by Griff Hosker
All around me I could hear the sound of men and horses moving through the woods. I had given my men an order and I had to hope that they had obeyed it. I disobeyed my own order and waited. It was an Ulfheonar trick. You remained still even though every particle of your being cried for you to move. I saw a riderless horse. It was close to me. I moved over to it and took its reins in my left hand. I led it towards the river. I hoped that I would be invisible. They would see the horse and not the man hiding in its shadow. I passed the bodies of some of the dead horsemen and, ahead of me, I could hear the sound of battle. I walked. My years of experience had honed my senses. I could see, by dawn’s early light, that Ráðgeir had a shield wall before the drekar and arrows were thinning the riders who had found us. A voice in my head shouted a warning. I let go of the horse and, holding Ragnar’s Spirit in two hands, whirled around. I was just in time to see a rider with a plumed helmet lunge at me with his spear. I stepped to my right and swung my sword. I hit his oval shield. It was not as well made as mine and I heard him cry as first the shield and then a bone in his arm broke. I did not wait. I ran after the horse and the distracted rider.
I heard Erik Short Toe shout, “Back aboard the drekar!”
A flurry of stones and arrows smashed into the Moorish and Arab horsemen who raised their shields for protection. In that moment Ráðgeir shouted, “Second rank board. Front rank one step back!” I saw that Haaken and Haraldr were in the front rank.
I could not see Sámr. Where was he? I had no time for speculation. If I did not break through their ranks then I would be marooned amongst my enemies. I was under no illusions as to my fate. The rider I had wounded could not control his horse and I ran after it. The horse ran through the enemy horsemen. They did not look behind them and I made for the gap.
Ráðgeir shouted, “Back aboard!”
As my men threw themselves into the drekar Ráðgeir stepped forward and, swinging his sword, hacked through the head of the horse with the wounded rider. It was at that moment that one of the Arab horsemen turned. He saw me. I must have shocked him into immobility for he did not move. Running at him I hacked across his back and his scream alerted the others. I was twenty paces from the drekar.
I heard a voice shout, “It is the Dragonheart! He lives!” Ráðgeir stood his ground. I would not die alone. I heard hooves behind me. The worst thing to do would be to turn around and I braced myself for the blow. I spied hope. There, standing on the gunwale, I saw Erik Galmrsson. He was whirling his sling. He let it go and I watched its flight. I was sure that the stone would hit me but it did not. I heard a crack and a neigh from behind me. The sound of the hooves stopped.
Reaching Ráðgeir I turned and saw that the stone had hit a Moor in the middle of his head. He had been killed instantly and his body had pulled the horse over. Eager hands pulled the two of us aboard. I crashed to the deck and then the larboard oars pushed us away from the bank.
I looked up and saw Haaken One Eye. He shook his head, “The only one not to obey Dragonheart’s orders was Dragonheart himself! I cannot take my eyes from you for a heartbeat can I?” He reached down and pulled me up. “And now you had better come and watch your great grandson and the other young fools. They have four fishing boats and they are ready to fire the enemy fleet!”
Chapter 9
I ran with Haaken to the prow. I saw that the captives were huddled at the prow beneath the canvas. For them this must be their worst nightmare. They were being saved from those who would have killed them by those who normally raided them! The Norns had been busy and their threads stretched as far as from one world to another.
We turned and walked back through the rowers to the steering board. We now had fewer men at the oars. Not every chest was manned. Some had died on this raid and some were in the fishing boats which raced ahead of us. I saw that there were two men in each fishing boat and they just wore breeks. They had no mail and no weapons. I guessed that they had a flint or a pot with lighted coals. Haaken was right, they were fools but I was proud of Sámr for he was doing what I would have done when I was younger. Erik Galmrsson brought me a horn of ale. We had found some in the hall. It was for the servants but we would drink it.
“Thank you, Erik Galmrsson. I owe you a life.”
His face lit up into broad smile, “I have the honour of being the one who stopped a warrior from hurting you.”
“Nonetheless it shall be repaid, now climb the prow and tell me what you see when we turn the last bend of the river before Portus Cale.”
He ran and I emptied the horn of ale. The mast was still on the mast fish. The crew were rowing. Our losses and the fact that eight of the crew were in the fishing boats meant that we were just single oared. The current helped us but the wind did not. Nor would the wind help Sámr’s fireships.
I walked to the steering board. Erik Short Toe shook his head, “When Haaken One Eye came back alone we were sure that you had finally fallen. Sámr had left to fetch the fishing boats and I was just wondering how I would explain your death to him.”
“I was never in danger but I am grateful that Erik Galmrsson has such a good eye and a strong arm.” We turned one bend and I knew that there was just one to go. “I have sent him to the prow to see what awaits us.”
“It may be nothing. They might not be as clever as you or Sámr.” Erik Short Toe was a sailor. He was not someone who thought of strategy. The men of Portus Cale were such men.
“We have hurt them. We raided the Emir’s hall. He was wounded. The Franks who live north of here are flexing their muscles and he cannot afford to have the people he controls rebel. He wants his captives back and he wants our heads on pikes along his walls.”
“And we sail to Tui?”
“If we can pass the mouth of this river then aye, we do. I gave my word and we have been promised a reward.”
“I do not trust Franks.”
“Nor do I, Erik Short Toe, but if there is treachery then we will be in the heart of their land and vengeance will be sweet. The Norns sent the captives to us. We have to follow the thread. We have upset the Sisters enough of late.”
“Aye you are right there.” He nodded, “Here is Erik and the last bend is there.”
Erik was breathless from his run down the drekar, “Jarl, they have boats strung across the river. They have hawsers binding them together. There are armed men on both banks and on the ships.”
Erik Short Toe asked, “How big are the ships?”
“One is as big as we are and the rest are smaller. Sámr Ship Killer and his boats are sailing towards the largest ship.”
I nodded, “Then let us help. Haaken, fetch your sword. We may have work to do.”
Ráðgeir, who rowed the nearest oar, shouted, “Aye and let us sing. We will tell these Moors that Vikings are in their river and they are not afraid!” He began to sing.
It was a simple song but one we used when we wanted speed and that was what we would need. We would follow the four fire ships into the hole that they made and we would smash a hole in the barrage.
Push your arms
Row the boat
Use your back
The Wolf will fly
Ulfheonar
Are real men
Teeth like iron
Arms like trees
Push your arms
Row the boat
Use your back
The Heart will fly
Ragnar’s Spirit
Guides us still
Dragon Heart
Wields it well
Push your arms
Row the boat
Use your back
The Heart will fly
Erik Short Toe shouted, “Ship’s boys. Have ropes ready for the swimmers!”
As we passed the cowering captives, I gave them a smile. They had no idea what was going on for Baldr was in the fishing boat with Sámr. The hurried plan I had concocted with Erik was to sail between the large ship and the smaller ship to her steerboard side. Sámr and his
fire ships would be, hopefully, setting fire to the larger ship. Haaken and I would try to sever the rope which bound them. That was the plan. It was flimsy but Sámr had set us on this course when he had decided to raid beyond Portus Cale. The raid had brought more success than we could have dreamed of but there was a price. We were entrapped in a Norn’s web. I glanced across at the furled sail. Perhaps when we raised the mast and the sail then Ylva and Kara’s spell might negate the Norns.
Ahead, I saw that the fishing boats were having to tack against the wind. Arrows flew from the ships. A bobbing boat was a hard target and the sail and the mast got in the way of their missiles. Even so, Ketil Ingarsson was struck in the arm by an arrow. He would struggle to swim. We were gaining rapidly on the fishing boats and that helped for the archers switched to us. As the fishing boats neared the line of ships so the effect of the wind was lessened and the powerful current drove them forward. It was then that Sámr and the other boys lit their fires. Their boats were close enough now so that they would be bound to foul the larger ship. I watched as Sámr and Baldr waited until their mast and sail were on fire before they jumped overboard. They were just five paces from the moored ship when they did so and their boat struck first. As the fire burned through a rope so the oil covered sail flew into the air and attached itself to the bow of the ship. Flames licked around the ship’s prow. In this climate the wood dried and would burn quickly. The hull of the fishing boat was filled with kindling and as the fire took hold a wall of fire leapt up the strakes of the large ship. I saw that Ketil was being aided in the water by Arne and Sven but I could not see Sámr nor Baldr. Where were they?
Erik Short Toe moved the steering board a little towards the swimmers and shouted, “Stop rowing!”
The delay in our reaching the ships would allow the fires to grow. All of our fire ships had struck. The ship’s boys hurled their ropes as far as they could throw them. Six young warriors held the ropes but where were Baldr and my great grandson?
“Row!”
And then I saw them. They had swum to the next ship along from the one which was burning and using their knives they were sawing through the hawser between the burning ship and the smaller dhow next to it. I saw men on the dhow aiming bows. I ran to the larboard side and, grabbing a spear which lay there, hurled it the thirty paces to the dhow. I was aided by my height and the fact that the wind kept the tip up. It plunged down and struck an archer in the shoulder. As he fell the others turned and their attention was diverted. Sámr and Baldr swam away from the converging prows.
Then our bow hit the rope. Baldr and Sámr must have weakened it enough for ‘Heart of the Dragon’ broke it as Erik shouted, “In oars!” We did not want oars shattering on the dhow. There was a sickening crunch as our hulls came together and the dhow’s strakes splintered. Men fell overboard as the small dhow was destroyed by the sheer weight of our ship. I heard screams in the water and hoped that they were not the screams of Baldr and Sámr. I turned and ran down the centre of the drekar. Haaken hurried to the young warriors who had been hauled aboard. Ketil would need help. Erik shouted, “Out oars! Row!” My men glanced up at me as I ran. They had not seen Sámr and Baldr hauled on board like the rest. They knew why I ran.
I saw the burning ship begin to settle lower in the water. The Arab longphort was shattered. The ropes still held them to the banks and there was none of them big enough to tackle a drekar filled with Vikings. As I neared the stern, I saw that Arne, Stig and Erik had ropes out and were peering over the stern rail. What had they seen?
As I neared them, I heard Arne shout, “Pull!” and they began to haul on the ropes. Reaching the gunwale, I saw that they had caught two human fishes. Sámr and Baldr climbed up the stern. They had survived.
Erik Short Toe shouted, “They live!” The crew cheered.
I helped Sámr over the side and hugged him, “You had me worried!”
“I am sorry, great grandfather, but I knew that the rope would stop you. How is Ketil?”
I laughed, “He lives and you are a leader now for your first thought is for your men.” I swept an arm behind us. “The Emir will remember the Vikings who came. I do not think that others will find this as easy a target as we did. He will build more towers and have ships capable of fighting drekar.”
Baldr, who was draped in a cloak given to him by Arne, shivered as he shook his head, “Easy?”
Erik Short Toe nodded, “Aye, Baldr, we have had to extricate ourselves from more difficult places. Had they had bigger ships then we might not have succeeded. I know you lost warriors but, as the Dragonheart will tell you, they were fewer in numbers than we might have expected. We have a hold filled, almost to overflowing, and a drekar which is still sound.”
I nodded, “And when you are dressed and warmed you had better go to our guests and explain what has happened. They were terrified during the escape.”
We had all day to reach the sea and we slowed down the rate at which we rowed. By the time we reached the mouth of the river noon had passed and we stopped where the current and the wind kept us in one place. We raised the mast and then the sail. I heard gasps from the women captives as they saw the wolf. It was incredibly lifelike. Erik turned the steering board and we headed north towards Tui. With the wind from the west we would not have to row although the voyage to the north would not be as swift as we might have liked. We would sail up the coast at a gentle pace.
Another of the captured barrels of ale was broached and the last of the bread we had taken eaten along with cheese and ham. I went with Sámr to join Baldr and the captives. We took food with us. The women still viewed us with suspicion but I saw respect in the eyes of the men. I said, “Baldr, ask him how far up their river we will have to travel.”
I noticed that there was less confusion and explanation when they spoke. Their understanding was growing. Baldr said, “He said that it will take two days to row up the river.”
“And ask him how we stop his countrymen from attacking us.”
This time the conversation went on longer. Eventually Baldr nodded, “He says that he and his son will stand by the dragon. They will wave to let the people know that they are safe.”
Sámr seemed satisfied but I was not so certain. The Norns had spun and we would have to live with whatever they threw our way. Even if we received no more treasure the raid had achieved all that we might have hoped. Sámr had shown that he could lead. Already he had done better than my son, Gruffyd, who had tried a similar raid in Om Walum and been captured. We had grain, spices and treasure. True, we had no slaves but we could always find slaves. Sámr’s men had been blooded. The ones who survived, all fifteen of them, would form the core of his crew when he led alone. As I sat with Haaken at the steering board and watched the sun set over the Unending Sea I wondered if this would be my last raid. If I was to truly hand over the reins of power to Sámr then it ought to be. I was too far from Wyddfa, Úlfarrberg and the spirits of home to make a good decision. We had many days yet to travel to reach the Land of the Wolf. This raid was not yet over.
We reached the mouth of the river after many hours of sailing. While we had sailed north along the coast, I had spoken, through Baldr, with the captives. From Sunifred Borrell I had learned much. He was an important lord. The Count of Barcelona had arranged a marriage for him with an Asturian heiress. She was the beauty who clung to her son’s arm. I was surprised that her relatives had not tried to rescue her. Using Baldr to translate I bluntly asked the question. He had smiled sadly as he had answered. Baldr said, “Sancho of Pamplona is a rival of Wilfred the Hairy. This marriage was to end the enmity between the clans. The Count must have delayed in paying the ransom for them which was demanded by the Emir. When they return to Tui, he will be forced to give Sunifred that which is owed; an estate and the ransom which was promised.”
I had seen then why the Moors had not been driven from this land. I had seen nothing in their weaponry to suggest that they were invincible but the divisions between the followers o
f the White Christ were helping the followers of Islam. I was glad that we had no such divisions in my clan. Ragnar and Gruffyd accepted Sámr’s position and that was good. The only danger we faced was the Danish threat and that was on the other side of the land.
I also learned much of the geography of the land. The river upon which Tui lay was called the Minho. Sámr and I had amended our maps for he volunteered much information. We were rescuing him and his family but who knew if we might raid again in this land?
The entrance to the river was narrow but then it widened so wide that we could barely see the other banks. The wind helped us and the estimate of two days to progress up the river proved to be totally inaccurate. We had waited outside the estuary until dawn and we reached Tui by sunset. Our fears were proved groundless. There were few places along the river with enough people to threaten us. There were terraces of vines and olive trees and animals grazing but no towers. Tui was different. It had a citadel high on a hill and I would not have liked to assault it. The gates were barred and the walls manned as we tied up at the quay.
The captives looked much healthier than they had when we had first rescued them. Sunifred and his son had even made an attempt to speak our language. As we were tying up, he spoke to Baldr and Baldr turned to me, “Lord, Sunifred says that he hopes he can continue this friendship with us. He likes the way we fight and he sees honour amongst us even though he thought we were barbarians.”