by Griff Hosker
As we raced down the stairs Haaken asked, “How many were there?”
“It was hard to tell but it looked more than an escort for a carriage. I am guessing that they have brought men from Portus Cale. Sámr may have a real test of his mettle soon enough.”
The gates had been shattered by us and was no barrier to men and horses. As we entered the courtyard, I saw that Sámr had men on the walls. They were using the bows of the dead sentries. They were good bows which were capable of sending an arrow through mail. He was organising a double shield wall. “They have more than forty men, Sámr!”
“We lost five men and I have Baldr watching the servants.” He smiled at me, “The Norns have spun well. Where will you fight?”
“Haaken and I will be at the shield end of your wall. We have done this before.” I sheathed my sword and picked up a pike. It had a spear head and a long blade attached to the spear shaft. It was heavy but I would not have to use it for long. Haaken found a spear. We stood next to Snorri Cnutson and Einar Long Legs.
Haraldr shouted, “They are within range!”
Their two bows sent arrows beyond the walls. The eight men on the walls added their arrows to the missile storm. There would be too few to stop the horses but they might thin them and they would, most certainly, distract them. I looked and saw that Sámr was in the centre of the front row and was flanked by Beorn Hafþórrsson and Ráðgeir Ráðgeirson. He was well protected for they were the biggest and the best of my warriors. I could now hear the wild neighs from the horses as they were struck as well as the shouts of men as they were hit. Sámr had positioned the shield wall so that we were just ten paces from the gate. Only two men at a time could ride through the gate. Therein lay hope.
I could see the horsemen as they approached. There were some encased in mail. These were the warriors of which Baldr had spoken. They would take some killing. We had just forty-two men in our three ranks. Horses added to the weight of our enemies. It would be a close fought battle.
The first two men through were carrying spears and they rode at Sámr and Ráðgeir. One of the riders had a body encased in mail. Only his eyes could be seen. The other had a mail vest. Behind them another five horsemen burst through and they spread out. The Norns had spun and a second fully mailed rider came directly towards me. I held my pike in two hands with my shield hanging over my arm. My pike was much longer than the curved sword he held. His horse had a mail hood over its head. The rest of its body was without armour. I heard the clash of spear on shield as the first Moors and Arabs struck our line. I kept my attention on the mailed man coming for me. There were two other men close behind him. They were coming for me so that they could roll up our line from the left. I swung the bladed part of the pike not at the horse’s head which was encased in mail but at its throat and chest. As soon as the razor-sharp blade bit the horse reared and tried to pull away. As it did so it turned the rider so that his left size was exposed. Haaken needed no urging. Two-handed, he rammed the spear into the horsemen’s side. The head tore through the mail and into the lower part of his stomach. The wheeling horse aggravated the wound and it tore a hole in him. He fell to the side and the next two riders had no choice but to veer away.
Neither of the next two men was encased in mail. They had voluminous layers of clothes and both wore a helmet. They each had a long oval shield. I ran to the one on the right, leaving Haaken One Eye to deal with the other. Ignoring the spear which was rammed towards me I swept the pike across the front of the horseman. The tip of the pike ripped open the layers of cloth and then the blade bit into flesh. It was not a mortal wound but it was a bloody one. As I pulled the head back the blade part scored a line across the horse’s mane and it whirled around in terror. It galloped towards the gate. The gate entrance was crowded as more Moors and Arabs tried to enter.
I was about to shout when Sámr seemed to steal the words from my mind, “Charge! We have them!”
We raced to the gate. The four men who had entered already were being butchered and the terrified horse was pressed hard against those at the gate. We had no order but we needed none. A Viking fought well in a shield wall. He fought just as well on his own. I lunged with the pike across the neck of the horse I had wounded. I struck the warrior in the arm. As I pulled it back, towards the ground, I managed to score another line across the leg of the Arab with the voluminous clothes. He began to tumble. Arrows from the tower began to strike the riders in the gateway. With fifteen of us hacking at the three or four men and horses trapped in the gate it soon became clear that they could not get into the enclosure. When Beorn Hafþórrsson swung his axe and hacked into the side of what looked like a leader, for he had a red plume, a horn was sounded and the twenty survivors and the riderless horses galloped away. The red plumed helmet fell from the man’s head. The wounded man rode off. He would not last long with that wound. We had won. The eight men on the walls had managed to slay or wound twelve of those outside. We had killed another ten within. We had been willing to die and the Moors had not. I picked up the helmet and carried it under my arm.
“Collect our dead! We will burn them for they will be despoiled otherwise.”
Siggi and Einar nodded, “Aye Jarl Dragonheart.”
Sámr turned, “Find wagons! They will return.” He looked up at the sky. It was coming on to dusk. “It may not be today but they will come back. Ráðgeir, when the wagons are found fill them.” He headed into the hall to find Baldr. I followed leaving Haaken One Eye to watch that all was well done with our dead.
Once inside the hall I saw that Baldr was talking to one of the servants. He turned and spoke to Sámr rather than me, “We just held them while the battle raged. They say that the man whose hall this is, is the Emir of Astorga.”
The man he had been speaking with suddenly became animated and he jabbered away whilst pointing at me. It took some questions from Baldr before he could make sense of what he had said. I suspect the words were spoken too quickly for Baldr.
“He says that the Emir wore that helmet.”
“And that makes sense. We have slain an important man. They will not just leave us alone now. They will seek vengeance. How many men are in Portus Cale?”
The man did not know. After half a dozen questions he just told Baldr that there were many. Sámr seemed satisfied, “Let us search this hall for treasure. If he is the Emir then he should have gold and silver.”
When we went to the upper chambers, we found a locked room. The helpful servant found the keys for us and we took away four large chests filled with gold, jewels and silver. It was the greatest treasure I could remember finding. We cleared out the food and were about to send the servants on their way when Haraldr, who had descended from the tower said, “Jarl, there is a locked door there.”
We had ignored the door for unlike the others it was plain and was on the ground floor. I waved over the servant and pointed to the lock. He took out his keys and opened it. There were steps which went down into darkness.
Sámr said, “Baldr, fetch a torch. Great grandfather let us descend first. You have risked enough today!”
The smell was appalling as we went down the steps. It was a mixture of things that were dead, human dung and sweat. I could not see beyond Baldr’s back. Then, as my eyes grew accustomed to the dark, I saw that there were people down there. When they moved, I saw a most pitiful sight. There were nine of them huddled together and four corpses. The four men and five women were all emaciated and dressed in the ragged remains of what must have been fine clothes once. They cowered as we approached for we held swords before us but one man stood before them. He had his fists bunched as though he was willing to fight us.
I said, “Sheathe your weapons. Do not draw them again. These skeletons can do us no hurt. Baldr.”
Baldr began to speak. He did so quietly and calmly. The man’s fist unclenched. He answered. A dialogue went on for some time. I think they both had trouble communicating with each other. I suspect that Baldr had to use a num
ber of languages. I understood none of them.
He turned and sighed, “This is Sunifred Borrell. He is the nephew of the Count of Barcelona, Wilfred the Hairy. This is his family. They lived close to Tui in the north of the land. A year ago, the Emir of Portus Cale led a force to raid the estates along the river. These are the only survivors. Most of the women and girls were taken to the houses of women which the Moors use. There they are used by the Muslim lords. The four who lie dead died of starvation.”
Baldr looked at Sámr who looked at me, “What do we do great grandfather? I am not prepared for this eventuality.”
“This is the Norns. Baldr, do you remember when we found you? You were close to death. These are too. Tell them that we can take them from here and we can leave them at the river which leads to Tui.”
He spoke and the man became quite animated. He dropped to one knee and began to kiss my hand. He started chattering away. Baldr said, “He says that if we sail him and the others to Tui then there will be great rewards for you.”
I looked at Sámr, “If we take these then we cannot take slaves as well.”
He smiled, “We can always get slaves but we cannot annoy the Norns. The Norns wanted us to find these people. We take them!”
When we reached the courtyard, it was already dark. The wagons were loaded and the servants had fled. They did not wish to risk the wrath of their masters. I daresay they had taken treasures from the house. I would not have blamed them. Sámr was already in command, “Baldr, take your horsemen and watch the road from Portus Cale. It will take us time to reach the drekar and we need to discourage them from following us.”
“I will.” He mounted his horse and shouted to his small band. He had one less to lead as Leif had died in the attack. His body had been burned along with the others by Haaken and my men. All was done well and my Ulfheonar had sung the saga of Rolf Horse Killer over the pyre. Baldr shouted something to Sunifred. The man nodded. “I told them you would use sign language and that they would be cared for.”
Sámr waved his arm, “Haraldr, Benni, get these captives in the wagons. Be gentle with them.”
This would be a difficult journey. There were enemies out there who were seeking us. Baldr and his riders were our only method of finding them. We had taken so much food, clothes, treasure, spices and grain, not to mention the rescued captives, that we had been forced to take three wagons. Ráðgeir and the men of Cyninges-tūn marched at the front of the column with Sámr. Haaken and I were at the rear with the younger warriors. It was fortunate that we were travelling along a road or I fear we would have suffered mishaps. It was with some relief that we found the track which led through the woods to the camp. The rough track eventually proved too much for the wagons and when the trees were too close together, we stopped and had to carry our treasure for the last eight hundred paces. We used relays of men. Sámr had reached Erik Short Toe and the ship’s boys helped our men to convey the captives and the treasure from the wagons. Haaken and I stayed at the edge of the wood with Haraldr and Beorn. We waited for some time awaiting the return of Baldr. I began to fear the worst. When we heard the sound of horses, we drew our weapons but it was just Baldr. I saw that not all of the men he had taken had returned. Bárekr Ulfsson was not with them.
Baldr dismounted. Shaking his head, he said, “We were about to return here when we were surprised by ten mounted warriors. They were lightly armed and Bárekr thought he was a better rider than he was. He slew one but when he tried to repeat the blow he fell from his horse. They took his head. We led them a merry dance up into the hills and then we doubled back through the woods. They did not follow us but when daylight comes, they will find where we are.”
“And by then we should be gone. You have done well Baldr. Take your heroes to the camp. We four will watch a while longer.” I sniffed the air. I could smell smoke and food being cooked. “Tell the cook that he should leave plenty for us!”
Haaken said, as they disappeared through the woods, “This has been expensive for the young warriors. There are eight who followed Sámr from the Land of the Wolf and will not return home.”
“And that is the way of the world. Do you think they would change their end?”
Haraldr shook his head, “They are in Valhalla now. They will be talking to my father and telling him of our deeds.”
He was right. We waited until we saw the moon rise and then we headed to the camp. The rest had eaten. I saw Baldr speaking with the captives who were still devouring the food as though it was their first meal in a long time. I sat with Erik Short Toe and Sámr. “The drekar is loaded?”
Erik Galmrsson handed me a wooden bowl of stew and a hunk of fresh bread. Erik Short Toe said, “Aye, it is. There has been much traffic down the river. We were seen.” He shrugged. “They were small boats and not warships but they will be warned downstream. They know that there is a dragon ship in their river.”
“I expected that. It is as I warned you, Sámr, they will block the river.” I was not chiding Sámr. This was part of his training. How would he react to this set back?
Sámr smiled. He was chewing but I saw, in his eyes, that he had already thought this out. I ate the stew. It was good. The men had butchered some of the horses from the hall and the meat had made the stew even tastier. Sámr pointed at the river, “Stig and Arne were on watch and they spied some small fishing ships. They are beached just a mile upstream from us. Tonight, we take the ship’s boys and four chosen warriors. We steal the boats. We will fill them with kindling. If you are right and there is a barrier of boats then we make fireships and set them loose. The men of Portus Cale then have a choice: they try to put out the fires or they flee. I am gambling that they flee.”
Erik Short Toe said, “And even if they do not flee, they can hardly fight the fire and us. I will use ‘Heart of the Dragon’ to batter a way through.” He looked at me and nodded his approval. “It is a good plan, Jarl Dragonheart.”
“It is but make sure you are rested. I will organise a defence of the wagons. It will take time for you to bring the boats. We may be discovered before then.” He nodded. “And Erik Short Toe, we had better load the captives on the boat before they sleep. That will be one less thing for us to worry about.”
After we had eaten and I had had a good drink of wine, I chose ten men to come with Haaken and myself. “We will sleep in the wagons. If any follow Baldr’s trail or the tracks of the wagons then they will come here. We will bloody their noses. It will allow our men to organise our escape.”
Haaken and I shared one of the wagons. I rolled myself in my wolf cloak. I heard him laugh, “What amuses you?”
“It is just that we have another fine saga here. I thought that this would be a dull raid. We would slay some warriors and sail home with treasure. Now I see that the Norns have spun an exceptional spell. Who are these Franks that we rescue? What is their tale? What will we find in their land? Life is never dull with you, Dragonheart, and I can see that your great grandson takes after you. He has impressed me. He makes good decisions.” He hesitated, “Wolf Killer did not. Gruffyd did not.”
I knew that Haaken was right. “Perhaps it is down to the place where he lives. Wolf Killer and Gruffyd both moved away from me and had a new home many leagues from the Water. Sámr chose to live close by me. He lives in the heart of the Land of the Wolf and he is surrounded by our spirits.”
“Aye, Dragonheart, that makes sense. Perhaps this heralds a time of peace for the Water and our land.” The breeze rustled the leaves of the trees but I knew what it was. It was the sound of the Norns and they were spinning.
Haaken and I woke at the same time. It was not quite dawn but first light was not too far away. We had both had a great deal of wine and nature demanded that we rise. We walked towards the edge of the wood to make water and it was as we lowered our breeks that we heard, in the distance, the sound of hooves. When nature had taken its course, we hurried back to the wagons. I woke Haraldr, “The enemy comes. Go and rouse the camp. W
e will give them a surprise here.”
We had taken the bows from the first hall we had raided. We did not have a large number of arrows but we had enough. We each took a bow and a handful of arrows. The bows were more like the Saami bow than the ones we normally used. I pulled the string. It was hard to pull. These were powerful weapons. I picked up an arrow and nocked it. They were long arrows with tapered arrow heads.
“We wait at the edge of the woods. No one looses an arrow before me. They may pass us by.”
Lars Long Nose shook his head, “Jarl, I was one of the last in the column. The wagons made great ruts in the ground. Even at night they will see them.”
I nodded, “Then all the more reason to give them a shock. They will be confident. Send every arrow we have at them and then head back to the drekar. That is my command. Sámr and Erik Short Toe have had warning. They will be ready.” I wondered if Sámr had managed to steal the fishing boats. We were all expecting a great deal from him.
The sound of the hooves was drawing closer. Then they began to slow. It was dark but I saw the shadows moving along the road. A voice shouted something and a second answered it. It was infuriating that we did not know what they were saying. Lars was right. They had seen the tracks. I had an arrow nocked and I drew back the bow. The Arab bow was so close to a Saami bow that it felt familiar. The arrow was a little longer than I was used to and I pulled back further than I might have with my own weapon. I felt the power of the bow. I would not be able to hold this for too long. Then I heard a command. The horses sounded closer as they moved from the road and brushed through the undergrowth. We were forty paces in from the edge and I sheltered behind a large tree. As soon as the shadow appeared before me, I released. The others were waiting for the sound of my arrow hissing through the night and there was a flurry of noise as arrows brushed leaves on their way to their targets. I nocked another. I thought I had hit my first target but the shadow still moved and so I sent my second arrow. This time I saw him fall from the saddle. I sensed a movement behind me and I turned, nocking my last arrow as I did so. A horse’s head was less than two paces from me. My arrow hit the horseman in the chest and threw him from the saddle. Another rider followed him. I saw his spear come towards me. I had no time to draw my sword and I had no more arrows. I swung the bow at the horse’s head. My hand jarred with the contact as the bow smacked into the horse’s head and the animal reared. I was in great danger of being clubbed to death by its hooves. I rolled to one side and, as I stood, I slipped the bow over my back. I saw that Petr Arneson lay dead. A spear protruded from his body. I took out Ragnar’s Spirit.