounded dragged back to the archers, as we dressed our lines.
I heard Aðils shout, “Release!”
It was perfect timing. The Danes were also trying to reform for our next attack and there was not a solid line of shields. When the stones began to fall too it was as though there was a hailstorm.
I saw our opportunity, “Charge!”
With shields raised we stepped forward and I readied my spear. I was still the tip of the wedge and I was well protected by my men. I strode forward with confidence. This time Haaken and Olaf struck at exactly the same time as I did. Three men fell to our spears and two others were bowled over for they had not locked their shields.
Ahead of me I heard a Danish voice cry out, “Rear three ranks, turn!” The pressure on Ulf would be almost gone as the Danes faced our threat and I readied myself to face even more men.
An axe came from my side and smashed my spear in two. Snorri’s spear killed the man. I pulled my shield up as I drew my sword. “Ragnar’s Spirit! The sword that was touched by the gods! Witch killer!” The effect was instantaneous. The Danes before me did not want to face such a weapon and they took a step back. It allowed us to step into the void and more of my men’s spears jabbed, stabbed and struck home. I took two steps, Haaken and Olaf could barely keep pace with me but I was anxious to exploit this opening. A Dane swung his sword at me and I easily deflected it with my shield. The edge caught on my boss. The Danish warrior’s eyes flicked to it and I thrust into his neck. His left hand was slow to bring up his shield and he fell.
Some order was restored to the Danes when a chief brought his hearth-weru to fill the gap we had created. He was a Skull Taker. He had a skull on his helmet and he had a mighty war axe. The shields of his hearth-weru were held tightly before their leader allowing him to swing with impunity. The blow struck my shield and made my arm shiver. Even as I reeled Haaken and Olaf Leather Neck stabbed forward with their spears as did Rolf, Rollo and Snorri. I could not get past the shield and so I swung my sword in an arc below them. I was rewarded by flesh and two screams as the blade tore through thighs and knees.
“Men of Cyninges-tūn, push for your jarl!” Olaf’s voice carried through the clamour, cries screams and curses.
It was as though a huge wave swept us all forward as my bondi used their weight to push against our backs. They might not be as skilled as the Danes but they had strength. The effect was to push us closer to the Danes. As we neared them I pulled back my head and butted a Danish warrior. His nose splattered like a ripe plum hitting the ground. He had his hand on his axe raised ready to strike another blow and, as he lost his balance, I pulled back my arm and stabbed forward. Ragnar’s Spirit tore through the mail links and into his stomach. I twisted my sword out and punched at the next Dane with my shield. I saw that the warriors behind the Skull Takers had little mail. Now was the time for a decisive move.
“Ulfheonar! Now is your time!” I lifted my head and howled like a wolf. My men joined me. This was the signal for us to go wild. I threw myself through the gap I had made and swung my sword with all of my might. It smashed through the side of a Danish head. Olaf Leather Neck and Rolf Horse Killer had discarded their spears and were whirling their axes around their heads. Danish spears were rammed ineffectually against their mail and helmets. The two of them drove through the disheartened Danes.
Aðils’ archers arrows continued to rain death upon the enemy and it was those which finally broke the Danes who faced us. They fled towards the Water. There was no time for congratulations as I saw that those at the front had finally broken through the barrier and they were falling upon Ulf Olafsson and his men. Two Danes faced me and tried to block my way. I took the sword blow from one on my shield and tried to take the head of the other. He had quick hands and his shield came up. I suddenly spun around so that they both slashed their swords at the space I had just occupied. My sword found an unprotected back and laid him open to his spine. His companion tried to turn and I punched him in the mouth with the boss of my shield. My sword was stuck in the spine of the first warrior and so I punched again. The body slid from my sword and I was able to bring it down with a crushing blow. It caved in the skull of the Dane.
My men slew the last of those who had climbed the barrier and we rushed through to see who needed help. Ulf Olafsson lay dead. He was surrounded by ten dead Danes and four of his hearth-weru. Unlike Sigtrygg he had not been able to hang on to speak with me but he and his people had done their duty.
I hung my head. Haaken One Eye said, “Jarl Dragonheart, victory is within touching distance. Come, let us aid Raibeart and drive these Danes into the Water.”
“Reform!”
We had no time to grieve or mourn our friend. The battle was not yet over. We wheeled to our right. “Aðils, put your archers on the knoll. They can release over our heads!”
“Aye Jarl Dragonheart.” He led his men up the slope towards the knoll which afforded a view up the valley to the north of Ulla’s Water.
“Shield wall this time. Ulfheonar will be the front rank!” I wanted to inflict the maximum casualties on the Danes. I knew they would be tiring. We were. It was now after noon. We had been fighting for hours. Assailed and assaulted on two sides had weakened our foes but if we did not attack now then they might escape and I wanted them to remember this day with fear.
Haaken began the chant. We were aided by the slope down to the Water but the dead bodies which littered the field were a hazard.
Viking enemy, taking heads
Viking warriors fighting back
Viking enemy, taking heads
Viking warriors fighting back
Viking enemy, taking heads
Viking warriors fighting back
Viking enemy, taking heads
Viking warriors fighting back
A Danish chief, not a Skull Taker, shouted to his men, “Clan of the tree bear, turn and face these wolves. We will have the honour of slaying them. Then this will be our land. Tree Bear!” They all cheered and began to chant.
He hurriedly tried to form them into a line. I saw that Raibeart and the other shield wall were struggling against their enemies. They had not made the inroads we had. We had to finish off these Danes and relieve the pressure on them. I had lost too many old friends to lose my young captain. To my
left I heard Asbjorn and Ketil extoling their men to even greater deeds. We were all fighting to our limits.
Few warriors had spears left. Some were even using the broken shafts as weapons. Aðils ordered the archers to release and the slingers to hurl. It was like a flock of birds over our heads. The Danes held up their shields. It stopped some of the arrows and stones but what it did do was make them shelter behind their shields.
We were twenty paces from them and it was time. I raised my sword, “Now! Attack!”
We launched ourselves over the last few paces. It was reckless but the arrows and lead balls had weakened them. I saw Olaf Leather Neck race ahead of us all and swing his axe at the Danish chief. The Dane was no coward and he stepped from the shield wall swinging his own axe. Both weapons were heading for the head of their enemy. It seemed to me that I was about to lose another Ulfheonar. What saved Olaf and ended the life of the Dane was the height difference. Olaf was on a higher piece of ground and his axe struck first. Even so the dying arms of the Dane carried the head to strike the shoulder of Olaf Leather Neck. He was hurt but he had succeeded in breaking their line.
I leapt through the gap stabbing first left and then right with hands as quick as ever. My shield seemed to have a mind of its own and I blocked blows I did not even see. It is sometimes that way when you fight. Your body ignores your head and just does what it needs to. I suddenly saw Raibeart. There were less than thirty warriors between us. It was then that some of the Danes went berserk. I had not seen it for some time but four of the tree bear clan suddenly hurled their shields at us and threw their helmets away. The threw themselves at my warriors. It was not the Ulfheonar who were in their path but my bondi. Six died in as many blows. I could not let this happen.
I ran straight at the four of them. Their axes whirled above their heads. They had scythed down my six men who had no defence against their axes. I saw that they had arrows sticking from their bodies but they fought on. Such was the power of a berserker. Olaf Leather Neck lay on the ground, his wounds were being tended to and I had just Haaken, Rolf and Rollo behind me. They would have to do.
I put my shield at an angle and held my sword behind me. As the two Danish axes splintered my shield I swung my sword at their knees. A berserker can fight with arrows in their body but they cannot fight on one leg. I hacked through the knee of one and then flicked my sword to tear the tendons of a second. Rolf’s axe smashed into the skull of a third one. Rollo had his shield destroyed by the axe of the third but his long arms meant he was able to decapitate the Dane. Haaken One Eye used a trick he had seen me use before now. He rolled forward below the swinging axe and drove his sword up through the Danes’ groin and deep not his body. He pulled it out, tearing open the Dane’s rib cage. I turned and brought Ragnar’s Spirit down across the neck of the last berserker who was still trying to fight with a severed leg.
Raibeart yelled, “Dragonheart! We have won!”
Then I heard Aðils Shape Shifter yell from the knoll, “Jarl Dragonheart! Eagle’s Nest is under attack! It is Baggi Skull Splitter! He has come around the Water with many men. They are on horses and they have the witches with them.”
The Norns had spun well. I had been deceived. My wonderful plan had been rendered useless. My family would all die and it would be my fault! I had known of the old Roman Road which travelled the high ground to the east of the Water but I had dismissed it. I now saw that the Danish army had been to fix my eye on my trap and allow Baggi and his witches to travel unmolested. I guessed they had been mounted.
“Ulfheonar to me!” I turned to Siggi the Tanner. He was tending to one of the wounded. “Go to Asbjorn the Strong. Tell him that I leave him in command. Tell him to finish off the Danes. I must go to my family.”
“Aye jarl.”
I saw that Erik Ulfsson had joined my other warriors in Valhalla. “Come Ulfheonar. Let us test our mettle against that of the Skull Takers.” I picked up Ulf Olafsson’s shield. It was well made and mine was shattered.
Erik Finnison followed Aðils, “Jarl let me come with you. I have lost my own family. It is right that I come to help you save yours.”
Aðils Shape Shifter nodded, “He is good, Jarl Dragonheart. We might need his skill and he his fit.”
“This is wyrd. Come with us Erik the Bowman.”
Chapter 19
We set off up the path towards the Eagle’s nest. That was our only advantage. The Danes had travelled across country and we would be able to use the path. We knew the path well. Snorri and Aðils ran ahead of us along with Beorn the Scout. They did so naturally. With two of my Ulfheonar in the Nest and Erik Ulfsson dead we were a small number and I prayed that we would be enough. I did not look behind me but I knew that the battle still raged below me. If I lost my family, then the outcome of the battle was irrelevant. I would have to make sure that the deaths of my men were not in vain.
The sounds of the battle below masked any signs of the conflict above. When we turned to pass the large boulder, I spied the Danes. They had surrounded the Eagle’s Nest. The two rock traps had worked and ten Danes lay dead or dying beneath the man-made avalanche. It had slowed their attack, that was all. I saw that it was Baggi Skull Splitter’s hearth-weru. There looked to be thirty of them. Other warriors were there too. The three witches stood behind them. I could see that they were using their magic. The battle had raged so long that the sun was setting behind Úlfarrberg. Our sacred mountain appeared to have a crown around it. But it also meant that we approached from the gloom in the east. With our wolf cloaks and black armour, we would be hidden.
The sounds of battle drifted to our ears along with the wailing chant of the witches. I could not make out faces on the fighting platform. I did not know if my son and grandson survived. I heard the sound of axes on wood. They were attempting to break into the stronghold. It was well made but it could not withstand Danish war axes for long. I forced my aching and tired legs to move faster. Olaf Leather Neck’s wound had not stopped him from following us but it had slowed him down. I heard him struggling to catch us.
Suddenly Erik Finnison and Aðils Shape Shifter sprinted ahead of us. They were much younger than we were. I wondered if they had gone berserk. Then I realised what they intended. The both had the Saami bow. As we turned another bend I saw that they had halted two hundred paces from the Danes. Their bows bent as they put every piece of power they possessed into their arms. They released. Their arrows struck two of the Danish hearth-weru. It had an instantaneous effect. Every eye swivelled to see whence the attack had come. I could not hear his words but I saw the skull bedecked figure of Baggi Skull Splitter turn and shout orders. I saw that they had managed to scale the walls! Even as I looked a defender fell to his death. It would not be long before the stronghold fell! We had no time to waste.
The three witches began to point at my archers. They began to mouth something which I guessed was a curse. The two archers were young and I feared that the power of the witches might be too much for them.
“Hurry! We must reach them before the witches do their worst.”
I need not have feared for two arrows suddenly pitched into the two witches who flanked the bloated monstrosity that was Asta. The effect surprised even me. I saw Baggi shout orders and ten of his hearth-weru ran down the slope to form a shield wall before the one remaining Danish witch.
We reached my two archers. “That was well done, Aðils. I need you to fight with us. Erik keep your arrows flying!”
There were not many of us but we locked shields. Snorri took Olaf’s place by my left and we locked shields to march towards the witches. We were too few to attack the rest of Baggi Skull Splitter’s men but I hoped to draw more from the walls. I had to rely on my son, grandson and Aiden. If we could buy enough time, then the rest of my army could come to our aid.
The Danes we faced were as grotesque as the flat bloated witch. They had the skulls of animals hanging from their hair beneath their helmets. Each one had a human skull on their helmet. T
hey had filed their teeth. They had bones hanging from their bears and moustaches. They hurled insults at us as we approached, “Your wolf skins will not stop our axes!”
“Are these all that you have left?”
“You will howl like a baby when we gut you!”
We ignored them. I heard Asta chanting behind them. I could not hear her words but I had faced a Norn and I feared no pustule ridden hag. I headed for the centre of the line of warriors. Baggi must have realised that we outnumbered his men for he detached another eight who hurried down the slope towards us. That was less for my family to fight.
The warrior I chose to fight had a red skull painted on his shield. He bared his teeth and roared, “I fear no sword of the gods for Asta has cast a spell of protection! I cannot be killed by mortal man! I am Horsten, Terror of the Night, and I will have your head to adorn my helmet!”
He must have worked himself up for he stepped forward, leaving the protection of the shield wall. He swung his long sword and I raised my shield although I never took my eyes from his face. Ulf’s shield was well made and the sword sparked off my boss. His sword would be sharp while mine had lost its edge. I had to trust that the Allfather’s power was still within it. I feinted to his left and he raised his shield. As he did so I stamped forward with my right leg and smashed my boot on his foot. As I had expected it did not hurt him but it made him step back. I punched my shield at his face. It smashed two of the bones which hung there and he roared in anger. While I had distracted him, I brought my sword over the top of his shield, for we were close and I used the guard to strike at his eye. Once again his head jerked back. It was a natural reaction. I had broken the line of the shields and Snorri and Haaken took advantage.