Viking Clan

by Griff Hosker

  Chapter 6

  It was as the sun was setting that Erik Galmrsson spotted the tiny sliver of sand. We edged in under oars, grateful that there were just two huts and they were high on the cliffs. We ground on the sand and the ship’s boys secured us to rocks and one solitary tree. Sámr sent Ráðgeir Ráðgeirson with Baldr and five of the younger warriors to investigate the huts while we lit fires and prepared our first hot meal in a long time.

  The fires were lit and shell fish were being plunged into the salted water when Ráðgeir Ráðgeirson and the others returned. Ráðgeir put a protective arm around Baldr Witch Saviour as he spoke with us, “Here is a warrior with other skills than just fighting and rowing. Most of the people fled but Baldr found an old man and his wife who did not flee. He has tongues, Dragonheart. He spoke to them and we learned much. More, the others returned. We did not take from them and we did not harm them.”

  Sámr nodded, “That is good for we try a new approach on this raid. What did you learn?”

  Ráðgeir Ráðgeirson spread his arm for Baldr to speak, “They confirmed that Portus Cale lies to the south of us. It is many miles south but they had other news which we could not have expected. The Count of Asturias grows stronger and his men raid regularly into the land captured by the Moors. They are gradually reclaiming it from the Moors. The Moors are reacting aggressively. They execute or maim any they fear is siding with the ones they call the Franks. There is talk of insurrection and rebellion against these followers of Islam. They knew nothing of Portus Cale but told me that the citadel there has a strong garrison.”

  Sámr said, “You have done well.” He and Baldr sat close to Haaken One Eye and myself. He looked at me with questions written all over his face.

  “Sámr, ask and I shall answer. Who knows how much longer I will be here to answer you?”

  He smiled, “I was not going to ask a question for I had an idea how to get by the citadel. My plan was to sneak in and then find a way out. I hoped to use a distraction in their harbour. I would have used a Viking trick.”

  “And you still can. This garrison is there to, not only hold the citadel secure, but also to control the land around. They will use horses. If they have horses then the men will be lightly armoured. That is true, is it not, Baldr?”

  “In the east I have heard of Sarmatians and Byzantines who wear mail all over their bodies and have horses mailed also but they do not ride fast. I believe that these Berber and Moorish horsemen will have helmets, shields and leather armour. They will rely on their horses to make their foes fear them.”

  “And we do not fear horsemen. Rolf and Olaf may no longer be with us but Beorn and his oar brothers can wield axes and these Moors have yet to face a shield wall. They are not the danger, Sámr.”

  He looked puzzled, “Then what is?”

  “The river! They can use the river against us. I have spoken with Erik Short Toe. The river could be blocked by a barrier of boats. I cannot see a Viking trick to get by those. I can see Viking brawn and muscle but that will cost you warriors.”

  Einar Long Fingers shouted, “Stew is ready!”

  As we stood and made our way over to the cauldron Sámr said, “Then I have a hundred miles to see if Atticus has trained my mind well enough to discover a solution to this problem.”

  “Aiden spent many hours doing the same with me. No matter how much you are prepared there is always something that you are not expecting. It is how you deal with those problems which mark you as a leader.”

  The next day we headed south. There was a temptation to sail up one of the two rivers which lay north of Portus Cale but Sámr was determined to stick to his plan. What we did not see was any sign of defences on the cliffs and in the coves. They did not even have watch towers. That suggested to me that there had been few Viking raids. The wind began to turn as we headed south. It moved around, first to blow from the north and west and then to blow from the west and north. That would help us to sail up the river but not down. We also noticed that the air became warmer and that the wind blew less strongly. I saw some of the more inexperienced warriors begin to redden in the sun. We had no Aiden to provide salve for them and some would suffer.

  Haaken and I spent the long, and increasingly warmer days, seated on our chests at the stern. A piece of old sail gave us shade and we talked with Erik for Sámr was now happy to take the steering board. He was more confident using the compass. He had marked our progress on the map. The rivers we had passed had provided markers for him. When we returned home, he would not need Erik’s maps and charts for he would have his own.

  “You know, Erik Short Toe, that you will have only the ship’s boys to guard the drekar when we raid. I will have to be with Sámr and he will need all the men he can get.”

  “If danger comes then I plan on anchoring in the river. We use anchors to hold us against the current. We have enough bows and more ship’s boys than I can remember. It will be enough but you, Dragonheart, without insulting you, how will you keep up with these young warriors?”

  “You are right, Erik. I have lived longer than any. I thought old Ragnar and Old Olaf were old but Haaken and I have ten years on them. Fear not. I will keep up. I climb up to Old Olaf’s lofty top once every seven days. I can no longer run up in mail but I make it to the top and I can speak with Olaf. When I cannot speak at the peak then I know that I cannot go to war.”

  Haaken One Eye nodded, “Aye Erik, death in battle holds no fears for Dragonheart. He has seen Valhalla.”

  Shaking my head, I said, “Do not send me there too quickly, Haaken One Eye. I am not yet ready to go. I would see Sámr and Aethelflaed’s children. I may not see them grow but I would see them born and look into their eyes. I would tell them that I will watch over them from the Otherworld.”

  Haaken shook his head, sadly, “You are lucky, Dragonheart. The sisters have seen to it that I can only sire girls. My daughters all give birth to daughters. It seems that if I am to have a warrior to follow me then it must be one who can suckle the young!”

  Erik and I laughed but there were warriors who were women. We had them in our clan although they did not raid. Those who lived at the eastern edges of our land and feared the Dane and the Saxon had women who could wield a sword and sell their lives dearly. We had not had an incursion for many years but my dream had told me that we should not relax our vigilance.

  Sámr and Erik shortened sail as we neared the mouth of the river which passed by Portus Cale. I looked to the west and saw that the sun was beginning to set. The further south we went the shorter became the sunsets. It had surprised Sámr that there should be such a difference. Erik had told him that in Orkneyjar sometimes the setting sun took an hour to disappear while closer to Africa it could be as brief as a blink.

  As soon as Stig spied the bubbling mouth of the estuary the sail was lowered. Once again there was no sign of a tower or citadel and we were able to drive south and east while we took down the mast. We would row up the river in the dark but we would have to do so silently. We would be reliant on the ship’s boys and their eyes. Sámr would not be steering. We would need every man at an oar and Haaken and I would need to be two extra lookouts. There would be other opportunities for Sámr to steer up a strange river.

  The sun set as quickly as a hall door closing and plunged the world into darkness. Once Haaken had set the beat with the haft of a spear we went to the prow. Once he stopped banging the only sounds which could be heard were the creak of the oars and the hiss of the wood sliding through the water. The river was wide enough to appear like the Water at home. We were shallow draughted and Erik Short Toe was confident that we would not ground. His fear was striking hidden mudbanks. That was why I watched, with Erik Galmrsson, at the steerboard side of the dragon prow and Haaken and Stig were on the larboard side.

  I sniffed. The air smelled differently here. It was not just the warmth of the air it was as though the air was heavy and filled with exotic scents and aromas. I did not know the land well enough to
identify them but I stored them in my mind. I had no idea how much time elapsed but I smelled men. It was the smell of woodsmoke and dung, both human and animal. The banks also drew closer to us. Erik Galmrsson’s bare arm signalled when we were too close to the bank on our side and Stig did the same on the other. I heard horses neighing in the fields above us. Horses suggested Moors. There was no moon and we would just be a shadow moving on the river but the horses would smell us. The river twisted and turned but they were long bends and gentle sweeps.

  Haaken spotted the citadel. Even in the dark of night the white walls rising above the river could be clearly seen. I would have to be Sámr’s eyes for he was rowing and I switched my view from one bank to the other as we passed Portus Cale. The smell of the town was both exotic and pungent. It was a large town and the river was filled with the waste that the inhabitants produced. I saw many ships in the river. Some were Frankish by their rigging but there were also the lateen rigged ships of the Blue Sea. They were on both sides of the river. There was little noise for this was the middle of the night. Odin was watching over us for he hid us from any sentries on the walls. Without our mast and sail we were almost invisible.

  What worried me was that the river was narrower here than I had expected. Had there been a deck watch on the ships we would have been seen as we ghosted up the middle of the river. When we came back down there could be a barrier of boats filled with armed men. The Norns had spun for we passed the last house and turned in to darkness.

  There were no signs or smells of houses. The land by this section of river was without people. We were now watching for a place to land. Arne whistled and pointed to the steerboard shore. There was a small beach and it was surrounded by trees. We would be hidden. I waved my arm to signify to Erik Short Toe that we should land. By my reckoning we had less than two hours until the first hint of dawn. We had much to do in that time. We had to make a camp and turn the ship around.

  Erik shouted, “Steerboard oars in!” We ground on to the sand. We would not be stuck for as soon as we unloaded, we would float.

  Sámr showed his increasing maturity when he took eight of his younger warriors and the Hafþórrsson brothers. He left Erik Short Toe to see to the ship for he had to ensure that there was no danger nearby. I saw that he took Baldr with him. The young warrior’s knowledge of languages might be the difference between success and failure. Once again, I thought of the threads which had tied us together. He had been shipwrecked in the middle of the Blue Sea when we had found him. Had we not then he would have been dead, my granddaughter Ylva might have come to harm and we might be in even more danger than we were. Wyrd.

  When half of the crew had disembarked Erik halted the rest and, as the drekar floated off the mud, he turned her around using the oarsmen to scull around. Dawn was already breaking as ‘Heart of the Dragon’ edged her way back to the south bank of the river we later learned was called the Douro. Haaken and I had stayed ashore and we acted as ship’s boys, catching the ropes and securing them to trees. It was more than fifty years since I had last done that. We made a camp in the woods as the ship’s boys disguised the drekar with branches, vines, leaves and twigs. In time it would appear dead but by then we should have gone.

  It was almost noon when Sámr and his scouts appeared. I had not been worried but the length of time had made me a little concerned. He looked a little anxious and weary as he sat with Haaken, Erik and I and shared a horn of ale.

  “There is a small stronghold five miles to the south of us. There were armed men on the walls. We passed many farms. The Moors look to be using the locals as slaves to work the fields.”

  “And what of warehouses?”

  Sámr shook his head, “We saw none but we did not have time to head downstream.”

  I stood, “Then Haaken and I will take a couple of men and we will stretch our legs.”

  Haaken stood, “Aye we have done little save create blisters on our arses. I am ready for a walk!”

  “But you cannot go alone!”

  “Sámr, we are Ulfheonar but if it makes you feel any better then we will take Haraldr Leifsson and Snorri Cnutson.” I already had my cloak and seal skin boots. With my sword and dagger that would be all that I needed. The two warriors I had chosen I knew well. Siggi was the grandson of Cnut who had been with me when Odin had touched my blade and Haraldr’s father had been my standard bearer. I was comfortable with both warriors. As soon as my three companions were ready, I set off through the woods. No words were needed. I led.

  I wondered why there was no riverside path and I discovered the reason just four hundred paces from the drekar. There was a cliff of rock which stabbed up from the forest floor. It meant we had to wade through the shallow water at the edge of the river. As we did so I saw ships on the river. They were heading downstream on the rising tide. Now that daylight was here, they might spot our drekar. We had done a good job of disguising it but we would be seen eventually. They would not notice us.

  Our cloaks had been brown once but they had faded to a dull colour which helped us to blend in with the trees. I led and I listened for the sound of people and animals. I heard neither but as the wind was coming up from the west, I smelled smoke. It grew stronger and so I moved more slowly. I heard voices and I held up my hand. I went on all fours and moved across the ground which rose slightly. The wood ended and there were tilled fields. I saw pigs snuffling in them. There were men and women clearing the last of the vegetables which had been in the field. Atop a horse was a Moor. He was as black as night with a small buckler and curved sword. In his hand he had a whip. Even as I watched I saw the end flick out and catch a girl on the buttocks. She squealed in pain. The others worked even more frantically. I could see the house. It was two hundred paces away and I spied another Moor there. I slid backwards and joined the others. Without saying a word, I gestured for us to continue along the river.

  We were now getting closer to the port. I saw that there were warehouses on the opposite bank. There were not many but they were targets. We would have to use the drekar to raid but we could do that. We had covered five miles when the river took a sharp turn and I saw the city. There were ferries and small boats criss-crossing the river. We had avoided being seen by any for we had found the river track. As it had passed through trees, we had been able to hide when we heard any noise which suggested danger. I could see the stronghold but not the buildings on our side. There was a road ahead. It passed through a small settlement. It looked to me as though there were quays ahead and, perhaps, buildings which might contain cargo. I was debating heading towards the road when I heard, from my left, the sound of horses coming down the road. I waved my arm and we all headed back into the cover of the woods. We had seen enough and we could return to Sámr.

  Haaken and I were Ulfheonar. As soon as we were away from the road, we threw ourselves beneath the nearest bush and covered ourselves with our cloaks. Haraldr and Siggi tried the same after they had seen us disappear. They were not as experienced as us and Siggi took too long to find cover. I heard a shout and the horsemen began to gallop through the woods. I guessed that they had marked Siggi’s position for the shout had come just as he lay down, twenty paces from me. I had laid down facing the road. The hood of my cloak covered my head and I could see clearly. There were five riders. They were Moors or Arabs. I say Arabs for three had lighter coloured skin. They had swords.

  It was obvious that they had not seen me or Haaken when the first four galloped passed me. As the last man drew near, I rose, drawing my sword as I did so. His horse’s head reared and it neighed when my head appeared next to it. I swung my sword at the horseman’s side. He was not holding a shield and my blade came away bloody. He fell from the horse’s back.

  I was moving, next to the horse, even as the dying man was falling from his horse. Haaken had risen with me and as the Arab just ahead turned his horse Haaken pulled the horse’s bridle with his left hand as he lunged with his right. His sword sank into his unprotected stomach. The re
maining three men ahead turned their horses’ heads around and that allowed Haraldr and Siggi to stand. The three came for Haaken and myself. I drew Wolf’s Blood. The horses were not moving quickly and that gave us a chance. A Moor swung his curved sword at my head. It was a long sword. I blocked it with Wolf’s Blood. Bagsecg Bagsecgson had made a strong weapon. Sparks flew but the dagger did not bend. I brought over Ragnar’s Spirit and hacked through the Moor’s arm. His left arm was holding the reins and as he fell backwards, he pulled his own horse with him. He landed on the ground and the horse fell on top of him. Haraldr and Siggi attacked the fifth horseman as Haaken calmly held his sword in two hands and as the last surviving Moor rode at him, he hacked sideways biting into the horse’s neck. Life blood spurted and the horse crashed to the ground. Haaken, with a speed which belied his age ran at the Moor and stabbed him through the throat. Haraldr slew the fifth one.

  “Siggi, Haraldr, get the horses.” Haaken and I began to collect the weapons. I searched the bodies for coins. They had jewels on their fingers. The other two returned with the horses. “Tie them to a tree. We will dispose of these bodies. I know that they will be found but any delay helps us.”

  We carried them to the river. Trees had been swept downstream in a storm. Logs had made a natural dam and we lodged the bloody bodies beneath them. If someone searched, they might find them but as we had been the only ones down by the river for some time, I was confident that they would lie undiscovered until we had left the river. We put the weapons on the four surviving horses and led them back along the river.

  “What about the dead horse?”

  “It is too big to move. We will have set them a puzzle. While they decipher the clues, it will give us time but my great grandson no longer has the luxury of time to scout. We will have to raid on the morrow!”